Lesberson D.

Leynes
World Literature / G1

The Epic of Gilgamesh Summary

The Epic of Gilgamesh set in the Mesopotamian times which is known as Modern Day
Iraq. It is about a ruthless king Gilgamesh who was born as half human and half god.
His mother Lady Wild Cow Ninsun is a minor goddess that is prayed for her great
wisdom. Lugulabanda is considered as Gilgamesh’s father and is also a minor known
god. Gilgamesh is the King of Uruk now he is disliked by his kingdom because of his
brutal ways. Such as raping Innocent women before their marriage night with their
husbands. His cruelty to the peasants in his kingdom with the idea that he is great with
glory and will live forever. The gods Anu and Ishtar as the goddess Aruru to create a
man from clay and send him down to Uruk. The man Enkidu is meant to be the equal to
Gilgamesh as he touches the ground Enkidu lives in the wild. He acts like a beast to
those around him until The Hunter discovers Enkidu at his watering place and plans to
tame him. He asks for Shamhat to come to the waterhole to tame Enkidu by making
love with him for seven days and six nights. Enkidu is then humanized by Shamhat. He
is brought to some Shepard’s to be dressed and taught to act more civilized. He is not
welcomed back to the animal pack which he lived with previously before he became
more human and civilized. Enkidu helps the Shepherd's protect the sheep flocks. He
shows kindness to the people that he meets, and he helps those that he can. He is
brought by Shamhat towards Uruk where he meets Gilgamesh who is about to rape a
girl. Enkidu is angered and attacks Gilgamesh. They both fight in a brawl though Enkidu
lost the fight. Enkidu and Gilgamesh later on become great friends almost like brothers.
They kill Humbaba at the Cedar Forest while collecting large trees to create large boats.
The kill the Bull of Heaven sent down by Ishtar after Gilgamesh refuses to marry her. All
the sins they have committed anger the gods so much that they decide to kill Enkidu as
a punishment to Gilgamesh. Enkidu becomes extremely ill. He has visions of the
underworld and shows anger to the Hunter that humanized him. Enkidu dies in
Gilgamesh’s arms and this tells Gilgamesh he is not going to live forever. While
Mourning for his friend Enkidu, Gilgamesh sets off on a journey to find Immortality. He
fights Large Scorpion men and speaks to a tavern keeper that tells Gilgamesh not seek
Immortality just live the life you have as best as you can. He meets Utnapishtim who is
known and blessed with Immortality by the gods because he saved a number
of animals from a large flood on a boat with his wife. Gilgamesh begs for the help of
Utnapishtim but Utnapishtim refuses to help Gilgamesh with Immortality. He sends
Gilgamesh back to Uruk but not without a plant that if ingested can turn Gilgamesh
young again. Gilgamesh falls asleep by a lake, but a snake eats the plant and sheds its
skin becoming young again before Gilgamesh can bring it to Uruk and share it with the
elder man in his kingdom to see if it really works. Gilgamesh arrives back in Uurk his
heart full and fear rising because he doesn’t want to die. But during his journey home he
realizes he has to be a good king and if he is a good king he will be known immortally.
That is what he does for the rest of his years in Uruk. He becomes a better king and a
better person before he dies but his name is remembered in the end.
Characters
Gilgamesh - King of Uruk, the strongest of men, and the personification of all human
virtues. A brave warrior, fair judge, and ambitious builder, Gilgamesh surrounds the city
of Uruk with magnificent walls and erects its glorious ziggurats, or temple towers. Two-
thirds god and one-third mortal, Gilgameshis undone by grief when his beloved
companion Enkidu dies, and by despair at the prospect of his own extinction. He travels
to the ends of the Earth in search of answers to the mysteries of life and death.

Enkidu - Companion and friend of Gilgamesh. Hairy-bodied and brawny, Enkidu was
raised by animals. Even after he joins the civilized world, he retains many of his
undomesticated characteristics. Enkidulooks much like Gilgameshand is almost
hisphysical equal. He aspires to be Gilgamesh’s rival but instead becomes his soul
mate. The gods punish Gilgamesh and Enkidu by giving Enkidu a slow, painful,
inglorious death for killing the demon Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven.

