In this article I will encompass the Epic of Gilgamesh, the characters, themes, motifs, irony, and the story as a whole. I'll start with a quick summary to get you up to speed. Gilgamesh is a Sumerian king from the city of Uruk. Gilgamesh was, for lack of a better term, self-centered, arrogant, and thoughtless. But how could it not be? His father was a king and his mother a goddess, meaning he is two-thirds god. Gilgamesh, however, is more of a tyrant than a king. Gilgamesh took and raped women for his pleasure and killed or forced the young men of Uruk to work. The people began to pray to the gods for help to save them from Gilgamesh and his ways. How to beat the strongest man on the planet? Make him someone who is stronger. The gods then create a wild beastman named "Enkidu" to challenge Gilgamesh to a wrestling match and beat him. However, since Gilgamesh is the god of two thirds, it's a bit difficult to do this. They create Enkidu and he challenges Gilgamesh in a wrestling match but in vain Enkidu cannot defeat Gilgamesh, but on the same side, Gilgamesh cannot beat Enkidu. With his strength evenly matched (which has never happened before), Gilgamesh declares a draw and befriends Enkidu. With his new best friend in hand, Gilgamesh and Enkidu travel to the Cedar Forest to defeat a god named "Humbaba" who guards the forest despite the warnings of Gilgamesh's mother, Ninsun. She tells him that he is being reckless and that he could die. He responds: “If I fall, I will have established my fame” (2.236). It's pretty much yolo before it's cool. However, you will later see that he is not interested in this life. Disregarding his mother's warnings, they set off on their journey to the Cedar Mountains. Once there, they fight Humbaba and defeat him, then cut middle of paper......and his beloved city of Uruk. Humbaba has no real goal except that he must die to Gilgamesh and Enkidu and curse Enkidu. Ninsun is the mother and protector of Gilgamesh. She enlists the help of the sun god Shamash to watch over Gilgamesh while he fights Humbaba. To recap, Gilgamesh is a feared tyrant and the gods create a warrior to defeat him. They become best friends and travel to kill things together. They fight with a goddess in love with Gilgamesh and the Bull of Heaven. They kill the bull and Enkidu falls ill and dies. Gilgamesh then searches for a mystical plant that will grant him immortality but fails to achieve his goals and realizes that to be truly immortal he must leave behind a legacy that will change history forever. This concludes my critical analysis of the Epic of Gilgamesh and its many hidden nuggets of advice and wisdom..