Reading Notes: Ancient Egyptian Myths and Stories, Part B

The story I enjoyed the most in this unit was The Tale of King Rhampsinitus. I liked the ending plot twist, where the king declared that the boy was so cunning, he deserved a pardon. I thought this was a funny way of bringing attention to the cunning nature of the boy, and apparently, Egyptians. If I were to rewrite this story, I would double down on the plot twist, and have the king capture the boy in a trap once he returned for his pardon. In a way, this would still exemplify the message of cunningness, but it would add room for another twist, and a different victor. 

Plan:

Keep the plot mostly the same, changing up a few details, if I feel like it. Focus on reworking the ending.

Have the king set an elaborate trap for the boy, so that he is the victor in the end. He gets justice for his stolen property, and the king and boy get mutual admiration for their cunningness. 

OR, have the king trap the boy in the end, but because of the king's admiration for the boy's cunningness, give the boy the option to work for the king or die. Keep the tone light, adding dialogue and some deeper character development, but change the ending stakes. Don't give away the daughter in marriage...

Keep the final line as is, but let it ring with a different tone because of the different outcome of the story.

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Bibliography: Egypt: The Tale of King Rhampsinitus by Donald Mackenzie (1907)

Image Information: Stories from the East from Herodotus, Source: Wikimedia Commons

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