In world literature Gilgamesh and the Book of Job are considered to be masterpieces. These stories are two of the oldest epics literature written, however they appear to be more of a myth or a dream of great leaders. Both stories cover pain and suffering in the eyes of humans who wish they were Gods. Gilgamesh and Job are great leaders that are rich and powerful. They have a spiritual connection that relates to the humanity and belief of mankind with a relationship with Gods. These stories are a comparison of suffering that is evitable to the amount of pain you will feel.
Gilgamesh and Job bring culture and religion to their people and attempts to control them or have them to follow them. Although, Gilgamesh doesn’t have a choice like Job. Gilgamesh likes to control everything and he touches on the amount of violence, friendship and death if he doesn’t get what he wants. There should be an argument to say Gilgamesh is a tyrant not a hero like Job. However, Job didn’t really understand his people until the end so he might not be rude like Gilgamesh, but he didn’t care about people feeling.
Gilgamesh’s suffering was self-inflicted by the quest to find immortality while Job’s suffering was inflicted on him by Satan, who received from God. Gilgamesh was a priest and a king that ruled around 2700 B. C. E. According to the epic it compares the King to an epic hero Gilgamesh (p. 95). Job was a farmer and prophecy that lost everything when Satan killed Job children and took his land. Job feared God and it forced him to turn away from evil. Gilgamesh and Job embarked on a journey of suffering and pain, which could have been avoided.
Both stories cover a great deal of literature that is spiritual and extraordinary. The Book of Job and the epic of Gilgamesh talks about pain that is inevitable and it will led to tragedy. In these stories, both men are considered to be heroes and rich. However, the amount of suffering and pain was felt directly by both men. Job was a man that dealt with crucial issues that involved his loyalty to God. Gilgamesh resisted issues and took advantage of his power to sleep with women before their husband could sleep with them. Both men were surrounded by culture and religion.
Although, each man had an inner and outer struggle that caused them problems when they related human issues into their relationship. These stories show a valid point of spiritual roots and strong leadership in two great leaders. Gilgamesh used spiritual content that seem like a dream that appears to our unconscious belief. One would argue that Job’s spiritual beliefs were similar to Gilgamesh. I think their quest for accepting humanity is the main difference in their suffering. In a world that is supposed to be controlled by Gods and Goddesses, humans look for ways to justify their extreme.
It’s clear that Job followed the facts and understood what he was supposed to do. On the other hand, Gilgamesh made his own facts and pretty much did any and everything he wanted to do. Gilgamesh didn’t have any restriction on what he could do, unlike Job who had restrictions placed on him by God and Satan. Gilgamesh didn’t have an understanding of human existence like Job. Gilgamesh appears to be a warrior that battled monsters and Job was a family man and a scholar, who helped to bridge dialogue between his people by spreading wisdom.
This story pushes you to relate to the dream of Gilgamesh and how his mother came to understand the dreams of Gilgamesh (p. 105). Although, Job blessed with being righteous he still had no controlled over his life Gilgamesh tries to control virgin women by making sure he slept with them before their husband could. The theme of Gilgamesh is surround by a force of love and Job is surround by evil and a force of love is what hold Job together. The argument that is made between Gilgamesh and Job is that love will change you and will help you through any situation.
These stories show how human can focus on love and understand to empathize to deal with pain and suffering. There is a definite implication in these two stories that Gods used their powers to display their power and to teach a point. Job wasn’t a God, but he carried himself liked a God. Gilgamesh was part God and human and he often used his strength to battle monsters. In both stories they make a point of saying you get what you deserve. It’s clear that this is true when Gilgamesh loses Enkidu and Job lose his whole family and property.
One can say God punishes you if you are evil and blesses you if you remain righteous. The stories have Enkidu and Satan being evil, but Enkidu find a way to Gilgamesh heart and Job is so loyal to God that he doesn’t get mad at Satan for all the trouble he has caused him. These stories bring two characters together to say you can love your enemy and even be friends with your enemy. This is clear when Enkidu becomes friends with Gilgamesh and when Job doesn’t turn away from God after Satan has threw everything he can to get Job to curse God’s name.
In the story of Gilgamesh it puts a human and beast together as friends and the Book of Job puts Satan and Job together as enemies, but both are working for God. Although, no one can really say if these stories are true (p. 116-118). Gilgamesh and Job are two men that find pleasure in friendship, death, mourning and love. This is clear when Gilgamesh lose Enkidu and Job lose his family, because both men feel they are cursed. This is the part mankind establish death and eternal life between two friends and two enemies.
Gilgamesh and Job were alike in so many ways, but they come together with death, love, mourning and loyalty. Both men are rich and have a huge following of people they really don’t care about. Since, Gilgamesh and Job were considered to be heroes, it’s hard to believe they treated people very bad and they don’t look deep into fixing problems. If these men were offered the opportunity to change, but the story wants you to believe they will, because they have love and loyalty. The story will cause you to argue these men overly loved anyone, but it is clear Job loved his amily and Gilgamesh loved Enkidu.
These two stories introduce love and loyalty in these characters and their friends, are the perfect example of the amount of support they had between their friends, their friends didn’t understand their struggle between Job being punished by God and Gilgamesh constant struggle with monsters. It is clear Job and Gilgamesh couldn’t stop grieving when their family and friends died. One could interpret these two heroes would prevail in any situation.
Who would trust these men because it seemed like they never expressed their true feelings, unless it was to get someone to do something for them. These stories make Job and Gilgamesh sound like skilled professionals. There is a clear understanding of Gilgamesh, who fought monsters and Job, prophet of poetry, who he communicated literally ideas. The dialogue of these character have unique personalities that shows up throughout the entire story. They have flaws in their character makeup, because Gilgamesh abused women and slept with virgin before their husbands could sleep with them.
Job seems to care about his people, but he never really understood what they really wanted. This is a great example of leadership that has gone wrong, but the leaders had no idea. Additionally their friends, servants and peers had no idea that it appear they are faking their feeling. It’s clear you can be lost and still be a leader. In conclusion heroes can be a king or a farmer as long as they rise to the occasion. In this literature it focuses on love, death, loyalty, mourning and suffering which Gilgamesh and Job do cover throughout the stories.
It’s clear a spiritual connection, along with friendship, can make you happy, even if you lose something you really love. A hero might not understand the people around them, but they can still be a heroes if they make people believe they care about their well-being. Gilgamesh and Job both had spiritual connection with a God that handed out powers or a God that blessed you for remaining to be loyal after Satan has done everything to stop you. Therefore , Gilgamesh and Job were heroes even if their choices seemed wrong at times.