Comparative Literature: The Epic of Gligamesh (Essay Sample)

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Comparative Literature
There are several cultures around the world, and each of them has their own point of view concerning death because their values and ethics are divergent in one way or the other. It is a tragedy that draws varying perceptions from diverse populations all over the world as it brings life to its ultimate end. Many communities prefer life than death and when their families and other loved ones die; they carry out the rituals as their culture dictates them to do. Some bury the dead bodies of their loved ones while others cremate them before eventually burying the ash. In the ancient world, each ancient hero had their own view of death.
The Epic of Gilgamesh is a narrative poem that, like in any other literary works, rotates around its hero Gilgamesh whose significant transitions develop the story. The poem depicts the glimpses of Gilgamesh, his goals, and his purposes. At one end he hero is portrayed as an overbearing ruler whose people resented but finally a content man from his plethora of accomplishments. The attitude of the hero towards life changes throughout the transitions. The poem depicts the fact of the theme that death is inevitable following the death of Enkidu. After this death, a cloud of worry hits Gilgamesh as this is the first time it appears to him that everyone will eventually die including himself. Further, Enkidu is a close friend of Gilgamesh and the fact that he dies it more visible to the hero to discover that everyone, including himself, is mortal. In this narrative poem, the hero, Gilgamesh is depicted as a coward of death as he does not want to admit the fact that he will also die one day (Foster et al., 30). This is when the hero comes to believe that death is inevitable. Death in that perspective is a truth that no one can evade death but the hero, Gilgamesh openly denies the fact. He displays a sign of denial as he is hesitant to accept the tragedy that has struck him. Gilgamesh learns the painful lesson the hard way that although h is a king, he too has to face the fate of his own death. As they were going to Cedar Forst, before his death, Enkidu tells Gilgamesh about his views concerning death (Foster et al., 31). In the event of the story, Gilgamesh laughs off the concerns and opinions of Enkidu concerning death but most importantly comments that none of them would live forever because, as he said, life is short. This depiction shows that the King is wary of death although he says with some content just to cover up his worry.
The fear of death portrayed by Gilgamesh in their conversation should not go unnoticed because, upon the death of Gilgamesh, the distraught in the king is evident (Foster et al., 64). Gilgamesh’s distraught is further indicated by the fact that he seeks Utnapishtim in his attempts to learn more about the secret underlying immortality. In spite of his hope, Utnapishtim tells an entirely different story- the story of the flood. Utnapishtim explains to Gilgamesh about the futility of the quest for immortality. It is unlikely that anyone can evade death because the seed of death is contained in creation itself, and as such, death is inevitable. The hero Gilgamesh is hit by a pile of worry further by Utnapishtim’s explanation that the Gods did that intentionally. It is noteworthy that on his return to Uruk, he had learned that the quality of life of a person is measured by the time quality he spent while he was alive besides the kind of people he surrounded himself with (Foster et al., 93). Further, he learns that only fame and wealth are not enough in measuring the quality of a person’s life. All these events explain how Gilgamesh, an ancient hero, views death, in a coward way which us unlikely of a king. This can further be shown by his pursuit of the truth concerning immortality as he seeks out Utnapishtim. All these attempts by Gilgamesh show his internal struggle to become a good leader that e is not then. Gilgamesh is jealousy of the gods because they enjoy the immortality that he desires to enjoy himself. This is a clear depiction that he fears death. Enkidu and Gilgamesh in the process learn that there will be disastrous consequences if they incurred the wrath of the gods. After his quest for immortality, Gilgamesh realizes it is difficult to attain it. He admits that his quest for immortality is pointless as he learns that he will eventually die regardless of the all the struggle (Foster et al., 64).
From the Iliad, Achilles is the hero of the poem but his view of death also draws our attention. Following Patroclus’ death, Achilles throws away all the compassion he might have held there before as it was destroyed by rage and grief. Unnecessarily, he brutally and pit...