The Epic of Gilgamesh Summary: Friendship, Mortality, and the Quest for Immortality

The Epic of Gilgamesh, a cornerstone of Mesopotamian literature, is a testament to humanity's quest for meaning. Composed from a mosaic of ancient Sumerian tales, this epic journey unfolds through the exploits of Gilgamesh, a powerful king grappling with mortality.

After being unearthed from clay tablets in the 19th century, the epic offers a profound exploration of friendship, loss, and the search for immortality. Here is The Epic of Gilgamesh summary, unveiling the themes, symbols, and characters that enrich the poem. It will help you understand the ancient Mesopotamian story.

Overview of the Epic of Gilgamesh

The Epic of Gilgamesh focuses on a mighty king known as Gilgamesh, who tyrannically rules the city of Uruk. After exhaustively seeking immortality, which he misses by a hair, he becomes wise and changes his ways. The poem is believed to be more than 4000 years old.

Discovering the Gilgamesh Epic

The Epic of Gilgamesh was discovered around the 1850s, when 15,000 clay tablets with an Assyrian cuneiform were found in the Library of Ashurbanipal, Nineveh. The British Museum employed George Smith to study them in the next decade. By 1872, the assyriologist had finished interpreting the tablets and read the content before the Society of Biblical Archaeology audience.

By the end of 1876, he had published broader translations, and his final work was 'The Chaldean Account of Genesis'. At the time, Gilgamesh was known as Izdubar before correctly pronouncing the word from the logograms.

Paul Haupt collected the text on the tablets in 1891. After nine years, Peter Jensen provided a version with a broader scope. R. Campbell Thompson later saw their work and updated their versions in 1930. The translation caught the eye of another assyriologist, Samuel Noah Kramer, who collected the five Sumerian poems about Gilgamesh.

In 1998, Theodore Kwasman, an American Assyriologist, discovered a piece in the British Museum's storeroom believed to contain the first lines of the epic poem.

Deciphered from cuneiform tablets, the epic introduces Gilgamesh as an all-seeing, all-knowing figure, the very foundation of the land.

The Gilgamesh Dream Tablet was illegally imported to the U.S. in the early 2000s. According to an antiquities dealer, by the time the tablet was purchased, it contained dirt and was unreadable. It was sold to another dealer in 2007 before Hobby Lobby purchased it privately in 2014. He took it to Washington D.C.'s Museum of the Bible for display.

The U.S. officials later seized the tablet and returned it to Iraq in 2021.

The Versions from Ancient Mesopotamia

In the last 2000 years, distinct sources of this epic poem have emerged. The five Sumerian poems from ancient Mesopotamia are now considered separate and not part of the whole story. They date back to around 2100 BC, during the Neo-Sumerian Empire's reign.

The old Babylonian version, with tablets dating as early as 1800 BC, forms part of the narrative. The translators refer to the Babylonian tablets and the later Akkadian edition, where the lacunae in later texts are filled in with earlier ones.

Various discoveries were published after these early forms, but the story remains incomplete. The most recent Akkadian version has 12 tablets, edited by Sin-leqi-unninni, who is believed to have lived between 1300 BC and 1000 BC.

There are two versions of the epic from various sources. They include:

• He who saw the deep: The standard Babylonian version.
• Surpassing all other kings: Old Babylonian version.

The words before the full colon in the list form the first lines of the versions. Despite being a sequel, the 12th tablet is believed only partially to relate to the 11 tablets. The words beginning in the first tablet are repeated at the end of the 11th.

The 12th one, which narrates Gilgamesh interacting with Enkidu in the underworld, was added later. In the Epic of Gilgamesh summary below, we will refer to the standard version.

A General Summary of the Epic of Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh Meets Enkidu

The Gilgamesh epic begins with the historical king Gilgamesh, the ruler of Uruk. He is one-third human and two-thirds god. He is a hardworking and strong leader who built temple towers and city walls and made fields and orchards. In addition to his physical strength, Gilgamesh is also very wise.

However, despite being more god and less human, he is cruel to his subjects. He is controlling and sexually assaults women, especially brides, during their wedding night. Gilgamesh also forces men to work, which is how he completes his projects. The people cried to the gods, and they heard them.

The gods decide to punish Gilgamesh and tame him for his behavior. They created a wild man, Enkidu, who is as strong and magnificent as the king. Enkidu's story begins in the wilderness, where he lives with the animals, grazing with them, drinking their waterholes, and sucking their breasts.

A hunter spots him and sends a temple prostitute to tame him. Women and sex were believed to be calming forces that could change wild persons like Enkidu into civilized ones. After sleeping with the prostitute, the animals reject Enkidu. At this point, he is like the rest of the human beings.

After the intercourse, which lasted for days, the cyprian teaches him how to be a man. That is when Enkidu hears about Gilgamesh and is enraged by his behavior. He decides to travel to Uruk to meet him. When he arrives, he meets Gilgamesh as he is forcing his way into a bride's chamber at a wedding.

Enkidu blocks Gilgamesh from entering, and a fierce fight breaks out. After a long battle, Gilgamesh wins, and the two become close friends.

Killing Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven

Gilgamesh and Enkidu, now best friends, resolve to go on an adventure together. It involves stealing trees from the Cedar forest and killing monster Humbaba, the forest's protector.

Humbaba is a demon devoted to serving Enlil, the god of air, wind, and Earth. After making a perilous journey to the forest, they fight with the monster and kill it after getting an assist from Shamash, the sun god. They cut down the cedar trees and design the tallest one into a huge gate, while the rest are used to make a raft.

