Tablet VII:
Here we find out how the gods feel that the things Enkidu and Gilgamesh have done, such as killing Huwawa, cutting down the tallest cedar in the Forest, and killing the Bull of Heaven, is a disrespect to them and decide one of them must die. I find that is is really unjust how only one of them is punished directly when they did all of those things together and encouraged by Gilgamesh, although because of Enkidu's death and suffering, Gilgamesh seems to be really hurt and lonely and feels guilty. They decided Enkidu should be the one to die because the god Enlil said that Gilgamesh, who was the gifted one, should not be punished. I think this might represent how nature clashes with civilization. Here we have the perfect example of how when the wilderness is civilized and is forced to live like we say, it doesn't matter to us that we are totally changing their way of life and everything they have always known and even turning them against their Mother Nature, as we see is what happened in the Cedar Forest and with the gazelles, That the consequences may be severe for us as well as for them.
Towards the end of the tablet we see that Enkidu kind of blames Gilgamesh, the harlot, and everyone who took him away from nature and the creatures for what is happening to him now. He feels that everything would have been perfect if he had never come to the city, and by what I can tell from his dream, he feels abandoned by Gilgamesh as he is being the only one punished. I also think that is really unfair, but I think that he has fulfilled his purpose of being 'the companion' and must now die to continue towards the future.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
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