Giglamesh Succeeds

Gilgamesh Succeeds

Gilgamesh was a king who had been ordained unparalleled gifts by the gods. His gifts consisted of great knowledge, physical perfection, and exposure to the unknown. The knowledge Gilgamesh had was beyond experience and what can be learned from a book.   “This was the man to whom all things were known.” (Sanders, p.12) Secrets of the world were revealed to him. He was supplied with endless amounts of power, wealth, strength and information. He was given the life of a mortal with the abilities of a god, as he was two thirds god and one third human. He had the best of both worlds. However, these gifts caused Gilgamesh to become spoiled and ungrateful. He was blind to the needs of others as he abused his power. He took what he wanted without care for the suffering it would cause others. He was much like an over indulged child who needed to learn some humility. Teaching a god-like, spoiled king what it means to be human would prove to be a difficult task. However, Gilgamesh’s creators harnessed his arrogance by introducing love and loss to his mortal life. His loss caused him great grief and he began to fear the inevitable, death. His desire for immorality sent him on an epic journey. He would fail in this quest, but he would triumph in his journey to humanity.
The story of Gilgamesh begins in a description of his failure at being king. However, being king is not all that Gilgamesh is. He is a man, he is a god, he is a hero, and he is a warrior. He is extraordinary. These roles set him apart from the people he rules in Urak. His inability to relate to being a normal man results in his inability to be a good ruler. (Abusch, p.614) Gilgamesh is a living, breathing oxymoron. He knows his place on a battle field. He leads his troops to victory. It is outside of that battlefield that Gilgamesh feels lost. “Because of his extraordinary energy, his rule is oppressive and he stands in isolation from other human beings.” (Abusch, p.614) Being a god and...