Epic of Gilgamesh: Screenplay Act III - "The Quest for Eternity"
 
FADE IN:

EXT. URUK - CITY GATES - DAWN

The sun rises over Uruk, its golden light glinting off the city’s towering walls. The streets are quiet, the air heavy with the weight of ENKIDU’s death. GILGAMESH, clad in a tattered cloak, his face gaunt with grief, stands at the gates, a lone figure against the vast plain. His sword and a waterskin are his only companions. The CITIZENS watch from a distance, their faces a mix of awe and fear.

NARRATOR (V.O.)

Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, stands broken by the loss of Enkidu, his brother in all but blood. The gods’ wrath has stripped him of his invincibility, and death’s shadow looms large. Driven by grief and defiance, he sets forth on a quest to conquer mortality itself, seeking Utnapishtim, the man who survived the Great Flood and won eternal life. Act III begins with a king alone, chasing the impossible.

CUT TO: EXT. DESERT WASTELAND - DAY

GILGAMESH treks across a scorching desert, his face burned by the sun, his cloak torn by thorns. He battles through a sandstorm, shielding his eyes as winds howl like vengeful spirits. A pack of JACKALS circles, their eyes glinting with hunger.

GILGAMESH
(Muttering, gripping his sword)

Come, beasts! I’ve faced Humbaba, slain the Bull of Heaven. You’re nothing to me!

The JACKALS lunge, snarling. GILGAMESH swings his sword in a brutal arc, felling one with a single blow. Blood sprays the sand. He kicks another, its yelp echoing as it flees. The others scatter, and he stumbles forward, panting, his eyes wild with determination.

GILGAMESH
(To himself, hoarse)

Enkidu, you told me to live. But I’ll do more—I’ll cheat death for us both. Utnapishtim will show me the way.

NARRATOR (V.O.)

The desert tests Gilgamesh’s body, but his heart drives him onward. Each step is a defiance of fate, a cry against the gods who took his brother. Yet the path to immortality is guarded by perils no mortal can face unscathed.

CUT TO: EXT. MASHU MOUNTAINS - TWIN PEAKS - NIGHT

GILGAMESH reaches the twin peaks of Mashu, their summits lost in clouds. The SCORPION-MEN, monstrous guardians with human torsos and venomous tails, block the path to the underworld. Their eyes glow like embers. GILGAMESH draws his sword, his stance unwavering.

SCORPION-MAN LEADER
(Deep, guttural)

Mortal, you tread where no living man dares. The path through Mashu leads to darkness. Turn back, or your bones will join the dust.

GILGAMESH
(Defiant, stepping closer)

I am Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, slayer of Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven! I seek Utnapishtim, the eternal. Step aside, or test my blade!

The SCORPION-MEN hiss, their tails rising. The LEADER lunges, its stinger striking like lightning. GILGAMESH dodges, his sword flashing, severing a claw. The creature roars, and its companion attacks, tail whipping. GILGAMESH rolls, slashing its legs, blood oozing black. He drives his sword into the LEADER’s chest, and it collapses, shrieking. The second SCORPION-MAN hesitates, then steps back.

SCORPION-MAN
(Awed)

Your strength is godlike, Gilgamesh. Pass, but know the underworld offers no mercy. Even you may break.

GILGAMESH, bloodied but unbowed, strides through the pass, the darkness swallowing him.

NARRATOR (V.O.)

Through blood and will, Gilgamesh breaches the gates of the unknown. The underworld awaits, a realm of shadows where even a king’s courage is tested. His quest for Utnapishtim draws near, but the cost of truth grows ever steeper.

CUT TO: EXT. UNDERWORLD - PATH OF DARKNESS - TIMELESS

The path is a tunnel of endless black, lit only by faint, ghostly flames. GILGAMESH stumbles, his breath ragged, haunted by visions of ENKIDU’s face in the shadows. A SPECTER, a wraith-like figure of ENKIDU, appears, its voice hollow.

SPECTER-ENKIDU
(Eerie, echoing)

Gilgamesh, why do you chase what cannot be held? I am dust, yet you tear the world apart for me. Turn back, brother—live.

GILGAMESH
(Anguished, reaching out)

Enkidu! I’ll tear the heavens down to bring you back! Tell me, where is Utnapishtim? How do I defy death?

The SPECTER fades, its laughter chilling. GILGAMESH roars, slashing at the air with his sword, the blade striking stone, sparks flying. He presses on, his face etched with desperation.

CUT TO: EXT. GARDEN OF THE GODS - DAY

GILGAMESH emerges into a radiant garden, its trees bearing jewels, its streams sparkling like crystal. SIDURI, the alewife of the gods, stands by a tavern, her eyes wise and kind. She watches as GILGAMESH approaches, his body scarred, his spirit fraying.

SIDURI
(Gentle, offering a cup)

Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, your name precedes you. Why do you wander so far, bloodied and broken? Drink, rest. The gods’ garden is no place for mortal grief.

GILGAMESH
(Pushing the cup away)

No rest, Siduri. Enkidu is gone, taken by the gods’ spite. I seek Utnapishtim, the one who cheated death. Tell me where he dwells, or I’ll carve my own path!

SIDURI
(Sadly, pointing to the sea)

Across the Waters of Death, where no mortal sails. Urshanabi, the boatman, may take you, but beware—the journey strips the soul bare. Why chase eternity when life’s beauty is here?

