Gilgameshs Lesson in Humility in Fosters The Epic of...

Gilgamesh was destined to perfection from birth. He was created as a divine mortal, two thirds divine and one third human (5). He was a man destined to live a lavish life with all the riches a man could ever want. Unfortunately his arrogance and superior strength got in the way (Foster5). Gilgamesh was created by the gods to be perfect in every regard. But what the gods couldnt prepare him for was life and human emotions, instinct etc. Gilgamesh built a wall that protected Uruk, his home (3). He was destined to live a life like a god among his people. Gods played tug a war for the lack of better words with Gilgameshs life. They controlled every aspect. This is where all Gilgamesh journeys began and where they would all bring him back to†¦show more content†¦The gods communicated with Gilgamesh on his journeys through his dreams, which play out in reality so he was dreaming of his days to come (tablet 4). In tablet five Ishtar proposes marriage to Gilgamesh and because he dec lines she rages another war for Gilgamesh against the bull of heaven. So he faces another gods issue and wins as a divine would. Continually the gods faced Gilgamesh with challenges that he would meet and there for giving him high expectations in life and proving that there was nothing that he couldnt do. Although Gilgamesh himself created these issues in his head that there was always something to prove the gods never deterred him. Time and time again they placed a burning inside him to complete another quest and every time the task at hand became harder and harder. He became so addicted to the hunt and kill that he let his friend Enkidu die for his cause (tablet 7). His quest for eternal life after he witnessed the death of a close one showed us that although Gilgamesh wanted eternal life he wasnt capable of protecting the very thing that would provide that to him. He was told by Utanapishtim, the wisest man that ever lived that he himself escaped a massive flood which the god Enk i warned him of out of oath was not to tell anyone. Now this flood alone would reference the current day biblical story about the flood. Gilgamesh knew