They use the raft to return to Uruk. Once they return, Ishtar, the love goddess, falls in love with Gilgamesh and approaches him. The king, however, rejects her move, which angers her. The goddess asks Anu, her father and god of the sky, to send a Bull of Heaven to punish the Uruk ruler.

The bull descends from the sky and causes famine, which lasts for seven years. Enkidu and Gilgamesh manage to kill it. That causes the gods to meet and decide who of the two friends has to die. Enkidu becomes the victim, and he falls ill. He dies after several days of immense suffering.

Gilgamesh mourns his friend uncontrollably, making him think about his death. He stops wearing his royal garments and dresses in lions' skins.

Utnapishtim Tells Gilgamesh about Immortality

Gilgamesh begins a long journey to find Utnapishtim, a man the gods granted immortality after the great flood.

Gilgamesh hopes that Utnapishtim will tell him the secret to eternal life. He arrives at Mashu, a two-peaked mountain, where he meets two giant scorpions guarding the way. They refuse to let him pass, but they allow him to pass after some negotiation and persuasion.

The king walks through the passage in total darkness until he reaches a garden near the sea. That's where he meets Siduri, an innkeeper, and he explains to her his pursuit. She tries to counter him by saying seeking immortality is an unproductive task and that he should be contented with the world's pleasures.

She does not persuade him, so she directs him to ferryman Urshanabi. The ferryman takes Gilgamesh across the sea to where Utnapishtim lives. After meeting him, Utnapishtim tells Gilgamesh about the flood and how the gods caused it to destroy humanity. Utnapishtim built an enormous boat, following Ea's advice, the god of wisdom, and used it to save his family and seeds of living creatures from the floods.

After the waters drained, the gods regretted their actions and agreed never to destroy humankind again. They also decided that men would die, but humanity would remain. After that, they blessed Utnapishtim and gave him eternal life.

Gilgamesh wants to escape death and wants Utnapishtim to tell him the secret. Utnapishtim tests him by saying that if he thinks he can stay alive eternally, he should stay awake for a week. Gilgamesh does not manage to stay awake for that long, so Utnapishtim tells him to go back to Uruk, where he belongs.

As Gilgamesh departs, Utnapishtim's wife convinces her husband to tell the king about a plant that brings eternal youth. He gets the plant from the sea floor and plans to test it on an older man first. However, a snake steals the plant, and as it slithers away, it sloughs its skin, showing its rejuvenated form.

Gilgamesh returns to Uruk with nothing but is now okay with his mortality. He knows that his death will come one day, but humankind will continue. He looks at the city he renounced and sees its magnificence.

Homer’s Writing Influence

If you have read any of Homer's books (The Illiad or The Odyssey), you will notice how the influence of The Epic of Gilgamesh reflects on the books. He is one of many writers who refer to the epic's themes and episodes. However, he is one of the ancient writers who shows how an earlier writing charmed the tragedies in The Illiad and the wanderings in The Odyssey.

If you read this summary and then go through The Odyssey summary, you will notice the similarities in some parts of both stories. What makes the influence more vivid is that they are both epic poems.

One of the philologists who notes this is Martin Litchfield West in his book, 'The East Face of Helicon: West Asiatic Elements in Greek Poetry and Myth.' In the book, he speculates that the Greeks would have gotten the memory of Gilgamesh via a poem about Heracles—another divine hero in Greek mythology.

Similar Summaries to the Summary of the Epic of Gilgamesh

We have been guiding students on how to write a summary of a book for more than ten years now. Under the poetry book summaries category, in addition to summarizing the Epic of Gilgamesh and The Odyssey, we also have:

• The Divine Comedy Summary
• Beowulf Summary

Our homework helpers clarify what you need to know about the summaries. They also welcome other book-reviewing tasks whenever you need a hand. It takes five minutes only to tell them your summary assignment requirements, and they will take care of the rest.

Now, let’s continue with the Gilgamesh epic summary.

The Epic of Gilgamesh Chapter Summaries

The chapter summaries below are based on the translation of the standard Babylonian version tablets by Andrew George.

Tablet I

The story begins with the king of Uruk, Gilgamesh, who is one-third man and two-thirds god. He is a cruel leader whose actions make people cry to the gods for intervention. The young women of Uruk are facing the oppression of the 'lord's right.' That means Gilgamesh can sexually violate brides on their wedding night.

For the men, it is said that he tires them through strength contests, games, and forced labor when building his massive projects (this part of the tablet is damaged). After hearing the people's plea, the gods punish Gilgamesh by creating Enkidu to stop him from suppressing people.

Enkidu lives in the wilderness, which means he knows no civilization. A trapper spots him because he is complicating his life by uprooting his traps. The trapper tells Shamash, the sun god, about the wild man. That's how an arrangement is made for Enkidu to meet Shamhat, a temple prostitute serving as a priestess in the temple of Ishtar, for seduction. That is the first step toward civilizing the wild man.

Enkidu sleeps with Shamhat for six days and seven nights, which, according to recent scholarship, would be interpreted as two weeks in modern times. She also teaches him about being like other humans before taking him to a shepherd's camp for the same.

In the meantime, Gilgamesh has been dreaming about the impending arrival of a companion. He asks his mother, the goddess Ninsun, for help with interpretation.

Tablet II

After Shamhat takes Enkidu to the shepherd's camp, he experiences the human diet and becomes a night watchman. He then learns about Gilgamesh and how he treats the brides. He travels to Uruk angrily to confront the king at a wedding ceremony.

