At Your Desks…
On the paper given out:
– Write down one question on one side
– Write down one comment you have on the
other side
about last night’s reading
Essential Question:
How does Gilgamesh fulfill the
role of Epic Hero in his Search
for Everlasting Life?
Vocabulary
• Shimmering – to shine with or reflect a faint
light; gleam faintly
• Hardship – a condition that is difficult to
endure; deprivation
• Ignorance – the state or fact of not knowing;
lack of knowledge
• Transit – passage from one place to another
• Musing - absorbed in thought; meditative;
contemplation or reflection
The Search for Everlasting Life
• Man-Scorpions (Terror)
– “Their glory is terrifying, their stare strikes
death into men…”
– Guard the mountain gates
– Impressed with Gilgamesh’s love/devotion
and perseverance
– Allow him to pass
The Search for Everlasting Life
• Shamash (god of human laws)
– Beauty, enticing
– Surprised by Gilgamesh’s appearance
– “No mortal man has gone this way before”
– “You will never find the life for which you
are searching.”
– Gilgamesh: “Although I am no better than
a dead man, still let me see the light…”
The Search for Everlasting Life
• Siduri (goddess of wine)
– Surprised by Gilgamesh’s appearance
– Role-reversal: She is afraid of Gilgamesh
– “If you are Gilgamesh, why is your face so
drawn? Why is despair in your heart?”
– Gilgamesh expresses devotion to Enkidu
– Siduri: “Eat, drink and be merry!”
– “How can I, when I, too, shall die and be laid
in the earth?”
The Search for Everlasting Life
• Urshanabi (the waters of death)
– Gilgamesh smashes sacred stones (Making the
way more difficult)
– Urshanabi gives Gilgamesh instructions to cut
down 120 poles of exact length for the trip
– Poles are to be used by Gilgamesh to “pole” the
boat through the waters of death
– Each pole breaks. Gilgamesh must finally resort
to using his garments as a sail
The Search for Everlasting Life
• Utnapishtim (the Faraway)
– Surprised by Gilgamesh’s appearance
(“If you are Gilgamesh…”)
– “There is no permanence…”
•“Do we build a house…”
•“Do we contract…”
•“Do brothers divide an inheritance…”
– The Symbolism of the dragonfly
Gilgamesh: Epic Hero
• Prays to the gods
• Shows strength/courage
– Fights lions
– Confronts the Man-Scorpion
• His journey is “more than any human has
attempted”
• Perseveres in the face of discouragement
• Does not give in to temptations
Summary
Discouragement
Homework
• Read “The Story of the Flood” (pp.
29-31)
• Write a paragraph (of at least 7
sentences) discussing the behavior of
the gods in this section of the story.
Use examples from the reading in your
paragraph.