Gilgamesh Women

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Many ancient societies practiced patriarchal ideals. This often relegated women to submissive and docile roles while men had more domineering roles within society. Within these societies, women were often seen as tools from which men could derive pleasure and children. The Epic of Gilgamesh, an ancient epic passed on from Babylonia and Assyria 3,700 years ago, allows one to observe and assess the role of women as well as their dynamics with men during this time period. Throughout the epic, it becomes apparent that women have complex and convoluted roles within society, which makes it difficult to truly assess the roles of women. Some female characters within the epic appear to deviate further from traditional roles than others, but even the …show more content…

Sexual acts are often regarded as defiling women and as a conquest for men; however, in this case the role seems reversed as Enkidu is defiled and Shamat has completed her task. This seems to defeminize Shamat and emasculate Enkidu. The defeminization of Shamat is where she derives her sense of power from. Later on in the epic, Enkidu is close to death and curses Shamat; however, Shamash, a god, hears Enkidu and questions: “Why curse Shamat the harlot, who fed you bread that was fit for a god” (George translation, tablet VII, lines 134-135). Shamash goes on to explain that it was Shamat that introduced him to wine, bread, and even Gilgamesh. This powerfully paints Shamat as a bearer of culture as it is through her Enkidu was able to be civilized. Shamat's role in civilizing Enkidu, by introducing him to human culture, paradoxically empowers her, albeit within a framework that still sees her primarily as a sexual tool. One could argue that Shamat being a bearer of culture is not an immense power, but a consequence of a women’s maternal instincts in which one nurtures a child to become a productive member of

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