Gilgamesh vs. Enkidu
Gilgamesh is the great king of Uruk, who was two-thirds god and one-third human. He was physically beautiful, immensely strong, and very wise. He probably ruled around 2700 B.C.E. and was remembered for the building of Uruk’s monumental city walls, which were ten kilometers long and fitted with nine hundred towers. He is the greatest of all men, and both his virtues and his flaws are outsized. He is the fiercest of warriors and the most ambitious of builders. The Gilgamesh of the epic is an awe-inspiring, sparkling hero, but at first also the epitome of a bad ruler: arrogant, oppressive, and brutal. He lorded over his subjects, raping any woman who struck his fancy, whether she was the wife of one of his warriors or the daughter of a nobleman. The people of Uruk complained to the Sumerian gods about Gilgamesh’s overbearing behavior, and so the gods created the wild man Enkidu to confront Gilgamesh. Enkidu is created initially to challenge Gilgamesh and create a safer environment for the people of Uruk. Due to Enkidu being the only man who seemed to possess the same power as Gilgamesh, he was intrigued and ended up becoming his best friend.
Enkidu begins his literary life as Gilgamesh’s faithful sidekick. While Gilgamesh is
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Gilgamesh is the ideal man physically and aesthetically. The same is to be said for Enkidu. Yet the great king of Uruk had his many flaws. His overbearing spirit and his will to take the innocence of brides before they are married left him unsightly in the eyes of many of his people. Enkidu was created ultimately to be the equal to Gilgamesh yet bring out his best qualities. Enkidu was chivalrous and cared for the well-being of the people, as did Gilgamesh, he just went about showing it in the wrong ways. Enkidu’s friendship made Gilgamesh a new man ultimately and a better king. The fact that we were the same yet so different makes the story more
In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Enkidu knows that his fate is death after he falls ill. While dying, he begins to grow worried due to the dreams he has of Gilgamesh not saving him from danger as he thought he would. His worry causes him to curse those who love him, like Shamhat, a woman who turned him from a beast into a human, and gave him Gilgamesh. Enkidu then immediately regrets the curses he puts on Shamhat after an unidentified voice, similar to God, explains that Shamhat has given him Gilgamesh, and Gilgamesh, “will have the people of Uruk shed bitter tears for [him once he passes], [and] he will make the pleasure-loving people burdened down for [him]. (lines 99-100).
When he died, Gilgamesh started changing for the superior. Just as the article says, Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and the Heroic Life, “The most a man
Antigone and Gilgamesh eventually confront the repercussions of their acts, which result in personal tragedy as well as a wider disruption of societal order. His tyranny and repressive behavior cause the people of Uruk to suffer, forcing them to cry out for help. Disturbed by Gilgamesh's pride, the gods decide to interfere by creating Enkidu as a counterweight to Gilgamesh. " To the one who survives [the gods] leave grieving; the dream leaves sorrow to the one who survives" (Gilga; L.75) After Gilgamesh loses Enkidu, he grieves and later becomes humble.
He ranges over the hills with wild beasts and eats grass.” The father told his son to find Gilgamesh, and when he did find the harlot to seduce Enkidu. Soon the trapper came back with the harlot, and the harlot and Enkidu stayed together for six days and seven nights. After the seventh day, the harlot said to Enkidu, “You are wise, Enkidu, and now you have become like a god. Why do you want to run with the beasts in the hills?”(N.K. Sanders 65)
In this tale, a godly man, Gilgamesh, develops a friendship with beast-turned-man, Enkidu, who begins to teach Gilgamesh about the world and helps him to grapple with challenges. After one challenge in particular, a battle with the giant Humbaba, Enkidu dies abruptly, leaving Gilgamesh alone again, and forcing him to overcome adversities by himself. Gilgamesh is initially despondent, but these adversities eventually give him the strength to grow in wisdom and appreciation. Gilgamesh flourishes from his failures because he can finally understand the meanings of life and death, accept
Enkidu is forced into civilization after being disowned by nature for sleeping with Shamhat. We see him transformed from a wild beast into a civilized person. As we follow Enkidu’s transformation, we see how he changes for the better, but also experiences some downfalls. The transition was not smooth, it took time to fully adjust, and although there are many disadvantages of leaving the hunter-gatherer lifestyle, the benefits made it worthwhile. Through Enkidu’s exposure to Gilgamesh, he changes from a human that lives among nature, to this great warrior that is willing to kill beasts for no other reason, but glory.
