The Epic of Gilgamesh PDF

**THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH** **AUTHOR'S BACKGROUND** **Sîn-lēqi-unninni,** a scholar, priest, and poet working in Babylon around 1200 BCE, he revised the more ancient stories of Gilgamesh to create what is known as the Standard Version of Gilgamesh. All modern translations are b...

**THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH** **AUTHOR'S BACKGROUND** **Sîn-lēqi-unninni,** a scholar, priest, and poet working in Babylon around 1200 BCE, he revised the more ancient stories of Gilgamesh to create what is known as the Standard Version of Gilgamesh. All modern translations are based on this text. **TRIVIA OF THE EPIC** 1. **Oldest surviving work of literature** The Epic of Gilgamesh is widely recognized as the oldest known work of literature in human history. The time period in which it was written is commonly referred to as the *Bronze Age.* 2. **Consists of approximately 12 tablets or sections** The Epic of Gilgamesh is divided into several tablets or sections, each containing a distinct part of the story. Each tablet narrates different episodes, events, or aspects of Gilgamesh's journey, creating a coherent and episodic narrative structure. **3. Features a story of a flood similar to Noah's Ark** One of the prominent episodes within the Epic of Gilgamesh is the story of a catastrophic flood. In this narrative, Gilgamesh encounters Utnapishtim, a character who survived a massive flood sent by the gods. **IMAGERY** 1. **Descriptive Imagery of the Cedar Forest:** ***\"The forest was dense with tall, magnificent cedars, their tops lost in the sky, and the air was filled with the scent of the trees\" (Tablet V).*** This description uses visual and olfactory imagery. 2. **Imagery of Enkidu's Transformation:** ***\"His hair was like the hair of the god Ea, and his body was covered in hair like that of a wild animal\" (Tablet I).*** This description uses visual and tactile imagery. **THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH** Many ages ago, when the ancient gods ruled the world, there was a mighty Sumerian king named Gilgamesh. While ruler of the great city of Uruk, Mesopotamia, Gilgamesh built magnificent ziggurat temples, surrounded his city with high walls, and planted many orchards of rare fruits. But Gilgamesh was no ordinary man. He was a demigod, son of the priest-king Lugalbandha and the goddess Ninsen. Gilgamesh was an exemplary creature, taller than all other people, with magnificent beauty and uncommon physical strength. Even though he was a demigod and had a longer than normal lifespan, Gilgamesh was not immortal. Despite his physical qualities, Gilgamesh had an arrogant personality and acted as a proud and haughty tyrant. With no one to stop and challenge him, he abused his authority as king demanding to be idolized by the people and ordering the construction of monuments in his honor and he seduced any woman who attracted him, even if she was of the nobility or married. The population of the city of Uruk gradually began to despise the king. In their prayers to the gods, they begged to be saved from Gilgamesh\'s cruelty and lewdness. The powerful celestial god Anu felt pity for the humans and ordered Aruru the goddess of vegetation, to engineer a creature to rival Gilgamesh. Using a portion of clay, the goddess Aruru fashioned a hybrid being, a mixture of man and animal, named Enkidu. With a hairy primitive appearance and bull\'s horns on his head, Enkidu lived like an animal in the woods and plains of Sumer. He ate grass next to the gazelles and drank water from rivers side by side with lions. All the animals knew and obeyed Enkidu. He became a protector of wildlife, but did not know how to approach human beings. Upon hearing stories about the appearance of a large and strong man, Gilgamesh decided to send Shammat, a priestess from the temple of Uruk, to inquire into the case and try to seduce that mysterious man. The goal was to take away his purity granted by the goddess to the priestess surprise, Enkidu was as impressive as Gilgamesh, and she quickly fell in love with him. After seven days and seven nights of sultry love, Enkidu became civilized. He learned to wear clothes and eat food like humans. After that, Shammat told him about the existence of Gilgamesh and his reign of tyranny. A great wedding was about to take place