As Gilgamesh tries to enter the wedding chamber, Enkidu blocks him, and a fight sprouts. After a long and fierce battle, Enkidu acknowledges Gilgamesh, and they become friends at this point. The king tells his new friend they should go on an adventure in the Cedar forest to slay Humbaba, the monster.

Once they slay him, they will gain fame and recognition. The elders and Enkidu try to warn Gilgamesh, but his determination to proceed is greater than their advice.

Tablet III

The elders advise Gilgamesh before he begins his journey. The king also visits Ninsun, his mother, to seek protection and support from the sun god Shamash for their dangerous undertaking. Ninsun also adopts Enkidu. Before leaving, Gilgamesh leaves some rules on how to govern Uruk while absent.

Tablet IV

Together with Enkidu, Gilgamesh begins his journey to the Cedar forest. It's a long journey that takes days to reach the forest. So, after a few days of travel, they camp on a mountain to carry out a dream ritual. While asleep, Gilgamesh experiences terrorizing dreams. They are about thunderstorms, falling mountains, wild bulls, and a fire-breathing thunderbird.

He notices there are similarities between his dreams and Humbaba's earlier descriptions. However, Enkidu interprets the dreams as good portents and tells Gilgamesh that the images in the dreams do not resemble the forest-guarding monster.

As they approach the Cedar forest, Humbaba roars, and they become afraid. However, they encourage each other not to be terrified.

Tablet V

As the two friends enter the forest, Humbaba threatens and insults them. He also accuses Enkidu of betraying him and swears to eviscerate Gilgamesh and feed the birds his flesh. Gilgamesh is terrified, but Enkidu encourages him to proceed with the battle.

As they start to fight, there is an uproar of quaking mountains, and the sky darkens. The god Shamash binds Humbaba with 13 winds. The captured forest guardian cries for help and pleads for his life, making Gilgamesh pity him. Humbaba tells Gilgamesh that if he spares his life, he will make him the forest king, be his slave, and cut the trees he needs for him.

However, Enkidu counteracts and tells Gilgamesh to kill Humbaba to gain an infinite reputation. After Humbaba curses them, Gilgamesh kills the monster by croaking a blow on his neck. He also kills the demon's seven sons.

With the monster dead, the two friends cut down numerous cedar trees, including a gigantic one that Enkidu wants to use to design a gate for the temple of Enlil. They use the trees to build a raft that carries the big one home (and possibly Humbaba's head) along the river Euphrates.

Tablet VI

Gilgamesh is approached by the goddess Ishtar after she falls in love with him. She proposes marriage, but Gilgamesh declines because Ishtar is known to mistreat her former lovers, such as Dumuzid. The goddess approaches Anu, her father, and asks for revenge due to Gilgamesh's rejection. She wants her father to send a Bull of Heaven (also called Gugalanna by some scholars) to Uruk.

Anu disagrees with her. So, Ishtar threatens to raise the dead, who will demolish the living because they will outnumber them. Anu argues that sending the bull will cause seven years of famine in Uruk. So, Ishatar provides supplies for the seven years in exchange for the bull.

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When the bull is sent to Uruk, it causes unimaginable havoc. It lowers the water levels in Euphrates, dries the marshes, and digs up massive pits that swallow 300 men. Gilgamesh and Enkidu kill it without any assistance from the deity. They then offer the bull's heart to Shamash.

Ishtar cries out since the bull is dead. Enkidu reacts by hurling a hindquarter at the goddess. The people in the city celebrate, but Enkidu has a baleful dream about his failure in the future.

Tablet VII

Enkidu dreams about the gods deciding who must die between him and Gilgamesh. Their meeting is based on the killing of Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven. The gods sentence Enkidu to death despite Shamash protesting.

Fueled by anger brought by the discussed fate, Enkidu curses the gate he made for the temple of Enlil. He also curses Shamhat and the trapper for introducing him to the world of humans. On the other hand, Shamash reminds him how Shamhat took care of him and introduced him to his great friend.

The god continues to tell him that Gilgamesh will confer great honors during his funeral and then go to the wild to counter his grief. Enkidu takes back his curses and blesses Shamhat instead.

For the second time, he dreams about being taken to the underworld, which is covered in dust and darkness. Those dwelling there feed on clay, wear bird feathers and are supervised by terrifying beings. In the next 12 days, Enkidu's condition worsens.

He contemplates that he will not die in battle and dies. Gilgamesh clings to his body, denying the death. He later admits after seeing a maggot dropping from the corpse's nose.

Tablet VIII

Gilgamesh laments for his friend and calls upon Uruk, mountains, rivers, fields, forests, and wild animals to mourn Enkidu. As he recalls their adventures together, Gilgamesh weeps in grief. He also delegates a funerary statue and offers gifts to ensure Enkidu is well received in the land of the dead.

He also holds a banquet to offer the treasures to the gods of the underworld. Before a break in the text on the tablet, there is a suggestion of river damming, which may imply that the burial happened in a river bed.

Tablet IX

Gilgamesh is grieving for Enkidu, who is wearing skins in the wilderness. He fears death, prompting him to seek Utnapishtim and learn about eternal life. After surviving the great flood, the gods granted Utnapishtim and his wife immortality.

Gilgamesh begins his long journey to find the immortal man. As he crosses a mountain pass, he encounters a pride of lions. Before sleeping, he prays to the moon god Sin for protection. He then wakes up from an encouraging dream that makes him murder the lions and wear their skins.

