The Epic of Gilgamesh
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In The Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh, the hero of this epic, achieves many
feats of skill, which makes him famous, but that is not the reason it is an
epic. The Epic of Gilgamesh fulfills the requirements of an epic by being consistently relevant to a human society and carries immortal themes and
messages. By looking at literature throughout history, one can infer the themes that are consistently passed on to other generations of humans. It is
in human nature for people to want to excel in life and strive to make a name in this world for themselves. We want to be remembered by name or for
something we have done. Most, who actually succeed, are forgotten about in a matter of years. However, some are remembered for tens, hundreds,
and even thousands of years, because of their great intellectual achievement to feats of outstanding skill.
Gilgamesh is not only a character of a story; he is actually a portrayal of people and how they act out of human nature. He, like many of us,
does not want his existence to end when he leaves this world. He is not content with what he has, good looks, money, and power, and desires more
in life. The Epic of Gilgamesh is a story that we, as people, can relate to. There are similarities between Gilgameshs journey and our own journey
through life. Some of the texts that will be compared with The Epic of Gilgamesh, are the Bible, and Mark Twain”s The Adventures of Huckleberry
Finn. The characters of these stories are all have that burning desire to be successful in life, which we can relate to. These texts span across
different time periods and societies illustrating how human nature, particularly the desire to obtain more than one possesses, plays a significant role
throughout written and present human history.
It is in human nature to want to be recognized and receive what one think he or she may deserve. In the Bible, one of many themes is the
quest for something greater than what the seeker currently has, in terms of stature or wealth. One of many examples is the theft of Esau”s birthright
by Jacob. In Genesis 25: 27-34, Esau Sells His Rights as the First-Born Son, Jacob wanted more than his proper inheritance, he wanted the rights
as the first born son. His brother Esau was hungry and asked for some soup that Jacob was cooking. Jacob answered, “I will give it to you if you
give me your rights as the first-born son.” Jacob could not be content with what he already had. He wanted a larger portion of the inheritance entitled
to the one who is the first-born as well as the title. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh seeks to gain more fame by attempting feats of great
proportion. One of the feats is the slaying of Humbaba, the giant beast who is the keeper of a !
forest. By doing so, Gilgamesh becomes famous for killing the dreaded Humbaba, even though it does not pose any threat to people who stay out of
that particular forest. “Together we will accomplish a work the fame of which will never dieyour dream is good, your dream is
excellent, the mountain which you saw is Humbaba, Now, Surely, we will seize and kill him.” He does this is for fame as well as access to the cedar
trees. After this event, he announces to every person he meets, “I killed the watchman of the cedar forest, and I killed the lions in the
passes of the mountain.” Both Gilgamesh and Jacob wanted more than they had. Jacob already had an inheritance coming to him, but desired more
of it as well as recognition as the first-son. Gilgamesh already had good looks, strength, and kingship, yet he had to go out and kill Humbaba to gain
fame and rights to cedar trees for it. Jacob still would have gotten part of the inheritance without taking t!
he first-son birth rights from his brother, and Gilgamesh still could get access to the cedar trees without killing Humbaba, yet that was not enough for
them.
Most people would not find their life as fulfilling without adventure. In Mark Twain”s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck sees life as an
adventure and lives it out in that fashion. Huck runs away from home and lives through many perils for basically sheer excitement. “We said there
warnt no home like a raft, after all. Other places do seem so cramped up and smothery, but a raft dont. You feel mighty free and easy, and
comfortable on a raftwhat he (Tom) had planned in his head from the start was for us to run him down the river on a raft, and have
adventures plumb to the mouth of the river” Huck was expected to live a normal life, learning manners and conforming to social norms, yet
that did not please him. He looked for adventure in life and realized that a life on a raft would be more fulfilling. The Epic of Gilgamesh carries the
same theme because Gilgamesh is constantly searching and going on adventures to distance places, kill!
ing the Bull of Heaven, Humbaba, and the lions in the passes of the mountain. He searches for these adventures because he wants to make the
most out of life. Just being king and never leaving the city can be monotonous and boring. Gilgamesh travels to distant forests and crosses “the
waters of death” for, what amounts to, an adventure. He is searching for something worth living for. Just as we, as people, can not live everyday
doing absolutely nothing. This theme tells us that we all need some adventure in our lives to make it worth living.