Patriarchy In The Epic Of Gilgamesh Towards Ishtar

Since the first civilizations emerged thousands of years ago, there have been systems in place that have subjugated a specific group of individuals and have made each group in question a lesser being compared to their counter-part. A variety of social systems range in what they pertain to. Some of these systems concern the discrimination of a person’s skin tone, socioeconomic class, and a multitude of other things. The social systems bring forth with it unique and unfair treatment to those that are affected. Some might include the physical, mental, or emotion harming of the subjugated individuals. When it comes to which system has the most elaborate history, in terms of length, the system of patriarchy comes to mind. The system in question

There are five instances in which the system is best seen that concern characters within the tale. The first being in the confrontation with Ishtar’s father, Anu and can be seen as “Ah, but was it not you who provoked King Gilgamesh, so he told a tale of foulest slander, slander about you and insults too?” What the quote by Anu tries to do is it reiterates just how women during this time period were treated as something less than a man. Ishtar had just been humiliated at the hands of Gilgamesh, without provoking such retaliation that she received. Here we see the questioning as to what could the woman have done wrong to incite the response by Gilgamesh. Anu doesn’t give Ishtar any respect or the benefit of the doubt in the matter what’s so ever. Instead Anu choses to scorn his daughter without any knowledge of the ordeal. Instead, the father instantly is infuriated with the daughter for a matter that she had no control over. The wording of the quote makes Ishtar to have been deserving of her treatment, as opposed to being that victim of the heinous treatment. The quote demonstrates the attitudes towards women, and how even a godly woman with extraordinary power and rank, is seen as being inferior to a mere mortal