The Epic of Gilgamesh has all the makings of a Hollywood action film – larger-than-life heroes Gilgamesh and Enkidu, gods and goddesses interacting directly with humans, huge fights between larger-than-life monsters and our heroes, sex and romance, and an ultimately a quest for immortality. If it sounds exciting to a modern reader, undoubtedly it was even more exciting to people who imagined they were the descendents of the hero Gilgamesh, even if the historical priest-king wasn’t the actual hero of the story. In addition to all these pretty amazing elements, the story also features several dreams. What narrative function do these dreams serve? How does it help the reader to know what’s going to happen before it happens? Why would the original authors include several dreams? This paper will explore how the dreams function in the epic and how it helps the reader to know what’s going to happen before it happens.
The first dream mentioned in the story is Shamhat telling Enkidu that Gilgamesh will dream of him: “Gilgamesh will dream of you in Uruk” (43). The very next section of the story is Gilgamesh relating to his mother Ninsun a dream he had in which he was surrounded by stars, and that “something kept falling on” him which was so heavy he could not move it (43). Ninsun interprets the dream for him, telling him that he will make a friend and that Gilgamesh “will fall in love with” this friend, and that the friend “will be mighty and rescue you, time and again” (44). It seems in the case of this dream that the author(s) were trying to demonstrate that the gods intended for Gilgamesh and Enkidu to meet, that their friendship was fated or destined by divine powers. Dreams in stories are often considered messages from the gods, and since both Gilgamesh and Enkidu are part god, it makes sense that Gilgamesh should receive just such a ‘message’ about Enkidu. It is also possible that the author(s) were trying to demonstrate the wisdom of Shamhat – that she is just more than a common harlot.
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"The Epic of Gilgamesh: Dreams".
She seems to appreciate that there is something divine about Enkidu, and that he is well-matched for Gilgamesh. Being from Uruk, she would not be ignorant of the plight of the people being oppressed by Gilgamesh. Though it is not clear that she truly knows Enkidu’s origins, she seems smart enough to realize that there’s more going on that she can see. By having her tell Enkidu that Gilgamesh will dream of him, she is reinforcing the idea that their meeting is fated. Narratively speaking, the authors are trying to underline the role of the divine in the story and the idea of destiny. As for why the reader (or audience) should be informed of what’s going to happen before it happens, it would be to prepare them mentally. In other words, if the audience has time to anticipate what’s going to happen, they can set the stage in their own minds for the action. This may enhance their appreciation of the events. It also likely heightens their anticipation and builds tension.
The second dream in the story follows Ninsun’s interpretation of Gilgamesh’s first dream. It appears that Gilgamesh had two dreams back-to-back. In the second dream, which he also tells to his mother, Gilgamesh dreams that he encounters a mighty axe about which he states, “I fell in love with it, like a woman I caressed it” (44) – like the large heavy thing which he could not move in the first dream. He reports to her that in the dream, she made it his partner, which also occurred in the first dream. And just like with the first dream, Ninsun interprets the dream for Gilgamesh. She tells him again that a mighty friend is coming to him, “A companion who rescues a friend” (44). This time the imagery the author(s) use in the dream seem more about the way(s) in which Gilgamesh may use Enkidu, rather than their destined fate together. In Ninsun’s interpretation she reiterates that the mighty friend who comes will rescue his friend, meaning Gilgamesh.
That this occurs twice underlines the fact that Gilgamesh will find himself in trouble – perhaps two times, given that the ‘prediction’ is given twice – and that Enkidu will save him. This seems to build tension and anticipation as well; the reader or audience knows that at least two times, the mighty Gilgamesh will find himself in a bind so significant that all his might and divinity alone will not be able to save him. His friend will have to save him. In this way, this dream underlines Enkidu’s strength, which is now twice confirmed to the audience. This dream sets up the audience for at least two events which will be significant and action-packed, therefore building suspense. This is how knowing what’s going to happen before it happens can be helpful to the reader. Though the reader/audience knows what’s coming, it’s in a broad, general way, very vague. Even Ninsun’s interpretations are vague, broad, and general. One would think that being divine, she would have more insight or ability to give Gilgamesh more information – but then, it’s his journey, his story, and he has to live it. Like the reader, Gilgamesh has to live the whole experience in order to learn what he learns and see what he sees.
While it may seem like giving away spoilers, using the dreams to give the reader a peak of what’s to come is more like a really good movie trailer – you give the audience enough to whet their appetite so they come back or stay for more. It appears that the author(s) of the epic used dreams in that way: to build suspense and anticipation. But they also appeared to use dreams in such a way to convey the divine and supernatural nature of Gilgamesh and Enkidu’s relationship. This also mirrors their divine/supernatural natures as well and functions to serve as a precursor to their destiny together. By using dreams this way, the story is able to communicate more information than the reader may first realize. Dreams reinforce the divine/supernatural aspect of the heroes and the story, as well serving as a way to engage the audience emotionally.
- Puchner, Martin, Suzanne Conklin Akbari, Wiebke Denecke, Vinav Dharwadker, Barbara Fuchs,
Caroline Levine, Pericles Lewis, and Emily Wilson, eds. “The Epic of Gilgamesh.” The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Shorter 3rd ed. Vol. 1. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012. Print.