Universal Themes

In the Introduction of The Epic of Gilgamesh, Andrew George informs the readers of the themes that will be appearing in the story. One of the main themes that the story revolves around is the "fear of death" which leads to the hero's struggle to strive for "immortal renown" and to leave behind some lasting achievements. Although The Epic of Gilgamesh was written more than four millennia ago, the themes are surprisingly universal and current, and can be seen in many movies, books, and current events. The universality of the themes in The Epic of Gilgamesh seems to prove just how much of a masterpiece it is, and how although we do not know if it was written by one single author or multiple authors, the intellectual level of whoever wrote the story was very high.

The themes are considered universal because it touches upon the very nature of human beings. One of America's greatest philosophers John Dewey argued that the deepest urge in human nature is "the desire to be important." Due to this desire and longing to be "important," we humans try to be successful and to be someone notable. Everything thing we do, even if it is out of benevolence and generosity, is actually an act to make ourselves important. Even generous amounts of donations to charity, is an act to make ourselves feel important by having others remember you and to have your name be recorded in history. We strive to leave behind a legacy, although this may come in many different forms: some people prefer to leave behind a successful company while others believe that their children are the greatest forms of legacy. Whichever path they choose, it is truly remarkable that a lot (if not most) of our actions stem from this desire to be important and remembered, whether it is carried out consciously or not.

Whoever wrote The Epic of Gilgamesh must have been very aware of this natural human desire. Perhaps because of his awareness of human nature, his story is still translated, read, and analyzed even to this day. I am very excited to finish reading the entirety of The Epic of Gilgamesh and see that human nature does not change much, whether it is in 2,000 BC or 2010 AD.