If you are looking for the beginning of the Epic of Gilgamesh study you should start HERE with the Historical introduction. The links to each set of study questions will be posted at the bottom of that original post as they are completed so you can easily find whichever section you are looking for.
Grammar Questions: (The Facts of the Text)
What does Gilgamesh lose and where does it go? (i)
Who volunteers to go and bring it back to Gilgamesh? (i)
What does Gilgamesh say will happen if his advice is ignored? (i)
What happens to Enkidu? (ii)
What three gods does Gilgamesh petition in prayer for help? (iii)
Which god answers Gilgamesh’s prayer and what is the result? (iii)
Why does Enkidu not want Gilgamesh to know “how it is in the Nether World?” (iii)
Is it better or worse for those in the Nether World who have many sons? (iv)
Logic Questions: (The Interpretation of the Text)
Why would wearing clean clothes, anointing with oil, carrying a staff, etc., make Enkidu stand out in the netherworld? (i)
Why is “the Cry of the Dead” able to seize Enkidu? (ii)
Why can’t Gilgamesh embrace Enkidu? (iii)
Enkidu describes the state of various people in the Nether World, why is it better for some than others? (iv)
Rhetoric Questions: (The Analysis of the Text)
To what might you compare Enkidu’s description of the afterlife as far as other religions or literature you have read? (iii-iv)
How does the description of the Nether World, and the various situations of men who have died, affect your understanding of why Gilgamesh was so driven to gain eternal life?
How important is it to be remembered after you die?
Theological Analysis: (Bringing the Scripture to Bear on the Text)
In this reading, in part iii, the text tells us, “Father Enlil would not intercede” and also “The god of the moon was deaf to what he asked” but “The god of the abyss heard what he said.” What do the Scriptures tell us about why God does or does not do what we ask of him? Consider the following passages in your answer: Isaiah 66:1-2; Matthew 7:7-11; James 4:1-10, 5:13-18.