num_pages: 24
description: Gilgamesh, half-god and half-man, in his loneliness and isolation becomes a cruel tyrant over the citizens of Uruk. To impress them forever he orders a great wall to be built, driving his people to exhaustion and despair so that they cry to the Sun God for help. In answer, another kind of man, Enkidu, is sent to earth to live among the animals and learn kindness from them. He falls in love with Shamhat, a singer from the temple, and he follows her back to Uruk. There, Enkidu, the “uncivilized” beast from the forest, shows the evil Gilgamesh through friendship what it means to be human.
language: English
title: Gilgamesh the King
titlecomplete: Gilgamesh the King (Gilgamesh Trilogy, The)
characters: Shamhat, Enkidu, Gilgamesh
genres: Classics, Adventure, Historical, History, Picture Books, Ancient History, Childrens, School, Literature, Mythology
ratings_count: 853
places: Iraq
series: The Gilgamesh Trilogy
publisher: Tundra Books