World Literature Survey
The Epic of Gilgamesh
Source for these study questions:1. What roles may the epic have played in courtly settings throughout the history of Mesopotamian civilizations? Although I do not know the history of the relationships between cities in ancient Mesopotamia, I would guess that perhaps the City of Uruk wanted to share a story of their great king and great city as a message to the other cities about their accomplishments. What is the relation of the poet to the kings and heroes about which he/she spoke? Is that relation necessarily one of harmony and agreement? What does the epic suggest? It is unclear in the poem the exact nature of the relationship between the poet and Gilgamesh himself, although it seems clear from the end that the poet was acting as a scribe on behalf of Gilgamesh, to proclaim his story from his death bed. The poet begins the text with such admiration and praise for Gilgamesh, that I would say, yes, the relationship of the poet to Gilgamesh is in harmony and agreement with the wishes of Gilgamesh himself. The epic itself suggests that the poem was written to honor both Gilgamesh and the city of Uruk.
2. What sort of a king is Gilgamesh? Is he liked by his people? In the beginning of the poem, Gilgamesh is a source of lamentation to his people, because he exercises his selfish will over them with no consideration for his subjects. What is the meaning of the figure of Enkidu? Why is he said to have come into being? For what purpose? Enkidu is created by the gods to be the equal of Gilgamesh, to challenge his pride, and to alleviate the lamentation of the people of Uruk from under Gilgamesh's reign. Does he succeed in that purpose? Although at times Enkidu appears to be Gilgamesh's servant or even "sidekick," he is more so his equal than any other man Gilgamesh has met. If Enkidu does not succeed in being Gilgamesh's equal in every way, he certainly is his peer, his friend, his brother, and distracts him from inflicting agony on the people of Uruk.
3. Why is Enkidu said to be so similar to Gilgamesh ("his equal; ... his own reflection, his second self, stormy heart for stormy heart")? I believe Enkidu is Gilgamesh's equal in friendship and brotherhood, but still remains subject to Gilgamesh as displayed when Enkidu accompanies Gilgamesh on his adventures as his servant. His equality is best demonstrated when the two friends philosophize together about life, death, human nature, the will of the gods, and other questions they ponder together. Does Enkidu change throughout the course of his adventures? What sort of a man was he at the beginning? How does he change? Enkidu begins his life living among the beasts of the field, blissfully ignorant to the ways of civilized man. The very nature of his soul changes when he lays with a woman, and the knowledge of lust enters his heart. What are the consequences of those changes? Although just before Enkidu dies, he temporarily regrets having ever left the beasts of the field, Enkidu is overall grateful for the knowledge and experience he gained with the "awakening" of his consciousness that happened after he lay with the woman.
4. Is there some possible historical significance to situations such as the raid against the "Country of the Living," the giant Humbaba, the sacred forest of cedars? What does the giant represent? What may have been the underlying motivation of such a raid? Could economic factors have played a role? My answers to these questions would be purely speculative. If anyone with a historical perspective on ancient Mesopotamia would like to teach me about this, I would be most grateful.
5. What is the attitude of the epic toward Nature (forests, animals, wild life, etc)? What is the attitude toward the destruction and neglect of Nature (as for example in the cutting down of Humbaba's cedar forest and Enkidu's abandonment of his former life in another forest)? Even though ancient Mesopotamia is one of the earliest known civilizations, the people seemed to have a great respect for the earth around them.
6. What is the meaning of the gods? What functions do they play in the story? What is their relationship to human beings? In this particular story, it seems the gods have a two-fold purpose. First, as an explanation to why good and bad things happen to people. A reason for the explainable phenomena around them. Secondly, as a poetic mirror of human nature, only magnified with intense drama to portray the shortcomings and strengths of humans. How do gods differ from and how are they similar to human beings? It seems in many ancient polytheistic cultures, including the most famous Roman and Greek cultures, the gods are very similar to humans in that they can be angry, jealous, evil, while simultaneously being benevolent, generous, or good. Just like humans, no god necessarily represents all evil, or all goodness, unlike the Christian God and Devil. The ancient gods are distinctive from humans only in that they are (usually) immortal, have access to knowledge and power that humans do not, and seem to be able to exist in a spiritual plane that humans cannot reach, although they do often visit the physical earthly plane as well. Why is Gilgamesh said to be two-thirds god? What does that suggest about the processes by which gods are created/envisioned by the human imagination? I believe Gilgamesh was thought to be two-thirds god to explain his seemingly supernatural abilities of strength and endurance. This suggests that gods and god-men are, as I previously stated, created as characters for humans to relate to to explain the otherwise unexplained. How is the literary narrative and story-telling in general connected to those processes? The entire Epic of Gilgamesh appears to be a narrative about human nature, using gods and god-men as the characters, to make them super-human.
