Within most Western civilizations today the manner we are socialized or called into being is completed through our integrating with others. Similarly, one of the oldest plants of literature, The Epic of Gilgamesh, surrounds the issue of necessitating connexion and assimilation with others. Matching the traditions of socialisation from every bit tardily as 2000 BCE with present twenty-four hours, this is “ an old narrative, but one that can still be told, about a adult male who loved and lost a friend to decease and learned he lacked the power to convey him back to life ” ( Mason, 1 ) . The heroic poem Mesopotamian verse form revolves around the complementing friendly relationship between two characters: Gilgamesh and Enkidu. Created by the Gods in order to deflect Gilgamesh from tyrannising the metropolis of Uruk, Enkidu was a wild adult male who would one twenty-four hours learn Gilgamesh many of import lessons. The comrades ‘ quest to suppress the defender of the Cedar Mountain, Humbaba, every bit good as the murder of the Bull of Heaven finally leads to the sentencing of Enkidu ‘s decease. As a terrible unwellness overtakes the character of Enkidu, both he and Gilgamesh rapidly learn that fright and decease are inevitable. As decease reaches his friend, nevertheless, Gilgamesh is left to contemplate how he can get away human death and go immortal. Acting as a ghostly dual, Enkidu haunts his opposite number, finally disturbing Gilgamesh ‘s construct of self-identity. The Godhead order which is developed through the debut of Enkidu, the doppelganger of Gilgamesh, binds these friends both in life and decease. Through the Godhead order, Enkidu offers Gilgamesh the experiences he needs in order to turn and alter into the individual he was destined to be. In mourning the loss of his doppelganger, Enkidu, in The Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh loses his individualism as his individuality becomes subsumed with Enkidu ‘s. Get downing to take on both the visual aspect and outlook of Enkidu, it is evident that Gilgamesh is subconsciously going his lost friend. Gilgamesh ‘s loss of individuality finally leads him to happen the individual he was made to be through the acquisition that worlds are non created to be immortal ; they must merely accept the inevitableness of decease.

Every happening in one ‘s life takes topographic point harmonizing to what they need to see in order to turn and alter. This can be defined as godly order or perceptual experience held by the psyche. In order for Gilgamesh to develop into who he was born to be and rupture him apart from the oppressive way he is on, godly order takes over during the creative activity of Enkidu, the wild adult male who was one twenty-four hours to be referred to as Gilgamesh ‘s dual. As Gilgamesh becomes cognizant of the Godhead order through a dream, his female parent, Ninsun, tells him “ this bright star from Eden, this immense bowlder that you could non lift- it stands for a beloved friend, a mighty heroaˆ¦ he will be your dual, your 2nd ego, a adult male who is loyal, who will stand at your side ” ( Gilgamesh 83 ) . Reassuring Gilgamesh, Ninsun, wise and all-knowing, believes a true friend is about to blossom for her beloved boy. His female parent ‘s premises worry Gilgamesh but are soothing in the sense that he will shortly hold an equal, person like him, person to name a friend. When Gilgamesh and his equal, Enkidu, finally run into in the metropolis of Uruk, the word picture of Gilgamesh rapidly alterations due to divine order. As critic Jack Sasson pointed out: “ the Semitic poet seems to hold consciously attempted to manner one personality who would unite the foibles of his two major supporters ” , in order to uncover the function of the two-base hit within the heroic poem verse form ( 271 ) . The oncoming of the verse form describes Gilgamesh as “ a male monarch of alone possible and of boundless, [ aˆ¦ ] undirected energy ” ( Sasson, 271 ) . By and large, Gilgamesh is seen as egotistic and insensitive toward the people populating in the metropolis of Uruk. As Enkidu is introduced, nevertheless, his “ sexual surplus is destined to stop Gilgamesh ‘s ” thoughtless behavior, turning him into a contrasting “ soft, experient, unagitated, and concerned ” human being ( Sasson 271 ) . Although there are several evident differences in the early behavior of the friends, the creative activity “ was to hold been a zikru, a reproduction of Gilgamesh ” which finally led to supreme similarities and minor differences between the two characters ( Sasson, 272 ) . The creative activity of Enkidu occurred as Gilgamesh ‘s destiny depended on the experience he would derive from Enkidu.

