Art by Allan Davey

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R.1, R.3, R.4, R.6, R.7, R.8, W.1, SL.1, SL.2, L.4, L.6

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The Curse of King Tut

Could a 3,300-year-old mummy really unleash doom on all who come near?   

May 2022
by Spencer Kayden

Before You Read: Click here for a handy audio guide. You’ll hear how some of the names and places in this play are pronounced.

 

CHARACTERS

*Starred characters have larger speaking parts.

  • *Narrators 1, 2, & 3  (N1, N2, N3) 
  • *Ahmed Gerigar, an Egyptian worker 
  • *Howard Carter, an English archaeologist
  • *Tarik Moussa, an Egyptian worker
  • Lord Carnarvon, a rich Englishman who is paying for Carter’s archaeology project 
  • Alan Gardiner, a hieroglyphics expert
  •  *Lady Evelyn, Lord Carnarvon’s daughter
  • Doctor
  • Georges Bénédite, an Egypt expert from a French museum
  • Tony, a truck driver
  • Angela, a truck driver

About This Play
It’s a dramatization of true events. That means we’ve invented some characters and dialogue to help tell the story.

PROLOGUE

N1: Thousands of years ago in Egypt, there lived a young pharaoh. 

N2: His name was Tutankhamen—or King Tut for short.

N3: Tut became pharaoh around 1333 b.c., at 9 years old.

N1: Ten years later, he died. Mysteriously. 

N2: Tut was buried in a secret tomb. People said it held exquisite treasures.

N3: But some believed the tomb was cursed. 

N1: They said opening it would release evil.

N2: Still, for thousands of years, men searched for the tomb. 

N3: It was never found—until now.

SCENE 1

Luxor, Egypt, November 1922

N1: A team of archaeologists and workers is gathered in the Valley of the Kings. 

N2: The men sweat in the heat. 

N3: Two workers talk to Howard Carter. 

Gerigar: You have been searching for Tut’s tomb in this valley for years, Mr. Carter. What makes you think this spot will be different?

Carter: This is the one place I have not yet looked. 

Gerigar: Fair enough. Gentlemen, let’s get digging! 

N1: Before long, Gerigar finds two large, smooth stones under the sand. 

Gerigar: I may have something here!

N2: The crew helps him dig. 

Moussa: Look! What is that?

Gerigar: I think it’s a staircase.

Carter (excited): Keep going! Keep digging!

Gerigar: The stairs lead to a door with royal symbols!

Moussa: Mr. Carter, what do you make of this?

Carter: I must send for Lord Carnarvon in England. He and I should make this discovery together!

Jim McMahon/Mapman ®

Where in the World? 
Egypt is a country in northeast Africa. Many of the rulers of ancient Egypt were buried in the Valley of the Kings—an area just west of the Nile River. Their tombs were hidden to protect their rich treasures.

SCENE 2

Carter’s tent,  later that day

N3: Carter walks into his tent. Moussa is waiting for him.

Carter: You look as if you have seen a ghost!

Moussa: I just came from your house. A cobra crawled in and killed your pet canary. 

Carter: Oh my. I am quite sad to hear that. 

Moussa: Cobras are said to protect pharaohs. Don’t you see, Mr. Carter? This is a warning.

Carter: About what?

Moussa: Not to disturb the pharaoh’s tomb. 

Carter: My good man, that is nonsense. 

Moussa: But sir . . .  

Carter: If we find Tut’s tomb, we can show the world a piece of ancient Egypt. And we’ll be famous for doing it! 

SCENE 3

The dig site, a few weeks later

Life on white/Alamy Stock Photo

Build Background
Cobras are poisonous snakes found in Asia and Africa. They can be up to 8 feet long!

N1: Lord Carnarvon has arrived from England. 

N2: He stands next to Carter as the crew finishes digging out the staircase.

N3: At the bottom is a door.

Carnarvon: It’s the moment we’ve been waiting for! 

N1: Carter leads the team through the door and into a dark stone hallway. 

N2: The men’s faces are full of wonder. 

N3: At the end of the hallway, they come to another door.

Carnarvon: This door has hieroglyphs on it. 

N1: Alan Gardiner leans in to read what it says.

Gardiner: Tut . . . an . . . khamen!

Carnarvon: We’ve found it!

N2: The men slip through the door into a room of glittering treasures. 

N3: Gardiner picks up a wooden cobra covered in gold.

Gardiner: Carter, I can’t help but wonder if these snakes have real power. People have warned me that we’ll be cursed if we enter this tomb.

Carter (whispering): Keep your crazy ideas to yourself. The curse is hogwash!

Rosemary Calvert/Photographer’s Choice/Getty Images (Mask); Granger, NYC/The Granger Collection (Coffin)

Life After Death 
Here, Howard Carter examines King Tut’s mummy. To create a mummy, a body was treated with oils and wrapped in strips of cloth. This kept it from rotting. Ancient Egyptians did this because they believed you needed your body in the afterlife.

SCENE 4

Cairo, Egypt, April 1923

N1: In a dark room, Lady Evelyn sits by her father’s bed. 

N2: Lord Carnarvon looks thin and weak.

Evelyn: Father, I’m worried about that red mark on your cheek. It looks like it’s on fire!

Carnarvon: It is nothing. Just a bug bite. 

Evelyn: Are you sure? You seem to be having trouble breathing. 

N3: Lord Carnarvon begins to cough. A doctor arrives.

Evelyn (quietly): Doctor, can you help him? 

