Seduction Leads To Destruction English Literature Essay

A harlot slowly approaches a savage man, who drinks and eats grass from the hills with the opposite animals. The harlot bares her breasts and gives her tempting physique to the savage man, for when he “murmurs like to her the wild beasts that shared his life within the hills will reject him” (Sandars 64). For six days and 7 nights they lay collectively, till the savage man is totally glad with the harlot. Little does this savage man, Enkidu, from The Epic of Gilgamesh, know that by being seduced by the harlot, the unforeseeable results of this motion will power him to his inevitable demise. The notion that “seduction results in destruction” is clearly evident within the characters of Gilgamesh and Enkidu from The Epic of Gilgamesh. That is essential as a result of this notion exemplifies the archetype of girls seen all through historic literary works corresponding to The Epic of Gilgamesh.

The Epic of Gilgamesh instantly dives into this theme that “temptation results in destruction” as a result of the scene of Enkidu and the harlot is offered within the first few pages. By being seduced by the harlot, Enkidu unintentionally forsakes his savage and animal nature. Upon arriving again to his animal pals, Enkidu startles them and “when the wild creatures noticed him they fled”, as if he had by no means drunk or eaten with them – erased from their existence (Sandars 65). The animals seem to acknowledge a change in Enkidu; Enkidu begins to understand as he chases after his animal brethren that he doesn’t have the endurance and energy he as soon as embodied as if “his physique was sure as if with a wire” (Sandars 65). At this level, Enkidu has now been invested with the “present” of knowledge and “the ideas of a person in his coronary heart” after he has lain with the harlot (Sanders 65). This knowledge grants Enkidu the information of self-recognition and this information could also be that stigma the animals have in opposition to Enkidu. In any case, Enkidu has now been faraway from his primordial way of life and begins his journey into humanity.

A distinction used to separate civilized man from savage beasts is the flexibility to put on garments. Within the story, quickly after the harlot has lain with Enkidu, she garments him and instructs him on tips on how to eat the bread she has supplied, for he has solely “suck the milk of untamed animals” (Sandars 67). Along with the bread, the harlot gives wine for Enkidu as nicely. The act of Enkidu consuming wine and bread is very similar to receiving Communion in Christianity, by which an individual receives the physique and blood of Christ, in order that an individual can settle for and permit Christ to change into part of him/her. On this case, Enkidu accepts humanity and all its greatness and pitfalls into his life. Enkidu then anoints himself with oil – the same act that’s carried out when infants are baptized and adolescents are confirmed within the Christian faith as strategy to finalize a ceremony of passage. Though Christianity doesn’t seem till lengthy after The Epic of Gilgamesh, the pull of archetypal behaviors seems all through man’s historical past. Due to this fact after anointing himself, Enkidu is asserted a person and unknowingly declares the start of his destruction.

Enkidu’s journey to grasp what it means to be a civilized man, begins with brawl of brawn in opposition to the king of Uruk, Gilgamesh, who befriends him after the match. Collectively, the duo develops a friendship and deal with conditions all through Uruk. Their first true problem lies within the forest, ironic that Enkidu should be out of the confines of a walled metropolis of civilization to check his may in opposition to the character that first raised him. The 2 confront Humbaba, protector of the forest. Enkidu pleads that as a result of Gilgamesh does “not know this monster and that’s the reason why he afraid,” however Enkidu is aware of Humbaba and is terrified (Sandars 80). Gilgamesh delivers the primary blow to Humbaba whereas Enkidu contemplates whether or not or not if he ought to strike Humbaba as a result of the creature didn’t preemptively strike, however is merely defending what it values and cherishes. By means of the persuasion of Gilgamesh, Enkidu releases his hesitations and declares that “the strongest of males will fall to destiny if he has no judgment” (Sandars 82). Due to this fact Enkidu executes a deafening strike to Humbaba which serves because the destruction of the spirit of the animal nature that after embodied Enkidu. Collectively the 2 proceed to strike Humbaba till it’s destroyed after which relish of their victory over the creature.

Nowhere up so far within the story does Enkidu make the most of his recognition of being a civilized human as a strategy to exert energy over these which might be animals. Enkidu, who first lives as a person that carries the traits of an animal, by no means declares that humanity and civilization as a complete are higher than his earlier life with animals when he’s reworked right into a civilized man after the seduction by the harlot. The seduction by the harlot has now led to the destruction of Enkidu’s animal nature, however the destruction of his civilized human nature will quickly comply with.

