The Nature Of The gods In The Epic Of Gilgamesh
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Midterm Paper Topics: Pick one of the following and write a 3-5 page analysis.
Be sure to provide cited examples from the text to support your assertions. Follow
MLA guidelines. Double space. Twelve point font.
Consider the genre of The Epic of Gilgamesh. What makes it an epic? Are there
aspects that are unusual to an epic? How does it compare to other epics (like The
Iliad)?
What is the nature of the gods in The Epic of Gilgamesh? Are the gods good, or
are they evil? Do the gods establish a good toward which humans should strive, or
are they merely meddlers in the affairs of men? What does it mean for Gilgamesh
to be two-thirds god and one-third man?
Examine Enkidu’s curse of Shamhat when he is dying. Did Shamhat wrong him
as he claims? Was it good that he became civilized? Why or why not? Why does
he blame Shamhat more than Gilgamesh? Is this despair in the face of death?
Consider the etymology of the name “Gilgamesh” (“the old man is still a young
man”). is Gilgamesh’s name significant, despite the fact that he loses the plant
that would return him to his youth? In what ways is it a fitting name despite his
failure in the quest for immortality. How, in fact, has he actually accomplished
immortality?
Throughout The Epic of Gilgamesh many dreams occur, and often their meaning is
unclear, or at least inscrutable for the characters who have them. Is there a general
unity of the dreams? What is their purport? Do they come from the gods? Are
they true? Are they good?
Is Gilgamesh a virtuous character? What is the crucial point for his transformation
from a tyrant to one who seeks knowledge? Is Gilgamesh a man of action or a
man of contemplation?
Is Achilles’s anger a virtue or a vice, as presented in The Iliad? How is it made
manifest in characters other than Achilles?
Consider the presentation of the gods in The Iliad. What is the gods’ role? Do
they control humans? Do humans have free will? Are the gods simply fickle, or
do they support some essential order? What does this presentation of the gods
reveal about the ancient Greek understanding of the divine?
Compare The Iliad with The Epic of Gilgamesh. What is the essential, unifying
feature of the epic as a genre? How do these works display that trait? In what
important ways does the Greek epic differ from Gilgamesh?
What role does war play in The Iliad? Is it presented as a good thing or a bad
thing? What understanding of war do the different characters have? What are the
worthwhile causes for fighting a war?
How is the theme of grace, suffering, and wisdom presented in Agamemnon?
How does Aeschylus present the major conflicts of Agamemnon in terms of the
opposition between male and female spheres? How is this opposition developed
through the characterization between Agamemnon and Cytemnestra? Which
sphere triumphs?
Which characters in Agamemnon manifest hubris (excessive pride)? How? What
does the chorus say about this quality?
What are the major dilemmas faced by Agamemnon and Clytemnestra? How are
they related to male/female opposition? How to the family curse?
Assuming Agamemnon is a revenge play, defend or attack Clytaemnestra’s actions.
What possible outcomes could represent justice?
Oedipus blames Apollo for bringing his sorrow to completion but clams that the
act of putting his eyes out was his own. Certainly there is a sense that Oedipus
does not deserve his fate, but what, then, is he responsible for, and what does the
audience learn from the experience of the play?
At a point halfway through the play, Oedipus recognizes that he may well have
been Laius’s murderer. Instead of stopping, though, he accelerates his drive to find
out the truth, which leads to his person revelations and sufferings, as well as to the
town’s salvation. Oedipus’s pride might be considered a tragic flaw, but does
pride truly bring about his downfall? Looked at another way, could the pestilence
afflicting Thebes be rooted out without Oedipus’s single-minded determination to
solve the latest riddle, regardless of the consequences? Does Oedipus’s flaw make
him blameworthy?
What importance does Antigone’s gender hold in Antigone? How does it shape
the way other characters view her?
In Oedipus, the King and Antigone the Chorus repeatedly give us moral lessons,
often condemning “pride.” Are we to take the proclamations of the Chorus as
absolute truth, or is the Chorus just as fallible as the other characters? Is pride
really the cause for all the catastrophes of the plays?
Discuss freewill and predestination in Oedipus.
Consider the different reactions of Antigone and Ismene to Kreon’s law. Is one
right and the other wrong? Why does Ismene change her mind? Is Antigone
reckless, as she says? What deeper point can be made of the fact that these sisters
act so differently?
Consider the tension between the laws of the gods and the laws of the state in
Antigone. What is the moral weight of each as presented in the play? How can
these be reconciled when they are in conflict? Does the play suggest a deeper
understanding of religion and the state?
In what ways is Kreon a tyrant, and in what ways is he simply attempting to
follow what is best for his state? Antigone presents a conflict between the ruler’s
principle and the popular opinion, which Haimon states is sympathetic to Antigone
and Polyneikes. Does this work suggest a proper course of action if popular
opinion and ruling laws come into conflict? Does popular opinion seem like a
good guide for actions of the state?
What is the nature of Medea’s rage? Is there one specific thing that is the source
of this anger? Is it a passion? Is it opposed to her intellect, or part of it?
Medea states that Jason has left her because he tired of her as his wife. Jason
states that he married Creon’s daughter because he wanted to ensure the livelihood
of Medea and their children. Is one of them right and the other wrong? What do
their different arguments reveal about their characters?
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