The Problem of Woman in Gilgamesh and Genesis
The snake hands Eve the apple, and with a twinkle in her eye she bites into the apple, gaining the elusive knowledge the serpent has promised. With shame deep in her heart, Eve smiling offers the precious fruit to Adam, her mate. The prostitute lures Enkidu, protector of nature, into her arms with the fruits of her womanhood. She offers him sexual satisfaction. He like Adam is an innocent taken in by the wiles of a woman. Why do the women tempt the innocents? Are these conquests for victory over man, or is their temptation their way of making sure that they will not "die" alone? "The Epic of Gilgamesh" (pp. 15-16) and Genesis (Chapter 3) tell of the enlightenment and presents the inevitability of the deaths Enkidu and of Adam.
The serpent turns toward Eve and speaks, "Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." Transfixed by the revelation of all of the benefits of eating from the tree, Eve takes fruit from the tree, eats of it, and gives it to her husband who takes it and eats the fruit. The prostitute likewise steps into the wilderness where Enkidu lives; he is a creature innocent of the world where man dwells. The prostitute, sent by Gilgamesh sits by the drinking-hole waiting for the arrival of Enkidu. When he appears, she strips her body and welcomes his eagerness. There she teaches him her woman's art. Both the prostitute and Eve represent all of womankind.
The men take what is given to them by the women and do not question the right or wrong of their actions. They live only for the immediate pleasure gained form their actions. After the first taste ...
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... day. Thus we shape the lives of others, and those we touch shape other lives, leaving a never-ending effect on the world.
The "Epic of Gilgamesh," is told by mouth up until the time the author recorded it on paper. His original purpose of recording the story is to keep the characters immortal. The book of Genesis is recorded by a Hebrew from the telling of God to immortalize a religion whereas "The Epic of Gilgamesh" is told in words to immortalize a hero. The story is told with pride and bravado. The Hebrew writer of Genesis uses an old formal tone to tell the story of Adam and Eve to remind the reader that it is history and man's origin. Both Enkidu and Adam fail to live forever in body. Yet, they forever are remembered by their roles in shaping the lives of other men.
Works Cited:
Sandars, N. K., trans. The Epic of Gilgamesh. London: Penguin, 1972
The prostitute is one of the roles of women in the text. She brought about the conversion of Enkidu from a savage creature to a civilized member of society. Without this female intervention, Enkidu would not stand by Gilgamesh's side in the adventures to come. The harlot is used by society as a tool to draw Enkidu in. The male trapper told her to entice Enkidu with her nakedness and to lie with him. Once Enkidu had do...
At an early point in history, The Epic of Gilgamesh and the story of Genesis were two texts that set the framework of the entire world. They were two epics that established the foundations of religion, literature, and all other standards that were followed by every category of people. Both texts entice the audience through antique language, and the stories of epic heroes and immortal gods. Sin-Leqi-Unninni and the many writers of the Bible use love as their central theme, yet it unfolds as having distinguishing effects on all characters throughout both texts. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, the author conveys love as a motivational factor for helping Gilgamesh and other characters transition into better individuals, whereas in the Old Testament, individuals do harm upon others in the name of love in order to follow what is morally correct based on the religious standard.
Adultery and other sexual acts are often in greek mythology. The Gods sometimes sleep with many women, have many wives, have illegitimate children or all of the above. However, the women are often subordinate to their husbands or the males in their life. Greek mythology is very patriarchal in the sense that the men can do what they please while the women do not have that same freedom. The representation of women in greek mythology suggests that an ancient greek view on female sexuality was that women should not be promiscuous or express/act on their sexual desires, but simply fulfill the desires of men.
When Eve eats the forbidden fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, her decision to tell Adam of her disobedience turns on two suppositions. If her transgression is kept secret from God, Eve's augmented knowledge might increase Adam's love for her, and perhaps cause her to be more equal or even superior to Adam. Even though Eve was created comparable to Adam as his helper, she refers to Adam as her "Author and Disposer." Furthermore, she says that while God is Adam's law, Adam is her law. Apparently, Eve chafes under this arrangement, as she wraps up her evaluation of not telling Adam of her sin with, "for inferior who is free?" However, her death is assured if God has seen her wrongdoing. In this alternative, God may provide Adam with another woman, rendering Eve extinct. Eve finds unendurable the possibility that Adam will father children with a new Eve. Eve's consideration of either alternative depends on her narcissism and her need to be loved, even worshiped. Milton's Eve, like Narcissus, is infatuated with herself. Created in Adam's image, Eve draws Adam's love, his narcissism projected onto Eve. Inexperienced with women's wiles, uxorious Adam falls.
The witch, indicative of the serpent, tempts the mother and father with her rampion so that she might steal their child. In the story of creation, the serpent has the same idea in mind for Adam and Eve. The serpent knows that if man sins against God, he is unable to enter heaven and therefore must face the alternative, a life of eternal suffering in hell. In eating the forbidden fruit, the parents are cursing their child, humanity, to a life apart from God. But, just as with Adam and Eve, the parents must also endure earthly hardships, characterized by childbirth. In Genesis 3:17, Eve is cursed to bear children through intense pain; consequently, Rapunzel was born. ...
