Greek Stories: From Artemis to Zeus (1st ed. - 05.28.09) - greekstoriesAjp
Copyright © 2009 Sophi Sagall Hopkins
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Dedicated to My Ben,
for giving me the safe place to let my imagination roam
5
Cast of Characters
Act I
DIONYSOS, God of Festival, Grapes and Partying
ZEUS, God of all Gods
PROMETHEUS, titan and creator of humans
EPIMETHEUS, his older brother
FROG, animal created by Epimetheus*
TURTLE, animal created by Epimetheus*
GIRAFFE, animal created by Epimetheus*
OCTOPUS, animal created by Epimetheus*
BEAR, animal created by Epimetheus*
BEE, animal created by Epimetheus*
LADY BUG, animal created by Epimetheus*
CHEETAH, animal created by Epimetheus*
WOLF, animal created by Epimetheus*
HAWK, animal created by Epimetheus*
EAGLE
HUMAN 1, human
HUMAN 2, human
HUMAN 3, human
HUMAN 4, human
HUMAN 5, human
HUMAN 6, human
PANDORA, lovely, curious woman
ARTEMIS, Goddess of the Hunt
EPHIALTES, goofy, not-so-smart giant
OTUS, another goofy giant
BOY 1, mean, young boy (Acacius)
GIRL 1, mean, young girl (Amarante)
GIRL 2, nice, young girl (Demetrius)
HELIOS, God of the Sun
PHAETON, young boy
EOS, Goddess of the Dawn
SELENTE, Goddess of the Nights
TITHONUS, handsome, young man
ENDYMON, handsome, young man
APHRODITE, Goddess of Love
APOLLO, God of Fire, Poetry, and Reason
ARIES, God of War
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ATHENA, Goddess of Wisdom
ERIS, Goddess of Discord
EROS, God of Love
HADES God of the Underworld
HERA, Goddess of Marriage
PARIS, handsome, young man
POSEIDON, God of Sea
Act II
BAUCIS, kind, old woman
PHILEMON, kind, old man
CIRCE, lonely, evil sorceress
ODYSSEUS, brave sea captain
SAILOR 1, sailor (Ianthe)
SAILOR 2, sailor (Klytie)
SAILOR 3, sailor (Helle)
SAILOR 4, sailor (Nereus)
SAILOR 5, sailor (Pelagius)
SAILOR 6, sailor (Proteus)
PEACOCK, human transformed by Circe*
DOG 1, human transformed by Circe*
DOG 2, human transformed by Circe*
DONKEY, human transformed by Circe*
CAT, a cat*
LIGEIA, tricky, old woman
SISYPHUS, tricky, old man
EUBULEUS, errand boy of Hades
CHARON, ferryman of Hades
CLYMENUS, errand boy of Hades
CLYMENE, ocean nymph
DAPHNE, river nymph
ECHO, wood nymph
GALATEA, river nymph
PAN, half-man, half-goat God
MAN 1, man in town (Democrtious)
MAN 2, man in town (Hesiod)
OLD MAN, old man (Paramonos)
OLD WOMAN, old woman (Ligeia)
WOMAN 1, woman in town (Eudocia)
WOMAN 2, woman in town (Aristomache)
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WOMAN 3, woman in town (Melissa)
MIDAS, King
XANTHE, Midas’ daughter
TIMOLUS, Mountain God
HILARION, the royal barber
Each scene also has a Chorus of 4-6 actors.
*Denotes a non-speaking role.
Production Notes
This was originally written for a large cast of young actors. The
goal of this script was to create a strong piece of theatre where all
the actors were given equal time on stage. In the first production,
with a cast of fifty-five 4th and 5th graders, each actor was a chorus
member for one scene, and then an actor for another scene. This way
the workload wasn’t too heavy on any one actor and each actor had
his or her moment on stage.
The Chorus is made of several actors (4–6) sitting off to the side of the
stage, watching the scenes they narrate. Originally the lines in bold
were said by the entire cast, while the non-bolded lines were divided
up among the chorus members. The chorus is an active member of
each scene, reacting and responding to the action. Chorus members
can also be used to fill in various parts during the show, some of
which are noted in the script and other moments will be discovered
during the rehearsal process.
The stage directions are based on the premiere performance and
should be adjusted for other productions. In the original production,
masks or simple puppet represented all the animals. A stick style
puppet was also used for Apollo’s chariot.
Acknowledgments
Greek Stories: From Artemis to Zeus received its premiere production
at Bryant Elementary School in Seattle, Washington in 2006.
8
GREEK STORIES:
FROM ARTEMIS TO ZEUS
by Sophi Sagall Hopkins
Prologue
(DIONYSOS enters with the comedy and tragedy masks on sticks.
He holds the tragedy one in front of his face and speaks in a deep
depressing voice.)
DIONYSOS. (With a great sigh:) Oh, woe is me. I am so sad, I am so…
tragic.
(He holds the comedy in front of his face and speaks in a high and
energetic voice.)
Why ever is that, Tragedy?
(Switches masks.)
Because all I ever do is toil in the fields, toil, toil, toil. It is all I ever do. I
never get a break, I never get to relax. And now the beetles have eaten my
crops. Eaten them all up. That is why I am so sad, Comedy. What makes you
smile so broadly, I know the beetles have eaten your crops too?
(Switches masks.)
Ahh Tragedy, you are right. My crops are gone, my wife has left
me once again, my donkey has gone lame and my children are all
ill-behaved.
(Switches masks.)
So Comedy, why the big smile?
(Switches masks.)
Because Tragedy, this day, this very moment actually begins…
why it begins something that could make even a sad, tragic man
like you smile.
(Switches masks.)
What ever could that be?
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Sophi Sagall Hopkins
(Switches masks.)
Tragedy, it’s the Festival. THE DRAMA FESTIVAL to honor Dionysos. That handsome and charming god of grapes, wine, theatre
and generally having a good time.
(Switches masks.)
Really?
(Switches masks.)
Really.
(Switches masks.)
You won’t lie?
(Switches masks.)
I wouldn’t lie.
(Switches masks.)
Honest.
(Switches masks.)
Honest. You can ask Dionysos himself.
(DIONYSOS ‘appears’ so that he is standing between the two
masks. He bows to Tragedy who bows back, then does the same
for Comedy.)
Hello, my honest and hardworking worshippers. I hear that the
beetles have ravaged the fields that surround Athens. (Both masks
nod.) Ahh, but there is nothing I can do my handsome friends. You
must take it up with Demeter, but not today. She is welcoming home
Persephone. (Both masks look down.) But I do have some good news.
(They look up.) I need you for an important job. Without you the Drama
Festival can not begin and I can not welcome all of our brothers and
sisters from Athens. (He points to the audience, they both look and start
to shake slightly.) Oh, don’t get nervous, they are the same people you
pass in the market each day. They are here for the festival, just like
Greek Stories: From Artemis to Zeus
13
you, to see great stories unfold. Now, are you willing to help us out
so that we can begin the festival?
(Tragedy speaks in a very small voice:) Will it be difficult to do?
(Normal voice:) No, no, not at all. You see when they built our glorious coliseum they forgot one…actually two things… (He begins to
walk to the edge of the stage.) You’ll love it you have the best seats in
the house. (He then hangs the two masks so that they face the audience in
the tradition Greek look.) And now I can begin the festival.
(He claps his hands and the Chorus enters. DIONOSYS fades
back to sit on Mt. Olympus.)
CHORUS. Welcome fair and honest citizens of Athens.
As the sun sets over the great land of Greece,
We gather together, setting aside our anger and disappointment.
We all cast off our hurts and jealously for tonight we are here to
celebrate Dionysos.
The god who brings us parties, and dance, and drama.
He bestows upon us grapes to make the wine, that can make us
smile.
And the time to sit, among friends and enjoy stories both old and
new.
Stories of the gods behaving as foolish men.
And stories of brave women who act with the wisdom of the gods.
Sad stories to make us think and learn
Stories full of laughter and joy that will infect us all with great
smiles.
Dionysos, we call you to come and bless this theatre, these actors
and this stage.
To make the laughter honest and true
To make the truths and honesty full of meaning we can take
home.
(DIONYSOS lifts his cup and drinks, the Chorus bows and goes
to their section of the stage, as the curtains close.)
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Sophi Sagall Hopkins
Scene 1
The Beginning of Man
CHORUS. What better way to start our festival then with the story
of how man and woman came to be?
The story of the beginning, our beginning
The beginning of all the creatures on the earth.
After the gods and goddesses on Mt. Olympus had settled into their
places
And the evil titans were locked within the earth’s core.
(ZEUS enters with a large basket and is talking to PROMETHEUS
and EPIMETHEUS.)
Zeus, the ruler, of all the gods and goddesses decreed it was time to
populate the earth.
For this task he enlisted the aid of two loyal and strong Titans,
Prometheus and his older brother, Epimetheus.
Zeus gave them a basket full of gifts and skills to bestow on each
creature they created.
He lead them to a great bed of clay.
(The curtain opens to reveal a bunch of actors laying on the floor
in a lump.)
And told them to begin.
(ZEUS leaves and the two settle in the ‘clay bed.’)
EPIMETHEUS. Oh, how fun. We get to create creatures. Any creatures we want. And look at all the gifts we have to give them.
(He pulls out a scarf or mask or something cool looking.)
Look at this, amazing speed! Hmm…what sort of creature should I
start with?
PROMETHEUS. Now brother, we only have so many gifts to pass
out to all the creatures, don’t be too rash. We must think through
this. Go slowly.
EPIMETHEUS. What? Are you serious? You could overthink eating
an apple. This is an amazing job we have. Just think every time the
gods look down they will know we populated this planet. I want to
make a yellow one… No a green one.
Greek Stories: From Artemis to Zeus
15
(He starts ‘molding’ clay, one actor from the floor become a frog.
Meanwhile PROMETHEUS begins very slowly.)
And she will be able to
(Without looking he pulls something out of the basket, a green
thing.)
Jump very high. And…
(Pulls something else out.)
Swim. Yes, that’s great!
(The frog croaks and hops off stage.)
PROMETHEUS. Now, Epimetheus don’t use up all the gifts at once.
Weigh out what you are doing, take care not to waste.
EPIMETHEUS. Oh relax little brother, you should try it my way!
(He begins fiddling again.)
This one will be a Prometheus…slow and stubborn. But even a
Prometheus should have a gift…a really good one…
(Rummages and comes up with a something.)
Aha! a shell to hide inside. He carries his home on his back. A Prometheus…
(The turtle starts to leave, but he runs up to it and stops it.)
No, no that’s not the right name for you how about… T…tur… turtle.
Does that seem better?
(PROMETHEUS ignores him and works, building up something
and then tearing it down. Sometimes it involves two people, sometimes just one. He is very serious about his task while EPIMETHEUS is laughing and being silly as the Chorus talks.)
CHORUS. And so they worked all through the day.
Prometheus intent on his one idea.
Slow and steady.
But Epimetheus…
Epimetheus…
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Sophi Sagall Hopkins
EPIMETHEUS. You shall be a giraffe with…a really long tongue.
Well, that’s an odd gift isn’t it, little guy? I know, we’ll just stretch
out your neck a bit. That way your tongue will reach the best leaves
at the top of the trees. Off you go.
CHORUS. And as Prometheus struggled onward.
Epimetheus created an
Octopus
EPIMETHEUS. And 7 legs… No, that looks funny. Let’s try one
more. Ahh…much better… And you get to squirt black ink at foes.
Oh, that’s cool. Go on.
CHORUS. And a great bear.
EPIMETHEUS. With great claws.
CHORUS. He got lazy and created small creatures.
EPIMETHEUS. Hmm… A bee needs a…ah a stinger…and make
honey too, because I’m getting hungry.
And you, lady bug you get great spots.
PROMETHEUS. This would be easier if you just stopped talking so
much. I’m almost there.
CHORUS. His great creatures were bestowed with gifts of speed
(A cheetah lopes off.)
With gifts of great scent
(A wolf sneaks off.)
And even gifts of noise.
(A large bird screeches and runs off.)
EPIMETHEUS. Oh, I wish I still had that great roar for you… oh
wait, what about fangs and a rattle?
(A rattle snake exits.)
CHORUS. Until finally the basket of gifts was empty.
EPIMETHEUS. Whoa, good thing I’m out of clay… I’m exhausted.
Greek Stories: From Artemis to Zeus
17
PROMETHEUS. (Has finished and a man stands before him.) Finished!
Look how upright he stands and with great thought and a great
heart. I will call him Human. Now hand me that thick white coat.
EPIMETHEUS. (Laying back with his eyes closed:) I can’t, I gave it to
the Polar Bear.
PROMETHEUS. Okay, then how about those beautiful red feathers.
EPIMETHEUS. The parrot needed them.
PROMETHEUS. But you gave the parrot the green ones too.
EPIMETHEUS. Well, he needed more colors and to be able to fly
really high.
PROMETHEUS. Fine. What about the talons?
EPIMETHEUS. Oh, I didn’t know you wanted those. I gave them
out to the hawks.
PROMETHEUS. All of them? How many legs did you give the
hawk?
EPIMETHEUS. Only two, don’t be ridiculous. But there are also the
eagles and falcons and owls. Oh, there were a lot of owls… Barn
owls and Snowy owls, and the Screech Owl.
PROMETHEUS. (Getting angry, and turns on his brother:) So what did
you leave me for my creation…my human?
EPIMETHEUS. Uh…
(Looks in the basket.)
All that’s left is…
(Turns the basket upside down.)
Is this… A sense of humor.
PROMETHEUS. Great. I think he will need it to protect himself
from all of your creatures.
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Sophi Sagall Hopkins
(PROMETHEUS makes another man. They stand there smiling,
as a cheetah enters and smells the air. The men get nervous and
don’t know what to do, and finally run offstage chased by the
cheetah. Both brothers watch.)
EPIMETHEUS. Oops, I guess they might need some help, huh?
Well…uh…
(Seeing how mad his brother is getting he starts walking off
stage.)
I’ll go look around and see if we dropped one along the way. Sorry
Prometheus.
PROMETHEUS. I told him to be careful, now the humans have
nothing. Nothing to keep them warm, or to protect them or even to
help find food. The poor things are helpless. Wait, I wonder…
(He see ZEUS walking on stage.)
ZEUS. The creatures are very interesting ,Prometheus, my old boy. I
really like the little thing over there… What is that called?
PROMETHEUS. Uh… Slug I think.
ZEUS. Yes, that sounds good. Epimetheus told me you only created
one creature. Where is it?
PROMETHEUS. Oh, Zeus. I created humans. They stand tall and
proud. And look like us, with fingers and toes. They will be a wonderful addition to the earth. Except that Epimetheus took all the gifts
for his animals. Could I bother you for just one more?
ZEUS. I don’t know, Prometheus, I gave you all the gifts I had.
