The character of Enkidu was created with mud and salvia. He is described as an uncivilized human. He is most likely created this way to show Gilgamesh that his arrogance was unneeded and that he is no better than someone made of mud. Enkidu does become more human throughout the course of the story as he becomes civilized he gains a new friend in Gilgamesh but loses his carefree, survival driven lifestyle to become bothered with societal concerns. The change is somewhat desirable since he becomes more enlightened as to the ways of humans both good and bad.
Gilgamesh is a hero because his exploits help rid the world of evil and help humanity. His strengths are that he is strong and brave. He is credited with building the walls and slaying evil beasts. Gods are very important in his life as he is technically a demi god. However, sometimes this is useful and other times the gods and goddesses cause him trouble by trying to challenge him. However, he is not as relatable since we know he is part god.
I tend to think that Gilgamesh’s search for immortality make him even more strong. The pursuit of knowledge and ambition is a worthy cause in my opinion. He doesn’t give into his fear of death and instead tries to learn more about it.
Enkidu is much more humble than Gilgamesh, he came from nothing and had no benefits of Gilgamesh’s upbringing. However, they are alike in the fact that they are both strong and proud men.
Gilgamesh brags that the killing of Humbaba would make him a place in history and make a point that he is truly is brave. The fight however is not described as much perhaps because Enkidu was the one who ended up slaying the beast indicating that true courage should include humility and partnership.
The trials that Gilgamesh face all serve to teach him that death is not something to be feared. By his actions he can be “immortal” in the minds of others. To achieve immortal life, he planned to find the immortal man who survived the great flood.
I think the character traits that best describe Gilgamesh are strength and arrogance. Strength because he is able to achieve many acts of bravery, such as building the walls and hunting the Humbaba. Arrogance, because sometimes he is a bit too reliant on the fact that he is half god, for example it took being defeated by Enkidu to realize others have power too.
I think many people today are still on a dangerous journey to find knowledge. For example, young girls of Muslim cultures that go against the odds in order to attend school. Or explorers that explore dangerous conditions to learn more about an area.
Works Cited:
Ferry, David. Gilgamesh: a new rendering in English verse. -: -, 0. Print.
