Wednesday, May 19, 2010

How were Gilgamesh and Enkidu different from one another?

Despite
his wild origins and thick jungle of body hair, Enkidu is more recognizably human than
Gilgamesh. Mind you, that was only after making love to Shamhat for a whole week. Though still
technically two-thirds animal, Enkidu is 100% more of a human than the initially cruel and
tyrannical Gilgamesh. It's this very human quality of his that rounds off some of the corners of
the man who becomes his close and trusted friend. Enkidu adheres to quite a strict moral code
that differentiates him from Gilgamesh, whereas Gilgamesh himself has an insatiable appetite for
sex, wealth, and power. Having grown up and lived with wild beasts, Enkidu is inevitably much
closer to nature than Gilgamesh. This helps him keep his feet on the ground, so to speak,
allowing him to act as a restraining influence on his powerful, semidivine
friend.

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