After taking a long and precarious journey, Gilgamesh arrives at Mt. Mashu's twin peaks at the end of the Earth. He sees a tunnel guarded by two couple scorpion monsters. No man has ever gone through that tunnel. The male prevents Gilgamesh from entering, but the female persuades him and sympathizes with the situation Gilgamesh is facing.

After a passage grant, Gilgamesh walks on the Road of the Sun in total darkness for 12 'double hours.' He finishes the trip before the sun gets him and arrives in the garden of the gods.

Tablet X

In the garden, Gilgamesh meets Siduri, a brewster who thinks he is a murderer or a thief because he is wearing lion skins. Gilgamesh tells her about his ordeal and where he is heading. Siduri tries to deter him from taking the journey, but she fails. So, she refers him to ferryman Urshanabi, who helps him cross the sea to Utnapishtim.

Out of rage, Gilgamesh destroys Urshanabi's stone charms and then tells the ferryman his story. When he asks for help, Urshanabi tells him that he has just destroyed the objects to help them cross the Waters of Death. The ferryman tells the ruler of Uruk to cut down 120 trees and use them to make punting poles, which they use to reach Utnapishtim's island.

After recounting his story, Gilgamesh asks Utnapishtim for help. The immortal censures him, saying that fighting humanity's fate is meaningless and lessens the joy of life.

Tablet XI

The eleventh tablet, also known as the flood tablet, accounts for the encounter between Utnapishtim and Gilgamesh. Seeing that he is not different from him, Gilgamesh asks Utnapishtim how he got his immortality.

Utnapishtim tells Gilgamesh how the gods decided to cause a great flood. Ea (Enki), the god of water, crafts, knowledge, and creation, instructed him to build a boat and gave directions on how to make it. After that, his family, crew, and 'all the field animals' boarded it.

A violent storm caused the gods to retreat to the heavens. Ishtar, the goddess, contemplated humanity's destruction by the flood. The other gods joined her in weeping. The heavy downpour lasted six days and nights until all humans turned to clay.

Utnapishtim also weeps after seeing the destruction. The boat docks on a mountain, and he releases three birds - a dove, a swallow, and a raven at different times. The raven, being the last one, fails to return, and that's when Utnapishtim opens the ark to release its occupants.

Once he lands on the ground, Utnapishtim sacrifices to the gods, who are lured by the sweet smell, making them gather around the sacrifice. Ishtar vows that she will never forget the floods, just like the necklace she wears. Enlil arrives and is angered by the presence of survivors after the flood.

Ishtar condemns him for stirring up the flood, and Ea also objurgates him for causing the punishment on humans. Utnapishtim and his wife receive blessings from Enlil, who grants them eternal life. This story is similar to Noah's story in the Bible.

Utnapishtim wants to 'demonstrate' to Gilgamesh that the eternal life he received was a unique gift. So, he challenges the ruler of Uruk to avoid sleeping for six days and seven nights. Gilgamesh does not manage, and Utnapishtim tells his wife to bake bread every day he sleeps.

Since Gilgamesh cannot even conquer sleep, Urshanabi, the ferryman, prepares him for his return to Uruk. As they are about to leave, Utnapishtim's wife convinces her husband to let Gilgamesh leave with a gift. So, he tells the king to find a boxthorn-like plant at the bottom of the sea to make him young again.

Gilgamesh finds the plant by tying stones to his feet and sinking himself to the bottom of the sea. He decides that when he gets to Uruk, he will test the plant with an older man to see if it will give him eternal youth. However, when he stops to bathe, a snake steals the plant and it sheds the skin before slithering away.

Gilgamesh weeps when he realizes that all his efforts have been wasted and that he cannot gain immortality. He returns to Uruk wiser and just. As he approaches Uruk, he sees its massive walls, which causes him to praise Urshanabi.

Tablet XII

In this tablet, Gilgamesh complains to Enkidu about his items falling into the underworld. The tablet does not state the items, but speculation lands on a drum and a ball. Enkidu decides to help him get them back. Excited, Gilgamesh instructs him on what to do and what not to do so that he can return.

Enkidu does what Gilgamesh told him not to do, so he remains in the underworld. Gilgamesh prays to the gods to return Enkidu. The gods, Enlil and Suen, never reply, but he gets help from Ea and Shamash. Shamash cracks the Earth, allowing Enkidu's ghost to appear. Based on this tablet, as the epic ends, Gilgamesh asks his friend about the underworld.

NB: This tablet contains the story of Gilgamesh in the Netherworld (underworld). It appears inconsistent with the rest since it mentions a living Enkidu who had died earlier in the story. While it doesn't seem to integrate with the rest, it's supposed to explain Gilgamesh's rulership of the underworld and the various afterlife fates.

The Epic of Gilgamesh Plot Summary

The Epic of Gilgamesh commences in Uruk city (in ancient Mesopotamia), where Gilgamesh is the ruler. He is a strong man who is two-thirds god and one-third human. He mistreates the people of Uruk through forced labor and defiling brides during their wedding. The gods create Enkidu after hearing the people cry to punish Gilgamesh and tame his behavior. The god Aruru makes Enkidu from clay.

Enkidu lives in the wilderness, grazing and drinking with the animals. A trapper later discovers him after discovering someone is destroying his traps. The trapper then introduces Enkidu to Shamhat, a temple prostitute, to make him civilized. Later, when Enkidu returns to the wild, the animals run away from him.

Enkidu then hears the tales of Gilgamesh and how he treated his subjects. So, he travels to the city and blocks Gilgamesh, who is about to forcefully enter a bride's wedding chamber. They fight fiercely, and Gilgamesh wins before they commend each other and become great friends.

