#masked theater | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

tarotmander · 1 year ago

Text

Tragedy, Comedy, & SATYR:

The Poetry of Madness

A Play By

Salamander Engle

Trigger Warnings

Mentions of Suicide, Self-harm, Religious tones, Mania, Deppression, Mental health talk, Blood, and Other sensitive subjects. Not suitable for audience members under the age of 13 years.

Dedications

This play is dedicated to Prof. Taylor Clemens, Dr. Leslie Werden, My theater family, My siblings, My rabbit Angel, and My caffeine addiction.

This play is for every kid out there who hurt themselves thinking that no one ever understood them.

Pronunciation Guide

Hypnos=(Hip-nows)|Apollo=(Uh-paa-low)|Perseus=(Pur-see-uhs)|

Scene 1

SATYR:

They get up from their seat and come to center stage.

"Hello there. You might be wondering what brought us here today. Well, it's a story I've carried within me, one that’s weighed heavily on me for a very long time. So tonight, if you’d like, I’ll tell you that story."

They pause, and take a deep breath, a sullen expression plastered across their face.

“This is the story of someone, who one day, pondered taking their own life.”

They bow and go back to their seat.

Scene 2

TRAGEDY:

Tragedy gets up from their seat and comes to center stage.

What is life?

A waste,

A trife,

Trial and pain,

Suffering and waste,

Humans, a stain,

The earth suffers for our gain,

One less life is a welcome acclaim.

The gods condemned our creation,

From the start we were damned,

Zeus wants us dead,

So take his will into your hands.

End it all now,

With blades, poisons or pills,

Your blood,

A sacrifice,

The floor,

The altar on which it’s spilled.

Cry out in pain for Hades to hear,

Pray that Thanatos is your guide,

Pray that your purse is heavy,

And that your heart is light.

Death comes for us all,

Pray it comes fast,

This day is a wretched one,

Pray it’s your last.

Tragedy bows and returns to their seat.

COMEDY:

Comedy gets up from their seat and comes to center stage.

What is life?

A gift,

A blessing,

Opportunity and comfort,

Benefits and flourishment.

Humans, an experiment,

The earth cradles our growth,

One less life is a somber sight,

The gods celebrated our creation,

From the start we were protected,

Prometheus wants us alive,

So take his will into your hands.

Thrive,

With art, music or dance,

Your creation,

A sacrifice,

The stage,

The altar on which it’s splayed.

Cry out in triumph for the muses to hear,

Pray that Apollo is your guide,

Pray that your purse is heavy,

And that your heart is light.

Inspiration comes for us all,

Pray it comes fast,

This day is a joyous one,

Pray it’s not your last.

Comedy bows and returns to their seat.

Standing downstage left as a group only the leader of the chorus speaks.

Calliope:

“Tragedy, like many, cannot see the good in life. They see a bleak and dead existence. They decide that pain and suffering are the true path of humanity. That we are a burden just by existing. A life of trauma has beaten them down, giving them a disdain for humans as a whole; including themself.”

“Comedy however, only sees the good in life. This much like tragedies perspective can be detrimental. While positivity is a fabulous thing in small doses, too much of it can become toxic. A life of trying to force themself to smile through the pain has forced them to be uncomfortable with any form of negativity.”

They take a seat on the stage watching the play once more.

Scene 3

TRAGEDY:

Tragedy gets up from their seat and comes to center stage.

Oizys,

Daughter of Nyx,

Goddess of Tragedy,

Why must you condemn me so?

Why must your slender fingers embrace me?

Your touch is not gentle,

Not like a lovers,

And yet I come crawling back to you,

You are comforting.

Yet with you I feel only sorrow.

You, oh goddess, who hollow out my very soul and leave me with nothing!

I beg of you leave me be!

Take away your dainty kisses and gentle whispers,

Begone your siren calls of suicidal thoughts!

…

Goddess?

Goddess!?

Where have you gone!?

Oh gods!

When you are gone I weep at the thought of your return.

And still I am comforted by the familiarity of your cruelty.

I take medication to shoo you away,

And then when I am left alone all I feel is fear at how numb I am without your persistent calls.

What is a man without a beast to slay!?

Who is Heracles without his Hydra!?

Odysseus without his Cyclops!?

Perseus without his Gorgons!?

Without you I am no one, oh goddess!

Return to me,

And make me whole once more.

Tragedy bows and returns to their seat.

COMEDY:

Comedy gets up from their seat and comes to center stage.

Oh muses grant me your blessing,

Audience lend me your ears,

Gods bless us.