Doctor: I don’t know. This is a very mysterious illness.

Evelyn: He must get well. Haven’t you heard?

Doctor: Ah yes, his team discovered Tut’s tomb. 

Evelyn: The treasures inside have been hidden for more than 3,000 years!

Doctor: Forgive me, but perhaps they should remain hidden?

Evelyn: What do you mean?

Doctor: A pharaoh’s tomb is sacred. Many people say that those who enter will be cursed. 

N1: Lord Carnarvon’s body shakes. He gasps for breath. 

Evelyn: Father?

N2: The doctor checks Carnarvon’s pulse.

Doctor (to himself): The curse has claimed its first victim.

Evelyn: Is he . . . ?

Doctor: I am so sorry, my lady. 

N3: A cobra slithers out from under Carnarvon’s bed and disappears into the shadows.

SCENE 5

Near King Tut’s tomb, March 1926

Lordprice Collection/Alamy

Lord Carnarvon was obsessed with ancient Egypt. He paid for Carter’s search for Tut’s tomb.

N1: Carter and his crew are making a list of everything in Tut’s tomb.

Gerigar: Mr. Carter, the man from the French museum is here to see you.

N2: Carter follows Gerigar out of the tomb.

Carter: Good afternoon! How may I help you?

Bénédite: What are the chances we can bring some of these treasures to France?

Carter: I want to share them with the world. But they do not belong to me. 

Bénédite: Would it really matter if one or two artifacts were missing? 

Carter: Yes, they must stay in Egypt. Say, are you quite all right? You look pale.

N3: Bénédite falls down. Gerigar takes his pulse.

Gerigar: He is dead!

Rue des Archives/The Granger Collection (Howard Carter); The New York Times (Headline); DEA/S. VANNINI/De Agostini via Getty Images (Jewelry); DeAgostini/Getty Images (Throne)

Ancient Treasures 
In the photo on the left, Carter brings up artifacts from King Tut’s tomb. Most of the glittering objects found inside (like the jewelry and throne you see above) now belong to a museum in Egypt.

SCENE 6

A market in Cairo, the next day

N1: Gerigar sees Moussa in the market. 

Gerigar: Mr. Moussa, why haven’t you been to work?

Moussa: I won’t go back! 

Gerigar: Why not? 

Moussa: The man from the French museum is dead. Lord Carnarvon is too. It’s the curse!

Gerigar: Mr. Carter works in the tomb every day. He is perfectly healthy. 

Moussa: Others are paying for his greed. Entering the tomb was bad enough. But Mr. Carter is removing every one of its 5,000 artifacts. 

Gerigar: He is taking them to the museum in Cairo. Is that so wrong?

Moussa: They should stay where they are! 

Gerigar: Our ancestors believed that their souls stayed alive when their names were remembered. In a museum, King Tut’s soul will live forever.

The Curse . . . Explained? 
Experts have found a few possible explanations for the so-called curse. One is that Tut’s tomb had toxic mold—which could be deadly for people with health problems.

SCENE 7

California, 2022

N2: A man and a woman drive down a dark, empty highway in a tractor trailer. 

Tony: Thanks for the ride. What are you hauling tonight?

Angela: Ancient treasure. It’s from the tomb of that mummy, King Tut. I’m bringing it to a museum in Los Angeles. 

Tony: Are you kidding me?

Angela: Nope. 

Tony: Wow.

Angela: You know, people say there’s a curse. They think that what’s in this truck should still be in his tomb.

Tony: What do you think?

Angela: I think it’s time to stop for coffee. 

N3: Angela steers the truck onto the exit ramp.

N1: Just then, the truck’s headlights show something stretched across the road. 

Tony: Watch out!

N2: Angela hits the brakes. 

Angela and Tony: Aaahh!!! 

N3: The truck stops.

Angela: What was that?

N1: They look out the window. 

N2: A giant cobra slithers across the road. 

Nasser Nuri/REUTERS/Alamy Stock Photo (Mummy); Bill Greenblatt/UPI/Alamy Stock Photo (King Tutankhamen)

Is This King Tut? 
Experts have created a model of what they think King Tut might have looked like. How? They studied his mummy!

Pronunciation Guide

ACTIVITY: 
Inference

You've just read “The Curse of King Tut.” Now it’s time to try this activity. 

Tip: An inference is something that is not stated but can be figured out from clues in the text.

What to do: Imagine that you are Tarik Moussa. You’ve just learned about the death of Georges Bénédite, and you’re writing in your journal. Make inferences to complete each sentence below on a separate sheet of paper. For clues, go back and look at the play.

Dear Diary,

       Howard Carter should have listened when I told him the death of his canary was

Hint: Look in Scene 2 for clues.

I believe Lord Carnarvon died because

Hint: Look in Scene 3 and 4  for clues.

And people are saying that Georges Bénédite dropped dead the moment he 

Hint: Look in Scene 5 for clues.

Mr. Carter should take the curse seriously, but he’s more interested in 

Hint: Look in Scene 2 and 6 for clues.

I’m getting away from King Tut’s tomb before 

Hint: Look in the Prologue for clues.

—Tarik

Core Skills
Vocabulary, Inference, Character
Format
Readers Theater Play
Topic
History, Myths and Legends
Genre
Plays
Content Type
Article
videos (2)
videos (2)
Skills Sheets (6)
Skills Sheets (6)
Skills Sheets (6)
Skills Sheets (6)
Skills Sheets (6)
Skills Sheets (6)
Lesson Plan (1)
Text-to-Speech