1. Why do the citizens of Uruk complain about Gilgamesh? Gilgamesh works his people to exhaustion,
he treats them unfairly, he constantly creates war – all of these things to help with his own
boredom.
2. What was Enkidu’s purpose in the story? Enkidu was created to become Gilgamesh’s friend – to
teach him love, kindness, compassion, responsibility. He also was sent to give Gilgamesh a love for
life so he will LIVE for the first time and leave his people of Uruk alone. They go on many
adventures together.
3. How are Enkidu - a problem for the hunter, and Gilgamesh - a problem for the people of Uruk, alike in
the beginning of the epic?Enkidu forced the hunter to work, work, work without any benefit (food)
and Gilgamesh made his people work, work, work without any benefit( quality of life). Both men
caused chaos for humans and kept humans from thriving.
4. How are each one of them “tamed.” Enkidu is tamed by the dancing girl, Hatti and Gilgamesh is
tamed through his relationship with Enkidu. They are both brought out of their earlier wild
ways.
5. Death and destruction are popular punishments from the gods. Give an example of each kind of
punishment. Enkidu is cursed by the gods for taking part in killing the Bull of Heaven. Earlier, the
Bull of Heaven is sent by Ishtar to punish Gilgamesh and his people for refusing to marry her and
for insulting her.
6. Give an example of one of the epic’s dream and what it represented. The meteor represented
something big – big news – Gilgamesh’s future adventures. The axe represented a friend –
someone to be by your side and to help you – dependable. Enkidu dreamed of the conference
between the gods where his death/ Gilgamesh’s death was discussed. (there were others)
7. Give at least one reason why Gilgamesh wants to have new adventures with Enkidu? To have
adventures, to feel alive, to have something that can be documented in pictures (stone friezes) on
the wall of heroes in Uruk.
8. Do you think if Enkidu lived, Gilgamesh would have become as gentle and caring about the world and
his people as he did? Explain. What do you think?
9.
Define –
a. Gilgamesh – lonely King of Uruk who finds out the true meaning of life through a relationship
with a beast
b. Enkidu – created to teach Gilgamesh friendship, kindness, and other qualities needed of a fair
ruler
c. Hatti – beautiful dancing girl from Uruk who uses her womanly ways to teach Enkidu how to
be humanlike so he can exist in the human world
d. Ninsun – the King’s mother who pleads with Enkidu to keep Gilgamesh safe, she also
interprets Gilgamesh’s dreams early in the epic
e. Enlil-chief god – the creator
f. Ishtar – goddess of love, known to punish all her loves that she is unhappy with, demands
Gilgamesh to be punished
g. Utnapishtim – granted eternal life by the gods for saving some of human kind, grain, and
animals during the great flood
h. Shamash – the sun god who helps Gilgamesh and Enkidu defeat the forest demon guardian
i. Huwawa – Protector of the Cedar trees, magical with seven cloaks
j. Uruk –Mesopotamian city-state
Chapter summary – summarize your chapter