Different Portrayals of Common Women in the Iliad and The Epic of Gilgamesh

This post will focus on specifically differences between The Epic of Gilgamesh and the Iliad. Of course, there are a myriad of differences between the two poems, but as this is but a single post and not a full-fledged paper, I will only focus on the different roles between common women in Gilgamesh and the Iliad. It is important to note that by “common” women I mean non-elite and non-divine women. In Gilgamesh we are quickly introduced to Shamhat, a temple prostitute that is sent into the wildness to sleep with Enkidu the Wildman. By sleeping with Shamhat, Enkidu is no longer accepted by the wild animals and is forced to join civilization and travel to Uruk, the city where Gilgamesh is king. Once Enkidu and Gilgamesh meet they become fast friends. The rest of the epic is a compilation of several different adventures which Enkidu and Gilgamesh undergo together. Towards the end of the epic Enkidu is chosen to die by the gods for a wrong which he and Gilgamesh committed together. On his death bed, Enkidu curses Shamhat for taking him to Uruk, and, thus, subconsciously leading him to his death (39). What happens next is extremely interesting, Shamash, a god which is revered by Enkidu and Gilgamesh throughout the epic, protects Shamhat from Enkidu’s curse. Shamash tells Enkidu that he must not curse Shamhat, for had it not been for her, Enkidu would have never traveled to Uruk and consequently would have never become friends with Gilgamesh the king.  A friendship which led to Enkidu’s lavishly exquisite lifestyle and fame.

In the Iliad, not only are common women rarely mentioned but they are never positively credited with being the cause of someone’s fame or kingly lifestyle. Moreover, they are never protected or singled out by any gods. In book one of the Iliad the only common women mentioned are those which Agamemnon and Achilles have as prizes. When these women are referenced they are most commonly referred to as inanimate objects, “a prize,” nothing more. In Gilgamesh, not only is Shamhat, a temple prostitute, singled out and protected by a god, but she is even blessed by Enkidu on his death bed. Thus, a prostitute, a most lowly position for any woman, is praised more in The Epic of Gilgamesh than any common woman or even noble woman, for that matter, in the Iliad. Of course a different case can be made for the goddesses of the Iliad, but those women are divinities. And the argument can be made that even Shamhat, a lowly prostitute, is more highly praised in Gilgamesh, than most goddesses are in the Iliad.  For most of the goddesses in the Iliad are portrayed as haughty and immature, but that is an argument for another time.

In closing, it must be made clear that I know nothing about Sumerian culture. All I know is that which I have read in The Epic of Gilgamesh. But if I had to guess, I would speculate that women were viewed with a little more magnitude and positivity in Sumerian culture than in ancient Greek culture. After all, I do know a lot about ancient Greek attitudes towards women, and it is no mistake that the ancient Greeks came up with the word “misogyny.” Ancient Greek culture viewed women quiet negatively; consequently it is no accident that the Iliad, an epic poem that reflects ancient Greek Culture, supports such negative portrayals of women.