Enkidu's Change In The Epic Of Gilgamesh

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Change is often not needed, however, it is required to be accepted by civilization. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Enkidu is a man placed on Earth simply to teach Gilgamesh a lesson. Enkidu is physically a man, but mentally a child. Enkidu changes from a boy to become a full man and a part of civilization. Enkidu loses his innocence when he begins to transition into civilization, gaining knowledge yet becoming distanced from nature. When Enkidu was placed on Earth by gods, he was roaming with animals. He had not encountered any other humans. His first exposure to humanity was when he met Shamhat, a temple prostitute, who was purposely brought into his life to change him into a civil man (The Epic of Gilgamesh, 78). The only way for this to happen …show more content…
He has to now worry about other humans and if they will get along. As soon as he became a civilized man, one of his first encounters with another man was with the king Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh was similar to Enkidu in the fact that Gilgamesh had not yet matured mentally. Since Gilgamesh was two parts god and one part man, no one was able to confront him and contend with him or at least until Enkidu was placed on Earth. Enkidu’s first confrontation with Gilgamesh was not on friendly terms. Gilgamesh was trying to sleep with another bride when Enkidu blocked him. Enkidu was able to survive the grapple with Gilgamesh, as he was created as a direct counterpart, however an ordinary man would have died. Living in the city provides new difficulties, which did not occur in the wild. One of them is how in civilization the actions of others affect your future. Enkidu’s future is already determined due to Gilgamesh's previous actions as the king. Gilgamesh also transitions from being uncivilized to civilized after meeting Enkidu. Gilgamesh was also protected as a child and never experienced pain, which was why he was such a tyrant ruler. After Gilgamesh and Enkidu go on a journey together to fight supernatural beings, Enkidu ultimately is forced to die by the gods which shows Gilgamesh that even though he is two-thirds god, he is still one-third mortal and that he will die. The biggest benefit of

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