Literary Analysis Comparision of Gilgamesh and Enkidu PDF

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The Silent Hero is an essay comparing Gilgamesh the king to Enkidu known as the silent hero. 10-15 pages long. ...

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Thompson 1 Janelle Thompson Professor Robin Jenkins English 231 Literary Analysis of The Epic of Gilgamesh April 10, 2018 The Silent Hero From Ancient Mesopotamia an Epic rose above the rest. The Epic of Gilgamesh is about the transformation of a cruel king, whose desire is to live forever. “Epic deals with a hero. That is, a powerful warrior who shows his mettle in battle” (Abusch 2). Until fate brought him to meet his nemesis that changed the king who dies as a legend and a Hero. The only true hero of the Epic of Gilgamesh is Enkidu; without him Gilgamesh would have never changed. It is unknown who is the first creator of the Epic of Gilgamesh, but it is clear on who has translated the great Epic. The Epic shows the history Ancient Mesopotamia times and how the culture and beliefs are. Discovered around 1853 in Modern Day Iraq, this Epic is loosely based off of the King Gilgamesh who rules Sumerian Uruk, which is known as Modern Day Iraq, around 2700 BC. The Epic is a great piece of history. It tells readers that Gilgamesh ruled around 2800 BC and 2500 BC which is around 126 years ago. The central characters of The Epic of Gilgamesh are Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and Siduri. The other characters that also stand out are Ishtar, Unapishmtim, Utnapisthim’s wife, the trapper that saves Enkidu, and the High Priestess Shamhat that changes Enkidu. Every character has a reason to be present in the Epic. For example, at the beginning of the Epic, Ishtar and Aruru create Enkidu before sending him down to Uruk. Enkidu dies, and Gilgamesh seeks out to find Utnapishtim as he looks for the source of immortality. Gilgamesh runs into Siduri the tavern keeper right before he meets Utnapishtim. Siduri then tells him he has no reason to search for immortality.

Thompson 2 The three most important scenes of The Epic of Gilgamesh are Enkidu’s Transformation, Enkidu and Gilgamesh’s fight, and Enkidu’s death. The Noble Savage is the freedom and goodness of humanity when living in nature instead of living in Society. Enkidu is known as the Noble Savage in the Epic of Gilgamesh because he is created by the gods before he is dropped down to earth and was raised by animals. Enkidu was a man born in the woods, he doesn’t belong with the animals because he is a man. As Enkidu lived with the animals he protects them from being hunted; he becomes a part of their family. So, when Enkidu is dying he is angry at the hunter for saving him because he has feared death so much from seeing the number of animals harmed. Enkidu’s transformation frees him. Historically nomads or tribesman may have enemies, but they treat each other with respect. While in civilization there is an amount of justice and injustice that shows men turn against each other when they are in the presence of greed. Enkidu’s transformation brings him out of the freedom that would lead him on the path to his fate. Enkidu is rescued by a hunter or harlot that asks for Shamhat to come and humanize Enkidu by the waterhole. This requires them to make love for Seven days until he is completely civilized. There has been a confusion of Shamhat and what her role is. Is she a prostitute or is she a temple servant? It is confirmed in the article Separation of Wild Animal Nature and Human Nature. Shamhat is a “Servant of the good.” This means she has a virtuous soul to serve the temple and help those that need it. (Barron 3-4.). Even though he was mentioned in only the first half of the Epic he is still remembered in the spirit in the last half. Enkidu and Gilgameshs friendship does not affect Gilgamesh’s actions that come with consequences. He is the one that wants immortality and he wants to be a memorable king regardless of his actions affecting others including Enkidu. Gilgamesh is the main character. He

Thompson 3 takes advantage of women and is very cruel to those in his kingdom which is why Enkidu is created to become Gilgamesh’s nemesis. Even though they became friends Enkidu fell under Gilgamesh’s shadow. He is taken in as a brother by Gilgamesh’s mother Ninsunna and participates in heroic needs. Many scholars only seem to acknowledge Enkidu as the known friend but under different interpretation. Enkidu is the change of events that set Gilgamesh on the right path. Gilgamesh take charge of every situation it was his idea to take the seven-day journey to Cedar forest to cut down trees to create large rafts. Enkidu follows Gilgamesh. They both kill Humbaba and take down the trees, but the readers don’t really hear if Enkidu is with Gilgamesh or against his actions. Ishtar, the goddess of love, has fallen in love with Gilgamesh and he decides to scorn her. He refuses to marry her. Gilgamesh angers Ishtar which makes her beg Anu, the father of the gods to punish Gilgamesh. The bull of heaven is sent down to Uruk to punish Gilgamesh. Instead he and Enkidu slay the bull. This angers the gods, so much they decide to kill Enkidu which they know will affect Gilgamesh. Enkidu falls so ill he sees visions of the underworld and curses the man that saves Enkidu in the first place before he passes away. “Associated with Enkidu's transformation from wild man to courtier are the themes of the power of sexuality and the differences between nature and civilization.” (Kristovic 2). Jelena Kristovic also states a good fact that when Enkidu dies Gilgamesh transforms from his old ways until he finally accepts his mortality and stops trying to gain immortality. The wild man, Enkidu, is assumed as half animal, but his physical appearance shows him as a pure human. Though, it has not been proved that Enkidu is part animal. Comparing Enkidu to Gilgamesh is looking over the two as brothers except their personalities are the biggest thing that sets the two apart. Enkidu shows a protective side, kindness, a shy side, and very

