Ishtar is enraged and the gods then send the Bull of Heaven as a punishment. Together, Gilgamesh and Enkidu kill the bull. The gods view this as an insult and decide to punish the two men. They make Enkidu ill and he soon dies.
The death of Enkidu has an enormous impact on Gilgamesh. He suffers endless sadness. He mourns and grows afraid of dying himself. A man who was previously inflated with his own ego and grandeur is now face-to-face with mortality and suffering. When Gilgamesh exclaims "I fear death," the reader fully realizes the extent of his character transformation (Tablet IX). The loss of his best friend leads Gilgamesh on a spiritual quest too. He ventures deep into the wilderness, away from the civilization that once sustained him. Gilgamesh "donned the skin of a lion and roamed the wilderness" (Tablet VIII). On his spiritual quest, Gilgamesh first meets with Siduri, who encourages him to rest satisfied with mundane pleasure. However, Gilgamesh needs spiritual sustenance and ventures deeper. He soon encounters a ferryman who takes Gilgamesh to Utnapishtim. Utnapishtim teaches Gilgamesh about the flood that engulfed the world. A ma was entrusted with building a boat to preserve all life on earth. Upon his success, the man became immortal. After hearing the story, Gilgamesh asks Utnapishtim if he can become immortal. Utnapishtim gives him a test. If Gilgamesh can stay awake for a week, he will prove himself immortal. Although he is confident of his success, Gilgamesh fails to stay awake and Utnamishtim sends him away a mortal. However, Gilgamesh is given one last chance to become immortal. Utnamishtim's wife offers Gilgamesh a plant of immortality. Gilgamesh takes the plant but while he is sleeping a snake steals it and shatters Gilgamesh's dreams of physical immortality.
Having lost the ability to live forever, Gilgamesh returns to Uruk to rebuild the city he neglected for so long. As Brown points out, Gilgamesh discovers a new type of immortality through his journey and his...
Thus, Gilgamesh rebuilds Uruk and transforms it into a city for the people. He alters his approach as a leader, as if coming to terms with his humanity gave him a greater understanding of the true meaning of heroism. The reformed Gilgamesh no longer rules as a tyrant. Instead he has a broader vision of what it means to be human or divine.
Although he knows he will die, Gilgamesh leaves a legacy that in fact helps him become immortal. Gilgamesh records his story for posterity, showing that through suffering he found a means to achieve wisdom and peace. His city, his leadership role, and his epic serve as symbols that readers still learn from. Thus, the Epic of Gilgamesh offers a timeless message about the human nature and about human society. Although the social context in which the Epic of Gilgamesh was written differs strongly from that of modern readers, the core messages about friendship, leadership, mortality, and humanity remain the same. In fact, the flood story from the Epic of Gilgamesh is repeated in the Old Testament, which has become a foundation of modern culture as well. Although times may change, some of the core aspects of human nature and social organization remain the same. Ultimately, the Epic of Gilgamesh shows how human beings can learn to accept their limitations and their suffering, and come to terms with death.
Works Cited
Brown, Arthur a. "Storytelling, the Meaning of Life, and the Epic of Gilgamesh." Exploring Ancient World Cultures. Retrieved July 10, 2007 at http://eawc.evansville.edu/essays/brown.htm
The Epic of Gilgamesh. Translated by Maureen Gallery Kovacs. Retrieved online July 13, 2007 at http://www.ancienttexts.org/library/mesopotamian/gilgamesh/tab1.htm
