Final answer:
Gilgamesh and Enkidu's journey aimed to achieve heroic fame, but resulted in Enkidu's death and Gilgamesh's confrontation with his own mortality. They killed Humbaba to assert dominance, which angered the gods leading to punishments. Although Gilgamesh did not find immortality, he returned as a more wise and compassionate leader.
Step-by-step explanation:
Goals and Outcomes of Gilgamesh and Enkidu's Journey
The epic of Gilgamesh is replete with trials and tribulations that reflect a sophisticated engagement with the human condition. Originally, Gilgamesh and Enkidu's goal on their journey was to achieve lasting fame by undertaking heroic deeds. They set out to confront and kill Humbaba, the monstrous guardian of the Cedar Forest, to assert their power and greatness. However, this act of slaying Humbaba was seen by the gods as hubris and led to dire consequences for Enkidu, who eventually succumbs to the will of the gods.
The death of Enkidu profoundly impacts Gilgamesh, initiating a quest for immortality as he struggles with the reality of his own mortality. This quest, however, ends in failure when he loses the plant that would give him everlasting life to a serpent. Despite not achieving immortality, Gilgamesh returns to Uruk transformed, becoming a wiser and more compassionate ruler.
In the midst of their adventure, Shamash, the sun god, aids Gilgamesh and Enkidu because he sees Humbaba as a threat to their aspirations and wishes to assist them in achieving heroic fame. Shamash's help is reflective of the complex relationship between gods and humans in Mesopotamian beliefs, where divine entities played an active role in mortal affairs, both aiding and punishing humans.