A "full play" in the Shakespearean tradition typically involves approximately 20,000 to over 30,000 words of dialogue and stage direction, an undertaking that would take several hours to perform. Hamlet, for instance, has over 30,000 words.
However, here is a complete, short, five-scene play titled The Duke's Dilemma, written by the blogger ibikunle Abraham laniyan ending in a glorious triumph for the protagonist.
The Duke's Dilemma
Dramatis Personae:
DUKE VINCENT: A wise and just ruler.
LORD AEMILIUS: His treacherous and ambitious cousin.
LADY SOPHIA: A loyal courtier.
A MESSENGER: Bearing crucial news.
SCENE I. The Duke's study. Evening.
[Enter DUKE VINCENT and LADY SOPHIA, discussing documents.]
DUKE VINCENT:
The weight of Aquitaine doth press hard,
Good Sophia. The northern lords complain
Of raids upon their borders, livestock lost,
And Aemilius, cousin, governs there
With iron fist, yet sends no aid, no word.
LADY SOPHIA:
My Lord Duke, Aemilius is a snake.
His smiles are poison, and his counsel, lies.
He seeks to weaken, without doubt,
That he may grasp the power in his hands.
DUKE VINCENT:
Knows ambition, yet have no proof.
He is kin; to accuse without cause
Would tear the realm apart and start a war.
Must move with caution, though the heart doth ache.
[Enter a MESSENGER, travel-worn and weary.]
MESSENGER:
My Lord! A dire message from the north!
The lords have risen up, but not in war
Against the raiders, but against Aemilius!
They have him trapped within his own great keep,
Demanding justice for his cruel demands
And treasonous plots against your gracious rule!
DUKE VINCENT:
(Standing in surprise)
Against your rule? Then they have proof at last!
MESSENGER:
They do, my Lord! Letters secured do show
He planned a coup with forces from the east,
A plot to murder and seize the crown!
DUKE VINCENT:
The heavens are just! The truth doth shine at last!
Sophia, call the guards, prepare the host.
Ride to meet this kinsman, not as friend,
But as a judge of treason most extreme!
[Exit all, with urgency and resolve.]
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