Gilgameshs and Scrooges Character Changes Essay - 474 Words

Gilgameshs and Scrooges Character Changes The character Gilgamesh from Epic of Gilgamesh and the character Scrooge from Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol grow during their respective storylines and experience a number of character changes. Through a series of trials, one sees both Gilgamesh and Scrooge transform from powerful but selfish individuals to beings possessing kindness and empathy. In the beginning, Gilgamesh is a fantastic athlete and warrior. As one would expect from an individual who is two thirds god and one third man, his beauty, strength and courage surpassed all others. He built great walls for his city and temples for the gods. Gilgameshs flaw, however, is that he is a poor king. He is known for†¦show more content†¦More importantly, the friendship that is formed after their battle eases Gilgameshs lonesomeness and is the first step towards his socialization. The next improvement that we see in Gilgamesh involves his voyage to the Cedar Forest where he and Enkidu kill Humbaba. Gilgameshs motives are both for his personal gain and for the good of his people. Gilgamesh is honored for his actions and the people of Uruk enjoy the newly opened Cedar Forest. The destruction of Humbaba and opening of the Cedar Forest provides more resources for the people of Uruk and betters their lives. Here we see Gilgamesh uncharacteristically thinking with others in mind. Right when Gilgamesh seems to be making progress in becoming a better king, however, he returns to a state of selfishness after Enkidus death. Rather than remaining in Uruk, as he should, he travels to find Utnapishtim in search of immortality. During Gilgameshs search for immortality, we once again see improvement in his character. When Utnapishtim offers Gilgamesh a rejuvenating plant, Gilgamesh plans to give it to the elderly in Uruk rather than keeping it to himself. Here we see that Gilgamesh has been humbled. Although a snake steals the rejuvenating plant, Gilgamesh still learns a great deal from his journey. From Utnapishtim, Gilgamesh learns a great deal about immortality as well as responsibility. This knowledge is the final step in Gilgameshs transition to a good