Furthermore, the Godhead order and consciousness of the psyche are found throughout the quest that Gilgamesh and Enkidu embark on together. On their journey to get the better of the defender of the Cedar Mountain, Humbaba, the friends contemplate over whether they should take on this pursuit or non. Continuously reminding each other that they have the power to do, in the least, their names immortal, they decide they must deflect themselves from their deep frights of murdering the monstrous defender. Learning how to get the better of the ineluctable feelings of fright on their manner to their perchance lifelessly wrangle, the two friends teach each other how to get by with trepidation by leting themselves to experience like they are portion of a community. Gilgamesh ‘s new features revealed by Enkidu let him to recognize that working with others and keeping friendly relationships provides the opportunity to be portion of something more important than what may be possible separately. Strengthening their friendly relationship and enveloping the distance between them, flesh to flesh Gilgamesh and Enkidu use each other for comfort “ clasp [ ing ] custodies like brothers ” , finally, but merely momently, leting for all of their frights about decease and their ill-famed image, or merely no image at all, of themselves to melt ( Gilgamesh, 102 ) . Adhering together in both life and decease, Enkidu consoles Gilgamesh throughout their quest to kill Humbaba by reminding him that they will predominate. The re-socialization of Gilgamesh through the Godhead order has taught him the importance of community, which in due class lessens his frights of decease.

Once Enkidu has re-established Gilgamesh ‘s frights of decease, the inevitable began to take over Enkidu ‘s ain life. Angering the Gods with their violent death of Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven, the Gods announce that one of the two heroes must decease as compensation for their discourtesies. Enkidu ‘s incubus suggests that he will be the one having the penalty of decease as in his dream “ Anu said, ‘they have slaughtered the Bull of Heaven and killed Humbabaaˆ¦ hence one of the two must decease. ‘ Then Enlil said to him, ‘Enkidu, non Gilgamesh, is the 1 to decease ‘ ” ( Gilgamesh, 141 ) . Frightened by the possible truth of this enchantment, Enkidu rushes to his comrade, Gilgamesh, with the hope of happening the comfort and reassurance he seeks. His incubus turns into world as he all of a sudden falls sick and suffers awfully, deceasing 12 yearss subsequently. Leaving Gilgamesh hysterically troubled over the loss of his most favoured comrade, like Shamash had predicted, he wonders if he must besides decease. With the overpowering feeling of heartache, Gilgamesh contemplates: “ how can my head have any remainder? My beloved friend has turned into clay- my darling Enkidu has turned into clay. And wo n’t I lie down in the soil like him, and ne’er originate once more? ” ( Gilgamesh, 167-168 ) . Concerned about the loss of his beloved friend causes Gilgamesh to see what will go on to him, when will it be his bend? Although he is sorrowing for Enkidu, he is furthermore sorrowing for himself, for the realisation that decease will one twenty-four hours catch him every bit good. Additionally, he is mourning for the ground that he has lost the presence of Enkidu in his life, non truly for the loss of Enkidu. Grasping the thought that Enkidu was more than merely a friend and in fact a dual or doppelganger of him, Gilgamesh takes the sorrowing more manically that he should. Critic Jack Sasson argues that these two characters have been “ made to complement each other both physically and psychologicallyaˆ¦ and are projections of the crippled or fighting personalitiesaˆ¦ with whom the writer is chiefly concerned ” ( 273 ) . Agring with the critic, I acknowledge that Gilgamesh is the primary focal point of the verse form and besides the 1 who holds a fighting personality after the loss of his two-base hit. Unsure of what to make with himself, Gilgamesh sets out on a only pursuit to happen Utnapishtim, who had survived the great inundation and holds the cognition of the secret to immortality.

At this point in the verse form, Gilgamesh ‘s “ life became a pursuit to happen the secret of ageless life ” which he besides hoped he could take back to Uruk in order to selfishly revive Enkidu ( Mason, 47 ) . As Gilgamesh reaches Utnapishtim and petitions that he state him the secret of going immortal, Utnapishtim ‘s relation of the narrative about the inundation causes Gilgamesh to recognize how pathetic and absurd his quest for get awaying decease is. Without Enkidu by his side, nevertheless, he feels alienated from the community he one time felt a portion of and hence demands to happen the secret to ageless life in order to one time once more make happy, positive feelings for himself. Get downing to understand that decease is impossible to get away as it is portion of the human status, the cognition that humanity will go on on whether one dies or non is the thought that is rooted in Gilgamesh ‘s head. Unsuccessful in his pursuit for the secret to life, Gilgamesh loses his sense of the ego. He seems to be “ entirely as he had ne’er been entirely ” ( Mason, 46 ) . Continually seeking to happen himself, to unknot his true being like a ball of narration, Gilgamesh mourns for his loss of Enkidu and at the same clip, for the decease that he will necessarily confront.

