SCHOOL OF ARTS, COMMUNICATION AND DESIGN

ACADEMIC SKILLS AND CAREERS DEPARTMENT

TO : Mr. MIKE CHAPEL

REG. NUMBER : BAH-138-22

COURSE CODE : CLA 221

COURSE TITLE : ANCIENT AND AFRICAN EPIC

ASSIGNMENT NO :1

ASSIGNMENT TITLE : EPIC OF GILGAMESH

DUE DATE : 8th APRIL, 2024

The epic of Gilgamesh is a classic famous work of literature composed thousands of years ago.
The epic is an old surviving masterpiece of epic poetry which is set in ancient Mesopotamia. Its
story is about an ambitious king of Uruk, Gilgamesh who is believed to have reigned in
2750BCE (George, 2003). The story unfolds the adventures of Gilgamesh on a quest for fame
and recognition after his death and later ventures into his new quests as he went seeking for
immortality and ultimately discovers the inevitability of death. The epic of Gilgamesh is a
perfect example for an epic genre for it illustrates the essential characteristics that describes an
epic. This essay therefore aims at discussing how well the epic of Gilgamesh fits in the
definitions of epic as defined by Wikipedia and Merriam-Webster’s dictionary.
Merriam –Webster defined an epic as a long narrative poem in an elevated style recounting the
deeds of legendary or historical heroes. Similarly, Wikipedia, defines an epic as a lengthy
narrative poem about extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who in dealings with gods
or other supernatural forces gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants. Both
definitions basically provide the same essential characteristics that gives a perfect illustration of
what an epic should be like.
To begin with, both definitions describe an epic as a long or lengthy narrative poem written in an
elevated style. The epic of Gilgamesh is a long narrative poem composed of twelve tables whose
sentence lengths ranges from a hundred and fifteen to over three hundred line (King, 2009). The
fascinating fact about this poem is that even though it is estimated to have a total of over three
thousand lines, some additions are still made to it presently due to the new findings by
archeologists. Additionally, the epic of Gilgamesh is written in an elevated style using formal
language and vivid descriptions so as to grasp and convey grand essential aspects of the story
being told. Therefore, with this characteristic, the epic of Gilgamesh fits the qualities of an epic
genre.
Secondly, both definitions require a literally poem to have extraordinary beings or characters for
it to qualify into being an epic. The epic of Gilgamesh also qualifies this category for it contains
extraordinary characters and beings. To be extraordinary means to be unusual or out of the
ordinary and such characteristics best describes the characters of the epic of Gilgamesh. For
instance, Gilgamesh was an extraordinary character for he was two thirds god and only one third
human (Helle, 2021). Perhaps this is because his mother was a goddess by the name Ninsun and
his father Lugalbanda was of royal (King, 2009). On top of that, the epic of Gilgamesh also
contains extraordinary beings who play crucial roles. For example, goddess Ishtar is the major
goddess of the city of Uruk who tried to punish Gilgamesh after he had rejected her marriage
proposal. The epic also consists of a demon, Humbaba who is a guardian of the Cedar forest
(George, 1999).
Another essential characteristic that makes the epic of Gilgamesh to qualify as an epic are the
extraordinary deeds done by extraordinary characters. The first extraordinary deed done in the
epic was the killing of Humbaba the demon. Gilgamesh and his companion Enkidu travelled to
the Cedar forest to kill its protector. Humbaba was a strong and terrifying monster placed in the
forest by the gods themselves (Enli) to guard the forest (George, 1999). As a mythical creature,
he was no match for Gilgamesh and his friend Enkidu. However, Gilgamesh’s desire to make a
name that will live after his body dies overpowered the fear in him and together with Enkidu,
they killed Humbaba. Another extraordinary deed was the killing of the bull of heaven. After her
marriage proposal was rejected, goddess Ishtar begged her father god Anu to send the bull of
heaven in Uruk to cause massive destruction so as to teach Gilgamesh a lesson. The bull of
heaven was however slayed by Gilgamesh and Enkidu (King, 2009).
Lastly, Gilgamesh’s extraordinary deeds help give shape to the mortal universe. Gilgamesh’s
interactions with the gods for example Shamash who sometimes helped him during his journey
has shaped the mortal universe in a way that people are aware that the gods will somehow
interfere with their lives either by guiding them to accomplish something or by hindering them
from achieving something to show them their limitations. Additionally, Gilgamesh’s failure to
attain immortality has shaped the universe in a way that it entails that there are limitation to what
humans can achieve thus it is important to acknowledge them.

In conclusion, the scope of paper is a discussion of how well the epic of Gilgamesh fits with the
definitions of an epic as defined by Merriam Webster dictionary and Wikipedia. The long length
of the epic of Gilgamesh, the presence of extraordinary characters whose extraordinary deeds in
dealings with gods and other supernatural forcers shaped the mortal universe provides a perfect
illustration for an epic genre.
ASPECTS OF THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH THAT ARE STILL RELEVANT TO
PEOPLE TO DAY
The epic of Gilgamesh has some important aspects that are still relevant to people today. Despite
it being over three thousand years old, some of its aspects portray relevant messages that guild
people in making decisions of various situations of their life. People presently are able to relate
to the decisions and choices of some of the characters in the epic and resonate with them to be
applied practically in their lives. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to highlight what these
relevant aspects of the epic are and how they shape people’s lives presently.