Bored by city life, Gilgamesh decides to visit the cedar forest to kill Humbaba, a demi-god who protects the forest. Enkidu interprets Gilgamesh's scary dreams on the way and assures him that what he saw does not resemble the monster they will kill.

In the forest, they meet Humbaba and kill him with the help of the sun god Shamash. They also harvest trees from the forest, and Enkidu dedicates the biggest one to designing a gate for the temple of Enlil. The act captures the attention of the goddess Ishtar, who proposes marriage to Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh, however, rejects her offer since she is known to mistreat her lovers, often turning them into animals.

Filled with anger, Ishtar approaches Anu, her father, and tells him to release the Bull of Heaven to destroy Gilgamesh. When the father refuses, Ishtar threatens to raise the dead to devour the living. Since the bull will cause famine, Ishtar delivers supplies for seven years to cover the drought. In return, she gets her wish—the release of the bull.

Gilgamesh and Enkidu, however, manage to kill the bull without any divine assistance. Later, Enkidu dreams about a gods' meeting to discuss his fate with Gilgamesh. The gods, angered by the death of Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven, decide that one of the two must die as a consequence. After that, Enkidu becomes sick, and his health worsens for the next 12 days before he dies.

Gilgamesh mourns his friend, and after the burial, he goes to the wilderness, hoping to find a way to escape death. He hopes to find Utnapishtim, the only man known to have eternal life, who can tell him the secret to achieving immortality. After killing the big cats in the wilderness, he even changes his royal garments with lion skins.

He crosses Mt. Mashu in total darkness for '12 double hours' after a giant scorpion couple permits him. He then meets Siduri, the tavern keeper in the garden of the gods, who directs him to Urshanabi, the ferryman, after failing to convince him of the traveling idea.

Gilgamesh destroys the ferryman's precious stones, the only objects that would have enabled them to cross the sea and the Waters of Death. So, Gilgamesh cuts down 120 trees under Urshanabi’s instruction that they will use to cross the deadly waters. After successfully crossing the sea, Gilgamesh meets Utnapishtim and asks about seeking immortality.

He tells the Uruk ruler that he cannot find immortality and then explains how he got his. The god Enlil grew tired of people's noise and decided to create a flood to destroy humankind. However, Utnapishtim is saved by the god Ea, who instructs him to build a boat. He also shows him how to do it and seal it with pitch and bitumen.

When the storm came, Utnapishtim, his family, and the field animals were already in the big boat. They stayed there until the storm ended. After releasing a raven that did not return, they exited the boat, and Utnapishtim sacrificed to the gods.

The other gods criticized Enlil for punishing humankind too harshly. Enlil later blesses Utnapishtim and his wife by giving them eternal life.

To challenge Gilgamesh, Utnapishtim tells him that if he wants eternity, he should not sleep for the next six days and seven nights. Unable to stay awake, Gilgamesh is unable to beat the challenge. For each day he sleeps, Utnapishtim instructs his wife to bake a loaf of bread. After the seventh night, the bread from the first day was moldy, while the last one made was fresh. That means Gilgamesh slept.

Utnapishtim tells Urshanabi never to return to his island and instructs him to take Gilgamesh. As they depart, Utnapishtim's wife persuades her husband to tell them about the sea plant that gives eternal youth. Gilgamesh obtains the youth-giving plant from the sea floor by tying rocks to his feet to help him sink and walk in the deep waters.

Later, as Gilgamesh is bathing, a snake robs the plant, and as it crawls away, it sheds its skin. Gilgamesh is disappointed by the whole adventure and decides to return to Uruk. As he approaches the city, he sees its vast walls and appreciates the efforts as the closest to immortality that a human achieves. He also invites Urshanabi to see it and praises him as a way to credit him for the realization.

The Epic of Gilgamesh Characters

The characters in The Epic of Gilgamesh include the following:

Powered Characters

• Gilgamesh: Gilgamesh is the protagonist of this narrative. He is the king of Uruk, two-thirds god and one-third human. He is cruel towards his subjects, and the gods punish him by creating Enkidu. After the death of Enkidu, who became his friend, he seeks immortality by traveling to the ends of the earth.
• Enkidu: Aruru created Enkidu, a hairy, wild man, to tame Gilgamesh's unjust ruling. Before his civilization, he lived in the wilderness with the animals. Enkidu and Gilgamesh became good friends. Enkidu's death makes Gilgamesh seek a cure for mortality.
• Shamhat: Shamhat is a temple prostitute who serves as a priestess in the temple of Ishtar. Shamhat transforms Enkidu into a civilized man. Her influence comes from her sexuality, which relates more to civilization than nature.
• Utnapishtim: Utnapishtim is one of the main characters who defines the plot's ending in the story. He is a wise man made immortal by the gods. He teaches Gilgamesh about the inevitability of death and the importance of living a meaningful mortal life. Through him, we also know the story of the great flood.
• Utnapishtim's wife: She is unnamed in the story, but she contributes by persuading her husband to tell Gilgamesh about the magic plant that restores youthfulness.
• Urshanabi: The ferryman Urshanabi is responsible for taking Gilgamesh to Utnapishtim's island. He also stores the magic stones that the king destroys after meeting him. After Gilgamesh fails the sleep challenge, he is banished from returning to Utnapishtim's island.
• The Trapper: He spots Enkidu after noticing someone is uprooting his traps. He later plots how to make him civilized.
• Siduri: She is a tavern keeper or a brewster. She directs Gilgamesh to the ferryman after failing to convince him to stop pursuing eternal life.
• Giant scorpion couple: They are the guardians at the entrance of Mt. Mashu, the twin-peaked mountain.

