Describe the friendship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu

Your essay for The Epic of Gilgamesh should follow the format stated in the syllabus: 900-950 words, typed, 12-point Times New Roman font, double-spaced, in-text citations and bibliography in MLA style. Throughout your essay you will cite evidence from the book in order to support your arguments. Those page numbers should be cited in MLA style. Also, outside sources you consult for developing certain points within your essay should be cited properly too. You have resources in the Writing Tools module to consult in case you have questions about MLA style.

Your analysis of the epic poem will be based on the questions below. You can organize your essay any way you like; you do not have to answer the questions in this particular order. Go over the rubric that I will use to grade your essay if you haven’t already. You can find it in the Start Here module.

1. How would you describe the friendship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu? How do they honor one another?

2. Think about the religion that you practice or are familiar with. How do Gilgamesh and Enkidu’s encounters/dealings with the gods differ from it? How are the gods characterized in The Epic of Gilgamesh?

3. Based on this epic poem, how do you think Mesopotamians conceptualized their relationship with the gods?

4. How would you describe the status of women in The Epic of Gilgamesh? What do you think was the attitude towards the power of women?

5. Compare the story of the flood in this poem to that of Noah in the Bible.

6. This poem is considered to be one of the first literary works that deals with the theme of immortality. Why does Gilgamesh want to find immortality? How do later views/interpretations of immortality in other works compare to the ideas of Mesopotamians?

7. Do you think it is important for people in current societies to read this epic poem? Why or why not?