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Gilgamesh Conflict Analysis

Decent Essays
In the beginning of Chapter 3 of the epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh is faced with a difficult decision: should he reject the goddess of love and war, Ishtar’s romantic advances? It may appear that Gilgamesh should have accepted Ishtar’s offer of marriage, as the rejection led to the death hundreds of innocent citizens of Uruk. On the surface, the epic could easily mislead the reader to believe this is the case, but without further analysis, the reader may miss the epic’s major character flaws that would have made a relationship between Gilgamesh and Ishtar catastrophic. Through studying the behavioral tendencies each character possesses, this misunderstanding can be addressed. Through this study, it becomes clear that Gilgamesh’s pride and Ishtar’s sharp temper prove that a relationship between them should not happen because this combination of traits tend to escalate each other to extreme levels of conflict. In order to prove this claim, the paper will be structured to follow the order of the plot. I will be focusing on Gilgamesh’s harsh rejection to Ishtar, and how it begins to undermine any chance of a healthy relationship between them. Then, I will be analyzing Ishtar’s reaction to the insults, and then I will be studying Gilgamesh’s celebration to his victory over Ishtar. For each component, I will be studying how Gilgamesh’s pride and Ishtar’s temper escalate their conflict.
Gilgamesh and Ishtar would make a poor couple because Gilgamesh’s pride and Ishtar’s short
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