Things to Know about The Epic of Gilgamesh
It’s THE earliest surviving work of fiction, ever!
 Predates: The Iliad, the Odyssey, Old Testament
(oldest fragment dated to the 12th century, 13001100 B.C.)


It’s 1000 years older than the Bible and The Iliad!
It’s said that oral poems about Gilgamesh
predated these dates; bits and pieces from other
tales referencing Gilgamesh are also in existence.
 Crucial foundation myth of Mesopotamian society
 80+ manuscripts and 11 tablets of the story exist

•Originally inscribed on clay tablets (using a reed
pen) in wedge shaped characters known as
“cuneiform”
•Cuneiform= “wedge-shaped” pictures/images that
became writing that was translated and given a
context by writers.
1. King in early days of civilization
2. Learning how to conduct himself in
society
3. Limited by mortality and responsibility
4. Suffers from a restless heart, quicktemper to violence, arrogance,
selfishness
5. 2/3 divine, 1/3 man
6. Giant-size! Much larger than a normal
man, accentuated muscles and
masculine build; physically intimidating.
The Epic of Gilgamesh in its time
provided a display of and a proper
example of the relationship
between:
 The
individual and his/her duty in
relation to his/her society
 The way the gods relate to man
 What man owes the gods
 A king’s duty to his
city/country/people
Characters in
The Epic of
Gilgamesh
 Enkidu-created
to be challenger and
then companion of Gilgamesh
 Originally lived with beasts of forest as a
wild man
 Mirror image of Gilgamesh
 2/3 man, 1/3 divine; the perfect
reciprocal to Gilgamesh.
 Created by Aruru from the
dust of the ground into a living being.

Physical Rivals
Wilderness (Enkidu) vs Civilization (Gil)
Their relationship
Relief (Enkidu) to loneliness (Gil)
Gilgamesh learns from Enkidu about:
Sacrifice
Wisdom
Friendship
 Shamash
God of the sun; judge and law giver;
advised Gilgamesh he could not
continue journey because no living man
had ever been this far
 taught
Gilgamesh humility
 Utnapishtim
Survivor of the flood
Narrates story of the deluge to Gilgamesh
Only mortal to be given eternal life
Utnapishtim teaches
Gilgamesh:
Stoicism – indifference to pain or pleasure
 Resignation
 Responsibility
 A sense of self

Irkhalla
 Goddess
of the underworld
 Comes to Enkidu in dream of his death
Sidurri
 Goddess
of wine
 Advice to Gil - Carpe Diem
True claim to immortality?
Contributions to his city
Elements of an Epic

According to Abrams, an epic must have 5
features:
 Hero of great nations or universal imp.
 Vast canvas – setting
 Plot involves battles involving superhuman
deeds/long, difficult journeys Ex: Odysseus
traveled 10 yrs.
 Gods and/or other supernatural beings
interested and involved
 Ritualized, performative aspect, ceremonial,
ordinary speech
Common Literary Conventions
Employed by Most Epic Poets

Poet opens by stating theme and invoking a
Muse to inspire the poem
 Opens in medias res
 Catalogs of warriors, ships, and armies
included
 Extended formal speeches given by main
characters
 Poet makes frequent use of epic/extended
simile
 Use of repetition
We will pick up in Book VII but here
is what has happened in the epic up
to this point:
 Enkidu
was created as another hero to
perfectly balance Gilgamesh’s tyranny
and arrogance over his people of Uruk.
 Enkidu
is childlike where Gil. is violent
 Enkidu is peaceful and wild among animals
vs. Gilg. who is among humans, civilized.
 Shamhat
(a priestess of Ishtar’s temple)
is sent to seduce Enkidu in the
wilderness and bring him to Gilgamesh
•Enkidu
is “tamed” by Shamhat’s love and
passion; they make love and she introduces
him to the self-awareness of a human
being, not that of a wild animal.
•Enkidu challenges Gilgamesh upon being
in Uruk for the first time after hearing that
Gilgamesh takes the virginity of every new
bride in the city, as decreed by him and the
gods.
•Enkidu blocks the door to the marriage
house where Gilgamesh is about to enter
and the two fight and brawl through the
streets of Uruk.
 They
fight and acknowledge each other
as equals and become the deepest of
friends
 Enkidu
acknowledges Gilgamesh as the
superior human being and superior fighter
 Gilgamesh’s
“restless heart” is soon
satisfied by his need to kill Humbaba
the monster of the Cedar Forest.
 Gilgamesh decides to kill Humbaba and
take Enkidu with him on the journey.
 Along the journey to the Cedar Forest,
Enkidu dreams bad omens about what
they’re about to do; Gil. Ignores them.
 Enkidu
is held equally morally
responsible for persuading Gilgamesh
to slay the monster, therefore his own
life becomes forfeit.
 Even though the gods wanted the
monster defeated, they didn’t want him
destroyed and since Gilgamesh decided
this for himself, there are always
consequences.

To make matters worse, after returning to
Uruk celebrated heroes and being physically
admired by the people, Ishtar finds
Gilgamesh attractive and desires him.
 Ishtar
asks Gilgamesh to be her lover
and offers him herself, a goddess of
love but Gilgamesh rejects her harshly.
 As a woman scorned, Ishtar is not only
petulant and vengeful; she is really a
“monster” willing to sacrifice hundreds
of people for the sake of her revenge.
 She sends the Great Bull of Heaven
against them and they defeat it.
 To add insult to injury, they throw a
piece of meat at Ishtar’s face.
 The great gods are not to be mocked…
•The
killing of Humbaba (Cedar Forest
guardian/monster) and humiliation of Ishtar
will have fatal consequences.
•Enkidu has two dreams about dying…
THIS IS WHERE WE
WILL PICK UP WITH THE EPIC!