The Relationship In The Epic Of Gilgamesh

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The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the most extraordinary texts of ancient literature. Its core theme is the state of man on earth as a mortal being. In the metaphorical sense the relationship between the two friends, Gilgamesh and Enkidu is very important. First of all, their friendship appears to be an embodiment for human relationships and brotherhood: Gilgamesh and Enkidu are adversaries, friends, brothers, companions in heroic feats, and possess a deep love for each other. When Enkidu dies as a punishment from the gods Gilgamesh becomes depressed and begins an excursion to discover immortality. The sudden obsession Gilgamesh has for his own destiny and the destiny of mankind upon the observation of the death of his best friend means the friendship …show more content…
He does not seem to have any friends or any true purpose to his life. The gods upon hearing the cries of the people create Enkidu as a friend to tame Gilgamesh and to put him in touch with his humanity and nature. When Enkidu hears about the way Gilgamesh treats his subjects he feels it is his place the confront him. Even though Gilgamesh eventually overtakes Enkidu it is his first glimpse into the human spirit. The spirit that sees injustice and thinks not about the consequences but rather seeing the injustice overcome. It is this spirit that attracts Gilgamesh to Enkidu the brave the mortal being who dared to stand up him therefore endearing Enkidu to Gilgamesh. Enkidu’s friendship with Gilgamesh gives him a sense of meaning to his life and the two who were once enemies become friends. Then the two of them set off on these grand adventures to find fame and fortune together.
The friendship between Enkidu and Gilgamesh is very important to the narrative as there would not have been an epic written had things remained the same. Without this friendship, Gilgamesh would have never started on his quest to find immortality nor would he have become a better king. It is because of this friendship, this brotherhood, that he shared with Enkidu that spurned him on his many journeys. It also demonstrates that Gilgamesh had to finally

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