ACT I
SCENE I. The castle ramparts at night. Cold and wind.
Enter MARCELLUS and BERNARDO, guards.
BERNARDO:
Who's there?
MARCELLUS:
Nay, answer me. Stand, and unfold yourself.
BERNARDO:
Long live the King!
MARCELLUS:
Bernardo?
BERNARDO:
He.
MARCELLUS:
You have not seen the apparition once again?
BERNARDO:
I have not. But the night is cold and eerie.
Twice hath the fearful vision cross'd our watch,
A figure cloaked in armour of the King
That died but a month since.
MARCELLUS:
It chills my blood to speak of it, Bernardo.
Hush, speak no more. See where young Prince Òyèkú
Doth wander, lost in scholarly despair.
He fasts, he prays, he questions all that is.
His father's death hath made a hollow man
Of our sweet prince.
(Enter PRINCE ÒYÈKÚ, wrapped in dark robes, contemplative.)
BERNARDO:
Goodnight, Marcellus. We shall keep the watch.
(Exeunt MARCELLUS and BERNARDO, leaving the PRINCE alone.)
PRINCE ÒYÈKÚ:
(To himself)
To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep;
To sleep: perchance to dream: aye, there's the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause. The Odu Òyèkú speaks
Of death and ancestors, of worlds unseen.
A sign from Ifá I must have, to know
Which path is true: the path of quiet death,
Or the harsh life that demands a bloody hand.
(The GHOST OF THE DEAD KING appears silently in the mist.)
GHOST:
(A deep, echoing voice)
Hear me, my son.
PRINCE ÒYÈKÚ:
(Turning in shock and fear)
What spirit’s form is this? My father's face!
GHOST:
I am thy father's spirit;
Doom'd for a certain term to walk the night,
And for the day confin'd to fast in fires,
Till the foul crimes done in my days of nature
Are burnt and purged away. If thou didst ever thy dear father love...
PRINCE ÒYÈKÚ:
O God!
GHOST:
Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder.
Thy uncle, who now sits upon the throne,
Did pour the poison in my sleeping ear.
A serpent stung me; so the whole ear of Òwu
Is by a forged process of my death
Rankly abus'd: but know, thou noble youth,
The serpent that did sting thy father's life
Now wears his crown.
PRINCE ÒYÈKÚ:
O my prophetic soul! My uncle!
GHOST:
The Odu speaks the truth. Remember me.
(The GHOST fades back into the mist. PRINCE ÒYÈKÚ stands alone, a man burdened by an unwanted fate.)
PRINCE ÒYÈKÚ:
The Odu speaks the truth. Remember me.
(The GHOST fades back into the mist. PRINCE ÒYÈKÚ stands alone, a man burdened by an unwanted fate.)
PRINCE ÒYÈKÚ:
The time is out of joint: O cursed spite,
That ever I was born to set it right!
I must consult the oracle, not this shade,
For truth must wear the light of day.
(Curtain falls.)
ACT I (Continued)
SCENE II. A room in the castle.
Enter the new King KLÁRÌBÀS and his Queen GÈTRÚDE, with advisors.
KLÁRÌBÀS:
Though the memory of our dear brother’s death is recent,
and it is fitting to bear hearts in grief,
yet, discretion has been shown to us,
that with a joy unmatch'd, our sister, Gètrúde,
has been taken to our bed and royal throne.
Now to the business of the state.
(Enter EMERE, the kind healer from the earlier play, now serving the court.)
EMERE:
My lord, the Babaláwo Agbà awaits.
He comes, as ordered, to divine the future
and seek the ancestors' assent to your new reign.
KLÁRÌBÀS:
Let him enter; due reverence must be shown
to ancient custom and the spirits' will.
(Enter BABÁ AGBA, the Chief Priest, bearing his divining tools. The court makes way for him.)
BABÁ AGBA:
Great King, the spirits of the ancestors
demand a clean heart and a righteous rule.
The Opele chain is cast, to seek the truth.
(He casts the chain onto a mat.)
The sign that falls... is Òyèkú Mèjì.
(A hush falls over the court. Òyèkú Mèjì is a grave, potent Odu associated with profound death and ancestral reckoning.)
GÈTRÚDE:
(Whispering to Kláribàs, shaken)
Òyèkú Mèjì! A sign of deepest death!
KLÁRÌBÀS:
(His face pale, but voice firm)
Interpret this, good priest. What does it mean?
Is this a blessing or a dire warning?
BABÁ AGBA:
It is a warning that what seems as life,
is touched by death. A great wrong was committed.
The ancestors cry out from the other side,
demanding truth and balance be restored.
The palace grounds are stained with hidden sin.
If this is not addressed with speed and truth,
the kingdom itself shall fall into the shade.
KLÁRÌBÀS:
(To himself, shifting nervously)
Stained ground? Hidden sin?
(To the Priest)
We thank you for the warning, holy man.
The conscience and the law will be consulted.
The court is dismissed.
(The court exits, leaving Kláribàs alone with his thoughts.)
KLÁRÌBÀS:
The priest speaks true, but not of ghosts or shades,
but of my secret sin, the murder done!
My brother's blood doth cry out from the earth!
This Òyèkú sign doth chill my very bones.
But I have the crown, the power, and the sword.
The oracle will be outfaced and reign,
though hell itself doth send its demons forth.
My conscience is for weaker men.
(Exit KLÁRÌBÀS, resolute in his evil intent.)
SCENE III. The ramparts again. Night.
Enter PRINCE ÒYÈKÚ, MARCELLUS, and HORATIO.
PRINCE ÒYÈKÚ:
He comes again, that ghost, that mournful shade.