PROMETHEUS. But there is one thing you could share with humankind. One gift that would help them to survive. You could give
them some fire.
ZEUS. Oh no! Fire is only for the gods. It is a dangerous tool. It could
destroy the earth!
PROMETHEUS. But I gave them great intelligence, you will see that
they will learn to be careful and smart with the fire.
Greek Stories: From Artemis to Zeus
19
ZEUS. I said no! And that is final.
(He storms off. PROMETHEUS looks forlorn for a moment and
has an idea and runs off.)
CHORUS. It is well known among the gods and goddesses who
know
That Zeus likes to bathe each morning in the warm waters of a lake
far from his throne.
And one morning, while Zeus did just that,
Prometheus snuck into the great room and stole some fire.
Just a little,
but he knew that the humans would learn how to make it grow
bigger.
(PROMETHEUS comes back with a torch as a few humans enter
looking scared and tired.)
PROMETHEUS. Here humans…what is wrong?
HUMAN 1. Oh Prometheus, it’s horrible. The other creatures keep
trying to kill us.
HUMAN 2. We’re cold.
HUMAN 3. And I’m starving.
HUMAN 4. We can only find the bits of food that the other animals
leave behind.
HUMAN 1. We did find some nuts a squirrel hid in a tree, but he
found us and got really mad!
HUMAN 3. And he bit me! Look!
(Points out a cut on her arm.)
HUMAN 2. Some of us got really sick because we ate some berries
the gazelles didn’t want.
PROMETHEUS. I have something for you, something that will help
you.
(Show them the torch and they are fascinated. One reaches to touch
it and burns herself.)
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Sophi Sagall Hopkins
HUMAN 4. Ouch, it’s so hot!
HUMAN 1. Then don’t touch it!
HUMAN 2. But if you move close to it… it’s warm.
PROMETHEUS. See, I knew you would figure out what to do with
it. But you must be careful.
HUMAN 3. Why?
PROMETHEUS. Because you need to feed it to keep it alive, but if
you aren’t careful it will eat everything in sight. You, your houses,
the trees, everything. It is a dangerous tool. But it will also keep you
safe from the other animals.
HUMAN 1. And I bet if put it in the center of our village it will keep
us safe.
HUMAN 2. And warm!
HUMAN 3. What would happen if we heat up water over it?
HUMAN 4. Or what about using it to heat up stones to help make
them sharp.
(They walk off with PROMETHEUS talking excited.)
CHORUS. And so the mortals were given fire.
And warmth,
And light in the darkness,
And protection from the animals.
They were very happy.
Prometheus was very happy.
But Zeus was not.
(ZEUS enters and see the humans off stage or below him with fire
and gets angry.)
He was afraid the humans would hurt themselves,
Or hurt the new animals,
Or hurt the earth.
But mostly, he was mad at Prometheus for stealing fire.
So he vowed to get even.
Greek Stories: From Artemis to Zeus
21
ZEUS. By the river of Styx, did I not forbid him from doing just that?
Hmm…I’ll get him for that. But just punishing him is too easy and
not fitting for my revenge. I will…aha! (To the CHORUS:) Bring me
some clay, and a chest and my bag of tricks… Quickly! (Three Chorus
members jump up as servants, bow and rush off.) Oh, yes this will be
grand.
(One at a time the servants return with their items as the CHORUS
speaks.)
CHORUS. Zeus began with the clay,
And he created
A lovely young woman.
He named her Pandora.
She was smart and curious,
And just the sort of woman that would catch Prometheus’ eye.
Then he took his bag of tricks and put a great many things into the
chest.
Finally he gave her the chest and gave her a warning.
ZEUS. Pandora, I give you this box to keep safe, but you must never
open it. Never! Do you understand?
PANDORA. Yes, great Zeus. I understand. I must never open the
box.
ZEUS. That’s right, because there are many amazing things inside it
that must never get out. Now go.
PANDORA. Yes, Zeus. Thank you.
(She bows and he walks off as she wanders away, as PROMETHEUS
enters and see her.)
PROMETHEUS. Hello, stranger.
PANDORA. Hello. I am Pandora. Maybe you can help me? I am
cold and tired and do not know where to go.
PROMETHEUS. Of course. I am Prometheus. It would a pleasure
to help you.
PANDORA. Oh, Prometheus. I have heard you are a great Titan and
a great friend to all humans. I am honored to meet you.
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Sophi Sagall Hopkins
PROMETHEUS. It’s was…nothing really. Let me show you to the
village.
CHORUS. And, as Zeus, predicted the two found they had a lot in
common.
Pandora kept that box for many a year.
The village grew.
(As they speak all the other humans enter and are doing various
things around the village.)
The mortals were kind to each other,
Full of love for everyone and everything.
There was no war and no hatred.
Prometheus and Pandora even married.
But Zeus’ revenge eventually came to be.
HUMAN 5. Pandora, what is in that chest?
HUMAN 6. Yes, we’ve always wondered that.
PANDORA. Just some things…
HUMAN 5. Like what?
PANDORA. You know…things…
HUMAN 6. Oh, I have a box like that. I keep my precious things inside. Like the perfect flower I found, and that rock shaped like a star.
Let’s see your things.
PANDORA. Well, it’s not actually my things. It belongs to someone
else. I’m just holding it.
HUMAN 4. Whose?
HUMAN 5. Does it belong to Prometheus?
PANDORA. No, no… It was given to me by…by Zeus. He asked me
to hold on to it.
HUMAN 4. Oh!
HUMAN 3. I wonder what could possibly be in the chest.
HUMAN 5. Maybe it’s his thunderbolts.
Greek Stories: From Artemis to Zeus
23
HUMAN 6. No, it’s too small. His thunderbolts are so big they take
up the entire sky.
HUMAN 4. Or maybe it’s gold.
HUMAN 6. What does a god need with gold?
HUMAN 3. I got it. It’s a wedding gift to Pandora and Prometheus!
PANDORA. But he gave it to me before I met Prometheus.
HUMAN 6. But he’s a god. Maybe he knew you would get married.
PANDORA. No, he told me never to open it. That it was filled with
amazing things that must never get out.
(All the humans react to this.)
HUMAN 2. Maybe it’s a great power.
HUMAN 1. Or magic objects from the gods.
HUMAN 4. But why would he want her to hold it, but not open it?
HUMAN 1. Maybe it’s a joke?
HUMAN 2. Gods do have strange senses of humor.
HUMAN 5. Or it was a test to see how long she would hold it without opening it.
PANDORA. But I’ve had it for so long.
HUMAN 6. You know gods are very busy, maybe he forgot. And
now you are holding your reward but don’t know it.
PANDORA. I don’t know…
HUMAN 4. If it was me, I wouldn’t have been able to stop myself.
HUMAN 5. Me neither.
HUMAN 1. It is getting dark we should clean up before the sun
sets.
HUMAN 3. Okay.
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(All the humans move off, but PANDORA.)
Are you coming Pandora?
PANDORA. Just a minute and I’ll be there.
(She looks at the box for minute.)
They are right. I have been very good about not opening the box…
But I shouldn’t, he said I should never open it…But what if I don’t
open it all the way…just a little… I mean, it’s not opening exactly…
and then I can shut it again really fast… And that way nothing will
get out. Really, I won’t let a thing out. And that way Zeus will never
know.
(She picks up the box and carries it closer to the Chorus, if she is
not close enough. First she puts her hand on the clasp, the as the
Chorus begins to speak she opens it very slowly, and just a little.
But the box bursts open. As the Chorus describes the things flying
out to the box, other Chorus members make scarves fly around and
attach to the humans.)
CHORUS. And so she opened the box.
Just a little.
But with a great power the lid slammed open and all sorts of evils
escaped into the world.
Evils like
Pride.
HUMAN 1. You know I never noticed that my house is so much
more grand than yours.
CHORUS. Jealousy.
HUMAN 2. Why does she get to have such beautiful long hair and
mine is kinky and short?
CHORUS. Gossip.
HUMAN 3. I heard that’s because she puts lemon juice in it. And
you know what else I heard, she steals the lemons.
CHORUS. Deceit.
HUMAN 4. That’s right. I saw her stealing them.
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CHORUS. Accusations.
HUMAN 5. Well, it’s your fault my house isn’t as nice. Because you
always take the good plants. It’s your fault.
CHORUS. Complaining.
HUMAN 6. Well, if you had only helped out more. I do all the work
on our house. Look at my blisters.
(The HUMANS continue bickering.)
CHORUS. But Pandora shut the box before it was too late, before
everything had escaped.
Trapped behind the lid was one more.
Hope.
And that’s where it stayed.
In its chest.
And while us mortals have these bad habits of
Being too prideful,
Of envying others,
Of telling others secrets,
Of lying,
Of pointing fingers,
And of complaining.
We also have hope.
Hope stayed in the chest.
And it stays in our chests, our hearts, as well.
And we are able to make amends.
Scene 2
Artemis and the Giants
(As the Chorus talks, ARTEMIS is on stage doing her thing.)
CHORUS. Artemis
Goddess of the hunt.
Her bow is an extension of her arm
Her eye
Her heart.
She protects small children, as if they were her own.
The sick and old will cry out for her to help.
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She is a proud and strong goddess.
A stubborn and willful goddess.
Think on the story of Aceon, a hunter.
(One of the Chorus becomes ACEON, hunting with a bow.)
An innocent hunter
Stalking a deer in the woods with his men
And his hounds.
The trail leads him to a brook where Artemis and her maids had
decided to bath.
(Chorus members become her maids, they all are giggling and
being girls.)
Aceon, without realizing, has stumbled into sacred ground.
Before the goddess
The rash and quick tempered Goddess,
Had even removed her cloak,
She sees the hunter, Aceon,
The innocent hunter who stumbled into her view.
And she was so angered,
She turned him into a deer.
And he was chased off by his own hounds.
(We hear dogs baying from the Chorus, as ARTEMIS exits.)
But this is another story of Artemis.
A story that involves two giants: Otus and Ephialtes.
(The GIANTS enter.)
Giants born of Poseidon and Aloeus
Giants of body, but not mind.
Giants up to no good.
OTUS. Brother, I’m bored. Tell me another story.
EPHIALTES. I’m bored too, you tell me a story now.
OTUS. Ready! (They both make fists, for ‘rock, paper scissors.’) One…
two…three. (They both make rock.) A tie.
EPHIALTES. One…two…three… (They both make paper.) Another
tie.
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OTUS. We always tie! Why do we always tie?
EPHIALTES. I don’t know. (They look around.) I’m bored…bored…
bored…
OTUS. (Suddenly has an idea.) I know, let’s thump the ground and
make an earthquake.
EPHIALTES. We can’t. Last time we did that Zeus said he would
send us to…to…you know where for good. (They both look panicked
for a moment, then he has an idea.) Let’s blow all the water out of the
ocean!
OTUS. We can’t. If Poseidon catches us, we’ll be in real trouble.
(They look sad again.)
EPHIALTES. I know! Let’s fling trees! I love to fling trees!
OTUS. Okay! (They look about for trees.)
EPHIALTES. Where are all the trees?
OTUS. We already pulled them out to fling… (Slumps down.)
EPHIALTES. Oh yea. We could go to the next forest.
OTUS. But that is sooo far away… I don’t wanna have to walk
there…
EPHIALTES. Okay…
(They sit looking bored. OTUS stares looking love sick.)
OTUS. Who do you think is the most beautiful goddess ever?
EPHIALTES. Artemis!
OTUS. No way! Hera is much more beautiful that Artemis!
EPHIALTES. No Artemis!
OTUS. Hera.
EPHIALTES. Artemis!
OTUS. HERA!
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EPHIALTES. ARTEMIS!
(They tussle briefly but get tired out.)
CHORUS. So the giants come up with an idea.
Like a ball trying to roll up hill
Or a slug trying to race through mud,
Ideas came slow to the brothers, but finally it was planned.
OTUS. So we kidnap a goddess and then we make her marry me.
EPHIALTES. Or me!
OTUS. Or me, because it’s Hera!
EPHIALTES. No me, because it will be Artemis.
OTUS. Brother, I am the oldest. First we’ll kidnap Hera and I’ll
marry her THEN we can kidnap Artemis for you.
(ARTEMIS appears and watches with a smile.)
EPHIALTES. Okay. (They get ready to go.) I just thought of something.
OTUS. What?
EPHIALTES. Isn’t Hera married already?
OTUS. Yes, but…
EPHIALTES. Isn’t she married to Zeus?
OTUS. Yes, but…
EPHIALTES. If we kidnap his wife isn’t he going to get a little upset?
OTUS. Well he might and if he does…
BOTH. He’ll send us to Hades! (Big comic shudder from both.)
OTUS. I heard it’s cold there!
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EPHIALTES. And there are spiders, lots of spiders! (OTUS lets out a
little scream.) But Artemis is not married…and maybe once she marries me and falls in love with me, she’ll help us get Hera too.
OTUS. Okay… Fine… We’ll get Artemis first!
CHORUS. And the giants set out to Aventine Hill,
The biggest temple of Artemis, where they hope to find her.
(There is great bumbling by the giants as they try to find their
way.)
But the giants,
Who never plan things out well
Didn’t realize that Artemis over heard their plans.
Their voices carrying drifting like clumsy birds in the air.
ARTEMIS. Ahh, you giants. You silly giants. Do you think you
could catch me? A goddess? That you could hunt down the goddess
of the hunt? I will be doing the earth a favor getting rid of trouble
makers like you. (She raises her bow.)
CHORUS. But Artemis is feeling kind today.
She had recently bested her brother Apollo at yet another archery
contest.
So she lured them deep into the woods near her temple.
(The Chorus become trees as the brothers move, ARTEMIS glides
through the trees dancing and laughing and the brothers try to
catch her.)
Deeper and deeper…darker and darker
Seeing only glimpses of the goddess.
Quick looks of her cloak,
A gander of her gown.
An impression of her presence
A flash of her feet.
Until they are so deep in the growth, not even the rays of Helios look
down upon them.
When suddenly, they see a snow white deer in a copse ahead.
(The deer suddenly appears, and ARTEMIS is to the side watching
with amusement. The brothers’ instantly stop and watch it.)
A deer so beautiful and graceful it distracts them from their prey.
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EPHIALTES. Let’s get it!
OTUS. Yea! (There is a brief dance as they try to get close to the deer who
is always moving.) Go that way. No, this way.
EPHIALTES. No, you go that way! (Finally they are on either side of the
deer, with their lances poised…)
CHORUS. And as they raise they lances, they hear,
Off in the distance, the sound of a laugh.
A strong unearthly laugh of a goddess.
ARTEMIS. You will never catch me, you foolish giants.
CHORUS. And they throw their lances,
(This is acted out, with Chorus members carrying the lances in
slow motion.)
Their aim is strong and true.
But Artemis’ game is stronger and as the lances pierce the air before
the doe
It’s gone and the lances continue on their course.
