The story itself has been recovered from the writings of students who used the story as practice material. It begins with Gilgamesh, King of Uruk, who treats his subjects poorly. Wanting to be protected from the king’s cruel intentions, the people call upon the gods to create someone equal in strength to Gilgamesh so that he might let the people of Uruk rest. In response, the gods create Enkidu. Wild in nature, Enkidu must be civilized and sent to Gilgamesh. A prostitue named Shamhat is sent to accomplish this task and Enkidu is transformed. No longer able to lead his former lifestyle, he foll

The strength or power of the gods also reflects social values that may have been important to the population. The militant nature of Gilgamesh and his social standing with his people shows the role of a warrior must have been valued within society. As such, Gilgamesh’s portrayal is that of an ideal warrior, both strong and brave. His qualities as a heroic king are many. He is powerful, impulsive, sexually aggressive, wants to conquer the wilderness and protect his people. He is also determined and reflects upon his internal feelings, almost philosophically, as he eventually confronts his own mortality. In the beginning of the story, Gilgamesh is a bad king. Now, we see he is now worried about his mortality. Even as an example of an ideal warrior, Gilgamesh is flawed. As a mortal, he must eventually die. Additionally, the power of kings in that society was probably absolute. In the beginning of the epic, it is the gods that must redirect Gilgamesh’s actions away from harming the population, not the population itself.

The Epic of Gilgamesh is thought to have begun as an oral tradition before the story was finally recorded. The innovation of written language in the form of Cuneiform made it possible for the story to finally be recorded. As with all oral traditions, myths and stories often change from telling to telling. We therefore should assume that at the time of it’s recording, the epic had evolved into a snapshot of the personal biases, beliefs and practices of the people recording the story. The many ancient tablets that bore this epic were only uncovered two hundred years ago wit

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