Life Of Gilgamesh Quotes

Gilgamesh Essay Gilgamesh never experienced the feeling of sadness. He lived his life privileged as the king of Uruk, lavished by the gods. He acted lawlessly, avoiding any punishment at all. Then, the gods had retribution towards Gilgamesh for killing Humbaba. They killed his greatest friend, his brother, Enkidu. Enkidu’s death changes Gilgamesh’s disposition as he spends most of his time mourning, he noticeably becomes more industrious, and his decisions become more irrational; this changes his behavior allowing simple situations to become complex. After the death of Enkidu, Gilgamesh’s sadness overwhelms him causing him to weep for days and nights about his death and forgets the world around him and only think of his lost friend and fearing death. After his death, Gilgamesh loses sight of the world around him and becomes very depressed. He hopes for Enkidu to regain life but gives up after realizing that death is permanent. After this realization Gilgamesh “wept for his dead friend… ‘O Enkidu you were the axe at my side in which my arm trusted, the knife in my sheath, the shield I carried, my glorious robe’” (Mitchell 151, 153). This quote shows that Gilgamesh deeply cherished the friendship he had with Enkidu as he is comparing him to his most valuable possessions. His death changed Gilgamesh as he is grieving the loss of his companion rather than going about daily life and tyranny. As Gilgamesh learns his fate, he makes decisions …show more content…
These include depression, a sudden change in his work ethic, and making many irrational decisions. Before Enkidu’s death, Gilgamesh never felt depression to this extent. He also did not give much effort into the many things he did, due to him being very privileged. Lastly, Enkidu’s death causes Gilgamesh to not think before acting as he only makes situations such as the stone men, worse. Overall, Gilgamesh did evolve in his mood, mindset, and