Kissha Mae Venus P.

Cosep
BSA 2
LIT 11
05/21/23

The Epic of Gilgamesh

In the Gilgamesh Epic, we first meet Gilgamesh, the ruthless and haughty king of
Uruk. The gods created a wild man named Enkidu to confront Gilgamesh when the
inhabitants of Uruk complained about his oppressive reign. Enkidu is made civilized
and transported to Uruk, where he encounters Gilgamesh. A bloody conflict breaks
out between them, but Gilgamesh prevails. The two warriors develop a close
friendship rather than growing to hate each other. Gilgamesh and Enkidu set off on a
valiant expedition to the Cedar Forest in order to kill Humbaba, the evil gatekeeper.
They conquer Humbaba with Shamash, the sun god's assistance, and declare
victory. Gilgamesh is courted by the goddess Ishtar, who also makes a marriage
proposal. Gilgamesh, on the other hand, rejects her after hearing about how she
mistreated her past loves. Ishtar, incensed, decides to exact revenge on Uruk by
releasing the Bull of Heaven. Enkidu and Gilgamesh succeed in killing the bull. The
gods decide that one of the buddies must perish as retribution for killing the bull at
the beginning. Gilgamesh is devastated by Enkidu's illness and subsequent death,
which leads him to wonder what the purpose of life and death are. examines
Gilgamesh's despondency and quest for eternal life. He embarks on a quest to
locate Utnapishtim, the only person who has ever been granted immortality by the
gods. Gilgamesh must endure many hardships, including a dangerous run-in with the
scorpion people. When Gilgamesh arrives at the Waters of Death's shore, he
encounters Siduri, the tavern's owner. She counsels him to embrace his mortality
and take delight in the simple things in life. depicts Gilgamesh using the ferryman
Urshanabi to traverse the seas of death. When he gets to the Garden of the Gods,
he finds a plant that can give him eternal youth. Gilgamesh is bathing, but a serpent
takes the plant, thwarting his attempt to become immortal. Gilgamesh, who is
heartbroken by the loss of the plant, goes back to Uruk. He considers his travels and
comes to the conclusion that the lasting legacy of his city is the actual road to
immortality. The epic is brought to a close by Gilgamesh telling Urshanabi his tale.
Urshanabi is told to travel to his city of Uruk and see its majestic walls. At its
conclusion, the epic serves as a reminder of Gilgamesh's achievements and
historical significance.