Discuss the similarities and differences between the representations of the heroic figures of Gilgamesh (in the Epic of Gilgamesh) and David (in the Hebrew Bible)

Question

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Answer 1

The historical Gilgamesh was the fourth king of Uruk, ruling sometime between 2700 and 2500 BCE. Portrayed as two parts god and one part human, Gilgamesh is described as having originally oppressed his people. Hearing the pleas of the people for relief, the gods create a rival, Enkidu, to challenge him. Their confrontation is an example of the struggle between nature, represented by Enkidu, and civilization, represented by Gilgamesh. The contest ends in a draw, and the two become best friends. Later, the gods decree that Enkidu must die and he suffers a long, painful death. Dismayed at the prospect of his own mortality, Gilgamesh embarks on a journey to find the secret of eternal life but ultimately attains nothing except an understanding of his own human mortality.
The figure of David in the books of Samuel in the Hebrew Bible is, like Gilgamesh, based on a historical figure—in his case, on David, King of Israel until 961 BCE, who captured Jerusalem from the Canaanites and made it the capital of Israel. Like Gilgamesh, David had a negative side: he was portrayed as being capable of treachery, sending one of his soldiers, Uriah, to certain death in battle so that he could marry his widow, Bathsheba. Like Gilgamesh, David also suffered great sorrow, occasioned by the death of his son Absalom.