Friday, 25 December 2009

How is Gilgamesh a tyrant in the beginning of The Epic of Gilgamesh?

At the
beginning of , prior to the death of his friend Enkidu, Gilgamesh is portrayed as a tyrant in a
number of ways.

As two-thirds god and one-third human, Gilgamesh had immense
power. He was known for killing the sons of his own people and raping their daughters.


His actions showed him to be arrogant, conceited, vain and egotistical, and other gods
were disgusted by his behavior. Right from the beginning of The Epic, Gilgamesh invested his
time in anything that was despicable. Having been conceived by a goddess, he had not only
extraordinary strength, but status as well.

He would compel young men to
participate in an unknown activity which was despised by them. It is not known what this
activity was, but it was described as being forced onto the young men "day and
night".

As the eternal "bad boy" Gilgamesh irresponsibly led
his friend Enkidu into the Cedar Forest to fight Humbaba, despite having been advised that this
was a terrible idea.

It must be noted that...

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