User:Saebjorn/pagesave1

=THIS PAGE WAS USERFIED BY MYSELF (NOT THE CREATOR), SAEBJORN, BECAUSE I FIND IT INTERESTING OR FUNNY. PLEASE LEAVE IT HERE; IT MAY SOON BE DELETED AND LOST FOREVER= This seminal dramatic work was first performed in 1588 by a troupe of travelling performers, which included its author, Thomas Splint, and a chorus of eunuchs. Today however, the play has fallen into near-obscurity, probably on account of the complexity of the plot, and the difficulty of the language. Written in trochaic tetrameter, the work is of particular interest to linguistic historians and philologists. The play is in five acts and is noted for its heart-wrenchingly tragic conclusion, but there are frequent moments of bawdy comedy more typical of the middle ages than of Elizabethan or Jacobean drama.

Act I

The play begins in the fictitious Slavic principality of Lustansia where the ageing and infirm King Gordano is dividing out his land and wealth between his three sons Duncan, Timon and Leonardo. Duncan, the eldest of the three is in line to take the monarchy, and is deeply displeased to hear that he must share his inheritance with his two younger brothers who he considers to be 'foolish men and wretched swines both.' (I, ii, 56). In order to secure his fortune, Duncan sets about devising a plot to rid himself of his youngest brother Leonardo, and dash Timon's chances of political power. He resolves to tell no-one about his cunning ploy. Meanwhile, Leonardo is preparing to declare his undying love for Dorcas, princess of the enemy state of Lombardy. In a soliloquy spanning some fifteen pages of the first folio edition, Leonardo expresses his fears for his family's reaction to his scandalous confession. As the first act draws to a close, it becomes obvious that tensions – romantic, sexual and fraternal – are running high.

Act II

Act two is a powerful portrayal of the psychological motives which drive the characters to such abhorrent destruction. The first scene is an intense exchange between Duncan and his wife Nerissa who uncovers his evil ploy after he cries aloud in his sleep for his henchman, Costard, to dispatch his youngest brother. The dream leads to a heated dispute between the lovers which sees Nerissa agree to help Duncan prevent his brothers from compromising his inheritance. The following morning, Leonardo declares his desire to marry Dorcas of Lombardy. Naturally, this angers King Gordano greatly and causes him to question whether Leonardo should receive a share of the kingdom after his death. Duncan is supportive of his brother's designs on Dorcas, as he is keen that Leonardo should fall out of his father's favour. In order to aid proceedings, Duncan enlists Nerissa to befriend Dorcas and to act as her confidante, promoting Leonardo's suit. Scene three shows the threat which Timon poses both to familial relations, and to Duncan's ascent to political dominance. In the intense and emotional closet scene, noted for its stichomythia, Duncan and Leonardo share their fears that Timon is their father's favoured son. These fears appear justified as Gordano repeats several times the fact that he is a 'proud and happy father made' (II, i, 56 and again in II, iii, 25 and 98) by his son's marriage to Perdita who he considers to be a 'truly good wond'rous maiden.' Duncan tells Leonardo not to fear, and helps his younger brother forge a plan to ruin her reputation, rendering her a 'vile and heinous, shrewish wench' (II, iv, 71).

Act III

The third act begins with Perdita's soliloquy, often set as an A-level passage until the educational reform under Kenneth Baker, when the play was deemed too complicated and vulgar for the examination syllabus. In this first scene, Perdita expresses her lust for Balthazar, the Moor. As night falls, she leaves Timon sleeping peacefully, and clambers down from the balcony for a lovers' tryst in the knot garden. Meanwhile, Duncan and Leonardo set about putting their plan into action. Leonardo persuades Panthino, the eunuch to disguise himself as a woman, called Hermia, and burst into Timon and Perdita's chamber. Duncan briefs Panthino on the elaborate ruse, calling on him to declare that he has been having an elicit relationship with Timon, and is now expecting his illegitimate child. Panthino carries out the plan as instructed, but is surprised to discover that Perdita is not beside her husband; unsure of how to react, Panthino slips into the bed in the princess's place. On hearing the dawn chorus, Perdita realizes that she must return to her chamber. Hauling herself over the balustrade, she rips her smock, thus giving the 'lusty moor' a final glimpse of her behind. This is one of the rare moments of comedy in this emotionally charged act. As the moon sets, Perdita returns to her bed to discover Timon beside the sleeping Panthino. Seizing a sheet to preserve her modesty, she runs from the room screaming 'avaunt! Filthy prince of plackets!' (III, iv, 41). In the corridor she meets the King's trusted advisor Osric and leads him into the bedchamber where the pair catch Timon and Hermia apparently in delicto flagrante.

Act IV

Gordano banishes Timon to Nordavia, 'curs'd and frigid country,' (IV, i, 22), where he commits suicide by drinking poison procured from an apothecary. Meanwhile, Leonardo departs for Lombardy to propose marriage to Dorcas; Duncan is left to rule as regent, caring for Gordano whose health is rapidly failing, broken by his favoured son's perfidy. The eldest son's quest for power appears to be succeeding, as Gordano is incensed by Leonardo's attempt to unite Lombardy with the noble state of Lustansia, through marriage. In order to divert his attention from the serious familial and political circumstances, Gordano calls on his fools Dimbus and Bombus to put on a dramatic interlude. The obscene and ridiculous play within a play adds a certain amount of comic relief which is successfully juxtaposed against the high drama of the court. The entertainment provided by the King's fools is another scene which was removed from the A-level text, after criticism that the comedy was too broad and the humour ribald. This preposterous melodrama, 527 lines in length, can become somewhat tedious if not performed at a good pace. The court drama does little to lift Gordano's spirits and he curses his younger son 'plagued be he who sails the sea/ to marry she of Lombardy.' (IV, iii, 21) This is a key moment of dramatic irony. In the following scene, a messenger arrives bringing news from Italy. Leonardo and his bride have been shipwrecked off the Tuscan coast and are feared lost.

Act V

Back in Gordano's court, Perdita's crime is discovered when she is taken ill, and subsequently gives birth to a boy who is 'black of eye and sooty skinn'd.' (V, ii, 31) She is publicly disgraced and sent to a convent where the baby, christened Dennis, is raised by jovial nuns. His brothers effectively removed from Lustansia, Duncan's loyalty to his father is rewarded when he named as Gordano's successor. Duncan's investiture forms the play's final scene. This happy occasion is overshadowed by the appearance of Leonardo's ghost, who tells of the cruel circumstances of his demise. It transpires that the ship carrying him and his new bride was sabotaged: Fenton, an emissary sent to Lombardy by scheming Duncan, had used an awl to bore holes in the hull, causing the vessel to sink. 'a cruel trick was this, I think/ to make so good a vessel sink.' (V, ii, 198) Duncan is horrified by the apparition and its message and stands in stunned silence as Gordano draws his sword and inflicts a mortal blow. As he retracts the weapon, the King is struck by an apoplexy and falls dying to the ground. Gordano's final speech is a protracted but moving résumé of the plot, which often becomes confusing as the stage directions explain that profuse bleeding impairs his ability to speak. The audience, transfixed by the musings of a dying man, is alienated from the villain, who is also in extremis: Duncan's last words, 'I die a knave, whom none can save' bring the bloody domestic scene to a conclusion. All that remains is for Osric to be dispatched to the convent in order to find Dennis who is next in line to the throne. Cheering resounds through the court as the child is ceremoniously brought on to the stage. The play ends happily with a song and dance, provided by fools Dimbus and Bombus.

The play is currently being revived in a sell-out production by David West at the Old Strand Theatre.