The Moor of Manhattan
A Short Play in One Act
Here is a play based on the query:
Characters:
ANTONIO: (The Moor) A man of color, newly appointed CEO of a major financial institution. Noble, yet prone to self-doubt.
IANUS: (The Ancient) A trusted, yet bitter, subordinate who desires Antonio's downfall.
DESDEMONA: Antonio's wife, a woman of grace and integrity.
RODERIGO: A foolish young analyst, obsessed with gaining influence.
[SCENE START]
SCENE I
A highly modern office, high above Manhattan. ANTONIO stands alone, looking out a vast glass window at the city lights. IANUS enters quietly.
ANTONIO
(To himself)
These towers stand as silent monuments
To men who grasped the sky without a qualm.
Yet I, who hold the helm of this great ship,
Do feel the concrete yield beneath my foot.
Is 't merit, or a mere caprice of fate,
That places a poor Moor within this seat?
IANUS
(Aside, to audience)
Aha! The seed of doubt doth sprout at last!
He is a noble fool, this new-made chief,
Whose skin is darker than the common herd's,
And thus more prone to question his own worth.
He hath supplanted me, an honest man
Of longer service, for this gilded chair.
I’ll plant such weeds within his garden fair
That he shall choke upon his own success.
(Aloud)
My Lord Antonio, a moment’s pause?
ANTONIO
Ianus, good ancient, welcome. Speak thy mind.
Dost thou bring news of market volatility?
IANUS
Nay, sir, the market holds steady. 'Tis the mind
That proves a wilder, more unstable plain.
I merely came to praise your quick ascent;
A wondrous thing, how quickly merit shines!
ANTONIO
Thou mock'st me, man. I know the common talk:
That I am but a symbol, a new flag
To wave for virtue's sake before the press,
Whilst wiser heads should manage the account.
IANUS
Who speaks such venom? Some base, envious rogue,
Who sees the worth the Board doth place in you.
Though truth be told, some wonder at the pace.
Not of your rise, but of your… acceptance here.
ANTONIO
Acceptance? Speak plainly, rogue. What acceptance?
IANUS
(Feigning reluctance)
Oh, nothing, nothing. Mere office whispers, sir.
A fool named Roderigo, whom you know,
Doth prattle of your rapid trust of all,
Especially of one so white, so pure,
As the Lady Desdemona, your fair wife.
ANTONIO
My wife? What word hath this base Roderigo spread?
IANUS
Only that she, being of purest white,
And you, sir, of a starker, different hue,
Might find the chasm of your worlds too deep.
He claims she pines for men of her own kind.
'Tis vicious stuff! Dismiss it from your mind.
ANTONIO
(His composure breaking)
Dismiss it? When the serpent coils his tail
Around the very pillar of my life?
Desdemona! A soul as white as snow!
Yet… are we matched? Do I deserve her grace?
Am I a savage still, though clad in silk?
Get thee hence, Ianus. Leave me to my thoughts.
IANUS
(Aside)
The hook is set. The poison takes its hold.
(Aloud)
I take my leave, my lord. Remember not
This idle chat. Keep strong.
(Ianus exits. Antonio stares at his reflection in the glass.)
ANTONIO
My honor bleeds. My mind is now a chaos.
If I am less a man than others here,
Then she must see it, too. And seeing it, despise.
Oh, farewell peace of mind! Farewell content!
I must have proof! The proof must be as strong
As the stock market's foundation.
If she be false, let all the city burn!
[SCENE END]
SCENE II
ANTONIO's private office, later that evening. DESDEMONA enters, holding a framed photograph of their wedding day.
DESDEMONA
Antonio, my lord? The dinner waits below.
You labour hard. Your brow is writ with care.
ANTONIO
(Turning sharply, his face strained)
Care is my mistress now, my only love.
Come hither, wife. Look in this mirror here.
(He gestures to the window reflection)
What dost thou see? A beast? A foreign thing?
A Moor who stole thee from thy proper place?
DESDEMONA
I see my husband, whom my soul adores.
My strength, my guiding star, my everything.
What dark conceit hath seized your noble mind?
ANTONIO
(His voice rising, full of self-loathing)
Dost thou not tire of my dark company?
Dost thou not look upon these men of state,
These pale-faced princes of the financial realm,
And wish that I were more akin to them?