For today is a beautiful day.

Negativity is a waste,

Allow us to embrace this feeling,

On days like this I feel as if Athena herself has gifted me her sword;

And I am mighty Atalanta on her way to the hunt!

I am invincible and ready to fight!

Nothing can kill me even if it tries.

Call it illness or arrogance if you wish,

But I feel as if nothing,

No god nor man could touch me!

I could climb Olympus itself with nothing but a pen if I so pleased!

Adrenaline courses through my veins like venom,

Powering me,

Moving me,

Driving me forward,

Faster,

Harder,

Stronger,

Blindly at breakneck speeds,

Consequences be damned.

I will achieve what the dead couldn’t if it kills me.

Comedy bows and returns to their seat.

Standing downstage left as a group only the leader of the chorus speaks.

Clio:

“Tragedy, Is someone who in this life has found that sinking back into that familiar feeling of self hatred is easier than reaching out for help. Even though they are taking medication they long for the pain that replaces the cold numbness. There is a strange comfort for them in the pain that the struggle of depression brings them.”

“Comedy, however, seems to be in the opposite boat. They speak of being invincible. They are optimistic to the point of insanity. They go on to threaten their own life in subtle ways others call ambition. They reject negativity to an insane level.”

They take a seat on the stage watching the play once more.

Scene 4

TRAGEDY:

Tragedy gets up from their seat and comes to center stage.

Not even the gods want me

From a young age they abandoned me,

Like you did,

And sure you were there,

Physically at least.

But much like the gods you were never present.

You just watched.

Watched me grow,

Watched me ache,

Watched me hurt,

Watched me hate,

You looked on as I became this,

This thing.

You were my mother,

My everything.

And yet like Pasiphae watching Asterion,

You just let me become this monster!

I was a child!

I was the consequence of your sins!

And yet I paid the price!

You locked yourself away in your labyrinth and let me roam the streets,

In pain.

Hurting anyone who tried to tend to me.

And now,

I just want it all to end.

Maybe in one way I can be like you,

And I can abandon myself.

Tragedy bows and returns to their seat.

COMEDY:

Comedy gets up from their seat and comes to center stage.

I know I’m no goddess of beauty,

Or muse of poetry,

But I promise,

If you just keep paying me attention, I’ll do something impressive.

I swear it.

I beg of you please just look at me.

I promise I don’t have a gorgons glare,

You won’t turn to stone under my stare,

Just please, just look at me!

By the gods why can’t people just like me!?

What about me is so unlikeable!?

I try so hard to be likable and pleasant!

And yet without fail they end up treating me like one of the furies of Tartarus!

Is it the way I speak?

The way I walk?

Do I screech like a harpy?

Do I lurk like a manticore?

Am I untrustworthy?!

Am I no better than Lamia!?

Perhaps I should take up eating children since I am so foul!

…

I…I apologize.

I think,

I think I should leave.

Comedy bows and returns to their seat.

Standing downstage left as a group only the leader of the chorus speaks.

Erato:

“Tragedy has begun to open up about their past. The abuse that has caused their desperate need for pain. It is up to their friends and family to decide how they want to handle this. If they are loving and understanding, perhaps Tragedy will be able to grow, but if they cannot, then Tragedy will remain a cold, hurt, entity, stuck in their past.”

“Comedy is beginning to show us that staying positive all of the time can take a harsh toll on a person. When you wear a mask all of the time you stop making sense. Every emotion is too muffled for others to sympathize with. And so you explode.”

They take a seat on the stage watching the play once more.

Scene 5

TRAGEDY:

Tragedy gets up from their seat and comes to center stage.

Death is a simple fate,

An easy out.

Many are mocked for admiring it,

For desiring it,

I am one of them.

For this reason many choose instead to worship torture.

Their body is their temple,

Their sacrafice, their pain,

Each line etched into their flesh is another prayer.

A cry to their gods for help.

“Algea!”

They sob.

“Bringer of pain,

Bringer of tears,

Hear my prayer and let me weep no more.

With this I beg of you,

Protect me from Oizys,

Let my heart be light!”

But no matter how often they pray,

The gods never listen.

And the human continues to suffer.

So the cycle continues.

Because humans are desperate.

And like someone desperately trying to get the attention of a potential lover,

They will continue,

And fail,

And hurt,

For the rest of their short,

Insignificant life.

Tragedy bows and returns to their seat.

COMEDY:

Comedy gets up from their seat and comes to center stage.

