Free Epic of Gilgamesh Essays: Underlying Meaning :: free essay writer

The Epic of Gilgamesh Underlying Meaning Last time, we introduced the ancient mythical tale, The Epic of Gilgamesh. You read a brief account of the tale and lettered a little of its origins and discovery. Now we are going to get into the tale itself and have a deeper look in an effort to decode some of its surreptitious or underlying meaning. We will explore the notion of The Double and the quest for immortality in our search for the meaning of life. We remember from the epic tale that Enkidu, the wildman, was Gilgameshs beloved friend. So what can Enkidus injection into the story reveal to us then? Lets look more closely at this figure. Enkidu is an innocent savage, a wildman, content to live among the beasts. by and by an encounter with a trapper he undergoes a kind of culture shock and is tamed by a harlot or sacral prostitute. Here, sex is sacred it is a civilizing force that separates humans from Nature for the animals now reject Enkidu. Paired with Gilgamesh, the two fig ures represent the Double. Enkidu embodies the thoughts while Gilgamesh represents the intellect. Both of these aspects make up humankind. Through his familiarity with Enkidu, Gilgamesh learns much about what it is to be human. He learns love and comgoion, as well as death and loss as Enkidu dies. But Enkidu rages against his death It is human instinct to fight death, to fight to live Enkidu is soon appeased though by the sun god Shamash who gives death meaning in remembrance of those who have passed on, of Enkidu who will pass on. So we find in this story a meaning for death - meaning in being remembered. Gilgamesh, however, is not so easily appeased in Enkidus death. He grieves heavily over the loss of his dear friend and vows to find the key to everlasting life. So he sets out on his journey, his journey finished the underworld, through the otherworld. Is Gilgamesh now just intellectual man without instinct, without Enkidu? Death, loss, mortality are too much for Gilgamesh t o bear. Why toil on earth to end up in a terrible afterlife? Gilgamesh will have none of it. He seeks to become immortal like the gods, after all, he himself is 2/3 god. He does find answers to the questions of life and death on his journey.