GILGAMESH
(Bitter)

Life without Enkidu is no life. I’ll face any sea, any god, to bring him back or join him. Point me to Urshanabi!

SIDURI sighs, gesturing to a distant shore where a lone BOAT waits.

NARRATOR (V.O.)

Gilgamesh’s quest leads him to the edge of the world, where the Waters of Death guard Utnapishtim’s secret. His heart burns with defiance, but each step erodes the king he once was, revealing the man beneath.

CUT TO: EXT. WATERS OF DEATH - NIGHT

GILGAMESH stands at the shore, facing a churning, black sea that seems alive with malice. URSHANABI, a weathered boatman, poles a small vessel toward him. SHADOWY CREATURES, serpentine and glowing, writhe beneath the waves.

URSHANABI
(Gruff)

You’re the king who defies gods? The Waters of Death care not for crowns. Board my boat, but touch the water, and you’re lost forever.

GILGAMESH
(Stepping aboard)

I’ve faced worse than water, boatman. Take me to Utnapishtim, or I’ll swim this cursed sea myself.

The boat glides forward, the CREATURES lunging, their jaws snapping. GILGAMESH swings his sword, severing a serpentine head, its ichor sizzling. Another grabs the boat, rocking it. He stabs, blood spraying, as URSHANABI poles frantically.
URSHANABI
(Shouting)
Keep them back, king! These are no beasts, but the sea’s own wrath!
GILGAMESH fights with feral intensity, his blade a blur, until the CREATURES retreat. The boat reaches a misty shore, and he leaps off, exhausted but resolute.

CUT TO: EXT. UTNAPISHTIM’S ISLAND - DAY

UTNAPISHTIM, ancient and serene, stands by a simple hut, his wife, NINSUN, beside him. GILGAMESH approaches, his body battered, his eyes burning with purpose.

UTNAPISHTIM
(Calm, wise)

Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, you’ve crossed the Waters of Death. Few mortals reach me. Why do you seek the eternal, when your deeds already echo through time?

GILGAMESH
(Desperate)

Enkidu, my brother, was taken by the gods. I’ll not let death claim me too. Tell me, Utnapishtim, how did you cheat fate? Give me immortality!

UTNAPISHTIM
(Sadly)

Immortality is no gift, Gilgamesh. The gods spared me for the Flood, a whim, not a reward. You seek what cannot be grasped. Stay awake seven days and nights—prove you can defy sleep, death’s shadow.

GILGAMESH sits, determined, but exhaustion overtakes him. He slumps, sleeping, as UTNAPISHTIM’s wife marks loaves of bread beside him each day. On the seventh day, he wakes, seeing the loaves, his face crumpling.

GILGAMESH
(Anguished)

I failed... even sleep defeats me. Is there no way, Utnapishtim? No hope?

UTNAPISHTIM
(Kindly)

There is a plant, deep in the sea, that restores youth. But know this—eternity is a burden, not a prize. Seek it if you must, but find meaning in your mortal days.

CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN DEPTHS - DAY

GILGAMESH dives into a crystal sea, his breath held, his body straining. He battles currents and SEA BEASTS, their tentacles lashing. He slashes with a dagger, blood clouding the water, and seizes the PLANT OF YOUTH, its thorns cutting his hands. He surfaces, gasping, clutching it.

GILGAMESH
(Triumphant)

Enkidu, I’ve done it! Death will not have us!

CUT TO: EXT. DESERT - NIGHT

GILGAMESH rests by a spring, the PLANT beside him. A SERPENT slithers from the water, snatches the PLANT, and sheds its skin, renewed. GILGAMESH roars, striking the ground with his fists, tears streaming.

GILGAMESH
(Sobbing)

The gods mock me! Enkidu, I failed you. Death wins... always.

NARRATOR (V.O.)

The quest for eternity slips through Gilgamesh’s fingers, like sand in the desert wind. Broken but unbroken, he turns homeward, his heart heavy with truth. The king who sought to defy death now seeks to honor life.

CUT TO: EXT. URUK - CITY GATES - DAY

GILGAMESH returns, his cloak tattered, his face aged but calm. ISHTARAN, SHAMHAT, NINSUNNA, LUGAL, SHAMASHU, and DUMUZI greet him, their faces hopeful yet cautious.

ISHTARAN
(Warmly)

Welcome home, Gilgamesh. Uruk stands, as do you. What did you find beyond the world’s edge?

GILGAMESH
(Quiet, resolute)

Death is unconquered, Ishtaran. But Enkidu taught me to live, not just endure. I’ll build for Uruk, for his name, for all of us. That is my eternity.

NINSUNNA
(Softly)

You’ve changed, my king. Enkidu’s spirit walks with you still.

SHAMASHU
(Eager)

Will you lead us as before, stronger than ever?
GILGAMESH
(Smiling faintly)

Not as before, Shamashu. Wiser, I hope. Uruk’s walls will stand, but its people will thrive. For Enkidu. For me.

The CROWD cheers, their faith renewed. GILGAMESH looks to the ziggurat, his eyes reflecting a new peace.

NARRATOR (V.O.)

Act III ends with Gilgamesh transformed—not by immortality, but by the wisdom born of loss. He returns to Uruk not as a god, but as a man, his legacy etched not in stone, but in the lives he shapes. The epic closes, but its echoes endure, a tale of mortality and meaning for all time.

FADE OUT.
END ACT III