Women in the Epic

To make a universal statement about the manner in which women are presented in The Epic Of Gilgamesh would, i think, simply be too broad and sweeping. It is safe too say, though, that there are some general patterns or views that can be gathered by analyzing the role of women in the epic. I would argue that motherly figures such as Shamat and Ninsun are hold respect and importance, while masculine-type females such as Ishtar are somewhat rejected.

So why is it that motherly characters were given a more favorable situation than females who go against the norm like Ishtar? no one can be certain why the ancient authors chose to do this but one can assume that if the Epic was written by men then they may have been trying to send the message that women who act motherly and wise are acceptable and women who act masculine and forceful are not acceptable. This could be a quiet message hidden within the text that reveals men's expectations or wishes from the females in the ancient world.

It is interesting, though, to point out that Shamat is placed is in a positive light more likely because of her motherly characteristics than the fact that she serves as a temple prostitute. This suggests that social class systems are less important than the behavior of the individual woman. This sends a powerful message to the audience. A prostitute is playing an extremely significant character in an epic? This may have been considered humorous to ancient audiences, but to the modern reader it is a step toward equality, not only gender equality but class equality.

The women in the epic serve as clues in discovering the attitude, expectations, and judgments, of women n ancient Mesopotamia. One can conclude that characteristics such as motherliness and wisdom were regarded as positive qualities while being a "masculine-female" was considered negative.