- In one of the oldest stories ever written, the Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh loses the power of immortality, stolen by a snake. The serpent was a widespread figure in the mythology of the Ancient Near East.
- The Epic of Gilgamesh: A Hero’s Journey Several themes are addressed throughout the Epic of Gilgamesh, but the most prominent lies within the confrontation and acceptance of mortality. Gilgamesh—king of Uruk, ambitious builder, and bravest of mercenaries—seems to be blessed by a combination of two-thirds godliness and one-third manliness.
The Epic of Gilgamesh was wildly famous in antiquity. Like the snake that steals Gilgamesh’s rejuvenation plant, the Epic of Gilgamesh has aged well. Its themes - exploring the tension.
The Epic of Gilgamesh is an an ancient Mesopotamian work and one of the earliest pieces of world literature. The story is set in and around the city-state of Uruk in Southern Mesopotamia, the lands between the Tigris and Euphrates river during the second and third millenniums BCE. The story’s main protagonist is the king of Uruk named Gilgamesh, whose name means “the offspring is a hero” or “the old man is still a young man”. The interpretations of Gilgamesh’s name alludes to the protagonist’s qualities and to the major themes of the story. Gilgamesh is an epic hero who contends with mortality and the relationship culture has with inevitable death. It is thought that Gilgamesh rules around 2700 BCE and his notoriety throughout the region was attributed to Uruk’s monumental city walls. His architectural accomplishment features prominently in the poem and convey’s deep meaning throughout the poem. The walls of Uruk represent a sense of permanence in contrast to the fleeting nature of human life. Gilgamesh struggle in the poem is grounded in the puzzling nature of mortality and society’s relationship with mortality. The role of civilization is another thematic concept that is weaved throughout the poem. The contrasting relationship of nature versus civilization is embodied through several characters such as Enkidu and Shamhat. Giligamesh is a powerful king and an awe-inspiring warrior that is two-thirds divine and one-thirds human. However, it is the struggle to conceptualize and internalize what it means to be human and all that it entails that grasps the attention of readers throughout the centuries. It is Gilgamesh’s humanity that is most intriguing and plays the central role throughout this poem. His transformation throughout the poem is not far fetched and is applicable to any point in history including today’s society. The contention with mortality is a struggle that all humans must face and accept however it is the choices and actions that humans make that defines the life that we have. Certainly in this epic poem, Gilgamesh’s journey and adventures are grandiose however, the themes of the poem are central topics to society’s worldwide.
The purpose of reading the Epic of Gilgamesh is to learn something about human history. The Epic of Gilgamesh is a means for pseudo-scholars such as myself to understand the beliefs, customs, and culture of ancient Mesopotamia. It offers an unique perspective into the world of Sumerian culture. The story’s theme and elements reflect what Sumerian culture encompassed and the values of its people. The story begins with a description about Uruk’s walls and magnificent ziggurats, or temple towers that surrounded his city. The architectural wonder of the walls is a means for Gilgamesh to achieve a sense of immortality. The walls will outlast him and will survive as a testament to his life. The narrator then describes Gilgamesh as a ruler. He is a selfish oppressive ruler occupied with small desires such as lusting over the young women of his city. Gilgamesh was a cruel despot whose physical beauty, strength, and wisdom was overshadowed by his dictatorial practices. The gods hear the lamentations of the citizens of Uruk and create a foil for Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh’s foil is named Enkidu and possesses the qualities that Gilgamesh lacks. Gilgamesh epitomizes the accomplishes of civilization whereas Enkidu represents the visceral profile of the primitive side of man. Enkidu is innocent and uncorrupted of the ways of man. He cares for the animals of ancient Mesopotamia and undoes the traps that hunters set for the beasts. Enkidu’s meddling with hunter’s trap is the beginning of the eventual relationship Gilgamesh will have with Enkidu. Enkidu is a an important component in Gilgamesh’s travels and adventures as well as his mental and emotional transformation throughout the epic.
Enkidu’s relationship with the animals of wild prove to be a source of contention with the hunters of Uruk. The hunters can not catch any game due to Enkidu undoing all the hunter’s traps. The hunters bring their plaints to Gilgamesh and Gilgamesh decides to send a temple prostitute to tame Enkidu. The role of the temple harlot, Shamhat is a crucial one for her role in this epic is multifaceted. Shamhat is a representation of civilization and Enkidu’s intimate contact with Shamhat is a means of introducing Enkidu to civilization. Sex with Shamhat was a calming force that domesticated Enkidu. Once Enkidu is domesticated, he has permanently lost the vital force of wilderness that coursed through his veins. Enkidu was no longer a wild man who roamed the steppe, now he was a man who knew the pleasure of being with the opposite member of his species.
