The epic is regarded as a foundational work in religion and the tradition of heroic sagas,
The gender roles in Gilgamesh's relationship with Enkidu are rendered with contemporary traditional gender expectations. Friendship and intimacy in ways that challenge conventional gender expectations.
a wild man created by the gods to stop Gilgamesh from oppressing the people of Uruk. After Enkidu becomes civilized through sexual initiation with Shamhat, he travels to Uruk, where he challenges Gilgamesh to a test of strength.
the gender dynamics emerge with Gilgamesh's relationships with Enkidu, once he has his relations with Shamhat, there's a dichotomy between masculinity and feminity which is characterised by sexual seduction plus the ability to "tame" a "wild" man. which gives me the image that the gender roles here are tied to the feminine playing a role in bringing men into social and moral order.
The epic ends with the return of the spirit of Enkidu, who promises to recover the objects
Gilgamesh seeking immortality shows the stereotypical "strong ruler who craves for more power"
Gilgamesh makes a dangerous journey
Gilgamesh is shown as a strong, fearless, and authoritative king. His masculinity is linked to his roles as a ruler and a warrior.
However, Siyâvash repeatedly rejects her advances and also strikes down her suggestion to kill his father so that they can rule together. Fearing that he might inform the Shah and have her executed, Sudabeh falsely accuses Siyâvash of raping her.
I find a bit of a pattern with many stories and the main character being accused of rape. It's also terrible that his father seems to be so quick to believe the accusation, and then when he proves himself innocent, their relationship grows weak. Sadly though, this still happens today in our world and not many have the fortune to be proven innocent, such as Siyavash was.
Owing to his birth to a non-aristocratic mother, Siyâvash is sent away by his father to Zabulistan, where he is raised by the holy warrior Rostam to be well-versed in the arts of war. He returns as a highly skilled and handsome young man, and is granted entry to the royal court as a prince and the new ruler of Ctesiphon. Shortly thereafter, he meets his
I find it messed up that he was sent away, was it for money? I like how he comes back better than ever and is given the title of a prince. Its weird that his step mother "lusts" over him though.
The famine that Joseph predicted ultimately brings the sons of Jacob to Egypt. With no other options, and hearing of excess grain in the neighboring country, Jacob’s sons make a series of trips down to Egypt. Upon discovering his brothers some 20 years after selling him into slavery, Joseph conceals his identity and tests his family, locking up his brother Simeon until the rest of the brothers return with Benjamin (Genesis 42:33-34).
Given his position of power, I don't think Joseph should be harboring animosity. Instead, he ought to express gratitude to his brothers for selling him, as without their help, he would not be where he is now. Giving forgiveness is never easy, but a life filled with hatred and retaliation taints the soul.
Joseph tells Pharaoh: “Seven years are coming, a great abundance through the land. Then seven years of famine will arise” (Genesis 41:25-30). With this knowledge in hand, Pharaoh prepares Egypt for famine. Joseph, at the age of 30, is appointed second-in-command to Pharaoh.
After everything that Joseph has been through—being disowned, becoming a salve, and then being accused of rape—I find it fascinating that he has been fortunate enough to be promoted to second in charge. In addition to the fact that he is a sort of "fortune teller," his dreams tend to come true. He knew about the butler and the baker, and even while he was still living with his family, he had a feeling that he would succeed and develop a greater power.
Joseph’s time in Egypt is even more tumultuous than his life in Canaan. The Ishmaelite traders sell him as a slave to Potiphar, a wealthy Egyptian merchant. Joseph finds great fortune with Potiphar, but his promotion through Potiphar’s household attracts the attention of Potiphar’s wife, who repeatedly tries to seduce him. When her attempts fail, she accuses Joseph of rape, which lands him in prison.
Well.. That escalated quicker than I imagined, of course, coming from such so much love and praise now becoming a nobody to everyone, just a slave. Then to be accused of rape completely turns his world upside down. I won't say Joseph deserves this due to what he caused in his won family, but this is a lesson from God.
Eventually the brothers act on their emotions. Seeing the “dreamer” approach on a shepherding trip, they ambush Joseph and throw him into a pit — the first of the great depths to which Joseph will sink. The brothers soon sell him to Midianites who in turn sell him to an Ishmaelite caravan headed down to Egypt, continuing Joseph’s descent. The brothers then tear up Joseph’s special coat, dip it in goat’s blood, and present it to Jacob as proof of his son’s death.
Of course, this isn't particularly shocking; in my view, Joseph received what was rightfully his, and he was self-centered and only cared about himself. He ought to have supported his brothers, helped them win their father's approval, or perhaps persuaded him that showing partiality hurts the other sons. Now, the other brothers rebelled because they were fed up with the abuse and tossed Joseph into a ditch since his head became too large. Was that the most effective method to deal with their emotions? No, but Joseph most certainly merited that.
As a teenager, Joseph does little to ingratiate himself to his brothers. To find more favor with his father, he would report back unkindly about his older brothers’ activities while tending to the flocks (Genesis 37:2). Joseph also tells his family about two dreams he had, the first in which 11 sheaves of wheat bow down to his, and a second where the sun, moon, and 11 stars all bow to him as well. In each case, Joseph interprets the dream as meaning that one day he will rule over his family (Genesis 37:5-11).
Due to so much praise from his father, Joseph earns more of it and essentially betrays his brothers in an attempt to maintain his father's high regard and his status as the favorite child; he disparages them and boasts that he will be the family's leader and is "higher than them/better than them" at first. A sibling might want to have that name and destroy their blood only to get acclaim from the higher-ups in their family, which is a very regular occurrence in families nowadays, especially in times like these.
Joseph’s life is a series of highs and lows — literally and figuratively. In his father’s house, Joseph is the favored son: “Israel (another name for Jacob) loved Joseph more than all his sons since he was a child of his old age” (Genesis 37:3). Joseph likely also has this status because he is the eldest child of Jacob’s favorite (deceased) wife, Rachel. To demonstrate this preference, Jacob gifts Joseph with the famous kitonet passim, translated as both a garment with long sleeves, or a fine woolen tunic. (Commentators extrapolate that it had stripes of different colors.) This preferential treatment from their father elicits much jealousy from Joseph’s 10 older brothers.
Because Joseph is the eldest son because Isreal has a deceased lover, and Jospeph is her favorite as well, there's already a strong connection with his first son, he neglects his other children, which of course creates jealousy and feuds between the family.