  here's all the work i did in a fury of creativity tonight. our sonya did nothing we can use. Epic of Gilgamesh: a Romantic Comedy Scene Breakdown by Charlotte Conrad Act 1 Scene One: The film opens with extreme wide angles, establishing the locale as an ancient city surrounded by flourishing forests. A voice-over introduces the scene as that of Uruk, ruled by the infamous Gilgamesh. The story is set-up, overly dramatized as an epic to outrank all other epic tales. Sweeping air shots of countryside, cut to dusty streets crowded with townspeople and livestock busily going about their day.
Scene Two: Interior shot of a bar, jammed full of drunken men with their sloshing cups of mead. Loud shouts over boisterous conversation, intermingling with the inebriated songs of celebratory brotherhood. Medium shot of a certain group of men, dominantly positioned in frame is Gilgamesh in the midst of telling a bawdy story. A scuffle breaks out. Gilgamesh asserts his position as the alpha male, beating one man unconscious and galavanting out the door with a barmaid draped over his shoulder. This is not a loveable king.
Scene Three: Exterior shot of the forest. Voice over eases the transition into the surrounding wilderness where we meet a trapper, busily going about his dailies. Enkidu is introduced, to whom the trapper is both alarmed and intrigued. He wonders aloud whether this creature is known to Gilgamesh, further considering whether the wildman could match his strength. A fight between the two would certainly draw a crowd. The trapper considers the monitary gain possible from orchestrating the encounter, resolving finally to go home and bring up the matter with his daughter.
Scene Four: Interior of the trappers house. The tyrrany of Gilgamesh is discussed by the trapper and his daughter over a meal before the fire. The daughter has been dodging the kings advances for years, and the trapper agrees that a new top in town could do well to quiet the wiles of the leader. They decide on a way to get the two together, by hiring a prostitute to engage the beast-man and thereby get a foothold into him. Hell surely comply with the one who holds the key to his desires. Scene Five: The trapper brings the prostitute Volpina to the forest where he last encountered Enkidu.
The arrangement is made, and she approaches the man. Cut to six days later where Enkidu is still working away at quenching his insatiable hunger for pleasure. Volpina is bored by this point and brings to him the proposition of coming into town to meet Gilgamesh. She offers to clean him up and make him presentable. Enkidu is afraid he wont be well received, but he acquiesces ultimately in the hope that he will gain a comrade in the king. Scene Six: The troupe of four, including the newly refined Enkidu, make their way to the town framed by a series of long shots paradying the Wizard of Oz on the Yellow Brick Road.
They approach the grandeur of the kings domain and are met by a guard, a face obscured by a metal helmet. While at first they are turned away, the promise of a battle is communicated, and the guard lets them in happily. They marvel at the gaudy interior of the domacile, yet they press on eager to see the king. Scene Seven: Interior Shot of several men and women engaged in creative sexual positions, a smattering of livestock mixed in frame for effect. Gilgamesh is initially obscured from view but emerges as the knock on the door is heard. Close-up of the guard alone in frame as he inquires through a closed door whether he may enter.
The door opens despite the reserve of the guard who plainly does not want to have such images etched into his minds eye. The arrival of the Wildman is announced, and Gilgamesh agrees to a confrontation. Scene Eight: The fight is on. Enkidu stands in the foreground among throngs of violence-hungry townspeople. The trapper is busily collecting bets and excitedly running in and out of frame. Horns sound as the camera cuts to the kings entrance, filmed in high speed to slow the action as Gilgamesh sheds his cloak and jabs at the air.
The two engage each other, a tight scrum in the dusty ring. Both have their moment on top as the action continues with the backdrop of screams and jeers from the crowd. After much ado, Gilgamesh comes out on top. The two exchange words of praise for the other, and they embrace lovingly. The vow to partnership is pledged. Act 2 Scene One: Opening with a voice-over detailing the bonds forged between the two warriors, the two are seen in a variety of scenes together ranging from mock fights, sipping through straws the same beverage, and other modes of campy romanticism.
The music cracendos as the two fall back into bed together. Scene Two: In bed, the two engage in a little pillow talk. Enkidu voices concern about his virility having been compromised since he moved to Uruk from the forests. Gilgamesh proposes a cure-all; to go out and grab their legacy by the balls. Plans are laid to go into the forest and overtake Humbaba and bring a stockpile of cedar back to the city to build a great wall, engraved with images and poetry documenting their greatness. The two seal their commitment to the journey with a kiss.
Scene Three: Exterior shot of the city shows the two walking together hand-in-hand discussing the journey to come. Gilgamesh proposes they go visit the queen, Ninsun, before they journey out to Humbaba. Scene Four: Ninsun receives the two and indulges them in her prophetic guidance. She makes a great show of acceptance for Enkidus sake, embracing him and extolling his place in her sons life. She receives the wildman as her new son, gives him an amulet, and tells him to bring Gilgamesh back to her safely. Scene Five: The arming scene.