The Epic Of Gilgamesh Story
Foster, Benjamin R., trans. “The Epic of Gilgamesh.” The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Ed. Martin Puchner. Third ed. Vol. A. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. 95-151. Print.
The following is an excerpt to the aforementioned cited book The Norton Anthology of World Literature.
“Shamhat loosened her garments, she exposed her loins, he took her charms. She was not bashful, she took his vitality. She tossed aside her clothing and he lay upon her, she treated him, a human, to woman’s work, as in his ardor he caressed her. Six days, seven nights was Enkidu aroused, flowing into Shamhat. After he had his fill of her delights, he set off towards his beasts. When they saw him, Enkidu, the gazelles shied off, the wild beasts of the steppe shunned his person. Enkidu had spent himself, his body was limp, his knees stood still, while his beasts went away. Enkidu was too slow, he could not run as before, but he had reason and expanded his understanding.”
The connection that Enkidu has with Shamhat is one that transcends the bodily contact that they share. They simply do not just have sex, Shamhat shares her culture with Enkidu. It is implied that for men to gain reason and logic they must be part of a larger unit, namely civilization or society. Man is only as strong as the society that he is part of. Shamhat is a representative of society and her contact with Enkidu is a “taste” of the pleasures that civilization has to offer. Civilization is offered as an alternative to the chaotic and whimsical state of primitive man. Civilization represents order and shows a sense of triumph over perceived fickle ways of the wild. Civilization is also a means of cultivating men and ensuring their survival in an apprehensive world. Therefore, Shamhat is the key ingredient in Enkidu’s transformation to the great man that will accompany Gilgamesh. Without Shamhat, Gilgamesh’s mental and emotional journey would not be possible. Shamhat modified and cultivated a man befit to be the companion of Gilgamesh.
Once the harlot teaches Enkidu everything there is to know about being a man, Enkidu learns about Gilgamesh the ruler of Uruk. Enkidu is outraged over Gilgamesh’s excesses and travels to Uruk to challenge Gilgamesh. Just as Shamhat was Enkidu’s domesticator, Enkidu becomes Gilgamesh’s domesticator. Enkidu is the only man who comes close enough to match Gilgamesh’s strength. Strength is a means of power and the encounter between these two is ultimately a contest between power. Just as Enkidu arrives, Gilgamesh is in the middle of forcing his way into a brides wedding chamber. Enkidu gets in Gilgamesh’s way and blocks his passage into the chamber. Their wrestling match is one of “epic” proportions. Both of these men are men that exhibit extreme physical prowess. At the end of the match, Gilgamesh prevails. Although Gilgamesh prevails, he still acknowledges Enkidu as a brother since he was the only man capable to match Gilgamesh in terms of strength and power.
Enkidu is Gilgamesh’s metaphorical “horse-breaker”. Although Gilgamesh represents the facets of culture and civilization he rules his citizens like a wild bull. With Enkidu’s companionship, Gilgamesh transforms from a wild bull to a man who is becoming wiser and more astute in his actions. Gilgamesh’s emotional development continues once the two men embark on a journey to slay Humbabe the fearsome giant that guards the cedar forest. The pair decide to steal trees from the great cedar forest that is forbidden to mortals. The loathsome demon Humbaba is a servant of Enlil the god of earth, wind and air. The two heroes travel to the forest and fight the monster. The monster Humbaba is a manifestation and a representation of what is unknown and terrifying to man. There are characteristics of nature that are puzzling and formidable. These aspects are a threat to the culture of man and man instinctively seeks to oppress or kill it. Mankind seeks to lord over nature and this fight is man’s metaphorical triumph over the mysteries of nature.
This fight is also significant in its crucial role in the development of Gilgamesh’s character. Gilgamesh embarked on this adventure not just for notoriety and fame but also to send great cedars back to Uruk so that they may be used for building a gate and other architectural structures. Gilgamesh is evolving from a selfish ruler to one that must take into account the needs of the city of Uruk.