Digesting his hurting and heartache, the mighty hero of Gilgamesh has wholly faded into that of a broken person. With the belief that taking on the function and visual aspect of his lost friend will assist him get the better of his sorrows, Gilgamesh dismisses the exterior heartache and alternatively internalise it. Turning to nature, Gilgamesh becomes the wild adult male that Enkidu one time embodied before withdrawing to the metropolis of Uruk. Intentionally taking on his comrade ‘s visual aspect, “ he had put on the teguments of animate beings and thrown himself into the dust ” and besides grew his hair long with the hope of doing the loss of his friend easier on himself along with the hope of ne’er losing the infatuation he one time held for Enkidu ( Mason, 47 ) . In the same manner that Gilgamesh takes on the physical visual aspects of Enkidu, he besides begins to portray the same outlook that his two-base hit used to busy. As he out of the blue abandons the glorification and wealth he one time boasted approximately, every bit good as his power as a baronial figure which were all one time portion of his dreams and aspirations, Gilgamesh alternatively takes on a more concerned and loving function in response to the loss of his brother. Gilgamesh ‘s journey to happen Utnapishtim entirely changes him into a new being. Many critics argue that his loss of individualism causes him to happen and redefine who he truly is before deriving a true sense of self-distinctiveness. On the return to Uruk from his journey, Gilgamesh is faced with an of import realisation taught to him by the Gods. He learns “ to eat, to imbibe, to be good clothed, and have enduring company [ are ] among the gifts that the Gods gave to mankind ” and the ageless life is non an included gift, irrespective of his actions ( Sasson, 274 ) . Becoming person else, person who was believed to be a better individual, will non alter his odds of immortality. Therefore, he must accept and appreciate the gifts that the Gods can give him while he is alive because nil more is possible for a human to obtain. Haunted by his now ghostly double, nevertheless, Gilgamesh is invariably reminded of what is no longer with him. Necessitating reassurance and advice on how to disregard non merely the external but besides the internalized heartache, Gilgamesh turns to Siduri, the God of vino. Offering him her most astute advice and conveying him back to world, Siduri states: “ you will ne’er happen the ageless life that you seek. When the Gods created world, they besides created decease, and they held back ageless life for themselves entirely ” and hence believes Gilgamesh should appreciate the ends that are merely accomplishable for him ( Gilgamesh, 168 ) .

Returning place as a refurbished adult male, Gilgamesh ‘s attitude has changed. Having found the individual he was intended to be, Gilgamesh has non merely received advice which assisted him in the dismissal of his heartache and credence of adult male ‘s fate, but besides continues to keep a strong memory of his doppelganger in his ideas. The decease of Enkidu leads Gilgamesh on the right journey, to all the right worlds and Gods, which eventually teach him the lesson of life or how to accept decease. If his doppelganger did non be or did non stalk him, Gilgamesh would hold ne’er faced the kindness from Utnapishtim and his married woman or the great advice given by Siduri. His alteration in attitude as he reaches place is renewed by his credence of life without Enkidu ; his realisation that he can be a soft, lovingness, single without a changeless sense of community. Furthermore, Gilgamesh finds that he needs to moreover appreciate the community of Uruk in order to go on being portion of something greater. As a helpful doppelganger, Enkidu has, in a apparitional mode, pushed Gilgamesh to his bounds in order to coerce him to happen himself and accept his fate.

What brought Gilgamesh out of his morbid and egoistic behavior was one of the greatest things that of all time happened to him. The Godhead order which was brought upon by Enkidu, a human created specifically to re-socialize Gilgamesh, did so learn Gilgamesh many cardinal lessons. A few of these lessons included the importance of community and friendly relationship, the inevitableness of decease, and to bask life while you can. Unfortunately, the loss of his complementary friend struck Gilgamesh in the bosom, rupturing him down and doing him to lose his sense of single individuality. Leting his heartache to wholly steep him, Gilgamesh begins to dress, believe, and speak like his lost friend, Enkidu. As his ghostly dual hangouts him throughout his quest to happen the secret to ageless life, Gilgamesh begins to happen the individual he was made to be and along with that, the existent key to life. Still troubled at the thought of decease, readers wonder why Gilgamesh would non be happy to run into his lost comrade in Heaven or in decease. His cruel and tyrannising behavior could suggest toward Gilgamesh ‘s fright of decease, for possibly he believes he will stop up someplace uninviting and unpleasant compared to that of his friend. Finally, though, plentifulness of advice and comfort from the Gods and other worlds lead Gilgamesh to accept the destiny of human life. The inevitableness of decease becomes tolerable through the find of his true ego and the memory of his beloved, lost friend. Leaving readers inquiring whether Gilgamesh now looks frontward to decease as the possibility of one time once more seeing his friend, or instead continues to in secret keep his fright of decease interior, Gilgamesh appears to hold returned merrily back to Uruk, happening acquaintance in the great walls of the metropolis.