The Epic of Gilgamesh

1
The Epic of Gilgamesh

• Timor mortis conturbat me
• The fear of death consumes me
• All of the episodes in the poem share this common
  theme--how the realization of death is a
  motivation for the heros actions and a defining
  feature of our search for identity.
• The poem expresses a very pessimistic view of
  human life and the world--due in part to the
  insecurity of life in Mesopotamia.
• From the start of the poem, we see Gilgamesh with
  an over-riding preoccupation with fame,
  reputation, and the revolt of mortal man against
  the laws of separation and death.
• His 2/3 divinity yoked with his mortal third
  becomes an internal dilemma which drives much of
  the movement it is a conflict that lies at the
  heart of all mankind to reconcile our divine
  aspirations with our physical nature.

2

• Gilgameshs completer, Enkidu, shares many of the
  heros traits, and he also stands as his
  opposite. Enkidus part-man, part-beast nature
  is the reverse of Gilgameshs human-divine mix.
• The relationship of Gilgamesh and Enkidu is an
  essential element in Gilgameshs growth.
  Enkidus death is the primary motivational force
  that propels Gilgamesh on his journey for eternal
  life.
• It is important to note that Gilgamesh sets out
  on his quest for SELFISH REASONS. He is not
  trying to revive Enkidu from the dead. Rather,
  he is now intimately aware of the consequences of
  death, and he wants to avoid a similar fate.

3

• Gilgameshs journey is away from the center. He
  leaves civilization and enters the wilderness.
  Uruk is the seat of civilization and law.
  Entering the wilderness represents the movement
  away from what makes us human. In such,
  Gilgamesh regresses into a primal being, wearing
  lion skins and looking worn and weary.
  Paradoxically, in trying to gain everlasting
  life, he rejects the qualities that define what
  he should be--the King of Uruk
• Gilgameshs journey is also a journey into the
  past. He figuratively travels back in time to
  encounter a man who lived before the Flood.
• Most significantly, Gilgameshs journey is a
  journey into self. As a common archetypal
  pattern, Gilgamesh must lose all the trapping and
  symbols of his position in order to strip down to
  his essential self. That is his most harrowing
  test to face who he really is.
• All of these patterns illustrate the growth of
  identity.

4
Prologue

• Extols Gilgameshs traits accomplishments
• Knowledge
• Wisdom
• Quest
• Ability to Write
• Divine/Human Composition
• Grandeur of Urukparticularly its WALLS (p. 13)
• The city represents safety, civilization, and
  law. The qualities of the King are reflected in
  the qualities of the city, and vice versa.

5
The Coming of Enkidu

• Enkidu is Gilgameshs
• Rival/ Companion
• Alter Ego/Doppelganger
• Reflector/Foil
• Completer. The two heroes together form one
  unified whole.
• Enkidus growth demonstrates the archetype of
  innocence leading to experience (often through
  sexual awareness). Wisdom replaces innocence.
  Civilization replaces the wild.
• Enkidu proclaims, I have come to change the old
  order (pp. 15 17).
• His interactions with Gilgamesh dissipate
  Gilgameshs selfish, hedonistic drives (p. 17).
• Symbols to note
• Face
• Dreams
• Clothing
• Gates

6
The Forest Journey

• This passage emphasizes how civilization
  overcomes the wilderness. How Law (the qualities
  of Mankind) replaces Chaos (the features of the
  Beast).
• Also the domain of Humbaba is associated with
  evil (p. 18), giving Gilgameshs adventure a
  moral dimension. It is also blessed by the
  Sun-god, Shamash (p. 18).
• The section also examines Mans restless desire
  (p.19) and his restless heart (p. 20). The
  hero must perform deeds to prove himself, and the
  deeds must be of epic size. This TEST is the
  hallmark of the hero.
• Through these acts, the hero acquires personal
  Fame, which is very important to the earliest
  cultures, and he elevates the entire culture and
  human race. So both the individual and society
  profit from the contest.
• Enkidu at first fears Humbaba because Enkidu has
  experience in the wilderness (pp. 18, 21, 23).
  But his companionship with Gilgamesh overcomes
  the dread, and they are able to vanquish the
  giant TOGETHER.

