Human Relationship In Gilgamesh

The Epic of Gilgamesh is an epic poem that was one of the first works of literature, from ancient Mesopotamia. The epics main character is Gilgamesh and Enkidu. Gilgamesh is two-thirds god and one-third human and he is the king of Uruk. Despite being protector of the city he is a rapist and the gods send Enkidu to defeat Gilgamesh. However, when they meet and battle they become commendable friends afterwards. Together they go on several journeys throughout the first half of the epic and once Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh spends the second half of the epic searching for eternal life. Throughout the epic we see relationships between humans and the gods. The epics main character, Gilgamesh is part divine and Enkidu is sent from the gods therefore we

In the beginning of the epic Enkidu represents the natural world because he comes from the wilderness and reflects the natural way of life. The story reveals to the readers how the Mesopotamians wanted to show how they are prided by their accomplishments over nature. For example by wittingly sending Enkidu a prostitute he is no longer the protector of the animals from human beings because the animals no longer accepted him after having sexual relations with a human. Now the humans can have access to the animals. Then later on in the epic they defeat Humbaba, protector of the forest and can now have access to the trees for lumber. What can also be noticed is how Shamhat was able to take Enkidu from the wilderness to the civilized world thus showing the separation between man and nature. Then Enkidu partook in the killing of Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven. Lastly, as the epic ends Gilgamesh is praising the city of Uruk, “Gilgamesh spoke to him Urshanabi the ferryman, ‘Urshanabi, climb up on to the wall of Uruk, inspect its foundation terrace, and examine well the brickwork; see if it is not of burnt bricks; and did not seven wise men lay these foundations? (Gilgamesh 117)”. This where we see how he praises the city in comparison to the wilderness outside the walls of the city. Thus we see in the epic how they favor civilized world and praise their accomplishments over the world outside the city walls, which