Similarities and Differences between Gilgamesh and Enkindu The Myth known today as the epic of Gilgamesh was considered in ancient times to be one of the great masterpieces of cuneiform literature.The tale revolves around a legendary hero named Gilgamesh, who was known said to be the king of the Sumerian city of uruk.Gilgamesh was known to have supernatural abilities and be half human and half god similar to his best friend who was later known known as Enkindu.This person was also blessed with supernatural abilities and was half human-half animal.Gilgamesh and Enkindu both have similar traits such as they both use love as a motivating force and they both clearly are half human-half supernatural.They also have differences such as they both had their own journey within each others journey. *Gilgamesh and Enkindu both use love as a motivating force, this changes Enkindu from a wild man into a noble one because of Gilgamesh, and their friendship changes Gilgamesh from a bully and a tyrant into exemplary king and hero. On page 59 Gilgamesh enters a road of sun he could see nether what was ahead or behind but he screamed “Enkindu, Enkindu” this show me that he was using Enkindu name as a motivating force to quit his fear through the darkness, and on page 27 “ Enkindu was afraid of the forest of Humbaba and urged Gilgamesh not to go but they were friends and made vows to stay together always”. This shows the love and dedication they have towards each other. Gilgamesh and Enkindu are both half human and half super natural. Gilgamesh is half God and Enkindu is half animal. These powers helps both Gilgamesh and Enkindu face and beat Humbaba and the bull of heaven. These powers were known to be granted by the Gods who Gil... ... middle of paper ... ...er and wiser, with new found appreciation for his responsibilities to his people and his place in the divine order of things. Upon returning to uruk.he sees the walls of uruk and realizes that it is home, but also if he can rule it as well. This story to me is emphasizing the importance of women in human society. Two women,Siduri and Utnapishtim’s wife, take pity on Gilgamesh when he is at his lowest and offer their kindness as he tries to come to terms with his predicament. Women give birth to and nurture the young, allowing the all-important cycle of life to renew.Althought Gilgamesh and enkindu both Have similar traits such as using love as a motivating force or different abilities such as being half human half supernatural they also have major differences and one of the differences was that both Gilgamesh and Enkindu have different journeys within each others
Moreover, He deems himself an equal by establishing friendship with Enkidu who is just a commoner but calls him a ‘brother’ and grieves at his death. This shows that he has a human compassionate heart. However, Gilgamesh, who is more divine than human, uses his powers as if he was a god where his actions had no consequences. He turns into a tyranny more by the passing day, becomes abusive, exploits newly-weds sexually, insults the goddess, kills a forest guardian who is divinely appointed for the role, which is responsible for the death of Enkidu, his warrior
True love and immortality in life would be a dream come true to many people. To spend time with a special someone; the person one feels closest to; the so-called soul mate and to never have that high feeling of emotion end mentally and physically would greatly appeal to most people. But when death steps into the picture, even with all the pain and devastation, one starts to re-evaluate themselves and realizes the important things in life and puts it all into perspective. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, the main character, Gilgamesh, is a powerful, arrogant king and part god. Enkidu, Gilgamesh’s partner, is animal-like but later takes on more humanistic traits such as his contemplation’s of death. The friendship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu is a very powerful, loving friendship. Enkidu is Gilgamesh’s soul mate, not only acting as his friend but as a lover too. Enkidu’s presence in Gilgamesh’s life allows Gilgamesh to see what is truly good in life and to accept his mortality much easier.
We now know that Gilgamesh may never have gone on the journeys and created the relationships that he needed to grow to a better king. But what if there was something else? If the God’s had just gone to Gilgamesh themselves, they may have had the chance to change parts of him, but not in the same way that someone like Enkidu was able to. They may have also been able to give him some sort of medicine, like the eternal life plant, to change him. However, the God’s didn’t do either of these options. They chose to create someone like Enkidu to create a bond with Gilgamesh that would’ve been entirely different if it was someone
In the Epic of Gilgamesh, we see a significant transition or development of the main character as the story progresses. Throughout the epic, we see Gilgamesh act as a tyrant, fearless warrior, depressed man, a man filled with fear, and a man who has finally accepted his fate. The epic begins by describing Gilgamesh as a king who tyrannizes his people. “He will couple with the wife-to-be, he first of all, the bridegroom after” (pg 15). We see that Gilgamesh abuses his power as king and terrorizes the people. The people of Uruk plead the gods to ease Gilgamesh’s burden. The gods answered the prayers created an equal to match Gilgamesh. Enkidu a wild-born chimera, part animal and part man, would
The tale of Gilgamesh is an ancient Mesopotamia poem that is considered to be the oldest surviving piece of literature. It is an epic tale about a demigod known as Gilgamesh, King of Uruk, and his close friend, Enkidu, a wild man who was originally created by the gods to fight against Gilgamesh and to stop him from mistreating the people of Uruk. Gilgamesh and Enkidu are depicted as strong and powerful male characters who go on epic journeys, face great battles, and suffer great hardships. Their epic tale and characteristics can be seen as in-depth and admirable, and this creates an interesting tale to be read, but the tale is mainly male-centric and the females depicted in it, are hard to find admirable
Everyone has qualities that are heroic and noble, and everyone has their flaws. No matter who they are, or how perfect others think they are, people still have some negative qualities that can hurt their heroic ones. In the book, The Epic of Gilgamesh, by Benjamin Foster, both Gilgamesh and Enkidu had positive and negative characteristics that affected the outcome of their journey and their adventures they experienced throughout their lives.
