TheEpic of Gilgamesh is a poem written on stone tablets sometime between 2700 B.C.
and around 600 B.C. in Mesopotamia. Not all of the tablets survived intact,
therefore scholars can only guess at what certain sections of the poem are
meant to say. The poem itself is about the hero Gilgamesh, a man who is halfgod and half human. Gilgamesh is stronger and more powerful than the people of
his village, Uruk, causing great unhappiness among the people. For this reason,
they ask the gods to make another man who would rival Gilgamesh. This man is
named Enkidu. Gilgamesh and Enkidu become good friends, but trouble follows
them wherever they go. The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the earliest known
pieces of literature that has survived.
•
Enkidu : half-man/half-beast
. Bestie of Gilgamesh . He basically symbolizes the natural, non-civilized
world.
•
Utanapishtim : A human given immortality who lives on the other side
of earth—literally. Gilgamesh visits him to discover the secret of immortality,
but ends up empty-handed .
•
Ninsun : The mother of Gilgamesh .
•
Ishtar : the goddess of love and war.
•
Shamash : The sun god and Gilgamesh ‘s main go-to-god .
Gilgamesh one-third human two-thirds god , Thestrongest human that ever existed , It was he who in his glory built the walls of Uruk to keep his people
safe , but not from himself : He oppresses people so they cried out to thesky gods , in response , The gods created a wild man : Enkidu .
Enkidu lived with animals in the wild till a hunter
saw him and went to Gilgamesh and told him . Gilgamesh sent a priestess from
the temple to civilize Enkidu by introducing him to the ways of humans.
Having forsaken his animal existence, Enkidu and the
priestess start for Uruk. On their arrival she tells him of the strength andwisdom of Gilgamesh , at the same time, Gilgamesh was telling his mother the
goddess Ninsun about his dreams of meeting Enkidu, his equal, in combat.
Enkidu challenged Gilgamesh by barring his way to the
temple. An earth-shaking fight ensues in which Gilgamesh stopped Enkidu’s
onslaught. Enkidu praised Gilgamesh’s strength and the two enemies became
inseparable friends.
Years passed , Gilgamesh and Enkidu grew lazy and felt
bored so Gilgamesh suggested to go on an
adventure to The Cedar forest , to slay the demon Humbaba and to cut down his
trees . Enkidu refused at first but Gilgamesh convinced him .
On the trip to the Cedar Forest, Gilgamesh had
nightmares every night. Enkidu interprets the nightmares into pleasant things,
assuring Gilgamesh that everything will be alright. When they arrived to
confront Humbaba, Gilgamesh changed his mind and wanted to turn away. Enkidu,
however, urged him into going forward with the battle.
During the fight, Humbaba does all he can to prevent
Gilgamesh and Enkidu from killing him. Eventually, Gilgamesh slays him.
Afterward, they cut some Cedar trees and they return to Uruk triumphantly.
During the celebration, the goddess Ishtar asks Gilgamesh to make her his wife.
When he refuses, Ishtar brings the Bull of
Heaven to Uruk to kill Gilgamesh. However, with Enkidu’s help, Gilgamesh
slays the bull.
The gods were upset at Gilgamesh and Enkidu for
killing Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven. For this reason, they decided that one
of the men must die. They choose Enkidu. In a short time, Enkidu became ill and
died. Gilgamesh was deeply grieved by
this. Gilgamesh went into the wilderness
to find his ancestor named Utanapishtim, who can help him become immortal.
After telling Gilgamesh his story, Utanapishtim challenges Gilgamesh to prove
he is worthy of immortality by staying awake for six days and seven nights.
Gilgamesh fails, but Utanapishtim gives him
a plant that will keep him youth and strong , but a serpent ate the
plant before Gilgamesh could eat it .
Gilgamesh inscribed his Travels and thoughts upon
stone tablets and placed them on the walls of Uruk so that people could gain
wisdom and remember him.
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire