Select an area of the website to search
The Epic of Gilgamesh
All
Study Guides
Homework Help
Lesson Plans
Search this site
Go
Page Citation
Start an essay
icon-question
Ask a question
Join
Sign in
Study Guides
Homework Help
Teacher Resources
Start free trial
Sign In
Start an essay
Ask a question
The Epic of Gilgamesh
Start Free Trial
Summary
Poem Summaries
Questions & Answers
Themes
Characters
Analysis
Critical Essays
Critical Evaluation
Essays and Criticism
Multiple-Choice Quizzes
PDF Downloads
Lesson Plans
Teaching Guide
Topics for Further Study
What Do I Read Next?
Start Free Trial
The Epic of Gilgamesh Questions and Answers
What made Gilgamesh, from The Epic of Gilgamesh, such an epic hero?
What does The Epic of Gilgamesh reveal to us about Mesopotamian culture and religion?
What are the moral lessons that we will gain in this epic?
What are the similarities and differences between Enkidu and Gilgamesh in The Epic of Gilgamesh?
What was the author's purpose in writing The Epic of Gilgamesh, and who was the intended audience?
What is the significance of The Epic of Gilgamesh?
The relationship between Enkidu and Gilgamesh remains a major focus of The Epic of Gilgamesh. What kind of relationship do these characters share? Is this a rewarding/defeating/problematic relationship for both of them? Why or why not? If the friendship did not exist, how would that affect Gilgamesh's status as a hero?
Compare and contrast the Flood stories of the Bible and The Epic of Gilgamesh? What are some differences in the story and what are some similarities?
Why did Gilgamesh and Enkidu fight each other?
In The Epic of Gilgamesh, what does Gilgamesh gain from his epic quest? Does it change him?
How does Utnapishtim attain immortality?
Why do the gods agree to destroy humankind in The Epic of Gilgamesh?
How is Gilgamesh a tyrant in the beginning of The Epic of Gilgamesh?
How would you compare and contrast Enkidu's fall from a state of nature to that experienced by Adam and Eve? To what extent is it meaningful/ distracting to discuss Biblical parallels in analyzing the Epic of Gilgamesh? Why or why not engage in such an exercise?
Why is The Epic of Gilgamesh important to world literature?
What does The Epic of Gilgamesh say about the relationship between humanity and the divine?
In The Epic of Gilgamesh, what is the symbolic significance of Humbaba?
What does the prologue suggest about the values of ancient Mesopotamians in The Epic of Gilgamesh?
How did Gilgamesh show his arrogance in The Epic of Gilgamesh?
Gilgamesh was two-thirds god and one-third man. What conflict may derive from such a combination?
Why is it important for Gilgamesh and Enkidu to kill Humbaba in The Epic of Gilgamesh?
How would you describe the role of the gods in Gilgamesh?
Why does Enkidu's death affect Gilgamesh so strongly in the Epic of Gilgamesh?
In The Epic of Gilgamesh, how and why was Enkidu killed?
Why does Gilgamesh want to find Utnapishtim?
What values was The Epic of Gilgamesh (the flood story) meant to impress upon the audience?
What important change(s) does Gilgamesh undergo during the course of the story?
1. What two worlds do Enkidu and Gilgamesh represent? 2. Do the authors think city life is better than life in the country? 3. According to the epic, what are the advantages of the city? 4. What problems does city life pose? 5. What is the meaning of the story?
In The Epic of Gilgamesh, why is Gilgamesh 2/3 god 1/3 man, not 1/2 god 1/2 man, since you can only have 2 parents?
What do the Mesopotamian deities require of humanity?
In The Epic of Gilgamesh, what characteristics do the ancient Sumerians value, as evidenced in their hero, Gilgamesh?
What are the differences between the gods of Gilgamesh and the ones in Homer's Iliad?
Is Gilgamesh’s name significant, despite the fact that he loses the plant that would return him to his youth in The Epic of Gilgamesh? In what ways is it a fitting name despite his failure in the quest for immortality? How, in fact, has he actually accomplished immortality?
Was Enkidu better off in his original savage state or as a civilized man?
What role do gender and gender roles play in The Epic of Gilgamesh?
What happened in Cedar Forest in Gilgamesh?
How does Gilgamesh compare to the heroes of the Bible? Are they like Gilgamesh?
In the story of Utnapishtim from the Epic of Gilgamesh, what do the various actions of the gods and goddesses allow us to infer about how the Mesopotamians viewed their deities?
Compare and contrast Odysseus from the Odyssey with Gilgamesh from The Epic of Gilgamesh. Whom do you feel is more heroic and why?
What aspects of friendship are seen in The Epic of Gilgamesh and how do we see them reflected in Sumerian culture?
What are the major themes of The Epic of Gilgamesh, and how are these shown through the plot and characters?
The god Enlil unleashed the flood on the city of Shurrupak because "the world bellowed like a wild bull." What does this reveal about how the Babylonians viewed their gods and their environment?
What does The Epic of Gilgamesh have to say abut the nature of good and evil? In what parts does it explore the battle between good and evil, and which force triumphs in the end?
What is the comparison between the serpent in the Old Testament to the one in Gilgamesh?
In The Epic of Gilgamesh, what does Endiku teach Gilgamesh?
What is an example of the gods in The Epic of Gilgamesh being involved in the problems of the humankind?
What transformed Gilgamesh from a bad king to a good king?
In the first chapter of The Epic of Gilgamesh, what does the city of Uruk look like? city of Uruk
How has Gilgamesh impacted modern society?
How would you characterize the relationship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu? Is it ultimately beneficial or destructive for both characters?
