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Background for
The Epic of Gilgamesh
(2150-2000 B.C.)
Mesopotamia
A term commonly used to
refer to the geographical
area between the Tigris
and Euphrates Rivers
The Epic of Gilgamesh
Cuneiform tablets first discovered by
archaeologists in the 19th century CE
among ruins in Ninevah (Once the capital
city of the Assyrian Empire
Other copies and versions found
throughout the area now corresponding to
the Ancient Near East
Cuneiform
From the Latin meaning
“wedge-shaped”, a
system of writing used
throughout the Near
East during the first
three millennia BCE
Akkadian
A Semitic language
(i.e., from the same
language family as
Hebrew and Arabic)
that was the common
tongue of ancient
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
Divided their history into two parts: Before
and after the Great Flood
Before the flood, priests and sages ruled the
land receiving their instruction from their god,
Ea, the god of waters and wisdom
After the flood, kings like Gilgamesh ruled
the land
Mesopotamia / Sumerians
Sumerians became the first literate culture in
Mesopotamia, and the first to develop schools
Developed a number system based on 60
Today, our 60 second minute and our 60 minute hour
originate with the ancient Sumerians (as does our 360
degree circle)
Cities built around six or seven story stepped temples
that served as staircases used by the gods when
descending from the heavens
Mesopotamia
Between 2500 and 500 BCE Mesopotamia was
filled with ongoing wars between the everpopulating
cultures
In 2300 BCE, the Babylonians defeated the
Sumerians and adopted their culture
The Babylonians were the first culture to record
Gilgamesh in its present form
They added the flood story and the prologue (a
thousand years before the Hebrew Old Testament
was composed)
Akkadians (2100 - 2000 BC)
The Akkadian people easily take over Sumerian
culture – perhaps because of Sumer’s lack of a
unified government.
However, Sumerian culture is maintained through these shifts in power.
Under their king, Sargon, the
Akkadians produce a version of
Gilgamesh.
Babylonians (1700-700 BC)
Hanging Gardens
Babylonians (1700-700 BC)
King Nimrod’s
Tower of Babel
Importance of Gilgamesh
Earliest known literary work
(earliest version 1900 BCE – Babylonian)
Contains an account of the Great Flood and the
story of a virtuous man named Utnapishtim who
survived (likely the source for the biblical story of
Noah)
Expresses values of ancient civilization – such as the
belief in divine retribution for transgressions such
as violence, pride, the oppression of others, and
the destruction of the natural world.
The Epic of Gilgamesh
About 75 different copies of this version
survive, although fragmented, such that
the text cannot be reconstructed in full
Lost until 1845 until an archeologist
discovered it in Ninevah
May be the oldest work of literature in
human history
The Epic of Gilgamesh
Reflection of editing and combination of
earlier and smaller Sumerian tales into
what we now know as an “epic”
What we know as The Epic of
Gilgamesh has multiple unknown authors
who have woven these tales into a single
story/larger narrative with sustained
themes.
The Epic of Gilgamesh
The stories preserved in the literary
tale(s), however, are not historical in any
strict sense,although some elements may
trace back to the myths and legends that
began to spread (in both written and oral
form) in his own time and perhaps even
soon after his death
The Epic of Gilgamesh
Composed in verse, rather than prose
Concerns humankind and the gods, but
not a sacred text in the sense of a text
used in liturgies(public worship)or religious
festivals - in contrast to the Enuma Elish
(Babylonian creation myth)
Anu – father of gods and god
of the sky (similar to Zeus)
Enlil – god of the air
Utu – sun god;
lord of truth and justice
Sumerians (5000-2100 BC)
Religious Beliefs
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The Sumerians (and later the Babylonian
people) worshipped a pantheon of gods and
goddesses.
Regardless of one’s actions in life, they did
not believe in life after death. They believed
that after one dies there is only emptiness.
Literary Significance
Gilgamesh is a historical figure (a king)
He ruled the Sumerian king who ruled
Uruk almost a millennium before The
Epic of Gilgamesh was composed (ca.
2700 BCE)
Importance of Gilgamesh
Gilgamesh serves as an early model of the
archetypal hero.
Studied by Joseph Campbell as a primary
example of the monomyth (or hero’s journey
story).
