Gilgamesh Quiz

Quiz 1 - Epic of Gilgamesh

Jorge Luis Casanas Marrero HUM 1020 MoWe 7:30pm – 9:10pm

The Epic of Gilgamesh is an Akkadian poem composed around 2500 B.C.E. It is the earliest known epic. The theme of the poem concerns human beings’ search for immortality. Answer the following questions briefly.

1. What is the relationship between human beings and their deities?

• The relationship shown in Gilgamesh between humans and their gods is a simply one of mutual dependency, even though the power of gods was superior to that shown by humans. They are described like humans being, in behavior as well as appearance. Just like humans, the gods have feeling. The gods feel that it is their duty to intervene if they feel that man is traveling off course from

his destiny. However, gods are not all powerful, everyone has their own gift. Also, each god has their own duty and the can not interfere in other god’s duty.

2. How is Gilgamesh linked with the world of nature and animals?
• In the epic, Gilgamesh is linked with the world of nature and animals through his mission to find immortality.

He tries in several ways to be immortal, but even when he faces the issue head on and goes on his last journey, he fails. If you see the link with world of nature and animals from the Enkidu character, you can see that he begins life as a human animal, who goes naked. He eats and drinks next to animal in the same drinking-hole. However, this situation changes when he met the prostitute to seduce him and teaches him that he is a man, in all the sense of that word. Once he parts next to them, he walks like a normal human, standing in two feet. He has made a transition from animal to

human.
3. What is the meaning of friendship, family, and public duty?
• The Epic of Gilgamesh is the story of the powerful friendship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu. At the beginning of the story, Gilgamesh is a man possessed. He was the one who had the duty to guide is city with Nobility, wisdom and kindness. However, his arrogance has no limits day or night. “No son is left with his father, for Gilgamesh takes them all, even the children; yet the king should be a shepherd to his people. His lust leaves no virgin to her lover, neither the warrior's daughter nor the wife of the noble; yet this is the shepherd of the city, wise, comely, and resolute” (The Epic Of Gilgamesh, page 4). Along comes Enkidu and suddenly Gilgamesh stops acting like such an arrogant man. Even though Gilgamesh and Enkidu become the best of friends, this friendship start with a great fight between them. The strength of that friendship is reflected in the very close they came to be, when Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh is basically losing a part of himself anyway.

4.

What caused Gilgamesh live to want immortality?

• The Enkidu’s dead pushed to Gilgamesh to the despair but, the most important thing that this event brought was that it obliges him to accept that he was only a man and he was mortal like any other person. If Enkidu, who was created as his equal, as strong as him, could die then he could die too. Therefore, his own fear was the mean reason why Gilgamesh began to try achieving his immortality. He started fearing his own dead.

5. What tests did Gilgamesh face throughout his life?

• Gilgamesh face several tests throughout his life. His first test comes when he knows about the existent of Enkidu who was created as his equal, and he must beat him in a hand to hand fight. Then he must face and defeat Humbaba, in which he succeeds. Gilgamesh denies the love of Isthar, and she try to take revenge of that. Therefore, he should fight again The Bull of Heaven, which was released in Uruk by Isthar. Due to the fear caused on Gilgamesh after the Enkidu’s dead, he begins to try achieving his immortality, because he does not want to face the same fate as Enkidu. In his long way to reach the immortality, he beat lions in the mountain, try to resist sleep for seven days and sinks himself to recover the plant of eternal youth. He pass throughout Mash, where the sun is protected during the sunrise and sunset, so that he must walk almost twelve leagues without any light to reach the paradisaical land where Urshanabi

is.
6. How does this epic inform the reader about ancient history?
• The Epic of Gilgamesh, despite of many of the fantastical elements which make up this story, is based in the history. Gilgamesh appears as the king of Uruk in the Sumerian king list. This history shows and gives us details of the characteristics existing in the old society. As religion and belief in the gods was the explanation to everything inexplicable. In addition to the tyranny to which the ancient peoples were subjected. as a man could govern at will, with lust and having control of even all the women of the city at whim. This in its first moment took the gods to the creation of Enkidu, leading to the development of the history.
7. Which story has a parallel version in the Old Testament?
• The Flood of Gilgamesh has a parallel version in the Old Testament story which is The Flood of Noah.

8. How does Gilgamesh attempt to become immortal? Why is he not successful?
• When Gilgamesh insists that he want to live forever, Utnapishtim give him a test. If he wanted to live forever he had to be able to stay awake for a week, Gilgamesh tried but he failed the test that had been imposed to him. This shows that he is human with weaknesses and is meant to die.
9. In what sense does Gilgamesh achieve immortality?
• Gilgamesh has been through many adventures which make him a person with more wisdom. He learned that the greatest kind of immortality is not the physical. It is more important the legacy that we left when we die and the experiences lived. When he realized that he was not a god, Gilgamesh understood that what really matter are the things that we have done and the people that you have helped during your life.

10. What are your thoughts/opinions on the epic?
• In my opinion it is a great literary work, being the oldest known by man. This shows us details and characteristics about how life existed at that time in history. Despite being a time marked by tyranny, wars and the domination of the superstition on the human reasoning, the work transmits a valuable teaching. It is important to have ambitions and life projects that mobilize our behavior and motivations. But above all it is fundamental, that these can be raised from our real skill, capacity and ability. Always in function of the collective welfare and not only personal. In the case of the work, this was possible thanks to the influence of the interpersonal relations of friendship and the experiences lived by someone who in principle seemed to be the greatest of the tyrants; and that after he became a great defender and protector of his people.
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