Due Feb 4
Mesopotamian Epic 2
Reading: Gilgamesh, the hero’s quest for immortality, Tablets VII-XI (pp48-73).
Writing: Post 1-2 sentences in response to one of the following prompts:
- Seems to me this epic just gets weirder as it goes along. Quote a line or cite a plot event from the second half of the epic that strikes you as a good starting point for discussion—and comment on why it’s puzzling.
- Gilgamesh’s quest for immortality takes him beyond the mortal plane. Quote a line or cite a plot event that strikes you as suggestive for understanding this culture’s conception of the cosmos beyond—and comment on what it suggests.
Oddities
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An event that is an interesting reflection of Gilgamesh’s humanity is his challenge to stay awake for six days and seven nights given to him by Utanapishtim in Tablet XI. Gilgamesh instantly falls asleep, and the baked bread being old indicates how long he was asleep for. He attempts to claim “scarcely had sleep stolen over” (97) and proceeds to react terrified asking “how should I carry on?”. For being a divine demi-god who slayed incarnations of evil, he realizes that his own humanity requires him to be in a thought to be “near death state” at the time. It also signifies a shift in the story, where his response to most things near the beginning would be combat or violence, now he has taken a more vulnerable reaction asking for guidance. An interesting question from this moment is this: if Gilgamesh is 2/3 God why was he chosen to be defeated by a biological necessity rather than a supernatural entity in battle? Is his humanity supposed to be his downfall?
One of the puzzling parts that I am concerned about is that when Enkidu wanted to return the curse to Shamhat. Even though Enkidu had listened to the Sun God and turned his curse into a blessing, it is still a part that represented how “civilized” had brought Enkidu other problems. He told Shamhat, “By reason that you tainted me when I was pure and undefiled in the wilderness do I now cast my curse upon you” (David 50), which the epic seems to suggest that Enkidu received civilization as both a gift and a loss. Enkidu gains humanity and friendship, yet he pays for it with his innocence and ultimately his life, presenting the epic’s contradictory view of civilization. What actually does the epic want to tell about the meaning of civilization, or humanity?
One moment that really stood out to me or was puzzling was when Utnapishtim tells Gilgamesh that the gods “regretted” creating humans and wiped them out with a flood (Tablet XI). Whats strange to me is how gods are supposed to be powerful but they end up acting emotionally which makes me question the flaws. Is this epic actually stable?
An event that I found interesting/odd was Enkidu stating “Come now, Harlot, I am going to decree your fate” (27) I find it to be particularly interesting that the Epic of Gilgamesh seems to humanize its characters so much. Most tales of gods seem to have a certain set of morals/rules and it sticks to them, however the tale of Gilgamesh can switch the villain into a hero and the other way around. The moral ambiguity as well as the presence of different emotions in this story make it feel much more human than it is.
One event that I found rather odd was when the snake steals the plant of rejuvenation from Gilgamesh. Utnapishtim tells Gilgamesh of a plant that can restore youth and Gilgamesh retrieves it, but after he does a snake comes and steals it from him while he is bathing. I find it very odd how Gilgamesh has to go through these otherworldly trials and cross cosmic boundaries, just for it to be taken from him by a mere snake. I think it suggests that immortality in this culture something that circulates naturally, rather than something humans can possess.
I agree with you and I think your point is very valid. I’m also interested by the next scene that follows where, “Gilgamesh, when he beheld the serpent make away with the plant, sit himself upon the ground and weep” (pg 73). Out of all the possible options to respond with- anger, violence, etc- Gilgamesh actually chose the most passive one, showcasing acceptance and vulnerability. I find it odd how one of the most important journeys so far ends anticlimactically and gets met with an anticlimactic response like acceptance. I think Gilgamesh’s anticlimactic response shows his transformation as a character, from a tyrannical king who couldn’t accept any limits to someone who can face loss with acceptance.
That which lies beyond mortal ken
—what Hamlet called “The undiscovered country from whose bourn / No traveller returns”)
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When Gilgamesh asks Siduri, the Maker of Wine, to grant him everlasting life, she responds with “Fill each day with merriment” (62). While Gilgamesh is terrified of death after seeing his dear friend pass on, Siduri tries to reassure him, saying death is inevitable but you should live your life and spend the time you do have doing things you enjoy so that, when you are looking back on your life on your deathbed, you aren’t filled with regrets. I think it ties back to what Gilgamesh told Enkidu, that “it is the Destiny of every man to die. What is unknowable is the hour of his Death” (49).
One thing from the text that I believed suggested at this culture’s conception of the cosmos beyond took place as Enkidu is describing his second dream. Enkidu stated, ” And he trussed me up and led me down unto the House of Darkness”(Davis 51). Enkidu hinted that a death in their culture led not to a paradise like heaven, but to a concrete “House of Darkness.” This, to me, meant the people had three realms. The netherworld for the dead, Earth for the Humans, and then a place for the Gods above. To reaffirm this, later in his retelling of the dream, we are told that the land of the dead encompasses all types of people (Davis 51). This, to me, made their version of an underworld, or “Netherworld” as they call it, not seem like a place of punishment, but a place of the dead where all can be. Showing it is different from other cultures and doesn’t have a supposed heaven or hell, just an underworld.
This is an excellent prompt, as I was beginning to question the continuity of the Epic. What has been puzzling me is the true loyalty and motivations of the Gods, especially Shamash, God of the Sun. Shamash, in the earlier accords, had proved to be a patron God for both Enkidu and Gilgamesh both. He answered their prayers, showed them prophecies through dreams, and was a key figure in their triumph over Humbaba. Despite this, at the very beginning of Tablet VII, Enkidu relays his dream that the Council of Gods, have decided to inflict him with an illness. This is said to be because of the destruction caused by Gilgamesh and Enkidu on their escapades–meaning that one must die. Shamash, initially has reservations about the matter, but seemingly lets the process go ahead; with Enkidu being stricken with a plague and dying as a result. My question is, why would Shamash spend so great an effort to ensure Enkidu’s and Gilgamesh’ safety and valor, then allow the gods to curse upon him a premature death?