Why did belief in the curse of King Tut take hold?
The Curse of King Tut
In this thrilling play, a curse is (maybe) unleashed when Howard Carter discovers King Tut’s tomb. An essay about superstitions follows the play.
Learning Objective: to use information from two texts to draw conclusions about a key element of the first text
Read this Smithsonian article, which explains the likely causes of death of those connected with the curse.
Have students browse the Griffith Institute’s gallery of photos of King Tut’s tomb and the artifacts found inside.
As a class, read this Time magazine article about the origin of the superstition surrounding King Tut’s tomb.
Have students read this New York Times article about the death of Howard Carter in 1939.
Close Reading, Critical Thinking, Skill Building
1. PREPARING TO READ
2. READING THE PLAY (30 minutes)
3. READING THE ESSAY (10 minutes)
4. SKILL BUILDING: DRAWING CONCLUSIONS (15 minutes)
If most people believe that superstitions are malarkey, why did superstitions have so much power during the excavation of King Tut’s tomb? Why do they still have power today?
In Scene 6, Moussa tells Gerigar that he has quit working in Tut’s tomb because of the curse. Explain why Moussa thinks the curse is real. Support your answer with details from the play.
Francis Bacon said that the root of superstition is that “men observe when a thing hits, but not when it misses.” What did he mean? How does this idea apply to the play and the essay?
Literature Connection: Classic stories about superstition
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court
by Mark Twain (novel)
The Hitchhiker
by Lucille Fletcher (radio play)
“The Monkey’s Paw”
by W. W. Jacobs (short story)