Quick Scoop When analyzing a story like The Epic of Gilgamesh or any literary text, identifying the theme means finding the deeper message or universal lesson the story conveys — not just what happens in it.

Which Statement Is a Theme?

Let’s look at the options one by one:

  1. "The story teaches the importance of devoted friends."
    ✅ This expresses a theme. It states an idea about life or human experience — the value of loyalty and devotion in friendship — rather than describing specific actions.

  2. "Gilgamesh delivers an encouraging speech to Enkidu."
    ❌ This is a plot event , describing something that happens in the story.

  3. "When Humbaba is defeated, the friends rejoice."
    ❌ This is also a specific event , not a message or lesson.

  4. "True friends remain loyal despite hardship."
    ✅ Another correct example of a theme statement. It generalizes the story’s message about enduring friendship through difficulties.

💡 Summary

Among the statements listed, the themes are:

  • The story teaches the importance of devoted friends.
  • True friends remain loyal despite hardship.

Both summarize the moral lesson rather than retell the story. Answer: ✅ "True friends remain loyal despite hardship." (This is the clearest expression of a theme.) Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.