When Gilgamesh's best friend Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh is overcome with grief. He refuses to allow his friend to be buried and mourns over the body. He also becomes afraid of death. So he goes on a journey to find Utnapishtim so
he can learn how to become immortal
.
What does Gilgamesh want to learn from Utnapishtim?
Terms in this set (10) Why does Gilgamesh want to find Utnapishtim? He wants to learn
the secret of immortality
from Utnapishtim.
What is the reason why Gilgamesh is searching for immortality?
Fear, not grief
, is the reason why Gilgamesh seeks immortality. Enkidu's death thrusts Gilgamesh into the depths of despair but more importantly it forces him to acknowledge his own mortality. If Enkidu, his equal, can die then so can he. Fear, not grief, is the reason why Gilgamesh seeks immortality.
What happens to Gilgamesh secret of youth?
After all of his travels and experiences, he finally finds the secret to eternal youth,
only to have it stolen from him
. An epic hero embodies the highest values of his society and acts with his people in mind.
What is so special about Utnapishtim?
Utnapishtim, in the Babylonian Gilgamesh epic, survivor of a mythological flood whom Gilgamesh consults about
the secret of immortality
. Utnapishtim was the only man to escape death, since, having preserved human and animal life in the great boat he built, he and his wife were deified by the god Enlil.
Does Gilgamesh gain immortality?
After a journey across the Land of Night and the Waters of Death, Gilgamesh finds the ancient man Utanapishtim, the only human being to survive the Great Flood who was, afterwards,
granted immortality
.
What does Gilgamesh gain at the end?
He realizes that his destiny is to be great on earth, not in a life of immortality, and he appreciates what he can do as a mortal king. Gilgamesh learns in the end that death is
the fate of all humans
, this life is transitory and what passes for immortality is what one leaves behind.
What does Gilgamesh learn to see as the closest to immortality a mortal can?
Now he sees
that the city he had repudiated in his grief and terror
is a magnificent, enduring achievement—the closest thing to immortality to which a mortal can aspire.
Why did Gilgamesh reject the goddess Ishtar?
In Tablet VI of the Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh rejects Ishtar's advances
after describing the harm she has caused to her previous lovers
(e.g. she turned a shepard into a wolf).
Why does Gilgamesh leave Uruk after Enkidu dies?
Why does Gilgamesh leave Uruk after Enkidu dies?
to find out how he can avoid having to die himself
. What river flows past Uruk?
What does the Epic of Gilgamesh say about death?
The Inevitability of Death
Death is an inevitable and inescapable fact of human life
, which is the greatest lesson Gilgamesh learns. Gilgamesh is bitter that only the gods can live forever and says as much when Enkidu warns him away from their fight with Humbaba.
Utnapishtim says he will tell Gilgamesh one of the gods' secrets. He tells Gilgamesh about
the thorny plant that grows beneath the waves called How-the-Old-Man-Once-Again-Becomes-a-Young-Man
. Gilgamesh ties stone weights to his feet and dives into the sea.
What does the god Ea say to Utnapishtim?
The gods were angry at mankind so they sent a flood to destroy him. The god Ea, warned Utnapishtim and instructed him to build an enormous boat to save himself, his family, and “
the seed of all living things
.” He does so, and the gods brought rain which caused the water to rise for many days.
Why did the gods give Utnapishtim immortality?
According to the Epic of Gilgamesh, Utnapishtim was the only man to escape death and receive immortality from the gods (his wife was also granted immortality). … The gods rewarded Utnapishtim
for his faith and obedience by deifying him and granting him immorality
.
What is the moral lesson of the story of Gilgamesh?
The big moral lesson that Gilgamesh learns in The Epic of Gilgamesh is
to be a kinder, better, wiser king
. Instead of running off to fight monsters and seek immortality, the Epic is saying that the key to living the most meaningful life you can is to be the best…
Why is Gilgamesh a hero?
Gilgamesh showed heroism when he defeated the monster Humbaba. The giant creature lived in the Cedar Forest and intimidated all who lived near by, refusing to allow anyone to pass through the forest. … He was a
hero because he wasn't afraid to put his own life in jeopardy for the sake of others
.
