Gilgamesh

1
Gilgamesh

• By Anne Scafidi, Kiana Acosta, Lucia Mendez,
  Sandra Gomez, Oscar Rios, Jocelyn Alcantar

2
The Epic of Gilgamesh

• The Gilgamesh Epic
• Named for a Sumerian king
• Describes an era about twenty-three times more
  distant from our Revolutionary.
• Its concerns are timeless and universal
• The story shows the reader how to be well known
  and respected and how to cope with the loss of a
  dear friend, and especially how to accept ones
  own inevitable death.

3
How the Epic Endured

• When the Babylonians conquered the Sumerians,
  they inherited the Sumerian cultural tradition.
• Babylonians started the first part of the story,
  while others modified it an gave it its central
  theme-the search for immortality
• After the fall of the Babylonians, the epic was
  lost. Only until archeologists excavated the
  story and were amazed at how a great portion of
  the epic described a great flood, similar to the
  story of Noah and the ark in the Bible.

4
Story of the Arrogant King

• Gilgamesh was known as the arrogant king, so the
  gods interfere in his life with difficult
  challenges and obstacles.
• Aruru provides Gilgamesh a challenge with Enkidu.
• Gilgamesh and Enkidu end up battling each other
  and after they battle they become close friends.
• Enkidu helps in the battle with Humbaba and
  learns that one of the heroes must die.
• His dream proves the fact that, the hero is him.

5
Name for Himself

• In order to find a name for himself he battles
  Humbaba
• When Gilgamesh becomes worried of death he begins
  his search, or heroic quest, to find everlasting
  life.
• He searches for the great survivor of the flood,
  which occurred many years before, Utnapishtim
• Siduris advice was to stay home and take care of
  his family. That in the end he would learn that
  death completes the cycle of life.

6
Questions!!! WEEEE

• What would it mean to you if you lived forever?
• What is an archetype?
• What is characterization?
• Would you say Gilgameshs quest is a selfish or
  an altruistic one?
• What outcome of Gilgameshs quest suggests about
  human limitations?
• How do you think you would handled Gilgamesh
  challenges, knowing all the mistakes he made in
  the story?
• What personal goals set by people today might be
  considered quests for immortality?Explain.

7
Vocabulary Builder

• Immolation noun offering or killing made as a
  sacrifice
• Succor noun aid, relief
• Somber adjective dark, gloomy
• Incantation noun chant
• Ecstasy noun great joy
• Teemed verb was full of, swarmed
• Babel noun confusion of voices or sounds
• Subsided verb settled, lessened, died down