Analyzing the Epic of Gilgamesh

Over the semester we have discussed many different topics in accordance with the readings. One of the major themes mentioned is the ambiguity of love. This theme is seen in “The Epic of Gilgamesh”. The Epic expresses the Sumerian values but also universal themes such as friendship, love between two people, and familial respect. Feelings for one's family, hometown, people, and generally any emotion that is so strong it makes a person sacrifice himself for somebody are associated with the word love. We see this kind of love in the epic between Gilgamesh and Enkidu. However, there are other scenrios in the book where the definition of love is questioned. The Epic of Gilgamesh shows two different ideas of love from the interactions between Gilgamesh, Enkidu, Ishtar and Shamhat. When they first meet, Gilgamesh and Enkidu get into an epic battle, their strengths matching equally. Although Gilgamesh wins in the end, they become close friends after the fight. This deep loving bond between them changes both their personalities. Enkidu changes from a wild man into a noble one because of Gilgamesh, and their friendship changes Gilgamesh from a bully and a tyrant into an exemplary king and hero. Because they are evenly matched, Enkidu puts a check on Gilgamesh’s restless, powerful energies, and Gilgamesh pulls Enkidu out of his self-centeredness. This strong bond they developed can be seen more clearly when Enkidu dies from a disease sent by the gods. Gilgamesh, standing beside his bed, mourns: "like as a lion, Gilgamesh raised his voice, / like as a lioness, he roared out [...] / he tears his hair and strews it forth / soon as beamed the first shimmer of morning."[1]. Gilgamesh then decides to "... [clothe] [himself] in a lion's skin / and [haste] away over the steppes ..." and spends the rest of his life trying to find the key to immortality. [1]. A completely different kind of love can be seen in the interaction between Enkidu and Shamhat. Some would not even categorize it as love. I put it under this category because it involves a sacred physical interaction between two people. Although she was sent to Enkidu as a prostitute, Shamhat did something more than just give physical pleasure to Enkidu. After Enkidu is finally satisfied, he leaves Shamhat and attempts to return to the animals, but they no longer regard him as one of them and run away from him. Enkidu finds he has become weaker and can no longer run with the animals as he did before. His mind has been awakened. Troubled by this new self-awareness, he asks Shamhat for help. Shamhat’s power civilizes and tames Enkidu to prepare him for his journey to Uruk and ultimately to Gilgamesh. This speaks to a different view of a prostitute in Gilgamesh’s time. Rather than being seen as a criminal act, Shamhat’s role is revered, even sacred. The final view of love is one related to death. This is seen with the goddess of love Ishtar. The goddess of love also represents death. The poem tells of the terrible fates of her lovers. When Gilgamesh spurns Ishtar as she attempts to seduce him, he brings disaster upon himself and Enkidu. When he asks Ishtar what he could offer her in return since she lacks nothing, he misses the point of her seduction. When Gilgamesh—who has no afterlife to look forward to and no moral ideal to aspire to—spurns the goddess, he spurns life itself. Love can be a very confusing concept in The Epic of Gilgamesh. It shows love as something strong and something worth dying for with Enkidu and Gilgamesh’s relationship. However, it shows love in a way that’s not easy to see with Shamhat and Enkidu. But I believe the connection they shared was more than just physical pleasure. When Shamhat seduces Enkidu, he loses his animal attributes but gains his self-consciousness and his humanity. And finally love is implied to be closely related to death. The goddess of love, Ishtar brings disaster on those who don’t love her and fall into her seduction. Her form of love can be said to be selfish, and dangerous.