Tablet 11:

In tablet 11 we see a similar story to that of Noah from the bible. It starts with the gods wanting to destroy humanity and send a massive flood on the people. I really liked the description of the flood because it showed that the gods were also running to upper ground to defend themselves from the rain. Here is the description:

Pg 70

It kind of reminds me of how our own creations are terrifying even to ourselves. Another similarity to Noah is how he is the lone survivor of the whole flood and is traveling on a boat that he himself built, just like the biblical character. Still the two stories are different because Noah was saved by God on purpose because he was a kind honest man, but Utnapishtim is not saved by the gods but is tipped by Ea.

I believe that in this tablet Gilgamesh finally realizes that death is not something he can elude. By not passing the test of sleep he showed that he is unworthy of eternal life and if he was, it would have manifested already. He and Utnapishtim are very different men because Utnapishtim deserved to become a god for his representation on how humanity will always live on. Gilgamesh, on the other hand, is just a spoiled king trying to find a way to stay rich and powerful for the rest of his days. Another aspect that showed me that Gilgamesh did not deserve immortality was the fact that a snake stole the plant from him.

“In the reeds nearby a serpent of the place
became aware of the fragrance of the plant
breathed its perfume, desired it, and approached,
and stole away with it among the reeds.”
Pgs 80 and 81

Continuing on the topic about the snake, why is it always the snake that symbolizes betrayal and trickery? One of the most popular examples of such a snake is in the tale of Adam and Eve from the Bible. It’s the snake who talks Adam and Eve into biting the apple and being thrown out of the promise land. Here the snake takes away Gilgamesh’s last hope at being powerful and rich for eternity but in a way shows again how he didn’t deserve it. It was the final proof that death can’t be avoided.