Theme Of Self-Discovery Enkidu In The Epic Of Gilgamesh

Every human being needs someone by their side to support or counsel them throughout their lifetime on earth. This type of support usually starts at home with their relatives such as mother, father, etc... since they are much older, they tend to have a certain experience that kids have not been to able experience, but eventually, they will have to their home and make friends with other people that are relatives. Those friends are here sometimes to warn you about certain things that you shouldn’t do or a certain place that you shouldn’t go because based on their experiences they already know that there will be consequences. In the epic of Gilgamesh, Enkidu was an important character, being Gilgamesh's ideal friend on his journey of self-discovery

When the gods created Gilgamesh, they created him too perfect, the gods enriched him with a perfect body, courage, and beauty that can be compared to no one. As a result, Gilgamesh becomes very arrogant and started doing things that as king would make people turn against him. In chapter 1, the author states: “ Yet the king should be a shepherd to his people. His lust leaves no virgin to her lover” (p.62). These quotes illustrate that his arrogance got so out of control, he started making every girl in the country sleep with him first before their lover can even touch them. Enkidu was also created by gods; However, he did not create with the luxury that Gilgamesh was created with. In fact, he was completely the opposite of Gilgamesh. His body was described as rough with long hair like a woman, and he ate grass. But yet, he was as powerful as Gilgamesh, he was immortal, and people were afraid to go near him. Thus, when Gilgamesh and Enkidu became friends, Gilgamesh started seeing the differences between him and Enkidu. This contrast allows Gilgamesh to see the world from an entirely different perspective and get greater respect for the importance of human connections and the natural

Therefore, Enkidu namy times questions Gilgamesh's viewpoint and asks him to consider the consequences of his actions on others. There are many examples in the book where the author points out that Gilgamesh acts cruelly and inhumanly. Enkidu on the other hand always sees himself as the innocent of mankind and finds it very hard for him to agree with some of the decisions that Gilgamesh made throughout the story. Enkidu serves as a moral compass for Gilgamesh when he thinks about doing wild things without knowing or realizing what the outcomes could be. In chapter 2, you can see that Gilgamesh had no idea whom Humbaba was before going into the forest for the journey. All Gilgamesh was thinking about was going into the forest and destroying Humbaba even though he didn’t know how powerful Humbaba was. Gilgamesh wanted to establish his power over the land of cedar, but he must get rid of Humbaba first. He was so confident that he thinks he could kill Humbaba by himself. This type of behavior makes me question the age of Gilgamesh when he becomes king because he seems to think like a little child. Enkidu says:” What man would willingly walk into that country and explore its depths?” (P.71). This quote demonstrates that Enkidu had to warn Gilgamesh about the danger he could face if he goes fighting Humbaba. Furthermore, in the