the nature of death--pg42

One of the major themes considered throughout the epic of Gilgamesh is the notion of man’s mortality. It is an idea that Gilgamesh himself grapples with and, as his metaphorical brother, so too does Enkidu. This specific passage focuses on the nature of death as related to Gilgamesh by Enkidu. Through the dream-laden words of Enkidu as he lies on his death-bed, the finality of death is proposed. Once an individual has passed to the “House of Darkness,” there is no possibility of returning to the living world, “no one comes back who ever enters there.” The stillness and dust on the door further point to the immutability of death. The door is permanently shut with no inclination of ever being opened for the prospect of escape. The absence of light casts away any sense of hope; the inhabitants of the “House of No Return” are forever trapped in darkness and sorrow. Additionally, death is characterized by an association with Nature. The dead are adorned in garments made of plumage, indicating that their man-made clothes have been removed or ripped away. They are depicted as eating clay and drinking dirt, thus as their bodies decompose and become part of the earth, they are also consuming soil and thereby rejoining Nature from the inside out. Finally, as Enkidu looks on in his dream, he notices many individuals of high social status. This implies that while their positions may have linked them to the higher echelons of civilization during life, they have all nonetheless been reclaimed by death. Regardless of age, wealth, or cultural refinement, they have all been forced to face the limitation of man’s mortality. Conclusively, I think this passage focuses on describing the nature of death: its finality, intimate association with Nature, and impartiality.