The Epic of Gilgamesh

Introduction

The story is about the king of Uruk, Gilgamesh, who is said to be brutal and inconsiderate but powerful at the same time. They story also reflects that how the Gods sent people to teach Gilgamesh a lesson and stop him from his ill-mannered and brutal activities. The story talks about Enkidu who was sent by Gods to stop Gilgamesh from any further brutal activities. Over the time Gilgamesh and Enkidu develop a friendship and both begin to search for immortality. In their quest and search for immortality, Enkidu dies and this deeply affects the king. Gilgamesh then begins his quest alone and begins a journey in search for immortality. After his journey completed he was unsuccessful in finding the solution to overcome mortality and accepted the fact that he did not belong to mankind and therefore men should die.

Discussion

The Epic of Gilgamesh describe the Gilgamesh as a living being which comprised one part of man and 2 parts of God and suffered mostly from immoderation. The story also clearly identifies his flaws and virtues and describes him as the most ambitious and hardworking builder and fiercest of all the warriors. The tale also tells about the influence his friend Enkidu has on him, as Enkidu served as a counterweight to the king's restless energies (John, pp. 61). The tale also tells that Gilgamesh was the king of king of Uruk and was physically strong and beautiful. He was also famous for his wisdom.

The Epic of Gilgamesh states few characteristics of Gilgamesh that portray him as a bad person, however if few things are removed from the book, his character would come across as gentle and kindhearted person. The tales describes him as an inconsiderate human being, the one who rapes any women he desires. This shows that Gilgamesh did not respect women as a person and did not even respect their feelings. The tale tells that it did not matter to him that whether the girls he raped were the daughters of the warriors or a noble family or were getting married the same night. This is an evidence of an inconsiderate and desperate human being. Moreover, this also shows that women around him were not safe and if the King of Uruk raped women without any fear of God or without any shame then the followers would also find it easier to rape women. This ...