The Dynamic Character In The Epic Of Gilgamesh

This excerpt offers its significance to the text as a whole through its sensitive, human-like portrayal of Gilgamesh. Before this point in the epic, Gilgamesh, to an extent, only displays the divine aspect of his nature. Slaying Humbaba, killing the Bull of Heaven, and displaying remarkable intellect when turning down the advances of Ishtar, to name a few examples, strictly represent the god-like essence of Gilgamesh. When Enkidu encounters death, Gilgamesh expresses his humanity through his feelings of profound sorrow for his fallen friend and, ultimately, extensive fear of death itself. This passage exemplifies these complex emotions and fulfills Gilgamesh’s existence as a dynamic character throughout this epic. At the beginning of the epic, the great king, acting like
This element of the epic is symbolized through the living maggot that falls out from the nose of Enkidu’s lifeless body. After Gilgamesh observes this, he leaves his friend’s dead body and seeks answers regarding immortality from a higher power. When Gilgamesh encounters Shiduri on his quest for answers, the tavern keeper claims, “Humans are born, they live, then they die, this is the order that the gods have decreed” (Mitchell 168). Correlating directly with life, death serves as a reward for a well-lived existence on earth. Gilgamesh refuses to discern that death gives life a meaning. On a separate note, after Gilgamesh completes his quest and undergoes his transformation, he returns to Uruk as a wiser king, sensitive to the needs of all individuals. From there, he establishes his legacy by offering thorough protection through building impenetrable walls, creating an economy in the city, and developing infrastructure for all citizens. Without the death of Enkidu and the experience of human emotions, Gilgamesh never would have been able to transform into a phenomenal