7
The Forest Journey

• Gilgameshs heart is moved with compassion when
  Humbaba pleads to him (p. 24). Now Enkidu
  questions Gilgameshs judgment, and the two slay
  the Guardian of the Cedar Forest.
• Although the heroes are aided by the Sun-god
  Shamash who supplies them with the winds, other
  gods are angered over the death of Humbaba.
  Enlil, the god of earth, wind and spirit, curses
  the pair (p. 25).
• The gods do not like this New Cosmic Order that
  has been establish in which Man betters the
  Natural World.
• Symbols to Note
• Journey/Quest
• The Forest
• Faces
• Dreams
• Sleep
• Gates
• Test

8
Ishtar Gilgamesh

• The goddess of fertility is attracted to
  Gilgamesh though his deeds. His Fame has
  consequences.
• Ishtars advances are an honor--Gilgamesh will be
  taken into the cycle of renewal and be elevated
  even further, such as Dimuzi had been.
• Yet, Gilgamesh refuses the offer which slights
  the goddess--the hero is always pushing the
  envelop, redefining Mans relationship with his
  surroundings, with the divine, and within the
  Cosmic Order.
• Ishtar threatens the release of chaos (p.26), so
  the gods relent and give her the Bull of Heaven
  to punish Gilgamesh. Bulls are sacred animals in
  many Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cultures.
• The killing of the Bull of Heaven and the
  subsequent insult to Ishtar is an affront to the
  divine--Man does have limits, as the epic proves
  over and over again. Enkidu is cursed, and his
  body (his defining feature and most mortal
  aspect) becomes his destruction.

9
The Death of Enkidu

• Enkidus Dream of the Underworld is a frightening
  glimpse into the Sumerian Afterlife. This dark
  world inhabited by vampire-faced creatures where
  the dead are slaves who eat dust and clay reveals
  much about Sumerian existence since the stories
  of our Afterlife are based on our Earthly life.
• Gilgameshs Lament (pp. 30-31) is formulaic and
  ritualistic.
• At Enkidus death (p. 31) Gilgameshs anguish is
  unbounded (as is fitting the hero), and he begins
  his regression.
• Symbols to Note
• Dreams
• Sleep
• Gates
• Clothing
• The Worm

10
The Search for Everlasting Life

• Gilgamesh sets out for purely selfish reasons (p.
  31).
• His journey is a regression--a reverse of the
  evolution of man. His encounter with the pride
  of lions shows a primordial response to the
  natural world (31-32).
• The Scorpion-Men, fitting guardians for the 12
  leagues of darkness under the Mountain of Mashu
  (a descent image), advise against the journey.
  Gilgamesh responds, still I must go (p.
  32)--life lessons have to be experiential.
• Shamash begins a series of encounters in which
  everyone tells Gilgamesh essentially the same
  thing You will never find the life for which
  you are searching (p. 33). Remember, Shamash is
  the Sun-God, and he is distressed by
  Gilgameshs appearance, showing that there is
  something amiss with the heros adventure.

11
The Search for Everlasting Life

• Siduri, the wine goddess who lives in an
  Eden-like Garden of the Gods, tells Gilgamesh to
  enjoy life--an early proponent of carpe diem
  (seize the day).
• The passage over the Waters of Death is reverse
  birth images. The island is often a symbol of
  the womb, and as such, Gilgamesh is returning to
  a pre-birth state.
• Urshanabi, the ferryman, is a common mythological
  figure to take people to a new reality--usually
  after death.
• Utnapishtim, the Sumerian Noah, tells Gilgamesh
  the futility of his adventure after Gilgamesh
  asks the epic question how shall I find the
  life for which I am searching? (p. 36)
• Symbols to Note
• Darkness Blindness vs Light Sight
• Ferryman
• Water
• Garden
• The Island

12
The Story of the Flood

• The story contains obvious parallels with the
  biblical Flood story. Yet, the actions and
  influence of the gods are quite different,
  indicating the different attitudes the Sumerians
  and Hebrews had toward the divine and our human
  responsibilities for our fate.
• The Ark is an archetype of survival.
• In both the Sumerian and biblical accounts, the
  destruction of the world is achieved through a
  reversal of the creation process, and chaos is
  loosed.
• The greatest difference is in the end of the
  story. In the Bible, God and Noah (who represents
  all Mankind) are reconciled and form a covenant.
  In Gilgamesh, Mankind is still punished for his
  actions--these Sumerian gods are not forgiving
  deities.

13
The Return

• The Test to stay awake. Human consciousness
  (identity) is an on-going theme within the poem.
  We often see Gilgamesh falling asleep (e.g. prior
  to the battle with Humbaba, and the test with the
  loaves of bread). This pattern illustrates the
  growth of mankind into a conscious ego. Yet, the
  human consciousness is still limited.
• Once Gilgamesh fails the Test, he is sent to
  clean and renew himself (p. 40). He is re-born
  into a fully realized human being and is given
  clothing as a sign of his humanity. Gilgamesh
  has learned the limits imposed by our mortality.
• The plant that restores youth--The Old Men Are
  Young Again--is not the same as immortality that
  has already been lost to us. This plant is a
  sort of consolation prize. Its importance lies
  in Gilgameshs altruism (pp. 40-41). He has
  gained wisdom instead of his original goal of
  immortality.
• Of course, the snake--a suitable archetype of
  evil--steals even this prize.
• On his return to Uruk, Gilgamesh is proud of his
  city, indicting the degree of his growth. The
  closing lines (p. 41) hearken back to the
  Prologue.