Gilgamesh Intro-Ch 3: The Human Flaw
Okay, let's be honest, everyone has wanted to be recognized for something at some point in life. Whether it's sports or academics, everyone wants to earn praise in some way. It's human nature. Unfortunately, it's this part of human nature that has Gilgamesh going mad for recognition. He knows he will die, but he doesn't want to die quietly. What good will it do to be forgotten? What is the point of living if you are going to be forgotten 100, 200, 500 years later? He doesn't want to be another name on the list of dead kings. His ambition is to be the only name remembered. He wants to be so famous that even the gods won't forget his name. In the end, every human wants to be worth something. Gilgamesh wants to be worth the forbidden forest, the rejection of a goddess, and a bull of heaven. What if Gilgamesh didn't fear death? What if he was all god and nothing mortal? I suppose he wouldn't have been so scared of being forgotten. While all ancient gods naturally share human qualities, none of them are afraid of fading into the forgotten waves of history. Without this human desire to become recognized, Gilgamesh would not have tried so hard to be remembered. Do you think it's a fear of death that drives him? Or is it a fear of being forgotten?
P.S. I commented on everyone's post listed under mine. I kind of got carried away.
P.S. I commented on everyone's post listed under mine. I kind of got carried away.
It seems as though Gilgamesh is on this crazy chase for recognition, and even further to say that he wants to reach that immortalization point. He lives like a god on earth, but he too will die like the rest of humanity, so I think it is a combination of both fear of death and being forgotten.
ReplyDeleteIt makes sense that Gilgamesh would be so innately terrified of being forgotten. He is two-thirds god, after all. Being so close to achieving immortality but knowing it will always and forever be out of your reach seems like it would be maddening. For our sake as readers, I can't help but be glad for this. Gilgamesh's story may not have been nearly as interesting if he had no death to fear.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure Gilgamesh felt fear of being forgotten from being only two-thirds god. The gods above him would not soon be forgotten by the people of Uruk, but Gilgamesh may have been forgotten as just another king. He seems to have wanted to live up to his divine heritage and his mortality was simply something that gave him an urgency to make his name great and unforgettable. While he may have feared death, I think he possessed a greater fear of dying before he became legendary.
ReplyDeleteGilgamesh changes his view on death directly from the events going on in his life. The death of his close friend, Enkidu, results in his fear of death and Gilgamesh wants to escape from it. As Gilgamesh goes through his journey on eternal life, he discovers his true purpose and meaning on why he's still alive.
ReplyDelete