Large number of parallels to The Odyssey and
other Greek epics
Archetypes (on the level of blowing your mind)
Carl Jung, Swiss psychologist, argued that the
root of an archetype is in the “collective
unconscious” of mankind.
The phrase “collective unconscious” refers to
experiences shared by a race or culture. This
includes love, religion, death, birth, life, struggle,
survival etc. These experiences exist in the
subconscious of every individual and are
recreated in literary works or in other forms of
art.
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The term "archetype" has its origins in ancient
Greek. The root words are archein, which
means "original or old"; and typos, which means
"pattern, model or type". The combined
meaning is an "original pattern" of which all
other similar persons, objects, or concepts are
derived, copied, modeled, or emulated.
Function of Archetype
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The use of archetypical characters and
situations gives a literary work a universal
acceptance, as readers identify the
characters and situations in their social
and cultural context. By using common
archetype, the writers attempt to impart
realism to their works, as the situations and
characters are drawn from the experiences
of the world.
Archetypal Hero
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They occur in all literature from around the
world in all of our human history
Represent human culture or entire human race,
shape the structure and function of a literary
work.
An archetype, also known as universal symbol,
may be a character, a theme, a symbol or even a
setting.
Archetypal Hero
The Hero: He or she is a character who
predominantly exhibits goodness and
struggles against evil in order to restore
harmony and justice to society
e.g.
Beowulf, Hercules, D’artagnan from
“The Three Musketeers” etc.
The Epic of Gilgamesh
Legends state that Gilgamesh ruled for
126 years, although a “year” may have
been measured in seasons or moon
phases, or perhaps the length of reign was
embellished to make his legacy larger than
life
Gilgamesh is 2/3 god and 1/3 man, being
the son of the goddess Ninsun and the
Priest Kullub
Literary Terms
Hubris
Excessive
pride or selfconfidence;
arrogance;
seen as an
undesirable
trait in ancient
cultures
Hubris
Hubris
Hubris
Hubris
Story of Gilgamesh
The Epic of Gilgamesh is the story of King
Gilgamesh of Uruk.
Gilgamesh is a ruthless and oppressive leader, and the
gods punish his prideful behavior.
Horrified about what happens and the prospect of his
own demise, Gilgamesh undertakes a quest for
immortality.
There he finds the truth about life and death.
The Hero’s Journey
See Ms. Platte’s
HERO’s JOURNEY POWERPOINT
Epic of Gilgamesh text on audio
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X
eDL_0Nszr0
The Epic of Gilgamesh text
http://www.aina.org/books/eog/eog.pdf
Thematic Elements
DIVINE vs. HUMAN (Tablets I - VI)
Gilgamesh is perched uncomfortably between
divine and human
The gods are forced to intercede because of
his arrogance
Mortality as reminder of his humanity
Humanization of Enkidu
Thematic Elements
(Tablets I - VI)
CITY vs WILDERNESS
Enkidu’s entry into civilization is marked by his
geographical movement from the wilderness to
the city
His participation in the battle against Humbaba,
signifies his switch in loyalties
Enkidu’s death causes Gilgamesh to make the
opposite move, from city to wilderness on his
journey
CITY vs
WILDERNESS
(Tablets VII - XI)
It is only through journeying through uncertainty
and and darkness that he arrives at wisdom
Returns in the end to the city, a more mature and
better king having experienced not just strength and
victory, but also loss and failure
DIVINE vs. HUMAN vs. Animal
(Tablets VII - XI)
Reflections on human mortality and hopes for
immortality
The text gives answers as to what constitutes
immortality for humans: civilization and fame
Purpose of mortal lives: friendship and wisdom
Plot
Epic begins with the oppressive despotism of Gilgamesh
Compared to a wild bull in both strength and lack of
control; also a lack of care for the weak
The complaints of his people create first conflict and
move the first action of the text
The gods hear the pleas of the people and decide to
create Gilgamesh’s double- Enkidu - as an equal for
him to fight
Plot (Cont’d)
Enkidu raised in the wilderness
Lives like the animals
The Stalker (unnamed hunter who moves between - and
mediates - the worlds of the wilderness and the city) sees
Enkidu and tells Gilgamesh
Gilgamesh has The Stalker bring the temple courtesan to
Enkidu, so he will be drawn to her and “his animals will turn
from him”
Plot (Cont’d)
The process of relations with the
courtesan results in the animals recoil from
Enkidu
After talks of Gilgamesh and his power
(and Uruk and its riches), she convinces
Enkidu to travel to Uruk to try and
conquer Gilgamesh
Plot (Cont’d)
Enkidu comes to Uruk
Gilgamesh and Enkidu fight
Gilgamesh wins, but the two become friends
The two set off in search of adventure and fame
They fight Humbaba, the guard of the cedar forest
They are victorious and return to Uruk as heros
Plot (Con’t)
The goddess Ishtar, impressed, asks Gilgamesh to
marry her
He refuses and she unleashes the Bull of Heaven
upon him
For Gilgamesh’s hubris, the gods decide that Enkidu
must die
Enkidu becomes ill, laments his departure from the
wilderness, then comes to accept its goods
Plot (Cont’d)
Gilgamesh is devastated by the loss of his
friend
He now begins to question
mortality/immortality and the inevitability
of death
Plot (Cont’d)
Gilgamesh speaks to Utnapishtim, who is
rumored to be the only human to have
escaped death
Gilgamesh’s journey is filled with imagery
of hardship and darkness, together with
repetition, which serves to evoke the
journey’s length as well as to underline its
key points
Plot (Cont’d)
Gilgamesh tells the story to all whom he encounters.
