Transcript The Death of Enkidu

The Death of Enkidu
According to Enkidu, what actions
resulted in dreams about his own
death?
Death of Enkidu
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Enkidu believes that his dreams are the
result of his cutting down the cedar forest
and killing Humbaba
Death..
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In tablet VII, Enkidu dies
In tablet VII, Enkidu’s funeral
Summary skills
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Re-read Battle of Humbaba
Find key points
Do not include minor details or statistics in
a summary
Summarize the battle with Humbaba, and
identify Enkidu’s role in it. Do not
specifically state “Enkidu’s role is…”
Summary
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With the help of Shamash, the sun god,
Gilgamesh and Enkidu cut down trees,
enter Humbaba’s house, and debate
whether to kill him. Gilgamesh considers
granting Humbaba mercy, but Enkidu talks
him out of it. They then kill Humbaba.
The Story of the Flood
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Tablet XI
In this excerpt, Gilgamesh journeys to the
underworld to find the secret of immortality.
On this journey he hears a remarkable tale
of a devastating flood ordered by the gods
to cleanse the world of evil. It is a tale that
resembles the biblical account of Noah and
his ark.
Story of the Flood
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As you read, identify the details of the
cultural context to gain deeper insight into
the story.
Pg. 25 Ea is bound by his oath to the other
gods not to warn anyone of the upcoming
disaster.
How is Ea able to warn Utnapishtim about
the flood without breaking his oath?
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Whispers to him in a dream, so he never directly
warns him
Story of the Flood
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Parallel Elements:
Ship, animals, humans, storm,, birds,
offerings, council of gods, immortality,
justice
Pg. 26 Is Ea advising Utnapishtim to tell
the whole truth?
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No a half truth b/c he does not want the other
gods to know he broke his oath
The Flood…
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Pg. 27 be able to summarize the reaction of the
gods to the flood
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The god’s reaction now differs with their earlier
attitude. How so?
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The gods are upset and frightened by the flood
Before all agreed to destroy humanity-since it got out of
hand, they now fear
Would all-powerful gods be frightened?
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NO! They are not so powerful!
Flood…..
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How long does the storm last?
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Six days six nights
Pg. 28 Utnapishtim offers the gods a
sacrifice
In the bracketed passage, (30) Ea asks Enlil
to be more merciful toward humankind. He
does not deny the need to punish sin but
stresses that punishment must be
tempered with mercy.
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Flood………
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Pg. 29 Why might Enlil have granted
immortality to Utnapishtim and his wife?
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He decreed that no mortal should survive the
flood---so by making them immortal, his decree is
obeyed.
Maybe he wants to reward the couple for being
so brave to withstand the destruction
THE RETURN
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Archetype- a basic plot, character, setting
symbol, or idea that recurs in literature.
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QUESTION ON FINAL- How does the Epic of
Gilgamesh fit the archetype of a hero’s quest?
What effect has Gilgamesh’s quest had on him, in
spite of his remarkable strength?
THE RETURN
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An extraordinary leader goes on a difficult
journey in search of the secret to
immortality.
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Gilgamesh bravely tries to overcome all the
obstacles he encounters—he is exhausted!
THE RETURN
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Pg. 30
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Why does Utnapishtim tell his wife to bake the
loaves of bread?
THE RETURN
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The loaves will decay at different times.
That will prove how long Gilgamesh will
sleep
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( Fairy tale Hansel and Gretel???)
Why does Utnapishtim want to prove how long he
slept?
THE RETURN
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Wants to show him how difficult the task is
and how he failed at it big time!
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Pg. 31
What does U tell G to look for?
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THE RETURN
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A magical plant that grants immortality
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Our fountain of youth??
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What happened to the gift?
THE RETURN
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A serpent steals the plant from Gilgamesh
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What is the lesson for G?
THE RETURN
Human beings can’t achieve immortality
Gilgamesh can’t succeed in all his quests
Us?
we can count on 5 things:
Change, taxes, love, hope, death!
THE RETURN
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Let’s read the last two paragraphs our loud
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How do these last paragraphs echo the first
paragraphs of The Prologue?
How might the Sumerian and Babylonian
values be revealed in these in these
repeated descriptions of the CITY AND
KING?
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THE RETURN
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The descriptions reveal the value that both
cultures place on security, wisdom, faith,
nature, endeavors, strength, and
endurance.
Final thoughts?
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Complete chart in groups1st class work grade for 2nd quarter…
CLASS WORK GRADE
Group Work: In small groups, you will complete a chart to
create your own epic hero and epic journey.
Complete the following:
 1 Name of Hero
 2 The Force the Hero will battle
 3 The Journey (specifically where will the journey start and
finish)
 4 Obstacles the Hero must overcome
 5 How will the epic end
 6 Theme or Real Reason hero took the journey
 Groups will put information on chart paper and present to
the class.
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