The Epic of Gilgamesh

PROMPT:
Explore how the major characters and themes used in the Epic of Gilgamesh are used to answer the following two questions:
1) How does the Epic of Gilgamesh reflect certain ideals about kingship in Mesopotamian society?
2) How do different episodes and changes in scenery in the epic serve as critiques of kingship?

STRATEGIES:
1) What are the “ideals of kingship”? What is the archetype of a good ruler?
2) Who are the main characters? How do they function in the epic?
3) Look for the examples in the text. Highlight passages that serve to illustrate your point
4) DO NOT use the text to regurgitate the narrative. Conduct a textual analysis of how the examples you’ve selected support your thesis. Language? Imagery?
5) Aim to spend at least one to two paragraphs explaining EACH example you use

* CITATION
Actual lines:
His cheeks were bearded like those of/the hair of his head grew thickly [as barely] (Tablet I, 6061)
OR
General reference:
Gilgameshs physical description uses agricultural imagery in order to convey XYZ (e.g., Tablet I, 6061).
Works cited:
George, Andrew R. The Epic of Gilgamesh: The Babylonian Epic Poem and Other Texts in Akkadian and Sumerian. London: Penguin Books, 2003.