The Epic of Gilgamesh, the oldest surviving epic in history, reflected life as it was during the Early Bronze Age. Many of the themes revealed by the epic are still valuable today as they can teach us about what society was like in the past. More importantly, the story of Gilgamesh teaches the reader how the lessons of his experience are significant for future generations. For example, visions of life and death and the search for knowledge and immortality. The search for immortality has tormented the minds of men and women for millennia. However, Gilgamesh's quest for immortality is the result of tragedy. After the death of a great friend, Enkidu, Gilgamesh fears for his mortal life. Gilgamesh, the hero-king of the Sumerian city of Uruk is two-thirds. Gilgamesh says, “Because of my brother I am afraid of death, because of my brother I wander through the wilderness and cannot rest” (101). I would infer that if Enkidu were still alive, Gilgamesh would not be enthralled with the quest for eternal life. In other words, it seems that Gilgamesh never had time to reflect on immortality because he was satisfied with his life, such as it was, when Enkidu was alive. In fact, in tablet two, Enkidu tries to convince Gilgamesh to stop fighting Humbaba. Gilgamesh says, “Then if I fall I leave behind me a name that endures; *men will say of me: "Gilgamesh has fallen in battle with the fierce Humbaba" (71). Long before Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh worries about his legacy rather than finding eternal life. In other words, he would rather be immortal in the minds of his people than possess physical perpetuity. However, Enkidu's death marks a shift in this line of thinking because Gilgamesh is faced with the personal reality of death. Although Enkidu and Gilgamesh reap the title and pinnacle of legacy by defeating Humbaba and slaying the Bull of Heaven, when Gilgamesh is faced with the reality of Enkidu's death, his words lose meaning as his actions prove.