The role of women in The Epic of Gilgamesh - 1552 Words

The role of women is a very important topic in The Epic of Gilgamesh, and various women are chosen to represent various aspects of the mesopotamian conception of women. In the ancient times males were inessential to the preservation of life. The Epic of Gilgamesh shows how the inability of males to give birth causes a sense of despair and alienation. While the representation of women might seem confusing at first with its wide range of traits, the epic tries to demonstrate all aspects of women, some are dominant in some ways. They are valuable advisors, and have variable attitudes regarding sexuality, they control mens decision in some ways and bring both death and immortality in mens lives. In this paper the female characters of†¦show more content†¦Inside, he meets Shamash who highly discourages him: You will never find the life for which you are looking. Though he takes pity on Gilgamesh, and so he sends him to Siduri. When he finds her, she sympathetically asks: Why is despair in your heart? He then tells her of his hope. She then replies: You will never find the life for which you are looking. Though she also takes pity on him, she tel ls Urshanabi to take him to Utnapishtim, the faraway hope of everlasting life. When he gets there, Utnapishtim also asks him: Why is despair in your heart? This time, he replies: The end of mortality has taken over Enkidu..His fate lies heavy upon me. Utnapishtim, aware that Gilgamesh is unable to face his reality, tries to make him understand: There is no permanence..It is only the nymph of the dragonfly, that sheds her larva and sees the sun in its glory. Metaphorically using the dragon fly, Utnapishtim clearly lets Gilgamesh know how the story ends. Males are not mortals, only females are. They do not possess the power that everlasting life brings, only females do. Therefore they cannot procreate, only females can. After all her explaining, he stubbornly sticks with his theory that there is some kind of hope that males can obtain mortality. Knowingly, Utnapishtim agrees to test Gilgamesh. She gives him the test of the seven loaves of bread. The loaves symbolized generations. Gilg amesh stays awake only for one loaf of bread,Show MoreRelatedThe Role Of Women In The Epic Of Gilgamesh1189 Words   |  5 Pages The Epic of Gilgamesh follows a tale of two brothers tasked with defeating an all-powerful beast, yet they aren’t the most important characters in this story. Without their wisdom and guidance, Gilgamesh and Enkidu’s journey would have ended a lot sooner, and Gilgamesh would have still rampaged in Uruk, never bringing peace to those who were below him. 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