(The deer disappears and the lances strike the brothers and they
fall down.)
BOTH. OW!!
(They stagger to each other.)
OTUS. This is your fault, Ephialtes.
EPHIALTES. No way, it’s yours!
OTUS. No you wanted the deer!
EPHIALTES. You wanted Hera!
(With great gusto, they both die arguing.)
OTUS. YOU!
EPHIALTES. YOU!
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ARTEMIS. When you attempt to hunt me, you have to be ready to
pay the price. (She heads off stage laughing.)
CHORUS. So before you make a rash move, and anger a god or
goddess.
Remember Otus and his younger brother Ephialtes.
(Lights out.)
Scene 3
The Sun Chariot
(As the Chorus talks HELIOS crosses in front of the curtain
with his great chariot, 4 Chorus members become his horses, with
masks.)
CHORUS. The night is ruled by beautiful Selene,
She closes our eyes and allows sleep to sneak into each house.
The animals lulled by her beauty also drift off to dream,
Dreams of adventure and stories we can only imagine.
But then, when the sacred rooster cries in the far distant Eastern
ocean.
Helios arises.
He places his helmet of blinding gold upon his head and harnesses
his white steeds.
He climbs into his chariot of fire and begins the day.
It is Helios who causes the sky to bruise and then lighten.
It is Helios who drives the immense chariot into the sky,
Waking first the birds, then the animals, then us.
He drives the chariot to the west every day.
The horses that pull the chariot,
CHORUS & HELIOS. Pyroeis, Eous, Aethon, Phlegon.
CHORUS. Are strong beasts who must stay on the right path.
Pulling behind them a chariot so mighty it could scorch the earth or
ignite the stars
As the world of Greece goes about the day, far below, we see not the
mighty steeds
Not the handsome face of Helios, nor the chariot gleaming of gold
and fire.
We only see the wheel turning and tumbling from East to West
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each day.
At the end of the day the sky fades as Helios lowers his mighty horses
and shining chariot back into his stable for the night.
(Two GIRLS and a BOY enter playing with yo-yos. Another boy,
PHAETON, is off to the side watching.)
BOY 1. There is that new boy, his family just moved in.
GIRL 2. He’s name is Phaeton.
GIRL 1. He has two sisters and his mother does laundry for other
families.
GIRL 2. It must be hard with three children all alone.
BOY 1. Have you heard who he says his father is?
GIRL 1. No who?
BOY 1. He says his father is Helios!
GIRL 2. Maybe he is.
GIRL 1. If his father is really Helios, why doesn’t his father visit
him?
BOY 1. Or at least he would have a token or present from him.
GIRL 2. Not everyone has fathers, you know.
GIRL 1. I know that, but not everyone claims their father is a god!
BOY 1. Hey Phaeton. (PHAETON comes over.) We were just talking
over here, about fathers. And how Amarante’s father is the local
poet. And my father is a soldier for the Emperor. And Demetria’s
father…
GIRL 2. My father died in the last war. (To BOY 1:) Not everyone
has fathers.
GIRL 1. That’s true. And Alexandra’s father is Hermes, the messenger god. And she has a golden sandal to prove it.
BOY 1. And we were wondering who your father is?
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PHAETON. My father is Helios, the sun god.
GIRL 1. Really? How interesting. How do you know?
GIRL 2. Don’t!
GIRL 1. I mean, if he’s your father, you visited him right? Maybe on
the Island of Rhodes. Or on Mt. Olympus?
BOY 1. Maybe he gave something to remember him by.
PHAETON. I haven’t met him, yet. But I will. He is THE sun god.
He has to drive his chariot across the sky every day. Without him we
would always be in the dark.
GIRL 2. I believe you.
GIRL 1. I want to believe you, but how can you prove it?
BOY 1. Yea, without proof, how can we believe you?
GIRL 1. I could say my father is Zeus, but without proof would you
believe me?
PHAETON. I would.
GIRL 2. So would I.
BOY 1. Without proof? You two are more gullible that I thought.
GIRL 1. We were going to see if you want to play with us, but we
don’t play with liars. Sorry.
(They leave.)
PHAETON. (Shouting after them:) I’ll show you! I’ll prove it! (To GIRL
2:) It’s true. Really.
GIRL 2. I believe you, Phaeton. I am sorry that they are so mean.
PHAETON. I have to prove it. I have to meet him. (An idea.) I’ll go
the island of Rhodes and find him. If he is too busy to come to me, I
will go to him.
GIRL 2. But, Phaeton, it’s a really dangerous journey. And the island
is so far away. It will take a lifetime to get there.
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PHAETON. It doesn’t matter. I’ll go and he’ll be so excited and
proud of me coming all this way to see him, that he’ll let me stay.
Maybe even take me out in the sun chariot.
GIRL 2. Phaeton, this doesn’t sound like a good idea. Most of the
kids in town don’t care who your father is. A lot of us don’t even
have a father, it doesn’t matter.
PHAETON. Thank you for believing me, Demetria, but I want to
go, I have to go. It’s not for anyone else but me. I have go right now.
Tell my mother I’ll be safe. (He looks at the sky for a moment and dashes
off stage.)
CHORUS. So Phaeton starts off toward the East.
As his feet travel the distance
His head was filled with great images of Fathers and fires,
Sunsets, sunrises and giant horses watching as he and his father
hug.
(PHAETON reenters walking around the stage. A Chorus member
becomes EAGLE.)
As Phaeton moved ever to the East late into the night
Following the stars over his head.
An eagle flying sees him.
Such a small boy against the world.
The boy’s hair was gold as the sun,
His determined face, it reminds the eagle of someone he knows.
EAGLE. It’s Phaeton, Helio’s son. His only son. I wonder where he
is heading all alone.
CHORUS. So the eagle flew up and up to see where the small boy
is heading,
He could see tracks from the West drawing a straight line to the
East,
To the island of Rhodes.
With a screech, the eagle flies to Mt. Olympus where Helios was
resting before his ride.
(PHAETON is off stage. HELIOS is on Mt. Olympus. The
EAGLE arrives at the top of the mountain.)
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EAGLE. Oh, great god Helios. I have seen many things in my flight
this evening. But only one that will interest you.
HELIOS. What do you have to tell me, great hunter? I always love
to hear your stories.
EAGLE. As I was heading home to rest and feed my family, I saw
a young one all alone. A young man with hair as gold as yours.
Heading East, he walks through the night with his head held high.
HELIOS. Did you say with golden hair? Are you sure?
EAGLE. I know you have a son. I have often heard you talking about
wanting to see him. And I think this is the boy. The last I saw him he
was climbing the mountains on his way to the island of Rhodes.
HELIOS. If he is my son, bring him to me. Phaeton…I have not been
a good father. Time goes so quickly, too quickly. Bring him to me.
EAGLE. It would be my honor.
(The EAGLE flies off.)
HELIOS. Phaeton. A young man already. And his sisters, I wonder
how they are as well. But a son, a son of mine coming to see me. Now
I have the chance to make it up to him.
(The EAGLE returns with PHAETON, who cannot look at HELIOS because he is so bright. HELIOS takes his crown off and
comes down to PHAETON.)
Phaeton, is that you, my son?
PHAETON. Father? Is it true then?
HELIOS. Yes, it is. And I am sorry that it took so long for us to
meet.
PHAETON. You are really my father?
(HELIOS smiles.)
HELIOS. And you are my brave son. What brings you across the
land to my island?
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PHAETON. I had to meet you. I had to know that you were really
my father. I had to know if it was true.
HELIOS. It is, it really is. Now, you have traveled a very long way
to hear that, and I suspect that isn’t all you want from me. What can
I do for you? I will do whatever I can to make it up to you.
PHAETON. Anything?
HELIOS. Yes, anything I can. I swear by the river Styx. You are
definitely my son, a brash, unafraid man.
PHAETON. I want to drive your sun chariot across the sky.
HELIOS. Impossible! No one can handle the horses but me. They are
as tall as mountains and their breath is fire. They are stronger than
the tides, stronger than the wind. It is all I can do to handle them.
You are a young boy, you could never control them.
PHAETON. But you said you promised.
HELIOS. Yes I did. And I was foolish to do so, and you are foolish
for what you ask for.
PHAETON. It is almost dawn, should we not be getting to the stable, father?
HELIOS. Is there nothing else you want? Nothing I can do to change
your mind?
PHAETON. No, we have to go or the sunrise will be late.
(PHAETON pulls HELIOS down to the edge of the stage where
the Chorus members become the horses.)
HELIOS. Phaeton, let the horses lead the way, they know the way
across the vast sky.
PHAETON. Don’t worry so much, Father. I am your son, I will understand how to do it.
(He is not listening to his father, petting the horses and looking at
the chariot.)
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HELIOS. You must not go to close to the earth or you will scorch it.
And you must not go to far from the earth or the world will freeze.
PHAETON. Yes Father I understand. Can I go now?
HELIOS. Phaeton, you risk not only your own life but those of innocent mortals. The horses are—
PHAETON. Strong, I know. I will be careful. I promise. (To himself:)
Now they will see I wasn’t lying.
HELIOS. Come on then, the horses are eager to go. The sun can not
be late.
(PHAETON climbs in the chariot eagerly. He takes the reins and
whip. Just as he is about to start the horses HELIOS places his
crown of sunlight on PHAETON’s head. As the Chorus speaks
PHAETON acts it out, and HELIOS fades off stage.)
CHORUS. And so Phaeton begins his climb into the sky.
The horses leap and dance over the water and into the black sky.
PHAETON. Whoa, horses, whoa…so strong.
CHORUS. And far below the world began to wake up.
(Some Chorus members begin to yawn and stretch.)
The sun begins to lighten the sky, and Phaeton did as he was told.
PHAETON. He said you’d stay on the right track so do it. Come on.
(He looks over the edge of the chariot.) Look at that. I’m so far up.
CHORUS. The horses buck and run.
They know where to go, pulling the chariot higher and higher.
The proud horses do their job with courage and speed.
PHAETON. Wait! How will they know? How will Amarante and
Acacius know it is me? All they can see is the wheel of the chariot.
They can’t see me at all! (He starts pulling on the reigns trying to get
the horses to move.) Come on, Pyroeis, just a little lower. Eous, down!!
(The chariot starts to lower.)
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CHORUS. (Other Chorus making sounds of the earth:) Pyroeis, mighty
and strong in the lead, dives down.
His mane a blur of heat and fire.
Eous next to him pulls with all his might.
Aethon, Phlegon follow behind and the chariot charges toward the
earth.
PHAETON. That’s it. That’s it! Just a little closer so that all can see
it’s me!!!
(While the Chorus speaks he tries to be seen by the children.)
CHORUS. Down, closer and closer until
The trees begin to burn
The rivers begin to melt away to dust
And soon the land is parched and dry.
PHAETON. (He suddenly looks at the earth.) Oh no! UP! We have to go
up! We’re burning the earth, just like Helios said. (Pulling up on the
reins:) Please, please go up! We have to go up!
(The horses respond.)
CHORUS. (Other Chorus making sounds of the earth:) Leaping and
snorting the horse head back up to the sky.
Their mighty hooves climbing back toward the heavens.
As they fly higher and higher the earth gets colder and colder.
PHAETON. There that’s better. But it’s getting cold up here.
(He looks around shivering.)
Even the horses are shivering. And (He looks over the chariot:) Oh No!
The lands, what I have done?
CHORUS. With each hoof fall, the warmth of the sun leaves the
earth
With each second, the heat is pulled out of the lands.
Where there was once water suddenly there is ice.
Where there was once lush green,
Suddenly snow and barren rock.
PHAETON. I froze the earth! Oh Father, help me! You were right! I
can’t control the horses. Help me!
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CHORUS. But Helios can do nothing but watch.
His heart heavy.
It was his rash promise and his son’s rash wish that caused this.
The mortals on the earth don’t know what had happened, what to
do.
It appears the sun is leaving them to freeze, they cry out in one
voice.
“Mighty Zeus, forgive us for our wrong doings. Give us a chance
to fix our mistakes. But don’t take the sun away.”
(At the sound of his name, ZEUS appears on Mt. Olympus and
looks down.)
ZEUS. What is going on? Why are the mortals so unhappy? Why
is the sun flying across the sky so strangely? (Squints at the chariot.)
That’s no Helios. HELIOS!!
(Grabbing a thunderbolt, as HELIOS appears.)
Helios, I don’t know who that is driving your chariot across the sky
like a puppy chasing its tail, but he has to be stopped.
HELIOS. You are right, oh mighty Zeus. He is my son, and it is my
fault. Do what you must. You are right. He will destroy the earth.
(ZEUS heaves his thunder bolt and the curtain starts to close.)
CHORUS. As so the dust of the deserts and the snow of the mountains settle into their new places.
Among the mortals of the earth and the gods of the skies.
But because of this brash boy and a foolish promise by his father
The earth is no longer uniform in color and climate.
Because of Phaeton’s ride we have
Deserts
Icebergs
Dried river beds
And Frozen Tundras.
(Lights fade.)
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Scene 4
The Folly of Love
CHORUS. Helios is the god of Sun,
of daylight.
Let us look now to Selene and Eos.
Sisters to Helios.
Selene, calm and tranquil, goddess of the night.
After her brother finishes his daily journey across the sky,
Selene ushers in the night.
And her sister, Eos, waits at the end to usher in the dawn.
Eos, a gentle and kind goddess of the dawn.
Two thirds of the cycle of the sky.
Selene the night
Eos the dawn.
Through them we get glorious sunsets, and beautiful sun rises.
Two goddesses of beauty and stature.
As sweet as strawberries,
As pleasant as a light breeze in summer.
Goddesses with only one weakness.
Boys.
(As the Chorus says the last word, SELENE and EOS burst
into giggles and point at a boy in the audience whispering and
waving.)
SELENE. Oh sister, do you see him? He is very handsome.
EOS. Not stunning as him. (Points to someone else.)
CHORUS. In matters of justice, the two are strong and honest
In matters of duty, the two are trustworthy and constant.
But in matters of the heart, the two are kittens chasing string.
They jump and leap without ever looking first.
(A boy walks by, and they blush and giggle. Another boy the other
way, the same behavior. Then TITHONUS enters, reading a
scroll.)
EOS. Oh my. He is very handsome indeed. And look he is reading.
How cute is that?
SELENE. Go talk to him.
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EOS. I couldn’t.
SELENE. Yes, you could.
EOS. No, I’m shy.
SELENE. Eos sister, you are a goddess. You are not shy. Now go talk
to him.
(EOS goes to TITHOMUS shyly.)
EOS. Hi.
TITHOMUS. Hi.
(He is clearly smitten with her as well.)
EOS. I’m Eos.
TITHOMUS. I’m Tithomus.
EOS. I’m the goddess of the dawn.