Upon their return, Ishtar, the goddess of love makes romantic advances toward Gilgamesh inviting him to be her husband. Gilgamesh taunts Ishtar for her infantile and immature nature and spurns Ishtar. Infuriated, Ishtar asks Anu, the god of the sky, for the Bull of Heaven so that it can cause chaos and havoc in Uruk. Ishtar is granted the Bull of Heaven and send it to Uruk. The Bull causes years of famine and much destruction. Enkidu and Gilgamesh wrestle the bull and kill it.
This point of the story displays Gilgamesh’s immature nature and lack of foresight. Gilgamesh’s insults towards Ishtar a goddess is one that cause a cataclysmic chaos for a whole society. Gilgamesh forgets that his role as rule means that his actions have consequences that affect a whole society. Despite Gilgamesh’s tremendous advances in his emotional maturity, Gilgamesh still needs improvement. However, the next event is what ultimately causes Gilgamesh to confront the hardest struggle mankind must face: the inevitability of death.
The gods have a council and decide Gilgamesh and Enkidu have committed a great transgression. The punishment the gods have decided is death. One of the two heroes must die to pay for their misdeed. The lot falls to Enkidu since Gilgamesh is part god. Enkidu succumbs to a mysterious illness, suffers, and eventually dies. Before dying, Enkidu experiences visions of the underworld and shares them with Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh is frightened of the prospect of death and is heartbroken when his friend dies. Skyrim destroy the companions. Gilgamesh grieves heavily for his friend Enkidu and is mortified over the his own eventual death. Instead of accepting death as being part of the fabric of humanity, Gilgamesh sets off on a quest to find Utnapishtim and to get the secret of immortality from Utnapishtim. Utnapishtim survived the great flood that predated Sumerian culture. The Great Flood bears a strong semblance to the Great Flood that is described in the Old Testament of the Hebrew bible. The concept of the flood is one that hold deep significance for this epic poem and to the culture that it is set in.
Gilgamehs’ journey takes him to the twin-peaked mountain called Mashu, where the sun sets into one side of the mountain at night and rises out of the other side in the morning. Once Gilgamesh reaches Mashu, he encounters two scorpion monsters that guard its entrance. At first the monsters refuse Gilgamesh entrance into the the tunnel that passes through mountain. However they soon relent and allow him passage. He passes through the tunnel in complete darkness and emerges in a beautiful garden by the sea. By the garden he meets Siduri, a tavern keeper who inquires about Gilgamesh’s quest. Her response is below:
“Gilgamesh, wherefore do you wander? The eternal life you are seeking you shall not find. When the gods created mankind, they established death for mankind, and withheld eternal life for themselves. As for you, Gilgamesh let your stomach be full, always be happy, night and day. Make every day a delight, night and day play and dance. Your clothes should be clean, your head should be washed, you should bathe in water, look proudly on the little one holding your hand, let your mate be always blissful in your loins, this, then, is the work of mankind.”
Siduri explains to Gilgamesh that he must not worry himself about the nature of death. Death is an inextricable feature of being human. To be human is to die. Gilgamesh’s last feat is to deal with death and all of its manifestations. His journey to Utnapishtim is a journey into mankind’s own historic struggle to understand death. Siduri’s speech does not deter Gigalmesh from his quest to find Utnapishtim so therefore Siduri directs him to Urshanabi the ferryman that will Gilgamesh through the Waters of Death and to Utnapishtim.
Urshanabi takes Gilgamesh to Utnapishtim and once Gilgamesh meets Utnapishtim; Utnapishtim relegates to Gilgamesh the story of the flood to him. Utnapishtim describes how the gods met in council and decided to destroy mankind through a flood. Ea, the god of wisdom, was the only god that opposed the plan and warned Utnapishtim of the impending doom that was to befall humankind. Ea instructed Utnapishtim to build an ark and to stock the ark with two animals of each so that they can repopulate the earth again after the flood. Once the flood came and the water receded, the gods looked upon the destruction and regretted their decision. In reward for his obedience and subservience, the gods gave Utnapishtim eternal life. Men would die, but humankind as a species would continue. Humankind as a whole would live on through time. The story of the flood bear significance in this story because it represents the cycle of humanity: life, destruction and renewal. Utnapishtim reiterating the story of the flood is not just purely for historical purposes but to remind Gilgamesh that humanity is cyclical and death is just part of that cycle.