Shamhat - The temple prostitute who tames Enkidu by seducing him away from his
natural state. Though Shamhat’s power comes from her sexuality, it is associated with
civilization rather than nature. She represents the sensuous refinements of culture—the
sophisticated pleasures of lovemaking, food, alcohol, music, clothing, architecture,
agriculture, herding, and ritual.

Utnapishtim - A king and priest of Shurrupak, whose name translates as “He Who Saw
Life.” By the god Ea’s connivance, Utnapishtim survived the great deluge that almost
destroyed all life on Earth by building a great boat that carried him, his family, and one
of every living creature to safety. The gods granted eternal life to him and his wife.

Utnapishtim’s Wife - An unnamed woman who plays an important role in the story.
Utnapishtim’s wife softens her husband toward Gilgamesh, persuading him to disclose
the secret of the magic plant called How-the-Old-Man-Once-Again-Becomes-a-Young-
Man.

Urshanabi - The guardian of the mysterious “stone things.” Urshanabi pilots a small
ferryboat across the Waters of Death to the Far Away place where Utnapishtim lives. He
loses this privilege when he accepts Gilgamesh as a passenger, so he returns with him
to Uruk.

The Hunter - Also called the Stalker. The hunter discovers Enkidu at a watering place
in the wilderness and plots to tame him.

Aruru - A goddess of creation who fashioned Enkidu from clay and her spittle.

Ea - The god of fresh water, crafts, and wisdom, a patron of humankind. Ea lives in
Apsu, the primal waters below the Earth.

Anu - The father of the gods and the god of the firmament.

Humbaba - The fearsome demon who guards the Cedar Forest forbidden to mortals.
Humbaba’s seven garments produce an aura that paralyzes with fear anyone who
would withstand him. He is the personification of awesome natural power and menace.
His mouth is fire, he roars like a flood, and he breathes death, much like an erupting
volcano. In his very last moments he acquires personality and pathos, when he pleads
cunningly for his life.

Scorpion-Man - Guardian, with his wife, of the twin-peaked mountain called Mashu,
which Shamash the sun god travels through every night. The upper parts of the
monsters’ bodies are human, and the lower parts end in a scorpion tail. They are
familiar figures in Mesopotamian myth.

Siduri - The goddess of wine-making and brewing. Siduri is the veiled tavern keeper
who comforts Gilgamesh and who, though she knows his quest is futile, helps him on
his way to Utnapishtim.

Tammuz - The god of vegetation and fertility, also called the Shepherd. Born a mortal,
Tammuz is the husband of Ishtar.

Enlil - God of earth, wind, and air. A superior deity, Enlil is not very fond of humankind.

Ereshkigal - Terrifying queen of the underworld.

Ishtar - The goddess of love and fertility, as well as the goddess of war. Ishtar is
frequently called the Queen of Heaven. Capricious and mercurial, sometimes she is a
nurturing mother figure, and other times she is spiteful and cruel. She is the patroness
of Uruk, where she has a temple.

Lugulbanda - Third king of Uruk after the deluge (Gilgamesh is the fifth). Lugulbanda is
the hero of a cycle of Sumerian poems and a minor god. He is a protector and is
sometimes called the father of Gilgamesh.

Ninsun - The mother of Gilgamesh, also called the Lady Wildcow Ninsun. She is a
minor goddess, noted for her wisdom. Her husband is Lugulbanda.

Shamash - The sun god, brother of Ishtar, patron of Gilgamesh. Shamash is a wise
judge and lawgiver.

Theme

The major theme of the poem is that of mortality. Gilgamesh must learn the difficult
lesson that, even as a king, he too must face the reality of his own death. On their way
to the Cedar Forst to face Humbaba, Enkidu expresses his concerns about death, which
Gilgamesh laughs off, telling Enkidu that no one lives forever and that life is short.
However, when Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh is so distraught that he seeks out Utnapishtim
to learn the secret of immortality.

Lesson

Death is an inevitable and inescapable fact of human life, which is the greatest lesson
Gilgamesh learns. Gilgamesh is bitter that only the gods can live forever and says as
much when Enkidu warns him away from their fight with Humbaba.