Gender Role and Gilgamesh

Gender Roles of Gilgamesh In the epic of Gilgamesh both genders male and female play significant roles in the success and downfalls of Gilgamesh. Each gender helps shape and evolves him in his journey through this epic. Though Gilgamesh and Enkidu are the main characters and they are both male the females play just as important roles as them. For Enkidu to become a big factor in Gilgamesh’s life a female (Harlot) has to make Enkidu a man and make him civil. The roles of each gender both play their parts but the female gender role plays a bigger part than the male gender role in the epic of Gilgamesh. The male gender role is the more prompt and more obvious to recognize in the story of Gilgamesh. The male gender for Gilgamesh is more about power and strength, and who has more and can show it. The first one to show this is the God Anu, he is the most powerful God no one is stronger than him. Next is Gilgamesh he is two thirds god and one third divine, he is the king of Uruk and has no contested power in the human world. We see this at the very beginning of the story “…his arrogance has no bounds by day or night. No son is left with his father, for Gilgamesh takes them all, even the children; yet the king should be a Shepherd to his people…”(TNAWL pg. 13) The last top male figure in the story of Gilgamesh is Enkidu, he is Gilgamesh’s other half. He is created to level out Gilgamesh’s testosterone ran life and show him other ways to live indirectly. When we first see Enkidu and Gilgamesh they have this scuffle to see who’s stronger and who is going to be in charge. This is what the male roles looked like in Gilgamesh, very powerful and strong personalities. The female gender roles are very different than the male gender roles. One of the first female gender roles we see is Ninsun the mother of Gilgamesh. She has the role of the loving, caring mother and also a wise mentor that provides direction and guidance to Gilgamesh. She nurtures Gilgamesh

Cited: 1. Lawall, Sarah N., and Maynard Mack. "Gilgamesh." The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Beginnings to A. D. 100. 2nd ed. Vol. A. New York: Norton, 2002. 12-41. Print.