In distinction to the seduction of Enkidu by the harlot, and the way he keen lays along with her, Gilgamesh is seduced by the goddess, Ishtar, and spurns her try to seduce him. Ishtar is the traditional Babylonian goddess of affection and fertility, and so when Gilgamesh denies Ishtar’s supply to “grant [her] the seed of [his body]” and “let [her] be [his] bride” and reminds her of her former lovers, Gilgamesh goes so far as proposing an ironic query to the goddess of affection of whether or not or not she in reality liked her lovers (Sandars 85). This resolution by Gilgamesh appears out of character when in comparison with when he’s described in the beginning of the story – a person who went out of his strategy to sleep with the bride of newly married earlier than the husband might. Gilgamesh’s resolution to disclaim Ishtar’s temptation is a key turning level in Gilgamesh’s journey of higher understanding himself and humanity as a complete as a result of he longer is self-indulged and genuinely cares for others.

Ishtar turns into enraged by this deprecation that Gilgamesh unleashes upon her and her standing as a goddess. She then stories the state of affairs regarding Gilgamesh to her father, Anu, and asks that he offers her the Bull of Heaven to avenge her honor and “destroy Gilgamesh” and to “fill Gilgamesh…with vanity to his destruction” (Sandars 87). The Bull of Heaven is summoned to come across Gilgamesh and Enkidu, however the energy of the 2 comrades outmatches that of the creature. Gilgamesh then “tore out the Bull’s proper thigh and tossed it” on the face of Ishtar, who’s tremendously insulted and plans to retaliate by sending a illness with which Enkidu will change into (Sandars 88).

The illness strikes Enkidu swiftly and inside a matter of days, Enkidu nears his inevitable demise. Throughout this time, Enkidu renounces his expertise with the harlot, which turned him away from the animals, and curses her, however the god, Shamash, causes that Enkidu would have by no means style “bread match for gods and drink wine of kings”, by no means wore lovely garments, and by no means identified of Gilgamesh’s friendship (Sandars 91). Shamash merely solely assuages and placates Enkidu’s perspective towards his personal inevitable destiny and demise as a result of he doesn’t comprehend what his objective in life is. Enkidu was created to be the counter-half of Gilgamesh, in order that the folks of Uruk might reside with out the brash rule of Gilgamesh. When Enkidu curses the harlot, who seduced him and gave him new life as a civilized man, he’s condemning the thought of his personal existence and why he should endure the illness. This destruction of Enkidu is caused by the occasions after his expertise with the harlot, and these occasions are merely items of a puzzle that finally unveil the destined destruction of himself.

Gilgamesh is overcome by his pal’s destruction and begins a journey to discover a strategy to resurrect his beloved pal and the key to immortality. Gilgamesh acquires information that a man, who was a mere mortal, now has the immortality of a god. With this data, Gilgamesh decides to seek out this man in hopes that he can present the key to eternal life. When Gilgamesh has what he wishes, a plant that rejuvenates the outdated, he begins his journey again to Uruk in order that he and the elders can obtain the rejuvenation that the plant gives. Gilgamesh takes a swim one evening, however “deep within the pool there was mendacity a serpent, and the serpent sense the sweetness of the flower” (Sandars 117). The serpent snatches the plant and subsequently sheds its pores and skin because it has been rejuvenated by the plant’s powers. Gilgamesh’s journey, whereas virtually full, crumbles right into a journey in useless when destiny intervenes and robs Gilgamesh the chance for immortality and to resurrect his pal.

The snake that steals the plant from Gilgamesh bears gentle on the concept that Gilgamesh is led to the destruction of shedding his expensive pal and the plant that gives immortality due to his personal “snake.” The snake is a historic reference to the male penis and performs a vital function in how The Epic of Gilgamesh concludes. Originally of the story, Gilgamesh makes use of his “snake” to exert his reign as king and seduces newlywed brides, and sarcastically by the top of the story, a snake is what destroys the completion of Gilgamesh’s journey and any hopes for immortality. Gilgamesh should then face the fact of Enkidu’s demise, however extra importantly, he should face the fact of his mortality. Enkidu additionally turns into destroyed by his “snake” when he turns into seduced by the harlot, an necessary and praised lady of affection, after which the goddess of affection, Ishtar sends a illness to destroy him. Each Gilgamesh and Enkidu are betrayed by their sexual longings – each are destroyed after they give in to the seduction of girls.