Summary
1) Luring of Enkidu~ Young and prideful Gilgamesh, Enkidu deciding whether to be wild
or become civilized
2) E and G battle, G wins, they become friends, get bored with city life, go to cut down
cedar forest where Humbaba the keeper of the woods, Enkidu reluctantly goes along,
3) It becomes clear that all the people except for Gilgamesh see going to cut down the Great
Cedar Forest is a bad idea…people assume E will defend G if trouble arises
4) As they go into the forest, G has 6 dreams (some on destroyed tablets), prays to Shamash
for protection, dreams of bull who will split the ground to protect G, G and E get scared
and end up fighting each other and then fighting together against the great Humbaba
5) E and G enter forest and begin cutting trees, Humbaba notices and they fight, Shamash
sun goddess jumps in to help, Humbaba begs for his life but Enkidu encourages G to kill
him, H dies while cursing both
6) G becomes hero for killing Humbaba, Ishtar gets hot for G, G rejects her because she has
been with too many men, Ishtar gets mad returns to heaven and asks father Anu to send
the Bull of Heaven to cause trouble for G. Bull splits ground, many in Uruk fall in and
die.
7) E becomes ill because he killed Humbaba and Bull, gets mad that he was chosen rather
than G. Curses trapper and Hiram who brought him out of forest. Goddess Shamhash
reminds him of his fulfilling friendship with G…E thanks her and dies 12 days later
(significance of 12?)
8) G mourns E, builds monument to his friend
9) G falls into despair over E’s death, realizes his own mortality. Decides to seek eternal
life, difficult journey ensues.
10) Despite warnings, G continues journey…arrogangly and violently. Crosses Waters of
Death (cant touch that). Upon arrival, a man tells him that it is pointless because gods
won’t allow it, humans aren’t capable of permanent solution to this problem.
11) Somehow, G gets eternal life from the flood. Flood destroys all humans and everything
they created in the world. G builds ark to save what is most important to him (family and
food species). Somehow by staying awake for six days and seven nights, he is given a
plant to make him young again…snake eats it though. Returns to Uruk and begins to
write story of their journey.
Tablet One
Tablet One begins with Gilgamesh admiring the
city walls of Uruk. Gilgamesh is 2/3 god and 1/3
human, which gives him superhuman abilities.
He is secretly proud of these abilities, but does
not show them off to others. He is also a young
king that sometimes makes mistakes and often
shows too much pride. Enkidu is created by the
god Anu to rival Gilgamesh and teach him
modesty and friendship so that he will become a
better king.
While in the forest, a trapper comes across the
wild Enkidu, so a beautiful priestess (Harim), is
sent to "tame" Enkidu with her calming nature.
She approaches him and says:
You are handsome, Enkidu, you have become
like a god. Why roam the steppe with wild
beasts? Come, let me lead you to the peaceful
city of Uruk.
When Enkidu gives in to this temptation, he
loses some of his strength and wildness, but
gains knowledge and understanding. Once his
strength is lost, he is upset but he is able to go
into the city to meet Gilgamesh.
During this time, Gilgamesh has two dreams.
Both dreams have something (a meteorite and an
axe) arrive at his door. Gilgamesh's mother
believes these dreams mean that a great force
will come to Uruk and will be a help to him.
She claims that the force will sometimes be
dangerous to Gilgamesh and that it will push
him to his physical and mental limits.
Lesson/moral question: How is Gilgamesh a
good or a bad leader at this point in the story?
Tablet Two
Enkidu enters the city and battles Gilgamesh.
Although Gilgamesh wins the battle, he realizes
Enkidu's strength and they embrace, becoming
the best of friends because they have great
respect for each others’ abilities.
After the battle, Enkidu and Gilgamesh spend
time in the city becoming lazy and bored by city
life. Gilgamesh, always trying to be a hero,
suggests that they travel into the Great Cedar
Woods and chop down all the cedar trees to
show off their strength to the people of Uruk.
This would not be a problem if it weren’t for
Humbaba, the keeper of the Great Cedar Woods.
Enkidu does not think this is a great idea but
follows Gilgamesh anyway.
Lesson/moral question: What are qualities of a
strong friendship? Do you think they have a
strong and healthy friendship?
Tablet Three
The assembly that gives advice to the King
declares: Trust not, Gilgamesh, in your strength
alone. Let your eyes see all, make your forceful
fists strike home. . .We in our assembly entrust
the King to you [Enkidu]. On your return,
entrust the King again to us. (source: Foster The
Epic of Gilgamesh, p.23)
This tablet that this comes from has been badly
damaged. This is the tablet where we learn that
everyone except Gilgamesh thinks it is a bad
idea to go into the woods. The city elders entrust
Gilgamesh's life unto Enkidu and assume
Enkidu will protect him in battle to so that
Gilgamesh does not die.
Lesson/moral question: Why do you think
Enkidu went on the journey with Gilgamesh?
Tablet Four
Before beginning the six-day journey into the
Great Cedar Woods, Gilgamesh prays to
Shamash, (the sun god) for protection. That
night, he has six dreams. Information about the
dreams was printed on a part of the tablet that
has been destroyed, so we know very little about
the dreams. In one of them, Gilgamesh dreams
of a bull who splits the ground open with its
breath. Both Gilgamesh and Enkidu believe this
is a sign that Shamash will protect Gilgamesh in
battle.
When Enkidu and Gilgamesh arrive near the
forest, Gilgamesh becomes afraid and prays to
Shamash to protect him. Enkidu also gets scared
and rather than support him, Gilgamesh fights
him. Their fighting alerts Humbaba (the
protector of the forest) and they finally band
together to fight the great Humbaba.
Lesson/moral question: What would you have
interpreted the dream to mean?
