After reading the Epic of Gilgamesh there have been many thoughts racing through my head. When I read the first half of Gilgamesh I didn't think that there was any sexual relationship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu. After reading the second half it was clear that there was something sexual going on between the two. They always relied on eachother's efforts and had each others back. Something else that came to mind was how amazing the journey was for Gilgamesh. Once Enkidu died, Gilgamesh remained strong though he was very emotional. He fought through the depths of the mountains and the harsh conditions because he was determined to reach what he thought was his destiny:eternal life.
I was impressed with how great the descriptions were of the characters and how well the epic was written considering it was written on stone and passed down for thousands of years. Especially Humbaba who was portrayed as a ferocious beast who breathed fire, and with his powers he could blow Gilgamesh and Enkidu off their feet. The heroics of Gilgamesh still amaze me after reading. He conquered the world, and proved to everyone that he was the best and deserved to be praised by everyone in the City of Uruk for his efforts.
Another topic that struck me was the role of nature, and how much it affected the story. First off, the transition of Enkidu from out in the wild to being civilized was pretty significant and it really caught my attention. It was pretty interesting how he was civilized by being slayed by the Harlot and somewhat trapped in her sexuality. Enlil was enraged when he became aware that Gilgamesh and Enkidu cut down all of the trees in the forest. Nature is pure and divine so I believe he has a great reason to be frustrated. Even though Humbaba was portrayed as a monster who everyone feared he did nothing wrong but protect the nature, so I think that the two killing Humbaba was like killing nature because he was the protector of nature
Overall it was a much more exciting read than I expected, and kudos to the preservation of this Epic and I hope it continues to live on and on.
No comments:
Post a Comment