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What Is Gilgamesh's Hope For Immortality

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In the beginning, Gilgamesh accepts death. He is aware that death is a part of life. Once his dearest friend Enkidu dies, death becomes a fear to him. The fear of not knowing when he will die is too much for him to bear. The episode of Gilgamesh losing the prospect of being immortal is a consequence of karma. First, by himself, then by a serpent. The long journey to find immortality begins on the quest to find Utnapishtim, followed by a loss of the hope for immortality when Gilgamesh falls asleep, followed by another gain of the hope for immortality when he is given the plant of eternal life, only to finally end in the loss of the hope for immortality when the plant is taken by a serpent. With Gilgamesh’s hope to become immortal and the subsequent …show more content…
Why give this man the hopes and dreams he desires only to take them away right in front of his very eyes, not once, but twice? Was it karma for killing Humbaba and stealing the cedar as a city gate for Uruk? Was it karma was it for killing the bull sent from the heavens? Is there a connection between these two “last straw” events and the two different times his hope for immortality was given to him and taken away? Is there symbolism to the number two then? Gilgamesh has done terrible things in the past to his citizens and is notorious for being a rude monster, so why wait until now to give him his punishment? Why take the time to give Gilgamesh opportunity after opportunity if neither one would end up making the man live forever? Gilgamesh’s sins did not seem to anger the gods until the people of Uruk complained and Enkidu was created. Enkidu is put into Gilgamesh’s life once the gods hear the people’s pleas. When Enkidu entered Gilgamesh’s life, these two individuals committed two murders: killing Humbaba, and killing the bull. The gods are now paying attention. Since they are paying attention, they witness the two sins Gilgamesh commits. But since they were not paying to his more minor everyday sins in Uruk, they do not punish him for those. The emphasis on the idea of two allows Gilgamesh to be teased with immortality, not once, but twice. Since Gilgamesh killed two of the gods’ creations …show more content…
All mortals die. Gilgamesh is a mortal. Therefore, no matter how much he begs and pleads or whom he knows, he too will die. Although his mother, Ninsun, is an immortal, there is no way for him to achieve her level of immortality due to his mortal father, Lugulbanda, and due to the constant tension between mortals and immortals. Mortals want to be divine, but the divine want to keep the mortals away from the power they have. They are separate for a reason and will continue to be so. Had Gilgamesh been an upstanding citizen, he would not be worried about dying. He may have even been granted his wish if that is what he still pleased. Instead of showcasing what karma can do to you, Gilgamesh would have been seen as our hero and what we should all

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