The Epic of Gilgamesh Flashcards
What does the prologue suggest about the values of ancient Mesopotamians?
The ancient Mesopotamians valued beauty, courage, and strength
Briefly summarize the battle with Humbaba
Gilgamesh and Enkidu go to battle Humbaba and when they arrive they trap him, with the help of Shamash. Then they enter Humbaba’s house and it’s not long before they kill him and bring his head to the gods.
When Gilgamesh and Enkidu debate whether to fight Humbaba, what is Gilgamesh’s attitude toward death?
Gilgamesh is convinced that he will not die, he refuses to die in that battle. He won’t let Humbaba kill him.
List in order the key events that occur after Utnapishtim tells his story.
- Utnapishtim tells Gilgamesh not to sleep for six days and seven nights
- Gilgamesh falls asleep
- Utnapishtim sends Gilgamesh with Ursharabi to the washing place
- Gilgamesh bathes and Utnapishtim tells him where to find an immortality plant
- Gilgamesh finds the plant
- A serpent steals the plant
(a) what evidence is there that Utnapishtim is not entirely sympathetic to Gilgamesh’s quest?
(b) what might cause Utnapishtum to have mixed feelings about Gilgamesh?
(a) when he says to his wife “look at him now, the strong man who would have everlasting life, even now the mists of sleep are drifting over him.” it seems like he’s saying it bitterly and like he doesn’t believe Gilgamesh deserves immortality
(b) he’s very prideful and ignorant and that might make it hard for Utnapishtim to like him
Which of the following best summarizes Gilgamesh’s mood at the end?
(a) bitter resignation
(b) pride in the walls of Uruk
To be honest, I think that at first it’s bitter resignation but once he gets to Uruk, it becomes pride because he’s telling Urshanbi about all the good hints about the wall
(a) what makes this epic difficult to read?
(b) which passages or ideas did you find he most thought provoking? Why?
(a) it’s written in old English, more or less, so it can be hard to comprehend
(b) the third to last paragraph is thought provoking because it makes you think about how unimportant immortality must be to him if he loses it that easily
