My First College Paper

I am turning this in later this morning (since it is 1.00am now) in World Civ with Dr. Walter R. Brown. I worked on it for about 4 hrs today. I am not sure if that is a lot of work for such a little composition, but anyway... We read The Epic of Gilgamesh and the essay question was, "According to the Mesopotiamian point of view, was Gilgamesh a good (or noble) man? This is my essay...

Gilgamesh, although respected because of his power, was not thought of by the Uruks as a “noble” man, for he was, indeed, an unharnessed and dangerous force in their tenuous society.

“Two-thirds they made him god and one-third man.” (p.61) The god in Gilgamesh is attended by an unfailing strength and will that allows none to “withstand his arms” (p.62). The drive of his strength is to find substance on the earth of a more “godly” or “heavenly” character, but these forces are subdued by his other nature – mortality, which Enlil, the father of the gods, decreed of Gilgamesh, “The father…has given you kingship, such is your destiny, everlasting life is not your destiny.” (p.70) In Chapter Two, Gilgamesh seems to acknowledge his position when he says, “Where is the man who can clamber to heaven? Only the gods live forever with glorious Shamash, but as for us men, our days are numbered, our occupations are a breath of wind.” (p.71) This disables him from having a sense of fulfillment in life, and creates an ongoing battle within him - one of duty to kingship versus desire for immortality. This inner chaos becomes evident in the story, as Gilgamesh appears a superhuman in a foreign land.

The Mesopotamian society tended to be very unstable. They were at the mercy of the weather gods when it came to rain and drought, and there were always “turbulent neighbors” to assail them. (p.22) Throughout the epic, the gods are being consulted for advice, wisdom, and direction, as power was the respected and commanding attribute. As already noted, Gilgamesh was given power in order that he might “be a shepherd to his people,” (p.62) but his Herculean nature seemed to be unbearable to the people he was lord over, namely, the Uruks. When Gilgamesh came to Uruk, they recognized him as an ignorant, yet extremely powerful man, to whom there was no equal. Faced with an uncomfortable situation that threatened to override their society, they begged the gods to create a man who would confront him. (p.62) This implies they did not think him good or noble, but were wise and possibly even fearful enough to be in awe of him for the man he was.