In The Epic of Gilgamesh, women play a variety of roles, both good and evil in nature.
On one hand, women are presented as a civilizing force and source of wisdom. Shamhat the sacred prostitute is more than just an object to be used by men for pleasure; she is vital in Enkidu's development from wild man to full-fledged member of human society. Intercourse with her for six days and seven nights is not meant merely to provide him with a good time, but to initiate him into the adult human world and make him whole as an intelligent individual. Shamhat also clothes and feeds Enkidu when his animal companions abandon him, providing a maternal bent to their bond as well. Gilgamesh's mother, Ninsun, is also presented in a positive, supportive light, looking out for her son and giving him guidance. These characters show the male ones how to best live in the world.
On the other hand, women in Gilgamesh can be dangerous destabilizers of human society as well. The goddess Ishtar reacts badly when Gilgamesh rejects her advances, referencing how poorly she's treated her former lovers. Concerned with nothing but getting back at Gilgamesh, she sends the Bull of Heaven down to wreak havoc upon the earth, destroying terrain and killing many. Ishtar in this way represents the dark side of the feminine— overemotional and destructive when men do not bow to her will. She's even able to force her father, Anu, to lend her the Bull of Heaven when she threatens to raise the dead to feed upon the living.
So in the end, the story shows women both as wise nurturers and spiteful destroyers.
The role played by women is one of the central themes in The Epic of Gilgamesh and the author successfully and effectively utilized different female characters to represent and portray different aspects and concept of women in the Mesopotamian society. The epic story looks into humanity's pursuit for immortality as well as the significance of boundaries between the realms occupied by gods, humans and animals. To a large extend, the story focuses on Gilgamesh, the King of Uruk who is partly god and partly human.
The role of women in The Epic of Gilgamesh is both complex and multifaceted. In one portrayal, women come out as sex objects and this has been illustrated at the start of the story where Gilgamesh the King rapes and violates any woman he sees fit. Additionally, in the story, Jastrow & Albert (2010) describe how Shamhat, a priestess is forced to go into the wilderness to have intercourse with Enkidu who is a beast. Nonetheless, women have been represented as people with unique wisdom and skills. While Shamhat may have been sent to have intercourse with the beast Enkidu, she played a vital role in transforming him into a civilized person. For instance, Shamhat was actively involved in teaching Enkidu different aspects of humanity such as food and clothing. In addition to this, Jastrow & Albert (2010) show women's wisdom through Siduri, a tavern keeper who after being consulted by Gilgamesh about eternal life, she wisely tells him to forget about immortality and instead concentrate on understanding what it means to be human. In regards to this, Siduri tells Gilgamesh "fill your belly with good things, dance and be merry for this too is the lot of man" (102). As such, women have been represented as valuable advisors particularly to men and this allows them to influence men's decisions.
Women have also been used in the story to represent the locative boundaries. Different female characters have been used to set these boundaries and they include Shamhat, Siduri, and Ishtar among others. Shamhat the priestess represents the boundary between beasts/animals and humans and this is seen through her relationship with Enkidu. In addition to this, Ninsun, Gilgamesh's mother effectively keeps his son Gilgamesh in check in his pursuit for immortality. After Gilgamesh dreamt of axes and meteors, his mother Ninsun understands the meaning and advices him in a way that will ensure he remains in his place.
In conclusion, while the role and representation of women in the story may seem complex and even confusing at first due to diversified and wide range of characters, the story brings out different aspects of women. Women are represented as tools of sex, possess varied perceptions and attitudes towards sexuality, act as valuable advisors and act as the boundary between different locative boundaries.
Works Cited
Jastrow, Morris. and Albert T. Clay. The Epic of Gilgamesh. Los Angeles, California: Indo-European Publishing.com, 2010.
In The Epic of Gilgamesh, women play the role of destroyers. They are portrayed as dangerous, cunning, and ruthless. For instance, Ishtar asks for Gilgamesh’s hand in marriage and promises that she will fulfil his deepest desires. However, Gilgamesh is cautious due to Ishtar’s previous relationships, all of which ended dreadfully. He reminds her of how badly she treated her former lovers when things did not go her way.
Women in the epic poem also play the role of mothers. One of the main characters in the poem is Ninsun, Gilgamesh’s mother. She is always supportive of her son. For instance, she asks Shamash, the Sun God, to give Gilgamesh favor as he goes to Humbamba’s home. She begs the Sun God:
“Entrust him to the care of the watches of the night!” (Tablet III).
The caring nature of a mother is revealed when Ninsun asks Shamash to guide and protect Gilgamesh.
Women play a complex role in the society portrayed by The Epic of Gilgamesh. On the one hand, they are treated as sex objects. At the beginning of the story, Gilgamesh rapes any woman he wants to, and the priestess/prostitute (depending on your translation) Shamhat is sent into the wilderness to have intercourse with Enkidu.
However, women also represented wisdom. Shamhat, for example, may have been used as a sex object, but the act of intercourse began the process of Enkidu's civilization from beast to man. Shamhat also taught Enkidu about clothing and human food, for instance. Another example of a woman representing wisdom is Siduri, the tavern keeper whom Gilgamesh asks about eternal life. Siduri tells Gilgamesh to stop focusing on immortality--an attribute of the gods--and instead focus on what it means to be human.
Let your stomach be full, always be happy, night and day, make every day a delight, night and day play and dance. Your clothes should be clean, your head should be washed, you should be bathe in water. Look proudly on the little one holding your hand. Let your mate be always blissful in your lions. This, then, is the work of mankind (Tablet X).
It is telling that Siduri had the "proper" view of life, while Gilgamesh--a great king--did not.
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