History 8 Mesopotamia Gilgamesh
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1. Power of the King is absolute
**How does Gilgamesh use the power of the king?
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 vs the State
**Who is Ishtar and what does she represent?
Ishtar is the goddess of both love and war (any sense of irony here?) as well as procreation. She represents the rule of the gods/goddesses - the religious side of the conflict.
**Who is Gilgamesh and what does he represent?
Gilgamesh is the king of the city of Uruk and is two-thirds god and one-third human. He represents the rule of the kings, tyrants, and royalty - the state side of the conflict.
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?
There was no exact reason for why the gods brought the flood upon Shuruppak.
**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?
