The Doomed Quest

Essential questions: Should humans live forever? How can humans achieve immortality What responsibilities do leaders have?

Discuss immortality. (5 minutes) Ask students if they would want to live forever. Brainstorm the benefits and drawbacks of immortality and keep a list of students’ ideas.

Preview text features. (3 minutes) Review the illustrations and captions as a class. Ask, “What do the illustrations, map, and captions tell you about the history and the setting of the play?”

Preview vocabulary.  (5 minutes) Project our Words to Know Vocabulary Slideshow and go through the words and the activity as a class. Highlighted words: bedraggled, benevolent, chaos, gnarled, immortal, ornate, wrath

• Read the “As You Read” box on page 18.
• Assign parts and read the play as a class.
• Break students into groups to discuss the following close-reading questions.

Close-Reading Questions

King Gilgamesh is introduced in Scene 1. What can you tell about his personality from this first scene? (character, inference) You can tell that Gilgamesh is a complex character who is both compassionate and demanding. He’s unreasonable in his exchange with the Elders, demanding that they save Enkidu’s life even though they cannot—yet he shows compassion to Anisa and Amar and is quick to help them. He cares about Enkidu. He is neither all good nor all bad.

How does Gilgamesh seem different in Scene 2 than in Scene 1? What has caused the change? (character) Gilgamesh is violently angry, smashing everything with his ax. He no longer seems to care about his people and has become fixated on achieving immortality. This change is caused by the death of his close friend Enkidu.

In Scene 3, Enkidu says, “Perhaps years are not the correct measure of a life.” What does he mean? (interpreting text) Enkidu means that the quality of a life is more important than its length.

At the end of Scene 4, Gilgamesh says, “Thank you, gods, for giving me such resourcefulness.” Where else in the play does he express a similar idea? What do these statements tell you about him? (text structure, character) After getting through the tunnel in Scene 3, Gilgamesh says, “Thank you, gods, for giving me such strength.” By expressing gratitude, Gilgamesh shows that he’s aware of his good fortune.

What is the tone of Gilgamesh’s line “Surely my people can manage without me for a while” at the end of Scene 5? (tone) The tone is dismissive. Gilgamesh is giving little thought to the needs of his people.

What was the author’s likely reason for placing the scene of chaos in Uruk (Scene 6) directly after Gilgamesh’s last line in Scene 5? (author’s craft, text structure) The scene of chaos in Uruk contrasts with Gilgamesh’s nonchalance in Scene 5. Scene 6 reveals how wrong Gilgamesh is and suggests that the Distant One has a point: Gilgamesh’s priorities are skewed.

In Scene 8, why is Gilgamesh calm in the face of chaos? (character, inference) Gilgamesh is admiring the city he built and realizing how much he can achieve. He knows his true purpose now: not to live forever but to make sure his city lives on.

Read “This Jellyfish Lives Forever” (page 23) as a class. Then discuss the following questions, which draw on the play and the informational text.

Close-Reading Question

How does the author support the idea that immortality might not be a good thing for humankind? (supporting evidence) The writer supports the idea by describing how boring it might be to live forever and by explaining that immortal humans would strain the world’s resources.

Critical-Thinking Questions

When Gilgamesh returns to Uruk, the citizens are quick to welcome him. Should they be more resentful about his absence? Answers may vary. Some students might say yes: Gilgamesh behaved foolishly and selfishly and endangered his people by going on a pointless mission. Others might say no: According to the informational text, the desire for immortality is universal. Gilgamesh is only human, and he might become a better leader because of his journey.

In The Doomed Quest, Gilgamesh says he found immortality, but not in the way he expected. What does he mean? According to information in “This Jellyfish Lives Forever,” how else might humans someday find immortality? Support your answer with text evidence. Gilgamesh means that he achieved immortality through his contributions to the world, which will continue to have value long after he dies. According to the informational text, people might one day live on through technology, perhaps by uploading their consciousness into androids.

Featured Skill: Supporting Analysis (15 minutes)

Break up students into groups to complete the activity Supporting Analysis. This activity will prepare students to respond to the writing prompt. For alternate culminating tasks, see the boxes below.