What Is The Bond Between Gilgamesh And Enkidu's Death

The bond between Gilgamesh and Enkidu is an inseparable one that can only be broken by death. By angering the gods, Enkidu and Gilgamesh bring upon themselves saddening fates that will change their lives forever. Even though humanity is a very curious species, knowing dire consequences lie ahead and continuing to pursue something for glory is foolish. Even though Gilgamesh learns a valuable lesson from facing all of these horrible consequences, it is not worth the losses he has faced. Sooner or later, he would lose and die, however, following the gods advice to enjoy the short life of man to the fullest does not mean that you should put yourself at fatal risk just to discover and conquer. Throughout Enkidu and Gilgamesh’s journey, the

Enkidu exclaims, “Beloved brother. Last night I had a terrifying dream. I dreamed that we had offended the gods, they met in council and Anu said, ‘They have slaughtered the Bull of Heaven and killed Humbaba, watchman of the Cedar Forest. Therefore one of the two must die.’ Then Enlil said to him, ‘Enkidu, not Gilgamesh, is the one who must die’” (Mitchell 141). Gilgamesh and Enkidu have offended the gods by killing their creation in order to gain glory and resources. At this time in history, the gods were viewed as supreme. They ruled over everything from love, to earth, to weather. They could destroy the human race with ease, and this is why people offered sacrifices. They respected the gods greatly in fear of their power. Because Gilgamesh and Enkidu failed to respect these powers, Enkidu losses his life. This risk was not worth the price as Enkidu had to pay the ultimate price of life, and Gilgamesh is left with a restless heart. Right after Enkidu learns his fate, “his strength began failing. For twelve long days he was deathly sick, he lay in his bed in agony, unable to rest, and every day he grew worse” (Mitchell 149). Eventually Enkidu passes away leaving Gilgamesh without his beloved

Although it is good for Gilgamesh to learn about enjoying life, he wasted too much time wandering with a nearly impossible goal, and he still could not gain immortality. He essentially spent a large portion of his life chasing after something that he could not reach. Utnapishtim explained to Gilgamesh, “Now then, Gilgamesh, who will assemble the gods for your sake? Who will convince them to grant you the eternal life that you seek? How would they know that you deserve it? First pass this test: Just stay awake for seven days. Prevail against sleep, and perhaps you will prevail against death” (Mitchell 191). Gilgamesh accepts this challenge and tries to prevail against sleep, but his constant travelling has made him tired. He is unable to prevail, and immediately falls asleep. To make sure that Gilgamesh does not attempt to lie, Utnapishtim’s wife makes a loaf of bread for every day he sleeps. Humans lie to get personal gain without much effort, and Utnapishtim realized that Gilgamesh would do this. He prevented it, and this proved to Gilgamesh that he can’t take shortcuts to gain such an ambitious goal. When he awakens, Gilgamesh realizes he is not fit for immortality. It was not worth the risk of travelling that far in order to gain the knowledge that he cannot become immortal. Even though the time it took