4,000 years ago a powerful king by the name of Gilgamesh ruled the city of Uruk. Uruk was a quiet city located in Mesopotamian. Gilgamesh knew a man by the name of Enkidu. Enkidu and Gilgamesh have a conflict which leads to a challenge of strength at the end they both become friends. They go to the forest so they could bring back some wood from the cedar forests. Enkidu becomes ill and dies. Gilgamesh wants to become immortal and he meets an old man, who tells him if he wants to be immortal he can not fall asleep for 6 days and 7 nights. Gilgamesh fails and falls asleep. The old man tells him he has to get a plant which it will make him younger. At the end a snake eats the plant. He goes back home and prays to the Gods and is thankful for what he has gone through and survived.
I believe the message of Gilgamesh story is that he did not get what he wanted. He wanted to become immortal, after his friend died. He met an ancient being, the only man who gained immortality. He goes through a long journey, to try to become immortal. One of the journeys leads him to the ancient one. The ancient man tells him that in exchange to eternal life he must not sleep for 6 days and 7 nights. They finish talking and Gilgamesh falls asleep for days. He wakes up and realizes that he failed. The ancient man gave him 1 more chance because Gilgamesh asked him to give him 1 more chance. He travels to a land to look for a plant, which he finds and losses it because he felt asleep again.
I believe Gilgamesh is not a hero. To me he is not a hero because he did not helped no one. He did not save any lives. He was a selfish man who wanted to become immortal. He did not help his people. He and his friend were bored and that lead to his journey to try to become immortal. He did not win the journey because he lost the 2 chances that the ancient man gave him.
