Gilgamesh And Power Essay, Research Paper

The Epic of Gilgamesh still touches people profoundly even after many centuries

because it is about issues that are common to all people throughout history -

the anguish of death for all human beings. For example, Gilgamesh, the

protagonist of The Epic of Gilgamesh, and King Thanh Cat Dai Tu Han (the famous

King of China in early 400 B.C.) had tried many ways to find a solution for

having everlasting lives; however, the fact was that they were human and would

die. This is the absolute difference between gods and humans: gods live forever

and humans must die. Consequently, immortality was the solution that both

Gilgamesh and Thanh Cat Dai Tu Han sought in order to overcome their fear of

death. Gilgamesh, "Two third they made him god and one third man." (Gilgamesh

13), was the mythical king of Uruk in Babylonia, on the River Euphrates in

modern Iraq. He was the greatest king on earth and the strongest man that ever

lived. As a young man, Gilgamesh had no compassion for the people of Uruk. He

was their king, but not their shepherd; he killed their sons and raped their

daughters. But when he met Enkidu, he learned many things: how to love, to have

compassion, and to understand the meaning of mortality. He and Enkidu journeyed

into the forest to confront the terrible Humbaba because Gilgamesh wanted to set

up his name where the names of famous people were written (Gilgamesh 18). When

Gilgamesh refused to marry Ishtar, she was furious. She decided to seek revenge

by sending the Bull of Heaven to kill Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh and Enkidu succeeded

in killing the Bull of Heaven, but Enkidu later died as a result. With the death

of his best friend, Gilgamesh was distraught with grief and denial. He despaired

the loss of Enkidu but also his own death, which he knew could come some day.

Seeking to avoid death, he strived to learn the secret of everlasting life. He

came upon the entrance to the land of gods, another world, which would show him

the secret to avoiding death. Upon failing the challenges necessary to become

immortal, he finally accepted that he was human, and he would have to die as

normal people. Gilgamesh’s belief in immortality did not exist in human beings.

Similarly, Thanh Cat Dai Tu Han, was known as the most brilliant ruler of Mong

Co (now known as Nepal). He had helped Mong Co to become the most powerful

empire in early 400 B.C. He was successful in conquering many countries, such as

Tao (China), Cham (Thai Lan), and Giao (Kampodia). Unlike Gilgamesh, Thanh Cat

Dai Tu Han was generous to his people, encouraged them to go to school, and

devoted his energies to strengthening his empire. But as he grew older, his

personality changed. He became villainous because of his jealousy towards

younger people. He wanted to live forever, so he asked his servers to seek a way

in which to help him to remain young forever. Unfortunately, his people failed

his order, and Thanh Cat Tu Han killed all of them, and even their relatives.

The more people he killed, the more afraid he became of dying. He would do

anything to become immortal. He asked his people to build a mountain that would

touch the sky, so he could climb up to the heavens and ask the gods for a way to

avoid death. As punishment for his immoral behaviors, the gods made him fall

when he climbed the mountain. Thus, the search for immortality led to the

terrible death of Thanh Cat Dai Tu Han. Both Gilgamesh and Thanh Cat Dai Tu Han

were looking forward to finding the way to become immortal. But the fact

remains: "When the gods created man they allotted to him death, but life

they retained their own keeping" (Gilgamesh 34). No matter how hard both of

them tried, they were human and still faced dead. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, I

really enjoyed the main character, Gilgamesh, and his fear of death served as a

good example for "There is no permanence. Do we build a house to stand for

ever, do we seal a contract to hold for all time? Do brothers divide an

inheritance to keep for ever, does the flood-time of rivers endure?" (Gilgamesh,

36) The lives of Gilgamesh and Thanh Cat Dai Tu Han would not be last forever,

so seeking immortality was just the dream of the two kings.