Background to Gilgamesh World Literature Professor Beamen

Types of Epics  Folk epics—stories about heroes; recited or sung  Literary Epics—borrow same characteristics of folk epics; usually written down by one author; some based on well- known characters or stories from oral tradition.

Elements of the Epic  Epic Hero  Epic Conflict  Heroic Quest  Divine Intervention

Epic Conventions: -Invocation -in medias res -serious tone, elevated style -contain epic similes (elaborated comparisons) and epithets (poetic renamings) -Archetypes (recurring plot, character, symbol, idea)

Mythology/ Epics timeline

From the Prologue we learn that Gilgamesh is the King of Uruk, a city in ancient Mesopotamia-- modern day Iraq. Earliest Civilization (Sumer, Egypt, Akkad) from 3200 to 2052 BC

Gilgamesh Background  Both MYTH and LEGEND  Supernatural: 2/3 god &1/3 man based on a real king  Story is 4,000 years old—ancient Sumeria (modern Iraq)  Written on 12 clay tablets in Cuneiform.  Mesopotamia (Greek for “between two rivers”)—between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers  One of the earliest URBAN civilizations we know of. This culture enjoyed a very sophisticated lifestyle over 4,000 years ago.

Topics/Themes  Good vs. Evil  Spirituality  Immortality—why do we have to die? How do we attain everlasting life?  Friendship  What makes a good leader?  Responsibility  Balance/Harmony Cuneiform tablet