Comparing Enkidu's Dream And The Code Of Hammurabi

In any kind of society, there are rules that need to be followed in order to protect the people living there. Leaders depend on rules and regulations to be followed by their people in order to retain a peaceful living. “The Code of Hammurabi” are laws that were made to maintain order and fairness in society. In certain cases, the gods determine whether the person is innocent or guilty. Anyone who were to disobey the rules was to be punished harshly. While, “Enkidu’s Dream” is about how the Gods punish Enkidu by making him very ill, resulting a slow, painful death for being accused of murdering Humbaba, the Bull of Haven and chopping down the greatest tree in the Cedar forest. In both writings, the gods and rulers had similar qualities in common, which is attaining revenge by punishing those who they think they wronged someone or disobeyed the rules. Both writings depended on harsh

Since the Hammurabi’s laws led to harsh punishment if disobeyed, it of course, made the people in that society to be extremely aware of their doings. For example, the 53rd, 54th and 55th code is the punishment that a person would get “if a man has been too lazy to strengthen his dyke, and has not strengthened the dyke, and a breach has opened in the dyke, and the ground has been flooded with water; the mean in whose dyke the breach has opened shall reimburse the corn he has destroyed”(26). If the reimbursement was not enough to pay for the damaged crops, “he and his goods shall be divided among those whose corn has been destroyed” (26). If a man opened his flooded ditch due to carelessness and ended up flooding his neighbor’s filed, “he shall measure back corn according to the yield of the district” (26). These laws were made harshly so the people can be cautious of their doings. This was the goal of Hammurabi’s code, to attain justice and order to society through harsh