Thompson 4 sympathetic. Enkidu isn’t the one to stand out from the crowd. When he is civilized he helps the shepherds and teaches them how to hunt. When he hears about the king’s evil reputation of hurting his people and raping the women angers Enkidu and leads him and Gilgamesh to meet and fight each other, they end up as good friends. Gilgamesh is cruel to everyone that he knows; he is arrogant to everyone. Gilgamesh seems to rape many women in his kingdom whether they are innocent, or they are getting married. Gilgamesh and Enkidu are polar opposites, and yet they are ending up as really good friends, but Gilgamesh is the controller while Enkidu hides in his shadow. Enkidu and Gilgamesh reflect each other as figures of David and Goliath. “Enkidu serves, then, as an example of the hero who wins fame but dies early and miserably; what is the use, the poet seems to ask, in such a life? Gilgamesh, on the other hand, demands to know how to put a stop to death, since it has meant for him the end of youth, love, and the careless fulfillment of every desire” (Wolff 2). This quote has a good explanation of Enkidu is the hero of the story, but he’s never given much credit. It’s more like David and Goliath in a way Enkidu is David and Gilgamesh are Goliath. Gilgamesh is like Goliath because he’s explained in the Epic as the bigger person, the king, that is born with godly blood. While Enkidu is David, the younger man, that only shows love and compassion willing to do anything he can to save those around him. Without the beheading of Goliath, it’s really David or Enkidu in the situation of being killed and not being remembered while Goliath or Gilgamesh earns all the legend and glory instead of Enkidu.

Thompson 5 The Epic of Gilgamesh has been examined by scholars for many reasons, there is a theory that it is the flood story that is featured for The Genesis. The author has offered evidence of the alteration of the female central character. The epic has also seemed to have a very little effect on the Mesopotamian culture which is very odd. It is very interesting because the epic is based on the King of Uruk Gilgamesh, and yet it may not have a real connection to Mesopotamian Culture. In some of the older versions of Gilgamesh there is also an interesting fact that Gilgamesh “Readies himself to become a normal god who judges dead human beings for eternity” (Abusch 2). The biggest scenes to explain the plot are Enkidu’s Transformation, Enkidu’s meeting with Gilgamesh, Enkidu’s death, Gilgamesh’s conversation with Siduri is the divine tavern keeper of the gods. Gilgamesh’s meeting with Utnapishtim, and Gilgamesh’s return to Uruk. “Without Enkidu’s death, there is no development. But without the wandering, there would be no possibility for development, and Enkidu’s death would have left Gilgamesh, literally, at a dead end” (Abusch 3). During Gilgamesh and Enkidu’s adventures the one that shows the rising action of the story is when they travel to the Cedar Forest and Kill Humbaba. Enkidu is terrified to go, but Gilgamesh continues to push him until Enkidu agrees to join Gilgamesh regardless of the people’s protest that warn Enkidu never to follow Gilgamesh; it’ll only bring them both to trouble. Utnapishtim explains to Gilgamesh about the great floods and decides to test Gilgamesh of Immortality by telling him to not sleep for six days and seven nights. Gilgamesh fails because he is so exhausted from his trip coming to find Utnapishtim. Siduri’s conversation with Gilgamesh was meant to help him go back to Uruk instead of looking for Utnapishtim. She meets Gilgamesh and listens to his troubles though she has something to say to him. “Now you, Gilgamesh, let your belly be full! / Be happy day and

