The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the earliest works of literature from Mesopotamia dating back to around 1200 BCE. It tells the story of the historical King Gilgamesh of Uruk and his friendship with the wild man Enkidu. The two friends go on adventures together but Enkidu is killed by the gods, leaving Gilgamesh devastated and afraid of his own mortality. In his grief, Gilgamesh goes on a quest to find eternal life but ultimately learns that all men must die. The Epic explores themes of friendship, mortality, humanity's relationship with the gods, and the search for wisdom and redemption.

1. “THE” FIRST EPIC

2. ONE OF THE EARLIEST
WRITTEN TEXTS

3. THE STORY OF A LIFE
CHANGING FRIENDSHIP

4. IT’S…

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

6. 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.”

7. SUMMARY IN A SONG
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTIKsT3W-h0

8. WHAT MAKES THIS AN EPIC?

9. • Straight forward “history”
• Gods
•ADVENTURE

11. THIS STORY IS MEANTTO BE READ
•There is a lot of repetition, which makes it
MEMORABLE

13. • Conflict between
the gods
• Do not
have the
whole text-
only
fragments
• SIX DAYS AND
SEVEN NIGHTS

14. THE EPIC BEGINS

15. • 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

16. THE FRIENSHIP BEGINS…AND ENDS
• Became friends very quickly
• Enkidu civilized Gilgamesh by giving him EMOTIONS and LOVE

17. • 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.

18. GILGAMESH GRIEVES

19. • 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.

20. STORY OF REDEMPTION AND HOPE

21. MORTALITY VS. IMMORTALITY

22. GODS VS. MAN

23. WISDOM

24. FRIENDSHIP

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

26. THE EPIC OF
GILGAMESH

27. 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.