Gilgamesh: Themes and Characters

For most of these, there may be a wrong answer, mostly to highlight what is NOT in the epic, but there are all sorts of possible right answers. These “multiple choice” questions are really a template you can use to develop your own interpretations. So do answer the questions (check as many as apply), but don’t be limited by the “choices” you are offered. “Comment” allows you to make notes of what in the epic caused you to reach your answer(s).

1. As a hero, Gilgamesh is:

• like Achilles, a warrior at heart
• like Odysseus, on a journey to return home
• like Heracles, a defeater of monsters and doer of great deeds
• like Jason, an organizer and leader of other heroes
• Like Theseus, a hero who ensures his city’s security
• other: ___________________________________________________________
• comment:________________________________________________________

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2. His mother Ninsun is:

• an archetype of the ideal mother who supports her son in everything
• a representative of feminine values in a masculine story
• a hindrance to Gilgamesh in his heroic quests

• other: ___________________________________________________________
• comment:________________________________________________________

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3. Enkidu, when he first appears, represents:

• a destructive foil to the good represented by Gilgamesh
• a positive foil to the bad represented by Gilgamesh
• a savage foil to the civilized Gilgamesh
• a completion of the heroic ambitions of Gilgamesh
• a more “natural,” less artificial way of life
• other: ___________________________________________________________
• comment:________________________________________________________

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4. The woman who civilizes Enkidu by sleeping with him represents

• the destructive potential of women
• the civilizing potential of women
• the transformative powers of sex
• the corrupting power of civilization
• the humanizing power of relationships
• other: ___________________________________________________________
• comment:________________________________________________________

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5. The mission against Humbaba is

• a hubristic attack on a representative of the gods
• a civilizing mission to reclaim an area previously forbidden to human habitation
• a monster-slaying story, pure and simple
• an event that develops the friendship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu
• a place where the shortcomings in their relationship become apparent
• a place where fate begins to rear its ugly head
• other: ___________________________________________________________
• comment:________________________________________________________

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6. Ishtar’s role in the Gilgamesh epic:

• an evil harpy who tries to undermine Gilgamesh’s heroic goals
• the enemy who inspires his greatest accomplishments (a la hero pattern)
• the representative of a feminine perspective that Gilgamesh undervalues but shouldn’t
• childish and spoiled
• gracious and elegant
• evil and conniving
• a divine and awe-inspiring power

• other: ___________________________________________________________
• comment:________________________________________________________

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7. The killing of the bull of heaven is:

• a laudable heroic accomplishment for the two heroes
• the beginning of the end
• a nearly incomprehensible, cult-related scene
• an act of arrogance that shows that the heroes have overstepped proper boundaries
• a necessary action for the king of Uruk to protect his city
• an instinctive response to Ishtar’s treachery

• other: ___________________________________________________________
• comment:________________________________________________________

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8. Gilgamesh’s response to Enkidu’s death is:

• reasonable and rational
• excessive and extravagant
• exactly what you would expect from a larger-than-life hero
• selfish and misguided
• pitiable, engaging your sympathy for his loss
• representative of a commitment to his role as king of Uruk

• other: ___________________________________________________________
• comment:________________________________________________________

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9. In the course of his travels, before he reaches Dilmun, Gilgamesh:

• begins to understand the meaning of his own life
• begins to understand the workings of fate and the universe
• begins to accept Enkidu’s death
• realizes nothing, only wearing himself out
• causes untold harm to his city
• becomes exhausted and pitiful

• other: ___________________________________________________________
• comment:________________________________________________________

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10. Siduri’s advice is:

• good, he should take it
• bad, it undermines his greater mission
• exactly what Ishtar wanted him to do
• exactly what Ninsun wanted him to do
• exactly what Enkidu wanted him to do
• exactly what the citizens of Uruk wanted him to do

• other: ___________________________________________________________
• comment:________________________________________________________

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11. Utnapishtim’s story about the flood:

• is completely off the point – what is he talking about?
• encapsulates divine and human relationships
• is exactly what Gilgamesh needs to hear at this point
• emphasizes Gilgamesh’s pitiful state
• has a direct relevance to Gilgamesh’s quest for immortality

• other: ___________________________________________________________
• comment:________________________________________________________

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12. Ultimately, Gilgamesh:

• fails in his quest
• succeeds in his quest
• returns transformed
• returns just where he started out
• returns defeated
• achieves resolution with the feminine principle
• achieves peace with respect to Enkidu’s death
• achieves peace with his own human fate

• other: ___________________________________________________________
• comment:________________________________________________________

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