Horatio, my trusted friend, the priest
confirmed the Odu Òyèkú for the realm.
There is a sin, a murder most foul.
My uncle’s hand, the crown that doth not fit,
The vision, the oracle... all speak as one!
HORATIO:
My lord, be cautious. Madness lurks in grief.
The spirits speak in riddles. Trust no shade.
Your Ori, your own spirit, must be clear
before the blade of vengeance swift is wielded.
PRINCE ÒYÈKÚ:
Clear? The mind is clear as glass!
But a madness must be feigned, to observe
My uncle's guilt, to make his conscience crack.
An antic disposition shall be put on!
A fool shall play the sage, a madman speak the truth.
MARCELLUS:
This path is dangerous, my noble prince.
PRINCE ÒYÈKÚ:
The time is out of joint, it was said before.
Now madness will be used as a shield,
and the uncle will be watched closely. There is a plan.
(He whispers his plan to Horatio and Marcellus.)
HORATIO:
A risky game, my prince. Be ever mindful.
PRINCE ÒYÈKÚ:
Fear not. A part is played, and the stage is set.
The tragic tale begins with a fool's guise.
(Exeunt, Prince Òyèkú laughing a wild, feigned laugh.)
ACT II
SCENE I. A Hall in the Castle.
Enter King KLÁRÌBÀS and Queen GÈTRÚDE with advisors ROSENKRANTZ and GUILDENSTERN.
KLÁRÌBÀS:
Welcome, good friends. The cause of our son's madness
We have sent for you to know, and for no other reason
But to glean, whether aught, to us unknown,
Hath put him so much from his former state.
ROSENKRANTZ:
My lord, we have not found the head and cause.
He speaks in riddles, and his mind doth wander
From sense to nonsense with a frightening speed.
GUILDENSTERN:
He spoke of players arriving at the court,
A travelling troupe, that he desires to see
Perform a play tonight before the court.
KLÁRÌBÀS:
'Tis well. A play to ease his troubled mind.
We will attend. See that they are well hosted.
(Exeunt ROSENKRANTZ and GUILDENSTERN.)
KLÁRÌBÀS:
(To himself)
This feigned madness has a purpose, it is suspected.
A play may show his hand, or bare his soul.
The Odu Òyèkú hovers like a cloud.
POLONIUS:
My lord, the cause of Òyèkú’s lunacy has been found.
It is the very passion of his love for my Ophelia.
See here, his letters, filled with words of love.
KLÁRÌBÀS:
A love rejected turns the brain to woe.
Ophelia, go you to him now. We'll watch
And see the truth of this sad affliction.
(The KING and POLONIUS hide behind a large tapestry. Enter PRINCE ÒYÈKÚ, reading a book.)
OPHELIA:
My honour'd lord, I pray you, how do you?
PRINCE ÒYÈKÚ:
Well, well, well.
OPHELIA:
My lord, I have remembrances of yours,
That I have longed to redeliver.
(She offers a small box of gifts.)
PRINCE ÒYÈKÚ:
I never gave you aught. I loved you not.
OPHELIA:
(Heartbroken)
Indeed, my honour'd lord, you know right well you did.
PRINCE ÒYÈKÚ:
Get thee to a nunnery, Ophelia! Why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners?
Farewell. Or if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool.
(He exits with wild eyes.)
KLÁRÌBÀS:
(Emerging with Polonius)
Love? This is not the melancholy of rejected love.
There is some mystery here. He plans some purpose.
He will be sent to England, on an embassy,
To seek some tribute that is due our crown.
Far from our court, his madness shall find peace,
Or find a quiet end.
POLONIUS:
'Tis a wise plan, my King.
(Exeunt.)
SCENE II. The Great Hall of the Castle. A stage is set for a play.
Enter OYÈKÚ and HORATIO.
PRINCE ÒYÈKÚ:
Horatio, when the play is on, observe my uncle's face.
A scene has been inserted in the play
That mirrors my father's most unnatural murder.
If his blood doth not rush to his face,
And his heart doth not confess the sin,
Then the ghost was false, and the Odu lied.
Watch him closely.
HORATIO:
My eyes shall be as sharp as knives.
(The court enters. KING KLÁRÌBÀS, QUEEN GÈTRÚDE, and advisors take their seats. The Players come forward. The play is titled "The Mouse-Trap".)
PLAYER KING:
Full thirty times hath Phoebus' cart gone round
Since love our hearts and Hymen did our hands
Unite commutual in most sacred bands.
PLAYER QUEEN:
So many journeys may the sun and moon
Make out of this, to make it thirty years,
Ere twice the horses of the sun shall bring
Their fiery periods to their envious race.
(A player enters, pouring a vial of "poison" into the sleeping King's ear. The character on stage mimics the death Kláribàs inflicted.)
KLÁRÌBÀS:
(Leaping from his throne, pale and trembling)
Give me some light! Away! Away!
The play's the thing wherein I caught my conscience!
(The court descends into chaos. KLÁRÌBÀS rushes out, followed by the Queen and advisors. The room empties save for ÒYÈKÚ and HORATIO.)
PRINCE ÒYÈKÚ:
(Triumphant and horrified)
O, my Horatio! Did you perceive?
The villain did confess the sin with his own eyes!
The ghost was honest! The Odu Òyèkú speaks true!
Now there is cause to take my righteous vengeance!
HORATIO:
The proof is clear. But caution still, my friend.
PRINCE ÒYÈKÚ:
Now the chamber of my mother must be visited.
The time for action is upon me now.
To kill the King!
Oh but behold the king former prince lives on forever
(Exeunt.)
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