The Eric of Gilgamesh begins with a preface that introduces Gilgamesh not as a man but as a hero. This harsh tyrant “who saw the deep,” is praised; he is the bringer of wisdom, and the man who built the massive walls around Uruk. The strong, handsome, physically perfect hero exhausts young men with contests of strength. Gilgamesh claims the right to sleep with any woman before her wedding night, also known as “droit de signeur.” The women of the city complain to the sun …showed first 85 words of 964 total…
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…showed last 85 words of 964 total…returns with nothing to show from his quest, it seems that he has not gained anything from this adventure, but we see that Gilgamesh has gained wisdom.
Now Ur-Shanabi and Gilgamesh must return to Uruk empty handily. As they enter the city, Gilgamesh urges Ur-Shanabi to admire and respect the city and the walls of Uruk – these walls that Gilgamesh himself has built. The epic ends as they praise the town walls, Gilgamesh’s greatest accomplishment and his best claim to immortality or eternal life.
