Dan Stasson
Mosaic 1
Professor Sigman
5 December 2012
The Roles and Influence of Women in Gilgamesh and Joseph’s Story
In many societies, women play various functions like mothers, sisters, and leaders. Historical literatures like the Bible, Gilgamesh or even the Koran has had many women play diverse functions in the society or in the religious sector. By comparing the different roles that women played in both literatures like the Bible and Gilgamesh, we can be able to comprehend the role of women in both societies (Mitchell 80). Furthermore, these roles will be an eye opener to the type of society that these women lived in. These women managed to expand themselves to fit into the various circumstances that they found themselves in as well as become important in their society. Through Potiphar’s wife in Joseph’s story and the women of Gilgamesh, this essay seeks to understand how literature represents women in the society.
Women in Gilgamesh are represented by employing various characters. For instance, the character Ishtar has been depicted to take the role of a lover. In the novel, she is the goddess who desires to win the heart of Gilgamesh at all cost. When her mission fails, she endeavors to murder him. This destroyer-goddess known as Ishtar asks Gilgamesh to marry her when he returned victorious over Humbaba. Ishtar descends to Uruk talks to the king Gilgamesh saying “Marry me, give me your luscious fruits, be my husband, be my sweet man. I will give you abundance beyond your dreams” (Mitchell 130-1). Moreover, Ishtar desired to make Gilgamesh respected and feared by everyone, wealthy, and his kingdom fertile. All Gilgamesh had to do was marry Ishtar. Nevertheless, Gilgamesh failed to accept Ishtar’s proposal. Gilgamesh responds, “Your price is too high, such riches are far beyond my means. Tell me, how could I ever repay you [….] And what would happen