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Gilgamesh Inevitability Of Death Essay

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The Epic of Gilgamesh is a story about Gilgamesh, Uruk’s oppressive leader, who went on an adventure to try to find the secret to eternal life. Gilgamesh was said to be one third man and two thirds god. Although he was beautiful and godlike, his way of ruling was absolute tyranny. Gilgamesh would rape any woman whom he found attractive and induce forced labor to complete his many projects. Because of all his wrongdoings, the gods sent him Enkidu, a wild man who was tamed by a prostitute, to act as a sort of mentor to Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh and Enkidu become close friends and set out on an adventure together.
The first part of the adventure involved Gilgamesh and Enkidu stealing trees from a cedar forest that mortals were forbidden to enter. A demon named Humbaba, a slave to the god of earth, wind, and air, Enlil, guarded this forest. Gilgamesh and Enkidu defeated Humbaba with the help of the …show more content…
Even though Gilgamesh went on a massive adventure to find the secrets of immortality, it was impossible for him to hold on to the secret. This may point to the fact that death is inescapable for humans, and rather than focus on death, people should focus on the life that they have lived. Another theme of this story is the danger of the gods. While the gods are what brought Gilgamesh and Enkidu together, it was the gods who also tore them apart. The Epic of Gilgamesh truly lives up to its larger-than-life depiction of Gilgamesh. It is a wonderful tale of adventure, life, and death. While the adventures Gilgamesh went on were other worldly, the main elements of this story are still relevant in today’s society. This is what makes The Epic of Gilgamesh still a very loved, and often read piece of literature. The Epic of Gilgamesh is easily one of the greatest masterpieces of world literature. This particular translation was easy to follow, and managed to stay away from the confusing old English that many translations

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