Gilgamesh Vs Enkidu Analysis

Gilgamesh vs. Enkidu

Gilgamesh is the great king of Uruk, who was two-thirds god and one-third human. He was physically beautiful, immensely strong, and very wise. He probably ruled around 2700 B.C.E. and was remembered for the building of Uruk’s monumental city walls, which were ten kilometers long and fitted with nine hundred towers. He is the greatest of all men, and both his virtues and his flaws are outsized. He is the fiercest of warriors and the most ambitious of builders. The Gilgamesh of the epic is an awe-inspiring, sparkling hero, but at first also the epitome of a bad ruler: arrogant, oppressive, and brutal. He lorded over his subjects, raping any woman who struck his fancy, whether she was the wife of one of his warriors or the daughter of a nobleman. The people of Uruk complained to the Sumerian gods about Gilgamesh’s overbearing behavior, and so the gods created the wild man Enkidu to confront Gilgamesh. Enkidu is created initially to challenge Gilgamesh and create a safer environment for the people of Uruk. Due to Enkidu being the only man who seemed to possess the same power as Gilgamesh, he was intrigued and ended up becoming his best friend.

Enkidu begins his literary life as Gilgamesh’s faithful sidekick. While Gilgamesh is

Gilgamesh is the ideal man physically and aesthetically. The same is to be said for Enkidu. Yet the great king of Uruk had his many flaws. His overbearing spirit and his will to take the innocence of brides before they are married left him unsightly in the eyes of many of his people. Enkidu was created ultimately to be the equal to Gilgamesh yet bring out his best qualities. Enkidu was chivalrous and cared for the well-being of the people, as did Gilgamesh, he just went about showing it in the wrong ways. Enkidu’s friendship made Gilgamesh a new man ultimately and a better king. The fact that we were the same yet so different makes the story more