The Epic of Gilgamesh is a poem that tells the story of the king of Uruk, Gilgamesh, and his best friend and equal, Enkidu. The two met when Enkidu was created by the gods as a wild man to balance out Gilgamesh’s wildness. The two eventually became great friends, and together they did many heroic deeds. However, after Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh is left heartbroken and searching for meaning in life.
In this essay, I aim to look at the personalities and relationships between Gilgamesh and Enkidu in the epic poem of Gilgamesh, up through Enkidus’ demise. I will examine each character’s gender identity on its own, as well as how it influences their relationship with the other. Furthermore, I will examine various aspects of their personality and how they arrived at theirs using concepts such as social conditioning.
The Epic of Gilgamesh is an ancient Babylonian poem about the king Gilgamesh and his friend, Enkidu. The two are very different from each other: Gilgamesh is a man who has everything he could ever want, while Enkidu is a wild man who lives among the animals. The two eventually meet and become friends, and as their friendship grows, so does Gilgamesh’s understanding of himself. He comes to see that Enkidu is not just a wild animal, but rather a complex and intelligent being.
One of the most interesting aspects of their relationship is their gender identity. Gilgamesh is seen as a masculine figure, while Enkidu is seen as more feminine. This is most likely due to the fact that Enkidu was raised by animals and did not have contact with humans until he met Gilgamesh. The two share a deep, intimate relationship, which is very rare for the time period.
Ultimately, their relationship leads to Enkidus death. Gilgamesh is unable to save him, and it is a devastating experience for him. The loss of Enkidu causes Gilgamesh to realize that life is precious and that he needs to make the most of his time on earth. The epic ends with Gilgamesh finally finding happiness and peace in his life.
I will look into the possibility that Gilgamesh and Enkidu had a homosexual relationship since modern times now allow for such inquiries, which were only ten years ago considered extemporaneous to ancient texts according on Western conventions.
I will also consider the prospect of a male-male love in terms of Platonic intimacy, as well as how each differs from a world that is caught up in a transition from nature and natural things to what we call “civilized” or “urban” life. I’ll throw out some ideas here, but this isn’t going to be an exhaustive work. I’ve just started it so it may take me some time before completing it fully.
The Epic of Gilgamesh is a poem from ancient Mesopotamia and tells the story of Gilgamesh, who is two-thirds god and one-third human. He is famous for his great strength and for his adventures. The story of how Enkidu was created is told in The Epic of Gilgamesh.
Enkidu was made from clay and water by the gods as a rival to Gilgamesh. When he was complete, he smelled so bad that animals ran away from him. The only creature that didn’t run away was a prostitute named Shamhat, who led Enkidu to the city of Uruk. There, he learned about civilized life from Gilgamesh and they became friends.
Since Enkidu was created to be a rival to Gilgamesh, it is possible that the two men had a homosexual relationship. The ancient Mesopotamians may have considered this a normal thing for two men to do. However, it is also possible that they simply saw it as a friendship. Platonic love between two men was considered to be a very strong type of love in ancient Greece.
Gilgamesh and Enkidu share many similarities. They are both incredibly strong and they both have adventures. They also share a deep connection to nature. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, after Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh mourns for him and he regrets that he never got the chance to tell Enkidu how much he loved him. This shows that Gilgamesh truly loved Enkidu, whether their relationship was homosexual or not.
The main character of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh, is seen as immoral throughout the poem. Two-thirds were made gods and one-third humans. (19, Norton; Gilgamesh) He was also endowed with a beautiful body, which was seen as a sign of divinity in many ancient civilizations.
The people of his city Uruk, however, do not think so. The citizens of Uruk are said to have been oppressed by Gilgamesh’s rule and they pray to the gods for help. The gods hear their prayers and decide to create a second being, Enkidu, in order to balance out the power that Gilgamesh has and to teach him a lesson.
Enkidu is formed from the earth in much the same way as Gilgamesh was and is wild like nature itself. He lives with the animals in the forest and knows nothing of human society or rules. The animals in the forest are disturbed by his presence and eventually tell one of the trapper’s dogs about him. The trapper decides to go capture Enkidu and tame him. The trapper’s attempt is unsuccessful and instead, Enkidu tears the trapper’s clothes off and begins to play with him like he would a wild animal. The trapper brings Enkidu to Uruk and shows him to Gilgamesh.
When Gilgamesh sees Enkidu for the first time he is fascinated by him. He is amazed that there is someone who is equal in strength and power to him. He also sees that Enkidu is not corrupted by civilization like he is and decides that he wants to be friends with him. Gilgamesh sends a prostitute to seduce Enkidu so that he will learn the ways of humans. After being with the prostitute, Enkidu has a dream in which he sees everything that Gilgamesh does in his city. The dream is interpreted as meaning that Enkidu is now connected to humanity.
Gilgamesh and Enkidu become great friends and together they rule over Uruk. They go on many adventures and fight many monsters. The two of them are said to be equals and are unbeatable together. The end of the epic poem Gilgamesh is ambiguous but it seems as though their friendship may have ended in tragedy.
The relationship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu is an interesting one because it is one of the first relationships between two people that are not equal. Up until this point, all the relationships in literature were between people who were of the same class or rank. The relationship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu is one of teacher and student, civilization and nature, order and chaos. It is a relationship in which the two characters learn from each other. Gilgamesh learns that he cannot abuse his power and that he must act with compassion.
