“THE” FIRST EPIC

ONE OF THE EARLIEST WRITTEN TEXTS

THE STORY OF A LIFE CHANGING FRIENDSHIP

IT’S…

THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH (C.1200 B.C.E.)

BACKGROUND INFO:

According to the anthology introduction:

• “The Greatest literary composition of ancient Mesopotamia, The Epic of Gilgamesh can rightly be called the first true work of world literature.”

• “It began to circulate widely around the ancient Near East as early as 1000 B.C.E., and it was translated into several of the region’s languages.”

• “Gilgamesh was an early of the city-state of Uruk in southern Mesopotamia; he lived sometime around 2750 B.C.E.”

SUMMARY IN A SONG

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTIKsT3W-h0

WHAT MAKES THIS AN EPIC?

• Straight forward “history”

• Gods

•ADVENTURE

• Physical and spiritual/ moral

journey

•Dream

s & visions

• HERO

THIS STORY IS MEANT TO BE READ

•There is a lot of repetition, which makes it MEMORABLE

• Tries to find

immortality but

is unsuccessful

• THE FLOOD STORY

•Fears death and

mortality

• Conflict between the gods

• Do not have the whole text- only fragments • SIX DAYS AND

SEVEN NIGHTS

THE EPIC BEGINS

• Gilgamesh who was a KING, PART GOD AND PART MAN burdened his own people, so they went to the gods for help.

• The gods created Enkidu... “as a force of nature” (30.)

• Before, Enkidu was WILD and lived with animals, was then TAMED, became part of the HUMAN WORLD, and the harlot taught him everything about being a MAN.

• Enkidu kept Gilgamesh away from his bad behavior

THE FRIENSHIP BEGINS…AND ENDS

• Became friends very quickly

• Enkidu civilized Gilgamesh by giving him EMOTIONS and LOVE

• Set out on a journey and ran into trouble with the goddess of love, Ishtar.

• Gilgamesh disallowed her tries of seducing him, so she asked her father to send a bull to kill them.

• Every time the bull snorted, thousands of people fell in cracks and died-symbolizing an EARTHQUAKE.

• The gods kill Enkidu and Gilgamesh is left heartbroken.

GILGAMESH GRIEVES

• Gilgamesh couldn’t stop grieving over Enkidu and was terrified of his OWN DEATH and MORTALITY.

• He went off, determined to find Utnapishtim, so he could avoid death.

• At the end, he sees that he isn’t immortal, but he has to change his ways and take care of his city because life goes on, even after he dies.

STORY OF REDEMPTION AND HOPE

MORTALITY VS. IMMORTALITY

GODS VS. MAN

WISDOM

FRIENDSHIP

AS THE ANTHOLOGY STATES, “CLASSICALLY EPIC IN ITS LANGUAGE AND STORY” (30.)

THE EPIC OF

GILGAMESH

WORKS CITED:

DAMROSCH, DAVID. “THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH.” GATEWAYS TO WORLD LITERATURE THROUGH THE EARLY MODERN PERIOD. VOL. 1. ED. JOE TERRY. BOSTON: PEARSON, 2012. 29-74. PRINT.

THEMJMAK. “THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH SONG.” ONLINE VIDEO CLIP. YOUTUBE. YOUTUBE, 12, MAY. 2012. WEB. 3 APR. 2014.