Part 5 of the animations and noticed that they were going with a very serious tone with the way the narrator was telling the story along with the music behind this epic to keep with its grandeur. A few ways that I noticed how the animation lacked was;
- The book goes into much further depth. The earliest story of Gilgamesh appears around 2100 B.C.E. in a cycle of poems in the Sumerian Language. (Puchner) It explains how the story as lost and rewritten by a Babylonian priest, then destroyed by the Iranian people known as the Medians in 627 B.C.E. then clay tablets were discovered in an expedition in the 1850's and new tablets and bits and pieces of the story are being found through other digs.
- In the animation, it only says that the people prayed to the sun god Anu when they were fed up with king Gilgamesh's ways. The book goes into depth about hey Anu summons Aruru to create Enkidu by using clay. "She pinched off clay, she tossed it upon the steppe, she created valiant Enkidu in the Steppe." (Puchner) The story talks about how one hunter came upon him at a watering hole and how he helps the beats he hunts and destroys his traps. He is then told by his father to explain this the king Gilgamesh. Only after he hears the story does the kings have Shamhat the harlot accompany him back to the watering hole to seduce Enkidu.
- The animation tells of Enkidu challenging the king to a feat of strength. The book on the other hand tells of the king having a couple dreams prior to meeting and having them interpreted that he would make a new powerful friend. When the two do meet, Enkidu seems to just pick a fight instead of a challenge. "Enkidu blocked the door to the wedding with his foot, Not allowing Gilgamesh to enter. They grappled each other, holding fast like wrestlers." (Puchner)
The animation does keep to the core of the story by hitting the main points, but I enjoy reading the book because you get a much depth of each character and a better plot view.
Works Cited
Puchner, Martin. "The Norton Anthology of World Literature." The Epic of Gilgamesh 2012, Third ed.: 33-89. book.