What’s the significance of all the repetition?

  • Reiterating that this is how it is—repeats “one square mile”
  • Crazy journey: goes home. That’s his immortality. It’s the same as before he left, same when he gets home.
  • Appreciation of his home, after a really harsh journey, appreciating what he has. Thinking he might not have achieved immortality literally, but his work lives on.
  • Immortality being achieved through the city itself
  • Last time we said: reinforcement?
  • Googled question about repetition:
  • People tells a longer story—repetition in poems. How’s repetition in poetry.
  • Repetition as theme song.
  • When Enkidu dies, repetition of days both emphasizes length of time it took for Enkidu to die—but because this passage is also short, it emphasizes the abruptness of his death, his loss to Gilgamesh.

Gilgamesh starts out mischievous. Why not keep him like that?

  • Didn’t directly address this one—but is there a way we can use other parts of our discussion (yesterday and today) to answer it?

Are we supposed to see him as arrogant or as a strong leader at the beginning? Can’t tell.

  • We didn’t get to this question, but it’s an interesting one. I’d argue he would be seen as arrogant and destructive to his people at the very beginning. What do you all think? I’d question as well when this change happens—when does his arrogance turn to good leadership?

Would Gilgamesh classify as a tragedy or as a moral story? (genre). What is the reader supposed to read it as? A tragedy or as something with a moral lesson. Preview: written as a history lesson for rulers—is it supposed to be a historical account?Is it a religious text?

  • Maybe do we figure out what the lesson is by looking at Utanapishtim.
  • The ending shows: character development. Recognizing that his mortality: Uruk built by more than one person. He can continue his legacy by cumulative effort.
  • Gilgamesh and Uruk were the same before…then he met Enkidu—city will be the same after. Despite all this death, things that happened. Gilgamesh wrote the entire thing, his journey, what happened. Wrote it on stone.
  • Humbling story—headstrong guy, who’s trying to find everything out, rather than trying to live with what’s he’s given.
  • Mixture of all three. Tragedy, but lesson, but historical too.
  • He’s not immortal, but also learned a lesson. By knowing he’s going to die, he’s becomes a better ruler. Tragedy he died, but he learned something. Lost, but gained being a better person.
  • Tone=bragging, at the end. “is not its masonry kiln fired brick” like it’s rare. Taking credit, this is what he’s leaving behind.
  • Admiration for city itself as well as for Gilgamesh.

If there is anything you’re supposed to learn from this story….what is it?

  • You should enjoy your life, don’t think about death.
  • Glimpse, at the end, that that what his life is going to be about.
  • Concrete things: that’s what we leave behind. The city walls, the city itself, literature.

Don’t understand how Shamhat bring Enkidu into society. They have sex, he can suddenly speak their language. How does that even work? Why does Enkidu curse at the door? Shamhat? Hunter?

  • Curses Shamhat. Upset that she took his innocence away. Sex makes him speak languages? Shamhat helps him to grow up.
  • She actually brings him back to civilized world and that results in his dying. Just woke up from a dream. Dream that foreshadows his death. Scared he’s going to die.
  • Tree cut down: made into something useful for humans. Something similar happened to Enkidu, he’s tamed by Shamhat, frustrated that he’s used this way.
  • OR: he curses the door, bc itreminds him of nature he came from and had to leave.
  • Door made from cedar from the forest. Gilgamesh spurred Enkidu on to join him in cutting down the forest to get fame—started domino effect.
  • Curses the hunter and Shamhat—BUT NOT GILGAMESH! And Gilgamesh seems to be the reason he lost his innocence in the first place.
  • Enkidu doesn’t know sent by Gilgamesh. Shamhat is the one who took him out of the wild. Friends of the beast: hunter is natural enemy of what he’s with, his fellow animals.
  • Reminded of Yoruba proverb: beating the doctor that treats you. Because something bad came out of his being civilized, instead of thanking her for whatever she has done—bites the hand that feeds.
  • Because of the repetition that there are multiple curses rather than one. He resented her, and the repetition shows how much he resents her.
  • Enkidu seems to lose it. Doesn’t have any strength to fight. Then dies. Loses it—that’s why he curses so much and takes it back.
  • P. 130: god comes to him: Enkidu, without Shamhat you wouldn’t have met G. Should be grateful Shamhat brought you to G., the perfect pair for each other.
  • Gilgamesh makes sure people would praise him, gives him a statue. Fame. (later note from Prof. T: And, he engraves his name into stone as part of the story).
  • Essential items to fit into civ and society. Taught him how to be part of civilization.
  • Changes his mind and blesses—they did something good for him,. Even in a short time. Now friend, food, and people that will miss him. better person and leader
  • Repetition of days, and what Enkidu says, showed how upset he is at Gilgamesh. Slow death. Would rather die in battle than lay in bed.
  • Upset that he’s still calling for Gilgamesh—still in pain about everything that happened. Gods—choose this disease. Makes sure they both suffer (Enkidu from painful disease; Gilgamesh from having to watch his friend die painfully, without having any way to help him).

Does Enkidu live a long time?

  • Maybe not—but we’d have to look for a timeline. But the fact that he’s still in the prime of his strength, as is Gilgamesh, suggests that he was brought quickly to his death.