Tablet‌‌5‌‌ ‌
1.‌‌What‌‌does‌‌Humbaba‌‌say‌‌to‌‌Enkidu?‌‌How‌‌are‌‌Humbaba‌‌and‌‌Enkidu‌‌similar?‌‌(see‌‌especially‌‌
p.‌‌41).‌‌ ‌
Humbaba‌‌Says‌‌to‌‌Enkidu‌‌“Come,‌‌Enkidu,‌‌you‌‌spawn‌‌of‌‌a‌‌fish,‌‌who‌‌knew‌‌no‌‌father,‌‌hatchling‌‌of‌‌
terrapin‌‌and‌‌turtle,‌‌who‌‌sucked‌‌no‌‌mother's‌‌milk!”‌‌this‌‌is‌‌Humbaba’s‌‌way‌‌of‌‌trying‌‌to‌‌sway‌‌
Enkidu‌‌to‌‌his‌‌side.‌‌Using‌‌the‌‌commonality‌‌the‌‌two‌‌have‌‌which‌‌is‌‌their‌‌ties‌‌to‌‌mother‌‌nature.‌ ‌
‌
4.‌‌After‌‌Humbaba’s‌‌death,‌‌what‌‌do‌‌they‌‌do‌‌to‌‌his‌‌corpse?‌‌And‌‌what‌‌do‌‌they‌‌do‌‌after‌‌the‌‌
slaying?‌‌More‌‌importantly,‌‌perhaps,‌‌what‌‌does‌‌the‌‌author‌‌think‌‌about‌‌the‌‌slaying?‌‌In‌‌other‌‌
words,‌‌does‌‌the‌‌story‌‌sanction‌‌this‌‌killing?‌ ‌
After‌‌slaying‌‌Humbaba,‌‌Gilgamesh‌‌took‌‌his‌‌head‌‌as‌‌booty,‌‌in‌‌other‌‌words,‌‌a‌‌trophy.‌‌They‌‌began‌‌
to‌‌chose‌‌and‌‌fell‌‌cedar‌‌of‌‌Humbaba’s‌‌forest.‌‌ ‌
‌
Tablet‌‌6‌‌ ‌
1.‌‌Who‌‌is‌‌Ishtar,‌‌and‌‌why‌‌does‌‌Gilgamesh‌‌reject‌‌her‌‌generous‌‌offer?‌‌(what‌‌does‌‌she‌‌do‌‌to‌‌
men?)‌‌ ‌
Ishtar‌‌is‌‌a‌‌goddess‌‌and‌‌daughter‌‌of‌‌Anu,‌‌the‌‌sky‌‌god.‌‌Gilgamesh‌‌rejected‌‌her‌‌offer‌‌of‌‌marriage‌‌
because‌‌he‌‌knows‌‌how‌‌badly‌‌her‌‌previous‌‌partners‌‌have‌‌ended‌‌up.‌ ‌
‌
2.‌‌How‌‌does‌‌Ishtar‌‌respond‌‌to‌‌Gilgamesh’s‌‌scorn,‌‌and‌‌what‌‌do‌‌you‌‌think‌‌this‌‌creature‌‌might‌‌
represent?‌‌ ‌
Ishtar‌‌was‌‌not‌‌happy‌‌with‌‌Gilgamesh’s‌‌scorn‌‌and‌‌pleaded‌‌to‌‌Anu‌‌to‌‌give‌‌her‌‌the‌‌bull‌‌of‌‌Heaven‌‌
to‌‌kill‌‌Gilgamesh.‌‌This‌‌creature,‌‌in‌‌my‌‌view,‌‌represents‌‌the‌‌wrath‌‌of‌‌Ishtar’s‌‌jealousy‌‌and‌‌
inability‌‌to‌‌deal‌‌with‌‌Gilgamesh’s‌‌scorn.‌ ‌
‌
Tablet‌‌7‌‌ ‌
