The Virtues of Friendship Thang Minh Bui College

Despite the passage of time, core values have prevailed as timeless and defining characteristics of human beings. Among them, friendship plays a pivotal part in the development of a person, making it stand out as one of the most valued. Friendship and its transformative role are strongly manifested in The Epic of Gilgamesh through the friendship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu, and in The Iliad through the friendship between Achilles and Patroclus. Friendship teaches Gilgamesh and Achilles to become mature human beings who will not only benefit from their own self-development but also restrain their pride in order to empathically act out of consideration for others. Their experiences in friendship also help us to learn that humans should be responsible for their decisions instead of being overly reliant on the divine’s support.

Friendship teaches human beings to subdue their ego and become more mature, evident in the transformative effect of Enkidu on Gilgamesh. Before the death of Enkidu, readers are surprised at how warlike and audacious Gilgamesh is in his willingness to get involved in unnecessary battles and provoke hostility. He is eager to confront Huwawa, a monster that made the Cedar Forest inaccessible, but did not pose...