TITHOMUS. Really? That’s neat. The sunrise was very beautiful
this morning.
EOS. Oh, you think so? Thanks.
(She gives SELENE a big smile, and SELENE wanders off.)
TITHOMUS. I’m…I’m a student. I…uh…study…things.
EOS. Really? That’s neat too. What sort of things?
TITHOMUS. Well, right now I am studying the insects that live in
the river.
EOS. The river?
TITHOMUS. Yes, it’s very interesting actually. Did you know there
is a bug that can walk on water?
EOS. No?
TITHOMUS. Yes. Do you want to see it?
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EOS. Yes!
(They rush to the river edge, looking and talking quietly.)
CHORUS. And as you would expect.
The two fell in love.
EOS. Do you want to see the island Selene and I live on?
TITHOMUS. I would love to. Do you have insects there?
EOS. I would expect so, I’ll help you catch some.
(They run off hand in hand.)
CHORUS. And so time passed.
As it is want to do.
And their love grew.
(They run across in TITHOMUS in the lead.)
TITHOMUS. Come on, you are a goddess, can’t you keep up. I’ll
race you to the old tree.
EOS. I’m just giving you a head start.
CHORUS. And Eos, being a goddess, stayed young and beautiful.
But Tithomus, being a mortal, did not.
(The lovers enter hand in hand.)
EOS. Tithomus, you are the most fun ever. We shall spend forever
catching bugs and climbing trees.
TITHOMUS. That sounds so nice, dearest Eos, if only it were true.
EOS. And we’ll be able to explore every inch of… What did you just
say?
TITHOMUS. I said, if only it were true. Eos, I am a mere mortal. I
won’t live forever like you. A time will come when I will—
(She cuts him off by putting her hands on his mouth.)
EOS. Don’t say it! I couldn’t bear it! You can’t…you just can’t die!
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TITHOMUS. But dear, I will. All living things do. It is how life
goes.
EOS. Well, we’ll see about that. I am a goddess you know! You just
stay right here!
(She rushes off yelling for ZEUS.)
CHORUS. And so Eos took her story to Zeus.
And kind Zeus, took pity on her and agreed to make her love immortal.
(She runs back in and takes his hand.)
EOS. There! I told you I could take care of things. Now you are
immortal just like me. Come on there is so many things for us to do.
(They run off hand in hand.)
CHORUS. But you must always be careful what you ask for.
Because you might just get it.
Time passed, and Zeus held true to his promise and made Tithomus
immortal.
Just like Eos.
But something happened.
(The lovers reenter, TITHOMUS is moving slowly like an old
man.)
EOS. That decade was more lovely than the last one, thank you my
wonderful Tithomus. Let’s go see the sun set over the ocean, if we
run we’ll just make it.
TITHOMUS. I think I’ll watch it here. I have an ache in my bones
tonight. Just listen to my creaky knees.
(He bends down and we hear creaks.)
EOS. But sweetest, you are immortal. That’s shouldn’t matter. Look,
mine are fine.
(She jumps and bends.)
TITHOMUS. Eos darling, what exactly did you ask Zeus for those
80 years ago?
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EOS. Why I asked him to make you immortal so you and I could be
together forever. Why?
TITHOMUS. Oh dear.
EOS. What? Did you hurt your hip again. You have to be careful of
that.
TITHOMUS. No.
EOS. Then what is it?
TITHOMUS. You might want to sit down. But I think you forgot
something when you asked Zeus for his favor.
EOS. But you are as immortal as I am. We’ll live together forever
and—
TITHOMUS. Eos, but why am I an old man, with bad eyes and stiff
joints and you are still as beautiful and lithe as the day I meant you
almost a hundred years ago.
EOS. You silly, everyone knows that it’s because all gods and goddesses have eternal youth and— Oh my! And you are just immortal—so that means that you are—
TITHOMUS. Going to just get older and older, but never die. Just
like you asked for.
EOS. Oh no!! Come on dear, let’s get you to a chair in front of the fire
and we’ll try to figure this out.
(She helps him off stage, as the Chorus talks he gets older and
older.)
CHORUS. But they never did find a solution to the problem.
And Tithomus got older
And older
and older.
Until he was just a creaky cricket.
(EOS puts the cricket into a cage.)
Which Eos kept safe.
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(SELENE reenters.)
SELENE. Eos, I am so sorry about Tithomus. I can’t believe that
happened.
EOS. Well, I should have known better. Zeus does love his tricks.
But I did so love Tithomus more when he wasn’t a cricket. Though
he does play his fiddle for me every night.
(As they talk a boy comes out on stage and lays down to draw, and
falls asleep. SELENE notices and watches.)
SELENE. That is so romantic. And sweet. See, he still loves you
even…if…he is…a grasshopper.
EOS. Cricket…he’s a cricket. Please, Selene, pay more attention.
SELENE. You start and I’ll catch up.
EOS. What?
SELENE. Didn’t you say you wanted to play cricket.
EOS. No I said…what are you looking at? Ohhh, well be careful,
sister. Learn from my mistakes.
SELENE. Why would I want to rake? It’s summer, silly.
(EOS just shakes her head and walks off.)
Isn’t he just the most. Look how beautiful he is, especially when he is
sleeping just look at his long eyelashes and perfect little nose. (Sigh.)
He must be the most beautiful boy ever. Eos, should I wake him up?
I should. But what if he is rude? Or stupid? Then it would be ruined.
Right now he is just so perfect I can’t stand it. But what if he is kind
and sweet and as perfect as he looks and I never find out? You are
right I have to talk to him. You’re the best sister ever.
(She walks over and pokes him gently with her foot. He doesn’t
respond. She pokes him harder. Nothing. Finally she give him a
shove and he wakes with a start and jumps up while she looks as
innocent as she can.)
Oh hello.
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ENDYMION. Hello. (He looks around.) Did someone just kick me?
SELENE. I don’t think so, I was just standing here admiring the
beautiful view of the mountains.
ENDYMION. Yes, it is quite beautiful. I’m Endymion.
SELENE. I am Selene. I like your painting.
ENDYMION. Oh, thank you very much, I’m just learning. Are you
an artist?
SELENE. Sort of. I paint the sky every night.
ENDYMION. You are Selene. The Selene. You are more beautiful in
person that I thought possible. You must let me paint you.
SELENE. Me? You would really want to do that?
ENDYMION. It would be my honor.
CHORUS. And as you would expect.
The two fell in love.
Doesn’t this sound familiar.
SELENE. Endymion you are the wittiest poet I have ever met. And I
have known quite a few.
ENDYMION. But dear Selene, it was your beautiful voice that won
us the contest.
(He sits down and yawns.)
SELENE. We should journey to Athens to participate in the next
poetry contest.
ENDYMION. Anything you desire my dear, but first let me have
just a brief nap. If you don’t mind.
SELENE. Of course not. (He lays down.) Oh, he is just so perfect right
now. The love of my heart in the bloom of his youth. I never want
this to end. But it will. While I am an eternal goddess, he is only
mortal and will fade and die over the years. I should speak to Zeus.
(Turns to go.)
Wait! I can’t rush to him without thinking, like Eos did. I must plan
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47
it out. Make sure I get exactly what I want. Well, what do I want? I
want…I want to spend the rest of eternity with handsome, wonderful Endymion. (Thinks for just a moment about what she said.) No, I
have to be more specific. I want to spend the rest of eternity with
Endymion just as he is. (Thinks, and says it again thinking through it
all.) I want to spend the rest of eternity with handsome, smart, wonderful Endymion just as he is…right now. Yes, that ought to work.
He will be so surprised.
(She rushes off.)
CHORUS. But you must always be careful what you ask for.
Because you might just get it.
Once again Zeus granted the wish, as it was stated.
And Endymion, handsome, smart, wonderful
Endymion was given eternal youth and immortality.
Just as he is right now.
Zeus made him a handsome, smart, wonderful, immortal, forever
young
Sleeping man.
At end of each night, Selene sits by her true hearts side
(SELENE enters sadly and sits by his body.)
And Eos listens to the chirps of her true love as she brings the dawn
to the land.
(EOS enters with the cricket cage.)
Both goddesses learned an important lesson
in love and in life.
About getting what you wish for.
Scene 5
The Golden Apple
(Lights up showing ERIS on stage and the Chorus.)
CHORUS. Like the mortals on earth as on Mt. Olympus
There are some who are not as popular as others.
Eris is one.
She is goddess of discord.
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(Chorus members show the situations.)
When children bicker while playing in the grass, she is there.
In the heat of summer, fighting over shade, she stirs up anger.
If you are feeling rage rise in your heart, Eris is working her magic
on you.
When your temper rises to the quick, it is she that pulls it out.
Breathe deep and hope Eris lets you go without using you as her
plaything.
She stalks and storms about the clouds, because for every gala or
grand occasion
That allows all the gods and goddesses to come together in fun and
joy,
(Gods and Goddesses and other actors enter and are generally
having fun. ERIS is off in the shadows glaring.)
She alone is forgotten.
Always forgotten.
Is it no wonder that she is so vengeful?
(Insert Song #1 here, extra singers exit slowly after song is over.)
ZEUS. Dionysos, many thanks for the wine and the dancing.
HERA. Yes, it was a delightful evening. Aren’t you glad we are not
like the mortals who must work and toil so.
HADES. Now, Hera, don’t mock the mortals. They have their fun
as well.
APHRODITE. And often their fun is ours too.
EROS. Though, most often, it is our doing that causes their fun or
strife.
POSEIDON. Now, Eros, don’t you worry about them too much. We
help them too.
ATHENA. It is as it should be. Without us, they would not survive
and without them we would have no reason to be.
APOLLO. And that is why she is the goddess of wisdom.
ARTEMIS. To the goddess of wisdom.
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(They all toast to her.)
ERIS. Look at them, so happy and joyous. Just as the mortals need
us and we the mortals. The good needs the bad. The peace needs
the war. And they need me. I am one of them, yet they do not invite
me to their festivals. The mortals only scorn me! Well, I will show
them.
(She produces a golden apple and rolls it on the floor to the
party.)
CHORUS. It has been said many a time.
Hades has no fury like a goddess scorned.
ARIES. What is this? (Picks up the apple.) It’s a golden apple. And it’s
got something inscribed on it. “For the Fairest.”
POSEIDON. This is going to be trouble.
HERA. Don’t be silly, you two, it must be for me.
EROS. (To POSEIDON.) Why trouble?
APOLLO. You just watch, youngster. You may be the god of love,
but you know little of women.
HELIOS. And even less of the vanity of women.
APHRODITE. Did you say it was for the fairest? Why that’s me of
course. Give it to me, Aries.
(ARIES is suddenly very uncomfortable.)
ARIES. Uh, well…now…
ATHENA. Now, sisters, it means the fairest of the mind. And that’s
me.
SELENE. Why does no one assume it be might for me?
(All turn and stare at them.)
EOS. Or me?
SELENE. Yes, Eos and I are just as beautiful as the others.
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HELIOS. You are very right, sisters. (He leads them away.) But look at
them. Do you really want to compete with them?
ATHENA. I don’t want to be rude, dearest friends. But we are
causing a commotion over something so silly.
EOS. Not really. I don’t really need a golden apple.
HERA. I agree, it’s a silly argument. Aries, solve this silliness by
giving it to me and we can have another song.
SELENE. Me neither. Eos, let us go take a walk over there.
EOS. What a wonderful idea.
(They move quickly.)
APHRODITE. Now, see how easy it would be for this to be over,
just hand over the little apple and I will stow it away. And then a
dance.
APOLLO. Aries, put it back where you found it and quick.
(ARIES does so, and backs away.)
ZEUS. You are right, Brother, this will be trouble.
DIONYSOS. Why doesn’t anyone else want to plead their case.
Maybe—
EROS. Don’t cause more trouble, Dionysos!
ATHENA. We all agree I am wise and will know best how to keep
it safe.
ARTEMIS. No, I do not want to be in the middle of the storm that
is brewing here.
(They back away.)
HERA. Now, Aphrodite and Athena, I am the eldest here. I think it
is for me.
APHRODITE. Hera, it does not say to the oldest, but the fairest.
ZEUS. Everyone ought to move back.
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(They do so.)
ATHENA. Now, Aphrodite, that seemed a bit rash.
HERA. Thank you, Athena. (She reaches for the apple.)
ATHENA. But, Hera, she is right.
HERA. And it doesn’t say to the goddess that reads the most books
either.
ARTEMIS. Sisters, great Hera, maybe there is a way that you all
could—
HERA, ATHENA, & APHRODITE. Stay out!
HADES. You’ll only make it worse, Artemis.
(The ladies continue to argue as ERIS and the Chorus speak.
During the Chorus line, some leave, and ZEUS has dozed off in a
chair.)
ERIS. That will teach them to ignore me. Their pride will never give
in. Why they could be fighting for days. (She exits laughing.)
CHORUS. Never were truer words spoken.
Each arguing why the golden apple belongs to them.
Aries offers to find two more golden apples
But Hera threatens him
Poseidon offers pearl necklaces, the likes that have never been
seen before.
But they all just laugh at him.
Eros even tries to ply them away with promises of golden trees
But Aphrodite, his mother, tries to break his magic arrows.
Exhausted in their arguing and reasoning they come upon an idea.
ATHENA. It has been decided.
EOS. Oh great thanks! Who gets the apple?
APHRODITE. No, no, no. It is clear that we can not make the decision ourselves, so Zeus must do it.
(Everyone stares at ZEUS.)
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HERA. Zeus, darling did you not hear? (He snores lightly.)
POSEIDON. Brother, wake now, for you very life depends on it.
ZEUS. Huh, what? Why is everyone staring at me?
ATHENA. You must decide who gets the apple.
HERA. Yes, you, my loving husband, must decide.
APHRODITE. Father, we have decided that only you have the
wisdom to put an end to this argument.
ARIES. I would not be in his position for all the gold on earth or
ambrosia in the heavens.
SELENE. It does not seem fair to make him decide between his wife
and his daughters.
POSEIDON. Maybe it is time for the rest of us to leave.
ARIES. You are a wise man, Poseidon. I must away to polish my
armor.
HADES. And I to check on my underworld.
POSEIDON. And I just must go.
HERA. Now, Zeus you must decide.
ZEUS. I can not.
APHRODITE. But you must!
ATHENA. If you do not this will never end. We will stand here
fighting until Olympus crumbles beneath us all.
ZEUS. I can not. (They start to argue but he cuts them off.) But I will
find a mortal to decide for you. Athena is right. The world will not
run correctly if someone doesn’t end this. Come back tomorrow and
I will have a judge for your contest of vanity. (They start to interrupt.)
Give me the apple, and tomorrow you will return. Do you dare to
disagree with me about this? (They all decide it is best not to, and exit.)
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CHORUS. Poor Zeus.
Caught between vanity and family.
Forced to force someone else to make a decision he can not.
