Death and Immortality in The Epic of Gilgamesh

 This problem does not bother Gilgamesh; he lives to display to others his royal power. The first sign of change in Gilgamesh occurs after the birth of Enkidu. Gilgamesh’s mother, Ninsun, said to him, “Like a wife you’ll love him, caress and embrace him, he will be mighty, and often save you”. Gilgamesh has finally found his match, a friend who will serve as his life long companion. This new seal of friendship will cause a change in Gilgamesh’s selfish ways. Setting aside his great pride and power, Gilgamesh opens a place in his heart for his beloved brother, Enkidu.     After the death of Gilgamesh’s brotherly companion, Enkidu, there is a significant change in his view of life. Gilgamesh cannot bear the loss of someone so special to him. Despite his tremendous amount of power and leadership, something in his life is missing. Gilgamesh weeps for seven days and nights, thinking that his friend would come back: “On this very day I myself shall mourn you! Hear me, O young men, hear me! Hear me, O elders of teeming Uruk, hear me! I shall weep for Enkidu, my friend, like a hired mourner-woman I shall bitterly wail”.  It is during this period of the story that one can truly see the sympathetic and compassionate side of Gilgamesh. The grief in his heart has far exceeded the magnificent pride that he has previously displayed to the people of Uruk. With the death of his best friend, Gilgamesh is distraught with grief and denial. Not only is he miserable over the loss of Enkidu but also over his own death, which he knows will come some day: “I shall die, and shall I not then be as Enkidu? Sorrow has entered my heart! I am afraid of death, so I wander the wild, to find Uta-napishti, son of Ubar-Tutu”. Seeking to avoid death, Gilgamesh strives to learn the secret of everlasting life     Being two-thirds god is not enough for Gilgamesh. No, he wants immortality: “I look at you,   Utanapishti: your form is no different, you are just like me…How was it you stood with the gods in assembly? How did you find the life eternal?”. But Gilgamesh is not the only person who searches for immortality. In many stories, there is the search for the Fountain of Youth. Fear of death and the desire to live forever has driven people to do all they can so that they may extend their existence to as long as possible. Gilgamesh is not only a hero in The Epic of Gilgamesh, he is a representation of society as a whole. He does not want his existence to end when he leaves the world. He is not content with what he has and desires much more in life. The epic is something that a lot of us can relate too. There are similarities between Gilgamesh’s journey and our own journey through life. Gilgamesh, like many of us, has a burning desire to be successful in life. The epic illustrates how human nature has the desire to obtain more than one possesses. It is in human nature to want to be recognized and to receive what one thinks he or she deserves.       Gilgamesh is puzzled and searching for answers on immortality, so he sets out on a quest for Utanapishti. It is on this great journey that Gilgamesh learns of a secret plant, which restores the lost youth of a man: “Let me disclose, O Gilgamesh, a matter most secret, to you I will tell my mystery of gods. There is a plant that looks like a boxthorn, it has prickles like a dog rose, and will prick one who plucks it. But if you can possess this plant, you’ll be again as you were in your youth”. Once again, Gilgamesh displays his changed character. He proclaims that he will return to Uruk and share the plant with his people: “This plant, Ur-shanabi, is the “Plant of Heartbeat”, with it a man can regain his vigor. To Uruk-the-Sheepfold I will take it, to an ancient I will feed some and put the plant to the test”.  Although Gilgamesh failed in returning to Uruk with the magic plant, the significance of his underlying intentions is immeasurable and he finally comes to accept that he is human, and that he will have to die as normal people do. The worth of a man's life is many times said to be measured by the things he has done and the legacy he has left behind. After Gilgamesh realizes that he is not a god-man, Gilgamesh sees that the real glory is in the deeds a person does and the people he affects in good ways over his lifetime.      Gilgamesh travels many journeys and faces many hardships, but by the end of the story, he comes to grips with the reality that death is inevitable and that friendship is a necessity. He learns a valuable lesson through his search for immortality. He learns that it is a better accomplishment to be remembered in the minds of many people than to live through endless deaths of loved ones. Human being’s greatest limitation is mortality. In this respect, we are all equal. Everything will come to an end eventually. Death is what gives humans fear, and is the main reason we stop ourselves from doing certain things or acting in certain ways. Some humans attempt to challenge their limits, such as Gilgamesh can be seen doing throughout the epic. By attempting to transcend his own mortality, he is challenging it. However, it is pointless. Humans must accept things as they are and always will be.      In today’s society, people are always striving for more than what they have. They want more power, more value, more money, and the list goes on. Even in our advanced society, people are still looking for immortality. People want to live longer, healthier lives, but dying is an unavoidable part of life. Indeed, everything that lives will at sometime die. The fear of death is held by everyone. Perhaps it is the connection of death with pain or the unknown state of the human consciousness after death, or maybe a combination of both, which creates this fear. The fear felt is undoubtedly universal. However, the ways in which it is dealt with are varied and diverse. The concept of human mortality and how it is dealt with is dependent upon one’s society or culture. It is the society, which has the greatest impact on an individual’s beliefs. Hence, it is also possible for other cultures to influence the people of a different culture on such comprehensions.     The irony of the story is that Gilgamesh, who wanted to enjoy immortality, actually achieves his dream. Thousands of years after his death, he and Enkidu live through the story of their adventures, which has been passed down through time. Gilgamesh and Enkidu will be kept in an immortal state for however long The Epic of Gilgamesh is told.