Thompson 6 night, / of each day make a party, /dance in circles day and night! / Let your clothes be sparkling clean, / let your head be clean, wash yourself with water! / Attend to the little one who holds onto your hand, / let a wife delight in your embrace.” (Ray 6). Siduri speech is an attempt to tell Gilgamesh not to continue his journey to see Utnapishtim. Regardless of her words, Gilgamesh continues on his journey to find Utnapishtim. Gilgamesh searches for Utnapishtim he has to get passed these terrifying scorpion creatures. Gilgamesh arrives at the spot where Utnapishtim and his wife are staying at. Gilgamesh expects this large great superhuman person. Instead, he sees an ordinary man like Gilgamesh himself. This prevents Gilgamesh from recognizing Unapishtim so easily, but he realizes Utnapishtim is the man he is speaking too. Gilgamesh immediately begs for help to seek Immortality. Utnapishtim then teaches Gilgamesh about the story of the Flood. “Without giving Gilgamesh a chance, to respond, Utnapishtim decides to teach him about mortality by means of a simple physical test: He tells Gilgamesh not to fall asleep for six days and seven nights.” (Ray 7). This is a test Gilgamesh fails and Utnapishtim attempts to send Gilgamesh home to avoid more conflict. Utnapishtim’s wife then convinces her husband to send Gilgamesh away with a plant that rejuvenates the person that consumes it becomes younger. When Enkidu passes away only Gilgamesh will remember him as a legend while in the end, Gilgamesh is remembered. “If Enkidu was fully humanized he would become a great father that would influence his children to be kind to their own parents with gentleness. This was stated in the Article Humanization of Enkidu.” (Moran 6). During the second half of the epic Enkidu isn’t mentioned so much because he is gone, but Gilgamesh has a stronger feeling about Enkidu. His friend is dead, but Gilgamesh is mourning over his friend’s death. As he travels he mourns to

Thompson 7 those he speaks to such as Siduri and many others including Utnapishtim. As he continues to mourn the more they tell him to go home and live a better life. The rise of the plot is the friendship of Enkidu and Gilgamesh after their fight. By Making Enkidu Gilgamesh’s friend the composer has turned the Epic into a tale of growth- of the discovery of human suffering, limitation, death, and finally, human meaning. (Abusch 3). Enkidu is the more silent hero of the tale, as Gilgamesh mourns he could not stop thinking of Enkidu’s death. Because Enkidu dies in Gilgamesh’s arms it traumatizes Gilgamesh, but it also opened his eyes to realize that he will never live forever unless he seeks Immortality. Though the most ironic scene in the epic after Gilgamesh leaves Utnapishtim and Utnapishtim’s wife he takes the plant that could rejuvenate a person to their younger self. Gilgamesh plans to save it and share it to all the elders of Uruk, because he does not really believe the plant was magical. He also wants to show himself as a better person that has changed, by giving it to the elders. He rests by a lake and sleep with the plant by his side. A snake come to his side as he sleeps and eat the plant and skins its older snakeskin and become young again. Gilgamesh is lost, he doesn’t have anything else to become immortal, so he returns to Uruk with desperation, and exhaustion, and fear. The Tone of the Epic of Gilgamesh is mainly a criticism the author makes of Gilgamesh. He’s portrayed as the hero and yet he is surrounded by such irony that leads him to do foolish actions. Gilgamesh can be portrayed as foolish because he’s only so focused on one thing that he cannot see the others. If the reader sees Gilgamesh’s meetings with others such as meeting Utnapishtim, it’s ironic because Gilgamesh is focused on one thing immortality. Utnapishtim and his wife know more than Gilgamesh and yet he’s the one assuming he knows all.

Thompson 8 Immortality is the goal of Gilgamesh during the whole epic he doesn’t understand it until the end of his journey. From the death of Enkidu to Gilgamesh’s decision to return to Uruk with the plant-of-life, the contradiction between the audience’s, and the protagonist’s perspective becomes almost unbearably acute. Despite all evidence to the contrary and all advice, Gilgamesh refuses to acknowledge his mortality, hence his humanity. When he makes his greatest decision, his announcement seems as sudden as it is anticlimactic, for all appearances, Gilgamesh is still the selfish solipsistic would-be-god of the first tablet (Vulpe 10). Reading the transitioning of The Epic of Gilgamesh can really point out how ironic the poem is and how egotistical Gilgamesh can seem compared to Enkidu. The perspective of other articles really brings emotional joy because Enkidu really is the one that stands out as the story. Even if he passes away before the second half of the poem he really isn’t forgotten to the read or to Gilgamesh. It’s because Gilgamesh mourns over Enkidu’s death as he’s searching for a way to live forever. The end he realizes he cannot live forever, but he might as well live his life to the fullest until he dies except that everyone remembers Gilgamesh more than Enkidu. Gilgamesh’s epic can be overlooked so easily because of the simple language it is easy to understand it. Two key aspects of the Gilgamesh Epic have often been misunderstood or simply overlooked. First is the protagonist's transformation from a god (a being unconscious of any contradiction between his will and the world) into a man, a being greater even than his gods, a being only too conscious of the limits of his powers, but also a being able to transcend his own, immediate interests. Sixteen second is the fundamental irony of the poem, the profound

