Gilgamesh: Stories, and A Soundtrack

We recently did a close reading of the 10th Tablet of The Epic of Gilgamesh.  Students had to figure out what happened to Gilgamesh's best friend, Enkidu.  (Spoiler alert: he died.)  Then they had to give 4 pieces of evidence from the text showing that he died.  (If you're a kid who didn't do this, you can find it here.)

The problem with close reading is you're in danger of killing a good text.  I love the passage I chose.  I love that we're 4000 years from Gilgamesh, and 6000 miles from Gilgamesh, and still telling the story.

And not only that, but we are telling this story in many of our stories.  In Gilgamesh we see fear, and love.  We see friendship.  We see a person who is faced with dying before they're read - and the desire to live forever.  I've said this before, but much of it reminds me of The Fault in Our Stars.

I went back and reread the story today.  The students know it by now, and it's often worth rereading something after you know what happens.  They knew why Gilgamesh looked haggard, emaciated, and desolate.  They knew why the tavern keeper didn't trust him.  They knew what had happened to Enkidu.  This time, though, we read it with a soundtrack.  I thought it gave it something of a cinematic feel:

I can picture a grimy faced, tired Gilgamesh with ice in his beard, sleeping on a bed of pine needles.  Eating grubs.  Weeping.  Walking up to the massive wooden doors of the tavern, begging a night on his name.  Telling his tale to the skeptical tavern keeper.

If you're hoping for some end-of-the-semester extra credit, you should have read the blog post with an adult.  If you did that, tell them who Utnapishtim is/was.  Then, tell them why Gilgamesh was looking for him, and what you think happened to Gilgamesh.  Write at least a sentence, telling what you think happened to Gilgamesh.  Have the adult you read the blog with sign the paper.  Turn it in tomorrow in the extra credit spot.