So he peeks down from his great throne and looks across the earth.
And he finds Paris.
(PARIS enters with a Shepard’s staff. His father enters on the
other side and talks to an oracle, then takes PARIS off stage as
they talk.)
Paris, a young smart prince of Troy.
Prince Paris.
Famous because his father, the king of Troy, was told his son,
Prince Paris,
would cause Troy to lose a great war.
The Greatest war
As the warring between Troy and Greece began to grow,
Fearing the safety of his country
The king sent his only son,
Prince Paris,
to the far country to herd the sheep.
Thus hoping to avoid the oracle’s words
But avoiding the Fates is
Catching the wind in your hand.
Holding the moonlight in a glass.
It can not be done.
(ATHENA, HERA, and APHRODITE reenter.)
HERA. Well, darling, have you come to a decision?
APHRODITE. Who will be our judge and give me the apple?
ATHENA. Have you picked someone wise enough to know that
beauty comes from the mind not just a looking glass?
ZEUS. Yes, I have. But I ask again if there is some way for you to
settle this among ourselves. Every time we involve mortals in our
petty fights, it is them that suffer.
HERA. Do you mean to imply that questioning that I am not the
most beautiful, is petty.
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ZEUS. Ah, wife you cannot trick me. If there is not another way, then
I have picked Paris.
You will find him on the foothills outside of Troy. He is a smart man,
who will be fair and honest. As fair as any mortal can be.
(The three descend upon PARIS.)
Good luck, mortal. I am sorry to curse you with such a choice, but if
I were to do it, wars would begin in heaven.
(He exits.)
ATHENA. Are you not Paris?
PARIS. I am and…why, great goddesses, are you here on this deserted hillside?
APHRODITE. We need your help, Paris. We have a question that
only you can answer.
HERA. Zeus, the father of all gods has decided you must answer
this for us.
PARIS. I am honored to do so. If Zeus has picked me then who am I
to ignore the call? What is the question?
ATHENA. You see, an apple. This apple appeared on Mt. Olympus.
(She hands it to him.)
PARIS. (Reading the apple:) “For the fairest…” Oh, Zeus…what have
you done to me?
HERA. You must decide if the apple belongs to me, or one of them.
ATHENA. You must decide if the fairest is of mind, body, or age.
PARIS. I must decide?
HERA. Yes. And if you decide it is I, the most powerful goddess that
exists, you shall become King of Europe and Asia, the great lands to
the South and North.
ATHENA. And if you realize that I am the most beautiful to grace
the earth, then I will give you the strategy to win the coming war
with Greece, so that you and your father can save Troy.
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55
APHRODITE. I have no great gifts to offer you. I am only the goddess of beauty and love. (She takes his hand.) If you see that it is indeed
I that deserves this apple, all I can give you is my love everlasting.
(She kisses his hand and he clearly is entranced by her.)
PARIS. It is a difficult choice to make, made more so by your generous bribes.
HERA. King of all the lands…
APHRODITE. My love and beauty…
ATHENA. The wisdom to win any battle…
PARIS. (Looking at them, but he can’t stop looking at APHRODITE.) I
see why Zeus choose not to make it himself. But I have to say it can
only be Aphrodite that should own the apple.
(He hands her the apple, she takes it and hugs it to her chest and
laughs. She blows him a kiss which makes him almost fall over,
he is so in love, and she runs off laughing. The other two follow
arguing after her. He stares off for a few seconds and then, in a
daze walks off.)
CHORUS. And with those words
A foolish boy,
Prince Paris,
lost the greatest war the world had ever seen,
Before a single arrow flew.
Because a young man,
Prince Paris,
Was blinded by beauty and turned his back on wisdom.
(ERIS reenters.)
The Greeks and Trojans fought a long and bloody battle
Once the dust had settled on the great battle fields
It was Greece that was the winner.
Throughout the war, Eris was able to spread her darkness.
All because of a golden apple and pride of goddesses.
(As the Chorus goes off, DIONYSOS watches them.)
DIONYSOS. Last year at the festival of theatre, we had glorious
plays. Plays of talking birds, and crying trees. Stories that made you
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laugh and blush. In some circles around Greece, it is said to be the
best yet. But there was a little bit of poor planning. You see the festival was 5 hours long, with no breaks. Can you imagine? So, the
this year I’m trying something new. And I think it will be called
intermission. Here it is how it will work; the actors are going off
to a secret location to relax and get ready for what is sure to be an
amazing second half. And you get to have a moment to stretch your
legs. And, since you’ve been such a lovely audience thus far, I have
decided to reward you with a table laden with treats. And not just
ordinary treats, but magical treats made by magical creatures of the
woods. So enjoy and…oh, wait a moment, I should warn you. While
the treats are wonderful and the nymphs are beautiful, don’t forget
to leave a few coins for the refreshments. The sprites, nymphs and
other creatures that provide the food can get a little… upset, if you
don’t thank them with the jangle of a few coins. Besides, I think their
prices are very reasonable for treats as tasty as these. So, enjoy and
we’ll see you in a few minutes.
(He exits.)
Scene 6
Philemon & Baucis
CHORUS.
(As some Chorus members speak the others act out actions of the speech.)
What you put into the world
Comes back onto you.
Kindness leads to more kindness
Rudeness only points you to more rudeness.
If we smile to a stranger, it is passed along.
If we grumble and moan throughout our day,
This too is passed along.
Take the story of the cold rainy night and the weary travelers
(Enter ATHENA and POSEIDON disguised as poor travelers.
They are hunched over as if in the rain. As the Chorus tells the tale,
the Chorus also become the people in the houses.)
Two travelers, a daughter and her old uncle trudging through
Phrygia
On a night of cold rain and chilling wind.
At each house they stopped and knocked at the door.
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Just a crust of stale bread?
“I have just enough for me and mine…”
Some warm tea to take the chill off?
“I have children to take care of, you know.”
Just a moment to warm ourselves by your fire?
“Try another house, we are busy and full.”
Until finally they came to a house on the edge of the town.
It was a small house,
A small, but nice house.
The home of Philemon and Baucis.
ATHENA. (Knocking on their door:) Maybe here, Uncle, you will be
able to sit for a moment or two and dry your feet.
POSEIDON. Dear Niece, why should this house be any different
from any of the others in this town. I fear that your father was right,
that—
(He is cut off as the door opens to see BAUCIS peering out.)
BAUCIS. Hello? Oh, what is this? Philemon, come here quickly.
ATHENA. Kind woman we were just looking for a warm fire to rest
by…
BAUCIS. Well of course, come in!
POSIEDON. But we can see we are not welcome.
PHILEMON. I know I am an old man, Baucis, but you don’t have to
shout that loud and—
ATHENA. We were just leaving.
BAUCIS. No! Come in. Don’t be silly, young lady.
PHILEMON. Yes, yes, come in!
(Helps ATHENA through the door.)
BAUCIS. Here, good sir. Sit here. It is close to the fire. Let me get
you a blanket.
POSEIDON. Thank you. It is very kind of you.
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ATHENA. Oh, Uncle, you are dripping water onto their beautiful
hearth rug, get up quick.
PHILEMON. Oh, now hush. That hearth rug was made to be dripped
on.
BAUCIS. Yes, what is the use of a hearth rug if it can’t help someone dry off? Now you two, sit tight right here and we will find you
something warm to drink.
(BAUCIS and PHILEMON go to the ‘kitchen’ area.)
PHILEMON. Those two look wetter then the river itself.
BAUCIS. Now, where did I put that jug of wine? That should warm
them up. And you, old man. Don’t stand there talking to yourself,
find some bread.
PHILEMON. You know, usually I’d agree that I am old, but I feel
young and spry compared to the Uncle in the other room. His beard
is so long and so gray…
BAUCIS. Yes, yes, tell your amusing jokes later, dear. We have
company and must make them feel welcome.
(They go back to the fire place.)
POSEIDON. Oh, I think I can feel my toes.
ATHENA. And my hands. You are very kind to take us in to warm
up. We will un-clutter your house very soon.
PHILEMON. Now, young lady, we don’t get visitors all that often
living out on the edge of town like this, but I would be offended if
you left without even trying my wife’s bread. She is the finest baker
in all of town.
BAUCIS. Oh, Philemon, please. You are embarrassing me. But we
would be honored to share what little we do have some bread and
wine.
CHORUS. (The actors act this out as the Chorus talks.)
And so the four broke the bread
And poured the wine.
Stories were shared, and the fire kept everyone warm.
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59
But then Baucis noticed that even though she had cut the last of the
bread in half,
there was always one more piece.
And Philemon realized that though the jug should be empty of
wine,
it was still full.
BAUCIS. Philemon, could you come help me get the warm blanket
off the top shelf in the kitchen?
PHILEMON. Of course. You will excuse us just for a moment?
(ATHENA and POSEIDON nod, as PHILEMON and BAUCIS
go the kitchen.)
Did you see that?
BAUCIS. I did! The bread is still on the plate.
PHILEMON. What? What about the bread?
BAUCIS. Didn’t you notice how much bread we ate?
PHILEMON. We must have eaten it all, but that’s not the point. The
point is…
BAUCIS. Then why is there half of a loaf on the plate?
PHILEMON. What?
BAUCIS. Look!
(He peeks out and waves awkwardly at the two sitting by the
fire.)
PHILEMON. Just like the wine!
BAUCIS. What?
PHILEMON. That’s what I was trying to tell you before.
BAUCIS. Before what?
PHILEMON. Before you told me about the bread.
BAUCIS. What?
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PHILEMON. What what?
BAUCIS. WHAT about the wine?
PHILEMON. Oh, right. The jug is still full.
BAUCIS. What? That’s not possible we only had a little bit left.
PHILEMON. I know, and yet…
BAUCIS. Oh, I see… Just like the bread.
PHILEMON. That’s what I was telling you before.
BAUCIS. Before what?
(He stares at her for a second.)
I was kidding dear.
PHILEMON. How is all of this possible?
BAUCIS. Do you think…why…oh my…
PHILEMON. What? What! Oh…
BAUCIS & PHILEMON. They must be immortals.
PHILEMON. We must have a feast in their honor.
BAUCIS. Yes! What a great idea and I will make…I will make…,
Philemon we have nothing to make them.
PHILEMON. Yes we do! We have one last goose. We can make a
goose dinner for our honored guests.
BAUCIS. Ah…you are a genius. Where is the goose?
PHILEMON. He is out behind the house. We will have to catch
him.
BAUCIS. (Poking her head into the living room:) We will be right back,
we just want to catch our goose… I mean to make a little dinner. You
must be very hungry.
ATHENA. That is very kind of you.
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POSEIDON. But not necessary.
BAUCIS. You are our guests. Now you sit and be warm. We’ll be
right back.
ATHENA. You know, it’s their last goose.
POSEIDON. I know. They are a very kind couple. It would insult
them to refuse.
ATHENA. That is true. And you are hungry aren’t you?
(They laugh and ‘talk’ as the Chorus speaks. One Chorus member
has a goose puppet that the old couple chases as the Chorus
speaks.)
CHORUS. And so the old couple sought out their last goose.
But the goose was wily and quick.
Baucis ran to the right
The goose dodged to the left.
Philemon snuck around the north side of the house.
But the sneakier goose slipped to the south side.
The goose avoided them at every turn,
Honking and flapping as he went.
But finally the couple hatched a plan.
Flapping their arms and jumping about
They herded the goose inside their cottage.
And yet it found a new hiding place.
(The goose hides under Athena’s cloak. BAUCIS and PHILEMON
rush in. BAUCIS stops, but PHILEMON is about to rush after
the goose.)
BAUCIS. Philemon, dear. Don’t do that.
PHILEMON. I’ve almost got the goose… Just a second and… (He
realizes what he is doing and stops embarrassed.) Sorry.
ATHENA. It’s is okay, kind sir.
POSEIDON. As you have guessed we are not just weary travelers
but someone else all together.
(They take off their cloaks, and/or put on their things that make
them God/dess. The old couple bows before them.)
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ATHENA. Oh, please stand up. When no one in this town would
help out two strangers, you two opened your doors, and your hearts
to us.
POSEIDON. And it’s good that you did.
ATHENA. You see my father, Zeus, was feeling depressed that there
was no one good on earth. We were sent to find someone willing to
do just what you did.
POSEIDON. Yes, and now we can report back that there are still
mortals with good hearts and open minds.
ATHENA. Is there anything we can do for you in return for your
kindness.
(The old couple thinks for a beat, looking at each other, holding
hands.)
BAUCIS. There is not much we want for in our lives.
PHILEMON. We have each other, we have a roof over our heads,
and food in our stomachs.
BAUCIS. There are far more people in the land who have much less
than us.
PHILEMON. We are old. We have done wonderful things, and seen
amazing sites.
BAUCIS. Including having immortals spend an evening with us.
ATHENA. But there must be something you want.
POSEIDON. I can not just leave after you opened your home to us.
It wouldn’t be right.
ATHENA. Ah…I have a thought. You have been married for many
years?
BAUCIS. Fifty years.
ATHENA. That is a long time to spend with another person.
PHILEMON. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
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ATHENA. And so my gift to you is that when your time on earth is
over, you shall go to the next hand in hand.
POSEIDON. What a great gift, wise Athena. For whatever comes
next for you both, will happen to you both together.
PHILEMON. I can’t think of anything more perfect.
BAUCIS. Thank you.
CHORUS. And that’s exactly what happened.
And when that time came for Philemon and Baucis,
To journey onto the next life, they did so hand in hand
Laughing about a private joke, unafraid.
And the place where their house once stood
Now stands two great trees, branches entangled to create shade for
travelers.
Roots grown together to hold each other up in the wind.
What you put into the world
Comes back onto you.
Kindness to others will bring kindness back to your door.
Help those in need and maybe someday they will help you.
Scene 7
The Island of Circe
CHORUS. Since Pandora’s box opened the beginning of our history,
Humans have been plagued with unfavorable emotions.
Pride, jealousy, anger, and revenge.
But hope stayed in the box, and that hope saves us all.
In the hearts of even the vilest of villains there is some love.
Beneath the anger is a seed of something positive.
It just needs to be nurtured.
Look to the Island of Circe.
Circe, a beautiful sorceress.
A lonely queen.
A cruel woman.
Alone on her island.
Surrounded by her pets.
Donkeys, dogs and peacocks, to name a few.
If you look into the animals eye’s you’ll see something.
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Something sad.
Something lost.
Something like a human trapped inside.
(A group of SAILORS appear, looking lost and hungry.)
SAILOR 1. Is that really a house I am seeing up ahead? I am so
hungry I don’t know if I can trust what I see.
SAILOR 2. I am not sure you should trust what I see either, but since
we both see the house, maybe it is not an illusion.
SAILOR 3. I think I smell food…is that fresh bread? I can’t remember the last time we had fresh bread on the ship.