In the epic, within which many episodes are interlinked, depicts an image of a kind who underwent development and tends to understand the world where he was living. Within the version of the Babylonian, hero Gilgamesh 's character is best compared to Achilles. While comparing the characters of Achilles and Gilgamesh, he (Gilgamesh) changed and his nature was affected duet the presence and absence (loss) of Enid his comrade, thus the nature of Enkidu was static. Achilles ' nature and character followed the same pattern as that of Gilgamesh as he was also influenced by the presence and loss of Patroclus his comrade.
As such, Enkidu started off in the epic being an individual who could not be considered a member of any type of human community because he lacked any human sense or reasoning at the start of his life. This conclusion is supported by how The Epic of Gilgamesh stated, "He (Enkidu) dressed as the animals do. He fed on the grass with gazelles, with beasts he jostled at the water hole, with wildlife he drank his fill of water." Thus, with Enkidu starting as the complete opposite of respectable member of human society and community, how exactly did he become the individual who corrected Gilgamesh's tyranny? Well, the epic explains this to us by showing us how Enkidu's own animalistic actions had spurned and hampered a hunter who eventually sought help from the harlot
After six days with the harlot, Enkidu realizes he lost his strength. The harlot gets him to join civilization, so he becomes a normal human. He is treated like a royal until Gilgamesh defeats him in battle. After that Gilgamesh and Enkidu become friends and fight in battles together until Enkidu suddenly dies. Gilgamesh does not want the same fate, so he goes looking for eternal life but dies anyway.
In the epic Gilgamesh, the characters traits of both Gilgamesh and Enkidu help to build a lasting friendship through their differences. For example, Gilgamesh is the king of Uruk, a city of culture, and personifies the highest of human virtues, such as fairness, bravery, and courage. However, Gilgamesh is often unstable. In sharp contrast, Enkidu was raised in the wild and is foreign to civilization. Enkidu is caring and thoughtful and equal to Gilgamesh in strength.
He built the city of Uruk and there they value music, food, and dancing. He also built the temple and the walls. This shows his connection to the divine and protection he offered the Mesopotamians in Uruk. When Enkidu is created he represents nature. He is illustrated as beastlike and untamed.
People of Uruk suffered from tyranny and were brutally oppressed. They complained to Aruru, the goddess of creation, that she must make someone stronger than Gilgamesh. Aruru listened and made Enkidu. Enkidu was made of clay and Aruru’s saliva, and had nearly equal power as Gilgamesh. Hairy and brawny, Enkidu lived with animals in the wilderness.
The gods punish the two heroes by ending Enkidu’s life and leave Gilgamesh behind. After twelve days of suffering, he dies in a slow, inglorious death (62). Enkidu represents the wildness in humanity. After his journey with Gilgamesh, he becomes civilized, more mature and closer to humanity. Enkidu was afraid of confronting Humbaba, but because of their friendship he overcomes his fear (29).
Gilgamesh and Enkidu from the start were bound to each other from their creation by the gods. To understand more you must learn of their similarity, difference and their experiences that take you to Enkidu’s death. From our reading assignments, I would like to have explored more past Enkidu’s death to learn more of how Gilgamesh had reacted. Each of our heroes brings much ado to the reality of friendship, love, and expression of men during their time.
Gilgamesh book report Part 1: In the introduction, when Mitchell assesses the comparisons and differences between Gilgamesh and Enkidu, he states that Enkidu “is also Gilgamesh’s opposite and mirror image: two-thirds animal to Gilgamesh’s two-thirds divine. These animal qualities are actually much more attractive than divine ones. Where Gilgamesh is arrogant, Enkidu is childlike; where Gilgamesh is violent, Enkidu is peaceful...”