At the heart of a tale of slaying mystical creatures, scorning a goddess, and traveling to fantastical places, lies the tale of a deep friendship between two men. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, an ancient Mesopotamian literary masterpiece, all its events center on the development of the friendship between Gilgamesh, the tyrannical and stubborn king of Uruk, and the man created by the gods to both complementing and challenging his nature: Enkidu. Each of the epic's three dream sequences represents different stages of Enkidu's life: one foreshadows his birth, another foretells the actions that will ultimately lead to his demise, and the final foretells his death. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, dreams are used as a tool to develop and complete Enkidu's role in the story; These dreams are the driving force of Enkidu's life cycle in that they not only prophesy his birth and death but also provide insight into his ultimate goal in the epic. Enkidu's birth and arrival in Uruk are communicated to Gilgamesh through a series of dreams sent to Gilgamesh. “stars of the heavens”. One night, Gilgamesh dreams of a "rock from the sky" and the next night, of an "axe", both of which represent Enkidu. Gilgamesh's actions in the dream, trying to "lift [the rock]", but being unable because "it weighed too much for [him]", foreshadow his initial struggle with Enkidu before realizing that Enkidu is, in fact, his “equal”. .” The "axe" has a more specific connotation suggesting that, in addition to brute strength, Enkidu had a volatile and violent temper (which, among other instances, the reader comes to see in Tablet VII when Enkidu so sadistically curses Shamhat the prostitute). Additionally, Gilgamesh states "as a... middle of paper... reflection of his final dream and death, fulfills his ultimate goal in the epic: to reveal to Gilgamesh the imminence of death, thus setting him on his epic journey to find the secrets of life and immortality. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, dreams are an essential driving force not only in the development of Enkidu's character, but also in the realization of Enkidu's purpose in the story. Both tangible and intangible, Enkidu is capable of having a lasting effect on Gilgamesh; he teaches the tyrant king humility, justice and kindness. The epic may be a tale of heroic exploits and wild journeys, but the true story is that of the dynamic between Gilgamesh and Enkidu, closest friends and rivals. Their story is one of the most beautiful depictions of the power of friendship: how one interaction can inextricably connect two people and change the course of their lives indefinitely...