Special thanks to Kristen Grandfield, Yale - New Haven Teacher Institute
Tablets III & IV
Tablet Three (p. 23 - 29)
Trust not, Gilgamesh, in your strength alone,
Let your eyes see all, make your blow strike home. . .
We in our assembly entrust the King to you [Enkidu]
On your return, entrust the King again to us.
(Foster, The Epic of Gilgamesh, p. 23)
This tablet is not all preserved. This is essentially the pre-journey tablet where we learn that all except Gilgamesh think it is a bad idea to go into the woods. The city elders entrust Gilgamesh's life unto Enkidu and assume Enkidu will be on the front line of the battle to ensure that Gilgamesh does not die.
FFW (5 min):
- Do you think this journey is a good or bad idea? Why?
Tablet Four (p. 30 - 37)
The beginning of the six day journey into the Great Cedar Woods begins in Tablet Four. Before beginning, Gilgamesh prays to Shamash, the sun god for protection. He then has six dreams. Many of the dreams were not preserved. One preserved dream is one that Gilgamesh dreams of a bull who splits the ground with its breath. The translation of the dream is that Shamash will protect Gilgamesh in battle.
When Enkidu and Gilgamesh arrive at the entrance to the forest, Gilgamesh becomes afraid and prays to Shamash again to protect him. Enkidu also gets scared and rather than support him, Gilgamesh fights him. Their fighting alerts Humbaba and they finally band together to fight the great Humbaba.
FFW (5 min):
- Analyze the dreams of Gilgamesh. What would you have interpreted those dreams to mean?
Reflection: main takeaways from today's lesson?
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