For humans, morality and death are inevitable and something every individual must face at some point in their lives. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh faces a number of struggles, but predominately wrestles with his own morality. As Gilgamesh is part God, he perceives himself to be an immortal creature. However, throughout Gilgamesh’s journey, he gains experience, knowledge, and wisdom, all of which ultimately help him to understand and come to terms with his own morality and inevitable death.
When Gilgamesh was much younger and a ruler, he never thought of death and lived a lifestyle that seemed to validate his insuperable character. In the epic, a powerful figure called Enkidu comes to Uruk and ultimately helps to reduce Gilgamesh’s power to a more appropriate level. Later, Enkidu and Gilgamesh face many battles and adventures, overcoming many challenges. However, the purpose of Enkidu is not to be Gilgamesh’s best friend; rather, he was sent to keep Gilgamesh’s power in check, as he was exercising too much power in the beginning.
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"Immorality and Morality in The Epic of Gilgamesh".
Gilgamesh is perceived as being a beloved leader of the people; however, there is a more demanding side to him. He often does not honor the wishes of others, and also seduces a number of women. In parts such as this of the epic, one begins to understand how Gilgamesh will never be immortal. Gilgamesh seems to exercise too much power as a result of hoping that he is immortal, unlike the lowly mortals that he has ruled over.
In one of Enkidu and Gilgamesh’s jounrneys, they travel to the Cedar Forest. There, they meet the monster, Humbaba, a guardian of the forest. Gilgamesh and Humbaba fight, and Gilgamesh ultimately kills the beast, being egged on by Enkidu. When the gods find out that Gilgamesh has slain Humbaba as a result of Enkidu’s encouragement, the gods kills Enkidu, as Humbaba was not worthy of death.
Gilgamesh is greatly upset by the death of his friend and faces deep sadness, mourning his loss for a long time. The loss of his good friend forces Gilgamesh to consider his own life and morality. Gilgamesh does not possess many friends, and the loss of Enkidu is a painful reminder of this fact. He recalls how Enkidu’s might and strength was equal to his, making him even more aware of his own morality. At this point, Gilgamesh decides to triumph over death, and is determined to become immortal.
With this new goal, Gilgamesh decides to find a mortal called Utnapishtim, who was given immorality. Gilgamesh faces many challenges on his way to Utnapishtim, but finally encounters him, where Gilgamesh explains his wishes to become immortal, as well. In response, Utnapishtim tells him “not to sleep for six days and seven nights.” Set on becoming immortal, Gilgamesh is determined to follow through with this challenge.
However, Gilgamesh finds that he cannot stay awake, as “sleep breathes over him like a fog.” When Gilgamesh awakens, he is more distressed than ever, as he feels like he is one step closer to death for having failed this test. Though his journey to Utnapishtim does not yield the results he had hoped for, Gilgamesh experiences another revelation and decides that he would rather die after a good and happy life than live like this in constant fear. With this realization, he becomes a wiser person and ruler.
As Gilgamesh readies himself to leave Utnapishtim following the unsuccessful challenge, Utnapishtim tells him a secret, and divulges information about a thorny plant called Apsu that can bring back youth. When Gilgamesh hears this, he ties weights to himself and journeys into the sea to search for this plant. When he finds the Apsu, he waits to eat it, and decides to let someone else try it out first. However, the plant is stolen from Gilgamesh, and he experiences another profound loss and disappointment, as “tears flowed over his cheeks. Feeling lonely and lost, Gilgamesh then realizes that he has failed his last chance of gaining immorality.
The Apsu was stolen by a snake, upon which it sheds its skin. However, whether the skin has been shed in age or youth is questionable. This ambiguity is unable to validate that this plant actually brought immorality. If the plant had been a real taste of immorality, Gilgamesh could have returned to the sea to find more Apsu. The leaf of this plant holds much symbolism as it represents how both immorality and morality are intangible. Gilgamesh, who can slay any monster he encounters, realizes that immorality and morality have no physical component. This realization drives Gilgamesh to conquer whatever other challenges may arise.
When Gilgamesh dies, he dies in fear, still holding fast to his wishes for immorality. When he had witnessed the death of Enkidu, he struggled to come to terms with the same destiny, and resolved to change his future and become immortal. But, one must wonder as to whether someone like Gilgamesh –who kills innocent beasts or seduces women –should live forever. In spite of this fact, Gilgamesh is more determined than ever to find immorality. Throughout his adventures, however, Gilgamesh notes that he is indeed growing older, as he spends all of his time trying to find the intangible entity of immorality.
In conclusion, throughout Gilgamesh’s many journeys to attain immorality, he gains experiences and wisdom that ultimately help him to understand his own morality. Some may believe that Gilgamesh has attained immorality even after his physical death, as his epic has
lived on through this story. However, when Gilgamesh leaves to obtain his own immorality, in a way, he is simply avoiding the inevitable truth of his own morality.
