Theme Of Immortality In The Epic Of Gilgamesh

The fear of death and the search for immortality is a culturally universal theme. The dogma encompassing immortality surpasses the barriers of time and multitudes of cultures; even being able to be applied to present-day life. The theme of immortality appears in stories from ancient texts, such as The Epic of Gilgamesh, written by the ancient Sumerians around 600 B.C., and Homer’s Odysseus, to present day literature in the twenty first century. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh, composed of two-thirds god and one-third human, allows his mortal side to all at once diminish his pride and his power after the death of Enkidu. The death reawakens his own fear of mortality and jumpstarts the demi-god into a journey for the cure. His search for immortality is a universal concept that has presented itself many times throughout the world. It is a concept that everyone in the history of mankind faces. How do we break free from the constraints of the physical world and overcome the limitations of mortality? Humanity’s answer to this question can be analyzed three ways: through our legacy and what we live behind, through the longevity and …show more content…
Religion promises an afterlife and the chance to eternity in enlightenment and peace. The strength and longevity of a name and building a legacy instills a drive in people to have good character and go above and beyond to impact the world we live in today. The irony of The Epic of Gilgamesh, is that Gilgamesh, who wanted to enjoy immortality, actually achieves his dream. Thousands of years after his death, he and Enkidu live on through the story of their adventures together, which has been passed down through word of mouth for generations and undoubtedly generations to come. Through the art of storytelling, the epic poem retelling Gilgamesh and his desire for immortality will be kept in an immortal