In Paradise Lost, one of the differences God is aware of the betrayal his creations unlike Frankenstein. There is a point where Adam desires a companion to share the world with, thus God creates Eve from one of Adam’s ribs. He is in a predicament now, due to there are now two beings to love now, but who deserves the more affection. He “can neither love himself adequately nor love Eve as himself unless have love God adequately – and so make his love for Eve, the unity of their shared self, an expression of that higher love” (Gross 95). This scene displays one of Adam’s limitations of his free will. Thus creating her in being the submissive which eventually became her downfall, Adam’s and the rest of humanity. Eve is flawed, she has the inclination of self-love, a quality she should not be capable of possessing or acting upon. The only love that she should be expressing is her love for Adam in a way also loving God. This becomes their weakness. Satan learns about this weakness and exploits it as his advantage to enact his scheme. He influences a susceptible Eve, by coercing her into eating the fruit from the tree of knowledge. He claims to Eve about the fruit “By the fruit? It gives you life To knowledge by the threat’ner? Look on me, Me, who have touched and tasted; yet both live” (Book 9 l. 686-688). Satan is able to persuade them to consume the fruit that provides them
But still the size of membership of a group is by no mean the most
The Epic of Gilgamesh has many similarities to the Bible, especially in Genesis and it’s not just that the both begin with the letter “g”’! One major similarity being the flood story that is told in both works. The two stories are very similar but also very different. Another being the use of serpents in both works and how they represent the same thing. A third similarity being the power of God or gods and the influence they have on the people of the stories. Within these similarities there are also differences that need to be pointed out as well.
Females in both texts, Gilgamesh and Genesis/Exodus, are not talked about very much at all and I think that in its self says a lot. When women are brought up they are either being used or doing something great. Even though they are only talked about a few times, when they actually are talked about it makes an impact on the story. Women are put into this story to make a difference to one of the other characters in the story.
Sex is described as “the primitive task for women” (Epic of Gilgamesh 63). The definition of sex in the Epic of Gilgamesh is a way to show that a main role of women in ancient Mesopotamia times was to provide pleasure for men, but to also provide children (Grandfield). The temple prostitute, Shamat, was not in the story to portray mankind’s sin of lust, but to demonstrate the need for women so a society can survive.
All in all the actions of Eve were neither good nor evil, but instead necessary. Through her actions she brought to light the evils of the world, and as a result man is able to appreciate that which is good. Moreover one cannot blame Eve for what she did because although as we have seen God did instill upon mankind free will, he used his threats as a means of manipulating this gift. Although there were many trees in the Garden of Eden, having the tree of knowledge of good and evil forbidden created mystery for Eve, and therefore drew her to it over the tree of life. And once both Adam and Eve choose with their own free will to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil immortality is no longer an option. Now that man is knowledgeable enough to appreciate immortality, God removes it as an choice. In a way this story shows us the flaws of both man and God. Man in that he is tempted by that which is forbidden and does not always respect the orders of those in a position of authority; And God is shown to be somewhat devious and perhaps even malicious at times.
Since the beginning of Paradise Lost, a reader can witness the dramatizing power possessed by Satan, and how he takes advantage of this very power in order to satisfy his own causes. One such property of Satan's fantastic powers is his ability to manipulate any individual into a false belief of who he really is, and therefore prevent a habitant of paradise from discovering his true purpose that is hidden behind his actions. One such example of this, and one of the most major in the epic, are the events that occur in Book IX involving Satan and Eve around the forbidden tree. Here, Satan uses, what is to Eve, excellent reasoning to convince her to eat the forbidden fruit, thereby exploiting Eve's weakness. These methods are very persuasive, and later lead to the downfall of Eve, Adam, and the future of mankind.
The “advocacy explosion” in the United States in the 20th century has been caused by the extreme increase in the number of interest groups in the United States. The general public views the increase and the groups themselves as a cancer that has come to the body of American politics and is spreading. The explosion in the number of interest groups and interest group members and finances has had an effect on the decline of the American political party and partisanship, the effect on democracy and the public interest, and the bias that has come with interest group competition.
Thus Lilith, and other so-called "serpents" served an important purpose, that of keeping the Yang under control, and thus also serving a psychological purpose. When one rests too much in the light, one can develop a self-righteous attitude, and starts to think that they know everything. This was the true nature of the state Adam and Eve were in before the serpent in the garden, who was Lilith as we shall later see, were in....Adam and Eve had the false sense of security that they knew everything there was to know and carried within them the forces of creation (Yang). Lilith, on the other hand, who was the personification of Yin brought them down to earth when she got Eve to eat from the tree. Where Yang says "I know the right way, I know everything", Yin says "You don't know everything, you never will know everything, and there is no right way." Thus, Adam and Eve were brought down to earth, so to speak, when they partook of the fruit. The expulsion from paradise symbolized their acceptance of reality, and Yahweh's displeasure symbolized humankind's need to control and escape reality. As one can see, each character in the story of the fall are archtypical symbols for forces within the human psyche...
Eve a companion of Adam in “Genesis 3” portrays her greed when she learns about the tree in the center of the garden. She becomes curious and wants to learn its powers for “gaining wisdom” (“Genesis” 6), and “she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband” (“Genesis” 6). Eve disobeys God as she does not follow the specific instructions God gives her. The more she learns about the tree, the more Eve wants to take a fruit. In the end, greed is one of many things that convinces her to betray God....