The Epic of Gilgamesh

The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer (circa 8th Century BCE)

"The Epic of Gilgamesh" likely influenced Homer’s epic poems "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey". There are some narrative and thematic similarities: confrontation with a monster (Ulysses’s Cyclops versus Gilgamesh’s Humbaba), a voyage to an underworld, an insulted goddess who runs to her parents for revenge, and the loss of a dear companion (Achilles’s Patroclus versus Gilgamesh’s Enkidu).

"The Divine Comedy" by Dante Alighieri (1320)

Dante Alighieri’s "Divine Comedy", written in the early 14th century, is a three-part narrative poem following a man into the underworld of the afterlife and beyond. While not in direct dialogue with "Gilgamesh", the poem deals with many similar themes and tropes. Like Gilgamesh, Alighieri’s traveler seeks to consult the immortals and face his own mortality (and salvation) after the loss of a beloved (Beatrice).

Gilgamesh: A Verse Play by Yusef Komunyakaa and Chad Gracia (2009)

In this version of the epic published in 2009, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Yusef Komunyakaa and playwright Chad Gracia use spare, contemporary language to adapt the "Gilgamesh" legend for the stage. Publishers’ Weekly wrote: “Komunyakaa’s short lines and taciturn bearing fit the gravity of the warriors’ tragedy, and he strikes the right balance between contemporary directness and antique grace.