Here is a short, original play by the blogger ibikunle Abraham laniyan in the Shakespearean tradition, which concludes with a glorious and triumphant resolution for the protagonist, focused on exploration and discovery.
The Mariner's Return
Dramatis Personae:
CAPTAIN EDWARD: A bold explorer.
LORD MAYOR: A cynical city official.
SARAH: Edward's faithful wife.
A CROWD: Citizens of the port city.
SCENE I. The Docks of a port city. A year since the ship sailed.
[Enter LORD MAYOR and SARAH. Sarah is looking anxiously out to sea.]
LORD MAYOR:
Good madam, cease your watch upon the waves.
A year and more hath passed since Edward sailed
To seek the fabled lands beyond the sun.
His ship is lost, his crew consumed by storms.
'Tis time to mourn and claim your widow's due.
SARAH:
My Lord Mayor, your words are cold as ice!
My Edward is a man of skill and might.
He promised he would find the golden coast,
And promises made by a noble man
Are not so lightly broken. He will return!
LORD MAYOR:
A fool's hope feeds a hungry, waiting heart.
His venture was a folly, built on dreams.
The guild requires the debt be paid in full;
We seize your house and goods upon the hour.
SARAH:
You have no right! My husband's work was true!
LORD MAYOR:
The law is clear, the contract iron-bound!
Prepare to leave your house, the time is up.
[A great shout goes up from the crowd offstage: "A ship! A ship appears! 'Tis the Sea Serpent!"]
SCENE II. The Docks. Moments later.
[Enter CAPTAIN EDWARD, sun-bronzed and triumphant, leading his crew. They are laden with exotic fruits, spices, and glittering gold.]
SARAH:
(Rushing to him, weeping with joy)
Edward! My love! You have returned to me!
CAPTAIN EDWARD:
My faithful Sarah, I am home at last!
The storms were fierce, the journey long and hard,
But we found the golden shores beyond the mist!
A land of riches, spices, and of silk,
Where men are kind and nature is most grand!
LORD MAYOR:
(Stunned, looking at the gold and spices)
This... this cannot be! You are a ghost!
The debt... the contract...
CAPTAIN EDWARD:
(Smiling proudly)
The debt is paid a thousand times in full!
I bring back wealth enough to save the guild,
And make our city rich for a hundred years!
The charts are drawn, the path to the new world clear!
A CROWD:
(Cheering loudly)
Huzzah! Huzzah for Captain Edward!
Our hero! Our great hero!
CAPTAIN EDWARD:
(To the Lord Mayor, with triumph)
My Lord, sometimes a fool's hope lights the way,
Where caution's lamp doth flicker and then fail.
The future belongs to the brave of heart!
(To the crowd, raising his hands)
We have made history! A glorious end
To all our struggles! Let the trumpets sound
A joyous tune across the wide, wide sea!
Our glorious end shall never be forgot!
[A mighty fanfare of trumpets sounds. The crowd cheers wildly, celebrating the explorer's bravery and the glorious triumph of human spirit and exploration.]
[CURTAIN]
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