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Character analysis paper on gilgamesh
How gilgamesh reflects mesopotamian culture
The concept of a hero
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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.
In the epic Gilgamesh, the characters traits of both Gilgamesh and Enkidu help to build a lasting friendship through their differences. For example, Gilgamesh is the king of Uruk, a city of culture, and personifies the highest of human virtues, such as fairness, bravery, and courage. However, Gilgamesh is often unstable. In sharp contrast, Enkidu was raised in the wild and is foreign to civilization. Enkidu is caring and thoughtful and equal to Gilgamesh in strength.
Enkidu will enter Uruk, and, Gilgamesh be implementing some form of suffering on an innocent person. The wedding scene will not be shown as it was shown in the beginning. In the text, the fight between Gilgamesh and Enkidu was not described in great detail. However, because the film is made for a modern audience, a speech will be given by Enkidu in which he challenges Gilgamesh, and a lengthy fighting scene will follow. Although the result of the fight is not clear in the text, Gilgamesh will be shown to break off from the fight, and he will ask Enkidu to be his partner, friend and brother, because he was the only one strong enough to challenge him.
A prominent one is the platonic and erotic friendship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu, two men put in each other's lives for the better. This directly relates to our world today but often people don't take the time to sit back and appreciate the people in their lives. When Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh grief and terror impel him onto a futile quest for immortality. Enkidu is made to be Gilgamesh’s twin by Anu, the goddess of creation. When Enkidu is first introduced he is a hairy wild man who lives in the wilderness with the animals.
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.
People Change People The Epic of Gilgamesh is a tale read throughout time about the ancient King of Uruk, Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh is a selfish king who is stronger than any man because he is two parts God and one part human. With his strength, Gilgamesh abuses his power causing the people of Uruk to lament. Hearing these laments, the Gods created Enkidu for Gilgamesh, to be his equal in all aspects.
In the PBS documentary A Class Divided third grade teacher Jane Elliot tried an experiment to let a class of her third graders experience discrimination. For Jane Elliot’s third grade class in a small town in Iowa discrimination was unheard of because there was only white Christians living in the town. She separated her class based on eye color, so one day she made the kids with blue eyes be superior and the kids with brown eyes be inferior. She did multiple test to see if the way they were treated changed the way they learned. The next day she switched it, so the kids with blue eyes were now inferior and the kids with brown eyes were superior.
At this moment, persons listen their inner voice, that directs and motivates them. In the battle Gilgamesh is unconfident and Enkidu persuades him. Therefore, Enkidu gives this supporting and confidence that is very needed for Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh and Enkidu are inner voices for each other, because Gilgamesh could never have killed Humbaba without Enkidu and Enkidu could never have killed too. They do this
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
Enkidu is forced into civilization after being disowned by nature for sleeping with Shamhat. We see him transformed from a wild beast into a civilized person. As we follow Enkidu’s transformation, we see how he changes for the better, but also experiences some downfalls. The transition was not smooth, it took time to fully adjust, and although there are many disadvantages of leaving the hunter-gatherer lifestyle, the benefits made it worthwhile. Through Enkidu’s exposure to Gilgamesh, he changes from a human that lives among nature, to this great warrior that is willing to kill beasts for no other reason, but glory.
Gilgamesh and Enkidu from the start were bound to each other from their creation by the gods. To understand more you must learn of their similarity, difference and their experiences that take you to Enkidu’s death. From our reading assignments, I would like to have explored more past Enkidu’s death to learn more of how Gilgamesh had reacted. Each of our heroes brings much ado to the reality of friendship, love, and expression of men during their time.
The Epic of Gilgamesh is the first epic poem to be written in ancient West Asia. It was written around the third millennium BCE in Mesopotamia by Sumerian people (Spodek, 127). The epic is based on actual an historical figure, a Sumerian king who reigned the city-state of Uruk around third millennium BCE. Ashurbanipal, the last Neo-Assyrian king who was literate, built a great library in his capital and preserved 20,000 tablets including the earliest complete version of The Epic of Gilgamesh (Spodek, 128). Sumerian attitudes towards gods, friendship, and the story of the great flood are revealed throughout the epic.
The Epic of Gilgamesh is the oldest story known to mankind, being written on Sumerian clay almost five thousand years ago (Garone). Since the story was originally known orally, the culture and themes from The Epic of Gilgamesh must have existed long before it was finally inscribed (Mark 4). Having known this, the cultures and themes can be compared to today’s society, discovering about how they have shifted and evolved, and also observe how they are similar. The ancient days of Gilgamesh has brought culture that has greatly influenced today’s society. Because Gilgamesh was set around the time of late Babylonian or early Sumerian society, the Babylonian and Sumerian cultures also play a role in shaping the world into what is is today (Mark).