Shamhat, the harlot, is sent with a hunter in order for the man Enkidu to be civilized and for the animals in the steppe to reject him. Shamhat does this in the way befitting her profession and engages in sexual acts with Enkidu for a total of six days and seven nights. Once they are finished Enkidu attempts to rejoin the animals but he has changed. The animals notice the change and run away from Enkidu and because of his activities with Shamhat he cannot run after them, although because of her he now has a greater understanding of the word.
For five lines it makes mention of Shamhat and how she takes the vitality of Enkidu. The passage makes it very clear that this act it very deliberate, one line even stating that, “She exposed her loins, he took her charms.” By doing this it ensures that she was very purposeful in her actions, knowing full well what price this will cost Enkidu, and although he does not know the cost of his pleasure he does actively take part. Although Shamhat the harlot does not charge Enkidu for her services he certainly pays a price and that is very clear as the story moves forward. This act between Enkidu and Shamhat is a very …show more content…
This is final when he leaves Shamhat to return to the animals in the steppe but until it says, “His knees stood still, his body was limp.” As the passage continues it mentions that now that his eyes were opened to the world around him he could no longer run as fast, depicting Enkidu as “too slow.” This is very at odds with the idea that Enkidu is an equal to Gilgamesh. If Enkidu was created to be the equal to Gilgamesh then wouldn’t he keep his speed? This may be interpreted to mean that he is not actually Gilgamesh’s equal but rather almost his equal now that the civilized world has tamed him, making less than what Aruru, his maker, created him to
For five lines it makes mention of Shamhat and how she takes the vitality of Enkidu. The passage makes it very clear that this act it very deliberate, one line even stating that, “She exposed her loins, he took her charms.” By doing this it ensures that she was very purposeful in her actions, knowing full well what price this will cost Enkidu, and although he does not know the cost of his pleasure he does actively take part. Although Shamhat the harlot does not charge Enkidu for her services he certainly pays a price and that is very clear as the story moves forward. This act between Enkidu and Shamhat is a very …show more content…
This is final when he leaves Shamhat to return to the animals in the steppe but until it says, “His knees stood still, his body was limp.” As the passage continues it mentions that now that his eyes were opened to the world around him he could no longer run as fast, depicting Enkidu as “too slow.” This is very at odds with the idea that Enkidu is an equal to Gilgamesh. If Enkidu was created to be the equal to Gilgamesh then wouldn’t he keep his speed? This may be interpreted to mean that he is not actually Gilgamesh’s equal but rather almost his equal now that the civilized world has tamed him, making less than what Aruru, his maker, created him to