The Epic Of Gilgamesh Analysis

The narrator introduces Gilgamesh in the past tense, the high walls of the city he built are already ancient. He then shows that the story is in Gilgamesh’s words, and that the king wrote it down. Gilgamesh’s story remembers historical people and their deeds, and at the same time, Gilgamesh’s path through bravery, tragedy, and knowledge is an everlasting, worldwide process. The story of Gilgamesh is both ageless and instant.

Gilgamesh’s mother was in the beginning of the story, but his father wasn’t. The Sin-Leqi-Unninni version of Gilgamesh says his father is Ninsun’s husband, Lugulbanda, but it’s not clear if Lugulbanda is actually Gilgamesh’s biological father. Like Gilgamesh, Lugulbanda was a genuine historical figure. He precedes Gilgamesh on Uruk’s king list by two, and he would have more likely been his grandfather, considering the lengths of the recorded reigns. Like Gilgamesh, people worshipped him as a god after his death.
An equal was required to counter and control his power. Gilgamesh was more god than mortal, and the narrator suggests that his equal, Enkidu, is a singular force of nature and he does not have great speech. Enkidu anticipates the hairy Esau of the Bible and possibly Ishmael, “the wild ass” of a man. He helps the animals to escape human dominance that mess with the balance of the world. When Enkidu must come to civilization, he has a woman for redemption. He confronts the strong power of a woman’s sexuality, which subdues him. Ishtar Uruk’s resident god, and the prostitutes in her service epitomize the values of that highly sophisticated urban