THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH

 

History of the Text

z     Written around 3000 BCE, 1,500 years before Homer’s epic poems

y      Most complete edition is from the seventh century BCE

y      Written on clay tablets

z     Sumerians were the first literary inhabitants of Mesopotamia

z     Rediscovered by two Englishmen in the last century

y      first full translation in 1928

 

Is there a real Gilgamesh?

z       Fact:  There was a king named Gilgamesh who reigned in Uruk at some time during the first half of the third millennium

 

z       A king who probably led a successful expedition to bring back timber from the forests of the north and who was certainly a great builder.

 

z       Between Noah and Abraham, in the Bible, the only memorable names are Nimrod and the tower of Babel.  King Gilgamesh can be placed here during this time.

 

The story

z       Mixture of adventure, morality, and tragedy

z       Gilgamesh is the first tragic hero

y       two parts god, one part man

z       the story is divided into episodes

y       a meeting of friends

y       a forest journey

y       the flouting of a fickle goddess

y       the death of a friend

y       the search for ancestral wisdom and immortality

 

Gilgamesh:  The Plot, So Far

 

1.       The Meeting of Friends (The Coming of Enkidu)

1.       Gilgamesh--a god-man, is introduced as an abusive leader

2.      Enkidu

1.       an animal-man, created as Gilgamesh’s opposite/equal in order to temper this abuse

2.      tamed into a man by a prostitute

3.      comes to Uruk to halt Gilgamesh’s abuse

3.      They fight and quickly become best friends

Gilgamesh:  The Plot, So Far

 

•          2.  The Forest Journey

1.       Gilgamesh decides that killing Humbaba, the monster-keeper of the Cedar Forest, will demonstrate their power and goodness

2.      The two journey to the forest

3.      They support each other through uncertainties

4.      Ninsun, worried, prays to Shamash, who sends wind to threaten Humbaba

5.      Humbaba begs for mercy, but Gilgamesh cuts his head off

 

Characters

•        Gilgamesh

•        Enkidu

•        Enlil

•        Ninsun

•        Shamash

•        Humbaba

Conflict

 

 

Man vs. Man

 

 

Theme(s)

•   Friendship

– Friends complement each other

•   Abuse of power

•   A Hero’s Quest

•   Courage vs. Cowardice (uncertainty in battle)

 

Comments /
Discussion Questions

Is there a difference between friendships of opposites and friendships of like-minded?

 

Why is power so commonly misused/abused?

 

Was it fair to kill Humbaba?

 

What are the roles played by the two female characters here, the prostitute and Ninsun?

 

Gilgamesh, the Conclusion

3.          Ishtar and Gilgamesh, and the Death of Endiku

 

•              Ishtar woos Gilgamesh and is rejected.

•              Insulted, she sends the Bull of Heaven to destroy Gilgamesh.

•              The heroes (Enkidu mostly) kill the Bull.

•              It is decided that Enkidu dies as a punishment.

•              Gilgamesh laments his friend’s death.

 

Gilgamesh, the Conclusion

4.          The Search for Everlasting Life

 

•               Gilgamesh fears death and sets out to learn from Utnapishtim how to avoid it, and to bring Enkidu back to life.

•               He goes to the great mountain, Mashu, and is allowed to pass

•               Siduri, the wine goddess, connects him to Ushanabi, the ferryman.

•               Ushanabi gets Gilgamesh to see Utnapishtim

 

Gilgamesh, the Conclusion

5. The Story of the Flood

 

•              The gods decided to destroy humankind because they were too many and too noisy.

•              Utnapishtim is told by Ea to build a boat and “take the seed of all living things”

•              Enlil, at first angry that a human survives, relents and gives Utnapishtim immortality.

 

 

Gilgamesh, the Conclusion

6.          The Return and the Death of Gilgamesh

 

•              Gilgamesh fails an immortality test by sleeping instead of staying awake.

•              He then, on his way home, loses a youth restoring plant that Utnapishtim tells him about.

•              Gilgamesh returns home to Uruk, appears ready to die, and dies.

 

 

Characters

•         Gilgamesh

•         Ishtar

•         The Bull of Heaven

•         The Scorpion guards

•         Siduri, the wine goddess

•         Ushanabi, the ferryman

•         Utnapishtim

•         Ea,

•         Enlil

 

 

 

Conflict

 

 

Man vs. Himself

 

 

 

Themes

•        The strong bond of friendship

•        The quest for immortality / the search for the fountain of youth

•        The end of the world

 

 

 

 

 

Comments / Discussion Questions

•          Would you like to live forever?  What is the significance of only having a short time on earth?  Is death unfair?  (See Siduri’s comments on page 102)

 

 

•          What are various explanations given for the end of the world?  Why are so many stories fascinated by this topic?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MYTHOLOGY

Notes on Myths

•Common definiton:  some untrue fantasy or distortion

•Definition for this unit:

–A truth beyond time and date

–A metaphor that reveals a primordial truth about the world

–Example:  a personified god is a metaphor for  an incomprehensible force that brought order into the world.