Firstly, the epic of Gilgamesh taught people of the present world to look beyond what something
appears to be and think, reflect and consider all possibilities before making a choice. The main
goddess of the city of Uruk, Ishtar the goddess of love and war, was attracted to Gilgamesh’s
beauty and offered him a marriage proposal (George, 2003). The proposal was accompanied by a
lot of gifts. All this would have impressed Gilgamesh in considering that firstly, her power on
love would made them share an extraordinary and unbreakable bond as husband and wife. Her
being the goddess of war would make him invisible and undefeatable by an enemy and the gifts
she offered would make him richer than ever. However, Gilgamesh was able to see past all these
seemly nice things and consider all the possibilities. He reflected on Ishtar’s love lives and how
she treated her lovers. Ishtar had Damuzi one of her lovers trapped in the underworld in her place
and treated her other past lovers like animals (Kovacs, 1989). Gilgamesh knew he wasn’t
exception to be treated differently so he rejected her. This choice by Gilgamesh teaches peoples
to day not to be blinded by what something appears to be but rather consider the whole situation
before making a choice so that they should not ruin their lives.

Secondly, the epic of Gilgamesh teaches people today the importance of strong bonds of
friendship. Gilgamesh and Enkidu’s friendship shows how important such strong bonds are in
people’s lives. Enkidu was the one offering Gilgamesh emotion support and helping in building
Gilgamesh’s courage every time he had had a terrifying dream on their way to kill Humbaba
(Kriwaczek, 2010)). On top of that, Gilgamesh and Enkidu together were able to achieve what
they wanted (killing Humbaba) and overcome the obstacle that they faced (kill the bull of
heaven). People today seek to form such bonds. To have someone who can keep them strong
when they feel like they can’t make it and to have someone to share accomplishments with.

The epic of Gilgamesh teaches people today that destiny and fate are beyond human control but
are rather in the hands of God (gods). Gilgamesh together with Enkidu had achieved what was
nearly impossible, that is killing Humbaba and the bull of heaven (Helle, 2021). These
accomplishments made Gilgamesh think he had control of his own destiny which even includes
attaining immortality. He set out to visit Utanapishtim, the man with the gift of eternal life to tell
him the secret on how he can attain it. However, Utanapishtim did not tell him how to attain it
for it wasn’t up to him but the gods themselves. Additionally, even though Gilgamesh and
Enkidu seemed to be invincible together with their impressive accomplishments, one of them
(Enkidu) still died as it was the wishes of the gods (King, 2009). All these teaches people today
to note the important roles of God (gods) in their lives. This aspect is very important because it
entails that even if people were to make a lot of plans or have a lot of achievements, fate which is
controlled by the gods will prevail and that people should always be prepared to accept that some
things are beyond human control.

Furthermore, the epic of Gilgamesh also teaches the present world the effects of pride and
arrogance (Foster, 2001). Gilgamesh is a prideful king who thinks that he is untouchable. This
feeling creates a desire in him to make his name unforgettable even after he dies. In order to do
that, he travelled to the Cedar forest where he killed the guardian of the forest “Humbaba” who
had not offended him in any way (King, 2009). Further, Gilgamesh killed the bull of heaven
which was sent by the gods to tach him a lesson. Not only did he kill the bull of heaven, he cut
off its horns and made flasks for Inanna the queen of heaven (George, 2003). This act may be
seen as arrogance for the gods for not only did he kill what was meant to teach him a lesson, he
also makes something out of it and presents it to the gods. This arrogance made the gods angry
and thus they decided to kill Enkidu his companion. Gilgamesh’s arrogance costed him the life
of his best friend which was a great loss to him. Presently, people have learnt that pride and
arrogance is like a double edged sword, not only does it hurt the people around us, but it also
brings pain to ourselves.
In conclusion, the epic of Gilgamesh is a fascinating masterpiece which holds high significance
in terms of historical, literally and culture context despite it being over three thousand years. It
offers a great over view of the way of life in ancient times which shapes people’s everyday
choices and decisions. Thus the epic of Gilgamesh has proved to have outstanding contributions
to the modern world even though it has existed for over thousands of years.

REFERENCES

Foster, B. (2001). The epic of Gilgamesh: a new translation. ww Norton and Company Press.

George, A. (1999). The Epic of Gilgamesh: A new Translation. Barnes and Noble Books

George, A. (2003). The Babylonian Gilgamesh Epic: Introduction, Critical Edition and
Cuneiform text. Oxford University Press.

Helle, S. (2021). A New Translation of the Ancient Epic: Gilgamesh. Yale University Press.

King, C., K. (2009). Ancient Epic. Wiley-Blackwell.

Kovacs, M. (1989). The Epic of Gilgamesh. Stanford University Press.

Kriwaczek, P. (2010). Babylon: Mesopotamia and the birth of civilisation. Macmillan Press.