Thompson 9 discordance between the hero's view of himself and his world, and the audience's understanding of this world, the audience's foreknowledge of the hero's fate. This foreknowledge is crucial to the effectiveness of the poem's irony. (Vulpe 6). Even though Gilgamesh is born a part of God because of his mother it doesn’t specify after he dies whether he becomes a god or not. All that the readers will know is his name. Though he is not the only hero in the story and hopefully readers will understand that Enkidu is the main hero. Enkidu starts the transition of the story’s rising action to the climax and to the falling action. The only reason he does that is the gods creates him as a polar opposite to Gilgamesh, he is supposedly the punishment to Gilgamesh because of how cruel he is to his subjects. Enkidu transforms from a wild man to a human being before he fights Gilgamesh to stop him from raping another woman. Remember Enkidu makes love to a woman for seven long days to humanize himself. That is why he’s so sensitive to the topic of a woman being harmed. Gilgamesh becomes great friends to Enkidu; they go on their adventures before it leads to Enkidu’s death which is really upsetting. Enkidu is remembered after his death, but the one person that stands out more is Gilgamesh. Though hopefully, later on, there will be more people that agree with this opinion that the silent hero is Enkidu. He deserved so much more credit than Gilgamesh. The central theme of the Epic of Gilgamesh is the attributes of immortality are wisdom and kindness. Physically a person may not live forever but mentally with wisdom and kindness a person can live forever. With the love and cherishing of showing kindness and wisdom can help make a person become memorable. Using Love as a force to be reckoned with, love is the key to

Thompson 10 life while death is impossible to avoid, and the fact that the gods people worship is dangerous instead of being the kind guardians people hope to have. Certain motifs of the Epic are the seduction of a person in love with someone else. The journey to finding out that immortality is a prison without enjoying the loving pleasures of life. “Associated with Enkidu's transformation from wild man to courtier are the themes of the power of sexuality and the differences between nature and civilization” (Krstovic 2). Jelena Krstovic also states a good fact that when Enkidu dies Gilgamesh transforms from his old ways until he finally accepts his mortality and stops trying to gain immortality. Symbols that stand out are a religion with gods that people need to live a better life. Once one door closes there is another one that opens that leads to a path which the reader must take that can led a happy life. Without enjoying the pleasures of life then a person cannot be satisfied with living immortality. Understanding that living forever is something a person will sacrifice for because they will live on while watching others suffer and die. While Death is peaceful and loving the person that has lived their life to the fullest and would rather rest in peace with the love of the gods surrounding them. Some Literary Motifs explains that as the reader continues to read the Epic watching Gilgamesh and Enkidu grow closer as friends. The more danger they encounter until they reach Enkidu’s death and Gilgamesh’s struggle to become immortal or more rejuvenizes himself. The Epic of Gilgamesh tale is about the growth of Gilgamesh in his transition from being a cruel king into a legendary king. Enkidu rises because of his personality and actions. Yes, Enkidu isn’t perfect. Enkidu knew about the mistakes he makes, but he feels guilt and wishes for forgiveness. Unlike Gilgamesh, who shows no emotions and doesn’t care he only wants immortality. Enkidu’s death is what opened Gilgamesh’s eyes that no one can live forever but it

Thompson 11 was Utnapishtim and Siduri who convinced Gilgamesh to live a better life. If it wasn’t for Enkidu’s death Gilgamesh would have no way to move on. Enkidu deserves a lot more credit as the Hero. Yes, Gilgamesh is the main character, but he is not the main hero. The only true hero of the Epic of Gilgamesh is Enkidu.

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Works Cited "Epic of Gilgamesh." Classical and Medieval Literature Criticism, edited by Jelena O. Krstovic, vol. 74, Gale, 2005. Literature Resource Center, http://link.galegroup.com.ezproxy.library.csn.edu/apps/doc/H1410001398/LitRC? u=las55353&sid=LitRC&xid=bb3a9c49. Accessed 20 Mar. 2018. Abusch, Tzvi. "The development and meaning of the Epic of Gilgamesh: an interpretive essay." The Journal of the American Oriental Society, vol. 121, no. 4, 2001, p. 614+. Literature Resource Center, http://link.galegroup.com.ezproxy.library.csn.edu/apps/doc/A83939814/LitRC? u=las55353&sid=LitRC&xid=94934247. Accessed 20 Mar. 2018. Martin Punchner, S.A. (2012). The Norton Anthology of World Literature. New York & Lond...