–Freud’s comment about God

 

MYTHOLOGY

Note on Creation Myths

Four components common to many creation myths:

1.          Chaos and Order

2.          Creators (gods) are personified

•            There are often many gods who are frequently in conflict

3.          Creation of Humankind

4.          Love and Marriage

 

 

GREEK MYTHOLOGY

FAMILY TREE

Chaos

Night Erebus

Love

Light       Day                           Earth

                 Earth              (Gaea)   Heaven (Ouranos)

 

50-headed monster           Cyclopses         Titans    Giants     Furies     Typhon

        Cronos--Rhea

____     ____     ____   Zeus   ____     ____

 

GREEK MYTHOLOGY

FAMILY TREE

Chaos

Night Erebus

Love

Light       Day                           Earth

                 Earth              (Gaea)   Heaven (Ouranos)

 

50-headed monster           Cyclopses         Titans    Giants     Furies     Typhon

        Cronos--Rhea

Hestia     Hades     _Poseidon_   Zeus   Hera     Demeter

 

Creation of the World/Man

Discussion Questions

•              What accounts for such family violence in the Greek creation story?  What primordial truth do you think is represented here?

 

•              Does God treat his creations, Adam and Eve, fairly?  How do the two originally deal with their responsibility for their crime?  Are they to blame?  What primordial truth is seen here?

 

 

The Fall of Man:  The Bible and the Greeks

•How is the gift of fire both a blessing and a curse?

 

•What do Adam and Eve do to cause God to punish them? (see Genesis 3:14-19) To throw them out of Eden? (see Genesis 3:22)  What does God appear to be concerned about?

 

•What causes Zeus’s ire toward Prometheus and also to man?  What is Zeus afraid of?

 

•How are the punishments similar?

 

•What does this suggest about a primordial truth regarding the relationship between human beings and God?

 

 

 

 

The Flood (The Deluge)

nGive examples of moments or images that cause people to think about the end of the world.

 

nIf you were Noah, how might you reason with God not to destroy the world.  (Or imagine, you’re Prometheus arguing with Zeus who wants to wipe out your creations.)

 

nWhat is the primordial truth of the flood stories?

 

 

 

 

 

Demeter and Dionysus:

The Two Great Gods of the Earth

 

On Demeter (Ceres)

Primordial Truths

How does the story of the change in the seasons rely on the sad story of Demeter and Persephone?

 

How has our belief about gods and weather changed since then? Remained the same?

 

On Dionysus (Bacchus)

Primordial Truths

“The worship of Dionysus was centered in these two ideas so far apart--of freedom and ecstatic joy and of savage brutality.  The God of Wine could give either to his his worshipers…(H)e is sometimes man’s blessing, sometimes his ruin” (59).

 

“He was man’s benefactor and…destroyer” (62).

 

How is this true today?  How have you been educated on the use and abuse of alcohol?

 

 

 

Pyramus/Thisbe; Orpheus/Eurydice; Pygmalion/Galatea

 

•Who are to blame for Pyramus and Thisbe’s deaths?  Is suicide ever justified?  Were they foolish?

 

•What is the message of the story of Orpheus and Eurydice from the gods to the readers and /or believers in the story?

 

•Why is there such a violent end for Orpheus?

 

•What is the primordial truth in the story of Pygmalion?

 

 

 

Phaethon, Daedalus, and Theseus

 

 

“Here Phaethon lies who drove the Sun-god’s car.

Greatly he failed, but he had greatly dared.”

 

Was Phaethon courageous or foolish?  How can you tell?  What about Icarus?  When should one listen to advice?

 

Hubris:  the excessive pride and ambition that usually leads to the downfall of a hero

–     Phaethon? Orpheus? Icarus?  Daedalus?  Theseus?  Even Pyramus?

 

Can you think of other examples of hubris in popular culture, where this primordial truth is evident?

 

•       Defining Heroism

•      How much should risk and danger to the actor affect the definition of heroism?

–   Is it the act itself that defines heroism or the motivation and risk of the actor

 

–   Is a person who suffers from stage fright who gets up and gives a flawless speech acting heroically?

 

–   How about an experienced lifeguard who saves a small child from drowning in the shallow section of a public swimming pool?

 

 

 

 

Defining Heroism

•               According to Hamilton, what is the difference between the heroism of Theseus and Hercules?

 

•               Which one do you think is more heroic?  Why?

 

•               What is the definition of a hero?

–             What is your definition?

–             What is society’s definition? (the same as yours?)

 

•               Make a quick list of some real life heroes.

•               Make another list of some fictional ones.

 

•               How has our view of heroism changed since Greek times?  What has stayed the same?

 

Defining Heroism

•               How much should risk and danger to the actor affect the definition of heroism?

–            Is it the act itself that defines heroism or the motivation and risk of the actor

 

–            Is a person who suffers from stage fright who gets up and gives a flawless speech acting heroically?