I hold a razor like Ares holds his ax,

With rage,

With anger,

I do not however hold it with dignity.

I am not Athena.

I have no noble reason or bold strategy.

I am simply angry.

At myself,

My mother,

The world,

Like everyone who cuts I do it not for some impressive cause,

I do it because I am a child who has no other way left to express themself.

At least that’s what it feels like.

Everytime I relapse I feel like a child presenting the broken vase to his parents,

Ashamed,

And frightened.

I don’t even do it because I want to die.

No, I'm far too scared to actually try to…

Instead I do it because I think the blood looks pretty,

And because the scars remind me that I’m alive.

The way wrinkles remind a veteran that they made it out of the war.

They remind me that I made it out of each and every one of mine.

Comedy bows and returns to their seat.

Standing downstage left as a group only the leader of the chorus speaks.

Melpomeni:

“Tragedy speaks of worshiping torture. Because torturing yourself and hurting yourself is easier than seeking help from others who could potentially respond poorly. They speak of being mocked for attempting, and the general way people look at those who attempt. And it’s very powerful. Because it’s true. Self harm is not a joke.”

“Comedy speaks of hurting themself and being ashamed, frightened, and unable to express themself. They, like many, believe that self harm is something that should be seen as a personal and shameful experience. This isolates them when they need others the most. If you know of someone who self harms, don't shame them, shame is what isolates them. Be someone understanding, someone who is safe. Before you have to be someone who buries them.”

They take a seat on the stage watching the play once more.

Scene 6

TRAGEDY:

Tragedy gets up from their seat and comes to center stage.

Sleep is the greatest gift the gods ever gave

Not the winged shoes,

Or fire,

Nor even life,

No truly it has to be sleep.

Because sleep is a chance to experience,

Even for a moment,

the life of the gods

In sleep one can do anything one wants.

You can be grand,

You can be beautiful,

You can be loved…

Sleep is magical.

Sleep is like a look into the afterlife,

Death without the commitment,

A time where you can experience all of the spoils of a life well lived,

But none of the finality of a life at its end.

I wish I could sleep forever.

I know I can’t because then I’d just be dead,

And that takes away from sleeps beauty,

But how lovely would it be to never have to wake up?

To just be forever resting?

In my opinion,

That sounds greater than any afterlife.

Tragedy bows and returns to their seat.

COMEDY:

Comedy gets up from their seat and comes to center stage.

Dance with me Morpheus,

Your father abandons me in the night,

So hold me in your arms during the day,

Bless me with sweet dreams,

Even when I cannot sleep.

Rip me away from this plane,

And whisk me away to olympus.

Allow me to waltz between gilded gates,

As my body is left slumped over at my desk.

Let me run a marathon on my thousand yard stare,

I beg of you,

Don’t force me to remain in this world.

It’s so much nicer in my mind.

Morpheus, son of Hypnos,

Allow me to escape into your fabrications forever.

Stitch together a reality I can wrap myself up in,

Made of cotton and silk,

One that I can forever cuddle up in.

Swaddle me in my delusions,

Oh fabricator please,

Real life is so cruel,

Allow me to stay here,

At home with you.

Comedy bows and returns to their seat.

Standing downstage left as a group only the leader of the chorus speaks.

Polymnia:

“Tragedy has one of their most positive monologues when they speak about sleep. They way they acknowledge that they don’t really want to die, they simply want their life to change for the better. Here we see that tragedy isn’t really that negative of a person, they're just someone who is desperate for help in bettering their life.”

“Comedy however has started to really show a different side of themself. They call on Morpheus and beg for him to remove them from this world. That mask of positivity is nearly gone. Now they seem just as depressed and unstable as Tragedy.”

They take a seat on the stage watching the play once more.

Scene 7

TRAGEDY:

Tragedy gets up from their seat and comes to center stage.

Life is what?

A disgrace,

A mess,

Struggle and distress,

Ill-temperament and discontent,

Humans, full of pain,

We only put strain on one another,

Niceties and pleasantries.

A continued source of disdain

The gods condemned our creation,

From the start we were damned,

Zeus wants us dead,

…

I want myself dead,

His will is as much my own.

I am tempted by it all

the blades, poisons or pills,

My blood,

A sacrifice,

The sink,

The altar on which it’s spilled.

I cry out in pain for Hades to hear,

I pray that Thanatos is my guide,

I pray that my purse is heavy,

And that my heart is light.

But I know better.

Death comes for us all,

I pray it will come fast,

This day is a wretched one,

I pray it’s my last.

