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Analysis essay on the epic of gilgamesh
Similarities and differences between gilgamesh and enkidu
The role of women in the epic of Gilgamesh
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The Epic of Gilgamesh is a story that revolves around the companionship between the two heroes, Gilgamesh and Enkidu. Gilgamesh is a semi-god who is also the king of Uruk. As he has no equal, his power leads him to become corrupt. He becomes a greedy and cruel king who takes what he pleases without care. The gods set out to create an equally impressive man that could balance and counter Gilgamesh’s power. They created Enkidu, a wild man made of clay. At first they fought, but then they became inseparable friends. Gilgamesh and Enkidu would go onto to have adventures in which they would test their limits and brave the terrors of Ancient Mesopotamia. Throughout the Epic of Gilgamesh, the influence of women on Gilgamesh and Enkidu was visible,
Clashing swords, miraculous survivals, pain of loss, and heroic sacrifice are all terrifying yet thrilling moments in a battle. The strong possibility of death and the frailty of human life add into the suspense of battle. Yet the reasons behind the wars, death, and suspense can be overlooked. The stories behind the warriors who have died will not be told again, but the stories of warriors still alive are what give the men strength to continue fighting against impossible odds. Ultimately, the reason of why a man would risk his life in battle is for someone, or something, he loves. Like in Gilgamesh and the Iliad, women help encourage and influence the protagonists to be the heroes and protectors they are meant to be.
In past decades there was a huge gap between men and women. Women were considered as a limited role such as; under sexual habits. After many years, obviously, many things have changed. Society respects women, give her rights and more independent. Recently, she has an significant role in many ways such as; in positive and negative ways. Every women can make and change the whole society because she can do what she wants to with no difficulties and inequalities. To be more specific, in our text “ The Epic of Gilgamesh” plays an important role of gender roles and shows how they are so different from each other. When we read the text it was like only focusing on Gilgamesh and Enkidu and they were males.
Adultery and other sexual acts are often in greek mythology. The Gods sometimes sleep with many women, have many wives, have illegitimate children or all of the above. However, the women are often subordinate to their husbands or the males in their life. Greek mythology is very patriarchal in the sense that the men can do what they please while the women do not have that same freedom. The representation of women in greek mythology suggests that an ancient greek view on female sexuality was that women should not be promiscuous or express/act on their sexual desires, but simply fulfill the desires of men.
In the time of The Epic of Gilgamesh, around 2000 BC, women were not respected, or acknowledged for things other than pleasure, household issues, or things which men were too lazy to accomplish. This issue was presented many times throughout the novel as some men tended to be rash and stubborn, only following their own desires. Gilgamesh, being a young king, was very rash in his decisions and indeed followed what he desired. Had the King ever decided to listen to words of wisdom from a woman, rather than pushing them aside to pursue what he wanted; he would have saved himself from wasted time and a failed journey.
The Odyssey and Gilgamesh share a number of interesting pieces to their epics such as heroism, tragedy, and battles. The Odyssey and Gilgamesh fit well into the idea of epics. In both epics, there are numerous battles won that show the true heroism of the protagonists. Unfortunately, in Gilgamesh, we see the suffering and death of one main protagonist showing us tragedy. One similarity they share that is out of the ordinary is the women in these tales. There are numerous women in both of these epics and there is one thing they all have in common which is the power they have over men. Many of the women in these epics either use their bodies to deceive and distract men or they use mind games. When these men fall for the women, their mind plays tricks on them because they are so caught up in what they are seeing and hearing that they do not realize that their decisions may be swayed. The epics portray women as objects that use their sexuality, charm, and wisdom to pursue the men to make a decision with an outcome favorable to them.
