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the relationship between gilgamesh and enkidu
mortality and immortality in gilgamesh
comparison between gilgamesh and enkidu
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1. What are the losses and gains of the civilized life (think about Enkidu)? The losses and gains of this civilized life can be shown in both Enkidu and Gilgamesh’s experiences. Enkidu first loses his own innocence. Shamhat sexual actions towards him take the purity that he once had and soils it. He also loses his own connection with nature and the wildlife. After the interaction with Shamhat Enkidu is shunned by forest creatures and he is not accept back into their group (Jackson Pg. 9). Enkidu losses are small to what he gains. Shamhat teaches him self-awareness, which allows him to formulate some concepts about what it means to be human. Before, he had an invisible barrier that separated him from other human and now he was able interact …show more content…
In the Tablet VII Gilgamesh loses Enkidu. Gilgamesh learns from this that his own mortality is fragile and sets forth becoming an immortal. Nonetheless his only option for immortally is lost to snake (Jackson Pg. 88). He is then able to gain a new take on life. Gilgamesh recognized that it is not man’s faith to live on forever, but for his own creation to carry his name into generations to come. Gilgamesh and Enkidu learned to respect one another and a friendship grew out of it (Jackson Pg. 22). They grew on each other and through Enkidu, Gilgamesh became a better King and a …show more content…
Friendship showed the reasons behind why Gilgamesh felt so much grief after Enkidu death and why he did so much to try to get him back. Their friendship was also the main reason that how Gilgamesh went from an evil tyrant to a great hero (Jackson Pg. 18). Their relationship proven when Enkidu goes along with Gilgamesh to kill Humbaba, he vowed that he would be there when Gilgamesh needed his help. It is clear from the reading that their friendship was not falsely created and was not a coincidence. They were indeed destined to become companions. I feel as if Gilgamesh was quite grateful for having even one friend who he trusted more than others. So when he dies Gilgamesh is clearly devastated and protests against the wrongness of it all (Jackson Pg.47). Anybody who has lost a loved one can recognize how unfair and incomprehensible death is, how uncompromising it is. Even in the end, Gilgamesh remains with his deceased brother up until the maggots start appearing from the corpse.
Another vital component that is essential for a good life is having ability to relax and to just enjoy living. After Enkidu death Gilgamesh can’t think of anything but death. In Tablet X Gilgamesh is told that he shouldn’t worry about passing away, but instead he should focus on enjoying himself (Jackson Pg.68). He should go, eat food, spend time with his other love ones, and use his leisure time
Gilgamesh who has always gotten what he wanted could not save Enkidu from death. The death of Eknidu effected Gilgamesh and the way the character would evolve from the death of his friend. The friendship with Enkidu allows Gilgamesh to see the reality of death. When Enkidu dies then Gilgamesh becomes obsessed with his own mortality. “What my brother is now, that shall I be when I am dead.” (Gil. 31)
Gilgamesh is restless, becomes fearsome of death, and stops having basic hygiene all because of Enkidu’s death . Without Enkidu Gilgamesh is nothing. When Gilgamesh and Jesus lose their followers/friend their life spirals out of control and they become more unstable than ever before.
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.
From the beginning of time, mythology has appeared to be one key method of understanding life’s confusions and battles. Within these myths lies a hero. From myth to myth and story to story, heroes experience what may be called a struggle or a journey, which lays down their plot line. Bearing tremendous strength, talent, and significant admiration, a hero holds what is precious to their audience, heroism. Over time however, no matter the hero, the hero’s role remains indistinguishable and identical to the position of every other hero.
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 is an example of someone who had many flaws and faced many struggles but, in the end, changed his attitude and became a better person. In the beginning of Gilgamesh, he is described as doing whatever he wants and being juvenile in a way. For example, in the text it says, “he was their shepherd, yet powerful, superb, knowledgeable and expert, Gilgamesh would not leave young girls alone, the daughters of warriors, the brides of young men.” With his second half, Enkidu, they entered into the first step in becoming a hero according to Campbell, the separation, by going on an adventure. At this point in the story, Gilgamesh is very arrogant. While traveling to Cedar Forest, Gilgamesh tells Enkidu, “let me go in front of you, and your voice call out: ‘Go close, don’t be afraid!’ If I should fall, I should have won fame. People will say, Gilgamesh grappled in combat with ferocious Humbaba… ensure fame that will last forever.” Next is stage two, the initiation, of the Campbell’s hero journey. Gilgamesh undergoes a trail to begin his transformation, he must fight the Bull of Heaven. Gilgamesh’s supportive side is starting to show when he tells Enkidu that they will win if they fight together. After killing the Bull of Heaven, Gilgamesh’s confident attitude is shown once again. The next trial he faces is the death of Enkidu. He starts to show emotion when he says, “for you Enkidu, I, like your mother, your father, will weep on your plains… I will lay you to rest on a bed of loving care… and I myself will neglect my appearance after your death.” At this point his character has been greedy and then he showed his fear and supportive side. The last stage in the hero’s journey is the return. Enkidu’s death sent Gilgamesh on an adventure to fight death. From this adventure he learned his biggest lesson from Utnapishtim. He learns to appreciate life, and
In Gilgamesh, he fights Humbaba with Enkidu, his best friend. Humbaba is the guardian of the Cedar Forest who was assigned by the god Enlil. Gilgamesh doesn't fight for the world, but he has his own reasons. In the text, it states, “Even if I fail I will have made a lasting name for myself’’ (181). In other words, Gilgamesh's motivation to slaughter Humbaba is not just to get rid of evil but to let his people remember him. Gilgamesh is being selfish because if he's dead, Uruk won't have a ruler, which means Uruk will be out of control. The choice Gilgamesh makes causes him not to care about Uruk but only himself. However, the encounter of Enkidu's death has turned Gilgamesh into another person. He couldn't confront the truth that Enkidu has died. Enkidu was more than a best friend to him, he was a brother whom he loved. Because of his love for Enkidu, Gilgamesh builds a statue so everyone in Uruk will remember him. This demonstrates Gilgamesh changing from selfish to selfless. This change is part of Gilgamesh's transformations towards becoming a hero. Gilgamesh changes as a result of Enkidu's death. According to the text, it states, “Gilgamesh interferes in the lives of his subjects beyond his right as king”(175). This proves that Gilgamesh was bothering and annoying the people of Uruk. Gilgamesh is going to become king soon and he shouldn’t disregard or interfere with his subject’s private life.
