Gilgamesh Character Characteristics

Gilgamesh is the worst ruler to have. He is arrogant, he disregards everyone, and he even exploits both males and females for his own desires. However, later on in his life, a change in personality is seen in Gilgamesh. He took it upon himself to help rescue the world, “’ Now we must travel to the Cedar Forest, where the fierce Humbaba lives. We must kill him and drive out evil from the world ‘” (Mitchell, 91).

When becoming friends with Gilgamesh, Enkidu developed a feeling of love, in which he didn’t have before living in the wild. A social norm in this period would be slaying beasts and monsters, as an activty. This bond these two friends make are unbreakable until the Gods intervene and this is when Enkidu questions if it was worth becoming civilized just to die in the

Gilgamesh does not accomplish his quest to become a hero by his initial definition, physical prowess, and physical immortality. Instead, through great suffering, grief, and disappointment, Gilgamesh recognizes

Always encountering success, Gilgamesh was once a tyrant to his people. Reflecting on his rule, he recalls that, “He demanded from an old birthright/the privilege of sleeping with their brides” (15). His triumphs fostered arrogance. To him, everyone else paled in comparison. When he experiences defeat, however, Gilgamesh grows as a leader, seeing the similarities between him and his subjects, their common humanity.

Then he tells Enkidu about this latest dream. In it, Gilgamesh is attacked by a wild bull and pinned to the ground. He is completely trapped when suddenly someone offers him water. Again, Enkidu interprets the dream as fortunate. He says that the bull is not Humbaba, but Shamash, who has blessed Gilgamesh by fighting with him.

As a king Gilgamesh was not noble, or good. He abused his power, and he raped women. After the god Anu answers the prayers of the Uruk people, the goddess Aruru created another human who was equally as great, and strong as Gilgamesh, Enkidu. Enkidu had an odd start to life. He lived in the wild, away from human civilization.

In the beginning off The Epic of Gilgamesh Enkidu is practically a wild animal. He is so in-tune with nature that “with the gazelles he grazes on grasses, joining the throng with the game at the water-hole, his heart delighting with the beasts in the water” (Gilgamesh 5). Not only was Enkidu living as an animal amongst the animals, but he enjoyed his lifestyle. Having only seen a hunter a couple times, he lacked human interaction, so he was content

After six days with the harlot, Enkidu realizes he lost his strength. The harlot gets him to join civilization, so he becomes a normal human. He is treated like a royal until Gilgamesh defeats him in battle. After that Gilgamesh and Enkidu become friends and fight in battles together until Enkidu suddenly dies. Gilgamesh does not want the same fate, so he goes looking for eternal life but dies anyway.

In the tale, the people asked the gods to make a man to rival Gilgamesh and Enkidu came into the picture and they became best

Achilles and Gilgamesh venture into epic journeys that change the trajectory of their lives. It is evident that Achilles’ and Gilgamesh’s journeys fit into Joseph Campbell’s stages of a hero’s journey. Through analyzing each of the stages that Achilles and Gilgamesh endure, both characters indeed grow as heroes. Nonetheless, the growth in Achilles’ and Gilgamesh’s characters are different due to their different journeys. Each of the stages in Achilles’ and Gilgamesh’s journeys are essential to their growth; however, the stages known as the road back and the return with the elixir reveal how they have ultimately grown.

Gilgamesh is a powerful yet emotional king. Gilgamesh shows his weak side by saying “I have wept for him day and night…” After this he remains an epic hero in my opinion. The text states he went on a great dangerous journey and survived and killed the guard of The Cedar

Before I started reading this book I did not think I would like it. As soon as I started reading it I felt relieved that I was actually interested in it. Themes that are throughout the book by Herbert Mason are friendship and arrogance. King Gilgamesh felt that Enkidu completed him and was like a brother to him. " Gilgamesh wept bitterly for his friend.

Through their relationship they become wiser and more viable assets to each other and their society. Before meeting Enkidu, Gilgamesh was a powerful leader, revered by his subjects, but his arrogance and egotism fueled his decisions. Contradistinction, Enkidu had only physical power; he was mentally incompetent as a human. The text describes their relationship as an intimate one: "'[I fell in love with it], like a woman I caressed it, / I carried it off and laid it down before you, / Then you were making it my partner'" (48-50).

The Epic of Gilgamesh gives a lot of insight to what was happening and what was expected in ancient Mesopotamia. The epic poem which revolves around a king, includes many details in to the civilization, beliefs, and values of the Mesopotamians. The king thrives to be remembered and many of his actions reflect that. The Epic of Gilgamesh show how an ideal heroic king should be in ancient Mesopotamia. The first thing it shows us is that hero kings should be strong.

As a result Enkidu ended up severely hurt. The Bull of Heaven symbolizes how unpredictable nature is. “Through the death of Enkidu, we are made aware of how scared Gilgamesh is of death however he still learns to survive, and evolve, but it also destroys an innocence that might have made death less painful. With death comes the knowledge of one’s own mortality”, “It was I who cut down the cedar, I who leveled the forest, I who slew Humbaba and now see what has become of me.” (Book 8)