 

–            How about an experienced lifeguard who saves a small child from drowning in the shallow section of a public swimming pool?

 

 

 

The Trojan War

1.             The Judgement of Paris

•            Eris’s plan sets the ball (the apple, actually) rolling, forcing Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite to fight over the title of “the fairest.”

 

•            Zeus won’t judge, so he suggests the Trojan prince, Paris.

 

•            Paris chooses Aphrodite’s bribe, that the most beautiful woman in the world should be his.

 

 

The Trojan War

2.              The Involvement of Helen

n              Helen’s father, King Tyndareus, has trouble choosing a suitor; he makes all potential suitors swear to defend the eventual winner.

 

n              He chooses Menelaus (Agammenon’s brother) and makes him King of Sparta.

 

n              Paris steals Helen and brings her back to Troy.

 

n              Because of the suitors’ oath, they are bound to go to war with Troy to get back Helen.

 

n              Hers is the “face that launched a thousand ships.

 

 

The Trojan War

3.              Bumps in the War

n               The gods are closely involved in the war’s battles.

 

n               To get rid of a disruptive wind caused against the Greeks by Artemis, Agammenon sacrifices his daughter, Iphigenia.

 

n               Apollo shoots fiery arrows down on the Greeks because Agammemnon took as a prize from a battle Chryseis, the daughter of one of Apollo’s priests.

 

n               Achilles convinces Agammemnon to return the daughter, but then Agammenon, angry, takes one of Achilles’s prizes, Briseis.  Achilles is so angry that he refuses to fight in the war.

 

 

The Trojan War

4.              The End of the Story

•              Agammemnon agrees to return Briseis, but Achilles continues to refuse to participate.

 

•              Achilles’s friend Patroclus, seeing the desperate position of the Greeks, puts on Achilles’s armor to inspire his side.

 

•              Patroclus is killed in a battle with Hector.

 

•              Achilles, furious over Patroclus’s death, kills Hector, with Athena by Achilles’s side.

 

•              He then degrades Hector’s dead body by strapping it to a horse and dragging it around the walls of the city.

 

•              Priam, the King of Troy, goes to the Greeks to get back Hector’s body.

 

 

 

The Trojan War--Key Issues

n              War

–             Is this war justified?  Is war ever justified?

n              The Treatment of Women

1.            The goddesses--Hera, Athena, Aphrodite

»           Is this female obsession with physical beauty relevant today?  Is it just about women?

2.           Helen

»           A husband is chosen for her

»           She is stolen.

»           Why Helen of “Troy” and not “Sparta”?

»           Is she the cause of the war?  (Eve, Pandora)

3.           Iphigenia

»           Human sacrifice

4.           Chryseis and Briseis

»           Women are prizes

n              Courage and Pride

•              Is Hector’s decision to leave his family in order to fight in the war courageous?

•              Is Patroclus’s action courageous or foolish?

•              What do we make of Achilles’s actions?

»           To sit out the war, to fight once his friend has died, to drag Hector’s body around the city

 

 

 

The Adventures of Odysseus

n             At home in Ithaca:  Penelope and Telemachus

 

n             Odysseus’s Journey

1.            The Land of the Lotus Eaters

2.            The Cyclopes Polyphemus

3.            The Country of the Winds

4.            The Laestergons

5.            Circe

6.            Hades, Persephone, and Teiresias

7.            The Sirens

8.            Scylla and Charybdis

9.            The Island of the Sun

10.          Calypso

 

n             Odysseus’s Return to Ithaca

 

The Adventures of Odysseus

n              Odysseus’s Journey

–             1.  The Land of the Lotus Eaters

•               The great-tasting flower makes you want to stay.

–             2.  The Cyclopes Polyphemus

•               There’s an escape but Poseidon makes sure the voyage continues.

–             3.  The Country of the Winds

•              The winds get out of the bag.

•              4.  The Laestergons

•              These gigantic cannibals destroyed all the ships but Odysseus’s.

–            5.  Circe

•              Beautiful and dangerous witch turns men into swine;

•              falls in love with Odysseus once he tricks her, and then everyone has a great time.

 

The Adventures of Odysseus

n              Odysseus’s Journey

 

–             6.  Hades, Persephone, and Teiresias

•              The blind soothsayer tells Odysseus to avoid killing the oxen on the Island of the Sun;

•              And he will arrive safely home, eventually.

•             7.  The Sirens

•              Odysseus hears the marvelous voice while tied to the ship’s mast.

–             8.  Scylla and Charybdis

•              A dangerous passage

–             9.  The Island of the Sun

•              All Odysseus’s men die after killing and eating the sacred oxen.

–             10.  Calypso

•              Stayed for many years

 

 

n    How do you define odyssey?

n    A long series of wanderings, or a long journey, filled with notable experiences or hardships.

 

n    Can you think of one of your own journeys you would consider an odyssey?