Each time, he retells his reason- stressing that he is
compelled by a need to KNOW
All tell him his journey is pointless - humankind is mortalthere are no exceptions and no act of heroism can
change this
The extreme repetition serves to highlight the
endurance and persistence of Gilgamesh (foil to the
hero seen in the earlier part of the tale)
Plot (Cont’d)
Gilgamesh succeeds in seeing Utnapishtim, who tells
him the story of the Flood
The god Enil sends the Flood to humankind
without consulting the rest of the gods
The god Ea gets around the requirement to not
tell any humans by speaking to Utnapishtim
through a reed wall and helps him think of a way to
explain why he is building a big boat
Utnapishtim and his family survive, carrying with
them seeds of animals as well
Plot (Cont’d)
After the flood, Ea convinces Enil to
only punish the wicked, not all humans, in
the future and there is a trade-off; instead
of the threat of total destruction,
humankind receives hardship in life
Plot (Cont’d)
Only one man, Utnapishtim, is spared the
fate of death
Utnapishtim tells Gilgamesh that he too
can can ask the council of the gods for
eternal life, provided that he pass a test of
not sleeping for six days and seven nights
Gilgamesh fails
Plot (Cont’d)
Utnapishtim then tells him of a plant, the
eating of which may bring immortality.
Gilgamesh fails again. He finds the plant,
but a serpent eats it
Gilgamesh returns to Uruk, still mortal but
wiser for the journey
Narrative Structure
Preface: a celebration of the achievements of Gilgamesh
throughout his life
Tablets I - VI: Gilgamesh’s heroic deeds, including the
conquest of the demon Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven;
major subplot involves Enkidu and his journey from nature to
civilization
Tablets VII - XI: Gilgamesh’s attempt to grapple with death,
as sparked by the death of Enkidu; Gilgamesh’s mourning and
his journey searching for the secret immortality; major subplot is
the story-within-a-story recounting the Flood
Narrative Structure
Tablet XII is a later addition to the epic
Not narratively connected to the earlier
plot, but picks up and further explores the
theme of immortality and mortality by
means of a tale about Enkidu’s journey to
the underworld
What is Left Gilgamesh
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In his misery he abandons his kingdom and roams as a hunter. This would be a digression
for a civilized man
Gilgamesh leaves the safety of Uruk for the wisdom in the wilderness
Admits that he believed the gods would give him back- he would not give up the body
until the worms appeared
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Admits that he fears death
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He visits the only man to be given everlasting life Utnapishtim
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Travels through the dark cave- mimics his soul
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Jonah and the whale
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Travels 12 leagues through absolute darkness (note the importance of the number 12)
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Why kill the lions?
The Death of Gilgamesh
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No word on how he dies only that he dies scared and
disappointed
His final act is to look on the city he created and engraved his
story upon the stone.
All that is left of Gilgamesh is the monumental sacrifices and the
greatness of his name.
What was it all for?
Desire for Power…
Everything is a Metaphor
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Gilgamesh is the center of civilization: he tames the animal outside the wall; he
tames nature to bring back trees for houses; he conquers famine in the form of the
Bull; he defies the gods.
