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)
Who does Gilgamesh say has “taken away the companion?” (VIII.i)
What does Gilgamesh use to cover Enkidu’s face? (VIII.i)
What does Gilgamesh call for all creation to do in light of Enkidu’s death? (VIII.i)
What does Gilgamesh order to be made? (VIII.iii)
What two offerings does Gilgamesh offer “to propitiate the god?” (VIII.iii)
What question does Gilgamesh ask himself after Enkidu’s death? (IX.i)
Why does Gilgamesh want to find Utnapishtim? (IX.i)
To whom does Gilgamesh pray during his journey at night? (IX.ii)
What strange creatures does Gilgamesh encounter in the shadows of the Cavern of the Earth?” (IX. iii)
What “path” must Gilgamesh take if he is to achieve his goal? (IX.iii)
How many leagues is the path and what is the path like? (IX.iii)
Do the guardians of the mountain help or hinder Gilgamesh in his journey? (IX.iii)
What are some of the adjectives used to describe the darkness? (IX.iii)
What does Gilgamesh see on the other side of the mountain after his journey? (IX.iv)
Logic Questions: (The Interpreting the Text)
Why would the author repeat the phrase “with the first light of the early morning dawning?” (VIII.i-iii)
A “eulogy” is a praise of a deceased person, usually performed at a funeral. How does Gilgamesh offer a eulogy for Enkidu? (VIII.i)
“Anthropomorphism” means to apply human characteristics to non-human beings (animals and inanimate objects). How does Gilgamesh use anthropomorphism in VIII.ii?
Whose words does Gilgamesh mimic from Tablet VII.iii when he says “You wore garments suitable for a prince. You sat in the place of honor nearest the king. The great ones of the earth bowed down before you.”? Why might this mimicry be important? (VIII.iii)
Why is Gilgamesh afraid of the dangerous journey now whereas he would not have been in the past? (IX.i-ii)
The text tells us that Gilgamesh had a dream and in his dream “An adversary gloried over him in struggle, and in the dream who knows who won?” What might the uncertainty in the dream be hinting at? (IX.ii)
What does this section of reading imply about the Sumerian concept of cosmology (study of the universe) and especially regarding the relationship of the earth and sun? (IX.iii)
What idea recurs over and over throughout Gilgamesh’s journey through the mountain? Why is it important? (IX.iii)
Rhetoric Questions: (Analyzing Ideas in the Text)
Gilgamesh offers a eulogy of sorts (VIII.ii). How do you feel about the concept of eulogies? Should we spend time at funerals praising the deeds of the deceased? Why or why not?
To what extent ought we to memorialize people who have passed away? Think about Gilgamesh making a statue of Enkidu “to honor his deeds.” (VIII.iii) Should we seek to preserve the memory of all people or just great people? Perhaps their memory should fade over time as their loved ones also pass? What do you think and why?
This reading emphasizes that Gilgamesh was now “companionless.” (IX.iii) Our American heritage tends to emphasize autonomy and doing things yourself. How important is it to have friends to do life with?
What comparisons might be made between Tablet IX of Gilgamesh and the story The Land of the Dead in Roger Lancelyn Green’s Tales of Ancient Egypt?
Theological Analysis: (Bringing the Scripture to Bear on the Text)
Death seems a mystery to Gilgamesh. He says, “What has taken you into your sleep? Your face is dark. How was your face made dark?” (VIII.i) According to Scripture, why do people die? Was it always meant to be so? Read Genesis 3 and give your answer.
“Utnapishtim…was admitted to the company of the gods, who granted him eternal life.” (IX.iii) How does this conception of eternal life differ from the Christian idea? Read Revelation 21 and interact with it in your answer.
Gilgamesh comes through his dark and dangerous journey “into a wonderful garden.” (IX.iv) Read Genesis 2 and then answer the question, why might mankind be longing for a beautiful garden at the end of their perilous journey?
Virtues/Vices/Great Ideas: (Find them in the Text)
Death, Loneliness