Theme Of Suffering In The Epic Of Gilgamesh

Human suffering is one of the major themes in The Epic of Gilgamesh. When confronted with painful situations in our lives, we often ask ourselves why is life so difficult and wonder if suffering is necessary. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the two heroes, Gilgamesh and Enkidu both go through suffering either physically and mentally. There are many beliefs to the reason of why suffering is inevitable. In this epic, it is portrayed that the two heroes’ s sufferings are results of their fundamental flaws, such as their hubris and their attachments of being remembered. Through suffering, they learn the nature of reality and accept their limitations.

It can be argued that Gilgamesh and Enkidu all suffered by a self serving quest to obtain glory and immortality. With the power that he had, Gilgamesh often tyrannized his people; he would triumph over men in combat and claimed the right to sleep with any woman before her marriage. They kill Humbaba only to show their prowess and

One of them is that wisdom is gained by suffering and through overcoming the difficulties in life. Overcoming difficulties elevates us. By responding to challenges we develop skills to overcome them. After a series of journeys, Gilgamesh become a wiser man than he was before. He learns to think for the first time and act accordingly. The second lesion is to let go of unnecessary attachments, such as yearning for eternal life, and cherish what you have. At the end, Gilgamesh finally let go of his glory and his persistent of being remembered. He feels content and peace in his heart. Finally, we learn that accepting the fact is very important in our lifetime. Through suffering Gilgamesh finally accept the fact that although he is the king and two-third god, he is not going to live forever and his life is limited like everyone else and nature is more powerful than him. Also to accept his imperfection as a human