SAILOR 4. I can’t remember the last time we left the ship. I was beginning to think we would never find land again.
SAILOR 5. Does it seem odd to you that we happened upon an island and it happens to have a house just waiting for us?
SAILOR 6. Look, Pelagius, if you want to question our luck, you can
do so…back on the ship with the captain.
SAILOR 1. Proteus is right. The gods are finally smiling upon us.
Don’t ruin it with your eternal questions.
SAILOR 2. Don’t we deserve a little good luck?
SAILOR 5. Yes, but…I just think we should proceed with caution,
that’s all.
SAILOR 3. You do that. Me? I going to see if there is anyone home.
SAILOR 4. It must be a kind person, look how well fed the animals
look.
SAILOR 5. But don’t they look a little sad as well. Look at that peacock over there…
SAILOR 6. That’s it. I’m knocking on the door.
(He does so and CIRCE enters. She is so beautiful the SAILORS
try to clean themselves up a bit.)
CIRCE. Hello, and welcome to my little island.
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(The SAILORS interrupt and overlap each other.)
SAILOR 1. Oh, kind mistress. We are…
SAILOR 2. Uh…lost and hungry…
SAILOR 3. Don’t be so forward… We are…
SAILOR 4. Honored and…
SAILOR 1. Hungry…
SAILOR 6. He means thankful to have found you.
SAILOR 4. Yes, we were lost at sea…
SAILOR 2. On our boat…of course.
SAILOR 5. You are fools. Let me. Kind Madam, we are sailors aboard
the ship of Odysseus. We have had many adventures.
SAILOR 6. I don’t know that I would call them all adventures…
ALL SAILORS. Shhh.
SAILOR 3. And we have been at sea for so long and we are…
(All the SAILORS start talking at once.)
CIRCE. I think I understand, my water logged guests. You are tired
and hungry and are hoping I might be able to help you out.
(The animals milling about begin making noises.)
Hush now.
SAILOR 5. (To himself:) That’s odd.
CIRCE. Just ignore my pets. They are a little jealous of new people.
(One of the animals pushes at one of the sailors.)
SAILOR 4. They seem a little lonely.
SAILOR 2. Well, they live on an island!
SAILOR 4. Oh, that’s true.
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CIRCE. Please, don’t worry your weary minds with my livestock.
You are hungry. Let us eat and you can tell me all about your adventures.
(The SAILORS sit to eat. They talk while eating and generally are
not very good mannered except SAILOR 5 who is suspicious and
keeps looking at the animals about.)
SAILOR 1. Well, there was that one time that we had to escape the
Cyclops.
SAILOR 3. That’s a one eye monster.
CIRCE. Oh, I know.
SAILOR 4. I never met a crankier person than him.
SAILOR 6. And don’t forget the Lotus Eaters.
(They all shudder.)
CIRCE. Ah… How is your dinner? It is all my own creation I do love
to cook. And it is so rare I get company for dinner.
SAILOR 6. Oh it’s wonderful. I mean, we haven’t eaten fresh food in
so long…anything would taste good.
SAILOR 1. This lobster is wonderful. I have never had fresh lobster
like this before.
CIRCE. That’s because it’s crab. It’s been soaking in lemon juice…
SAILOR 4. Oh, crab I didn’t know there was crab…
(He drops whatever he was eating and grabs some crab.)
CIRCE. These men are pigs. Such pigs.
CHORUS. And so they ate.
And ate.
All except Pelagius who watched with a weary eye.
And ate only what he saw Circe eat.
The meal was rich and satisfying.
And after the dinner was over the sailor complimented the cook.
Complimented the cook in the manner that sailors do.
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(The SAILORS belch.)
But Circe was not flattered.
CIRCE. (To herself:) If you wish to act like pigs then pigs you shall
be. (To the sailors, as she is walking around among them. As they talk
PELAGIUS slips away.) I hope you all enjoyed my food. It can be very
lonely here on my little island. (She takes out a wand, and as she walks
around she touches each sailor with it. The transformations should be slow
but obvious.) Shall I tell you a story while you digest the food you ate
so quickly.
SAILOR 1. That would be just wonderful. You are a kind woman.
CIRCE. And you have such pleasantly pink skin. (Touches him with
wand.) Once upon a time there was a man, I have forgotten his name,
but he was very proud. Almost too proud. Do you understand what
I mean?
SAILOR 2. I do…I think. Pride one of my least favorite emotions
that Pandora let out of the box.
CIRCE. Mine is gluttony. (Touches him. To another:) Do you know
what that means?
SAILOR 3. No ma’am. A sailor doesn’t get to do much learnin’.
CIRCE. But now you will learn, young man. (Touches him.) Shall I
give you all a hint?
SAILOR 4. I remember my mom used to say it after a big meal. And
it would make my father laugh. (She touches him.)
CIRCE. Yes, she probably did. And it appears like father, like
son. (Touches final man. PELAGIUS has snuck back and is hiding and
watching.)
SAILOR 6. Wait, what are we talking about I fell asleep for a moment.
CHORUS. It was too late.
All the sailors began to feel the sorceress’ magic in their veins.
Their ears began to grow.
Their noses began to lengthen.
Their hands and feet began to harden.
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They were no longer sleepy from the great meal.
They were frightened.
And they had all become pigs.
(The SAILORS begin oinking and squeaking. CIRCE is
laughing.)
SAILOR 5. Oh my. I knew this island would be trouble. I must get
back to the ship to tell Odysseus what has happened. (He rushes off.)
CIRCE. (ODYSSEUS and SAILOR 5 sneak in and watch and listen as
she speaks, and starts herding them off.) It is lucky my island is so big.
I have so many pets now. Come, come little piggies, what did you
think was going to happen? If you behave like a animal you will
become one. How rude of you all. I am a mighty sorceress, you’re
manners were horrid, like pigs. And now pigs you are. And this
(Pointing to the peacock:) Is the proud man I told you about. Like you,
he was rude. And now he will spend the rest of his days as the arrogant peacock he acted like. And these (To some dogs:) are the dogs
that thought they could come and take my land. There are more out
back. Would you like to see?
CHORUS. It seems she had many pets.
All people who had offended her.
In every corner of the island were animals with sad eyes.
Animals who had been humans.
Humans who had offended Circe in some manner.
All doomed to live out their days as animals.
To please a stubborn witch.
(CIRCE and ANIMALS are off stage, ODYSSEUS and SAILOR
5 sneak out of hiding.)
ODYSSEUS. You sneak into the back and let all the animals out. I
will try to reason with her. Be ready to rush them all out when I give
the call. If we can’t get her to turn them back. We will take them back
on the ship. Maybe we’ll find someone else to help them.
(SAILOR 5 nods and sneaks out. ODYSSEUS steps out of hiding
and bows to CIRCE.)
CIRCE. Oh my, and who are you? No don’t tell me. You must be
Odysseus.
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ODYSSEUS. I am. But I do not have the honor of knowing your
name, beautiful queen.
CIRCE. What manners! I am no queen, just a lonely woman on her
lonely island. I am Circe.
ODYSSEUS. What a beautiful name for a stunning creature. I am
looking for my crew. They left the ship promising to return before
dark. We are a long way from home.
CIRCE. Your crew…no I don’t think I’ve seen them.
ODYSSEUS. Really? They are a rowdy bunch, but with good hearts.
We have had a lot of bad luck these past few months and they are
anxious to get home. They are not always the most polite men, but
certainly the most loyal. Have you seen them?
CIRCE. As I said before I don’t recall seeing any men.
ODYSSEUS. Oh, then how did you know I was Odysseus? I have
never been on your island before, and yet you knew my name.
(She is a little startled by that.)
CIRCE. I might have come across some piggy sailors who spoke
highly of you. But these can not be the same men you refer to. They
were a rude lot. I have taken care of them. Would you like to see
them? We could eat a snack and then I’ll take you straight to them.
ODYSSEUS. I am not hungry. Shall we just go to them?
CIRCE. You are a polite man. You have done nothing to offend me…
yet. I am feeling generous. Maybe it is just best for you to leave.
ODYSSEUS. That is very kind, Mistress. But I can not go without
my crew.
CIRCE. What?
ODYSSEUS. The people that you turned into pigs. They are my
crew. We have fought side by side and survived many challenges. I
will not just turn my back on them.
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CIRCE. (As they speak she tries to touch him with her wand but he manages
to avoid her each time:) That is too bad. Because if you aren’t willing to
go, then you will just have to join them.
ODYSSEUS. Circe, I think you have not spent enough time with
other people.
CIRCE. Why would I want to? I have my pets to keep me company.
ODYSSEUS. You mean your prisoners?
CIRCE. Oh, they have a good life. I feed them, and they have the
entire island to play on. What more could they ask for?
ODYSSEUS. They could ask for their bodies back. For a chance to go
home. They were just human. And humans make mistakes. And yet
you punish them? Have you not made a mistake before?
CIRCE. Only in wasting so much talking to you. You are no better
than the rest. I will get you.
CHORUS. And she tried.
But Odysseus was on his guard.
And kept just out of reach.
Deep into the night they argued.
Odysseus even tried to fight her with his sword.
But her magic kept her safe.
Finally as the sun began to climb into the sky.
CIRCE. Are you ever going to leave? The sun has come up and I am
tired.
ODYSSEUS. It seems that we have reached an impasse. I can’t get
my men by force.
CIRCE. And I can’t get you with my wand.
ODYSSEUS. Dear Circe, I will not leave this island without my
crew, they are my friends. Deserting friends is far more rude than
any offense than they might have done to you.
CIRCE. Really?
ODYSSEUS. I am not saying they are perfect but no one is. Not even
you! Now, shall we continue?
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CHORUS. But Circe was silent.
His words had begun to affect her.
No one is perfect.
And no one is perfectly evil.
So Circe gave in.
CIRCE. Fine. You win.
ODYSSEUS. What?
CIRCE. You win. We are at a standstill and you win. Bring your men
in and I will turn them back.
ODYSSEUS. Why? I mean, I am happy you changed your mind. But
what made you do so?
CIRCE. I can’t trap you with my magic and you can’t hurt me. This
would never end. And I’ve thought about what you’ve said.
ODYSSEUS. Pelagius, bring the animals in.
(SAILOR 5 and the assorted animals enter. As they talk, she
touches them with her wand and they become human again.)
CIRCE. You are right. No one is perfect. The gods and goddesses
on Mt. Olympus aren’t perfect, I’m not perfect. I don’t know why I
expected perfection from others.
ODYSSEUS. Circe, you truly are a kind woman to let these creatures go. I will take them with me.
CIRCE. I am a fool to let them go. I am a powerful sorceress, I don’t
need reasons to do what I do. But your passion and desire to save
your friends touched me. Where do you head from here?
ODYSSEUS. We are trying to get home. Trying to find home, I
should say.
CIRCE. Wait here for a second.
(She leaves.)
SAILOR 1. Oh, tell me that was all a dream, just a bad dream.
SAILOR 2. Do I still have a tail? It feels like I still have a tail.
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SAILOR 5. No tail.
SAILOR 6. Who are these other people?
SAILOR 5. The other animals she had captured.
SAILOR 3. Wow, she is really an evil witch. And—(SAILOR 5 opens his mouth when he is interrupted.)
SAILOR 2. Don’t say it. Just don’t say it!
SAILOR 4. We all know you were right, so just don’t say it
SAILOR 5. Fine I won’t.
(CIRCE enters with a scroll in her hand. Just as she is about to
speak, he blurts out.)
I told you so!
(The other SAILORS glare at him but CIRCE didn’t hear and
starts speaking.)
CIRCE. Odysseus, use this map. It will help you to get home. To
steer you around the troubles that seem to follow your ship where
ever you go.
ODYSSEUS. Mistress Circe, you are too kind to help us more than
you already have. May I ask what caused this?
CIRCE. I respect you, Odysseus. I have learned from you and your
loyalty to your men. So go, take all these lost people with you and
make sure they get home.
(CIRCE sits, there is one cat left who sits next to her as the others
exit.)
SAILOR 1. Who was the cat? Shouldn’t she turn her back as well?
SAILOR 2. I think that’s just a cat. I mean a cat that was always a
cat.
SAILOR 6. Aye, look how friendly they are. I think you are right.
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SAILOR 3. That poor woman needs a friend now. And that cat’s a
start.
SAILOR 4. Aye, but let’s get out of here before she changes her mind
again.
SAILOR 5. I don’t think she will… (They all look at him.) But just in
case, let’s head out.
(They all exit.)
CHORUS. Circe learned a big lesson that day.
And Odysseus did as well.
Circe saw the strength of loyalty and friendship.
The power of trust and respect.
Odysseus saw that no one is all evil and bad.
That people can change, and change for the better.
Both are lessons we should all know.
And thanks to brave Odysseus
And strong Circe
We can learn from their story.
Scene 8
The Story of Sisyphus
CHORUS. (We see this acted out as they speak.)
There was an old man named Sisyphus
He was a wealthy man
With a beautiful house
And a wonderful wife.
But he had a bad habit.
Sisyphus liked to trick people.
Not just for fun or a laugh,
But because he could.
His favorite people to trick were travelers.
He and his wife would swindle strangers.
They would play pranks on new-comers to town.
And the new-comers would end up paupers.
As Sisyphus and Ligeia grew older their tricks got meaner
As they got older, their piles of gold and treasure grew
They thought nothing of taking the chair out from under an old
woman
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To convince another she had to buy the chair back.
Sailors would come into port with goods for sale
Only to leave with not even a coat on their back
Or shoes on their feet.
SISYPHUS. (Finishing up a swindle on a stranger:) My dear wife, that
was brilliant. I even believed your tears.
LIGEIA. Thank you dear. Now quick, put that gold somewhere
safe.
SISYPHUS. Quick? Ahh dearest Ligeia, I am an old man. I do
nothing quickly any more.
LIGEIA. Too true, too true. Remember when we first met and I was
so young and beautiful?
SISYPHUS. How could I forget? We made quite a pair didn’t we?
Young and handsome.
LIGEIA. And don’t forget smart.
SISYPHUS. Ah yes, very smart! Where did the time go?
LIGEIA. It went to tricks and cons, and those went to gold and silver. For us at least. Now, let’s go hide this treasure!
SISYPHUS. You are still as cunning as a fox, my dear.
(They are looking at their treasure.)
CHORUS. Hades
The land of the dead.
Hades
The god of the dead.
Is a fair man,
A kind man.
To those who are fair and kind in return.
Hades, heard of the couple and decided to step in.
HADES. Clymenus, I think it’s time to stop Sisyphus and Ligeia in
their game. It is time for the old man to come live with me in Hades.
But I don’t think he will be one to go politely, so I need you to help
out.
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CLYMENUS. You got it, boss.
HADES. I need you to escort him to me.
CLYMENUS. Sure thing, boss.
HADES. And take some rope, you might be pulling the old man the
whole way.
