is the saga of a journey across the rifts of life. It's the story of King Gilgamesh's search for significance, which he discovers in brotherly friendship and communal benevolence. Early on in the drama, we learn that is dutiful and persistent as the enforcer of taxes in his kingdom, Uruk. One character, called the Traveler, remarks upon this arrangement: Gilgamesh is our King. He was born part god, and we were born to pay tribute.1 King also has a limitless appetite for carnal pleasure. Again, the Traveler comments: Uruk, I found a virgin sworn to be my bride, awaiting my touch. But I know will be the first to knock upon the chamber door.2 Wealth and lust are the fulcrums of Gilgamesh's life until he's confronted, challenged, and awakened to his shortcomings by Enkidu, a man who grew up among the animals but leaves the forest to challenge Gilgamesh. In the end, and Enkidu form a deep friendship and shared purpose. They journey in pursuit of the dreaded Humbaba, whose character represents to me the illusions and delusions in life, both internal and external?the inhibitors that distract us from and lock us out of birth and spiritual purposes. The Mighty Humbaba warns, So, and Enkidu, you wish to die by calling my name? How can you kill me when you cannot even see me? I can go inside your heart and turn your knees to mud. I can make you bark like a dog at his master's gate.3But in the end and Enkidu prove that Humbaba is only a roar among the night trees.4 also discovers that triumph comes at a great price for, as a result of the battle, he suffers an almost crippling loss. At the end of Act I he is full of anguish and sorrow. Almost consumed by his pain, he sets off seeking to regain all he has lost, to recapture the power of life, and, if possible, to overcome death. In his search, laments to Siduri (the alluring barmaid) at the brink of the world, which he must summon the will to venture beyond. To do this he must overcome Siduri's carnal and emotional allure. He does so by breaking into the world beyond, wading into the unknown, enduring unimaginable physical challenges, and encountering the Noah-like sage Utnapishtam. At the end of his quest, the finality of death remains undisturbed, but we discover that the journey has nurtured and connected him to compassionate communal purposes. Returning to Uruk, his city, he issues a command to Open the prisons. Take rations to the poor.5