Gathering together everything from the accoutraments of war to the more banal like snack foods and lubricant. The scene ends with a montage of establishing shots, showing their progress and trivial yet comical obstacles along the way as they travel deeper and deeper into the forest. Act 3 Scene One: The two stop to rest before a great mountain where they look on in enrapture awe. The two hold hands and decide to take on the journey from here in the morning. They wish each other sweet dreams and retire, spooning each other. Scene Two: Gilgamesh has a dream wherein he seizes a bull and tries to enter it.
The bull bucks, and hes thrown to the ground, after which he is refreshed by someone with water. Then another dream, disjointed to the first. Theyre standing before a great mountain within a gorge. The mountain falls and bright light emerges. Scene Three: The first dream is relayed to Enkidu while revelling in their morning sleep, their bodies entwined. Enkidu interprets the second dream as well, identifying the mountain as Humbaba.
They renew their resolve to see the journey to a successful end. Scene Four: Gilgamesh and Enkidu have reached the forest. Gilgamesh immediately removes his axe, a labrys, from his pack and fells the tree with smooth, measure strokes. Humbaba is heard in an ominous voice over before we see him, shrouded in ethereal (yet still not flattering) light. The battle rages on between them. Words of love and encouragement are exchanged between the voyagers.
Finally Humbaba falls. ACT 4 Scene One: The throne of Ishtar is nearby, so the fellows drop in for a visit. Enkidu is busy eyeing the prostitutes who drape themselves over the steps to the temple, disappearing from the scene for the time being. Gilgamesh and Ishtar converse alone. Ishtar propositions Gilgamesh, yet hell have none of it. Enumerating her shortcomings where lovers are concerned, he turns her down with a flourish of eloquence.
Ishtar rages and sends him away. The two men leave, again hand-in-hand. Scene Two: Ishtar pleads to the Gods, requesting retribution be paid to Gilgamesh for his words defaming her. Her father, to whom she pleads, materialises as a voice only. She is granted the Bull of Heaven, a source of antagonism to the two that sets out to rectify the wrongs perpetrated against her. Scene Three: The Bull of Heaven assaults the men while on a mountain path home.
Gilgamesh and Enkidu join forces to defeat the beast. When its over, the two take refuge in a grassy patch and vow to continue on as boldly as before when dawn breaks. Scene Four: The two make it home amidst a great celebration in the city to commemorate their valour and bravery. Yet that night, Enkidu tosses and turns in his bed. His sleep is plagued with terrible thoughts, thoughts that foreshadow his death. Scene Five: Its now apparent that a curse has been placed on Enkidu, and he falls mortally ill.
He goes through the story retrospectively, cursing all who had a hand in bringing him to this life since his days in the forest with the animals. Gilgamesh watches on in agony, a humbled giant reduced to tears. Enkidu continues to wither, and the composure of the king is dwindling along with him. He sings a song, then the wildman is lost. Act 5 Scene One: Gilgamesh is beside himself with grief. Hes drinking heavily and slurring condemning language at anyone who interrupts his mourning.
Hes a mess. Hes talking to a corpse with wild eyes, in a self-induced stupor pretending Enkidu is still among the living. Finally, he is pulled away from the body in tears by a group of his cohorts. Scene Two: The king is seen at his writing desk, concocting a more rational plan to rectify the loss of his lover. He resolves to travel to the underworld to seek more concrete answers to the predicament of mortal beings. He leaves a note for his comrades in the castle, then disappears in the night to make his way to the beyond.
Scene Three: Gilgamesh retraces the steps taken by himself and Enkidu on their journey to Humbabas forest. Weeping at times, he sits alone in the forest reminiscing. Renewing the value of his quest in his heart, he continues on to find his father in the underworld. Scene Four: The underworld within the caverns of the mountain. He travels in vaginal tunnels in complete darkness until finally emerging among the Gods. He finds his father, Utnapishtim.
He mourns with his father, lamenting the nature of existence for mortal men. He seeks answers, and from his father he learns the nature of the mortal condition. Utnapishtim concedes to let Gilgamesh in on a secret of the Gods. Scene Five: The story of the flood is told Act 6: Scene One: Gilgamesh is cleansed in the water by his father and sent onward. While he wades in cool, clear water, he sees a serpent. He goes underwater to follow the creatures movements.
There he finds a plant growing, luminous and powerful. He picks the plant and swims toward the surface. The serpent sees this act and comes towards him. It snatches the plant from Gilgamesh and swims away. Gilgamesh weeps and returns to his plans to go home. Scene Two: Gilgamesh finds no respite in the wisdom he has acquired.
He continues to weep for his friend, and ultimately for himself and all of mankind. Scene 3: The Conclusion A voice-over tells of Gilgameshs destiny as ordained by the Gods. He was to be king, but everlasting life was not for him to have. This is his death scene, narrated by a voice-over to communicate what the characters cannot. His legacy is preserved and retold by the narrator, his words trailing off into the closing credits. 