Tragedy bows and returns to their seat.

COMEDY:

Comedy gets up from their seat and comes to center stage.

Life is what?

A gift?

A blessing?

I’m not really all so sure.

At one time I was, but not so much anymore.

Humans, we’re an experiment,

The earth cradles our growth,

But is one less life really a somber sight?

The gods never celebrated our creation,

From the start we were a punishment upon the Earth,

Pandora was proof of that.

Prometheus wanted us alive,

And that gives me some hope.

So I’ll take his will into my hands.

I’ll attempt to thrive,

With art, music, and medication,

My time here,

A sacrifice,

The Earth,

The altar on which it’s splayed.

I’ll cry out in desperation for the muses to hear,

Praying that one of them will be my guide,

I pray that my purse is heavy,

And that my heart is light.

Inspiration comes for us all,

Pray it comes fast,

This day is a tough one,

Still,

Pray it’s not your last.

Comedy bows and returns to their seat.

Standing downstage left as a group only the leader of the chorus speaks.

Thalia:

“Tragedy sadly seems to relapse right back into those suicidal ideals from the begining. Saying how Zeus's will is their own. No longer are they condemning all humans, just themself. It seems that this pattern is going to take longer than one play to break.”

“Comedy’s development seems more permanent however. While they still have some hope it seems tainted in a way. As if the world has ripped away the mask and they are trying desperately to glue it back on.”

They take a seat on the stage watching the play once more.

Scene 8

SATYR:

Satyr gets up from their seat and comes to center stage.

"Hello again. Earlier this evening I promised you a story. And yet I have yet to deliver. So before we end our show I think I’ll give you just what I promised."

They pause, and take a deep breath, a hopeful expression decorates their face.

Negative influences suffocate us.

They surround and infect us.

Infect us with something horrid.

Sometimes the infection gets so bad we can’t fight it anymore,

And we just accept it.

We allow it to destroy who we are,

Our relationships,

It’s a disease.

One worse than anything even Apollo himself can bring upon man.

Worse than any plague or virus,

It’s mental.

And unlike most diseases or disorders,

No doctor or god will be able to save you.

But

It isn’t hopeless.

Even if you can’t be saved,

You can be helped.

By your friends,

Your family,

Hell, even your pets.

Something like Bipolar may be an uphill battle,

But you don’t have to face it unarmed.

And even if you're not the one battling,

Or if you’re retired,

You can still help.

You can hand someone a sword, or an ax, or even a shield.

Pass someone your helmet, or chestplate, or boots,

Help however you can.

This battle is a hard one.

No matter how long,

Or how hard you’ve fought it.

And everyone needs an assist every now and then.

Even great Achilles needed Patroclos,

Odysseus needed Circe,

Paris needed Hector,

Even godlike men need assistance.

So why wouldn’t someone who’s 100% human?

Listen,

When it’s late at night I like to talk to myself.

I like to talk to who I was,

Before all this shit got really bad,

I like to tell him very important things that I wish someone would have told me.

I think, that if you’re here tonight,

You might need to hear it too.

So here goes:

“It isn’t worth it.

The pain may help you deal with it now but in the end all it does is hurt you.

And you don’t deserve that.

No one does.

You, you are so loved.

I know it doesn’t feel like it,

I know that everything is big and scary,

and bad right now.

But one day,

when all this shit is over,

you are gonna get out of here,

One day you are going to have people who love you.

You are going to meet some of the best people you have ever met,

and they are going to love you so much.

Even when you fuck up,

And you are going to fuck up,

But they will still love you.

Because that’s what love is.

Real love has no boundaries,

You will soon realize that love is given, not earned.

And even if it was,

you are worthy of it.

Love should not come with trepidations or fear of abandonment for things you cannot control.

And if you just hold on a little bit longer you are going to see that there is good in this world.

Not everything is black and white,

Not everyone is good or bad.

They’re just people,

Same as you.

And guess what?

Nobody knows what the fuck they’re doing.

So relax.

Sit down,

have fun,

and take a moment to remember that all this getting ahead bullshit can wait.

You don’t have to be the best,

Because just trying is good enough.

So try kid.

And one day you’ll wake up and you’ll realize you’re an adult,

And you can be anything you want to be.

Even if it takes you a long time to get there.

They finish and as they do so they take the hands of Comedy, then tragedy, and all three go off stage together.

#poetry #play #theater #dionysus #greek pantheon #greek gods #hellenism #greek theater #masked theater #comedy #tragedy #playwright #new play

3 notes · View notes