Creating an intriguing plot must involve at least one main character whose actions and external interactions determine its development. External interactions between round characters, static characters, and environmental or supernatural activities, within the plot, influence the main character's decisions, providing the foundation for the plot to proceed. These decisions also shape the character's thoughts, values, and will, thus influencing future choices. Through this cause and effect model, an author can sculpt a character the way they want. This technique of character building and storytelling is nothing new in literary history, appearing in the oldest written story known to man, Gilgamesh. In this classic epic, an unknown author uses these techniques to illustrate and develop the characteristics of the two main characters, Gilgamesh and Enkidu, as they march towards their destinies. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Gilgamesh exemplifies character development through the arrival and death of his best friend, Enkidu. Initially, the people of Uruk describe their ruler Gilgamesh as resentful of his actions. They complain: “His arrogance has no limits day or night. No son remains with his father, for Gilgamesh takes them all, yet the king is supposed to be a shepherd to his people. His lust leaves no virgin to the lover, neither the warrior's daughter nor the nobleman's wife; yet this is the shepherd of the city, wise, handsome and resolute. This causes Uruk's god, Anu, to create Enkidu, a companion and diversion for Gilgamesh. Immediately after their friendship begins, Gilgamesh's selfish character begins to transform into a more generous and kind leader. The author reflects this change through the attitudes of the people of Uruk. Instead of lamenting Gilgamesh's shortcomings, their praise and loyalty become more frequent, such as the city's celebration after Gilgamesh and Enkidu's defeat of the mighty Humbaba. Most importantly, Enkidu's company only serves to reveal future events for which Gilgamesh's character can develop. Perhaps Enkidu's greatest effect on Gilgamesh's character comes with his death. This loss of companionship shows the reader Gilgamesh's actual evolution since the beginning of the story, while still paving the way for future development. Until the death of his only friend, Gilgamesh considered himself invincible and immortal. With Enkidu's death, Gilgamesh falls into a state of misery and fulfillment. Instead of returning to his old selfish ways, his agonizing pain and newfound recognition of mortality push him on a new quest to defeat fate. He states: “How can I rest, how can I be at peace? Despair is in my heart. What my brother is now, so I will be when I am dead. Since I am afraid of death, I will go as best I can to find Utnapishtim, for he has entered the assembly of the gods. This journey ultimately leads to Gilgamesh's failure in his journey to defeat his destiny, but gives him a sense of humility and acceptance of his destiny. While many other factors contribute to Gilgamesh's development, the author uses his best friend Enkidu to mold a selfish, brash ruler into a humble, mature, and unforgettable hero. Other important characters who took part in the development of Gilgamesh include Ishtar and Utnapishtim. These static characters do not develop over the course of the story, but only serve to push Gilgamesh towards his destiny. Ishtar, daughter of the god Anu, contributes to his development by offering him thedesire to marry him. His rejection of her proposal achieves two very important objectives in the growth and change of the protagonist. Not only does the denial set in motion a chain of events that would ultimately lead to the downfall of his best friend, but it also serves as a reference point to highlight Gilgamesh's development through Enkidu. The ancient ruler, without his equal, would most likely have accepted his offer. However, the more developed hero denies her, since he already possesses a close relationship. Through Ishtar's involvement in the cause and effect patterns of the plot, Gilgamesh's slowly changing character shines through. Unapishtam, the survivor of the Great Flood, provides the challenges through which Gilgamesh seeks to achieve immortality. His role functions as a stimulus for the hero to realize his inability to control destiny. Unapishtam states: “What is there between the master and the servant when both have fulfilled their destiny - the judges - and the mother of destinies - together they decree the fate of men. They assign life and death, but do not reveal the day of death." Unapishtam and its challenges push the epic hero towards the final step in growth and the final realization that one controls everything except his own destiny. Although Enkidu emulates some attributes of static characters in that his actions serve to guide Gilgamesh's development, his character also evolves from his original persona. module. When the gods created him, Enkidu's character possessed many animalistic qualities. “He was innocent of humanity; he knew nothing about cultivated land. Enkidu ate the grass of the hills with the gazelle, and hid with the wild beasts at the water-holes; he enjoyed water with game. ”Enkidu's wild spirit dictates the need to assist his animal friends caught in a hunter's traps. In turn, the hunter confronts Gilgamesh with his problem of sprung traps. The ruler orders him to take back a prostitute to persuade Enkidu from the desert game. This prostitute serves as an important static character who fuels Enkidu's development. His enlightenment about civilized life becomes a precursor to his final and fateful encounter with Gilgamesh, where he learns of his limitations in strength and skill through a crushing defeat at the hands of Uruk's ruler. Just as Enkidu most dramatically facilitates Gilgamesh's development, the reverse may also be true. As their companionship grows, Gilgamesh's overconfidence and carelessness lead him to embark on many dangerous adventures, such as the quest to kill the powerful cedar giant Humbaba. Two new qualities emerge here in Enkidu's character from Gilgamesh's actions. His devotion and blind loyalty to his human friend surpasses his animalistic independence. At the same time, this once fearless animal begins to experience fear of death. He states “O my lord, you do not know this monster and that is why you are not afraid. I who know him, am terrified: you may move forward if you choose to enter this land, but I will return to the city. "However, when Gilgamesh responds with a plea for help in defeating the monster, Enkidu's loyalty overcomes his fear. . However, Gilgamesh's blind and ignorant trust ignites an awareness of Enkidu's mortality. The gods reserve a fate for Enkidu different. They strike him with disease because of his assistance in killing the Bull of Heaven and Humbaba. Interestingly, however, before he dies he states: “My friend, the great goddess has cursed me and I must die in shame. I will not die like a man who falls in battle: happy is the man who falls in battle.”.