The Revenge of Men

In Harris’s essay on the women of the Epic of Gilgamesh she speaks of Ishtar being the most complex of all the women in the Epic and indeed quite possibly the most complex of all the characters. Her reasoning is that Ishtar does not act as one expects. She is a goddess, but nonetheless she is scorned repeatedly and flagrantly by mortals. She is a woman, yet she is also a warrior. I found it curious that Ishtar’s retaliation of Gilgamesh’s denial was considered manly. For my part, I do not think men hold a monopoly on retaliation or revenge.
To quote directly, Harris speaking of Ishtar states, “And like a man she retaliates,” (227). This a statement that is made with absolutely no evidence. I would like to point out that throughout the Epic not one single man retaliates against any other character. Gilgamesh does not attempt to seek revenge against the gods after they cause the death of Enkidu. Gilgamesh doesn’t even attempt to seek revenge on Ishtar the woman who had caused him so much heartache. In fact Gilgamesh seems quick to accept those who oppose him, as he quickly accepts Enkidu as a friend, even though it was Enkidu that had originally initiated a fight with him. Other men also do not seek out revenge. For example Ur-shanabi does not retaliate against Gilgamesh after he has smashed the stone ones, and in general made quite a mess. None of these portray these men as searching for revenge or seeking retribution.
It is obvious then that at least in this aspect Ishtar’s actions are not so much masculine as Harris would like one to think. Her actions are in fact fitting for a goddess who was so proud as to attempt the taking of the Underworld, but to call her actions manly would be presumptuous.