Gilgamesh and Roland the Epic of Gilgamesh Essay

Gilgamesh and Roland

The Epic of Gilgamesh and the Song of Roland

Throughout history, women have often played an important, albeit often unseen influence. In fact, much of the history of the human race centers on the actions of men; the kings and warriors who have performed great deeds. And much of literature is also focused on the actions and deeds of men. But hidden within the lines of text in some of the greatest literature in the world lie secret clues to the role of women in their respective cultures. Whether it is ancient literature, or medieval, even though most of the stories will center around men, women characters, who often play a peripheral role, can provide a glimpse into the way women were viewed by that culture. Two such pieces of great literature are The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Song of Roland, and while both involve the deeds of great warriors and larger-than-life battles, both also contain peripheral women characters which play an important role, not only within the story itself, but as a guide to the role of women in society. But as each contains clues to the role of women in society, each seems to provide an opposite view of women. While The Epic of Gilgamesh presents women in the as the bringers of pleasure, this pleasure is associated with civilization and civilized behavior. On the other hand is The Song of Roland, which also present women as the bringers of pleasure, or love, but women are not so much associated with civilization but as having an association with barbaric and uncivilized behavior.

The Epic of Gilgamesh is an ancient Sumerian poem that dates from the 18th century B.C., and is often said to be the first work of literature in the genre of epic poems. It tells the tale of Gilgamesh, the king of Uruk, and Enkido, a wild man from an uncivilized land. These two ultimately become friends, and together embark on a number of adventures, but before that, Gilgamesh must civilize Enkido. This is done through the actions of a prostitute named Shamhat, who is hired to lure Enkido away from his wild life and into the life of a civilized person. She is to do this by engaging in sexual intercourse with him, teaching him her "woman's art, for when he murmurs love to you the wild beasts that shared his life in the hills will reject him." ("The Epic of Gilgamesh," p.5) However, while the style of the poem is ceremonial in nature, and often removed from ordinary, everyday speech, is does not use terminology that can be considered to be unflattering towards women. For instance, Shamhat is more often called a "harlot," and "prostitute," rather than her own name, and she is also described as "unashamed to take him, [and] she made herself naked and welcomed his eagerness…" ("The Epic of Gilgamesh," p.5) Women may be representative of civilization, something that can be used to lure men away from the wild, but within civilized society, women seem to have a subservient and secondary role. Shamhat's role is the bringer of pleasure, and nothing else. And while pleasure may be associated with…