ipl-logo

Culture And Themes In The Epic Of Gilgamesh

2037 Words9 Pages

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). These societies have developed inventions and ideas that have significantly affected today’s world such as, government, art, wheels mathematics, and many more (Garone). The cultures and themes from the story are displayed all across the text, and after studying Gilgamesh’s culture and story, it is evident that there are numerous cultural contribution to modern day society, such as gods, seeking revenge or love, and destroying enemies. More importantly, throughout the text, Gilgamesh was in a predicament trying to figure out the meaning of life and the value of human accomplishment (Mark). The culture of mankind has always been to seek the meaning of life, no matter the time period, religion, or community. From the times of Gilgamesh to

Show More
Related

  • The Christian Critical Tradition In The Epic Of Gilgamesh

    631 Words  | 3 Pages

    When reading The Epic of Gilgamesh we can find different examples of the six criteria for evaluating works of art. Therefore we are able to hone in on a few that really prevail throughout the story that persuades the reader to think critically about what exactly the author wants the reader to understand. Three main themes of the Christian critical tradition in The Epic of Gilgamesh are truth, righteousness, and beauty. When looking at the epic of Gilgamesh and accessing the literature for truth we see that an ultimate truth is death.

    Read More

  • Humbristic To Humble Gilgamesh Analysis

    746 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Rise And Fall Of Hubris In The Epic Of Gilgamesh

    1563 Words  | 7 Pages

    (George, 99). This demonstrates Gilgamesh’s newfound appreciation for his city and life, and provides the audience with closure of his

    Read More

  • What Is The Hero's Journey In The Epic Of Gilgamesh

    453 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Epic of Gilgamesh shows and describe the journey of a successful hero. Throughout his quest, Gilgamesh goes through a departure, initiation, and a return stage. When Gilgamesh and Enkidu sets out to go on the heroic journey to defeat Humbaba he experiences the first departure stage. The initiation stage occurred when Enkidu died and Gilgamesh started the second heroic journey searching for immortality. Gilgamesh search for immortality was beyond the initiation stage he searched for it through every quest and journey he encountered.

    Read More

  • The Development Of Enkidu In The Epic Of Gilgamesh

    1840 Words  | 8 Pages

    Cole and Ortega’s The Thinking Past is a book that covers the history of humans and civilization. The authors cover the transition of humans from a hunter-gatherer life into a sedentary life, forming the civilizations we know today. This transition can be witnessed through the character, Enkidu, in The Epic of Gilgamesh. Enkidu—a glorified forager—is created by the gods to keep the King of Uruk, Gilgamesh, in check.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Gilgamesh And Achilles

    961 Words  | 4 Pages

    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).

    Read More

  • Gilgamesh: An Epic Hero

    394 Words  | 2 Pages

    Gilgamesh is an epic hero because, he part divine, interacts with gods and his story has a series of adventures and superhuman victories. Gilgamesh is a king that shows off his power and enviably shows his weak side in most altercations. Most scholars see him as a historical figure, but I myself think he is definitely an epic hero. He oppresses people who call out to the gods, this is not very heroic, but his other actions will show the truth. Gilgamesh IS an epic hero.

    Read More

  • Cultural Values In The Epic Of Gilgamesh

    460 Words  | 2 Pages

    Cultural Values A demigod named Gilgamesh, tragically loses his best friend, then he goes on a journey to find the secret of immortality. One could say that these specific cultural values work effectively for the Gods and the people of Uruk, such as rituals, war, and making sacrifices to make this culture successful. Commonly this culture mostly performs rituals for everlasting life or immortality. Gods are afraid of mortality and death itself.

    Read More

  • Sumerian Culture In The Epic Of Gilgamesh

    1026 Words  | 5 Pages

    BCE as a time period was quite vague and blurry. This story gives us an insight on descriptions on sumerian beliefs and most importantly, the sumerian culture in general. There is a certain amount of fact in this story but some truths are questionable. The facts in this story provides us with a picture of Sumeria which had many craftsmen, artistic skills, and people who strongly believed in God. The epic of Gilgamesh has details into art and skills.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Love In The Epic Of Gilgamesh

    759 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Epic of Gilgamesh conveys numerous themes. Among those are the inevitability of death, the eminence of the gods, and strikingly the importance of love as an impetus. Love, defined in a consummate sense is intimacy, passion, and commitment. These traits are exemplified in Gilgamesh and Enkidu's relationship, and they are also implied between Enkidu and Sham hat. Despite the violent and abrasive nature of the happenings of this text, love is displayed blatantly throughout.

    Read More

  • Literary Devices In Gilgamesh Research Paper

    849 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Ideal Heroic King In Epic Of Gilgamesh

    902 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Gilgamesh: Relevant Truth For Today's Society

    1067 Words  | 5 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Epic Of Gilgamesh Suffering

    1147 Words  | 5 Pages

    Human suffering is one of the major themes in The Epic of Gilgamesh. When confronting with painful circumstances 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 or mentally. There are many beliefs to the reason why suffering is inevitable. In this epic, it is portrayed that the two heroes’ sufferings are the results of their fundamental flaws, such as their hubris and their attachments of to be remembered.

    Read More

  • Symbolism In The Epic Of Gilgamesh

    1100 Words  | 5 Pages

    The Epic of Gilgamesh is an example of a piece of literature that uses symbolism frequently. For example, it uses “garden” meaning paradise and even refers to The Garden of Eden. In the Epic of Gilgamesh by anonymous, the symbols cedar meaning immortality, mountains which represents proximity to the gods, and gates and portals symbolizing a passage to the unknown are very important within the epic itself. Cedar within the epic does not only mean a tree, but has a deeper definition as well. Cedar can often represent immortality because it doesn’t decay and it is very hard to break.

    Read More

More about Culture And Themes In The Epic Of Gilgamesh

Open Document