The End of a Childish King

Gilgamesh acts very similar to a god, but we can’t blame him, he’s two third deity after all. One would expect a god to be responsible and loving of his creations, but these are Mesopotamian gods, and we’ve all become accustomed to their childish actions. After sleeping with every women possible and killing random men from within his city, it became apparent that Gilgamesh was a king without restraints. This is why Enkidu was created, but of course this only encouraged Gilgamesh’s childish vigor for excitement and adventure. They go on adventures with one another, and they slay monsters for fun, but did Gilgamesh ever become a better person? Not exactly. Although it seems as though he didn’t bother being a horrible tyrant anymore as he had more enjoyable things to do, he is still filled with immense pride and blinded by his own power.

This abruptly changes when Enkidu dies. Gilgamesh becomes a wanderer and attempts to find a cure for death. He seeks the sole survivor of the Flood, Utnapishtim, but even he can’t help Gilgamesh. So he is forced to return home still distraught over Enkidu’s passing and even more so worried about his own eventual death. This is a very fitting end to the Epic, as Gilgamesh’s immoral actions have been countered by his fate. He doesn’t continue on adventures, he doesn’t defeat death, but instead he is forced to come to terms with reality. He is no longer the proud king he once was, and his extreme pride has dwindled to nothing as he realizes that there is something greater than he, the gods.