Essay On Gilgamesh

There are many differences and similarities between the Herbert Mason and the Assyrian International News Agency (AINA) versions of Gilgamesh. The AINA version is more like a traditional book and the other one is a poem. The Mason one is much easier to read and is less intimidating to read because it is written like a poem and the pages are not completely filled. The AINA version is harder to read because of the amount of information on one page. The Mason version is straight forward and says exactly what’s going on while the AINA version takes a long time to explain the backstories and does so with more dialogue.

Any casual reader has to be impressed that there are these points of similarity between these two. On the same token, the reader has to be impressed with the fact that there are some conspicuous and obvious differences. In the Gilgamesh epic, the author has the gods that are squabbling. They are infections, jealous, and immoral. In contrast, there is a great, holy dignity in the bible that brings this judgment to bear.

After forming a quick friendship, Gilgamesh and Enkidu band together to take down Humbaba, the protector of the Cedar Forest. Enkidu expresses some reservations about this fight, but Gilgamesh pushes the pursuit forward. Gilgamesh continually asks his friend as to why he “speak[s] like a weakling” (II, 232). Gilgamesh, who has been assured of his strength and power since day one, cannot seem to understand Enkidu’s “spineless words” (II, 233). Enkidu’s lack of courage makes Gilgamesh not just sad, but “despondent” (II, 232).

A wise man once said, “whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past; for human events ever resemble those of preceding times.” (Machiavelli). Indeed, the history of the epic plays an important role in comparing and contrasting the past and present values. The epic of Gilgamesh attempts to describe the moral ideas and standards of behavior of ancient Sumerians which are similar examples that move ahead for years to come. Some of the examples are gender divisions and the idea of the male being physically beautiful, immensely strong and the leader of the society.

Always encountering success, Gilgamesh was once a tyrant to his people. Reflecting on his rule, he recalls that, “He demanded from an old birthright/the privilege of sleeping with their brides” (15). His triumphs fostered arrogance. To him, everyone else paled in comparison. When he experiences defeat, however, Gilgamesh grows as a leader, seeing the similarities between him and his subjects, their common humanity.

Gilgamesh is a powerful yet emotional king. Gilgamesh shows his weak side by saying “I have wept for him day and night…” After this he remains an epic hero in my opinion. The text states he went on a great dangerous journey and survived and killed the guard of The Cedar

Gilgamesh and Enkidu from the start were bound to each other from their creation by the gods. To understand more you must learn of their similarity, difference and their experiences that take you to Enkidu’s death. From our reading assignments, I would like to have explored more past Enkidu’s death to learn more of how Gilgamesh had reacted. Each of our heroes brings much ado to the reality of friendship, love, and expression of men during their time.

Literary devices are used to bridge the gaps and fill in the cracks for me where simple words do not suffice in some stories. I find myself constantly searching stories for and identifying different types of literary devices. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, three uses of literary devices were demonstrated and used consistently. These literary devices are: repetition, imagery and flashbacks. This literary narrative is centered on an epic journey that utilizes literary devices to enhance the complexity and understanding in the story.

The Epic of Gilgamesh: Relevant Truth for Today’s Society The Epic of Gilgamesh is set in Uruk, an ancient city of the ancient Mesopotamian civilization of Sumer, now modern-day Iraq. The epic was said to be written by Sin-liqe-unninni, but it is based on five earlier Sumerian poems with no known author. The piece was difficult to translate, and there are two main version for the Epic of Gilgamesh. This is the result of the environment during the time the piece was being written.

In comparison, it’s always observed on how different scholars find the similarity of especially marital settings, characters, and as well as the wanderings of the mythological world. Different events within the life of these characters cover broadly a huge range of epic encounters that are heroic. The character, emotional and psychological development of Gilgamesh can be borrowed especially from the ancient heroic perspectives of mortality and death while comparing with Achilles. Mesopotamian civilization has had several phases in which hero Gilgamesh has been in existence, however having similar attributes. One of the earliest stories of Gilgamesh is developed from Sumerian texts, one of the most influential and well-known poems (Michelakis & Pantelis 2007).

The Epic of Gilgamesh is a piece of literature which demonstrate role of women in society, how friendship is important to humanity and how the journey Gilgamesh relate to human want and needs. Women are role model in every society because they care, love and guide individuals that they are involved with to their success. The role of women and their knowledge cannot be under estimate, but one have to be careful when relating to them. Furthermore friendship is set as the fundamental was one can be educated and change systematically. Gods and human relationship help one to get favor from the gods and be able to overcome dangerous situations.

Using repetition and duality is a great way to express people’s feelings and reactions. The authors of the Epic of Gilgamesh used repetition to emphasize their viewpoint in showing that Gilgamesh was a powerful king. Duality meant to better illustrate points about Gilgamesh, and to catch the reader’s attention. Dualities gave a good picture of Gilgamesh and life in Uruk, and this picture was better when these dualities were repeated, because that made Gilgamesh 's personality brighten up. Although immortality and power were not big themes in the epic, the use of repeated dualities by different characters emphasizes the importance of power and immortality.

The Epic of Gilgamesh gives a lot of insight to what was happening and what was expected in ancient Mesopotamia. The epic poem which revolves around a king, includes many details in to the civilization, beliefs, and values of the Mesopotamians. The king thrives to be remembered and many of his actions reflect that. The Epic of Gilgamesh show how an ideal heroic king should be in ancient Mesopotamia. The first thing it shows us is that hero kings should be strong.

The Epic of Gilgamesh is the first epic poem to be written in ancient West Asia. It was written around the third millennium BCE in Mesopotamia by Sumerian people (Spodek, 127). The epic is based on actual an historical figure, a Sumerian king who reigned the city-state of Uruk around third millennium BCE. Ashurbanipal, the last Neo-Assyrian king who was literate, built a great library in his capital and preserved 20,000 tablets including the earliest complete version of The Epic of Gilgamesh (Spodek, 128). Sumerian attitudes towards gods, friendship, and the story of the great flood are revealed throughout the epic.

The Epic of Gilgamesh is the oldest story known to mankind, being written on Sumerian clay almost five thousand years ago (Garone). Since the story was originally known orally, the culture and themes from The Epic of Gilgamesh must have existed long before it was finally inscribed (Mark 4). Having known this, the cultures and themes can be compared to today’s society, discovering about how they have shifted and evolved, and also observe how they are similar. The ancient days of Gilgamesh has brought culture that has greatly influenced today’s society. Because Gilgamesh was set around the time of late Babylonian or early Sumerian society, the Babylonian and Sumerian cultures also play a role in shaping the world into what is is today (Mark).