Gilgamesh begins with the life of the King in jeopardy. The elders of the city of Uruk go to the gods to complain of Gilgamesh's orders for continuous labor on the city walls. They ask the gods to create a man superior in strength and skill to the King who will ultimately prove his destruction. After some debate, the man is created and laid in the middle of a forest without human companionship of any kind. In this forest, the man, Enkidu, through his acquaintance with the gentle animals who are his only friends, learns more mercy than hostility. When Enkidu finally does emerge from the forest, with the young priestess sent in by Gilgamesh to retrieve him, the wild man does give a half-hearted attempt at destroying the King. The two do battle in front of the gate to the Temple of Ishtar, Gilgamesh proves...