The Characters and Qualities of Characters in the Stories the Epic of Gilgamesh and “In the Beginning”

Norman Cousins once said, “Wisdom consists of anticipation of consequences” (Brainy Quote). In order to succeed in life, one must logically think through their decisions and understand the effects of their actions. The Epic of Gilgamesh portrays the main character, Gilgamesh, as he disrespects the gods and then embarks on a journey for everlasting life. Throughout the story, Gilgamesh makes irresponsible decisions in crucial situations. Additionally, in the short story “In the Beginning,” both Adam and Eve go against God’s orders and eat from the tree of wisdom.

In turn, God is forced to punish them. The ending for these three characters proves the importance of having wisdom during decisions. In The Epic of Gilgamesh and “In the Beginning,” irrational decisions lead to consequences.

In the story Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh’s rash actions are penalized. When Gilgamesh chooses to disrespect the gods, specifically Ishtar, the text states, “They dare to criticize the goddess Ishtar…she sends the bull of heaven to ravage the land as punishment. Gilgamesh and Enkidu destroy the bull. The gods cannot tolerate such disrespect, and they decree that one of the heroes must die”(The Epic of Gilgamesh 140). The gods in Gilgamesh’s culture are known to be very ruthless and strong. Gilgamesh ignores any judgement he has and tries to test the Gods. This is irrational considering the fact that the Gods are in complete control and can punish people in any way they see fit. When he is punished for criticizing one of these gods, instead of realizing his mistake, Gilgamesh foolishly decides to destroy his own punishment, the bull of heaven. Bulls are seen as very dangerous animals and when one tries to harm them, consequences arise.

So, when Gilgamesh destroys the bull, it comes as no surprise to the readers that he is punished for it. Since Gilgamesh decided to kill the bull, the Gods decide they must kill Gilgamesh’s friend, Enkidu. Overall, Gilgamesh’s disregard to his actions lead to a cruel consequence. Additionally, towards the end of the story Gilgamesh makes a careless decision which he pays for. When Gilgamesh puts his magic plant down to wash himself, the text explains, “He went down and bathed; but deep in the pool there was lying a serpent…It rose out of the water and snatched it away…Gilgamesh sat down and wept.” (The Epic of Gilgamesh 150). Gilgamesh holds in his hand a plant that has the key to eternal life. As he stops to bathe himself, he does not check his surroundings and carelessly puts the plant down. Gilgamesh was so worried about cleaning himself that he got distracted from his main goal. In a split second, the snake snatches the plant and steals Gilgamesh’s future. Immediately, Gilgamesh realizes his mistake and cries. His entire goal at hand has been destroyed, all because of his carelessness. The snake can be seen as an obstacle of life that is thrown at Gilgamesh. Due to his thoughtless actions, Gilgamesh was not prepared for the bump in the road and ended up losing control. Overall, Gilgamesh’s careless decisions are followed by grim repercussions.

In the story “In the Beginning,” Adam and Eve’s consequences are a result of their unwise decisions. God punishes Adam for eating from the tree of wisdom as the text describes, “‘Has thou eaten of the tree…that thou shouldest not eat…I did eat’…And unto Adam he said…‘thou shalt eat the herb of the field; in sweat of thy face thou shalt eat bread, till thou return to the ground: for out of it wast thou taken, for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return’” (“In the Beginning” 167). After directly disobeying God’s wishes and eating from the tree of wisdom, Adam is given two major punishments. Adam will now have to work hard in the fields for the rest of his life and later, succumb to death along with the whole human race. Adam knows that God has created him, which shows that he holds a lot of power. For Adam to go against the direct orders of somebody who has ultimate authority over him is foolish. God gave him a good life and just as simply can take it away.

Unfortunately for Adam, God does take away these luxuries and punishes him with a tough, new reality. God then finds out what Eve has done and punishes her as the text explains, “‘The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat’…Unto the woman he said, ‘I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception…and thy desire shall be to thy and he husband shall rule over thee’” (“In the Beginning” 167). Eve made the senseless choice of listening to the serpent and was the first one to eat from the tree of wisdom. In Eve’s case, actions directly correspond to their consequences. God’s punishment to Eve is conception pains and being ruled by her husband. Since Eve’s reckless decision ultimately led to Adam eating from the tree and causing death among humans, God decides to give her pain. She caused death among humans and now she is going to suffer to bring new life into the world. Furthermore, Eve explained that the serpent talked her into eating from the tree of wisdom. She knew deep down it was wrong, but could not stand up to the snake and think for herself. As a result of her bad judgement, Eve will now be ruled by her husband, unable to hold power. “In the Beginning” depicts the consequences that are caused by imprudent choices.

In conclusion, in the stories The Epic of Gilgamesh and “In the Beginning” unwise decisions are followed by drastic penalties. Gilgamesh made careless and disrespectful actions toward the gods which resulted in the death of his friend, Enkidu. Similarly, Adam and Eve ignored the simple rules of their God and were both punished with harsh living standards. Both of these stories depict the sad outcome of a few misguided decisions. Overall, every choice comes with its own consequences.

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