13_The Epic of Gilgamesh, Part Two

Lecture Thirteen opens with a brief review of the first half of the epic, then moves to the narration of its second part. Gilgamesh, inconsolable after the death of Enkidu, memorializes his fallen companion in both poetry and sculpture. “Grief is in his innermost being,” and he roams the earth seeking the secret of eternal life. After many trials and adventures, Gilgamesh reaches the abode of Utnapishtim. the sole survivor of the great flood. The flood and its destructive force are described in great detail. Though Utnapishtim and his wife were granted immortality by the gods, such an exception to the fate of all humanity is no longer possible. Undeterred, Gilgamesh makes one more attempt, through magical means, to outwit the gods, but of course, he fails. Chastened and now wiser, he returns to his royal city of Uruk.