gilgamesh
...mesh. He grows to love Enkidu as his dearest friend and the two set out on a journey to destroy Humbaba, the source of many evils. While this seems to be a good deed on the surface, Gilgamesh only wishes to further extend his own glory: “We must prove ourselves more powerful than he is” (Herbert, 17). Enkidu is killed during their adventures and Gilgamesh is filled with a sorrowful rage. He sets out on a journey to find the key to immortality so that his friend may live again. Once again, it appears on the surface that Gilgamesh is doing a good deed. However, having a good understanding of his character, one could interpret this as a selfish action. In finding the key to immortality to save the life of his friend, he will also be saving himself from his own impending doom. Since Gilgamesh is part human, he is mortal like any other human. One could interpret the anger Gilgamesh displays over the death of Enkidu as anger at the fact that he too will also die. Enkidu was equal to Gilgamesh in many ways, so if he could not escape death, then there is no hope for Gilgamesh. Realizing this, he embarks on a desperate search to find the secret for eternal life. Throughout the epic Gilgamesh struggles with the thought of his own mortality and until Enkidu dies he...