The Epic of Gilgamesh
In the Epic of Gilgamesh, King Gilgamesh and Enkidu are presented as the key characters. Gilgamesh is portrayed to possess unique and exemplary features that no other character possesses. As a result of that, Gilgamesh annoys the individuals in the city because of his powers’ excessive use. For instance, he celebrates his victories with debauched partying. Due to his oppressive rule, people were not satisfied with him. They requested their gods to help them because they were afraid Gilgamesh might one day challenge the gods and ask for a more significant portion of his divine heritage to rock the pillars of heaven. Therefore, the gods decided to create Enkidu, a great friend and Gilgamesh’s mirror image. Enkidu had a role to play. He was to act as Gilgamesh’s rival. In the process, the two characters seem to influence each other in several ways:
Conquering their enemies. One way Gilgamesh and Enkidu influenced each other was by conquering their enemies (Nurullin, 2020). The two characters are presented as powerful and superior to all other men in strength and beauty. They relied on each other to successively and easily conquer their enemies. For instance, they seem to work under joined efforts to defeat the bull sent by gods from heaven to impart fear on the people of Uruk. After Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh regrets and mourns for him because he was a great friend. He then sets a journey to find one man believed to hold the secrets of everlasting life. He accomplishes his mission despite many challenges and obstacles encountered on the way. However, he finally dies to the same fate that befell his great friend. The two comrades grew weak and became intolerant of the life of the city. Gilgamesh proposed that they go to the forest to cut down trees to construct a memorable monument for their gods. They are perceived to have unity in all that they do.
The influence on each of the two characters greatly impacts the eventual transformation of Gilgamesh. It changes Gilgamesh from being oppressive to a wise ruler by the end of the narrative. Gilgamesh is humbled and even decides to construct a monument for gods after realizing that he and his friends are growing weak. He tries to do everything he can to appease the gods. Therefore, he significantly transforms because of his great friend. Before the coming of his friend, Gilgamesh never befriended anybody (Abulhab, 2016). After Enkidu’s arrival, the character of Gilgamesh changes and is now a better character with good principles. He interacts with people well. For example, he meets with Utnapishtam to consult for the secrets of everlasting life.
The end of the narrative is a good reflection of the transformation that occurs, especially Gilgamesh’s positive change. This is the change that people need. They were afraid Gilgamesh could bring negative changes to heaven, but he finally wants to impress the gods (Abulhab, 2016). Moreover, his friendship with Enkidu lasts forever until they part ways by way of death.
Generally, the Epic of Gilgamesh is an interesting book that teaches people about positive transformation. It teaches people to use the powers conferred to serve others better, but not oppress them. It also teaches people how good friends are important and supposed to bring a positive change. It also teaches people the need for unity if they want to achieve a lot. Therefore, it is
highly recommendable.