Unnamed Play Based on a Story from a Papyrus Fragment
Narrator: Long ago in the Two
Kingdoms of
Scene
1: (The
Pharaoh:
Oh my
Queen, what a beautiful son the gods have given us.
Queen:
Let’s thank
the gods for at last answering our prayers.
Pharaoh:
Hathor,
Mother to all
Queen:
Hathor,
Mother to all
Hathor: Take care for your son,
Pharaoh, for the god Set has cursed your son. A snake, a crocodile or a dog
will cause his death.
Pharaoh:
Hathor,
please tell me how we can prevent this from happening.
Hathor:
I have said
all I can say. The rest is up to Set.
Queen: Pharaoh, let’s build a
strong palace to keep our son safe. We will never let him even see these
animals.
Pharaoh:
That is
wise counsel. Soldiers!
Soldiers:
What is
your wish, Pharaoh of Two Lands?
Pharaoh:
Send for my
architects. I would have them build a palace with strong walls to protect my
son.
Soldiers: It shall be as you command,
Exalted One.
Narrator: So a mighty palace was
built in the mountains to safeguard the Pharaoh’s only son. The Prince grew
till he was no longer a boy.
Scene
II: (The
garden of the Prince’s Palace)
Prince:
I’m so
tired of these walls. I need to see what is beyond them.
Soldiers:
Oh no, Your
Highness. Your father has charged us with your safety. We must keep the world
out.
Prince:
Very well,
then I must go out. I will climb walls. I see a man walking with a strange
animal.
Dog: Ruff, ruff, ruff.
Prince:
I must have
that animal. Soldiers, you must buy that animal for me.
Soldiers: No! That animal is a dog.
It has been foretold that it will cause your doom.
Prince:
Don’t be
silly. See how friendly it is. It’s a handsome animal. Fetch it at once. I
command you.
Soldiers:
Yes, Your
Highness, but your father will be angry.
Prince:
Come here
you handsome animal. I will call you Fate.
Dog:
Ruff, ruff,
ruff.
Pharaoh:
What is
that sound? How did a dog get into the Palace? Soldiers, I will have your
heads.
Prince:
No, Father.
It was my fault. When I saw this dog I knew he would be my true friend. He is
my Fate. You must let me keep him.
Pharaoh:
But how
will I protect you if you keep your doom beside you? The dog is not the only
animal that will cause you harm. Set has decreed that
you will be killed by a snake, a crocodile or a dog. I only want to keep you
safe.
Prince:
How will I
ever be a strong Pharaoh if I am protected like a delicate flower in this
garden? Let me go and explore the world. I will keep Fate beside me.
Pharaoh: Please do not ask this. I
could not bear to lose my only son.
Prince:
I must be a
man, not a boy. Give me some weapons to protect myself and I will make you
proud of my bravery.
Pharaoh:
You are
right. You must be a man. Soldiers, fetch some weapons for my son. Fate, take good care of your Master. Farewell, my son.
Prince:
I will
return when I have proved myself as a man. Good bye, Father.
Narrator:
So the
Prince set off on long journey. At last he came to a foreign land. To disguise
his identity the Prince told people that he was the son of an Egyptian soldier.
He did not want people to give him gifts because he was Pharaoh’s son.
Prince:
What are
all those young men doing?
Crowd: They are trying to climb
that tower. It is 70 cubits tall. The King has no son. Whoever can climb the
walls may marry his daughter and become his heir.
Prince:
I will
climb these walls and win the hand of the Princess.
Crowd:
But you are
only the son of a soldier. The King will not want you for a son-in-law.
Prince:
First I
must win my prize. Fate, wait for me here.
King:
Who is that
fine young man climbing the walls. He has almost reached the top.
Crowd:
He is only
the son of an Egyptian soldier, your majesty.
King:
Then he
will not have the hand of my daughter. I will have his head instead.
Crowd: Look, He is standing at the
top of the tower walls holding the hand of the Princess.
King:
Guards,
seize the arrogant puppy. I will have him punished.
Soldiers:
We will
fetch him at once, your Majesty.
King:
How dare
you try to win the hand of my daughter and my kingdom?
Prince: I have accomplished the
task you yourself set forth.
Princess:
This man is
the Prince of my Heart. I will have no other. You must keep your word and let
him marry me.
King:
No, my
Daughter. This cannot be.
Princess:
I won’t eat
or drink anything till you allow us to marry. I can be more stubborn than you.
Prince:
Please,
Princess. I would not have you harm yourself for me.
King:
What do you
mean? Don’t you want my daughter?
Prince:
I only
meant that she is so precious to me that I don’t want any harm to come to her.
King:
I can see
that you truly love her. We must prepare the wedding feast.
Princess:
Thank you,
Father.
Crowd: Hurray! A
royal wedding feast. We will all eat and drink.
Narrator:
So the
Prince and Princess were married. After the birth of their first son the Prince
told the Princess his secret.
Scene
IV: In a garden
Prince:
Now that we
have a child, I will tell you my secret. I am the son of the Pharaoh of Two
Lands. I left my land to prove myself worthy of kingship. Set cursed me at
birth. He declared that I would meet my doom through a snake, a crocodile, or a
dog.
Princess:
A dog! We
must destroy your dog at once!
Prince:
No, no! My
Fate keeps me from harm. I have always felt that he is my protection from Set’s
evil curse.
Princess:
Then I will
hire a giant to guard you.
Prince: My Fate is guard enough,
but if it calms your fears you may hire a giant to protect me.
Dog:
Ruff, ruff,
ruff.
Princess:
Why is that
dog barking? My nerves are stretched too thin as it is.
Prince:
Look, my
Wife, see that snake that Fate has just chased away.
Princess:
I will feel
better when I have hired a giant to guard you. I must find a way to trap that
snake before it can come back and harm you.
Prince:
I am tired
and must go to sleep. It is so hot I think I will sleep out here in the garden.
Princess:
Servants!
Bring me a bowl of milk lace with a sleeping potion.
Servant:
Here is the
bowl of milk, my Princess.
Princess:
I will
place this bowl beside my sleeping husband and lure that snake to his doom. No,
Fate. This milk is not for you. Go away. No I will hide and wait for the snake.
Snake:
Hisssssssssss.(The snake laps up the milk. He crawls drunkenly
around the garden. The Princess leaps out and kills the snake.)
Princess:
Husband,
Husband! Wake up! A snake tried to bite you while you slept.
Prince:
Who killed
the snake?
Princess:
I set a
bowl of milk with sleeping potion by you as you slept. After the snake became
confused, I killed it.
Prince:
What a
brave and resourceful wife you are. You have foiled one of my fates. The gods
have surely guided your hand.
Princess:
I would
still feel better if you would get rid of your dog.
Narrator:
So the
Princess hired a giant to watch over the Prince. His dog Fate and the giant
followed him everywhere he went. The Prince often hunted on the riverbanks.
Dog:
Ruff, ruff,
ruff.
Prince: Fate, why are you barking?
Giant:
Be careful,
my Prince. The dog no doubt senses some danger.
(A
crocodile jumps out of the river. The giant seizes it by the throat.)
Crocodile:
Prince, you
think you have escaped your fate, but I will be your doom. Some day when your
giant is not there to guard you, I will drag you into the river and to your
death.
The
papyrus breaks off here. Can you find things that might foreshadow what’s to
come? What do you think the conclusion will be?