It is human to fear death at some point of our lives. There are so many reasons why we fear death, for example, we fear death when we feel that our plan on Earth has not been achieved or when we have not reached our purpose in life. We also fear the death of our loved ones, we cannot control their fate. When we lose a loved one, we experience sorrow, pain and sadness, we feel lost and we realize how fragile life could be. Isn’t this the way Gilgamesh felt after his friend, Enkidu, died?
Even though Gilgamesh was a powerful king and accomplished warrior, the one who built the city walls of Uruk, and who was two thirds divine, he was still (one-third) human. I found Tablet X very interesting; Gilgamesh mentions to the tavern keeper, Siduri, that the fate of mankind has overtaken Enkidu. He explains that for six days and seven nights, he wept for his friend. In my opinion, the six days and seven nights Gilgamesh cried for his friend, shows the divine side of this character since it relates to the Bible: God created the World in six days and rested on the seventh. Gilgamesh; however, was suffering and crying and this is what shows his human side.
Gilgamesh asks the tavern keeper : “Shall I too not lie down like him, And never get up forever and ever?” When someone you know dies, has not crossed your mind the thought that this could have happened to you and you could also be dead? To me, the author’s message to audience is very clear especially when Siduri explains Gilgamesh that he won’t be able to find eternal life because the gods “established death for mankind, And withheld immortality for themselves.” Siduri advises Gilgamesh to be happy, to make every day a delight, to play and dance which can be interpreted as to celebrate life , and that this is the work of mankind.
Tablet X, to me, describes Gilgamesh’s realization that there is no escape from death. This tablet, as the other ones, is composed in the form of a poem and describes clearly about the human side of Gilgamesh, his journey is a process of facing and confronting the fear of death. It is human to experience the death of a loved one as well. Once dead, there is no way we can bring them back to life, it is part of life. However, one way to overcome this fear is by accepting we have not being granted immortality, by appreciating our accomplishments (like Gilgamesh does at the end), by appreciating our loved ones while they are alive, and by learning to enjoy life.
Overall, I think that the author was very wise and wanted the reader to understand a fundamental point that sometimes we forget or overlook in life which is that our time in Earth is limited; we are not immortals and therefore, what really matters at the end are the things we do while we are alive, how much we love and how much we accomplish.
Source:https://kaitlinfagan.wordpress.com.
Hi Natalia,
I agree with you; Tablet X in “The Epic of Gilgamesh” reveals to the readers an underlying theme that death is inevitable. Nothing lives forever. I can relate to this part of the story because I have also been afraid of death. I think it is because we fear the unknown. We fear what we have no control over. We don’t know when it will happen which makes it so scary. I think Gilgamesh realizes in this part of the story that he should stop his quest for immortality. Moreover, he now sees how valuable life is and that he should appreciate it while he still has it.
You also pointed out a great connection I didn’t notice before. Gilgamesh is 2/3 divine and 1/3 human, and has characteristics of both. He cries for six days and seven nights, which has a parallel to the Bible. His reaction to Enkidu’s death also reveals that he has emotions like a human.
-Jenny
Hey Natalia, I agree with you that throughout tablet X, while Gilgamesh was looking for ways to escape death, he also discovered that death is inevitable. It didn’t matter how hard he tried to escape it, it was impossible “the eternal life you are seeking you shall not find…”(138). Death is something we all go through once as a part of life. Even for someone as powerful as Gilgamesh, being one-third human and two-thirds divine, death wasn’t something he can control. When Enkidu, his best friend died, he became devasted and began his journey to find his own escape to death, immortality. However, when he encountered Siduri on his journey to seek for immortality, he learns from her that there is no way to escape death. Like Natalia have stated, Gilgamesh wouldn’t be able to successfully become immortal because the Gods “established death for the mankind…” She tells Gilgamesh to enjoy life and cherish it instead of finding eternal life. That can be a lesson learned for everyone and not just for Gilgamesh “as for you, Gilgamesh, let your stomach full, always be happy, night and day…” (138). Instead of hoping for eternal life, we should just live our life and enjoy every moment of it because its not something we can escape from.