Based on the reading from the Epic of Gilgamesh and the plot summary, what sort of journey do you think Gilgamesh has taken? Does his journey lead to despair or is he transformed in a way that has meaning for him and for the Mesopotamian Society that knew this narrative so well?
Find the plot summary in shared files or use Spark Notes. If you have lost the handout of the story, there are sites with the full text. Our reading is from tablets IX, X and XI.
Please write a well developed paragraph of at least 5 sentences.
The journey that Gilgamesh set upon was to find meaning for his life as well as the search for everlasting life. He beared witness to tretcherous conditions on his journey, which led his body to become very worn. The one man he wanted answers from was Utnapishtim, who possessed immortality. The death of his dear friend Enkidu was the reason for Gilgamesh's thought process. But, to his dismay, Gilgamesh comes to find out that the mystery of immortality is a myth. I think that Gilgamesh realized that you need to enjoy the fruits of life instead of spending your whole life looking for answers.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading The Epic of Gilgamesh, I have an impression that Gilgamesh’s journey is devided into three interrelated parts. Each part depicts different events that have happened in his life. It also shows how these events have influenced his personality, and how they have led him to an understanding of what immortality really is. Therefore, the first part is devoted to Gilgamesh’s kingship. It shows what kind of king he is. He is brave and strong, but, at the same time, he is a cruel despot, who thinks he is able to do anything he wants. In the second part, his personality undergoes changes, when he meets Enkidu, who becomes his friend and co-warrior. The third part of the journey is crucial for Gilgamesh’s character. After Endiku’s death, he desperately tries to find a way to become immortal. At the end, he realizes that the city he has built makes him immortal for the history of Mesopotamia.
ReplyDeleteThe Epic of Gilgamesh reflects the concerns the Mesopotamians had about the meaning of life, death, and immortality. After Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh is severely shattered by this loss and wants to find the answers. He begins his long journey to Utnapishtim to discover the immortality secret. He does not succeed in gaining eternal life, but he finds consolation when he returns to his city Uruk. He realizes that his deeds as a king of Uruk made him immortal. People will remember him for his legacy. Indeed, Gilgamesh became immortal because he still lives on the pages of the Epic, and we still study the Epic in the 21st century.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much.
Elizaveta Georgieva
I belevie the Mesopotamians know this story so well because it deals with mans stuggle to find his place in life. When he suffered the death of his brother/friend so close to him he began to realize is existance as finite. The problem is he has no real solution. It seems he was on a pointless journey trying to escape what must happen to all: death. It seems the message that he encoutured on his Journey is to enjoy the time of his life while he has it, that life is a gift. In his journey we learn of a reputation that preceeded him. He sounded so grand, yet in the end he was still only human; quick to anger, but strong, enduring and vigulant, but still subject to becoming weary. The point out in the storry how he looked worn down from his journey and people didn't beleive he was the great Gilgamemes becuase of his gaunt cheeks and look of dispair. Even someone great liek him wasn't untouchable and I beleive this is the reason it the story touched the Mesopotamians.
ReplyDeleteGilgamesh journey was a older, yet realistic, view of struggles many people have to overcome to find themselves and who they truely are. There is an inner battle within every great warrior that has to be fought. That battle is the greatest battle of all. When you come to an understanding with yourself you truely understand life and death. Mesopotamians thought of him highly, they truely thought he was immortal.In a sense he was because he did what others couldn't do. Not many survived as many hardships as he has. He was transformed as he came at peace with himself and eventually everyone seeks closure and finds it. Mesopotamians took Gilgamesh journey and realized what life really is. You are born on earth and you will return to earth as one.
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of the story, I thought Gilgamesh was on journey to go to war with the person who killed Enkidu. After further reading I realized that Gilgamesh was afraid of death and was seeking Utnapishtim. He was seking him to get answers about the everlasting life and how he can become immortal. When he reached Utnapishtim, he realized that he was just an ordinary person just like himself. Gilgamesh realized that he was immortal because the people of Mesopotamia saw him as being so.
