Quotes for Themes

The hero's companion- everyone needs someone. You don't just go on fight alone. You have to have a sidekick. Batman and Robin. Winnie the Pooh and Piglet. “He turned to Enkidu who leaned against his shoulder and looked into his eyes and saw himself in the other, just as Enkidu saw himself in Gilgamesh. In the silence of the people they began to laugh and clutched each other in their breathless exaltation.” (pg. 24, Gilgamesh)
Love- you have love for best friends. Your not in love, but you love that person. You would do anything for them and protect them in whatever they do. Willing to die for that person. Exactly what Enkidu does.“Don’t be afraid, said Gilgamesh. We are together. There is nothing we should fear.” (pg. 28, Gilgamesh)
Loss of Innocence- Enkidu lost his innoconce because he slept with the prostitute. The animals leave him and is ashamed of him, but he is also ashamed of himself. "He became bitter in his tone again: Because of her. She made me see things as a man, and a man sees death in things. That is what it is to be a man. You'll know when you have lost the strength to see the way you once did... Why am I to die, You to wander on alone? Is that the way it is with friends." (pg. 49-50 Gilgamesh)
View of the Afterlife: pessimistic or optimistic- Gilgamesh is optimitistic because he thinks that he can bring back his friend's life and that everything will be fine. Utnapishtim is pessimistic because he didn't want to be immortal in the first place. But because he built the boat they granted him immortality. "G:You sometimes seem to have a downcast look as if the life you have round here still has failed to bring you peace. U: I did not come out of desire like you." (75 Gilgamesh)
Intervetion of the gods; gods relationship with mortals-“But a little hunger will replace their arrogance with new desire. Then Anu acceded to her wish. The Bull of Heaven descended to the earth and killed at once three hundred men, and then attacked King Gilgamesh.” (pg. 45, Gilgamesh) The gods intervine two times. When Isthar becomes angry and wants to send the Bull of Heaven and Au grants permission and when they had the great flood.
The Common Flood Story- The gods decieded to send down a great flood because the men wanted to be like the gods. They gods thought that was stupid and that no one can be like them. Similar to Noah's Ark. “The war god touched my forehead; he blessed my family and said: before this you were just a man, but now you and your wife shall be like gods. You shall live in the distance at the rivers’ mouth, at the source. I allowed myself to be taken far way from all that I had seen. Sometimes even in love we yearn to leave mankind. Only the loneliness of the Only One who never acts like gods is bearable.” (pg. 79, Gilgamesh)
Legacy- He comes back and sees the wall that was built for the proctection of his people. “He looked at the walls, awed at the heights his people achieved and for a moment-just a moment- all that lay behind him passed from view.” (pg. 92, Gilgamesh) His legacy is that wall will be there to protect the people and the king that will be after his death.