Gilgamesh conquers all except death, the one fact that no man or civilization can
escape.
At the end, he travels through the dark tunnel of the soul only to be baptized and
washed “clean as snow” to re-emerge as a new man.
Eternal life- not what he expected- afraid of physical death yet his final thoughts
are of his great, walled city- Pride
Life ends but his name remains
We are left to wonder at the end of Gilgamesh became the selfless king he set out
to be at the end, and if he learned to enjoy the simple things in life
Gilgamesh’s story is a story of the journey and growth of a king. Does he become
the hero he set out to be?
Is arrogance his tragic flaw, or a motivational self confidence?
Reactions to the Epic
of Gilgamesh
www.learner.org/courses/worldlit/gilgamesh/
watch/
http://
Archetypes
The Journey – The journey sends the hero in search for some truth
of information necessary to restore fertility, justice, and/or harmony
to the kingdom. The journey includes the series of trials and
tribulations the hero faces along the way. Usually the hero descends
into a real or psychological hell and is forced to discover the blackest
truths, quite often concerning his faults. Once the hero is at this
lowest level, he must accept personal responsibility to return to the
world of the living.
Death and Rebirth – The most common of all situational archetypes,
this motif grows out of the parallel between the cycle of nature and
the cycle of life. It refers to those situations in which someone or
something, concrete and/or metaphysical dies, yet is accompanied by
some sign of birth or rebirth.
Natural vs. Civilized
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Originally Enkidu served as symbol of nature and Gilgamesh
as a symbol of civilization.
Civilization wins the wrestling match.
Now, it is not enough for Gilgamesh to remain behind his walls.
He must conquer further.
Sumerian expansion comes at a price.
These people who would have once worshipped the trees and
forest find they must cut it down to build their houses, so they
make its protector evil.
In this story, the gods try to protect nature from man. Mixed
message on the benefits of civilization
MYTH:
While common English usage often equates "myth" with "falsehood,"
scholars use the term slightly differently.
A myth is a traditional tale of deep cultural significance to a people in
terms of etiology, eschatology, ritual practice, or models of
appropriate and inappropriate behavior.
The myth often (but not always) deals with gods, supernatural
beings, or ancestral heroes.
The culture creating or retelling the myth may or may not believe that
the myth refers to literal or factual events, but it values the mythic
narrative regardless of its historical authenticity for its (conscious or
unconscious) insights into the human condition or the model it
provides for cultural behavior.
Gilgamesh’s “Hero’s Journey”
A hero’s quest is a theme common to the folklore and literature of many
cultures. This quest is always for something of great value, be it something
tangible, such as a lost object or a missing person, or something intangible,
such as knowledge or fame.
In the case of Gilgamesh, the quest is for immortality.
Regardless of what is being sought, it is customary for the hero of a quest to
encounter dangerous obstacles during the course of the search. These
obstacles often require the hero to endure great suffering, which, once
overcome, leads to fulfillment of the quest.
Discuss the quest for immortality in The Epic of
Gilgamesh by applying the above comments to our hero,
Gilgamesh
The Sumerologist Thorkild Jacobsen
described the Epic of Gilgamesh as a “story
learning to face reality, a story of “growing up.”
How is the epic an extended metaphor for the
journey all humans make from childhood to
adulthood?
What are we to learn about maturity?
Death Prompt
The poet Rainier Maria Rilke described The Epic of
Gilgamesh as “the epic about the fear of death.”
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How does the epic attempt to confront our own
mortality?
What are we to learn about the nature of death from
reading this story?
Gilgamesh and Ancient Culture Essay Topic
Reading literature, and especially epic literature, is like
looking through a window at the culture from which it
emerged.
Write an essay in which you discuss what “The Epic of
Gilgamesh” reveals about the values – the moral ideas and
standards of behavior – of ancient Babylonians.
What ideas were important to the Babylonians?
What did they expect of their rulers?
What values did they want their heroes to embody?
Use examples from the Gilgamesh text to support your
argument.
Role of Women in Gilgmamesh
Originally, Enkidu was part animal and part man. Discuss how the harlot
transformed Enkidu into a human being by first seducing him then luring
him to civilization.
What does this suggest about the role of women then? Now? So what
does it mean to be
civilized?
Develop your ideas by referring to specific incidents in the story.