for d&lp
more of the muse play. it's still not finished. here is the beginning.
still in first-draft mode. needs revision badly. help.
oh, and i'm not going through and putting the center tag on all the names again. it took forever. so...just pretend that the names are centered. ^_^;
thank you for reading.
POLYHYMNIA
History and astronomy are the two we have chosen. The decision has been made. This entire conversation is meaningless. Now look professional, ladies. I see another applicant approaching.
(they all look, but are taken aback when the applicant turns out to be CLIO charging towards them. she is brandishing a gun.)
CLIO
Everybody down!
(the MUSES are startled. not even POLYHYMNIA was expecting this. they all huddle together and crouch on the ground, frightened. CLIO grabs THALIA and holds the gun to her head.)
THALIA
Yipes! Why me? This is Poly’s fault, remember? Poly Poly Poly!
CLIO
Who cares about sacred song? Comedy’s far more important a Muse.
THALIA
(flattered) Oh! Well, thank you Clio. Hear that, Melpomene? I’m important enough to be held hostage. Where’s your “Tragedy is the most revealing and intense of all arts” now? Huh? Huh? Nyah.
MELPOMENE
You never see the true importance of things, do you? And anyway, you were closer.
TERPSICHORE
Euterpe, go and soothe that savage beast!
EUTERPE
M-me?
POLYHYMNIA
That’s your job, isn’t it? Muse of Music?
EUTERPE
What about you? Call down some divine help here, Sacred Song.
(the MUSES all turn to POLYHYMNIA)
MUSES (sans CLIO)
(adlibbing) Yes, Poly! Sing! Call on some god for help! That’s your job! The gods will help us if you ask them! Call the gods!
(POLYHYMNIA looks around at them, frightened. she looks away. CLIO laughs.)
CLIO
She can’t do it, she can’t do it, especially not with me standing here. You can’t do it, can you Poly?
POLYHYMNIA
Hold your tongue.
CLIO
All throughout history, people have been calling on the gods for help. People have been singing their praises, all inspired by dear Polyhymnia here. But history proved all those pretty pretty songs wrong. Eh, Poly? The Greeks, the Romans sang songs of praise, hoping that their songs would please the gods enough so they’d help them when they needed help. Where are they now, Poly? All your inspiration has yielded nothing. I’m the one who has shown that. History has shown that. And so you want to get rid of me.
(POLYHYMNIA has had time to regain her confidence.)
POLYHYMNIA
We’ve all had enough of your accusations.
(she steps towards CLIO.)
CLIO
No closer.
THALIA
You don’t want her to hurt the most important Muse!
(POLYHYMNIA snatches THALIA’s arm and throws her roughly aside. ERATO and MELPOMENE rush to her aid. CLIO, undaunted, points the gun squarely at POLYHYMNIA.)
POLYHYMNIA
The gods don’t like being talked about like that.
CLIO
Yeah? Let ‘em come down here and say that.
POLYHYMNIA
So you’re anti-gods, are you? Have you forgotten where you come from?
CLIO
I am the Muse of History. My mother was Mnemosyne. I never forget anything.
POLYHYMNIA
There are still people who believe in gods enough to sing to them.
CLIO
Enough people to warrant you keeping your job while you kick me out of mine?
(enter URANIA. she has a sense of urgency about her, but still manages to keep her “i really would rather stay out of this” attitude.)
URANIA
Sisters, I feel it is only right to come and tell you. I think Clio’s going to do something drastic. (spots CLIO) Ah, I see she already has. Never mind then.
CLIO
Are you betraying me too, Urania?
URANIA
(just plain tired of the whole thing) I’m not betraying anybody. Hold them hostage if you like. I’m interested to see how this turns out.
(she pulls up a chair and sits back to watch the action. her sisters stare at her openmouthed.)
TERPSICHORE
How can you just sit there like that? Clio is going to kill us all!
URANIA
Clio isn’t going to kill anybody. She’s got a violent streak, but Clio herself really does love you all. Besides, if you all paid any attention to me besides to get all watery-eyed about starlight and moonbeams, you’d know that I am a very objective sort of Muse. I know that there are bigger things out there to think about. Why should anyone care about one little gun pointed at seven little nothings on a tiny floating rock amongst billions of tiny floating rocks? I think about these things objectively. Which is why I’m being replaced, eh?
(she nods to POLYHYMNIA, who goes silent with rage.)
CLIO
See, Urania agrees with me.
URANIA
Poly, we used to all get along so well. Compliment each other. What happened?
POLYHYMNIA
You two ruined my work!
(a pause as all the MUSES stare at her.)
I mean our work. You two became obsolete. Making it difficult for any of us to continue with our work, with you two...in the way.
URANIA
Oh Poly. Come on.
CLIO
History and astronomy have done nothing to stand in anyone’s way. Terpsichore can still inspire dance. Euterpe still has her music. Throughout history, there have always been lovers for Erato to inspire poetry. Thalia and Melpomene have thrived. Look at them both, practically glittering with health. Even Calliope is not lost. The only one of us who has really suffered these past decades is YOU.
still in first-draft mode. needs revision badly. help.
oh, and i'm not going through and putting the center tag on all the names again. it took forever. so...just pretend that the names are centered. ^_^;
thank you for reading.
