Gilgamesh the Hero of Man
In the text “Epic of Gilgamesh”, the author uses a lot of symbolism to deliver the intended message. Examples of symbols used in the narration include gates and doors. These structures are not only openings to living arrangements and cities but also transition from one stage of life to the other. They also signify the beginning or end of a quest. Gates also mean a separation between different worlds. For instance, the world of the living (earth), hell (world of the dead), and heavens where gods live. In the article, the Ishtar threatens to unleash evil by knocking down “the gates of the netherworld” meaning hell (Kovacs, Maureen Gallery 23). The author also uses the allegory of sleep to signify death. When Utanapishtim asks Gilgamesh to prove his worthiness of immortality by not sleeping, it is an allegory showing that if Gilgamesh could afford to stay alive without dying, then he would be worthy of immortality. Gilgamesh fails to complete the task (because he sleeps for one night), and he loses his quest for immortality (Kovacs, Maureen, Gallery 6). The author also uses the theme of sex to drive the narration. The narrator depicts sex as both pure and impure. The God Ishtar showed sexual advancements as a way of promoting Gilgamesh to divinity while the trapper used a prostitute to ruin Enkidu’s unity with animals. Finally, the author uses a poetic style of writing to put the piece together. He uses rhyme in the narration to actively engage the audience. For example, the following stanza from page 7 (Kovacs, Maureen Gallery 7).
“and people had collected about it.
“The Land of Uruk was standing around it,
“the whole land had assembled about it,
“the populace was thronging around it.
Understanding the Author’s Thoughts
The author is trying to narrate a story of the hero of Uruk whose account can be traceable to early Uruk civilization. The author attempts to give an account of the achievements and accomplishments that made King Gilgamesh-the Hero of Uruk- stand out among the other leaders before and after him. The narrator depicts Gilgamesh as a being who was part human and part God. The narrator describes Gilgamesh as the bridge between the two. A more in-depth analysis shows how Gilgamesh-being unique among the gods, and men had tough decisions to make to bridge the gap between the two. First, he liberates people from Humbaba, the beast. Thus, he fights evil on behalf of men. He then turns against the gods and kills the bull of heaven, which was sent by the gods for revenge. Therefore, the whole narration aims at painting a picture of a man who was a hero to Uruk and humanity.
Reflection
In reflection, I think the narration is an account of historical events given in the form of a poetic epic story. The significant events narrated in the epic are either accounted in other biblical books, such as the Bible. Examples of these stories include the story of the city that God destroyed with floods is similar to the Noah’s narration in the Bible. The boatman who ferries mortals to the land of the gods is identical to the Greek Mythology on Titans and the underworld. Therefore, I think that this article is an excellent account of history poetically told to the modern world.
Bibliography
Kovacs, Maureen Gallery. The epic of Gilgamesh. Stanford University Press, 1989.