Gilga(mess) to Gilgamesh- Hannah Schofield
With The Epic of Gilgamesh being my very first taste of ancient literature (shoutout to my dumb high school *eyeroll*), I had to take a step back and really think about how I wanted to sum up my initial feelings about the epic. Concepts of love, loyalty, growth, adventure, etc. ran rampant and filled the pages with ideas that correlate shockingly well with modern-day life. Even now I can relate to Gilgamesh's aggressive urge to be the best, to be at the top, to conquer the world, and to make a truly irreplaceable name for himself because those same desires are what drives many of my own efforts forward in the march of life (besides the fact I haven't wanted to kill any ferocious, forest-guarding giants as of recent).
Obviously, Gilgamesh went wrong by letting the appetite for endless fame and recognition take over all of his actions, but, in my opinion, he realized it eventually and made a decision to spend his remaining time ruling as wise king. On page 117 Gilgamesh told Urshanabi to "climb up on to the wall of Uruk, inspect its foundation terrace, and examine well the brickwork; see if it is not of burnt bricks; and did not the seven wise men lay these foundations?" Do you think Gilgamesh was finally observing everything he had done and appreciating how far he had come throughout all of his journeys? Even though it does not directly state how Gilgamesh died, we do see how much the people admired him as a valiant demigod and as a noble king on page 119 with "O Gilgamesh, lord of Kullab, great is thy praise." Whether or not he managed to obtain immortality, he did achieve greatness that would be remembered for a long time. Overall, I honestly enjoyed the epic and everything it managed to expertly represent!
P.S. I commented on Cade's and Addison's
THANK YOU. Most of the posts have been a depressing look on the story. I actively enjoyed it till the end. Yes the ending was a sorta let down but like you stated he had a major turn around. From killing kids to realizing life is not about killing kids and being an epic hero. He does learn to appreciate the life he has built.
ReplyDeleteSo my post along with many others was quite depressing but I REALLY liked your post. I felt so bad at the end of the epic because it was so sad and I could really relate to it because after it all they were all just mostly human. Your perspective though it something I can truly relate way more and it is not sad! I feel like we all have that strive for greatness, but sometimes we miss it when there is something sad or overwhelming, and I think that is why I missed that.
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