Divine Beings

• Anu: The king of the gods and father to the goddess Ishtar. After she persuades him, he gives Ishtar the Bull of Heaven.
• Ea: The god of water, knowledge, crafts, and creation. His is also called Enki. He is the one who saves Utnapishtim from the flood.
• Shamash: He is the sun god. He supports Gilgamesh in his adventures, such as when he kills Humbaba.
• Humbaba: Humbaba is a demi-god who protects the Cedar Forest. He has a fearsome appearance, including a mouth of fire, a roar of flood, and a breath of death. Gilgamesh and Enkidu kill him to gain fame. We see his character when the two friends approach him and when he pleads for his life before dying.
• Aruru: Aruru is a goddess of creation in the Mesopotamian pantheon. She creates Enkidu from clay.
• Ishtar: She is the goddess of fertility and love. She is labeled as being beautiful but also unpredictable and treacherous. Ishtar gets attracted to Gilgamesh and pursues him. He, however, rejects him since she is cruel to her lovers.
• Enlil: He is the god of Earth, air, and wind. He is responsible for the great flood that almost ended the whole of humankind.
• Ninsun: She is a goddess and Gilgamesh's mother. She doesn't appear much in the story apart from when Gilgamesh asks her to interpret his dreams and when he asks her for help before going to kill Humbaba.

Themes in the Epic of Gilgamesh

What are the prevalent themes in The Epic of Gilgamesh?

• Death is Inevitable
• Love and Friendship
• Pride and Punishment
• Civilization
• Total Loyalty to the Gods

Death is Inevitable

The theme that death is inevitable is widespread in The Epic of Gilgamesh. Foremost, many deaths occur in the story, such as Humbaba's and the Bull of Heaven's deaths. We also cannot forget the destruction the bull did before it was killed, such as digging pits to swallow men.

The inevitability of death is a lesson that Gilgamesh learns the hard way. At first, he is bitter with the gods since they are the only ones with immortality. That is why, together with Enkidu, they proceed to kill a forest guardian since the fame can live longer than the mortal life of humans.

However, Enkidu's death devastates Gilgamesh to the core. After Enkidu's death, Gilgamesh sets out to find a cure to avoid death. He is terrified by the thought of his death, prompting him to seek an answer wherever it might be.

When Gilgamesh and his friend go to the forest to kill Humbaba, they have a near-death experience but manage to kill the demi-god. While it may seem as if they were looking for the final human fate, seeking immortality reflects a way to escape it.

Utnapishtim opens Uruk's ruler's eyes by telling him the flood story. Human death was well-defined at the time since it accompanied life during creation. However, since life is also present, humans continue to live even after death. That is evident in the 12th tablet, which opens up about the afterlife.

Ultimately, Gilgamesh learns more about life and why he should appreciate it while living. That makes him a just ruler who never oppresses his people again.

Love and Friendship

Love and friendship are themes that take turns depending on the interaction of the characters in the epic. Enkidu sleeps with a woman as a way of being initiated into civilization. While that goes in an appreciatable direction, Gilgamesh and Ishtar give readers a turnaround.

Ishtar is angered when Gilgamesh rejects her proposal, and her reaction and revenge lead to Enkidu's death. Now, the friendship between Enkidu and Gilgamesh stirs the readers all through. Have you ever formed a strong bond with your enemy?

The Epic of Gilgamesh shows how the two adversaries became best friends and never broke their bond. Gilgamesh and Enkidu formed a strong friendship that stood all obstacles apart from the wrath of the gods. It's through this friendship that Enkidu fully transformed into a civilized human.

For Gilgamesh, it helps him realize and recognize his mortality in addition to being a just ruler. Friendship love takes more center stage in the story than love derived from romance.

The effects of friendship and love apply to Enkidu when he encounters Shamhat. After their lovemaking for days, the animals reject Enkidu. That shows the initiation to becoming and functioning like a human since the sex corrupted the wild man's innocence.

For Gilgamesh and Ishtar, the former's rejection brings out the latter's wrath. Gilgamesh does not want to be in a relationship with the goddess because she is used to mistreating her former lovers. That means love and friendship can also bring out harshness.

Ishtar's revenge is so cruel that it causes famine in Uruk and, later, a gods' meeting through Enkidu's dream after the death of the Bull of Heaven.

Love from friendship in the story has better effects than romance based on the story. Before Gilgamesh meets Enkidu, he is cruel and arrogant to his people. He even forcefully sleeps with brides during their wedding night.

Through his friendship with Enkidu, he goes on a quest to seek immortality and then accepts his overall human fate. This makes him appreciate life more, which ignites happiness in him.

Pride and Punishment

Gilgamesh is a despot with a high level of pride, which has corrupted him. He mistreats men and women without any compassion. For instance, he kidnaps brides before they get married and defiles them. Due to his cruelty, the gods punish him.

They create and send Enkidu to tame Gilgamesh. Enkidu confronts the king on a wedding night, but instead of humiliating him, Gilgamesh wins the fight, and they become great friends. The adventures they venture into later make them even more arrogant.

They test themselves against the gods by killing Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven. Their continued success brings the gods' wrath. When Ishtar approaches Gilgamesh, he rejects him by reminding her how she mistreated her former lovers.

