Gilgamesh Essay Paper

English 3, 4 7 October 2012 The by-line for Immortality In the heroical of Gilgamesh translated by N. K. Sanders, Gilgamesh completes a series of mankindy challenges and obstacles, fulfilling the conditions of an first pastime story. In order to fulfill an archetypal quest story, the genius or protagonist must complete a series of hurdles, on their way toward achieving their goal. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh hunts for his main obsession, immortality, while he battles off-key monsters, with the help of some geniuss.Sensing Gilgamesh embraces too much power, the gods create a friend for Gilgamesh named Enkidu in the hopes of lessening Gilgameshs power. Enkidu and Gilgamesh turn out to be surmount friends after Enkidu loses a wrestling match to Gilgamesh. Enkidu decides to join Gilgamesh on his pilgrimage to seek immortality. Along the way the way they encounter enemies such(prenominal) as Humbaba, the defender of the forest, and the diddly-squat of Heaven. With the help of Enkidu, Gilgamesh travels a relentless journey and faces a road of trials, which carries out an archetypal quest story.Gilgamesh and Enkidu come across the guardian of the forest named Humbaba. Believing that Humbaba is undefeatable, Gilgamesh thinks that whoever slays Humbaba volition receive immortality. Gilgamesh and Enkidu attack Humbaba with a scoke of the sword to the neck and Enkidu his comrade struck the second blow (22). With single more strike to the belly, Humbaba falls. Hoping to achieve everlasting life, they realize that defeating Humbaba does not institutionalize them thoroughgoing(a) life. Instead, it gives them eternal fame.Still unsatisfied, with not having found everlasting life, Gilgamesh tells his companion that the gravy boat of the dead shall not go down (20) and is determined that he will never die. The next challenge Gilgamesh faces is the Bull of Heaven, sent by Ishtars dad, Anu. Ishtar is the goddess of love who makes advances on Gilgamesh, w anting to marry him. Gilgamesh is wise and realizes Ishtar is the woman as a temptress and knows she treats her husbands poorly. Ishtar is a distraction and will pull him off from his goal.When Gilgamesh rejects her advances, Anu directs the Bull of Heaven to attack Gilgameshs homeland, Uruk. Gilgamesh and Enkidu easily kill the Bull of Heaven which enrages the gods when they hear that the bull is dead. The gods make Enkidu become terribly ill, which kills him sevensome days later in a very painful death. comprehend his friend die, Gilgamesh obtains apotheosis and continues on his expedition of seeking immortality. Gilgamesh encounters Utnapishtim, a man who survives the great flood and receives immortality.Utnapishtim gives Gilgamesh eclectic tasks to achieve eternal life. The first task is to stay awake for seven days, which Gilgamesh is unable to accomplish. Feeling sorry, Utnapishtim tells Gilgamesh a cloak-and-dagger that if he welcomes the comprise that grows under the water it restores his lost jejuneness (31). Gilgamesh lights up and ties rocks to his feet to sink down to search for the marvelous plant. Gilgamesh finds the ultimate boon. He is overjoy and eager to bring the plant back to his homeland to restore the youth of all the men there.The refusal of the return occurs when, he was returning home and becomes casual and bathes in a nearby well of cool water, leaving the plant unattended. A snake suddenly appears and eats the plant, restoring the snakes youth. Gilgamesh begins to holler upon seeing that he failed in his quest for immortality. Gilgamesh returns back to his homeland, Uruk, and engraves his story on a stone for everyone to see and remember. In conclusion, the Epic of Gilgamesh executes the qualities of an archetypal quest story by Gilgamesh going on a trip to find immortality while performing the road of trials.The hero generally wishes to achieve a goal or object and return home with it, in this case, eternal life. The prota gonist also might lose a few things he loves an example is how Gilgamesh lost his best friend, Enkidu. Gilgamesh also had to fight off enemies such as Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven, while searching for his obsession. From the departure, the initiation, and to the return of his journey, made the Epic of Gilgamesh an archetypal quest story.