Literary Archetypes

Hero: Gilamesh
He is the hero in the story because he fought many battles. He fought Humbaba with his best friend. He also fought the battle of immortality. Even though some of his ways are not right. Like sleepign with the girls and having his people build those walls year after year. He is still strong. He knows what he is doing and is confident that he will come out on top. He isn't afraid of dying. He only goes after immortaility beause he wants to bring Enkidu back to life.
Antihero:Gilgamesh
He is also Gilgamesh because he loses faith and hope throughout the story. He is so sure that he could kill Humbaba until he realizes what could really happen. One of the could die. He also loses hope after he goes talk to Utnapishtim. He realizes that he can't do anything in life to bring back his life. He is a great hero, but sometimes he he lacks those qualites and steps into the antihero.
Wise fool:Utnapishtim
He is a great character for this role. He was the one man that didn't want to be immortal. But because of that he ended up getting to be. Him and his wife live alone and is lonely. So many people travel to him to see to be immortal, but he tells him that being immortal isn't the funnies thing and should just go back and live life.
Devil:Ishtar
Ishtar is the Goddess of love, but also war. She gets so angry all the time and because of that hurts people around her. She was angry and the men when she wanted to bring the great flood. She was also angry at Gilgamesh for not being his wife that she sent down the Bull of Heaven killing three hunderd men and Enkidu. Whoever angers her gets the wrath of her.
The Outcast: Enkidu
At first he is alineated because he is half man half animal. He goes out and lives with the animals. Does everything they do. Drink, eat, and sleep. But when the boy and the man see what he is doing to help the animals they send the prostitute out to him. When he sleeps with her the animals leave him because of what he did. "When he rose again looking for his friends whohad gone, he felts a strange exhaustion, as if life had left his body. He felt their absence."(18) He knows that they left him because of what he does. He is ashamed of it. Before his last days he thinks back on his life and wish he would have never met Gilgamesh. That he was better of as an animal.
Double: Immortality
Immortality can be seen in two ways. A good thing and a bad thing. Gilgamesh thought of it as a good thing because he was wanting to bring back his best friend to life. He thought because he is part god and if his friend is immortal too that they will never part. The good reason. The bad thought is from Utnapishtim. He didn't want to be immortal. He wanted to die one day. But because he built the boat and did what the Gods asked him to do, he was granted with being immortal. He didn't want that. And everyone that asks him to be immortal he tries to change their mind.
Scapegoat: Enkidu
Enkidu is a victim because the gods say that one of them must die. Gilgamesh can't die because he is part god. Enkidu is always the victim because he never wanted these things. He didn't want to fight Humbaba and he didn't want to sleep with the prostitute. He was lured in by other people. People can't expect who he is. They aren't ready for what he has to bring. Being half man and half animal.
Temptress: The Prostitute
She is very beautiful and seductive. Everyone loves her. Because she is so beautiful Enkidu goes to her and sleeps with her. But because he slept with her he became man and all the animals left him. Also because of that he died because he killed the Bull of Heaven. She lured him into the dark side.
Good Mother: Ninsun
She is a great mother. She stands by her child with all his problems. She translate his dreams to what they really are. She also adopts Enkidu hopes that what she did will protect him when they are fighting. At the same time Siduri is probably a better mother that she is. She is the one that helps him along his rode to see Utnapishtim. She clothes him and baths him and feeds him. Does what a real mother should do.

Chapter 4

After Gilgmesh is down weeping he goes back to the City of Uruk. He wonders if anybody will remember Enkidu. He stops a man and asks if he remembers him. The man only shurgs and walks away. He looks to the city and is awed by what he sees. The walls are fully built up and for just one moment he forgets his loses.

Chapter 3

Gilgamesh is torn about his best friend's death. He wanders around and around. He wants to bring him back to life. He wants to see Utnampishmen because he survied the great flood and he knows what to do. He travels through the mountains of Mashu and meets the Scorpion people who guard the gate of the underworld. They tell him that he can't go because it is death. They finally let him go and he travels on the Road of the Sun. He comes to a valley and he tells him about his friend and how they loved each other and weeps. He finally realizes that they are all deaf and they can't speak or hear him.Next he comes to the house of a barmaid named Siduri. He tells about his adventures with Enkidu. She baths, clothes, and feeds him. He is so tired and that he just sleeps for so long.After some time she asks him to stay with her and not go to Utnapishtim. She wants him to start his life fresh with her. He becomes very angered by this and she lets him go and tells him to go find Urshanabi, the boat man. She tells him that there will be stones that he has to cross over. She then tells him that he is built on self rage and love. He becomes so angry that he destroys everything in his past. Ie the rocks.Urshanabi tells him that the only other way across is to cut down his own poles and to push himself across. One by one that poles are rotten by the river of death. The last pole he lays it down with his clothes and makes it softly across. Gilgamesh tells him about all his bad comings. He tells him that immortality isn't the best way to go. He is so alone and he didn't choose to be immortal. He tells him story a lot like Noah's Ark. And how the whole town wanted to be immortal. He didn't. The gods ask him to built a boat and there will be a great flood. He grants their wishes and at the end they grant him with immortaltity. They go back to U's house and all G does is sleep. He is pretty much in death now. He tells the boat man to burn G's clothes and let him start fresh. G is devasted by the news.Gilgamesh is ready to leave Utnapishtim tells him something that he has never told anyone before. He tells him of a plant in the river that will prick his fingers and it will give him new life. Gilgamesh is very grateful and hurries off to find the plant. G is so happy with what it is about to bring. He leaves the plant down for a moment to stop and get a drink. When he turns his back a serpent smells the plants and eats it. He turns back around and see that there is no plant. He sits down and cries out.