After the Utnapishtim finishes with his story of the great flood, Gilgamesh insists yet again for the secret to immortality. Utnapishtim agrees to give him the secret if Gilgamesh is able to stay awake for a week. Gilgamesh agrees to the test and immediately falls asleep. The exhaustion and fatigue from his journey made Gilgamesh a weary man and simply unable to perform this last task. Despite Gilgamesh’s divinity, Gilgamesh is ultimately still mortal and is subject to the inadequacies of being human. Utnapishtim echoes the words of Siduri and tells Gilgamesh that it is futile to seek immortality
“Your strive ceaselessly, what do you gain? When you wear out your strength in ceaseless striving, When you torture your limbs with pain, you hasten the distant end of your days. Mankind, whose descendants are snapped off like reeds in a canebrake! The handsome young man, the lovely young woman, death…No one sees death, no one sees the face of death, no on hears the voice of death, but cruel death cuts off mankind. Do we build a house forever? Do we make a home forever? Do brothers divide an inheritance forever? Cadmatic 3d plant design software, free download. Do rivers rise in flood forever? Dragonflies drift downstream on a river, their faces staring at the sun, then, suddenly, there is nothing. The sleeper and the dead, how alike they are! They limn not death’s image, no one dead has ever greeted a human in this world. The supreme gods, the great gods, being convened, Mammetum, she who creates destines, ordaining destines with them, they established death and life, they did not reveal the time of death.”
Yet despite this second speech Gilgamesh still does not grasp the concept of death and its obstinate place in our society. Because Gilgamesh fails his test, Utnapishtim orders Gilgamesh to clean himself, don new clothes and to immediately make way towards his home city of Uruk. Just as Gilgamesh is about to leave, Utnapishtim’s wife convinces Utnapishtim to give Gilgamesh a second chance. Utnapishtim relents and informs Gilgamesh about a rejuvenating plant that is found at the bottom of the sea. This miraculous plant is one that restores youth and bestows the eater immortality. Gilgamesh makes quick work to find the plant and secure. Gilgamesh makes plans to give the plant to the elders to insure in the authenticity of the properties of the plant. Once he has the plant in his possession,Gilgamesh goes to bathe and while bathing a snake comes along and steals the plant. The serpent slithers away, sheds its skin and gains its youth back.
The serpent and its role in foiling the attempt by Gilgamesh to attain immortality is another symbol that alludes to the significance of serpents in Sumerian culture. In the Sumerian world, Ningizzida, the god of the serpent is “the lord of the Tree of Life”. Although Gilgamesh himself lost the ability to gain immortality and the opportunity to pass it to the elder of Uruk, he finally finally acknowledges the inevitability of death. The story ends where it begun with a description of the walls of Uruk and the architectural structures that Uruk has. Gilgamesh is content to know that his name will transcend his death and that his legacy will continue through his accomplishments.
A Short Guide to Imagery, Symbolism, and Figurative Language
by Andrea Clark
Imagery can be defined as a writer or speaker’s use of words or figures of speech to create a vivid mental picture or physical sensation.Many good examples of imagery and figurative language can be found in “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” a sermon delivered by the Puritan minister Jonathan Edwards.For example, Edwards creates a powerful image figurative language when he says:
‘We find it easy to tread on and crush a worm that we see crawling on the earth; so it is easy for God, when he pleases, to cast his enemies down to hell.”
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The image Edwards creates here is the vivid mental picture of someone crushing a worm.Edwards is also using figurative language because he compares the ease with which God can “cast his enemies down to hell” with the ease of our crushing a worm beneath our feet.The point he is making is that human beings are as small and powerless in the eyes of God as worms are to us; just as a worm is at our mercies for its existence, so we are at God’s for our existence.The most important reason to analyze a writer’s usage of imagery and figurative is to recognize how it contributes to the point he is trying to make or the effect he is attempting to create.This is true whether the writer is Jonathan Edwards attempting to inspire terror in the hearts of his congregation or a sports writer for a newspaper trying to help his readers experience the excitement of a football game they were not able to see.If writers just throw a surplus of images and figures of speech into their writing, it seems artificial and amateurish, and it can be annoying.
Types of Imagery
Although the word “imagery” most often brings to mind mental images, imagery is not always visual; it can appeal to any of the five senses. Here is a list of some types of imagery that appeal to different senses:
- Auditory imagery appeals to the sense of hearing.
