The story is kind of refreshing on the idea of the type of legacy a person has after they die and the common emotion that everyone feels. Gilgamesh killed people mercilessly and searched for eternal life and his mission was a failure. In my mind he wasted time and can be used as an example to value your time on your and to recognize what has a lasting impact. This story brought to mind a line from a poem by C.T. Studd. It says "Only one life, 'twill soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last". Gilgamesh served himself and his kingdom is gone, he witnessed his friends die and had eternal life essentially taken from in front of him. In my opinion his story can be used as a real picture of what it is like to serve yourself and not Christ. Gilgamesh had everything stripped from him and all he has left is a story about his failure.
I feel like this story appeals to one of the most common emotions people experience: fear. When Gilgamesh had the opportunity to kill Humbaba he hesitated but Enkidu put fear into Gilgamesh's mind to kill Humbaba. After Enkidu died, Gilgamesh was heartbroken and then did everything he could to escape death, which was his greatest fear. I think this is how the story was so popular for such a long time. Throughout the ages and since this book was written all the people have dealt with fear of death and this book is a perfect reminder that it is inescapable regardless of what you do.
P.S. I commented on AnnaKate and Kayla's post
I feel like this story appeals to one of the most common emotions people experience: fear. When Gilgamesh had the opportunity to kill Humbaba he hesitated but Enkidu put fear into Gilgamesh's mind to kill Humbaba. After Enkidu died, Gilgamesh was heartbroken and then did everything he could to escape death, which was his greatest fear. I think this is how the story was so popular for such a long time. Throughout the ages and since this book was written all the people have dealt with fear of death and this book is a perfect reminder that it is inescapable regardless of what you do.
P.S. I commented on AnnaKate and Kayla's post
Oh my goodness I loved your post! It did bother me that he went around and killed everyone. He was really selfish if you think about it. I just like the idea that you had about how he could have used his time while he was alive to do something much better. If I were king I would rather be known as gentle and compassionate but at the same time I am not really sure because I have to look from Machiavelli's perspective on whether it is better to be feared or loved since each has pros and cons. Overall, I do think Gilgamesh could have used him time better though to leave a lasting legacy.
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