The Great Flood Of Gilgamesh, The Canterbury Tales, And...

A theme is the underlying message or overall meaning of a story. Authors use this literary device in stories to convey a critical belief about life. A theme of a book is usually seen as a universal in nature because when a theme is universal, it touches on human experience. Sometimes there are multiple themes to a story and they may or may not be stated directly. Religion is a theme found throughout the stories of Gilgamesh, Beowulf, The Canterbury Tales, and Hamlet. The theme of religion is prevalent throughout The Epic of Gilgamesh. Readers can see that the stories found in Gilgamesh often run parallel to those found in the Bible. The great flood, a magic plant, and deceitful snakes are found in both Gilgamesh and the Bible. In the epic, humans are obedient to the gods and religion is an important part of everyday life. One foundational story found in the Bible is that of Noah’s Ark talked about in Genesis. Gilgamesh also has an adventure concerning a flood, â€Å"Utanapish tim spoke to Gilgamesh, saying: ‘ I will reveal to you, Gilgamesh, a thing that is hidden†¦a city that you surely know†¦ The hearts of the Great Gods moved them to inflict a Flood (Tablet XI 9-14). In both stories, the sin of man angered their God or gods which caused them to punish all of mankind. There are also some similarities regarding the â€Å"magic plant† and â€Å"magic tree.† In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve are instructed by God to not eat from the fruit of the â€Å"Tree of Knowledge† at the beginning of