Download The Epic of Gilgamesh - Mrs. Anthony`s English 2

The Epic of Gilgamesh
What’s an Epic?
Epic: a long narrative poem about a larger-than-life hero
who is engaged in a dangerous journey (quest) that is
important to the history of a nation or people.
Examples: Beowulf (Anglo-Saxon)
The Odyssey (ancient Greek)
Sundiata (West African)
The Mahabharata (Indian)
The Nibelungenlied (German)
The Divine Comedy (Italian)
The Song of Roland (French)
King Arthur legends (English)
The Epic – Key Elements
• An opening statement of theme, followed by a
prayer (invocation) to the gods
• Begins in medias res (in the middle)
• Has a serious tone and an elevated style
• Includes epic similes and epithets (stock words /
phrases)
The Epic – Key Elements
• An epic hero (ex. Achilles/ The Illiad)
• An epic conflict (ex. Greeks v. Trojans; Achilles
v. Hector; The Illiad )
• An heroic quest(s)
• Divine intervention (Zeus, Hera—The Illiad)
An Epic Hero is…
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Strong
Brave
Loyal
Virtuous
** flawed in some way (often hubris)
Occupies an important position in society
Is usually of semi-divine or noble birth
An Epic Conflict
• Plot--centers on the hero’s struggle against a
series of obstacles
• Proves his…
– Strength
– Bravery
– Wisdom
– Virtue
…through a variety of deeds and success
in battle or adventure.
The Quest
(a plot archetype)
• A hero’s perilous journey in
search of something of value
to his people
.
Quest/ A hero may search for…
• a person
• a place
• an object of value
• the answer to a problem or puzzling
question
• some other special knowledge
Divine Intervention
• The epic hero often receives help
from…
1. a god
2. some other supernatural force
The Epic of Gilgamesh
• written over 4000 years ago.
• based upon 12 clay tablets written in
cuneiform script
• is at least 1,000 years older than the Greek
epics Iliad and Odyssey, as well as most books
of the Hebrew Bible.
• tale was written by the Sumerians
• repeated and reworked by writers from the
Babylonian and Assyrian cultures.
Clay Tablets Found in 1839
Historical Gilgamesh
It is based on some grains of fact:
• Sumerian king named Gilgamesh
• reigned over the city-state of Uruk, in ancient
Mesopotamia (now Iraq)
• Reigned some time between 2700 and 2500
B.C.
The Characters
• Anu (aay nooh): the god of the
heavens; the father-god
• Ea (aay): the god of wisdom;
usually a friend to humans
• Enkidu (en-kee-dooh):
Gilgamesh’s friend; a wild man
whom the gods created out of
clay
• Enlil (en-lil): the god of the air,
the wind, and the earth
• Humbaba: a giant demon who
guards a great cedar forest
• Ishtar: the goddess of love and
war; the queen of heaven
• Ninurta: a god associated with
the sun and human laws
• Siduri (Sid-ooh-ree): goddess
of wine and brewing
• Urshanabi: the ferryman who
travels daily across the sea of
death to the home of
Utnapishtim
• Utnapishtim: the survivor of a
flood sent by the gods to
destroy humanity; the gods
granted him eternal life.