Written at the heart of ancient Mesopotamia
The epic poem of Gilgamesh formed one of the earliest work of literature in the world. Its origin dates back to the 3rd and 2nd millennium BCE when a cuneiform script was written to narrate the story of Sumerian legends. Gilgamesh who is the main character in the poem was a mythological king of Uruk given a heroic image in the piece together with his close friend Enkidu. Enkidu who is half-wild was purposely created by the gods to keep Gilgamesh company and help him retain his seat through tyrant means. The two engages in weird and wild activities imperative to the requirements of maintaining a kingdom.
Their intimacy grew more prominent
After years of working together, the two became inseparable. Due to their immoral activities, the gods were disappointed and decided to descend an untimely death on Enkidu. With Enkidu gone, Gilgamesh is left lonely and concerned with his life. He questions his immortality and chooses to travel far in a bid of unveiling the secret to it. It is then that he meets a long-lived flood survivor, Utnapishtim, who then tells him that there is no secret to immortality (Mench, Fred et al.). The epic poem of Gilgamesh is undoubtedly the first piece of humanistic literature. However, there have been debates surrounding the central theme of the poem. Some scholars argue that the narrative is a love story, comedy, a tragedy among other diverging opinions. Despite the extreme antiquity of the document, the poem Gilgamesh seeks to question the human existence discourse and meaning to life as its core theme which is still relevant to the contemporary society. This paper will, therefore, argue that Gilgamesh explores fundamental questions of life and exhibits the way humanity seeks to answer this questions by finding meaning in life.
Firstly, Gilgamesh narrates the humanistic endurance of its protagonist. Gilgamesh who is made to go through painful circumstances starting from the provision of a half-wild man (Enkidu) as his sole companion all the way to the dangerous journeys he makes into the unknown world. Gilgamesh the tyrant king of Uruk is portrayed to be devastated and perhaps lonely during his reign due to his inhuman actions when he was king. Left with no option, Gilgamesh develops good relationships with a creature that is wild and makes him his closest friend. Their intimacy is a normal aspect of human beings. The king maintains his human character amidst hardships and heartbreaks both from his friend and his subjects. Despite the shortcomings in his life, Gilgamesh still strives to satisfy his desires and achieve his goals of acquiring massive power and wealth.
Secondly, Gilgamesh digs deeper into the meaning of life. Just like in the conventional world, it questions the validity of life and love. Gilgamesh points towards the direction of questioning the existence of human beings and how people should deal with the uncertainties of life. In the text, the protagonist actions are used to steer the reader toward reasoning along this line. After the death of Enkidu, Gilgamesh turns into a mission of determining the essence of life and knowing the secret for immortality (Mench, Fred et al.). This shows that he too, just like any other ordinary human being is scared about his life despite all the powers and fame as a king. Humankind shakes at the mentioning of death. Surprisingly, no amount of power or money stops death and similar to Gilgamesh in the poem, every person is afraid of death. This reality then leaves people to ask the reason for living and ultimately die in the end. It is the same reason evident today of why there is no eternal life that sets Gilgamesh into a dangerous journey to the unknown world.
Similarly, the text portrays some common elements of humanity. Evident even in the contemporary world. In his quest for immortality, he ends up in the beer deity where he meets Siduri, the goddess of beer. She suggests to him that he should free up his mind and let go his quest for extending life. Instead, the goddess of beer proposes to Gilgamesh that he should remark on finding life's simplest pleasures and concentrate on enjoying them (Mench, Fred et al.). This is not what Gilgamesh wanted. His mind was set to seek the secret of immortality and perhaps extend his life so that he may continue ruling Uruk many more years. However, the world does not give him what he wants. The above episode provides a perfect reflection of humanity. The fact that Siduri distracted Gilgamesh from attaining his ultimate goals shows how worldly pleasures can barricade one's way to success.
Another fundamental question about human life accounted for in the text is through what Gilgamesh was expected to do as a king and what he does. His action is the basis for answering the question of whether human beings are born to do things right or wrong. As the king and leader, Gilgamesh was expected to act with integrity and dignity so that he may elicit a good role model. However, Gilgamesh ends up doing the opposite. Although there are obstacles in life, human beings tend to do the opposite of the general expectation. Gilgamesh tries to satisfy his desires of retaining his dynasty through every mean possible not knowing that he is doing everything wrong (Mench, Fred et al.). He kills some of the Uruk's gods including the bull of heaven inspired by his tyrannical mindset. His actions jeopardize his rule and make the kingdom almost ungovernable.
Lastly, Gilgamesh hardly sought what he termed as the key to eternal youth. According to him, the pleasures of the world which include enjoying life with loved ones constitutes the element of eternal life. Unfortunately for him, the key slips away fast and efficiently. The death of Enkidu comes almost immediately after Gilgamesh found solace and love in him. He is left bereft and lives to ponder whether his fate is similar to that of Enkidu or his is different. He has lost a friend and companion, but most importantly, he is left rejuvenated and focused than before. The search for immortality which is mainly as a result of this death signifies the search for the meaning of life; it will never end.
Conclusion
In summary, therefore, the epic poem of Gilgamesh aptly explores "the power of real love" theme and discuss the question of what constitutes a complete life. It asks the fundamental question of human life including the significant human concern of whether there is a meaning of life. Gilgamesh is the king who is not able to satisfy his interests despite his powers and class in society. Through the narrated experiences of Gilgamesh and his friend Enkidu, the narrative leaves behind a trail of considerations for the reader. Gilgamesh owns almost everything as king of Uruk but still, this is not near to a definition of being complete. Instead, he sets out to look for the secret to immortality. The compilation of his experiences leaves the reader wondering the meaning of life and the reason for human existence. Hence, the poem of Gilgamesh helps the reader explore the fundamental questions of human existence and purpose.
Work Cited
Mench, F., Dalley, S., " Kovacs, M. (1991). Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, the Flood, Gilgamesh and Others. The Classical World, 84(5), 410. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/4350882
