Description

In this episode of Hot Takes on the Classics, Tim McIntosh and Emily Maeda journey into the world’s oldest surviving epic, The Epic of Gilgamesh. They explore how the story dramatizes philia, or friendship, through the bond between Gilgamesh and Enkidu—a friendship that transforms a tyrant into a true man. From their first clash to their adventures slaying monsters, and finally to Enkidu’s death, the hosts unpack the role of friendship as a civilizing force, a mirror of ourselves, and a source of both joy and grief.

Episode Outline

• Introduction: Why start friendship with the world’s oldest epic?
• Background on The Epic of Gilgamesh and its Mesopotamian context
• Gilgamesh the tyrant and the gods’ creation of Enkidu as his counterbalance
• The forging of friendship: wrestling, recognition, and solidarity
• Adventures together: the Cedar Forest and the slaying of Humbaba
• The grief of Enkidu’s death and Gilgamesh’s confrontation with mortality
• The search for immortality and the wisdom gained in failure
• Comparison to Achilles and Patroclus in Homer’s Iliad
• The theme of fame vs. wisdom: what endures in human memory?
• Closing reflections and preview of next episode

Key Topics & Takeaways

• Friendship as Humanizing Power: Gilgamesh’s tyranny is undone by friendship—his bond with Enkidu turns him from a destroyer into a true king.
• The Shared Quest: Their adventures dramatize the power of philia: shared labor, shared danger, and shared joy as the basis of community.
• Grief and Mortality: Enkidu’s death shatters Gilgamesh, revealing how friendship not only ennobles but also exposes us to profound loss.
• The Search for Immortality: The epic wrestles with what lasts: glory, monuments, or wisdom. In the end, Gilgamesh learns that human meaning lies in love and the endurance of community.
• Ancient Echoes in Later Literature: The friendship of Gilgamesh and Enkidu prefigures later literary friendships like Achilles and Patroclus, David and Jonathan, and Sam and Frodo.

Questions & Discussion

• How does the friendship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu transform the meaning of kingship?
  Consider how Gilgamesh changes after meeting Enkidu. Discuss what this says about friendship’s power to humanize authority.
• What does Enkidu’s death teach us about love and mortality?
  Reflect on how grief reveals both the cost and the depth of true friendship. Consider if love exists without vulnerability to loss.
• Why do ancient epics so often pair heroes with companions?
  Explore parallels with Achilles and Patroclus or David and Jonathan. Define what makes companionship central to heroism.
• What endures: fame, monuments, or wisdom?
  Discuss whether the pursuit of lasting glory or the acceptance of human limits offers a truer path to meaning.
• Is friendship a luxury or a necessity?
  Engage Tim’s hot take. Consider if a person can truly become human without philia.

Suggested Reading

• The Epic of Gilgamesh by Andrew George
• The Iliad by Homer translated by Emily Wilson: Achilles and Patroclus 
• The Bible: 1 Samuel (David and Jonathan’s friendship)
• The Four Loves by C. S. Lewis