Gilgamesh’s acceptance of mortality develops the theme of acceptance of mortality when the author writes, “Gilgamesh was alone again, but not with loneliness or the memory of death.(pg. 86) “Gilgamesh is now alone in the sense that he has accepted Enkidu’s death through his trials, and now no longer feels loneliness, death, or grief. Gilgamesh, who a moment ago was in grief, now sees that mortality and subsequent death is evitable and that in order to move on from it we must face and accept it. In addition to his acceptance of Enkidu’s death, Gilgamesh now sees his limitations as a human; he has moved on from his hubris at the beginning of the book and now accepts that he has limits as a human, and can’t go against that. Unlike the battle with Hubaba, which showed that Gilgamesh had excessive pride and confidence, Gilgamesh sees that he is human, and will always have human limitations. He understands that when faced with something like mortality, he cannot change or find a solution to it, he must understand it, face it, and recover from it just like everyone else. Thus, near the end of Gilgamesh, the theme of mortality is developed through Gilgamesh actual acceptance of mortality, and the subsequent understanding and acceptance of loss and
The quest for immortality after the death of Enkidu is the first sign that Gilgamesh has changed. Gilgamesh becomes frightened when he realizes that he isn’t immortal. After the death of Enkidu, Gilgamesh tries to find immortality by trying to cross the ocean to find it. He sounds pathetic as he rambles of his reason for trying to find everlasting life. His state of being at this part in the book, which is the end, is completely different from his arrogant beginning of this epic. Gilgamesh has gone from arrogant to scared.
In the epic of Gilgamesh the friendship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu is very complex and necessary. Their friendship brings animal, human, and god together. Gilgamesh is changed by his friendship with Enkidu. He becomes a better person and a better ruler because of Enkidu. Enkidu’s life is enriched because of his friendship with Gilgamesh. Enkidu was created to balance out Gilgamesh, and he accomplishes this goal. The two men are very close, and love each other deeply. Both Gilgamesh and Enkidu benefit from their friendship.
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.
The second significant change in Gilgamesh was caused by the loss of his brotherly companion, Enkidu. Gilgamesh couln't bear the loss of a love so powerful. Despite his astonishing power and leadership, something in his life was missing. Moreover, he wept for seven days and nights, thinking his friend would come back because of his weeping. It is in this stage of the epic that one can see the truly sympathetic and compassionate side of Gilgamesh. The grief in his heart had far surpassed the magnificent pride that he had previously displayed so boldly. Enkidu's death left Gilgamesh frightened and confused. However, the despair in his heart was so great that he could not rest; would he ever be at peace? Thus, he became terrified of his own death.
Both Gilgamesh and Enkidu are very supportive of each other. They rely on each other’s strengths and weaknesses to survive through their venture. Enkidu’s words motivate Gilgamesh when he is in doubt. For example, when Enkidu and Gilgamesh are about to fight Huwawa, Enkidu alleviates Gilgamesh’s anxiety by saying, “Do not listen to the demon. He must be killed, obliterated utterly. Listen to me” (Gilgamesh, pg. 28). In a sense, Enkidu is able to control Gilgamesh’s recklessness with his wisdom.
One of the main themes in the epic is that death is inevitable, which is shown through Enkidu's death. When Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh becomes very worried, because he realizes for the first time that everyone is going to die at some point in time. The fact that Enkidu is a close friend makes it even more visible to Gilgamesh that everyone is mortal. Then, along with this realization, comes the theme of denial. Gilgamesh does not want to accept the fact that he will die. He denies the truth, because he does not want to think about the truth or cope with the tragedy that has struck him. "And he-he does not lift his head. 'I touched his heart, it does not beat'" (Tablet VIII, Column II, 15-16). "'Me! Will I too not die like Enkidu? Sorrow was come into my belly. I fear death; I roam over the hills. I will seize the road; quickly I will go to the house of Utnapishtim, offspring of Ubaratutu. I approach the entrance of the mountain at night. Lions I see, and I am terrified. I lift my head to pray to the mood god Sin: For...a dream I go to the gods in prayer: ...preserve me!'" (Tablet IX, Column I, 3-12).
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...