Tablet Five
Gilgamesh and Enkidu enter the forest and begin
to cut down the trees. Humbaba comes out and is
shocked at what is going on. Enkidu warns
Humbaba that he and Gilgamesh are stronger
than he will ever be and after an argument, the
battle begins! They fight Humbaba, until
Shamash, the god, intervenes to help Gilgamesh
and Enkidu. Humbaba is defeated and with a
knife in his neck, begs for his life. Gilgamesh
feels a pang of emotion and hesitates while
Enkidu tells him to stop wasting time and to kill
Humbaba. While dying, Humbaba curses the
pair saying that Enkidu will not live a long life
and will find no peace in this world.
Lesson/moral question: Gilgamesh almost
shows compassion toward Humbaba. Would
your opinion of Gilgamesh change if he hadn't
killed Humbaba? If so, how would it change?
Tablet Six
After the great battle, Gilgamesh becomes a hero
of widespread fame. Ishtar, a beautiful goddess,
become interested in Gilgamesh and offers
herself in marriage to him. Because she has been
with many men, he refuses her with great insults.
She returns to the heavens and asks Anu (who
also created Enkidu), her father, to send the Bull
of Heaven down to cause problems for
Gilgamesh.
Like the dream Gilgamesh had before, the Bull's
breath causes great cracks in the earth to open
up, which kills many people in Uruk. Gilgamesh
and Enkidu fight and defeat the Great Bull.
Lesson/moral question: Do you think that Anu
is angry with Gilgamesh because he refused
Ishtar or because of the way that he refused
Istar?
Tablet Seven
Enkidu becomes mysteriously ill and learns that
he has been chosen to die by the gods because he
is responsible for the death of Humbaba and the
Bull of Heaven. He is outraged that he was the
one chosen to die as punishment for this and
initially curses the trapper and the temple
priestess who brought him out of the forest in
the first place. Shamhash reminds Enkidu of his
great friendship with Gilgamesh and how it is
worth an untimely death. He thanks her for this
knowledge and dies twelve days later.
Lesson/moral question: What do you feel is the
most important lesson that Enkidu has learned?
Tablet Eight
This tablet is tells of Gilgamesh’s mourning for
Enkidu and the story of how Gilgamesh builds a
monument for him in Uruk.
Gilgamesh moans in grief: Hear me, O elders of
the city of Uruk, listen to me!
I mourn my friend, Enkidu, I howl as bitterly as
a professional mourner who only wails without
emotion to attract attention.
Lesson/moral question: What do you feel
should be included in Gilgamesh’s “lament”
(poem of mourning) for his friend Enkidu?
Tablet Nine
Gilgamesh is upset that Enkidu is dead. He will
not bathe, eat, or sleep. Enkidu's death makes
Gilgamesh finally realize that even he will die
and that frightens him. This causes him to plan
another great journey.
Gilgamesh decides he must obtain immortality
and makes the most difficult journey of all to
Utnapishtim and his wife. Utnapishtim is the
only mortal who has ever been granted
immortality by the gods and lives in the "Far
Away". Utnapishtim survives the Great Flood,
which is described in tablet eleven.
When Gilgamesh arrives at Mount Mashu on his
way to Utnapishtim, the guards at Mount Mashu
warn him against the journey as it is dangerous
and could kill him. Gilgamesh ignores this and
travels far into Night, eventually emerging into
Day and into a brilliant garden of gems.
Lesson/moral question: Would you want eternal
life or eternal youth? Why?
Tablet Ten
Gilgamesh continues travelling toward
Utnapishtim and again is warned that the
journey is going to prove unsuccessful.
However, his reaction is arrogant and violent. In
order to get to Utnapishtim, Gilgamesh must
cross the Waters of Death - if anyone touches
the water, they will instantly die. After a difficult
journey across the water (without instant death),
Gilgamesh arrives on the shore where an old
man tells him seeking eternal life is neither
desirable or possible. Death is necessary because
it is the will of the gods and whatever humans do
in any situation is not be a permanent solution.
Lesson/moral question: Do you think that the
possibility of seeking immortal is affected by the
fact that Gilgamesh is king? Do the time and
place in history have an affect as well?
Tablet Eleven
Gilgamesh realizes that the old man he meets is
Utnapishtim himself. Utnapishtim reveals the
secrets given to him as a result of the Great
Flood. He gives Gilgamesh all the information
about the Flood, which then results in his
gaining immportality.
The Great Flood took place in the city of
Shuruppak, on the banks of the Euphrates River
when the gods decided to destroy the world and
all the humans. They promised to tell no mortals
of this plan to flood the world, which is why
Utnapishtim and Gilgamesh became immortal
when they learned of the flood. Ea, the god who
created humans, went to Utnapishtim and told
him to build a boat, put his wife and all living
things onto it. The fact that the human race did
not die off because of the flood makes the other
gods and goddesses angry.
After hearing this story from Utnapishtim,
Gilgamesh is offered immortality by
Utnapishtim if he can stay awake for six days
and seven nights. However, Gilgamesh falls
asleep but lies saying he did stay awake. Instead
of eternal life, he is given a plant to make him
young again. Because Gilgamesh does not trust
the plant, he plans to bring it back to Uruk to use
on an old man. Along the way, a snake eats the
plant and leaves Gilgamesh with nothing but an
immortal snake (which he ironically tries to
kill…unsuccessfully).
The story ends with Gilgamesh returning to
Uruk and looking at the city walls once again.
He takes a moment to take it all in and then
begins to write his journey on tablets.
Lesson/moral questions: How does the flood
story from Judiaism/Christianity/Islam compare
to the story told by Utnapishtim?
What do you predict for Gilgamesh after all his
adventures?