Enkidu was created to be Gilgamesh’s equal and his soul mate. ‘“You made him… now create his equal; let it be as like him as his own reflection, his second self, stormy heart for stormy heart’” (14). So the goddess of creation, Aruru “dipped her hands in water and pinched off clay, she let it fall in the wilderness” and created Enkidu (14). Before Gilgamesh had met Enkidu he loved him; ‘“… I bent down, deeply drawn towards… [Enkidu]… I loved it like a woman and wore it at my side”’ (16). Enkidu had “virtue in him” (14). He was also “innocent of mankind” (14). After Enkidu was civilized the wild animals would not be near him. He felt ...
The epic begins with the men of Uruk describing Gilgamesh as an overly aggressive ruler. "'Gilgamesh leaves no son to his father; day and night his outrageousness continues unrestrained; And he is the shepherd of Uruk, the enclosure; He is their shepherd, and yet he oppresses them. Strong, handsome, and wise. . . Gilgamesh leaves no virgin to her lover.'"(p.18, Line 23-27) The citizens respect him, but they resent his sexual and physical aggression, so they plead to the gods to alleviate some of their burden. The gods resolve to create an equal for Gilgamesh to tame him and keep him in line. This equal, Enkidu, has an immediate impact on Gilgamesh. When they first meet, both having never before met a man equal in stature, they brawl. "They grappled with each other, Snorting like bulls; They shattered the doorpost, that the wall shook."(p.32, lines 15-18) In giving Gilgamesh a real battle, Enkidu instantly changes him; having this equal gives Gilgamesh a sense of respect for another man. These two men fighting each other creates a serious mess, but they both end up without animosity toward the other.
Gilgamesh is a man with no equal, so he feels superior. Although Gilgamesh starts out cruel, he develops into a very kindhearted man. He is extremely supportive of Enkidu and encourages him in various situations. When the men are fighting, Humbaba Gilgamesh says, [you] will surpass all of them. a friend who knows battle understands fighting.
Before the coming of Enkidu, Gilgamesh was a man of great power. A being for which there was no equal match, Gilgamesh boasted about his overwhelming glory and power. However, his arrogance was accompanied with an extensive abuse of power, which pushed the city of Uruk into a state of rage. Still Gilgamesh felt no despair; he lived to display to others his majestic power. The first sign of a sincere change in Gilgamesh arises as a result of the birth of Enkidu. From the beginning, a powerful link developed between man and woman. The wise Ninsun said to Gilgamesh,"You will love him as a woman and he will never forsake you". Gilgamesh had finally met his match, a friend that would serve as his life-long companion. Upon the seal of this great friendship, Gilgamesh began to change his selfish ways. Nevertheless, he shared with Enkidu the luxuries of kindness. Setting aside his great pride and power, Gilgamesh had opened a place in his heart, and in his sumptuous life, for his beloved brother.
In the beginning of the story we see Gilgamesh as a womanizer. His submissive behavior is driven by his own self-sufficiency. When Enkidu forces him to see the reality of his own vanity, Gilgamesh withdraws from his obsession and embarks on a new quest with Enkidu; one that will fill his other ego, his masculinity.
Gilgamesh was two thirds of a god who possessed beauty, a gorgeous body, and great amounts of courage and strength that surpassed all other humans. His greatness was established through the wonderful walls he built around Uruk, a rampart, and a temple for Anu and Ishtar (Gilgamesh & Sandars, 61). Enkidu on the other hand was initially an uncivilized man created by the goddess of creation, Aruru. His appearance was strictly barbaric with his long hair and hairy body, whose innocent mind knew nothing of a civilized human culture (Gilgamesh et al., 62). He ate grass and lived among the other animals in the woods until a trapper spotted him while trying to catch his game and noted to his father that he “was the strongest man in the world [and] is like an immortal from heaven” (Gilgamesh et al., 62). The trapper indicated his feeling of inferiority to Enkidu in the woods as he says he is afraid of him. One could say that Enkidu rules the woods of the uncivilized just as Gilgamesh rules over the city of Uruk; over the civilized. Both men are characterized as powerful, strong men in their domain yet Gilgamesh is in fact stronger and more powerful than his brother, Enkidu whom he calls his servant, fore he is the king of Uruk and is two thirds god. Enkidu also dies halfway through the adventure the two have while Gilgamesh, who is afraid of death, goes on to find a way to live immortally. Though inferior to his king brother, Enkidu completes the other half of Gilgamesh: while Gilgamesh knows the ins and outs of the city he rules, he is not familiar with the woods or nature in the ways that Enkidu is. Though they are different from each other, they both hold parallels with one another by bringing out the best in each other, thus reasonabl...
Enkidu is a vital part of Gilgamesh’s life. At the beginning of the story Enkidu embodies the opposite of Gilgamesh, his other half. After Enkidu’s death Gilgamesh cannot go back to life as it was, he is lost and for the first time in his life, afraid. The fate of all humankind, death, becomes the last obstacle for Gilgamesh to conquer. The dis...
Gilgamesh was two-thirds God and one-third human that had no regards for his subjects he ruled. He mostly did as he pleased by taking advantage of his subjects, especially abusing women; therefore, he was feared rather than respected by his subjects.
The epic begins with Gilgamesh terrorizing the people of Uruk. They call out to the sky god Anu for help. In response Anu tells the goddess of creation, Aruru, to make an equal for Gilgamesh. Thus Aruru created Enkidu, a brute with the strength of dozens of wild animals. After being seduced by a harlot from the temple of love in Uruk, Enkidu loses his strength and wildness yet gains wisdom and understanding. The harlot offers to take him into Uruk where Gilgamesh lives, the only man worthy of Enkidu's friendship. After a brief brawl the two become devoted friends.