The epic poem of Gilgamesh is recognized as one of the earliest works of literature, dating back to the existence of ancient Mesopotamia. Since then, many versions of the story have been published, including David Ferry's Gilgamesh. Regardless of the version, they all contain the same plot. In the epic poem, Gilgamesh is a tyrannical king of Uruk, Mesopotamia, and the people of the city cry out to the gods to bring them peace through his rule. Throughout his reign, Gilgamesh sexually exploited women and killed men at will. As a result, the gods create a man named Enkidu and appoint him as Gilgamesh's companion, with the aim of making him a better king. Gilgamesh understands his obligations as king, but he fails and succeeds in fulfilling them. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayOne of Gilgamesh's obligations is to protect his people. As king, Gilgamesh has absolute authority over his people, but he exercises his power arbitrarily. In one case, Gilgamesh attends a wedding and “Before the husband, Gilgamesh will lie/in pleasure with the bride in the marital chamber” (2.2.14). In other words, Gilgamesh thinks he has the right to sleep with whoever he wants and disregards the consent of women. This reckless action arouses fear among the people of Uruk, and as a result, the old men resent Gilgamesh and beg the gods to lighten some of their burden. Gilgamesh is said to be the “protector of the people,” but “neither the father’s son nor the noble’s wife; neither the mother’s daughter nor the warrior’s wife were safe” (1.2.4). The people of Gilgamesh no longer trust him and not only need protection from others outside of Uruk, but also within the city from their uncontrollable king. The gods respond by creating a kindred spirit, Enkidu, who will protect the virgin wives of Uruk and the men of Gilgamesh. Although the people of Uruk failed to receive protection from within their city, they were protected from outside forces thanks to Gilgamesh. For example, Gilgamesh built an “outer wall [that]/ shines in the sun like the brightest copper; the inner wall / is beyond the imagination of kings” (1.1.3). Gilgamesh had many accomplishments as king, such as irrigating fields, digging wells, and planting orchards, but his greatest achievement was building the city walls (1.1.3-4). Indeed, the geography of Mesopotamia consisted of flat, arid plains which made its cities easy to attack. Gilgamesh therefore built the walls to defend his people against potential enemies. Additionally, the city of Uruk had a powerful army capable of defeating its enemies in battles. This was because Gilgamesh was "the vanguard and rearguard of the army/the Shadow of Darkness on the enemy's field/the Web, the Flood that rises to sweep away/the walls of extraterrestrial cities” (1.1.4). These descriptions of Gilgamesh suggest that he devoted all his strength to the battles against the enemies of Uruk and was even capable of facing them alone. Through his strength, Gilgamesh was able to prevent these “foreign cities” from entering his and attacking his people. Another obligation of Gilgamesh is to be selfless. Gilgamesh finds himself deeply grieving the loss of his companion, Enkidu, and he fears his own death. He leaves his people and undertakes a dangerous journey into the desert to “discover how to avoid death” (1.9.48). He threatens to abandon his duties as king and "wander in unknown places, searching" if he.