The women in The epic of Gilgamesh play an unavoidable and yet a significant role in Gilgamesh’s process of maturity and the quest his quest for immorality. In The epic of Gilgamesh we are introduced to a few female Characters; Ishtar the goddess of love and war, Ninsun Gilgamesh’s mother , Arura the goddess of birth and fertility, Shamhat the prostitute of Uruk, Sinduri the tavern keeper and the wife of Ut-Napushtim. Everyone of these women played a significant role in Gilgamesh’s life, whether it was in his coming of age process ( maturity) or his quest for immorality. There are not many female characters in The Epic of Gilgamesh compared to the men. It is evident that the role of women was indeed apparent in Gilgamesh’s change of character
Women in The Epic of Gilgamesh plays a very significant role. Women were not considered as the most powerful gods nor the strongest or wisest of all humans but they still had great influence over others around them, at that time of Mesopotamia. Though the main characters of the story, Gilgamesh and Enkidu were men, women did not necessarily play a minor role. The roles of women in The Epic of Gilgamesh were mixed. Women are represented as harlots (Shamhat), wise (Ninsun) and as gods (Ishtar. In the epic of Gilgamesh, it can be seen that while men were considered to be the most powerful and wisest humans and gods, women had the power to significantly influence these men. Several women mentioned and described in the Epic of Gilgamesh carried roles that had important effects on the men they encountered. One woman I found very interesting is Ishtar, the goddess of love and fertility. I will discuss how women were being portrayed in the story using her character to support my analysis and how the creators of this epic portrayed women in Mesopotamia through this character.
In the Epic of Gilgamesh, gender plays a very significant role. While women were not the most powerful gods nor the strongest or wisest of humans, they still had tremendous influence. Though the main characters of the story, Gilgamesh and Enkidu, are male, women did not play a necessarily minor role. With all the women that play a role in the Epic of Gilgamesh, gender is a topic worthy of discussion.
The Epic of Gilgamesh is an epic tale of a man who is held above all others. In the text, Gilgamesh if often said to be “two-thirds god and one-third man”. The Gods felt Gilgamesh had too much power, so they created another named Enkidu, who served as a brother, a protector, and an equal force or rival to Gilgamesh. In Tablet X the “one third man” portion of Gilgamesh is seen clawing out from his god-like body trying to escape the coils of death. The death of Enkidu, his beloved friend struck the core of Gilgamesh, leaving him anguish. Gilgamesh meets a few individuals in this tablet and they allow us to see exactly how much the death of his dear friend, Enkidu, effected his view of his morality.
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.
Females played a major role in Ancient Sumerian society. From the female characters in The Epic of Gilgamesh, it is possible to glimpse how women were treated in Ancient Sumeria. From the different positions women held in The Epic of Gilgamesh, and how female sexuality was portrayed, it can be inferred that the Ancient Sumerians treated women differently than the world’s historical treatment of women around that time.
We live in the 20th Century-- we have new technology coming out everyday. New trends sparking up, tastier treats, to enjoy and more things to do, we even have a new device that replaces your legs so you don’t have to walk anywhere ever again; why is that women are made out to be inferior to men? In the short readings, Images of Women in the Gilgamesh Epic, by Rivkah Harris, and, The Marginalization of the Goddess, by Tikva Frymer- Kensky the roles that women such as Ninsun, Shamhat and Siduri are discussed, taken into consideration and applied to figure out their significance in the epic.
The struggle for women to play an important role in history can be traced from the ancient Mesopotamians to the 1900’s. There has been a continuous battle for women to gain equal rights and to be treated equally in all aspects of life. The Epic of Gilgamesh is the oldest recorded account of the roles of women and their importance in a functional society. Women have been viewed as anything from goddesses to unwanted servants throughout history, regardless of a variety of changes in rulers, religions, and simply time periods. The Epic of Gilgamesh might lead one to consider the roles of women a small and insignificant part compared to the man 's role. In fact, three women; Shamhat, Ishtar, and Siduri, were able to create and maintain a civilized Mesopotamian society with using their uniqueness of their body, mind, and spirit.
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.
About 2700 years ago there lived a king by the name of Gilgamesh who ruled the city of Uruk in Mesopotamia now known to us as modern day Iraq. Parts of his life are written on clay tablets believed to be the oldest existing written story of a man’s life. (XI). “The epic of Gilgamesh”, is the story of his quest for eternal life. In this paper I will be writing about the influence that the women in his life have played in his quest.