Human Nature is the Circle of Life

The American Heritage dictionary defines human nature as the sum of qualities and traits shared by all humans. The Epic of Gilgamesh exemplifies this definition by the fact that all humans follow the same circle of life. Everyone is born lives their life and then dies, without being able to avoid death as the ultimate outcome. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh tries to defy death and human nature by gaining immortality. However, the epic states that gaining everlasting life is impossible. As Shamash states to Gilgamesh, “You will never find the life in which you are looking. When the Gods created man they allotted to him death, but life they retained in their own keeping.” The epic also states that part of human nature is making sure you cherish your life, exemplified by Shamash saying, “..day and night, night and day, dance and be merry, feast and rejoice. Let your clothes be fresh, bathe yourself in water, cherish the little child that holds your hand, and make your wife happy in your embrace; for this too is the lot of man.”I believe the authors of The Epic of Gilgamesh used Gilgamesh as an example of what can happen if you are in search of preserving life instead of living it to your fullest potential. The authors wanted to show that the Gods have absolute reign, and no ordinary human can obtain the power they have; all humans share the same qualities and traits. The authors used Gilgamesh’s failure to obtain life as a God as an example that in human nature not one person has more authority over another, and every human has the same scope of power.