Compare And Contrast Enkidu And Gilgamesh

Although characters in literature can have different traits, these traits help them complement each other and develop the plot. In Gilgamesh: A Verse Narrative, by Herbert Mason, Gilgamesh and Enkidu display similar and different characteristics when they meet and go on their journey to fight Humbaba. The two start their adventure from Uruk and travel to the forest where a monster hides. During this journey, Gilgamesh and Enkidu’s effects on each other are shown due to events in the plot. In Gilgamesh: A Verse Narrative, by Herbert Mason, Gilgamesh and Enkidu are portrayed to be similar and different through character traits and values in order to help each other evolve and develop the plot. Gilgamesh and Enkidu exhibit both comparable and contrasting character traits which include their loneliness, amount of

Before meeting each other, both Gilgamesh and Enkidu lived in some kind of loneliness. Gilgamesh was lonely because of his king status. As shown about Gilgamesh, “As king, Gilgamesh was a tyrant to his people” (Mason 15). Due to being king, his high status gives him a large amount of pride. He considered himself above everyone, causing him to be a tyrant to his citizens. Gilgamesh being a tyrant causes him to be lonely because he either scared others away or did not feel them worthy enough to interact with him. However, Enkidu’s loneliness did not come from a personal barrier as Gilgamesh’s did. Enkidu is physically isolated from other humans until the prostitute humanized him. Enkidu’s isolation is shown, “Enkidu was born on the Steppe/, Where he grew up among the animals.” (15). Enkidu was an animal for most of his life so his amount of human interaction is limited, making loneliness a similarity shared between him and Gilgamesh. Although they are similar in this manner, the two are different when it comes to amount of wisdom. Enkidu is wiser than Gilgamesh when it comes to knowledge and decision making. An instance where Enkidu’s wisdom