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Epic Of Gilgamesh Summary

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The Epic of Gilgamesh, is the story of the hero Gilgamesh. He is on the quest for eternal life following the death of his best friend Enkidu. Towards the end of his journey he encounters an extremely wise woman named Siduri, a winemaker and celestial barkeep. Siduri is unsure and slightly scared of him at first due to his disheveled appearance from his long and intense journey, upon seeing him she quickly locks herself in her house. Gilgamesh is unhappy with this and threatens to hit her gate, breaking the bolt. Siduri wasn’t phased by the threat and opted to speak to him from the terrace as opposed to coming back down, After Gilgamesh explains the reason for his journey and why he looks so defeated and sick Siduri offers him her advice. Before …show more content…

He like all humans is going to die someday, it is inevitable he needs to sit back and enjoy the simple things life has to offer. He’s become so focused on his fear of death, he has lost sight of enjoying his life in the present. She attempts to persuade him to abandon his quest and go back home but she is unsuccessful. She gives him direction to Urshanabi’s house, a man who will take him to Utnapishtim. After a tough journey Gilgamesh makes it to Utnapishtim, who tells him the story of the flood and how although men will die humankind will continue as the Gods vowed never to destroy them again. Gilgamesh is still very persistent and want immortality so he is given a test, he has to stay awake for a week. He ultimately fails at this and has to return to Uruk, where he then finds truth and wisdom in the advice Siduri gave him. He returns home and becomes a model man and a fit King. Siduri giving Gilgamesh advice does seem a little odd because he is a cruel man who listens to no one but himself and has a feeling of superiority because he is part god. While he may not have necessarily wanted the advice it was something he needed. He would have lived out the rest of his life as a miserable man and would have driven himself crazy if he put all his time into worrying about being immortal. The advice was very simple and reasonable and completely transformed his

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