Gilgamesh Final Discussion Questions (Not The Study Guide)

READING GROUP DISCUSSION:
BOOK I:
1) This book opens with a positive description of Gilgamesh ending with the word “perfect.” Then, in the next paragraph the description changes, and the word “arrogant” is used. What is the “true” picture of Gilgamesh?
2) The solution to the trapper’s problem is the introduction of sex to the wild man by Shamhat, who is not what we would call a prostitute, someone who sells her body for personal gain, but a priestess of the goddess of love who has dedicated herself to being a servant of the goddess. Discuss the ways in which her union with Enkidu changes him. Is this a change for the good? What does he gain, and what does he lose?

BOOK II:
1) Now that Enkidu has gained some self-awareness, Shamhat continues to teach Enkidu. What lessons does he learn from her in this book?
2) The book begins with a violent fight but ends in the beginnings of friendship. What is your theory about why this happens?

BOOK III:
1) Much of this book is a debate between the two friends. The argument is over whether the two should journey to the Cedar Forest and kill the monster Humbaba. Do you agree or disagree with: Enkidu’s objection to the adventure? Gilgamesh’s reason for insisting on the adventure? His mother Ninsun and the elders’ objection to the adventure?
2) There is disagreement over whether to kill the monster Humbaba. Presented with all the arguments, whose side would you take and why?

BOOK IV:
1) This book is notable for its repetitive descriptions and the interpretation of dreams. Each day the two men travel exactly the same amount of miles, set up camp the same way, and each night Gilgamesh has an ominous dream which Enkidu interprets as favorable. Repetition, interpretation of dreams—what do you see as the importance of this book to the narrative? Why do you think that Enkidu interprets all Gilgamesh’s dreams as “favorable”?
2) The monster Humbaba is portrayed as pathetic, comic, and scary. Did you find yourself sympathizing with him at all as you read, and if so, why?

BOOK V:
1) The two friends exhibit real fear in this book. In this way, they are unlike other heroes in later epics—Beowulf and Odysseus, for example. For Gilgamesh and Enkidu, fear is not a shameful trait. What does sharing their fear accomplish?
2) With the help of the god Shamash, the two defeat the monster in an epic battle. When Humbaba begs for his life, why does Enkidu persuade Gilgamesh to refuse?

BOOK VI:
1) Of the six insulting examples Gilgamesh throws at Ishtar, which one is most convincing to you? Why?
2) Deeply insulted, Ishtar prevails on her father, the sky-god, to let her have the Bull of Heaven to wreak vengeance on Gilgamesh and his city. The images of the gigantic bull are fierce, but again, the two friends work together to kill the

monster. What does Enkidu’s action at the finish of the battle tell us about him?

BOOK VII:
1) At the end of Book VI, Enkidu has a frightening dream, and in Book VII he recalls it for Gilgamesh along with another bad dream. Gilgamesh tries to interpret the dreams as favorable, but Enkidu realizes that his fate has been sealed. How has Enkidu angered the gods?
2) When Enkidu realizes his fate, he curses both the trapper and Shamhat, who brought him to the city of Uruk, but Shamash offers a more balanced view. What is his view, and how does Enkidu react to it? Discuss why you do or don’t believe that Enkidu is the villain in this myth.

BOOK VIII:
1) The loss of Enkidu is devastating to Gilgamesh. How does he express his grief and how does he honor his friend’s memory? What would he do today?
2) After Enkidu’s death, the epic goes in a new direction. Gilgamesh begins a long, beautiful lament for his dead friend. Discuss the changes that Gilgamesh undergoes as a result of his friendship with Enkidu.

BOOK IX:
1) Gilgamesh now realizes that he, too, will die and allows his life to fall apart; he does not bathe, shave, or take care of himself (somewhat reminiscent of the original Enkidu) because he is terrified about death. On his journey to find Utnapishtim, the first stage—the trip through the tunnel—is successful. What are the dangers in this first part of the quest?
2) So many dreams appear in this myth. What two examples can you remember from any of the books of the myth explain the purpose of dreams in Gilgamesh?

BOOK X:
1) The tavern keeper, Shiduri, seems to offer Gilgamesh good advice for living after Enkidu’s death. Why doesn’t Gilgamesh pay attention?
2) What is the significance of Gilgamesh’s passage through the darkness underneath the twin-peaked mountain?

BOOK XI:
1) When Gilgamesh asks Utnapishtim to reveal the reason the gods made him immortal, the man recounts the ancient story of the Flood. This is the “vision” of the “primeval days before the Flood” promised in the Prologue. But this vision doesn’t seem to help Gilgamesh find the answer to his question, “Must I die too?” Scholars differ on the reasons for including this account of the Flood; why do you think the narrator included it?

2) In the Prologue, the unknown narrator takes the reader proudly through the city of Uruk. These same lines are spoken by Gilgamesh at the end of the tale. What is significance of this? What has Gilgamesh learned by the end of his epic journey?