DESDEMONA
This is madness! I know no difference in men,
Save for the heart and honour that they hold.
Yours is the best of all. Who poisoned you?
ANTONIO
(Seizing her arms)
Ianus, the honest ancient, spoke the truth!
He said that Roderigo doth declare
You sigh for others! That I am not enough!
DESDEMONA
That is a lie so black, it shames the night!
Roderigo is a fool, and Ianus is a knave!
You doubt my love because you doubt yourself!
ANTONIO
(Letting go of her, defeated)
Aye, there's the rub. My heart, my hue, my place.
I am an outsider, raised up high to fall.
My merit was a loan, not a true wage.
I saw my difference as my strength, but now
I see it as the cause of all my woe.
(A Policeman enters with RODERIGO in cuffs.)
POLICEMAN
My Lord Antonio, this man we found,
Rambling without the tower, confessing all!
He claims that one named Ianus bade him lie
About your wife, to plant the seeds of doubt,
And bring your honour crashing to the ground!
We have the texts, the notes, the evidence!
(Antonio stares, first at Roderigo, then at Desdemona, then at his hands.)
ANTONIO
A glorious fool. A monumental ass!
I let a whisper tear my world apart.
My fatal flaw was not my shade of skin,
But my belief that I was worthy of their hate!
Ianus, the villain, saw my fragile pride
And used it as a weapon 'gainst my soul.
DESDEMONA
My love, 'tis past. The truth is plain as day.
ANTONIO
Not past, my Desdemona, but revealed.
The villain's caught, but I am still the fool
Who trusted rumour more than my own heart.
(He looks out the window, at the vast, indifferent city)
The office sleeps, the market is secure,
But in the Moor's own breast, there is a war.
My reign here ends tonight. I have no trust
To lead these men, who whisper in the dark.
My resignation waits upon the desk.
The fall is swift, when one doth doubt one's right.
The Moor of Manhattan sinks into the night.
(ANTONIO puts on his coat and takes DESDEMONA's hand. They exit, leaving the office empty.)
[SCENE END]
The TikTok King (King Viralus)
A Short Play in One Act
Characters:
VIRALUS: (The King) A young man of charisma, obsessed with fame and vanity.
AEMILIA: (His Confidante) His sober sister.
CHORUS: Representing the 'Followers' or 'The Masses'.
[SCENE START]
SCENE I
A modern room, bathed in bright, artificial ring-light. VIRALUS preens before a camera mounted on a tripod. He wears extravagant robes.
VIRALUS
(To the Camera/Audience)
Good den, brave subjects of my wide domain!
What news? What jests? What challenge shall we seize?
Five millions strong! A kingdom built on light,
Where every smile a thousand hearts doth win!
CHORUS
(Voiceover, loud and immediate)
Huzzah! Huzzah! Long live the King of Views!
We love you, Viralus! More light! More news!
VIRALUS
(Bowing to the camera with a flourish)
Your grace doth humble me! I live for thee!
(He turns off the camera, the room darkens slightly. AEMILIA enters, carrying a simple book.)
AEMILIA
Brother, I pray you, step away from that bright ring.
Your eyes are sore, your voice is hoarse with strain.
VIRALUS
Sore eyes? Hoarse voice? A necessary tax,
For every view a jewel in my crown!
Dost thou not hear the roar of my domain?
Aemilia, I am loved, adored, consumed!
I am the moment! I am the very breath
The world doth take!
AEMILIA
(Sighing)
You are a prisoner to a fleeting fancy.
The love you speak of is a pale, thin light,
It warms you not, nor keeps the wolves at bay.
They love the image, brother, not the man.
When the mask cracks, the love will turn to scorn.
VIRALUS
Scorn? Never! My smile is flawless, my content divine!
I am eternal in the digital sky!
I have dismissed the counsel of old men,
Who speak of substance, truth, and genuine toil.
Vanity is my strength, Aemilia, not my flaw!
AEMILIA
Vanity is a mirror that reflects the void.
Be warned, my lord. The higher you ascend
The pedestal of public adoration,
The sharper falls the shard when you do break.
VIRALUS
(Dismissively)
Away with prophecies of doom! I must prepare
A new masque for my people. Something grand,
A feat of daring, a spectacle of self!
More light!
(He switches the ring light back on with a blinding flash. Aemilia shakes her head and exits.)
[SCENE END]
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