The Epic of Gilgamesh narrows the story of a beautiful and strong King who is two-thirds god and one -third human, king like no other king. Throughout the whole epic, Gilgamesh is described as a brave, bold and wise man with a brave and youthful heart, who has no adversaries that would even dare to rise against him, “There is no rival who can raise a weapon against him.” (A, 60)
Additionally, in the Epic of Gilgamesh, we see how Gilgamesh fights to protect his people and to create a name for himself that would pass generation after generation “He walks out in front, the leader, (…) mighty net, protector of his people.” (A, 60) After Gilgamesh fights and experiences all the passages he has, trying to conquest his own quest, he realizes that he has not achieved anything for himself that everything he has done has been in vain. At the end of his journey he wonders what he has done and who he has been doing it all for;
“Counsel me, O ferryman Urshanabi!
For whom have my arms labored, Urshanabi?
For whom has my heart’s blood roiled?
I have not secured any good deed for myself,
but done a good deed for the ‘lion of the ground’! (A, 97)
I found a very interesting small article that can be very much related to Gilgamesh. The article is about another leader of our current era, that just like Gilgamesh is strong, brave and it seems that no opponent would rise against him. I’m talking about the former president of Cuba, Fidel Castro. The New York Times had an article on September 09, 2010 called “Fidel Castro’s Doubts about Cuban Communism and Iranian Anti-Semitism” This article is based on an interview with Fidel Castro. During this interview Fidel Castro is asked if he still believed on his communism system, “I asked him if he believed the Cuban model was still something worth exporting. “The Cuban model doesn’t even work for us anymore,” he said.” (New York Times)
The answer of Castro is that the communism model does not even work for Cuban society anymore. At the end of his journey Castro realizes that everything he has done it is not as worthy and useful for his country and his people as he thought it was. Just like Gilgamesh realizes at the end of his journey.
Robert Mackey. “Fidel Castro’s Doubts about Cuban Communism and Iranian Anti-Semitism.” New York Times. Web September 09, 2010. <http://thelede.nytimes.com/2010/09/09/fidel-castros-doubts-about-cuban-communism-and-iranian-anti-semitism/?ref=middleeast>
