You are on page 1of 4

Tell a story or a fairy tale (not a well-known one), use time expressions, descriptive adjectives and

expressions for telling a story. Use ppt to illustrate it (and also for sound effects if you wish).
The epic begins with Enkidu. He lives with the animals, suckling at their breasts, grazing in the
meadows, and drinking at their watering places. A hunter discovers him and sends a temple
prostitute into the wilderness to tame him. In that time, people con sidered women and sex
calming forces that could domesticate wild men like Enkidu and bring them into the civilized
world. When Enkidu sleeps with the woman, the animals reject him since he is no longer one of
them. Now, he is part of the human world. Then the harlot teaches him everything he needs to
know to be a man. Enkidu is outraged by what he hears about Gilgameshs excesses, so he
travels to Uruk to challenge him. When he arrives, Gilgamesh is about to force his way into a
brides wedding chamber. Enkidu steps into the doorway and blocks his passage. The two men
wrestle fiercely for a long time, and Gilgamesh finally prevails. After that, they become friends and
set about looking for an adventure to share.
Gilgamesh and Enkidu decide to steal trees from a distant cedar forest forbidden to mortals. A
terrifying demon named Humbaba, the devoted servant of Enlil, the god of earth, wind, and air,
guards it. The two heroes make the perilous journey to the forest, and, standing side by side, fight
with the monster. With assistance from Shamash the sun god, they kill him. Then they cut down
the forbidden trees, fashion the tallest into an enormous gate, make the rest into a raft, and float
on it back to Uruk. Upon their return, Ishtar, the goddess of love, is o vercome with lust for
Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh spurns her. Enraged, the goddess asks her father, Anu, the god of the
sky, to send the Bull of Heaven to punish him. The bull comes down from the sky, bringing with
him seven years of famine. Gilgamesh and Enkidu wrestle with the bull and kill it. The gods meet
in council and agree that one of the two friends must be punished for their transgression, and
they decide Enkidu is going to die. He takes ill, suffers immensely, and shares his visions of the
underworld with Gilgamesh. When he finally dies, Gilgamesh is heartbroken.
Gilgamesh cant stop grieving for Enkidu, and he cant stop brooding about the prospect of his
own death. Exchanging his kingly garments for animal skins as a way of mourning Enkidu, he
sets off into the wilderness, determined to find Utnapishtim, the Mesopotamian Noah. After the
flood, the gods had granted Utnapishtim eternal life, and Gilgamesh hopes that Utnapishtim can
tell him how he might avoid death too. Gilgameshs journey takes him to th e twin-peaked
mountain called Mashu, where the sun sets into one side of the mountain at night and rises out of
the other side in the morning. Utnapishtim lives beyond the mountain, but the two scorpion
monsters that guard its entrance refuse to allow Gilgamesh into the tunnel that passes through it.
Gilgamesh pleads with them, and they relent.

After a harrowing passage through total darkness, Gilgamesh emerges into a beautiful garden by
the sea. There he meets Siduri, a veiled tavern keeper, and tells her about his quest. She warns
him that seeking immortality is futile and that he should be satisfied with the pleasures of this
world. However, when she cant turn him away from his purpose, she directs him to Urshanabi,
the ferryman. Urshanabi takes Gilgamesh on the boat journey across the sea and through the
Waters of Death to Utnapishtim. Utnapishtim tells Gilgamesh the story of the flood how the gods
met in council and decided to destroy humankind. Ea, the god of wisdom, warned Utnapishtim
about the gods plans and told him how to fashion a gigantic boat in which his family and the seed
of every living creature might escape. When the waters finally receded, the gods regretted what
theyd done and agreed that they would never try to destroy humankind again. Utnapishtim was
rewarded with eternal life. Men would die, but humankind would continue.
When Gilgamesh insists that he be allowed to live forever, Utnapishtim gives him a test. If you
think you can stay alive for eternity, he says, surely you can stay awa ke for a week. Gilgamesh
tries and immediately fails. So Utnapishtim orders him to clean himself up, put on his royal
garments again, and return to Uruk where he belongs. Just as Gilgamesh is departing, however,
Utnapishtims wife convinces him to tell Gilgamesh about a miraculous plant that restores youth.
Gilgamesh finds the plant and takes it with him, planning to share it with the elders of Uruk. But a
snake steals the plant one night while they are camping. As the serpent slithers away, it sheds its
skin and becomes young again.
When Gilgamesh returns to Uruk, he is empty-handed but reconciled at last to his mortality. He
knows that he cant live forever but that humankind will. Now he sees that the city he had repudiated
in his grief and terror is a magnificent, enduring achievementthe closest thing to immortality to
which a mortal can aspire.

