The Epic of Gilgamesh: Limitations of Freedom

             The Epic of Gilgamesh is a series of poems written on clay tablets over five thousand years ago in ancient Mesopotamia. It is quite possibly one of the earliest works of literature ever found and even today has the power and literary strength to capture a reader's attention. The hero of the story, Gilgamesh, is unsatisfied with facing eventual death and goes on a journey to find immortality. Through his travels, the ideas of tragedy, the search for knowledge, adventure, and most importantly, the limitations of human freedom can be found.
             There are several different levels of the limitations of human freedom present in The Epic of Gilgamesh. There are cases of the lack of freedom of man to nature, the man between man, man to king, and man between the gods. Within these categories, examples can be found which parallel to everyday life today and others to life in ancient Mesopotamia. The first instance of the limitation of human freedom that is present in the story, which is relevant to actual life, comes quite early. A young trapper is having trouble with a wild man. The trapper is "frozen with fear"(63) every time he sees this man and "dare[s] not [to] go near him" (63). He is suppressed by fear, and as a result, he loses the ability to perform his job. By losing this capability he can no longer carry out his everyday life, and because of his fear, he cannot live a free life until it is conquered. This idea is often present in life we all live. When something stronger or more powerful than us affects our lives, we cannot go about our everyday business while it has a sense of control over us. All human beings have this natural quality within, which can limit our idea of freedom.
             Human beings are mammals, and therefore are apart of the animal kingdom. We share many characteristics and traits with the wildest and uncivilized of animals, yet more so than any other, we are distinctly different. We have conscious thought and think rat...

More Essays:

APA     MLA     Chicago
The Epic of Gilgamesh: Limitations of Freedom. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 09:01, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/100854.html