Before this passage, Enkidu has doubts about entering the Cedar Forest because he’s frightened of the guardian Huwawa. Gilgamesh consoles Enkidu by telling him that since life is short and will inevitably end, they need to set out on a journey to find fame so they will be remembered. Bitterly knowing that he won’t be able to live forever like the gods, Gilgamesh tries to find fame, thinking that a heroic deed will somehow make him immortal despite a physical death. However, Gilgamesh fails to realize that immortality cannot be justified by surface possessions, like fame or wealth. To Gilgamesh, the most important things in life are fame and the legacy he leaves behind. He becomes so overwhelmed by this search for a legacy that he loses focus on his life and becomes entranced with and scared of the notion of death. This passage differs from Gilgamesh’s views of mortality after the death of his best friend Enkidu. Right now in the passage, Gilgamesh accepts death by acknowledging that the life of man is short. But, after Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh realizes that one day, the same will happen to him, and so he sets out on a journey to find immortality and Utnapishtim. Gilgamesh’s “venture into the Forest” to “cut the Cedar down” is a symbolic fight against nature. It is only natural for all humans to die and Gilgamesh’s journey to cut down the Cedar is parallel to his fight against death and mortality, which is seen later on in the epic.
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