Characterities And Characters In The Epic Of Gilgamesh

The world has seen many, many heroes in its day. In matter of fact, the history of humanity is put together of stories pertaining to heroes who did the impossible and anchored their positions in history as very known and popular legends. These individuals fought and won wars, saves many people, and led others to be the best they could be. With supporting societies, their death did not mark the end for them. The societies in which they lived in kept their names alive with songs and folk stories. Out of all the many heroes of the past, none of them seem to have been greater than the great and almighty Gilgamesh. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh is the main character who undergoes many obstacles that makes him the character that he is, he …show more content…
He is characterized as on of the greatest men there was, and also the fiercest and strongest warrior. With knowing this about himself and knowing that he is the best, he acts very selfishly towards others. In the beginning of the story, Gilgamesh is an illiberal leader who shows little to no interest for anyone including his very own people. He takes anything and everything from his own people and demands them to do strenuous things. He works men to death just to construct a wall for Uruk. He rapes women right before their husbands. He slept with a noble’s daughter, a warrior’s wife, and a bride on her wedding day. “For Gilgamesh, king of ramparted Uruk, / People’s veils are open for the taking! / He mates with the lawful wife, / He first, the groom after. / By divine decree pronounced, / From the cutting of the umbilical cord, she is his due.” (67- 72). This characteristic about Gilgamesh is sickening. This trait of him not only impacted the women, but also everyone that he encountered and the whole society. This shows just how selfish Gilgamesh was in the beginning of the story. They saw him as someone who much too powerful to try and control. Something had to be done to calm this beast. The men from Uruk cried to Aruru, the god of creation, for help to calm him. That is when Aruru sent back a man by the name of Enkidu. At that moment, everything Gilgamesh has every known will forever …show more content…
He starts off as a selfish and dangerous individual who would do anything without a care. Then, as the story goes on, the readers find out that Gilgamesh is transformed into someone much more than who he was. He becomes a king that is actually worth remembering. Enkidu has a positive impact on Gilgamesh that changed him for the good. He was sent to provide Gilgamesh with a friend for guidance. Endiku shows his disgust with Gilgamesh when he finds out about his treatment towards women. Gilgamesh realizes that he is doing wrong and begins to focus on being a king. The two then become inseparable