ReplyDeleteGilgamesh's journey first began as more of a power journey. He was capable of doing anything he pleases, until Enkidu and his morals came into the picture. At first Gilgamesh hated Enkidu, but soon after they became good friends until Enkidu dies. After his friend dies the real journey begins; the journey to find the meaning of his life. He sets off to see Utnapishtim to get the answers. I believe the journey had great meaning for him, for he realized that he cannot physically live forever but his story can live on.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading about Gilgamesh, I believe the his journey did transform him and leave an impression on the Mesopotamia society forever. The fears that Gilgamesh had are fears that each of us still have today and that I am sure the people of Mesopotamia had. Death is something that is very had to grasp and Gilgamesh had just watched his friend and brother Enkidu pass on and that obviously opened his eyes to how short life can be. Gilgamesh I believe set out on that journey to meet Utnapishtim for one purpose,to find immortality. When Gilgamesh ran into Siduri she explained to him that his search would never amount to immortality and that he should stop focusing on finding everlasting life and just live his life to the fullest and that changed Gilgamesh and I think gave him a sense of peace. Gilgamesh realized that even if he didn't live forever he could live his life in a way that would be remember forever, and it was. The Mesopotamia society I think looked up to Gilgamesh for easing their fears as well and the impression he would leave behind on them would lead to a sense of immortality.
ReplyDeleteI think the journey that Gilgamesh took was to found salvation, or the meaning of life. Since he lost the one he love so much. And also I do think that an away the journey did not lead him to despair. Because at the end as you can see he told Utnapishtim “I look at you now, Utnapishtim, and your appearance is no different from mine, there is nothing strange in your features. I thought I should find you like a hero prepared for battle, but you lie here taking your case on your back. Tell me truly, how was it that you came to enter the company of the gods and to possess everlasting life.” That’s when Utnapishtim told him he will reveal to him the secrete of gods.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the story, I believe that Gilgamesh sets out on a quest to escape death but finds the meaning of life. Gilgamesh and Enkidu become warriors and heoric figures to the people of Mespotamia but Enkidu meets his fate, that all mortals must meet, and here Gilgamesh realizes that regardless of him being a king or a great warrior he is still capable of death. He sets out on his journey searching for a way to escape death; the Mespotamians only believed the dead rested not that they lived beyond blissfully so there was little comfort in the idea of losing someone. When he finally reaches Utnapishtim the god refuses to tell him the secret to immortality and tells him the story of the flood; only when he sees his kingdom does Gilgamesh understand what Utanapishtim was explaining in the garden. It's what we do while we are alive and what we leave behind that makes us immortal. I believe the people of Mespotamia found comforst in the fact that even as mortals, that they could also be a little bit immortal by living life and doing something worthy of rememberance.
ReplyDeleteGilgamesh started his journey as a seeker wondering out to meet Utnapishtim to find the immortality of life. Because of his fear of death he overcame the many obstacle that were place before him. When Gilgamesh asks for direction and he was told he could never cross the ocean it was impossible. He was told there was only one who did it and that was Shamash. Still in his mine he was not take no for an answer. Even by cutting down poles and painting them to help with his journey to accomplishing his mission. But in life there are no different between a master and a servant when both have lived up to duties.
ReplyDeleteLeonard Soler
ReplyDeleteHumanities
Blog response
The Epic of Gilgamesh
After reading the story of Gilgamesh, I would have to say that his voyage was a journey of despair that ultimately became a journey of enlightenment. After the death of Enkidu, Gilgamesh realized that everyone is bound to die one day, and he didn’t want to believe this notion. On his journey for eternal life, he failed at his only opportunity he had to become immortal, by not being able to stay awake for a week straight. Yet after this, Gilgamesh got another chance, when he found out about a plant in the bottom of the ocean that can make him young again. Once he got the plant he headed back to Uruk, but a snake stole the plant and ruined his last chance at lasting life. It took both of these occurrences of despair for Gilgamesh to become enlightened. While walking home, he realized that he was going to eventually die; however, Gilgamesh realized that just because he was going to die, doesn’t mean that he couldn’t live forever and he soon realizes that his legacy that he would leave behind can live forever.
