• (pg. 72) It’s obvious that, at the beginning of the story, Gilgamesh isn’t a very noble protagonist. Does his new-found “bromance” with Enkidu change him? Why or why not? (WF)

• My question on the first half of Gilgamesh, relates to his heroic attitude described in the story. On page 73 his faults are detailed, such as his act of Prima Noctis actions. How is he heroic, if he also seems to be an evil character? Despite this later on (Page 91) he travels to defeat some evil, with the very man who was sent to defeat him. What accounts for this abrupt transition? (EA)

• Why does sexual intercourse make Enkidu more of a human, more tame, and more civilized when it is one of the most natural behaviors that humans can experience? Should submitting to a woman make you less of a man? (AW)—p. 79

• I think that power is the major theme of the story. My question would be: what do you think this story says about power? What does it mean to have power? Where does power come? I would specifically reference pages 89 and 90 and Enkidu’s quote, “Gilgamesh you are unique among humans. Your mother, the goddess Ninsun, made you stronger and braver than any mortal, and rightly has Enlil granted you kingship.” (PW)

• My question regarding Gilgamesh: So far, what themes seem to be prominent in this epic? Give examples of the themes you find. To expand on my question, a strong theme that I see is death, and how it is inevitable. This is shown on page 93. (DM)

• On page 93 Gilgamesh tells Enkidu, “If I die in the forest on this great adventure, won’t you be ashamed when people say, ‘Gilgamesh met a heroes’ death battling the monster Humbaba. And where was Enkidu? He was safe at home!’”

How is manhood viewed differently today compared to how Gilgamesh’s culture viewed manhood? (BF)

• On pages 94-95, Gilgamesh explains his need to kill the monster to become immortal by his feats. Do you think, thus far, that this story is similar to Beowulf in that the main character’s aim is glory, or is the story that of friendship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu? (SM)

• I’m a bit confused about book IV when Gilgamesh keeps having dreams and it becomes very redundant. What is the relevance of this redundancy and is it really needed in the story? (CS)—pp. 105-116

• Why does the story use repetition quite often? (see quite a bit, pages 112-117 is one example) Could the repetition be used to gather the reader's attention? (AR)

• Loyalty- “Two boats lashed together will never sink. A three-ply rope is not easily broken. If we help each other and fight side by side, what harm can come to us?” pg 119 (KH)

• Courage- “Courage, dear brother, this is no time to give in to fear.” pg. 120 (KH)

• My topic is: the other side of Gilgamesh. It can be found on page 132. (JC)

• My question for tomorrow’s discussion is: how should we understand the male sex drive that pushes the story’s plot forward? (PY)