From The Epic of Gilgamesh, it is clear that Gilgamesh and Enkidu complement each other and have strong mutual feelings for each other. Are they a gay...

It is not
really implied in this poem that Gilgamesh and Enkidu are a gay couple. Certainly they are
extremely close, they come to share a very deep bond, and Gilgamesh is inconsolable at Enkidus
death. However, to suggest that they have some kind of homosexual relationship is probably more
reflective of modern critical trends than of the poem itself. Rather their relationship may be
characterized as a homosocial one, that is to say they share a very
close male friendship, as though they were brothers. This depiction of homosocial relationships
is common to the ancient heroic tradition: think of the friendship between Achilles and
Patrocles in Homers Iliad, where Achilles is similarly devastated by the
death of Patrocles and sets out to wreak revenge. The heroes of ancient epic, then, are often
portrayed as having a close male friend with whom they ride to battle and share all other manner
of dangers and adventures. Their bond is strengthened by all the activities that they share
together, but such relationships do not need to have a sexual element.

There
is more of a case for regarding Gilgamesh and Enkidu as being representative of the different
sides of the human psyche. Although there are some similarities between them, like their great
strength and bravery, the differences between the two are more noteworthy €“ and they are
consciously conceived as being opposites. Gilgamesh is the worldly-wise, cultured king, at the
very centre of human society whereas Enkidu lives out in caves far from human habitation and
among wild beasts, and himself appears as rough, hairy, completely unrefined. Gilgamesh
represents worldly knowledge, custom, and civilization; Enkidu is a savage, representing the
wilder, untutored side of the human psyche. In a word, he symbolizes nature. Yet these two come
together and form a powerful bond €“ they are not shown to be antithetical, but capable of
co-existence. Indeed, it goes further than that. The story of Gilgamesh and Enkidu shows how
really one is incomplete without the other. Their friendship represents a uniting of opposites,
and suggests that both are needed in order to lead a whole and rounded-out
existence.