Gilgamesh By: Anne Scafidi, Kiana Acosta, Lucia Mendez, Sandra Gomez, Oscar Rios,& Jocelyn Alcantar

The Epic of Gilgamesh The Gilgamesh Epic: Named for a Sumerian king Describes an era about twenty-three times more distant from our Revolutionary. Its concerns are timeless and universal The story shows the reader how to be well known and respected and how to cope with the loss of a dear friend, and especially how to accept ones own inevitable death.

How the Epic Endured When the Babylonians conquered the Sumerians, they inherited the Sumerian cultural tradition. Babylonians started the first part of the story, while others modified it an gave it its central theme-the search for immortality After the fall of the Babylonians, the epic was lost. Only until archeologists excavated the story and were amazed at how a great portion of the epic described a great flood, similar to the story of Noah and the ark in the Bible.

Story of the Arrogant King Gilgamesh was known as the arrogant king, so the gods interfere in his life with difficult challenges and obstacles. Aruru provides Gilgamesh a challenge with Enkidu. Gilgamesh and Enkidu end up battling each other and after they battle they become close friends. Enkidu helps in the battle with Humbaba and learns that one of the heroes must die. His dream proves the fact that, the hero is him.

Name for Himself In order to find a name for himself he battles Humbaba When Gilgamesh becomes worried of death he begins his search, or heroic quest, to find everlasting life. He searches for the great survivor of the flood, which occurred many years before, Utnapishtim Siduri’s advice was to stay home and take care of his family. That in the end he would learn that death completes the cycle of life.

Questions!!! WEEEE What would it mean to you if you lived forever? What is an archetype? What is characterization? Would you say Gilgamesh’s quest is a selfish or an altruistic one? What outcome of Gilgamesh’s quest suggests about human limitations? How do you think you would handled Gilgamesh challenges, knowing all the mistakes he made in the story? What personal goals set by people today might be considered quests for immortality?Explain.

Vocabulary Builder Immolation: noun; offering or killing made as a sacrifice Succor: noun; aid, relief Somber: adjective; dark, gloomy Incantation: noun; chant Ecstasy: noun; great joy Teemed: verb; was full of, swarmed Babel: noun; confusion of voices or sounds Subsided: verb; settled, lessened, died down