When the two friends kill the bull, Enkidu curses Ishtar and throws her a hindquarter. This shows how Gilgamesh's arrogance extends to his friend. However, the gods always have the upper hand, and they demonstrate that by sentencing Enkidu to death.

Gilgamesh seeks a way to escape death, but he fails again. That is when he realizes that, like all other men, he will also die. In the story, punishment is used to correct things and put them in the proper order. On the other hand, many today know Gilgamesh compared to the gods in the Mesopotamian pantheon. So, as much as Gilgamesh is punished, his name and fame live on.

Civilization

Civilization is another theme in the Gilgamesh epic that presents a double-edged sword. On one end, it is a way of being knowledgeable and gaining protection. On the other hand, it shows how it can become a corrupting force.

Civilization is the reason why Enkidu loses his innocence. After his sexual encounter with Shamhat, a priestess in Ishtar's temple, the animals he lived freely with rejected him. It signifies the change from being wild and unspoiled to civilization.

Later, after meeting Gilgamesh, Enkidu becomes more ambitious. He drastically changes to the point of destroying the nature he once lived in harmony with. He is now willing to cut down trees, including a major one he uses to design a temple gate.

Enkidu and Gilgamesh live luxurious lives, which Enkidu could not do in the wild. Civilization provides a safe and better way to live, but it also presents a chase for self-satisfaction. That is why Gilgamesh is arrogant and cruel in the beginning.

When the epic ends, Gilgamesh finds information about the story of the floods, and he writes it on a tablet. Only a civilized society can write and use information to better itself and gain knowledge. Since a man must fend for himself, he can use knowledge to better himself.

The story, however, does not tell whether civilization is better than nature. Before Enkidu dies, he curses Shamhat because she introduces him to city life. However, after Shamash reminds him how the change introduced him to his best friend, he takes back what he said and blesses Shamhat instead. He is also grateful for his experience on the human side.

Total Loyalty to the Gods

Gilgamesh and Enkidu both learn that the gods demand loyalty and obedience. They are also dangerous when you do contrary to what they prefer. The gods have their laws, and piousness is inevitable, especially if you have to seek their help later. In addition to all of that, they also need flattery when the need arises.

While you can often get help from them, angering them will cause absolute madness. A character's relevance to them will not matter when their wrath descends. That is why there are similarities between what The Epic of Gilgamesh presents and what is available in the Judeo-Christian tradition.

Gilgamesh suffers greatly for annoying the gods. It even causes his friend's death. On the other hand, we see the deity members, such as the god Shamash and goddess Ninsun, helping him.

For those who appear righteous, the gods are always on their side. The flood caused by Enlil nearly eliminated the human race from the face of the Earth. However, Ea saves Utnapishtim and, through him, all the animals of the field. Ishtar also helps Enkidu through her priestess, Shamhat.

The similarities between Christianity and the Epic of Gilgamesh may be attributed to both books originating from the same region. Parts of the Bible and this epic were written in the same language, Hebrew, which is close to Akkadian.

In Mesopotamia, though, loyalty to the gods seemed more of a practical knowledge than a moral obligation. That can explain why Gilgamesh initially seems rude to some of these higher beings.

The Epic of Gilgamesh Symbols

There are several symbols in The Epic of Gilgamesh. The most dominant ones are:

Religious Symbols

The Epic of Gilgamesh is full of religious symbolism. For instance, the number seven is used numerous times in the book, like when it mentions that Enkidu and Shamhat made love for seven days. Another seven is seen when Utnapishtim challenges Gilgamesh not to sleep for six days and seven nights.

The Sumerians, one of the earliest civilizations in Mesopotamia, used the number seven on many occasions, mainly when conducting their rituals. The story also includes practically all the religious rituals in Mesopotamia, such as festivals, sacrifices, and dream interpretation.

Enkidu's wildness and hairy look signify a natural and uncivilized state. Uruk has huge walls around it, representing the immortality humans can achieve with their mortal lives. The Bull of Heaven symbolizes the tragedy and destruction nature can bring. Humans, however, fight the bull, which shows that they have the power to combat natural calamities.

Doors and Gates

The Epic of Gilgamesh mentions doorways and gateways multiple times. They symbolize the transition from the physical world to the natural one. The doors and gates symbolism starts when Enkidu stands in front of Gilgamesh, who is about to enter a bride's wedding chamber.

Next, they pass through the gate to Cedar Forest's entrance to confront Humbaba. Since the demi-god was guarding its trees, no man had entered this forest. Ishtar also presents this symbol when she threatens to open the underworld and raise the dead after Anu, her father, refuses to give the bull at first.

Upon its release, the Bull of Heaven caused a lot of destruction. One part of that was opening pits that swallowed men, which signified opening the gate to the underworld. Another instance is when Gilgamesh meets the scorpion couple guarding the entrance to Mt. Mashu, where the sun god passes. Before allowing him to pass, the scorpion couple warned him that the journey he would take had never been done before by any mortal.

Monsters

There are monsters in the Gilgamesh story, and they signify an adventure. Why? Because, in most cases, the monsters that the characters encounter or deal with are outside the city, which means out of the civilized world. They only appear in the city if the gods want to punish the humans.

The epic's first monster symbol is Enkidu, encountered in the forest. The trapper initially thinks he is a monster before planning to rescue him from the wildlife. Gilgamesh is also viewed as a monster during this time since he solely forces men into forced labor, and he kidnaps their women on their wedding night.

Another instance is when Gilgamesh and Enkidu go to kill Humbaba. Humbabas is a demi-god who has the breath of death, among other scary descriptions. While they kill him and get the fame they seek, they also attract the gods' attention.

