Though it may be an unsettling thought, all life must come to an end. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, a heroic king named Gilgamesh is faced with the realization of his own mortality after his best friend, Enkidu, dies.The demigod goes mad with fear towards dying. After several days of weeping over his beloved friend, Gilgamesh ventures through the wilderness and underworld to search for immortality because of his extreme fear of death.
Gilgamesh ultimately goes on his quest for immortality because he fears death, not because of his best friend. He says,
“What my brother is now, that shall I be when I am dead. Because I am afraid of death I will go as best as I can to find Utnapishtim whom they call the Faraway, for he has entered the assembly of the gods.” Gilgamesh is clearly terrified of dying and realizes he’ll eventually die when Enkidu does. He’s faced with something out of his control which is unusual to him because he’s the ruler of Uruk. Although he expresses great sorrow over his friend’s death, he doesn’t go on his journey because of this sorrow for him. If it was just all about avenging Enkidu’s death, he wouldn’t be …show more content…
He states, “I thought my friend would come back because of my weeping.Since he went, my life is nothing.” He has tried to bring Enkidu back and wept over his death and realizes he can't. He then realizes and fears his own mortality because of Enkidu. He says, “Because of my brother I am afraid of death, because of my brother I stray through the wilderness and cannot rest.” Gilgamesh is aware that his friend will forever be dead, so he wouldn’t go on a quest just because of Enkidu. He’s focused on what he can actually do something about—his own mortality. Though Enkidu’s death essentially leads to the whole journey, Gilgamesh’s purpose is to find eternal life for himself, not solely because of his despair over Enkidu’s
Gilgamesh ultimately goes on his quest for immortality because he fears death, not because of his best friend. He says,
“What my brother is now, that shall I be when I am dead. Because I am afraid of death I will go as best as I can to find Utnapishtim whom they call the Faraway, for he has entered the assembly of the gods.” Gilgamesh is clearly terrified of dying and realizes he’ll eventually die when Enkidu does. He’s faced with something out of his control which is unusual to him because he’s the ruler of Uruk. Although he expresses great sorrow over his friend’s death, he doesn’t go on his journey because of this sorrow for him. If it was just all about avenging Enkidu’s death, he wouldn’t be …show more content…
He states, “I thought my friend would come back because of my weeping.Since he went, my life is nothing.” He has tried to bring Enkidu back and wept over his death and realizes he can't. He then realizes and fears his own mortality because of Enkidu. He says, “Because of my brother I am afraid of death, because of my brother I stray through the wilderness and cannot rest.” Gilgamesh is aware that his friend will forever be dead, so he wouldn’t go on a quest just because of Enkidu. He’s focused on what he can actually do something about—his own mortality. Though Enkidu’s death essentially leads to the whole journey, Gilgamesh’s purpose is to find eternal life for himself, not solely because of his despair over Enkidu’s