User:Atcovi/ENG225/Term Paper Dec 2023

Thesis
'''Did Gilgamesh successfully attain immortality? If so, how did he achieve immortality despite accepting death? If not, how did he not achieve immortality when his works for the city of Uruk still live on?'''

Thesis: Contradictory to popular opinion, Gilgamesh’ attempt at attainment for immortality fell short of success, both in terms of physical and symbolistic mortality. In the end, Gilgamesh has accepted death – thereby failing to achieve physical immortality. Although Gilgamesh places hopes that his work will be an “everlasting” remembrance of him, even his works & story went forgotten for centuries – thereby failing to achieve immortality (in the sense of recognition) for a very long time.

Outline
1. Introduction, includes thesis.

2. Who is Gilgamesh? What is he like?

3. Why did he want to attain immortality? How did he try and seek it? What happens? Is he successful or not?

4. Why is he not successful in searching immortality?

5. "Now we know about him, so his legacy is still remembered" --> but we have many missing chunks that may have diminished the glory he was seeking.

6. Conclusion

Quotes
2. "The God of Wisdom brought his stature to perfection. He was perfection in height, ideally handsome" - Chorus, page 7 (pdf)

"My son, in Uruk dwells Gilgamesh, there is no one more mighty than he." - Father, page 9 (pdf)

"Gilgamesh leaves no son to his father! Day and night he rampages fiercely." - "Gods" of Heaven to Anu, the "sky god".

3. Tablet IX, line 5 (page 40, pdf) is where his quest for immortality starts as he is scared of death after witnessing his friend, Enkidu, die [''"Shall I not die too? Am I not like Enkidu?" (pg. 72)'']. Beforehand, he had no fear of death (page 18 [pdf], very end of tablet II). He embarks on a journey to seek immortality, with Page 56, Gilgamesh is distraught after a snake steals his 'immortality plant' while he was bathing ("I have done a good deed for a reptile!" page 56, tablet XI).

+ Utnapishtim, someone who was given immortality due to his loyalty to the 'Gods', urged Gilgamesh to give up his journey to immortality (page 48, pdf). He is not successful in maintaining immortality and instead puts his hopes on his wall as a remembrance of him [a "form" of immortality]. This [concept of being remembered] is further emphasized in tablet 2, lines 183-184, where he proclaims that "If I fall on the way, I’ll establish my name: ‘Gilgamesh, who joined battle with fierce Humbaba’ they’ll say”".

4. He is not successful in attaining immortality since it is obvious he wanted fame. We do not have the full or even half of Gilgamesh' story. His story is mostly forgotten, especially compared to other reknowned characters (https://webpages.uidaho.edu/engl257/Ancient/epic_of_gilgamesh.htm). Oldest text and still was known, but wasn't known in its entirety. What other accomplishments has Gilgamesh made that we don't know about? He was obviously egotistical and therefore he would've felt he failed in securing immortality with how much of his story being gone.