Gilgamesh I And Thou Analysis

At a glance, one may assume that The Epic of Gilgamesh and I and Thou have no relation to each other. This can be believed when the plots of the epic and book, respectively, are taken into account. The Epic of Gilgamesh is an epic poem written by ancient, anonymous authors that tells the story of Gilgamesh, the King of Uruk, and how he gradually becomes a noble king through a series of events, with his best friend Enkidu by his side. I and Thou is a book written by Martin Buber in 1923. This book is about how humans find meaningfulness for their lives through relationships with objects and with others. In all aspects, these two pieces of fine literature can appear to be virtually opposite. However, when carefully dissected, these works can be connected in many ways. One way these works are connected is through Gilgamesh’s and Enkidu’s I-Thou relationship. Before the details of Gilgamesh’s and Enkidu’s I-Thou relationship can be explained, it is important to understand the background information on both pieces of literature. Briefly, The Epic of Gilgamesh begins with an explanation of how Gilgamesh is a terrible king. The story progresses to when Gilgamesh meets Enkidu and the two become the best of friends; a ceremony is even performed for them to be considered brothers. As the epic continues, the two go on adventures together and their bond grows even stronger. Unfortunately, Enkidu ends up dying due to the trouble the friends got themselves into. As a result, Gilgamesh all but loses his mind due to the …show more content…
Enkidu’s and Gilgamesh’s kinship was I-Thou, especially when considering Martin Buber’s quote:
No purpose intervenes between I and You, no greed and no anticipation; and longing itself is changed as it plunges from the dream into appearance. Every means is an obstacle. Only where all means have disintegrated encounters occur (page