in the city of Uruk. But as usual, Gilgamesh appeared and demanded to possess the bride before the wedding to the relief of the bride and groom, Enkidu appeared from among the crowd. He had arrived in the city guided by the priestess Shammat. Gilgamesh and Enkidu entered a furious argument about the dis-respectfulness of interfering in a marriage of two people who loved each other. For the first time in his life, Gilgamesh found someone able to strike back at him. This made him angry. The crowd quickly moved away from the scene, leaving the two giants face to face. Gilgamesh was the first to resort to violence. The two powerful beings exchanged blows. The epic fight between the two demigods lasted for seven uninterrupted days and destroyed several houses in the city. Each punch landed by the two titans was enough to kill five human warriors, but neither seemed to give in and inevitably, they began to admire each other. Gilgamesh finally managed to strike a clean blow and knocked Enkidu down but instead of exterminating his opponent, Gilgamesh reached out and helped Enkidu to his feet both were proud of the great fight and embraced each other, beginning an eternal friendship. From that day on, Gilgamesh became a more just king and stopped tormenting his people. In the following years, Gilgamesh and Enkidu traveled through many unknown lands where they had a great many adventures together, defeating monsters and heroes of all kinds but one thought hovered over Gilgamesh\'s mind. He knew the two of them were growing old and would one day have to face death to immortalize their names, Gilgamesh asked Enkidu to travel to the Cedar Forest, where the powerful demon Humbaba lived, a being so dreadful and dangerous that even the gods respected him. Humbaba had never left the forest and had not committed any action likely to provoke Gilgamesh\'s attack. Still, he had to defend himself against his attackers. When they saw the demon Humbaba, the pair of demigods were paralyzed with terror, for they had never seen such a terrifying creature. Trying to gain courage, Gilgamesh attacked him with his axe after a few attempts, he wounded the monster sideways, and Enkidu used a spear to deliver the fatal blow to Humbaba\'s throat ending the nightmarish bout. Before dying, Humbaba cursed them both, saying that one of them would die as punishment for what they had done. Although Gilgamesh and Enkidu had accomplished a great feat, Humbaba\'s death angered the gods. Still, Gilgamesh and Enkidu returned to the city of Uruk, where they planned to celebrate the event but an unexpected guest appeared during the party. Ishtar goddess of love, beauty, war and fertility was impressed by Gilgamesh\'s handsomeness and strength, and decided to make him her lover. Despite her enormous charm, Ishtar failed to seduce Gilgamesh. He rejected her, claiming that he was aware that all of Ishtar\'s other lovers had died horrible deaths. Ishtar was furious at Gilgamesh\'s boldness and swore revenge. Ishtar asked her father, the celestial god Anu, for help, begging him to send the most powerful creator of all to kill Gilgamesh and Enkidu. The god Anu sent the bull of heaven to earth to destroy the city of Uruk and Gilgamesh. The bull came down from heaven, bringing with it seven years of famine and natural disasters, such as hurricanes and earthquakes. The people of Uruk quickly pleaded with Gilgamesh and Enkidu to destroy the celestial beast. The huge confrontation between the two demi-gods and the strong divine bull shook all of Mesopotamia. Gilgamesh and Enkidu used the same weapons with which they defeated the demon Humbaba, and together they killed the Bull of Heaven. As a sign of contempt, Gilgamesh cut off one of the bull\'s legs and threw it at the feet of the goddess Ishtar, who was watching the fight from a distance. Not only was Ishtar angry, but the other gods rebelled against Gilgamesh and Enkidu, deciding to punish them. After deliberating about what had happened, the gods decided that Enkidu would have to die because he was the one who had held the bull of heaven by the horns for Gilgamesh to give the animal the final blow. A few days later, Enkidu fell gravely ill and realized that his death was near. Seeing his best friend in that situation, Gilgamesh became desperate, asking the best doctors in the kingdom to find a cure, but to no avail. Enkidu