Gilgamesh - Notes and summary of gilamesh PDF

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Notes and summary of gilamesh ...

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Gilgamesh: the man to whom all things were known; this was the King who knew the countries of the world. Now Gilgamesh was an ancient King of Sumer who lived around 2700 B.C. His father was a King, but his mother was a goddess. When the gods created him they gave him a perfect body, surpassing everyone else, he was two thirds god and one third human. As perfect as they made him, he was corrupted, and very arrogant, the gods were angry so they deiced to match him with his equal. Enkidu was then created "his body was rough, he had long hair like a woman's..." He was innocent, roamed in the wild like an animal, but none dared to come close. A trapper noticed Enikdu and saw he was strong and immortal, his father suggested to get a harlot and tame him. Enkidu lay with the harlot and after he returned to the hills, but the same animals he use to roam with rejected him. He had wisdom in him, but thoughts in man were in his heart. The Harlot told Enikdu to go to Gilgamesh; after all he "was very strong and like a wild bull he lords it over men." Enikdu agreed to see him and boasted that he was better than him, but she said that Gilgamesh was the stronger, and had a great sense of understanding, “he will know in his dreams that you are coming.” All metaphors in the dreams lead to the mother figuring out that “you will love him as a women and he will never forsaken you.” First they fought, but then became close friends, Gilgamesh treated him as woman, “very close”. The Story of the flood was recounted to Gilgamesh, which reminds us of the great flood with Noah. The gods once again were angry and decided to bestow this great flood. It was for six days and six nights that the winds blew, flood overwhelmed the world. Ea warns Utnapishtim in a dream that he must help the human race survive, and gives the

human race a chance to survive. He saves everyone and in turn Enil makes him immortal, this goes to show how one becomes a god and crucial for Gilgamesh to learn.

Legalism relied on the idea of force, and how force was what people understood best. Legalists believed that the nature of man was to be ruled by others, as man was incapable of ruling himself. They believed that man was only interested in helping himself, and he was naturally lustful, greedy, violent, etc. They believed that man was only interested in the short term outcome and never in the long term. These ideas were very much opposite of those thought up by the Confucians, who believed that a just and fair community began with the individual, going from them to the home, and so on and so forth. This would lead to the community, in turn, becoming good. Confucius’ ideas differed from those of Han Feizi, a prominent Legalist thinker. He believed in the power of the ruler to restrain his citizens from evil, rather than leading them to good. He also believed that, as selfish as man was, they did not know their own true interests, and that the only way for them to realize those interests would be through their ruler.

In Cicero letter to his brother Quintas, he tells him to always believe in oneself, to not to be persuaded by anything/anyone, and to keep the same integrity. He also tells him that based from his enemies he knows that war causes great turmoil that it has caused the mightiest of man to fall. This is similar to the idea of Confucius in government, who often referred to past achievements, or leaders, in order to run a government, those who didn’t do this wouldn’t be appointed. Cicero begins to tell him that his province consists of "of allies of a race which of all the world is the most civilized" and that the second place would be the citizens. He tells his brother that among them citizens, men can cause many disputes and that it is best to react with caution, opposed to fortune. Cicero tells him it is best to resist money, pleasure, and every other desire thought of, and he will in return be glad he did not do such thing. He tells his brother how good he felt in his three years that he did not allow any of this. It brought great happiness to be that pure and to not be perceived, as a "plunderer" in front of his people was satisfactory. Cicero also tells him that his main concerns should be “your own honesty, and selfcontrol.. and careful selection in regard of intimacies with provincials…”This also goes hand in hand with Confucius's idea of government, how one must have true interests, and high morals, and not be overpowered.

Giovanni Bocaccio recounts the reader how the plague affected Florence. He goes on to tell one that some thought this came from the human race through the influnce of the heavenly bodies, and others thought it was pushinment from god's because they were not properly unholding their religion. It orginated somewhere in the East, and began spreading westward, but this was not the last place it would punish. Very few of those who caught it recovered, and many of these cases death occured three days later, or much sooner. This also changed society drastically; Everyone had different ways to deal with this, some people that it would be best to be sober, live insloted and live conious, they thought it would reduce infection. Others would partake in drinking heavily, enofying life to life, and being merry. their mindset was “what’s going to happen will happen”, but were mindful, they did not affect anyone else. Along with this resulted in complete breakdown of the law. Few of those who were still alive were trying to take care of family/themselves. Without any law and order it was chaos. Many also left their families in this time of need “brothers abandoned brothers, sister their brothers… fathers and mothers refused to nurse their own children.” If they stayed and not abandoned them, many would have survived. There was no funeral for all these bodies, keep in mind mass graves had to take place because there was just no room. “No more respect was accorded to dead people than would nowadays be shown towards dead goats.”...