Chapter 2

Gilgamesh tells Enkidu that they must Humbaba because he is more powerful than them and they must prove their power. Enkidu doesn't think it is a good idea and is scared. He says it will lead to their death. They go to the elders of the town and because the elders know that they can't stop Gilgamesh they say they can go own. They go to their mother and she tells Enkidu that she adopts him as a son and hopes to have the same protection as Gilgamesh. It was three days before they got to the gate of Humbaba. When Enkidu touched the gate his hand went numb. Gilgamesh said it would soon pass.That night they camped out and both found it almost impossible to sleep. Enkidu started hallucinating; he saw his life before the prostitute and how the animals his life. Gilgamesh had many dreams, Enkidu said that he would win over Humbaba tomorrow. The next morning Gilgamesh cuts down a tree and Humbaba comes. He starts to beat up Enkidu. Thinking that he is dead Gilgamesh lifts up an ax to kill Humbaba. Humbaba tries to talk him out of it telling him that he is the one that builds the houses. Enkidu screams don't trust him and Gilgamesh cuts Humbaba's head off and is hanging from the tree. Before they are about to leave Ishtar, goddess of love and war comes to Gilgamesh and asks him if he wants to be her husband because the gods are kind of angry about the death of Humbaba. And if he marries her Anu, the father of the gods will look past it. Gilgamesh freaks and tells her that she is an old whore and she doesn't bring love; she only brings war. She runs back to her father hurt and angry and tells him that he must send the Bull of Heaven down killing 300 men first then Gilgamesh. It comes for Gilgamesh next and Enkidu grabs its tail and then stabs it between its horns. Ishtar curses and is really angry at Enkidu. He tears off the thigh of the Bull and chucks it at her saying that he will do the same to her if he catches her. That night Enkidu dreams that the gods are talking and that one of them must die. And they can't kill Gilgamesh because he is part god. When Enkidu finds this out he starts to cry and tell his best friend about it. Gilgamesh tells him it's just a fever that he doesn't know what he is talking about. Enkidu starts to fall back to sleep and talking about his life before this and why this has happen to him and wonders what is going to happen to Gilgamesh after he is gone.

Gilagmesh Chapter 1

Chapter one is when they introuce the characters. Gilgamesh is the King of Uruk. He is a rude and mean king. He demands to sleep with bridesmaids before they get to marry their husbands. He also makes his people build up walls and then they just fall down right away not caring what happens. He gives them false hope. He is kind of strange because he his 2/3 god and 1/3 man. Enkidu is also strange. He is half man half animal. He sleeps, eats and drinks with the animals. One day he was talking animals out of traps when a boy watches him. He tells his father who is angry at this. He goes to Gilgamesh and tells him that they need to put a prostuitue on him so the animals will outcast him. Gilgamesh doesn't think any of it and sends the prostitute to him. The prostitute goes to the river and waits for Enkidu. He has never seen anyone like her before. She only has hair on her head and in between her legs. She sleeps with him and all the animals run away. During that time Gilgamesh has a dream that a star has falling out of the sky and he can't get back to sleep. He goes to his mother and asks what this is about and she tells him that there will be a man that will be like his soulmate and they will never part. The next night he dreams of an ax that he can't lift. His mother tells him that the axx is the man and the man is equal to him. After the prostitute sleeps with Enkidu he is angry and sad at himself for doing so. He is changed and the prostitute says that he is a man now and he must look the part. She gives him clothes and shaves all over. They go to gilgamesh and at first people say they look just a like. When Gilgamesh sees this they fight brutly, but while they were fighting they looked at each other and they stopped. After that people laughed and hugged each other.