Music. Enter WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE from stage left, carrying a skull.
SHAKESPEARE: Alas, dear friend. (Addressing audience) I knew him well.
He was a writer unpaid for his efforts before he fell
Had the man awarded me his ear,
He would not be in this state heathen* men fear *meaning ‘Godless’ here
Perhaps my friend will listen to me now
Hark! He comes near! I will explain to him how
Desire can cloud even the most virtuous of hearts
As a frail doe can be shot down with darts.
Enter CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE stage right
MARLOWE: How now, dear Shakespeare! How fare thee this day?
SHAKESPEARE: In mourning, Marlowe, a dear friend has passed away.
MARLOWE: Oh how quickly doth come the drama’s final act!
SHAKESPEARE: Indeed, Marlowe, this is undeniable fact.
He could have prolonged his inevitable fate
Had he harkened to my pleas and remained at the gate!
But his desires took over and he approached his doom
And challenged his fate in the murky gloom
MARLOWE: I’faith, desire can consume a man.
SHAKESPEARE: What dost thou know of desire? Explain if thou can.
MARLOWE: I’ve penned characters that have sold their soul to attain such.
In blood a contract was signed, and at power he did clutch (Marlowe, 2006, p. 472).
Heavenly redemption was ignored, in favor of his desires
And now he sits in Hell, consumed with Hades fires.
Ironic is it not, that in fire he sits;
When on earth he used the elements to his wits* *needs
Now the fire so hotly laps at his soul
And twists him in torment as a bug on hot coal.
SHAKESPEARE: Most villanous! What power was it that he so deeply desired
That heaven’s redemptions he rejected for fire?
MARLOWE: Knowledge was one thing that Faustus loved most
And sold his soul to Lucifer so that grapes he could boast (Marlowe, 2006, p. 487).
SHAKESPARE: Grapes? But ho! Thou dost surely mean couilles! (Youswear.com, 2008).
A man would not sell his soul for fruit in this day!
MARLOWE: Ha! Ha! Dear Shakespeare, you are ever the Feste.
With a wit such as yours, and wondrous jest!
But alas, he did such, for control and other power
But might have made like impression in picking the Duchess a flower.
His desires did rule him and redemption will never be found
But for my audiences round the world, this lesson is sound.
Be content with thyself and control do not seek
And all the bounty of heaven thy soul shall then reap.
And if thou must commit sin, from thy Lord do not turn
For if you do surely in fire you’ll burn.
SHAKESPEARE: How rightly put, good sir!
My heart and mind thou hast stirred.
Methinks I have often depicted as much
Of desire through characters that focus on such
Though sometimes a virtue that leads men to great feats
Other times it consumes and makes of them minced meat
Surely you recall my drama called Hamlet
In which depicted is one man with whom desires ran the gamut.
A main theme in that work, was desire most consuming
Both for revenge and for love did Hamlet spend time pursuing
MARLOWE: Recall that goodly tale I do, of course
Hamlet discovered his father’s death had been forced
By poison he’d been kilt, and Hamlet then vowed
To exact his revenge on this “murder most foul” (Shakespeare, 2007, p. 111).
SHAKESPEARE: Your memory is steel, and you repeat the tale most well
But desire for revenge was not the only tale my pen did tell
The fair maiden Ophelia my grieved Hamlet also did desire
But taste not of that fruit did Hamlet when he learned she had conspired
And thusly lost his want of women and had but one want left
Planning to take from his uncle the very thing that he did theft
MARLOWE: But what of Ophelia, ah me! Such a terrible shame
Drowned in water, without a soul to blame
SHAKESPEARE: In life there is death, old friend – we both know as much
Ashes to ashes, and dust to dust.
In Hamlet’s desire he met with his fate
Just like my friend here who chose not to stay by the gate
But if my pen hath said anything, of this it doth speak true
Desires can threaten to rip a man in two
MARLOWE: In madness does the man unfulfilled find peace
And a man will go delirious with desire for that which he seeks
SHAKESPEARE: You speak the truth, good sir
And my thirst dost do stir.
Let us drink to this end.
SHAKESPEARE pulls out red wine and two glasses
MARLOWE: In vino veritas, I shall drink to that my friend!
Cheers! [they toast]
SHAKESPEARE: Good Marlowe sir, please share with me your mind
Canst not desire be both cruel as well as kind?
Your drama concerning Faustus seems to only comment negatively
On desires most hidden that one obtains unchivalrously.
But what of love-poems and noble deeds foretold
Where men whose desires disposed them to act brave and bold?
MARLOWE: You make a fine point, on kindness as well
Your Hamlet’s desires for Ophelia do tell
Of love and of courtship most heartfelt
With poetry and passion before her Hamlet knelt
But trickery thy name is woman! She did him deceive
And caused him to lose his desire for any Eve.
So what of this kindness you say is involved?
Around deceit and control most desires revolve!
SHAKESPEARE: Oh ho! You may be right. But I’faith I must restate
That desire can have some purity to its fate
For if what thou desires most would come unto thee
Without harm to one’s status or morality
Then he who obtains it most surely is blessed
And hath God’s good graces beating fiercely in his breast.
MARLOWE: But dost thou suppose desire can be expressed
By more than one person, an entire society no less?
SHAKESPEARE: Tales reveal the desires of many, and what one person loathes
Another wants most desperately to behold.
And often the desires expressed on the stage
Prevent men from acting out their passions in rage.
To live vicariously through the drama revealed
Allows one to satisfy oneself and be healed
MARLOWE: How cleverly dost thou speaketh thy mind!
In kindness indeed some desires must find
And certainly a society may desire as a collective
And by rallying together many times may be effective
But if these hidden desires stay buried
Inside the chambers of the hearts of the many
The stage is a great place to examine these thoughts
And must be for some a means to achieve what was sought.
SHAKESPEARE: Now you understand, my good man
My position on the matter at hand
Importance must be placed on things that are achievable
But to dream lofty dreams is a feat highly conceivable
And should one decide to pursue some desire
With dignity and grace may one look to aspire
If under the sod and the moss we shall rust
Then we must live our lives before turning to dust
MARLOWE: So wouldst thou say desire is a part of life
Even though often its pursuit meets with strife?
SHAKESPEARE: Aye, a part of life desire is indeed.
Which is why to inspiration in my stories did it lead.
To help my fellow man, relax and explore
The deep recesses of the minds of my audience, I do implore
I require that they put off their masks for my show
And watch the scene as if they were there, in a window
Though the public may perceive in my words whatever they may
My theme of desire is in ink to stay
And Hamlet is proof that desire can be shared
And his different desires show of what things he cared
SHAKESPEARE AND MARLOWE face crowd.
MARLOWE: Take heed of our words, gentle friends, and enjoy
SHAKESPEARE: Creations of writers and artists as far back as Troy
MARLOWE: Because these pieces are expressions of the self
SHAKESPEARE: And one can explore them with no guilt in health
MARLOWE: But if thou dost cling to desire
SHAKESPEARE: Be lawful and just and do not conspire
MARLOWE: For fate will come knocking one day at your door
BOTH: And fate is life’s reflection upon those who are no more.
Lights fade to black.
References
Marlowe, C. (2006). Doctor Faustus. In Reidhead, J. (Ed.) The Norton anthology of English literature (8th ed., Vol. A). pp. 461 - 493 New York , NY
Shakespeare, W. (2007). Hamlet. In Dolven, J. M. (Ed.) Barnes & Noble Shakespeare. New York , NY
Youswear.com. (2008). Retrieved on March 24, 2012 from http://www.youswear.com/index.asp?language=French
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