Because of his background, decisions, and consequences, one might say Gilgamesh meets the requirements to be a tragic hero. Gilgamesh is of noble birth, being the “son of King Lugalbanda, [and] the goddess Ninsun” (Gilgamesh 71; I). Characters that belong to noble families are the only such characters to ever end up being tragic heroes. Gilgamesh is about as noble as one can be, having a king for a father and a deity for a mother. In addition, he possesses a tragic flaw: arrogance. He “struts through [his city]” (Gilgamesh 72; I) with “his head raised high” (Gilgamesh 72: I). Gilgamesh believes that, because he is a king, he can do whatever he pleases; this comes through in the way he parades about his city. Having a tragic flaw is key indicator of a tragic hero, and Gilgamesh definitely has one. …show more content…
The gods hear of Gilgamesh’s arrogance and tyranny, so they seek to punish Gilgamesh by creating “a double for Gilgamesh, [...] a man who equals his strength and courage” (Gilgamesh 74; I). This man is Enkidu, whose death—the epic’s tragedy—causes Gilgamesh to become saddened and self-destruct. If it were not for Gilgamesh’s behavior, he might not have had to suffer, proving how he is responsible for his own fate. Throughout the epic, Gilgamesh is seemingly doomed to make a serious error in judgement, a common trait of tragic heroes. After defeating Humbaba, Ishtar attempts to seduce Gilgamesh, only for Gilgamesh to “[hurl] the worst insults at [her], [saying] horrible, unforgivable things” (Gilgamesh 135; VI). This angers Ishtar greatly, leading her to call upon the Bull of Heaven, whom Gilgamesh must