Gilgamesh Notes - Hero's Journey Stages and Key Concepts (Quiz 1)

Flashcards covering the Hero’s Journey stages in Gilgamesh, key questions about Gilgamesh/Enkidu, and Utnapishtim’s flood tale as presented in the notes.

What are the stages of The Hero’s Journey as outlined in the notes, and where do they appear in the Gilgamesh poem (which books correspond to each stage)?

Status Quo — Book 1; Call to Adventure — Book 2; Assistance — Books 2 & 3; Departure — Book 3; Trials — Books 4 & 5; Approach — Book 6; Crisis — Book 7; Treasure — Book 10; Result — Book 11; Return — Book 11; New Life — Book 11; Resolution — Book 11.

Who is Gilgamesh at the beginning of the poem, and why do his people request a double for him?

Gilgamesh is a tyrant king, oppressing young men and young women; a double is requested to restore balance. Enkidu is Gilgamesh’s mirror image and complete opposite.

What tames Enkidu, and why does he fight Gilgamesh at the door of the marriage house?

Enkidu is tamed by his connection with Shamhat; he fights Gilgamesh because Gilgamesh believes he has the right to sleep with the loyal bride before her husband on the wedding night.

What is the nature of the love shared between Gilgamesh and Enkidu, and what is it based on? How does it compare to other loves in the poem?

Their love is described as 'each loves the other as his own soul'—brotherly yet homoerotic; based on mutual trust and mutual respect. Other loves mentioned include parental or sexual love.

What changes Gilgamesh’s belief about mortality, and what does he seem to finally believe about mortality?

Enkidu’s death makes Gilgamesh fear his own mortality; losing the plant of youth leads him to accept that he cannot be immortal.

Why does Enkidu die?

After defeating Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven, the gods decree that only one can live and curse Enkidu to be ill for 12 days before dying.

What story does Utnapishtim explain to Gilgamesh, and what does he finally do with Gilgamesh?

Utnapishtim recounts the story of the flood and then challenges Gilgamesh to stay awake for seven days and nights; Gilgamesh fails, and Utnapishtim sends him to retrieve the plant of youth from the bottom of the sea.