The Epic of Gilgamesh is a poem written on stone tablets sometime between 2700 B.C.
and around 600 B.C. in Mesopotamia. Not all of the tablets survived intact, therefore
scholars can only guess at what certain sections of the poem are meant to say. The
poem itself is about the hero Gilgamesh, a man who is half god and half human.
Gilgamesh is stronger and more powerful than the people of his village , Uruk, causing
great unhappiness among the people. For this reason, they ask the gods to make another
man who would rival Gilgamesh. This man is named Enkidu. Gilgamesh and Enkidu
become good friends, but trouble follows them wherever they go. The Epic of Gilgamesh
is one of the earliest known pieces of literature that has survived.
Gilgamesh,the king of Uruk, is stronger and more powerful than those around him.
Gilgamesh likes to show off, and this causes a great deal of unhappiness for the people of
his kingdom. For this reason, they pray to the gods to make a man who is Gilgameshs
equal. The gods create Enkidu and leave him in the forest. Enkidu is more beast than
human at first, causing the trappers in the area a great deal of trouble. For this reason,
the trappers introduce him to Shamhat, a female follower of the god of love and war,
who helps to civilize Enkidu by introducing him to the ways of humans.
One day, Enkidu meets a man who is planning to attend a wedding in Uruk. The man
tells Enkidu about the ritual of first night in which Gilgamesh has the right to lie down
with the bride before her new husband. Enkidu finds this repulsive and goes to the
bride's home to protect her from Gilgamesh. When Gilgamesh arrives, there is a violent
fight. Gilgamesh wins, but Enkidu so respects his fighting skills that he quickly becomes
his friend.
Gilgamesh wants to go with Enkidu to the Cedar Forest to kill the beast that lives there,
Humbaba. Everyone tries to talk him out of it, including Enkidu, but Gilgamesh will not
back down. On the trip to the Cedar Forest, Gilgamesh has nightmares every night.
Enkidu interprets the nightmares into pleasant things, assuring Gilgamesh that
everything will be alright. When they arrive to confront Humbaba, Gilgamesh changes his
mind and wants to turn away. Enkidu, however, talks him into going forward with the
battle.
During the fight, Humbaba does all he can to talk Gilgamesh and Enkidu out of killing
him. Eventually, Gilgamesh slays him. Afterward, they cut of Humbabas head and return
to Uruk triumphantly. During the celebration, the goddess Ishtar asks Gilgamesh to make
her his wife. When he refuses, Ishtar brings the Bull of Heaven to Uruk to kill Gilgamesh.
However, with Enkidus help, Gilgamesh slays the bull.
The gods are upset at Gilgamesh and Enkidu for killing Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven.
For this reason, they decide one of the men must die. They choose Enkidu. In a short
time, Enkidu becomes ill and dies. Gilgamesh is deeply grieved by this. Gilgamesh goes
into the wilderness to find his ancestor named Utanapishtim, who can help him become
immortal. After telling Gilgamesh his story, Utanapishtim challenges Gilgamesh to prove
he is worthy of immortality by staying awake for six days and seven nights. Gilgamesh
fails, but Utanapishtim tells him where he can get a plant that will return him to his
youth. Gilgamesh finds the plant; but, before he can eat it, a snake eats it.

Summary
Gilgamesh is the son of a goddess and a mortal king, Ninsun and Lugalbanda. For this
reason, Gilgamesh is a strong man. Gilgamesh is the king of Uruk, a country which he
created. Gilgamesh likes to show off and is often challenging the men of Uruk,
embarrassing them and making it difficult for the women of Gilgamesh to find suitable
husbands. The people of Uruk pray to the gods to make another man who could

challenge Gilgamesh. The gods create a man named Enkidu. He is placed in the forest
where he annoys a trapper by taking the animals from his traps. The trapper asks his
father for advice. In turn, the father sends him to Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh recommends
taking a woman, Shamhat, to the wild man and have them engage in intercourse. The
trapper does this. After a marathon sexual encounter, Enkidu finds he cannot run as fast
as before because he has been civilized. At the same time, Gilgamesh has dreams about
Enkidu. After both dreams, Gilgameshs mother tells him that it means he will soon make
a friend.
Enkidu continues to spend time with Shamhat who helps him become more civilized.
Enkidu meets some shepherds. He eats and drinks with them. After a bath, he feels that
he is human. Enkidu later speaks with a young man who is going to Uruk for a wedding
and learns that as the king, Gilgamesh has the right to lie with the bride before her new
husband. Enkidu does not like this, so he goes to the brides house and stands guard.
When Gilgamesh arrives, they fight. Gilgamesh wins, but Enkidu so respects his
superiority that he forgives him, and they become good friends.
Gilgamesh suggests that he and Enkidu go to the Cedar Forest to kill Humbaba, the
creature that lives. Enkidu does not think it is a good idea, but Gilgamesh promises it will
bring them fame and power. Enkidu agrees, and they go to have weapons made.
Gilgamesh brags to the people of the village. He is once again told that it is a bad idea.

You might also like