Humanities 1
Need done asap!
1. Compare and contrast Siduri’s advice to Gilgamesh with the advice given in Ecclesiastes 9:7-10.
Please address the following items in your post:
· What do these two readings share?
· How do they differ?
· What is the lesson which both Siduri and Ecclesiastes is trying to tell us?
· What have you learned from this advice?
2. Finally, discuss why the issue of immortality is so important to Gilgamesh. Does he fear death, or love life?
In his travels, Gilgamesh meets Siduri, she is an
alewife (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
, a wise female divinity associated with
fermentation. (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
Summary:
“Siduri, the veiled barmaid, keeps a tavern by the edge of the sea. Gazing along the shore, she sees a man coming toward her. He is wearing animal skins, and his face is wind-bitten and battered. He looks like he has been traveling for a long time. Concerned that he might be dangerous, Siduri closes and bars her door against him. The traveler pounds on the door and threatens to smash it down. He says he is Gilgamesh, and Siduri asks him why he looks like a tramp and a criminal. Gilgamesh says that he is grieving for his companion who helped to fight the lions and the wolves and slay the demon Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven. He says that Enkidu has been overtaken by the fate that awaits all humankind—he’s turned to clay. Gilgamesh asks Siduri if that is what will happen to him.
Siduri unlocks her door and tells Gilgamesh that only the gods live forever. She invites him into her tavern to clean himself up, change his clothes, and eat and drink his fill. But Gilgamesh no longer cares for earthly pleasures and refuses to be distracted from his mission. He asks her how to find Utnapishtim.
Siduri says to Gilgamesh:
“Every day wash your head bathe your body, and wear clothes that are sparkling fresh. Fill your stomach with delicious food. Play, sing, dance, and be happy both day and night. Delight in the pleasures that your lover brings you, and cherish the little child who holds your hand. Make every day of your life a feast of rejoicing! This is the life you should seek, for this is the best life a mortal can hope to achieve.”