CLYMENUS. No problem boss, I got it all taken care of.
(CLYMENUS goes off in one direction and HADES the other.
Focus shift.)
LIGEIA. You know, I am having so much fun at this. Promise me
we’ll never have to stop, not for anything.
SISYPHUS. Oh, of course, darling. We are the best tricksters the
world has ever seen, not even death can get us!
CLYMENUS. (Enters with the rope behind his back.) Greetings?
SISYPHUS. Look honey, another stranger just asking us to take
everything he’s got!
LIGEIA. Two in one day, it’s our lucky day. (To CLYMENUS:) Hello
stranger. Welcome to our fair city.
SISYPHUS. I am Sisyphus and this is my wife, Ligeia. Can we help
you with anything?
CLYMENUS. Yes, actually you can. I am Clymenus and I am here
on behalf of Hades. Sisyphus, I am sorry to tell you but it is your
time to go.
(SISYPHUS and LIGEIA exchange a look.)
SISYPHUS. Well, if it is my time, then it is my time. But first let me
hug my wife good bye.
(As he is hugging her he is whispering in her ear, and she is
nodding. As soon as they stop hugging she begins to cry very
loudly and SISYPHUS looks very sad. Both are acting.)
I guess I am ready.
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CLYMENUS. Really? I didn’t think it would be this easy. But alright
let’s go.
(He turns to go.)
SISYPHUS. What is the rope for?
CLYMENUS. Oh, you see sometimes people are not so willing to go,
so we have to tie them up and drag them to Hades.
LIGEIA. Really? I can’t imagine.
SISYPHUS. So you just tie them up?
CLYMENUS. Oh, sure.
SISYPHUS. You don’t use enchanted rope or anything.
CLYMENUS. Nope, just plain old rope. I’m good at knots you see.
LIGEIA. Really? Well, you do look like a very smart fellow.
CLYMENUS. Why, thank you.
SISYPHUS. Well, of course he is. Hades doesn’t work with fools,
dear wife.
LIGEIA. Right you are. And such a handsome fellow too. He reminds
me of you, Sisyphus, when you were a young, handsome lad.
SISYPHUS. Oh, stop. You are embarrassing me. We should be going…
LIGEIA. He won’t tell you this but…he used to be very good at
knots as well. He was sort of an expert of knots in his day. He knew
them all.
CLYMENUS. Really? I didn’t know that.
SISYPHUS. Yea, I did love to toss the rope around in my day. Is
Butterfly still a popular knot?
CLYMENUS. Of course, it’s a classic. Did you ever do the double
headed carrack?
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SISYPHUS. Only in my sleep for fun! How about the monkey’s
paw?
CLYMENUS. We have contests to see who can tie it the fastest. Do
you do your Rolling Magnus to the left or the right?
SISYPHUS. Well, that would depend on which way the wind was
blowing, now wouldn’t it? How about the Underhanded Tiger
Double Knot? Ever try that one?
CLYMENUS. I haven’t. I’ve never even heard of it.
LIGEIA. That’s because my handsome husband created it himself
while lost at sea on a raft with only a feather and a piece of rope.
Darling, you show him the beginning while I get a feather. This is an
amazing knot.
SISYPHUS. Oh, I don’t know if we have time…
CLYMENUS. I say we got some time… We’ll be quick. Hades will
never notice.
(He hands SISYPHUS the rope as LIGEIA rushes off stage.)
SISYPHUS. Okay so the first step is to…well you need two pieces of
wood about the size of your arm. Oh dear, I don’t have any. I could
rush to the woods and cut down a tree. You just stay here.
CLYMENUS. We don’t have that kind of time. Here use my arms to
show me. I can’t wait to show the other guys a new knot.
(SISYPHUS starts wrapping the rope around CLYMENUS’ arms
and then whole body as he talks.)
SISYPHUS. See, first you do a double loop this way. Then you do
a twist, and then twist the other way. No, no you have to keep your
arms close together. Here, I’ll just tie this end around you this way
to keep you still and then you go to the left, and then the right and
finally a big bow on the back. And you take the extra and tuck it in
right here!
(CLYMENUS is completely tied up and LIGEIA has returned
and laughs.)
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CLYMENUS. You gotta untie me now. That’s enough foolin’ around.
You are due in Hades.
SISYPHUS. But I seem to have forgotten how to untie the knot.
CLYMENUS. Oh, no! You tricked me! You are in such trouble!
(He starts jumping after SISYPHUS and jumps off stage, and we
hear a door slam. SISYPHUS reenters.)
LIGEIA. That was almost too easy!
SISYPHUS. But still fun. I put him in the hall closet for now.
(CLYMENUS is pushed off stage.) Come and sit with me. We have to
make plans. It’s only a matter of time before Hades sends someone
else.
(They sit down together and talk. Focus shift as HADES enters.)
HADES. Where is Clymenus? Don’t tell me Sisyphus managed to
trick him as well. Eubuleus!
(EUBULEUS enters.)
Go get Sisyphus. And don’t let him trick you. Don’t talk to him, don’t
listen to him, don’t even look at him until he has crossed the river.
EUBULEUS. Yes sir!
HADES. I mean it. This is one tricky mortal. He got the best of
Clymenus somehow, he’ll try to get you as well.
EUBULEUS. Yes sir! I’ll be on my toes the whole time.
HADES. I want you to bring him straight to me. Straight to me!
EUBULEUS. I got it. I’m ready. I won’t fall pray to his tricks.
(As EUBULEUS exits and then re-enters by SISYPHUS. The two
talk, LIGEIA cries and the two leave all while the Chorus talks.)
CHORUS. Hades, The Underworld is surrounded by rivers.
In order to get into Hades, the newly departed must take a ferry.
To cross the river the new souls must pay the ferryman, Charon.
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(CHARON enters with a long oar and slowly paddles across the
stage.)
He ferries the dead to the land of the dead.
He requires a coin to cross.
But the dead don’t carry change.
It is the responsibility of the living to pay the fare.
The living leave the money by a river for Charon
And if there is no money, then the departed cannot cross and must
stay trapped on the shore.
They can’t go home
They are no longer alive.
They can’t enter Hades
They don’t have the fee.
The living must leave the fee for the dead.
Everyone knows the rules.
(SISYPHUS and EUBULEUS are at the shore with CHARON.)
EUBULEUS. And that’s how I got this job.
SISYPHUS. That has got to be the most interesting story I have ever
heard. You should be a professional storyteller.
EUBULEUS. Well, thank you. But we are here.
SISYPHUS. Here where?
EUBULEUS. We are at the shores of the river Acheron, that surrounds Hades.
SISYPHUS. Oh…should I swim across?
EUBULEUS. No you fool, you take the boat.
SISYPHUS. Oh, okay.
(He starts to get in the boat, but CHARON stops him.)
CHARON. But first you must pay my fee.
SISYPHUS. (Makes a big deal of trying to find a coin.) But I don’t have
any change.
CHARON. If you don’t pay the fee, you can’t get in.
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EUBULEUS. Charon, look Hades wants this guy in right away. Can’t
he owe you?
CHARON. Eubuleus, you know the rules. No payment, no ferry.
SISYPHUS. You should have told me before we left the house I
would have brought some coins.
CHARON. No, you cannot pay it. Your family must. Those who are
still alive are supposed to put the payment next to a river and I will
get it.
SISYPHUS. What? (To EUBULEUS:) Did you know this?
EUBULEUS. Who doesn’t?
SISYPHUS. Well, I didn’t. And neither does Ligeia. She’ll never do
it. Why don’t you let me cross and I’ll…I’ll pay you later.
CHARON. There are rules, and that is one of them. If you don’t pay
the ferryman I can not take you to the other side. And you must stay
here for all of eternity.
EUBULEUS. But, Charon, I’ll be in big trouble if he doesn’t get it in.
CHARON. And I will be in big trouble if I let him in without paying
first.
EUBULEUS. I’ll just run up and let your wife know what she has to
do.
SISYPHUS. Oh, that won’t work. She won’t trust you. She’ll think
you are trying to trick her and she won’t. (Big sigh.) I guess I’ll just
have to stay right here for all eternity.
EUBULEUS. Oh, Hades won’t like that at all.
SISYPHUS. Unless you can think of something else?
EUBULEUS. Well…well… Now listen, Sisyphus, if I let you go
back and explain things to your wife you must come right back.
Promise?
SISYPHUS. Oh! Well, if you think it’s the best thing to do.
(Gets up to leave.)
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EUBULEUS. Promise first! Swear on the thunderbolt of Zeus!
SISYPHUS. Of course. I promise as soon as she understands what
she must do I will come right back. May Zeus’ thunderbolt strike me
died if I don’t.
EUBULEUS. Hurry!
(SISYPHUS rushes off stage.)
CHARON. You are foolish to believe that man.
EUBULEUS. I know but I had no choice.
CHORUS. (The actors show us what is being told.)
Sisyphus returned home.
And he and Ligeia were reunited.
SISYPHUS. (They are laughing as they talk:) So now do you now understand what you must do?
LIGEIA. No, explain it again. But while you do that, what do you
want for dinner?
CHORUS. The day melted into evening.
SISYPHUS. So now do you now understand what you must do?
LIGEIA. No, explain it again. But while you do that, do you want to
go for a walk?
CHORUS. The night into the morning.
SISYPHUS. (They are laughing as they talk:) So now do you now understand what you must do?
LIGEIA. No, explain it again. But while you do that, do you want
for lunch?
CHORUS. And morning to day.
Ligeia would swear she didn’t understand what to do
And Sisyphus with a twinkle in his eye would explain it yet again.
Eubuleus finally accepted he had been tricked and told Hades.
HADES. What? I see, well. I will have to go myself.
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CHORUS. It is one thing to trick
A stranger
A sailor
An old man
Or a young girl.
Even underlings to Hades.
But not even Sisyphus dared to play a trick on Hades.
And together they descended to the land of the dead.
Ligeia left the ferryman his fare
And Sisyphus was quiet and shy.
HADES. Well, Sisyphus I guess you are finally here to stay. Welcome to my domain.
SISYPHUS. Oh, thank you. It’s…nice.
HADES. You know, now that I have you here. I have to admit your
tricks were very funny.
SISYPHUS. Really? Why thank you.
HADES. Oh yes, I do enjoy a good prank every now and then.
SISYPHUS. I wouldn’t have thought that of you.
HADES. Oh, yes, I have one for you. A little trick. You might enjoy
it. (Yelling:) Bring it in.
(EUBULEUS and CLYMENUS enter pushing an enormous
rock.)
Would you like to learn the trick?
SISYPHUS. (Not sure how to answer:) Uh…sure… I could always
learn a new trick.
(The other two glare at him.)
HADES. Okay, here is how it starts. I ask you to do me a favor by
pushing this rock up that hill.
And you, of course say,
SISYPHUS. Oh, yes Kind and Compassionate Hades. I would be
honored to.
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HADES. And you do.
(They all stare at each other for a second.)
EUBULEUS. I think he means it.
CLYMENUS. And I think he means, now.
SISYPHUS. Oh, right.
(He begins to push this rock up the hills, with a lot of straining and
moaning but at a good pace. He heads off stage with it.)
HADES. The trick part comes at the top.
CHORUS. So he pushed.
And pushed
And pushed.
The rock was heavy
Sisyphus was not a young man.
But he got all the way to the top.
Where he was able to stop to catch his breath.
And mop his brow.
The rock for a moment was still at the top
But with a rush
A crunch and a creak.
The mighty ball rolled back down the hill.
(We see the ball roll back across the stage and SISYPHUS behind it
yelling at it. HADES and his two buddies laughing. SISYPHUS
looks at them and HADES points to the top of the mountain.)
And so Sisyphus started again
Pushing and pushing
Moaning and groaning.
Then when he gets to the top
The ball reverses its course
Over and over
Over and over
Hades trick is replayed for poor Sisyphus.
All because Sisyphus didn’t know when to be serious
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Because he didn’t realize mean tricks can come back to get you.
Over and over.
(The lights fade as the rock rolls across the stage with SISYPHUS
trudging behind it.)
Scene 9
How Echo Came to Be
CHORUS. Zeus and Hera
Hera and Zeus
King and Queen of the gods
Queen and King of the earth and air.
The love between them is known through out the heavens
Songs are sung
Poems and written
Dances are danced
to the love between Zeus and Hera
Hera and Zeus
Because when they fight,
the mountains shake
the trees tremble
and all the mortals on earth
and the gods on the clouds
Run for cover
Even Aries the god of war
finds somewhere else to be.
ZEUS. Hera, you are being unreasonable.
HERA. I don’t care! It is not becoming of a god to be behaving like
that.
ZEUS. I am the king of the gods you can’t talk to me—
HERA. Oh, yes I can!
(She storms off. He looks dejected. Some nymphs come out, they
don’t see him.)
CLYMENE. Echo, it’s my turn to tell a story.
DAPHNE. Tell the story about the butterfly.
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ECHO. We’ve heard that one many times.
GALATEA. But it’s a nice one. And Echo, you do talk so much.
ECHO. I know, I’m sorry, Sisters. I cannot help myself sometimes.
GALATEA. We know. We love you and your stories.
CLYMENE. But we have stories to tell.
ECHO. Okay I promise nothing more from me. Your turn.
CLYMENE. A few days ago, right as Selene was putting the moon to
bed I was walking through the woods and I saw—
(ECHO notice ZEUS.)
ECHO. Isn’t that—
ALL. Echo! You promised.
GALATEA. It’s a good thing you didn’t swear on the River Styx, Iris
would have to take you away! (Giggles.)
ECHO. Isn’t that Zeus?
(All react and get nervous.)
CLYMENE. Why is he in my woods? Did I do something wrong?
DAPHNE. It doesn’t seem like it. He seems to be just sitting…and
looking.
GALATEA. He looks sad.
DAPHNE. He does.
ECHO. Maybe he and Hera had a fight.
DAPHNE. We should go cheer up him.
ECHO. No. What if Hera finds out? She’ll be very mad.
GALATEA. For cheering him up?
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CLYMENE. You are being silly, Echo. He is Zeus, the father of all
gods. And we are nymphs, it’s our jobs.
ECHO. Didn’t you hear what happened to Io? She was sitting in a
field one day, minding her own business.
ALL. Not now, Echo.
(They move to ZEUS.)
ECHO. But you might want to hear…
(She realizes they are listening. All of them bow to ZEUS who
bows slightly back.)
ZEUS. Good afternoon, lovely daughters. Let’s see you are… Clymene, daughter of Oceanus and Tethys. And you are…Galatea and
Daphne, beautiful nymphs of the sea. And who is that behind you …
oh it is Echo, the nymph with the gift to talk.
DAPHNE. And talk.
GALATEA. And talk.
CLYMENE. What brings you to my little forest today, father?
GALATEA. You look so sad.