POLYHYMNIA
History and astronomy are the two we have chosen. The decision has been made. This entire conversation is meaningless. Now look professional, ladies. I see another applicant approaching.
(they all look, but are taken aback when the applicant turns out to be CLIO charging towards them. she is brandishing a gun.)
CLIO
Everybody down!
(the MUSES are startled. not even POLYHYMNIA was expecting this. they all huddle together and crouch on the ground, frightened. CLIO grabs THALIA and holds the gun to her head.)
THALIA
Yipes! Why me? This is Poly’s fault, remember? Poly Poly Poly!
CLIO
Who cares about sacred song? Comedy’s far more important a Muse.
THALIA
(flattered) Oh! Well, thank you Clio. Hear that, Melpomene? I’m important enough to be held hostage. Where’s your “Tragedy is the most revealing and intense of all arts” now? Huh? Huh? Nyah.
MELPOMENE
You never see the true importance of things, do you? And anyway, you were closer.
TERPSICHORE
Euterpe, go and soothe that savage beast!
EUTERPE
M-me?
POLYHYMNIA
That’s your job, isn’t it? Muse of Music?
EUTERPE
What about you? Call down some divine help here, Sacred Song.
(the MUSES all turn to POLYHYMNIA)
MUSES (sans CLIO)
(adlibbing) Yes, Poly! Sing! Call on some god for help! That’s your job! The gods will help us if you ask them! Call the gods!
(POLYHYMNIA looks around at them, frightened. she looks away. CLIO laughs.)
CLIO
She can’t do it, she can’t do it, especially not with me standing here. You can’t do it, can you Poly?
POLYHYMNIA
Hold your tongue.
CLIO
All throughout history, people have been calling on the gods for help. People have been singing their praises, all inspired by dear Polyhymnia here. But history proved all those pretty pretty songs wrong. Eh, Poly? The Greeks, the Romans sang songs of praise, hoping that their songs would please the gods enough so they’d help them when they needed help. Where are they now, Poly? All your inspiration has yielded nothing. I’m the one who has shown that. History has shown that. And so you want to get rid of me.
(POLYHYMNIA has had time to regain her confidence.)
POLYHYMNIA
We’ve all had enough of your accusations.
(she steps towards CLIO.)
CLIO
No closer.
THALIA
You don’t want her to hurt the most important Muse!
(POLYHYMNIA snatches THALIA’s arm and throws her roughly aside. ERATO and MELPOMENE rush to her aid. CLIO, undaunted, points the gun squarely at POLYHYMNIA.)
POLYHYMNIA
The gods don’t like being talked about like that.
CLIO
Yeah? Let ‘em come down here and say that.
POLYHYMNIA
So you’re anti-gods, are you? Have you forgotten where you come from?
CLIO
I am the Muse of History. My mother was Mnemosyne. I never forget anything.
POLYHYMNIA
There are still people who believe in gods enough to sing to them.
CLIO
Enough people to warrant you keeping your job while you kick me out of mine?
(enter URANIA. she has a sense of urgency about her, but still manages to keep her “i really would rather stay out of this” attitude.)
URANIA
Sisters, I feel it is only right to come and tell you. I think Clio’s going to do something drastic. (spots CLIO) Ah, I see she already has. Never mind then.
CLIO
Are you betraying me too, Urania?
URANIA
(just plain tired of the whole thing) I’m not betraying anybody. Hold them hostage if you like. I’m interested to see how this turns out.
(she pulls up a chair and sits back to watch the action. her sisters stare at her openmouthed.)
TERPSICHORE
How can you just sit there like that? Clio is going to kill us all!
URANIA
Clio isn’t going to kill anybody. She’s got a violent streak, but Clio herself really does love you all. Besides, if you all paid any attention to me besides to get all watery-eyed about starlight and moonbeams, you’d know that I am a very objective sort of Muse. I know that there are bigger things out there to think about. Why should anyone care about one little gun pointed at seven little nothings on a tiny floating rock amongst billions of tiny floating rocks? I think about these things objectively. Which is why I’m being replaced, eh?
(she nods to POLYHYMNIA, who goes silent with rage.)
CLIO
See, Urania agrees with me.
URANIA
Poly, we used to all get along so well. Compliment each other. What happened?
POLYHYMNIA
You two ruined my work!
(a pause as all the MUSES stare at her.)
I mean our work. You two became obsolete. Making it difficult for any of us to continue with our work, with you two...in the way.
URANIA
Oh Poly. Come on.
CLIO
History and astronomy have done nothing to stand in anyone’s way. Terpsichore can still inspire dance. Euterpe still has her music. Throughout history, there have always been lovers for Erato to inspire poetry. Thalia and Melpomene have thrived. Look at them both, practically glittering with health. Even Calliope is not lost. The only one of us who has really suffered these past decades is YOU.