·Gustatory imagery appeals to the sense of taste.
·Kinetic imagery conveys a sense of motion.
·Olfactory imagery appeals to the sense of smell.
·Visual imagery is created with pictures (many visual images are pictures of things representing well-known sayings or phrases).
Symbolism
Writers often create images through the use of symbolism.Carl Jung defined a symbol as “a term, a name, or even a picture that may be familiar in daily life, yet that possesses specific connotations in addition to its conventional an obvious meaning.”Symbols can be based on culture, such as a country’s flag (stars and stripes=USA ) , or religion (the cross=Christianity), or other things.Cultural symbols can vary from one culture to another.For instance, to most people in our culture, white is a symbol of innocence and purity, but this is not so in all cultures.Other symbols seem to be almost universal across cultures. For instance, in the literature of many lands, light is a symbol for knowledge, and darkness is associated with the unknown.Likewise, snakes often represent temptation, curiosity, and the pitfalls that we as human beings must face in order to learn, grow, and change.We see this in myths such the creation story in Genesis and “The Search for Everlasting Life” in The Epic of Gilgamesh.
Types of Figurative Language
When a writer compares something to something else it is not really like literally, he is using a metaphor.Human beings are not literally worms, but Edwards uses them to make his point.When an author makes a comparison using the word “like” or “as,” he is using a type of figurative language called a simile.A simile is exactly the same as a metaphor except that it has to have the words “like” or “as.”For instance, if Edwards had said, “We are like worms to God” or “God can crush us as easily as a worm,” he would have been creating a simile.
Another common type of figure of speech is hyperbole, an obvious exaggeration.For instance, during the first week of class I was monopolizing the faculty Xerox machine at CYP for long periods of time, much to the chagrin of other instructors who also needed to make copies.The reason I had to make so many copies is that the ACC bookstore did not order enough copies of the textbooks for most of my classes.As I was attempting to make copies of about 40 pages from the textbook for my World Literature I class, I apologetically explained to one of my colleagues that the bookstore had not ordered nearly enough copies of your text. “So you’re making copies of the whole book?” she asked in exasperation.“No,” I replied in response to her hyperbole, “this is only The Epic of Gilgamesh.”
Symbolism Of Snake In The Epic Of Gilgamesh Pdf
When I was a teenager attending the First Missionary Baptist Church of Buna, I was forced to endure the sermons of Brother Drew Sheffield, a pastor who fancied himself East Texas ’ answer to Jonathan Edwards.However, while this preacher equaled Edwards with regard to the frequency of references to hellfire and brimstone in his sermons, he unfortunately was not Edwards’ equal with regard to education.While Edwards had graduated from Yale prior to beginning his ministry, Brother Sheffield had driven a beer truck prior to beginning his.While St. Paul saw the light and was converted on the way to Damascus , Brother Sheffield ran a red light while sampling too much of his employer’s product on road to the brewery.This may seem like a strange route to take to the ministry, but I digress.Despite his lack of formal education, Brother Sheffield could craft an image just as effective, if not as polished as Edwards’.Brother Sheffield’s favorite phrase was “the sulphurious smell of bodies burning in hell.”Every Sunday for two years I flinched and squirmed on the pew next to my mother as these words simultaneously assaulted my ears and my nose.To this day, I can’t light a sulphur match without flinching.Brother Sheffield was making highly effective use of olfactory imagery, which appeals to the sense of smell.He was also getting in a little alliteration, a type of figurative language an author uses when he repeats sounds for poetic effect “sulphurious smells” and “burning bodies.”
Download bloomberg anywhere mac. Another common type of figure of speech is personification.A writer uses personification when he gives human qualities, feelings, action, or characteristics to nonhuman entities.The nonhuman entities can be animals or inanimate (non-living) things.Here are some examples of the use of personification in the poetry of Emily Dickinson.In poem # 712, “I Could Not Stop for Death,” Emily presents Death as the driver of a carriage.In poem #986, “A Narrow Fellow in the Grass,” Dickinson gives human qualities to a snake when she refers to him as a “Fellow” and one of “Nature’s People.”
Please check out this link if you would like a little more informative about imagery and figurative language:
http://www.pfmb.unimb.si/eng/dept/eng/text/figlang.htm.
Significance Of The Epic Of Gilgamesh
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