1. Philological exactitude: knowing what the words
mean
2. Historical context
3. Elegance—ways that the words are written and their
meaning how easy the interpretation comes to
you—also not going too far out on a limb
(newspaper riddle: lack white read all over
4. Comprehensiveness:
Offputting: so many interpetations (confusing—what am
I looking at?)(figure what’s going on actually) so many
cultures going into
Dialogue: copied over—repetition
-significance of the repetition
Predictable—he started off mischevious. Why not keep
him like that.
Passing story on orally
Gil;gamesh:
What’s wild and what’s civilized?
Tiger
Large ego: taking women for himself.
Fight men to intimdate them
“this was the shepherd of the people” power as kinda
Sarcastically totalitarian. Not positive.
Admiration? Gets away with it to a degree
Repetition for reinforcement (this, this)
2/3 divine, 1/3 human: majority divine (actions) human
(mental, his grief). Glorifying him that much more.
Lugalbanda (divinity in him too?)
Divine—makes it interesting, because can do more.
Creates a conflict. Mistakes can be made and trhey can
do incredible feats. Human makes it more reltable. Can
carry more. Easier to understand.
Dichotomty—reinforcing human and divine aspect
together. Beginning: invincible, but by the end: humanity
more emphasized. Actions very human, but he’s talked
up.
Gilgamesh 99-100
Accompl;ished: he built the walls of Uruk
“flood”—raging flood walls, --most dangerous scary thing
they have. He’s as destructive as the biggest destructive
thing they know
Line 29: who underwent many hardships – how do
hardships affect him? Even gods have hardships (?Ishtar
gets upset)
Still had to control a city. Still has responsibilities.
Obsession with creating a name—needs to go through
hardships for that.
“seeking everywhere for eternal life” –43 obsession
“he saw what was secret and revealed what wasd hiden”
–really praising him. Superman! Able to do all these great
things. Hercules. QUEST “seek eternal life”
Epic story
“engravedin stone” –so important, it should be around
forever. Anything made ouyt of stone is going to last.