History 8 Mesopotamia Gilgamesh
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1. Power of the King is absolute
**How does Gilgamesh use the power of the king?
**What do the people do?
2. Man vs. Nature **Why does Enkidu lose the ability to understand and roam with the animals?
The Cedar Forest
**What does this section tell us about man's relationship with nature?
**What does the Demon represent?
3. Conflict between political rule and temple rule; i.e. the Church v.s. the State
**Who is Ishtar and what does she represent?
**Who is Gilgamesh and what does he represent?
What is the relationship of religion or the temple and the state or the king?
4. Quest for immortality
**Despite all of Gilgamesh's power, he is unable to prevent Enkidu's death, and the narrative changes direction. How can one describe Gilgamesh as a hero in the last half of the work?
5. Love As a Motivating Force
**How do the gods behave and relate to humans?
The gods behave and relate to humans in two ways: worshiper-to-god and human-like-to-human or god-like-to-god.
**How do the humans relate to each other?
Humans relate to each other in tow ways: tyrant-to-subject and friend-to-friend.
**6. The Inevitability of Death
**Why do the gods bring on the Flood? Is any reason given?
**What does it tell us about the nature of history and the relation of the gods to humanity?
**What has Gilgamesh achieved at the end of the poem?
