Nature vs Humanity

pg. 42 "No one comes back whoever enters there... dead chanters and anointers, bearers of ointments."

The vivid description of the House of Darkness portrays the underworld as a motionless and silent place of no return. The immobility within the “House” is further emphasized by the “stillness and dust” that sits on the door and doorknob. The dust that has accumulated is a metaphor for the triumph of nature over mankind. In addition, the underworld is illustrated as dark. The dark symbolizes the lack of hope, depression, and evil. The dead are impotent in the underworld and cannot escape the darkness. Within the “House”, there exists no distinction between the dwellers, not even godlike beings such as kings can defy the mortality of humans. Status is erased by death. This passage shows the reality of mortal humans’ fate that Enkidu envisions in his dream. As the dead decompose, their bodies become part of nature, “the garment that they wear are made of feathers./The food they eat is clay, the drink is dirt.” These lines represent decomposition of the human body, as the human is consumed by the Earth’s soil. Furthermore, the feathers Enkidu was clothed in demonstrates how he has regressed to his former primal state, meaning all humans will become one with nature. Ultimately, nature is victorious in the battle over humans. Enkidu comes to realize that the fame Shamash promises to him is not synonymous with immortality. In the subsequent lines, Enkidu calls Gilgamesh a coward for his fear of mortality and claims that Gilgamesh did not help him. Gilgamesh’s betrayal of their companionship marks the beginning of his process of becoming less civilized.