Gilgamesh

The ancient epic Gilgamesh is the story of a king, Gilgamesh, who lost his best

friend, Enkidu, to death. As a result of this Gilgamesh goes on a journey, spiritual and

physical, in learning to cope with death and grief. Both, Enkidu and Gilgamesh, undergo

dramatic changes in each of their own lives in that they both experience a loss of

innocence. Gilgamesh went from being a cold, heartless king to being a loving friend who

had a great deal of trouble dealing with the loss of a loved one. Enkidu’s turning point in

his life was when he crossed over from the animal world into the human world.

Gilgamesh at one point in his life cared for no one other than himself until he knew

what it felt like to lose one’s best friend. This experience gave him a deeper understanding

of the importance of each individual. At first he did not care for his people or what they

had to say. Once when a hunter came to him to ask him to send a prostitute to Enkid...