ECHO. Did you and Hera have another fight? I heard that—
OTHER NYMPHS. ECHO!!
ECHO. Sorry.
(ZEUS laughs.)
ZEUS. No your talkative companion is right. My dear wife and I had
another fight. I thought it was best to let her calm down for a while.
ECHO. (In a whisper:) What if she find him here, with us? I tried to
tell you. You should hear what she did to Io…
ZEUS. Clymene, is this the forest with the knotted pines?
CLYMENE. Yes, Father Zeus. It is very beautiful.
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GALATEA. We should take him to see it. It might cheer him up.
DAPHNE. Yes, let’s.
ECHO. Okay…it is very pretty…
(They get up to go chatting and laughing.)
CHORUS. Hera had not calmed down.
No, in fact when she saw Zeus with the beautiful nymphs
It just made her feel
Old and not beautiful
And that made her
Even madder.
HERA. (Off Stage:) ZEUS!!
(They all jump and react.)
ZEUS. Uh oh.
DAPHNE. She sounds mad.
GALATEA. Really mad.
ECHO. I told you so.
CLYMENE. I think I need to go…tend to some flowers…
(She rushes off.)
DAPHNE. Galatea, did you hear that?
HERA. (Off Stage:) Zeus, I see you!
GALATEA. Who didn’t hear that?
DAPHNE. No…I mean the sound of our father, Poseidon calling
us?
GALATEA. No… (DAPHNE glares at her.) I mean yes, yes I do.
(They rush off as they explain.)
ECHO. I didn’t hear anything.
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DAPHNE. You see we are in charge of the sea horses. And sometimes—they—uh—
GALATEA. They get loose of their tethers and that means that—
that—
DAPHNE. They scare the catfish. And that’s not good because…
GALATEA. Because it wakes up the dogfish, and…
(They are gone.)
ECHO. There is no such thing as a dog fish. (To ZEUS:) Is there?
ZEUS. Ahh. Echo, since you are still here you can help me.
ECHO. Help you? You are mighty Zeus, I am only a nymph.
ZEUS. Just distract her for a moment or two. I have a plan.
ECHO. Oh, a plan, what plan? I do love plans? Does it involve your
thunder bolts?
ZEUS. Echo, please. Just talk with her for a few moments.
(He rushes off, just as HERA enters the other side.)
HERA. Where is that good for nothing Zeus. I don’t ask very much
him and what does he do? He prefers to spend his time with nymphs
here in this miserable little woods. Where is he? What trouble was
he getting into?
ECHO. Well, it’s interesting you should ask me that. (Throughout her
speech HERA tries to interrupt but can’t.) Because I was just asking
Clymene about trouble in these woods. Because, as I am sure you
must know, there is always some trouble in woods somewhere. I
mean, with the number of creatures and spirits and the like gallivanting about, it’s surprising we don’t have more problems wouldn’t
you think? Anyway she told me the most interesting thing the other
day. Did you know that there is a butterfly with ears on its wings?
Isn’t that odd. I would assume that they aren’t as big as yours. Not
that yours are very big. Actually you do have very small cute ears.
Someone and I were just talking about that. It was another wood
nymph, Aegina. She just adores you. But she does adore everyone.
That’s what makes her so wonderful, don’t you think…
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(As the Chorus speak, ECHO continues talking and gesturing and
HERA gets more and more angry.)
CHORUS. Echo went on and on talking.
She talked of the leaves on the tree
The friends that she has made over the years.
The stories that she wished she could remember.
Hera got more and more angry.
She got so angry she forgot why she was angry before.
She forgot it was Zeus that she was looking for.
She forgot everything but how to make this beautiful nymph
Stop Talking.
HERA. STOP!!
(ECHO looks startled.)
ECHO. Oh, did I get talking… I do tend to do that sometimes, it’s
just there is so many wonderful things in the world to…
HERA. I have lost the entire afternoon standing here listening to you.
You have wasted my time. All I wanted was to find my husband.
And, because you stood in my way, you shall forfeit that use of that
tongue with which you tricked me. You shall still have the last word,
as you so dearly love but you will have no power to speak first.
(She rushes off feeling better. ECHO look confused. She opens her
mouth to speak but nothing comes out.)
CHORUS. And so it was.
Poor Echo could no longer speak,
except for the last word.
ECHO. Word.
CHORUS. She tried to explain to others,
but with only the last word
She could rarely speak.
ECHO. Speak.
(The other nymphs reenter.)
CLYMENE. Echo, where have you been? We’ve been looking for
you.
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ECHO. You?
DAPHNE. We don’t have time for this. We have to go to the festival.
ECHO. Festival.
GALATEA. Yes, the festival, and if you are going to make fun of us,
you can go alone!
ECHO. Alone.
(They leave, she looks sad.)
CHORUS. After a time Echo’s body faded away,
leaving only her voice.
ECHO. Voice.
CHORUS. She sits on rocks and mountain tops all alone.
ECHO. Alone.
CHORUS. They say if you shout to her, she’ll still shout back.
ECHO. Back.
CHORUS. She learned the hard way.
There is a time to talk.
ECHO. Talk.
CHORUS. And a time to be still.
(Lights fade as she wanders away.)
Scene 10
King Midas
(As the Chorus talks about KING MIDAS he comes out.)
CHORUS. All stories we play upon this stage are to entertain.
But under the characters and props there are often morals to learn
Warnings to heed.
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Triumphs to take to heart.
Before we end this night,
We have one more tale of foolish mortals and vengeful gods.
You have heard songs of a certain king of the land of roses, King of
Phrygia
He foolishly asked for a golden touch from a god.
And he got his wish,
Only to find it was not all he had bargained for.
King Midas learned a valuable lesson that day.
But, poor Midas, only learned half of the lesson set forth for him.
He did learn that having golden apples, and a golden castle paled in
comparison to
Having a flesh and blood daughter.
But he did not learn to think before speaking
Especially before a god.
Hear our lesser-known story of poor King Midas and his foolish
ways.
Listen now, to hear the flute playing of Pan, god of herders, as he
walks along the streets.
(PAN enters playing a pan pipe.)
A beautiful sound.
But now listen to the lyre playing of Apollo.
(APOLLO enters playing a lyre.)
Pan’s music is as light as a summer breeze
Apollo’s melody is that of the stars singing from heaven
Pan’s tunes can lull a child to sleep.
Apollo’s harmonies could stop a war.
(This conversation is done in good humor.)
APOLLO. Ah Pan, I think you are getting better on your reeds.
PAN. Much thanks, great Apollo. I think I am as well. And if you
keep practicing, you may some day be as good as I.
APOLLO. Pan, I think you have spent too much time finding lost
sheep. It is you that needs the practice to equal me.
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PAN. Now, Apollo, you may best many a man at many a thing. You
may even best many a god at archery. But you know my music is the
finest in all the land.
APOLLO. You may have the land, for mine is the best in the heavens. But if you insist what do you say to a friendly challenge?
PAN. Between me and my humble pipes and you and your handsome lyre?
APOLLO. Unless you would rather not see once and for all that I
indeed make music that make the birds stop to listen?
PAN. No, I think it’s a fine idea and a fine way to spend a day. We
shall need an impartial judge.
APOLLO. What about the mountain god, Timolus? He is a fair and
honest judge.
PAN. True, and he doesn’t spend much time on Mt. Olympus listening to you puff and brag like a peacock.
APOLLO. We shall see, my shaggy friend. Tomorrow then?
PAN. In this town square?
APOLLO. So be it.
(They both bow and exit.)
CHORUS. And so the challenge was made.
By sun down everyone in Phrygia had heard.
By sun up the next morning everyone was settled in the town
square.
Everyone knew they would have an interesting day.
Even the slightly-wiser King Midas brought his daughter to hear the
music.
Remember only slightly-wiser.
(Various townspeople enter and spread out.)
OLD WOMAN. I heard Pan play when I was young. It was the most
beautiful music I have ever heard.
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OLD MAN. Posh! My mother was invited to dance at a royal wedding when I was just a small child. And Apollo brought his lyre. It
made everyone cry with its sheer beauty.
OLD WOMAN. Oh, what do you know, old man? That was so long
ago you have forgotten. When you were a small child there were
only two stars in the sky.
OLD MAN. You’re so old, you went to school with Zeus.
OLD WOMAN. Oh now! We’ll see, we’ll just see.
XANTHE. Daddy, this is exciting. Who do you think will win?
MIDAS. I don’t know, darling. They are both gods. I am sure that
they both are good. We’ll have to wait and see.
WOMAN 1. Do you see, even King Midas can’t decide who will
win.
WOMAN 3. Of course he doesn’t know.
WOMAN 2. What do you mean?
WOMAN 3. King Midas is tone deaf.
WOMAN 2. What?
WOMAN 3. I heard from my sister’s husband’s cousin that he can’t
tell the difference between a lark’s song and a frog’s belch.
WOMAN 1. How would she know?
WOMAN 3. She’s a maid at the castle. She heard him talking about
music one morning.
(Two men overhear the above conversation.)
MAN 1. She’s right. I’ve heard the king sing.
MAN 2. Really? How was that?
MAN 1. It was at a festival of Spring, and he was singing along with
the minstrels.
MAN 2. How was he?
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MAN 1. I don’t want to disrespect the king, he is a fair and just king.
He protects us from enemies and helps us in time of need.
MAN 2. Yes, yes I agree. (In a whisper:) How bad was he?
MAN 1. Let me just say that if you wrapped it in cloth, and sewed it
to his arms he still could not carry a tune.
(The men whisper and move off and sit down. There is a buzz as
TIMOLUS enters. Everyone quiets in respect as he sits.)
TIMOLUS. Good morning, citizens of Phrygia. I am glad to see I
will have company for the contest today.
WOMAN 2. Timolus, aren’t you nervous about judging between
two gods?
TIMOLUS. Oh no, both Apollo and Pan have agreed to keep it very
civil and friendly. Besides I am certain they are doing this as an excuse to play for a crowd.
MAN 1. But why did they pick you to judge, no offense.
TIMOLUS. (Laughing:) No offense taken. You ask a good question.
WOMAN 3. Maybe it is because you are known for your appreciation of beauty and fine music.
OLD WOMAN. Or maybe because you are known to be a kind and
honest god.
TIMOLUS. Oh, you flatter me very much, thank you. But honestly,
I think it is because I live close by and I can’t say no.
(APOLLO and PAN enter.)
PAN. Oh, my. Look at all the people who came to hear me play.
(There is applause.)
APOLLO. No foolish Pan, I think they are here to witness how I
make my lyre sing.
(There is more applause.)
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TIMOLUS. Alright, alright, we all know they are here to watch two
gods show off. But what better way to spend a beautiful day. (There
is great applause.) Now, remember mighty Apollo and crafty Pan, this
is a friendly competition between two friends. Win or lose, it’s about
the music and pleasing the audience, right?
APOLLO. Of course, what is the use of being a musician if you scare
off your audience?
PAN. Without an audience we are only practicing.
TIMOLUS. Then let us begin. Since this is King Midas’ land we shall
give the honor of choosing who will go first to his daughter.
XANTHE. I think the satyr should go first. He’s fuzzy.
(Everyone looks at her strangely.)
TIMOLUS. As good a reason as any I reckon. Pan, begin.
(We hear pan flute music playing as PAN plays. Characters on
stage act out as the Chorus speaks.)
CHORUS. And so the contest began.
First Pan played a simple song about lost love.
Then Apollo a song of two lovers who ran away.
And back and forth the musicians went as Helios streaked across
the sky.
Sometimes they played together and sometimes one then another.
Finally Timolus had made a decision.
TIMOLUS. Though I could listen to you both play until the fall
harvest I have work to do, and I am getting a little hungry. So after
careful consideration, I say the winner is Apollo.
(There is great applause. He bows to PAN, then TIMOLUS, then
to the crowd. As the crowd begins to leave.)
PAN. A much as I loath to admit it, your playing is as beautiful as a
sunset, Apollo.
APOLLO. And the way you can play two tunes as once is amazing,
Pan. If I closed my eyes I would swear it was two men.
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PAN. You know, I think I should practice more and then re-challenge you next year. And get a different judge.
TIMOLUS. I heard that, Fuzzy.
PAN. Very funny. Now I must take my leave of you both. I have
shepherds to get safely home.
(He exits, the other Gods stand around talking.)
XANTHE. What did you think Daddy?
MIDAS. To be honest, Xanthe. I preferred the pipe playing to the
lyre.
XANTHE. Really? Why?
MIDAS. I don’t know why, dear, I just do. I think Pan should have
won.
OLD MAN. Did you hear that?
WOMAN 1. I think we should hurry home before something happens.
WOMAN 2. Because Apollo heard it as well, and he doesn’t look
happy.
(APOLLO is looking at MIDAS a little annoyed. The rest of the
townspeople leave quickly.)
TIMOLUS. Now, Apollo, everyone is entitled to his own opinion.
(APOLLO ignores him.) But I see you don’t agree. Well, I must be
getting home.
MIDAS. I mean, the lyre is nice but…the pipes were stunning. That
one song in the middle almost made me cry.
XANTHE. You mean when he was trying to get the bee out of his
pipes? That wasn’t music, that was him just blowing through the
pipes.
APOLLO. So, Midas, you didn’t like my playing?
XANTHE. Uh oh.
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MIDAS. (Getting nervous:) No, no it’s not that. I just was…saying
that the lyre is not as strong an instrument as the pipes. I mean…
APOLLO. You know, Midas, your foolishness is known through out
Mt. Olympus. You should learn to think before you speak.
XANTHE. I think he’s right, father. Thank you for the lovely concert,
great Apollo. Dad we should go. Now.
MIDAS. I mean if you put a lyre next to the pipes, just for looks it’s
not a pretty…no, no that’s not what I meant either. I mean—
APOLLO. You dare insult this lyre? My lyre? Do not forget I am the
god of the lyre, of harmony.
MIDAS. No, no…
XANTHE. Father, please stop.
APOLLO. Ah, you should learn to listen to your daughter more
often. If you wish to act like an donkey, then I will help you. (He
waves his hand at MIDAS, which causes him to fall behind something to
allow him to put on donkey ears. APOLLO laughs and walks off.) Smart
girl, you best to help your father learn his manners quickly.
XANTHE. Daddy, are you alright? What did he mean by that?
(MIDAS reappears, she recoils in fear.) What are those?
MIDAS. What are what? Where did Apollo go?
XANTHE. Your…ears…they are?
(MIDAS feels his ears and then covers his head with something.)
MIDAS. Quick get me home, Xanthe. I can’t have any of my subjects
seeing me like this.
(She leads him off.)
CHORUS. And so it was.
Apollo struck King Midas with constant reminders
To think before speaking
To ponder before revealing one’s thoughts.
The king, in order to save his dignity took to wearing a rather large
hat.
THIS PLAY IS
NOT OVER!
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