The Fear of Death

Throughout the “Epic of Gilgamesh”, Gilgamesh is heavily motivated by the fear of death and the search for fame and eternity. This comes into play with the most force after the death of his companion Enkidu, but even before this, Gilgamesh is obsessed with making an impression on all of history. This obsession for fame and power is what leads to his fall at the end of the story. Although every one dies, the great Gilgamesh’s unexciting end actually creates a tragic feel and reflects Enkidu’s death.

The goal of the expeditions that Gilgamesh and Enkidu embarked on throughout the epic was to gain eternal fame and glory. They wanted to slaughter Humbaba so that they would be remembered forever as having defeated the vicious guardian of the forest. They killed the Bull of Heaven and made a name for themselves with regards to that as well. However, although the goal was to gain this fame and power, their actions brought about destruction from the gods. They offended many gods throughout these journeys and were too proud so that they were cursed. Enkidu received the punishment for their actions and died. He did not receive the death of a courageous warrior, but that of a sickly little man.

Enkidu’s death was the beginning of Gilgamesh’s panic. He was unsure of what happened to his friend and hated the thought that he was forever clay and just lying in the ground. Since he and Enkidu were a match for each other, he feared that they would have similar deaths. Therefore, Gilgamesh decided to search for Uta-Napishti, who was in possession of eternal life. The trip was unsuccessful and just disappointed him even further, so that the rest of his life was an anticipation of the sorrowful death to come. Because of this trip, his disillusionment was only increased and it was as if he just had to await the coming death. His fear of what would happen to him after death motivated his actions and caused him to kill things that only inhibited himself and lose the favor of gods.