1.‌‌What‌‌does‌‌Enkidu‌‌dream‌‌that‌‌night?‌‌Why‌‌do‌‌the‌‌Gods‌‌decide‌‌what‌‌must‌‌happen?‌‌And‌‌why‌‌
do‌‌you‌‌think‌‌it‌‌is‌‌Enkidu‌‌who‌‌must......and‌‌not‌‌Gilgamesh?‌ ‌
Enkidu‌‌dreams‌‌of‌‌the‌‌gods‌‌deciding‌‌in‌‌favor‌‌of‌‌his‌‌death.‌‌Either‌‌Gilgamesh‌‌or‌‌Enkidu‌‌had‌‌to‌‌die‌‌
because‌‌they‌‌slew‌‌both‌‌The‌‌Bull‌‌of‌‌Heaven‌‌and‌‌Humbaba.‌‌I‌‌think‌‌Enkidu‌‌died‌‌instead‌‌of‌‌
Gilgamesh‌‌because‌‌of‌‌his‌‌disrespect‌‌towards‌‌Ishtar‌‌when‌‌hurled‌‌a‌‌piece‌‌of‌‌the‌‌Bull‌‌of‌‌Heaven‌‌
at‌‌her.‌‌ ‌
‌
2.‌‌Why‌‌does‌‌Enkidu‌‌curse‌‌the‌‌three‌‌things/person‌‌he‌‌curses?‌‌What‌‌is‌‌it—exactly—that‌‌Enkidu‌‌
is‌‌truly‌‌cursing?‌‌(see,‌‌for‌‌example,‌‌even‌‌Gilgamesh’s‌‌scolding‌‌of‌‌Enkidu‌‌toward‌‌the‌‌bottom‌‌of‌‌p.‌‌
56).‌ ‌
First‌‌he‌‌curses‌‌the‌‌his‌‌door‌‌as‌‌it‌‌did‌‌not‌‌win‌‌him‌‌the‌‌favor‌‌of‌‌the‌‌Gods.‌‌He‌‌also‌‌curses‌‌the‌‌
hunter.‌‌He‌‌curses‌‌shamhat‌‌the‌‌prostitute.‌‌I‌‌think‌‌Enkidu‌‌was‌‌truly‌‌cursing‌‌at‌‌the‌‌Gods‌‌for‌‌
dooming‌‌him,‌‌Gilgamesh‌‌scolded‌‌Enkidu‌‌for‌‌being‌‌too‌‌anxious‌‌rather‌‌than‌‌counseling‌‌with‌‌the‌‌
Gods‌‌first.‌ ‌
‌
4.‌‌Describe‌‌and‌‌interpret‌‌Enkidu’s‌‌second‌‌dream‌‌in‌‌this‌‌tablet.‌ ‌
In‌‌Enkidu’s‌‌first‌‌dream‌‌the‌‌God’s‌‌counsel‌‌and‌‌decided‌‌his‌‌fate.‌‌In‌‌Enkidu’s‌‌second‌‌dream‌‌he‌‌
dies.‌‌This‌‌dream‌‌is‌‌a‌‌foreshadowing‌‌of‌‌Enkidu’s‌‌innevitable‌‌doom.‌‌ ‌
‌
Tablet‌‌VIII‌‌ ‌
1.‌‌Describe‌‌how‌‌Gilgamesh‌‌laments‌‌the‌‌death‌‌of‌‌Enkidu;‌‌how‌‌has‌‌the‌‌tone‌‌of‌‌the‌‌epic‌‌shifted?‌ ‌
Gilgamesh‌‌laments‌‌the‌‌death‌‌of‌‌Enkidu‌‌by‌‌giving‌‌him‌‌a‌‌good‌‌funeral‌‌and‌‌grave.‌‌The‌‌tone‌‌of‌‌the‌‌
epic‌‌shifted‌‌from‌‌fast-paced‌‌events‌‌happening‌‌to‌‌a‌‌slower‌‌dialogue‌‌heavy‌‌texts.‌‌ ‌