Absolute Despair (Gilgamesh 9-11)

The final tablets of the Epic of Gilgamesh acutely stress Gilgamesh’s despair over the death of Enkidu and his subsequent fear of death as well as the futility of trying to seek out immortality. The actions he takes as a result of the loss of his friend reflect his increasing panic at someday facing his mortal fate.

As Gilgamesh wanders off to find Uta-napishti to learn the secret of immortality, he undergoes a physical and mental transformation from his once content and kingly self to a defeated shell of a person. He is so overcome by emotion that he is driven to killing lions, eating their flesh, and dressing himself in their hides (IX, Si I 2’). He even spurns the words of Shamash who is worried for him, replying that he will have time to rest when he is dead (IX, Si I 5’-15’). By the time he finally reaches the end of the path of the Sun God, he is visibly defeated and emotionally compromised (X, X 40-45). The description of Gilgamesh and his response proceeds through about thirty-five lines and is repeated three times as Gilgamesh meets different people. Previous passages in the text have been repeated to stress important descriptions or moments, and the threefold repetition of this lengthy description holds a weighty significance as it contains an explicit account of the reasons for Gilgamesh’s wanderings. Even as Gilgamesh reaches Shiduri and Ur-shanabi, his emotional turmoil takes control and drives him to violence as the first instinct, first threatening to break down the door of the tavern (X, X 21-22) and then smashing the Stone Ones before even asking Ur-shanabi for his help (X, X 96-103). While Gilgamesh had a predisposition towards violence even before the death of Enkidu, his previous fights or threats had not carried such harsh connotations. Even the description of his destroying the Stone Ones mirrors his fighting lions in the wild, as “like an arrow he fell among them,” (X, X 96) suggesting an angry brutality to his blows.

The futility of searching for immortality is present in his meeting with Ur-napishti and his journey home. Ur-napishti’s recounting of the Deluge takes up a considerable part of the final tablet, and his explanation that his eternal life was a result of conflict between the gods suggests attaining immortality was more trouble than it was worth. The fact that Gilgamesh fell asleep instantly for seven nights the moment he tried to remain awake further highlights this futility as Gilgamesh was unable to put up even the slightest resistance to sleep, which in this case can be seen as a substitute for death (XI, XI 210-211). As Gilgamesh returns to Uruk, he brings with him the Plant of Heartbeat, which promises to rejuvenate him to his youth (XI, XI 295-296) but loses it to a snake as he bathes (XI, XI 305-306). This entire episode, from his obtaining the plant to his losing it, takes place over no more than fifty lines. The brevity of this last lunge for immortality serves as a final reminder that death is inevitable. The abrupt ending of the epic shortly afterwards with Gilgamesh describing to Ur-shanabi the wall and city of Uruk shows that through his journey, Gilgamesh accepted death and realized that his immortality will exist in the legacy of his lasting achievements (XI, XI 323-329).