Enkidu, Gilgamesh, and Gilgamesh set off on an adventure to kill Humbaba in the book. Enkidu and Gilgamesh are completely opposites and this helps them overcome a difficult challenge. Enkidu, Enkidu and Gilgamesh are both heroes. They have many traits that motivate each other. Gilgamesh was a great example of heroism and perseverance. However, he also had many flaws, such as pridefulness, self-righteousness and selfishness. Enkidu had multiple great qualities as well. His great qualities included confidence, omniscience, leadership, and a sense of humor. The book reveals Gilgamesh’s main characteristics as his pride and perseverance. Enkidu is not listened to by Gilgamesh because of his pride. This is a serious flaw in the book. It is also evident that Gilgamesh perseveres when he realizes that the challenges might not be his best. He continues to pray to Shamash even after learning that.
The book focuses on Enkidu’s leadership and loyalty. When the Elders tell Gilgamesh that Enkidu should lead, Enkidu gladly accepts the role and leads them to the cedar forests. Enkidu’s loyalty can be seen when Gilgamesh has a risky idea. Enkidu supports him and helps him to stray from it. They are also great friends. Enkidu and Gilgamesh would need to develop some new traits if Gilgamesh were to be a modern epic story. Gilgamesh should have a social media account where he can post all his achievements. He would also need to not rely on texts or email and would be too distracted by his phone to hear what Enkidu has to say.
Enkidu was sent by the gods to Uruk to defeat Gilgamesh. It was a fight that had led to a friendship that no one had expected. Gilgamesh was a close friend to Enkidu, but they had enough differences to keep them apart. They shared a similarity in that they were somewhere between a god or a human. One-third of humans meant they were both lacking morality and could not be considered invincible, much like Enkidu’s gods. They shared another similarity in that they both had godlike qualities, and were extremely strong. They decided to take down Humbaba, the demon who lives to protect the forest of mortals. This task would not have been possible, but Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and Enkidu both wanted their names to be remembered forever. They also believed they were fulfilling the will of the gods. Their shared qualities allowed them to grow closer together, and their friendship flourished.
Enkidu and Gilgamesh also had many differences, both when they were close friends and after they became friends. Enkidu is two-thirds God, Gilgamesh two-thirds god. This could have influenced the differences in how they treated nature and women. Gilgamesh considered himself a god, and he showed this by how he treated the citizens of the city and his treatment of women. Enkidu, who was half animal, respected nature and had different morals from Gilgamesh. Enkidu was a good example of normal morality, while Gilgamesh was more interested in lust, wealth, and death. This shows how completely different Gilgamesh’s personalities are. However, it could also make them great friends. As opposites create differing thought processes just as real relationships. Enkidu is able to interpret Gilgamesh’s dreams while Gilgamesh cannot. This is another key difference between them. Enkidu is an integral part of the story in several ways. Enkidu was able to interpret Gilgamesh’s dreams, keeping Gilgamesh calm. He would wake up from his dreams and second-guess himself about their plan to kill Humbaba. Enkidu would assure Gilgamesh that all dreams were a good thing and that they are a sign that their quest would be successful. Enkidu’s ability to interpret dreams allowed him to become a more brotherly, family-like figure to Gilgamesh. It would soothe his mind and assure him that everything would be alright. Without this quality Enkidu wouldn’t be able to fight Gilgamesh first and then defeat Humbaba. He wouldn’t get as much attention as Gilgamesh.
While no two people are the same in real life, they can still be great friends. As different perspectives can help you avoid trouble, it is often the differences that strengthen friendships. Enkidu and Gilgamesh have many similarities, which helps to propel the story forward and strengthen their friendship. Enkidu’s strengths filled any gaps Gilgamesh had, while Enkidu’s weaknesses were covered by Gilgamesh. Enkidu’s weaknesses were also addressed by Gilgamesh. This was evident when they searched for Humbaba. Enkidu and Gilgamesh are both very strong. Enkidu believed he was more powerful than Gilgamesh. Enkidu was hesitant to fight Humbaba even though Enkidu was strong. Gilgamesh, however, never felt fear because that is how he had lived his entire life. They killed Humbaba. However, having Enkidu and Gilgamesh see a different situation than you does can strengthen their relationship. This will allow them to make decisions in the best interests of both of their families. Their friendship was based on Gilgamesh witnessing Enkidu’s death. Gilgamesh knew that he wanted Enkidu to be different in one way: being immortal. The narrative is now pushed forward by Gilgamesh’s long journey to find out how to immortalize himself. The moral of the story is created by Gilgamesh’s long voyage. He went through many hardships to find immortality but came up empty handed at the end. Gilgamesh’s story teaches that death is inevitable for people with human traits like himself and Enkidu. Gilgamesh was able to forget the differences between Enkidu and himself. He treated his people differently than before, and he became a respected and well-liked king to his people. Gilgamesh may not have found Enkidu a close friend if he had. He would never have realized that Enkidu was not immortal and god-like like he believed. This could have prevented him from changing the way he treated Uruk’s people.
Enkidu’s hand changes Gilgamesh’s tough, unforgiving personality. Enkidu, Gilgamesh and Enkidu have shared many valuable lessons about life. Enkidu was made physically stronger by Gilgamesh and Gilgamesh mentally stronger by Enkidu. This essentially shows a codependent bond between the main characters.