Gilgamesh Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Gilgamesh - Essay Example â€Å"Gilgamesh is seeking Utnapishtim, the Babylonian Noah who survived the flood and was granted immortality, in order to gain the secret of immortality for himself.† (Maier, 112) In a careful analysis of the epic, it becomes obvious that the story of Gilgamesh is important in that it suggests how come to terms with death. This paper makes an analysis of how the characters in the epic deal with questions of life and death, how humans come to terms with death, whether immortality is possible and desirable to humans, and how these ideas compare to the notions of another culture. First of all, it is fundamental to recognize that the characters in The Epic of Gilgamesh deal with questions of life and death, and it is best suggested through the story of the hero, Gilgamesh who is dedicated to learn the secret of eternal life. All through the work, the protagonist is unable to realize the realities of death. Specifically, it is Enkidu’s death which leads Gilgamesh to seek a means to escape from death and to achieve immortality. Significantly, his struggle with grief, his clinging to death and mourning, his confused identification of death and life, his quest for immortality, etc suggest how much this character is engaged with the questions of life and death.