In, the poem “The Epic of Gilgamesh” the main character and hero of the story is Gilgamesh. In the beginning, Gilgamesh is not the fair and just king as the gods expected of him. Gilgamesh thought that because he was mostly god he could anything he wanted with no consequences. Gilgamesh caused an abundance amount of distress and pain to his people. He harmed and torched the causing them to cry to the gods for some to come and save them. When Enkidu was created he was put into the forest so he could be pure and unaware of the evil of men. Enkidu was just like Gilgamesh ⅔ god and ⅓ human. The moment Enkidu and Gilgamesh meet because Enkidu knew what he was doing was cruel, so he went after him. Enkidu was determined to put a stop to Gilgamesh, but when Enkidu was thrown by Gilgamesh he stopped fighting him. Enkidu saw that Gilgamesh that they were alike and let go of his anger towards him. The two became extremely close like brothers. Gilgamesh would tell Enkidu about his dreams, and what they would mean. One day Enkidu started to complain how he had lost all his strength just sitting around all day. Gilgamesh proposed that the both of them go to the cedar forest kill Humbaba and cut down all the trees. When Gilgamesh and Enkidu were going to cedar forest all of his people asked Enkidu to protect Gilgamesh and bring him home safely. After Gilgamesh and Enkidu killed Humbaba, the bull of heaven, they angered the gods. They decided to punish Gilgamesh in a way that would break him and cause him to question the meaning of his life. The gods killed Enkidu Gilgamesh’s brother and closest friend in a humiliating way. After, the death of Enkidu, Gilgamesh realized that his life would not last forever and someday he would die like Enkidu. But Gilgamesh didn’t want to die he wanted to live forever, so he went on the search for the man who escaped death. On this journey, Gilgamesh was still grieving his dead brother Enkidu. Gilgamesh wore the skin of animals as clothing and he didn’t bathe many were confused to why he allowed himself to look like this if he was the great Gilgamesh. When, he finally, reached Utnapishtim he was told a story of how he escaped the great flood the gods sent to earth to kill the humans. After he finished his story he gave Gilgamesh a gift of wisdom of a flower that if he picked it and ate it he would be immortal. Gilgamesh did as he was told, and he got the flower, but on the way home, a snake stole the flower from him. Gilgamesh became depressed because he felt as though he did all this for no reason, and Utnapishtim told Gilgamesh that he was not meant to live forever, he was destined to be a strong and protective king which he became in the story. When Gilgamesh returned home, his people praised him and greeted him with open arms. Throughout the story, Gilgamesh becomes the king that he was meant to be and leaves a long-lasting legacy that no other king could ever live up to. Gilgamesh and Enkidu were different in many ways, Gilgamesh was the more aggressive and always prepared to destroy nature. Enkidu saw that life was important and he wasn’t bloodthirsty. In the “Epic of Gilgamesh,” it shows a change in him it shows how even though he was cruel he made up for his cruelty with kindness. Gilgamesh showed strength and lived without fear up until the point he realized he could die. Gilgamesh also showed empathy towards his people and his brother was there for him through everything even when he was on his deathbed. In the end, Gilgamesh showed what a true king and hero should look, talk, and act like. He showed that he could be the man the gods wanted him to be.
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Characters in The Epic of Gilgamesh.
(2022, November 25). Edubirdie. Retrieved December 22, 2024, from https://edubirdie.com/examples/characters-in-the-epic-of-gilgamesh/
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