After Humbaba's story, Gilgamesh and Enkidu kill the Bull of Heaven, which was sent to cause havoc and famine in Uruk. That causes the gods to meet and decide the fate of these two friends. Lastly, when Gilgamesh is on a journey to seek immortality, he encounters a scorpion couple. They are the guardians at the entrance to Mt. Mashu, the twin-peaked mountain.

Water

Water is another symbol in the epic. Depending on the context, it can rejuvenate or destroy, implying it can be good or evil. It also signifies the gods will, meaning it shows the cycle of birth and death in every living thing.

Notably, after an adventure or an important event, Gilgamesh and Enkidu usually bathe. One example is when they bathe after killing Humbaba. Among other instances, a bath signifies a way of cleansing, both physically and emotionally.

While that is the positive way to look at the water symbolism, a negative one is deployed in the flood story. It starts with Enlil being angry with human noises and ends with Enlil being castigated and Utnapishtim earning eternal life. The flood destroyed almost the whole of humanity and every other land-living creature.

In the story, water symbolizes life, rejuvenation, destruction, and rebirth.

Snake

Towards the end of the plot, a snake steals from Gilgamesh the plant for eternal life. The snake is a 'trickster' who acts as an obstacle between humanity and the desire to gain everlasting life. The snake snatches the boxthorn-like plant as Gilgamesh is bathing.

That makes the king realize that death is inevitable to all mortals. The snake part in the story shares similarities with Adam and Eve's story in the Bible. A snake tricks them, and eventually, they lose eternal life and the pleasures of the Garden of Eden.

The Genre of the Epic of Gilgamesh

The Epic of Gilgamesh is an epic poem. This type of poem consists of a long narrative that tells a story of heroic deeds and epic battles. The Epic of Gilgamesh is deemed one of the oldest examples of this genre, with its origins being around the age of ancient Mesopotamia.

The poem combines elements of history, legend, and myth to tell the life of Gilgamesh and his far-fetched goal of cheating death. It also examines themes such as mortality, friendship, and the effects of civilization.

The Epic’s Relationship with the Bible

The storyline in The Epic of Gilgamesh has themes, plots, and characters that are pretty similar to those in some of the parts of the Bible. Here is how some of them relate to the Garden of Eden, Ecclesiastes, and Noah's flood narrative.

The Garden of Eden Creation Story

Scholars have spotted similarities between the stories of Adam/Eve and Enkidu/Shamhat. In both cases, the man is created from the soil. He is then introduced to a female who tempts him. It's also evident in both that the woman gives the man some food, covers his nakedness, and then takes him away from his home.

Both stories also have a tricking snake that takes away a human's ability to become immortal. The difference in the stories is that in Enkidu's case, he first regrets being transformed into the civilized world and curses the woman responsible for that. After the god Shamash intervenes, he takes back the curse and blesses the woman instead before dying.

Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden for disobeying God, and in the process, they lost their innocence.

The Great Flood in the Bible

The flood story in the Bible and what is present in The Epic of Gilgamesh are so similar that only a few doubt one is not a source for the other. When we say source, most scholars suggest that the Bible's version came from the ancient Mesopotamia tablets written in Akkadian.

While the names are different, both stories share the same flow and plot despite permitting other narratives on the Bible version. So, the Sumerian, Akkadian, and Biblical versions of the story are from the same source but have a diverged retelling.

The Advice in Ecclesiastes

Several scholars and enthusiasts suggest that the advice in Ecclesiastes is similar to Siduri's when Gilgamesh meets her. The phrase, 'A triple-stranded rope is not easily broken,' is in both books.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the short summary of the Epic of Gilgamesh?

The Epic of Gilgamesh is an epic poem set in ancient Mesopotamia about Gilgamesh, a hero and king of Uruk. In the epic, Gilgamesh seeks immortality after his friend Enkidu dies because they did things that angered the gods.

2. What is the main point of the Epic of Gilgamesh?

The main point in The Epic of Gilgamesh is that humans are mortal beings who should appreciate the life they have. Death is inevitable to all humans, and that is what makes life sweet and meaningful. Lastly, chasing immortality is a futile undertaking.

3. What happens at the end of the Epic of Gilgamesh?

The story ends with Gilgamesh accepting the hard truth that death is inevitable. He also praises Urshanabi after seeing the city's massive walls and foundation and the mason work involved.

4. What is the story of Gilgamesh in the Bible?

According to The Book of Giants, Gilgamesh is one of the giants known to be killed in the biblical flood. The same flood is also in the Bible and The Book of Watchers. Other stories that show similarities between The Epic of Gilgamesh and the Bible include the creation story and the advice in Ecclesiastes.

5. Where can I get the summary of the Epic of Gilgamesh?

Contact our book summary experts for a detailed The Epic of Gilgamesh summary. They are available 24/7 and have assisted numerous students in writing epic summaries.

Bottom Line

The Epic of Gilgamesh transcends its ancient origins, offering timeless questions about humanity's place in the universe. Through Gilgamesh's transformative journey, we confront the inevitability of death, the power of human connection, and the bittersweet beauty of life. The epic's influence on literature undeniably shapes works like Homer's Iliad and Odyssey.

Understanding The Epic of Gilgamesh can be rewarding, whether you're a student grappling with the text's complexities or a scholar seeking deeper insights.

For those seeking a comprehensive guide, our book summary writing services can illuminate the path. We will help you gain a deeper appreciation for this literary masterpiece.