The personality of humans is malleable and meant to change, they typically mimic those around us, meaning others may define key features of ourselves. In the world’s oldest epic, ‘The Epic of Gilgamesh’ by an Unknown author, translated by Stephen Mitchell, this idea of genuine character development is explored through the emotional and literal journey of the tyrant king, Gilgamesh and his equal, created by the gods, Enkidu. Gilgamesh grows as a character with Enkidu as his companion through a lack of superiority, similarities that lead to encouragement of one another, and through the harsh reality of death.
The gods did not want the people of Uruk to continue suffering from Gilgamesh’s tyranny, so they created someone who matched him completely, this was Enkidu. When the goddess Aruru was creating Enkidu, she was told to create the second self of Gilgamesh, “a man who equals his strength and courage, a man who equals his stormy heart” (Unknown and Mitchell, 74). Enkidu is created with the intent of being Gilgamesh’s equal, with this in mind, then it makes it very clear that they will have a different bond, a bond that Gilgamesh has never experienced before. When Enkidu arrives at Uruk and learns of the marriage ritual that takes place between Gilgamesh and a bride, he is enraged. Enkidu waits at the marriage house and when Gilgamesh arrives, the two begin “crashing like wild bulls” (Unknown and Mitchell, 89), after their fight, “they became true friends” (Unknown and Mitchell, 90). After one encounter with one another, they become real genuine friends, Gilgamesh and Enkidu have a brotherlike bond, the duality of the two together creates a perfect environment in which growth between the two can thrive.
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While Gilgamesh and Enkidu were created exactly the same, they seem to balance each other out with their differently timed reactions and emotions. At first when Gilgamesh wanted to defeat Humbaba, Enkidu was fearful and Gilgamesh said to him, “you have killed marauding lions and wolves, you are brave, your heart has been tested in combat” (Unknown and Mitchell, 94). Gilgamesh attempts to encourage him, he is showing Enkidu kindness and strength, countering his feelings of fear and weakness, he is able to encourage and eventually Enkidu agrees to journey alongside Gilgamesh and defeat Humbaba for fame. Later, when Gilgamesh is directly facing Humbaba, he is frightened and he is filled with terror, Enkidu says to him after Gilgamesh has externalized this fear, “Why dear friend do you speak like a coward? What you just said is unworthy of you” (Unknown and Mitchell, 123). When Enkidu was once cowardly, Gilgamesh encouraged him and using his own courage was able to bring that out of Enkidu, then when Gilgamesh was feeling fear and terrified, he was fearful one, Enkidu was there, just as Gilgamesh was there for Enkidu. They gave each other strength when they were in need, they both had someone reliable to rely on, enforcing this truly mutual and genuine friendship. Although they are the same, they clash in the perfect ways and this allows the both of them to flourish by the sides of one another.
Gilgamesh and Enkidu have a deep and life changing bond, this bond is broken and Enkidu falls sick and passes away. Gilgamesh is filled with fear and grief, and after the funeral is held for Enkidu, Gilgamesh leaves Uruk and stays in the wilderness. Gilgamesh is essentially so stuck by grief and the fear of death that he begins to have a crisis, he says to himself, “How can I bear this sorrow that gnaws at my belly, this fear of death that restlessly drives me onward?” (Unknown and Mitchell, 159). Gilgamesh begins to become aware of his morality and thus embarks on a journey to become immortal. In the end, he is unable to accomplish his goal of immortality, or obtain the plant of youth, but when he and Urshanabi arrive at Uruk, Gilgamesh says to Urshanabi, “This is the wall of Uruk, which no city on earth can equal” (Unknown and Mitchell, 198). Gilgamesh describes the city he rules over, he talks of its beauty and how it was masterfully built. From when Gilgamesh set out into the wild after Enkidu’s death, leaving his city behind. He has grown and realized that his true purpose is not to become immortal, but had always been to rule over Uruk, to take care of the city and its people.
Enkidu led Gilgamesh to his conclusion that he was born to lead. Through every action exchanged between the two, it furthered Gilgamesh away from his selflessness and began to open himself up to his own emotions and to his true purpose. The gods who created Enkidu are the same who brought death upon him, the god Anu did this on purpose, Enkidu had to die to allow Gilgamesh to fully grow, to not only experience friendship, love, terror, and fear, but to also experience grief and loss of his beloved partner. From the beginning of this epic, Gilgamesh has grown from a selfish and tyrant king to not only a powerful leader, but an emotionally stable and enjoyable leader, he was able to thrive with Enkidu by his side and even after his death.
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