die in agony delirious in Gilgamesh\'s arms, and Gilgamesh wept bitterly for days. Enkidu\'s death made Gilgamesh fear for his existence. The dread of the end made him begin a search for the secret of immortality and a way to resurrect Enkidu. He traveled far, through mountains and deserts, hoping to find Utnapishtim, the man who survived the great flood and was rewarded by the gods with immortality. With the help of the boatman Urshanabi, Gilgamesh crossed a huge lake of poisonous waters, finally reaching the home of the immortal Utnapishtim but to Gilgamesh\'s disappointment, Utnapishtim explained to him that only the gods could grant eternal life. When Gilgamesh insists that he be allowed to live forever, Utnapishtim gives him a test. If you think you can stay alive for eternity, he says, surely you can stay awake for a week. Gilgamesh tries and immediately fails. Just as Gilgamesh is departing, however, Utnapishtim's wife convinces him to tell Gilgamesh about a miraculous plant that restores youth. There was a miraculous plant in the depths of the sea, capable of rejuvenating whoever ate it, prolonging their lifespan. Gilgamesh dived into the sea and found the plant but when he returned to the surface, he left it on the banks of a lake while he bathed to purify himself from the long journey and something terrible happened. A common snake, attracted by the plant\'s sweet smell, devoured it. When Gilgamesh noticed what had happened, it was too late. He found the snake\'s dry skin, indicating that the animal had rejuvenated. Gilgamesh concluded that no man, no matter how strong and rich he may be, can't defeat death and he accepted his end. He returned to Uruk and for the first time, noticed how magnificent and enduring his city was. His legacy as a good king would be the closest thing to immortality he could achieve. **SYMBOLISM** 1. **Uruk** The city symbolizes Gilgamesh\'s transformation from [cruel to wise king] and represents the achievements of his subjects, which are his achievements as well. 2. **Monsters** The monster in the epic symbolize Gilgamesh\'s and Enkidu\'s desire for f[ame and power], especially when this desire runs counter to what the gods want. 3. **Hero\'s Journey** Symbolizes for [self-knowledge and transformation] for ages. 4. **Seven** The number seven holds significant symbolic meaning, often associated with [divine force, completeness, and cosmic order]. **FIGURE OF SPEECH** 1. **Simile** ***\"As a lion does not give way before a flock of sheep, so Gilgamesh did not relent\" (Tablet IV).*** This simile compares Gilgamesh's strength and resolve to that of a lion, emphasizing his dominance and courage. 2. **Metaphor** ***\"The people were like a storm, and the city was his boat\" (Tablet I).*** This metaphor illustrates how the people's unrest overwhelmed Gilgamesh and how he felt as if he were navigating through a stormy sea. 3. **Personificatio**n ***\"The mountain roared\" (Tablet XI).*** By attributing the human action of roaring to a mountain, the text personifies the natural world to convey the grandeur and power of the setting. 4. **Hyperbole** ***\"Gilgamesh, the king, who knew the countries of the world\" (Tablet I).*** This exaggeration highlights Gilgamesh's extensive experience and wisdom, suggesting he has unparalleled knowledge. **SUBJECT MATTER** The narrative chronicles the journey of Gilgamesh, the historical king of Uruk, as he grapples with fundamental questions regarding mortality, friendship, and the pursuit of wisdom. **THEME** 1. **Friendship** The friendship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu is central to the story, highlighting themes of companionship, loyalty, and personal growth. **REFERENCE** Course Hero https://www.coursehero.com › lit The Epic of Gilgamesh Study Guide https://slidesgo.com Pinterest https://youtu.be/b5BHNqu54X8?si=uUIkNu-MtlrUC\_yl **REALIZATION** As I delved into this ancient text, it opened my eyes to some deep ideas about life and friendship. At first, I thought it was just a cool story about a king and adventures. But as I read more, I realized it dives into heavy themes such as friendship, mortality, and the quest for meaning. The relationship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu serves as a pivotal element in the narrative, illustrating how companionship can lead to personal growth and self-awareness.