The Epic of Gilgamesh
Historical background, introduction to the characters, and a little bit
about the first super hero EVER
First let’s look at…
Mesopotamia
Geography
• Mesopotamia
• “The land between the river”
• a.k.a Fertile Crescent or Cradle of
Civilizations
• Location
• Between the Tigris and Euphrates
Rivers
• We know the area today as Iraq and
parts of Iran
Now let’s look at…
Sumeria
Sumeria 5000-2100 BCE
• The first civilization in the region
• Sumerians were the first inhabitants who could
read and write
• Sumerians were rich, so their land was attractive
to wild Semitic tribes of Arabia
• Successful merchants and traders
Sumerian Government and Society
• City-states:
• Walled-up cities for protection
• Largest city-states
• Ur
• Uruk
• Lagash
• No unifying government
• Class System
• Nobles
• Middle class
• Peasants
Sumerian City-States
Uruk is the setting
for Gilgamesh
Religion
• Worshipped gods and
goddesses
Enlil
• Anu-Father of gods and god
of the sky (like Zeus)
• Enlil-god of the air
• Shamash- god; lord of truth
and justice
• Utu-Sumerian Underworld
• They did not believe in
life after death. Once you
died, there was emptiness
Anu
Utu
Next up..
Women’s Roles in Mesopotamia
Women’s Roles
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Mothers
Wives
Seamstresses
Tending to their significant other
They had basic rights like owning property
Now on to…
Literary Elements
What is an epic?
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A long narrative poem about a hero and his companions
The hero often has a superhuman divine trait
The poem is oral
There are two types of epics
• Primary
• Narrative about nobility and is recited to the nobles
• Ex. The Odyssey; Beowul
• Secondary
• A narrative that has more individuality
• Ex. Paradise Lost
Elements of an Epic
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A hero’s journey
Battles/monsters
Honor/loyalty
Symbolism
Long, involved sentences
Heroic leaders on both sides
Epic Hero
• A character of nobility in an epic poem who is admired for his
great achievements or affected by grand events
• Beowulf
• Odysseus
Archetypal Hero
• Carl Jung, Swiss psychologist, argued that the root of an archetype
is in the “collective unconscious” of mankind. The phrase
“collective unconscious” refers to experiences shared by a race or
culture. This includes love, religion, death, birth, life, struggle,
survival etc.
Monomyth
• A.K.A. The hero’s Journey
In media res
• Latin for “In the midst ofthings”
• In this case, the story begins in the middle of the action, not at
the exposition
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Story starts here
And finally…
The Epic of Gilgamesh
Themes
• Love as the motivating source
• Death is inevitable
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Gods can be dangerous
Quest for eternal life
Relationships
Abuse of power