This book opens with a positive description of Gilgamesh ending with the word “perfect.” Then, in the next paragraph the description changes, and the word “arrogant” is used. What is the “true” picture of Gilgamesh? The book begins with a violent fight but ends in the beginnings of friendship. What is your theory about why this happens? Is there any information in the text to support you? What is Gilgamesh’s reason for insisting on the adventure? This book is notable for its repetitive descriptions and the interpretation of dreams as in other epics like Beowulf and those by Homer. Each day the two men travel exactly the same amount of miles, set up camp the same way, and each night Gilgamesh has an ominous dream that Enkidu interprets as favorable. Repetition, interpretation of dreams—what do you see as the importance of this book to the narrative? Interpret, if you can, the repetitive lines that come right after the terrible mutilation of Humbaba in Tablet V: “A gentle rain fell onto the mountains. A gentle rain fell onto the mountains.” Deeply insulted, Ishtar prevails on her father, the sky-god, to let her have the Bull of Heaven to wreak vengeance on Gilgamesh and his city. The images of the gigantic bull are fierce, but again, the two friends work together to kill the monster. What does Enkidu do at the finish of the battle, and what does that tell us about him? Is Enkidu the villain in this myth? Why or why not? After Enkidu’s death, the epic goes in a new direction. Gilgamesh begins a long, beautiful lament for his dead friend. Discuss the changes that Gilgamesh undergoes as a result of his friendship with Enkidu. What is the significance of Gilgamesh’s passage through the darkness underneath the twin-peaked mountain? Gilgamesh is at the end of his quest. And what has he gained? Read his words to the boatman, Urshanabi at the end of this book. Notice how Gilgamesh, King of Uruk, has become the narrator of the tale, saying the same words as the narrator does in the Prologue. Draw some conclusions about why the book has returned to the beginning.
This book opens with a positive description of Gilgamesh ending with the word “perfect.” Then, in the next paragraph the description changes, and the word “arrogant” is used. What is the “true” picture of Gilgamesh? The book begins with a violent fight but ends in the beginnings of friendship. What is your theory about why this happens? Is there any information in the text to support you? What is Gilgamesh’s reason for insisting on the adventure? This book is notable for its repetitive descriptions and the interpretation of dreams as in other epics like Beowulf and those by Homer. Each day the two men travel exactly the same amount of miles, set up camp the same way, and each night Gilgamesh has an ominous dream that Enkidu interprets as favorable. Repetition, interpretation of dreams—what do you see as the importance of this book to the narrative? Interpret, if you can, the repetitive lines that come right after the terrible mutilation of Humbaba in Tablet V: “A gentle rain fell onto the mountains. A gentle rain fell onto the mountains.” Deeply insulted, Ishtar prevails on her father, the sky-god, to let her have the Bull of Heaven to wreak vengeance on Gilgamesh and his city. The images of the gigantic bull are fierce, but again, the two friends work together to kill the monster. What does Enkidu do at the finish of the battle, and what does that tell us about him? Is Enkidu the villain in this myth? Why or why not? After Enkidu’s death, the epic goes in a new direction. Gilgamesh begins a long, beautiful lament for his dead friend. Discuss the changes that Gilgamesh undergoes as a result of his friendship with Enkidu. What is the significance of Gilgamesh’s passage through the darkness underneath the twin-peaked mountain? Gilgamesh is at the end of his quest. And what has he gained? Read his words to the boatman, Urshanabi at the end of this book. Notice how Gilgamesh, King of Uruk, has become the narrator of the tale, saying the same words as the narrator does in the Prologue. Draw some conclusions about why the book has returned to the beginning.
gilgamesh_qs.docx