7. What is the significance and role of the dreams of Enkidu just before his death? It is a premonition that Enkidu must die in order to reconcile with the gods as punishment for killing Humbaba, the keeper of the forrest. What does he see in his vision of the Underworld? What happens there to those who were rich and powerful while alive? Enkidu sees people living in dust and darkness, with no happiness. The rich kings were stripped of their crowns and wealth, and were made to be like servants. What does this imply for people like Gilgamesh and Enkidu? If you have wealth on earth, you will lost it in the afterlife. Why is Gilgamesh so afraid after Enkidu's death? Because he never before pondered his own mortality, until he saw Enkidu- his equal- succumb to death. Before that, perhaps he thought he could somehow defeat death, as he had done so many other super-human things in his lifetime. But when he saw Enkidu, who had also achieved the same super-human accomplishments as Giglamesh, fall at the hand of sickness and die, he realized his own mortality for the first time.
8. According to the epic, is immortality possible for human beings? Are there any immortal human beings depicted in the epic? Yes, Utnapishtim and his wife were mortals that were granted immortality. What does this suggest? What does this suggest about Gilgamesh? It suggests that the gods have the power to grant such a gift, but that Gilgamesh was not worthy.
9. What is the reaction of Gilgamesh at the moment when he first sees Utnapishtim, the Faraway? What are his exact words? Gilgamesh is shocked at his appearance, and proclaims, "I look at you now, Utnapishtim, and your appearance is no different from mine; there is nothing strange in your features. I thought I should find you like a hero prepared for battle, but you lie here taking your ease on your back." What does this imply concerning his expectations, his values, his lifestyle? It strongly implies that Gilgamesh values adventure, strength, and even combat as virtues. He is surprised to see a man relaxed and comfortable, because he believes a hero needs to suffer. Is there any relation between those expectations, values and lifestyle-that is, the sort of man Gilgamesh is-and his destiny? Because of his core values, his character, the gods have destined Gilgamesh to be a great king. But he cannot achieve immortality. Most likely because in order to be immortal, you must learn contentment- basically- not get bored, since you will never run out of time. What does the life of Utnapishtim represent? The moral man, the one who pleases the gods, and the representation of the poem's moral: live life to the fullest, eat, drink, and be merry..
10. What is the significance of the story of the Flood which Utnapishtim tells Gilgamesh? Why did the gods choose Utnapishtim to be saved? The flood is a story about purging the earth of man's immorality. Utnapishtim was chosen to be spared because he was the only moral man who pleased the gods. What is the meaning of the tests which Utnapishtim asks Gilgamesh to undertake? Why does Gilgamesh fail? Utnapishtim tests Gilgamesh to see if he is worthy of receiving immortality. Gilgamesh fails because although it is his destiny to be a great king, it is not his destiny to live forever.
11. Is the character of Gilgamesh transformed in the course of his journeys? Is he a different sort of man at the end, after his return home? Gilgamesh transforms from an immature king acting upon every selfish whim with no regard for his people, to a hero-philosopher who returns to bring his city secret knowledge from the gods after his many adventures. According to this epic, what is the best way of life? That of Gilgamesh? That of Enkidu? That of Utnapishtim? Utnapisthtim seems to have found true contentment and happiness in life, and gives the advice to Gilgamesh to not worry about death but to live in the moment. "Eat, drink, and be merry" mentality seems to be the moral of the story. Life is short, so enjoy every moment.
http://fajardo-acosta.com/worldlit/gilgamesh/#reading
**Since I have no professor to grade these study questions, and no classmates with which to discuss these topics, please comment and share your thoughts.
No comments:
Post a Comment