Sheila Espada
ReplyDeleteFebruary 8, 2011
Epic of Gilgamesh
The epic of Gilgamesh is a very interesting story. It is about a man that decided to go on a journey to find a man named Utinapishtim, a man that found everlasting life. He goes on this long journey to fid this now immortal because, he wants to become immortal as well. Gilgamesh becomes afraid of death and he persistently seeks to find Utinapishtim and ask him questions about life and death. I think at the end of this story, Gilgamesh is transformed and he becomes what he wanted to be.
JC Carrasquillo
ReplyDeleteBlog Question #2 Epic of Gilgamesh
Gilgamesh’s journey to find Utnapishtim began when his younger brother, Enkidu, died. He was not only in despair because Enkidu died but he also became afraid of death. Afraid that like his brother, this will eventually become of him as well. So he wanted to find Utnapishtim so that he can discover everlasting life like Utnapishtim did. During this journey to find Utnapishtim he met Siduri, a wine maker. She tried to counsel Gilgamesh to seek pleasure and joy instead of immortality. But her attempt to lead him away from his journey failed, he continued his quest to find Utnapishtim and at the end of this plot summary he does find him. I think Gilgamesh’s journey lead to a meaningful transformation for him and for the Mesopotamian Society.
Based on the reading from The Epic of Gilgamesh, I think Gilgamesh's journey finding Utnapishtim to be able to have immortality he was in great despair. Searching for a plant that will make him stay young forever, which he does find but a snake takes it from him. Although he wasn't enlighted when the snake stole it from him but he did end up enjoying and understand the outcome of not getting the plant.
ReplyDeleteAfter analyzing The Epic of Gilgamesh, I come to a conclusion that his way of looking for the eternal life is something he truly believed in. He was afraid of death and because of that he thought that by fighting and defeating everybody on his way he would attained eternal life and join his friend whom he misses terribly. It also affected the Mesopotamian society and other societies that came after, which somehow thru the years have shown being frightened of death. On the order hand it is also despair because even though he wants immortality deep inside he knows it doesn’t exist.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading The Epic of Gilgamesh, I realized the power of love and determination for life. The Mesopotamian society made it out to be that Gilgamesh was a wild man that had no control over his actions. I felt as if he was a man that was lost and hurt, because of the lost of a close and loving friend. He fought through many obstacles to obtain an answer and when finding out that even a person living with the gods and having immortality was no different the he was. This allowed him to return to living life without the concern that he was missing something.
ReplyDeleteGilgamesh's journey was one of enlightenement and despair. He was searching for eternal life, and instead he found the meaning to the life he was alotted. This tale is popular because it deals with questions and fears we have about death we still have to this day.
ReplyDeleteI believe he was definately transformed after his jouney and as well with the Mesopotamian Society. His jouney has many things that I feel people could understand. The want for immortality and love, the the terrible feelings of loss. The feelings Gilgamesh and universal and involve struggles and emotions and end up leaving him a better individual.
ReplyDeleteGilgmesh was a real warrior but he was very shy about Death but he would do whatever it took to make the best so eventhough if and when he Die there will be someone else to take his place in becoming a better Warrior He Gave his All.
ReplyDeleteGilgamesh's journey was to find the secret for eternal life. On that journey I believe Gilgamesh was enlightened to the fact that he was searching for something that didn't exist, a myth and what he really was searching for he held within himself. He went through so much to find what he thought would keep hime alive forever, instead of just living life to it's fullest and enjoying each day that he was given. Someone once said to be "alive doesn't mean your living". Gilgamesh suceeded by living forever because his story will be told for years to come.
ReplyDeleteGilamesh wanted to find everlasting life so he wouldn't have to die like his friend, Enkidu. While on his journey, he finds that there is no everlasting life. Gilamesh decides that instead of searching his whole life for everlasting life he should just enjoy each day as it comes and enjoy the time he has now.
ReplyDelete