Epic of Gilgamesh

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses how "The Epic of Gilgamesh" teaches many things about ancient civilization and how much like us these people actually were, and that one thing that makes us feel several worlds apart from these people is their belief in the gods. The paper notes that the story of Gilgamesh exposes us to many gods and what we learn from this is valuable to understanding the human psyche and the development of man. The paper further notes that while we may feel worlds apart from these ancient people, the truth is that we may be more like them than we want to believe. The paper discusses how the gods of Gilgamesh's time open a door to another reality that brings ours into focus, because while those beliefs seems so different from ours, they are actually more revealing about our own humanity than we would like to believe.

From the Paper:

" We read, "When the god Enlil came to the sacrifice he saw the boat, and the sight filled him with rage. He spoke in anger to the gathered gods: 'How is it that one man has saved himself?'. We can see from this encounter that while the gods may have powers to save or destroy man, they are similar to man in that they are driven by different compulsions. These compulsions, just like man's can be either good or bad. The gods had the power and they were not afraid to use it. Mankind was able to move the gods at times but for the most part, the gods acted on their own behalf. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• "The Epic of Gilgamesh." Arts and Culture: An Introduction to the Humanities. New York: Prentice Hall. 2001.

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