The Epic of Gilgamesh Reading Analysis

The Epic of Gilgamesh
The Epic of Gilgamesh dates from more than four thousand years ago 1 and is the oldest
work of literature available to humankind. The first written records come from Mesopotamia,
as do the oldest human relics. This is true not only of our civilization but of humankind in
general. The ancient authors of the stories that compose the poem are anonymous. The latest
and most complete version yet found, composed no later than around 600 B.C., was signed by a
Babylonian author and editor who called himself Sin-Leqi-Unninni. The epic of Gilgamesh has
encounters with creatures, kings and gods and also provides a story of human relationships,
feelings, loneliness, friendship, loss, love, revenge and the fear of death. Moreover, this Epic
provides us a glimpse of the life of ancient civilization. With this story we can learn a lot about
Mesopotamian culture and their religion
There was a quote in the story that says, “As for man, his days are numbered, whatever he
might do, it is but wind”. This quote portrays that the moral themes in this epic are the
inevitability of death and the danger of dealing with the gods. The love within the friendship of
Enkidu and Gilgamesh inspires both of them to be better men in different ways. The “Epic of
Gilgamesh” is both a religious treatise and a seminal work of ancient literature. Exploring issues
of friendship, mortality, heroism, and humanity’s relationship to the divine, it lacks the
expected “happy ending.” Rather, the Epic is a cautionary tale identifying man’s failings without
providing much hope for the future. The ancient Sumerians may have created the epic to deal
with feelings of grief and fear surrounding death and explain what they thought the afterlife
looks like.It also exemplifies the similarities in interests and values between the ancient
Sumerians and modern people. Ultimately, Gilgamesh's journey to find the secret to eternal life
and his grief over losing Enkidu portrays the fear and uncertainty every person has when facing
death.
The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the first written literary works in history and the first
complete epic that has been discovered. Not only does it illustrate the culture, mythology, and
history of ancient Sumeria, but it is one of the earliest surviving works of great literature from
any culture. Throughout their culture, we find many examples of similar instances that continue
for years to come. Some of these instances are the idea of a strong male leader and a council of
city elders, but also the gender division, which is important throughout their religion too. There
seems to be a concern with the rights of the citizens, as Gilgamesh is expected to be a just ruler,
and being a ruler with outrage over his abuses actually leads to the creation of Enkidu in the
story. When it comes to religion in Mesopotamia, the Epic of Gilgamesh shows a similar
presentation of what the Greek and Roman authors would write a thousand years later. Being a
polytheistic society, the gods were attached to natural phenomena and occurrences. Ishtar, as
stated before, is the goddess of love and war; the god of water and the arts; Shamash, the god
of the sun and his wife; the goddess of the moon. The Gilgamesh Epic compares to the Homeric
epics.
Furthermore, from the Epic of Gilgamesh, we see that Sex and religion play major roles, and
are important to the future of cultures and Empires. We see that the masculine identity is
important in their culture just by looking at the description of Gilgamesh and Enkidu. We see
that a leader/king is someone who is masculine and strong, who towers over the rest. The role
of women and gender is also seen in the Epic. We don’t have a definitive description of the role
of women at this time in Mesopotamia, but we do know they are not on the same level as men,
nor are they looked at as respectable.
The Epic of Gilgamesh provides readers a better understanding of the past. It provides us a
historical context that gives us more understanding about the purpose of the author. They
author may have written it to portrays their beliefs, society, and culture. The Epic is definitely
an important piece of Western culture, and a fascinating window into ancient Mesopotamian
civilization.
READING ANALYSIS USED:
HISTORICAL CRITICISM
We used historical criticism since the story is a glimpse to the past. It shows us how the
Civilization including tradition and culture, societal contexts, and religion of Gilgamesh
somehow provides understanding to the past.
FEMINISM/GENDER CRITICISM
It is very unfortunate in the story that it shows how female were classified as under the
authorities of men. Somehow the author portrays feminism.

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