Gilgamesh’s Journey

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Gilgamesh believed that “if his grief was violent enough, perhaps he will come back to life again” (page 167.), so he wept for his only true friend for six days and seven nights until Enkidu started deteriorating which terrified him. He had horrifying fears of death, which led him to roam the wilderness search for the answer to eternal youth. Gilgamesh was once a fearless warrior and now we see him break down into a man who had fears, emotions and insecurities. While on this journey we start to see the difference in journeys from the past. He went on a journey with Enkidu to kill Humbaba only to gain a name for himself and now we start to see Gilgamesh search for peace within himself. One could call this “soul searching”. When meeting Utnapishtim, he is forced to learn that he cannot be immortal and the he must die like everyone else, but he starts to understand that death is part of life and that living forever is not as great as it sounds. We also see a kinder Gilgamesh when he proposes giving the magical plant to the elders in Uruk, so that don’t have to die, this is something that shows us he is thinking of his people and not only himself.

In Tablet X, Gilgamesh takes Urshanabi to Uruk, proudly showing how great his city is. You can see his pride on page when he says “This is the wall of Uruk, which no city on earth can equal. See how its ramparts gleam like copper in the sun. Climb the stone staircase, more ancient than the mind can imagine.” Gilgamesh has to cope with the loss of his friend and be strong for his kingdom. We see such a big character transformation in Gilgamesh. He starts off as a womanizing and arrogant leader who had no thought of his people and city. After meeting Enkidu he learns how to use emotions, care for others and think of his people before himself. I can’t say confidently that Gilgamesh became a great leader after the death of Enkidu, but I can definitely see that he had the will and desire to try. Gilgamesh learns that people are meant to die and that what really matters is what they do with their life while they are alive. In the short time we knew of the character Enkidu, his kindness and encouragement made a bigger effect on me than the choices that Gilgamesh made.