who made the journey; heartbroken; reconciled;

who knew the way things were before the Flood,

the secret things, the mystery; who went

to the end of the earth, and over, who returned;

and wrote the story on a tablet of stone. (Gilgamesh 3)

Immediately we are introduced to an all knowing and heroic figure; Gilgamesh. “Two-thirds god, one-third a man, the king” Gilgamesh is truly a hero, and a symbol of life, more stunning, more spirited, and more terrorizing than any other (Gilgamesh 4). However, he may be strong and almighty like the gods, but he is not immortal. He must suffer through the death of others and ultimately face his own. So we are told an epic journey, over 4000 years old, embracing life, portraying destruction, and celebrating renewal.

Life is portrayed in the story through the city of Uruk, which Gilgamesh built himself: “He built Uruk. He built the keeping place / of Anu and Ishtar. The outer wall / shines in the sun like brightest copper” (Gilgamesh 3). Within the walls, like within any living being, there are human traits and faults. The great city of Uruk tells the life story of Gilgamesh. The abusive king and his domination over

Enkidu's creation makes you wonder how he was given life. Created of “earth clay and divine spittle” and dropped into the wilderness, Enkidu is innocent of human corruption (Gilgamesh 5). He lives in joy with the beasts until a trapper sees that Enkidu is destroying the traps and helping the beasts escape. The trapper needs to tame Enkidu just as the people of Uruk need to tame Gilgamesh.

Beside the sea, Gilgamesh meets Siduri, "a tavern keeper" who reminds him of the meaningfulness of being human and how “the life of man is short” (Gilgamesh 55). She tells Gilgamesh to:

Through the city streets; the city walls and lintels

As Gilgamesh, the strongest of all, the terror,

Some topics in this essay:
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