Euro Class Creative Writing and Drama Performance Project
School year 2017-2018 Dramatis Personae
Scenes : Land of the Geats, Kingdom of the Danes, Grendel's swamps
Drama teams
1. BEOWULF’s departure from the land of the Geats Lucie DURAND, Capucine GRANCHER and Nejma LOUVARD
2. BeEOWULF’s arrival at the kingdom of the Danes GOMARIN Ninon and Anaelle MADELINE-DELAMARE
3. BEOWULF’s arrival at the kingdom of the Danes, variation 1 Chama SAINTEMARIE, Juliette HODENCQ, Valéri MENDEZ and BELLANGER Marie
4. BEOWULF’s arrival at the kingdom of the Danes, variation 2 Kendra MBENGUE, Angèle GORGELIN and Gabriel COHEN
5. BEOWULF’s arrival at the kingdom of the Danes, variation 3 Lise ENGERANT, Ethan TOCQUEVILLE, Lélia BODDAERT, Espérance HOUDAN and Luca CIUCCI
6. HROTHGAR meets Beowulf in modern-day society Louise PIGNE and Erin COCHET
7.BEOWULF’s arrival at the kingdom of the Danes, variation 4 Karla MBENDE, Karim KARIMLI, Océane ABID and Romane HUCHELOUP
8.BEOWULF’s arrival at the kingdom of the Danes in modern-day society and GRENDEL's death Ariane ANQUETIL, Léane SAMPIL and Madison CARTIER
9. Banquet to celebrate BEOWULF's victory over GRENDEL Lucien PAUVERT, Louise ROBINET and Stéfania ASUTAY
10. BEOWULF fights GRENDEL's MOTHER Léo CHEVALIER, Albertine LAUDE and Juliette PALOMBA BEOWULF, Lucie HYGELAC,Capucine HYGD, Nejma
Enter BEOWULF, self-confident.
BEO. Good morning, my King and Queen.
HYGELAC. Nice to see you, Beowulf.
HYGD. What brings you here?
BEO. I have something important to tell you.
HYGELAC. I know what you’re going to say… I know your desire to become a king!
BEO. No, it’s not that! I have decided to go and kill Grendel.
HYGD. Is it the monster which terrorises the kingdom of the Danes?
BEO. Yes, it is. I want to kill him without any weapons but my strength!
HYGD. No! It’s very dangerous Beowulf, don’t leave!
BEO. I know it is…just for average people and I’m not that kind and…
HYGELAC. Stop! You know that you can die! Grendel is a monster!
BEO. You know me and you know that I will never die.
HYGD. But if you die, I will never see you again…
BEO. Of course! I will be dead.
HYGELAC. When do you want to leave?
BEO. Right now!
HYGD. Are you sure?
BEO. Yes love…if I don’t go, who will do that? Silence
HYGELAC. So, how many men do you want to go with you?
BEO. Alone! I want to kill Grendel myself! I don’t need anybody.
HYGD. You are unconscious! But I think you can do it, you are so strong, smart,
amazing, robust...
HYGELAC. Hmm, Hmm…I get it! I can’t stop you Beowulf. Go and kill him.
HYGD. I trust you, you will come back.
BEO. I will fight Grendel until death! Anaelle, King HROTHGAR Ninon, BEOWULF
Enter BEOWULF
BEOWULF. Oh! Where am I and where is the king? I have been looking for him for two days.
HROTHGAR. I’m Hrothgar, king of the Danes, welcome to my mead hall.
BEOWULF. I’m Beowulf, everyone say that I’m the strongest warrior. What can I do for you?
HROTHGAR. I need help because I have a little little little little problem…
BEOWULF. What is your little little little little problem ?
HROTHGAR. Oh, just an ogre who wants to eat me and all my citizens… Can you help me, please?
BEOWULF. I can try but I’ve never fought an ogre before.
HROTHGAR. Don’t worry, it’s easier than a dragon.
BEOWULF. But I’ve never fought a dragon either.
HROTHGAR. Just wait and see…
BEOWULF. It’s okay, I’m going to fight this… thing?
HROTHGAR. Thank you so much!
BEOWULF. What am I going to do?!!
[Exit BEOWULF] KING HORTHGAR,Chama WIGLAF, Juliette BEOWULF, Marie UNFERTH, Valéri
Enter WIGLAF and BEOWULF.
MESSENGER. Who are you, strangers ? WIGLAF. We are here to help the king and to kill Grendel ! MESSENGER. Then, follow me. Here are some people who want to see you, good Lord. HROTHGAR. Could you introduce yourself ? BEOWULF. I’m Beowulf, the strongest of warriors. I have the strength of 30 men in my handgrip. [Everyone is very impressed] I have travelled to help you, Hrothgar and defeat Grendel with my bare hands. HROTHGAR. I, Hrothgar, King of the Danes, have built this huge mead-hall called Heorot for my great warriors. I can’t stop Grendel. My dear Beowulf, I accept your help, come and sit with us. UNFERT to Hrothgar. Are you sure that we can trust them ? WIGLAF. It’s an honour to fight for you. I’m Wiglaf, Beowulf’s best friend. UNFERTH. Are you strong enough to defeat Grendel ? He is an ogre, descendant of Cain. He has been killing Scyldings for 12 long years. BEOWULF. I’m sure ! UNFERT. You’re such a liar ! WIGLAF. You don’t know who you are talking about. You've never seen him when he is fighting ! UNFERT. I don’t care about what you say, you are useless. Beowulf, come and fight like a man ! BEOWULF, walking to him angry. I’m not afraid of you, I’m gonna hit you ! [They grab each other's clothes] HROTHGAR. Enough ! Unferth, you’re just my retainer. Now, get out ! I don’t want to see you anymore. [two guards get out him] BEOWULF, Gabriel KING HROTHGAR, Angèle QUEEN WEALHTHEOW, Kendra
KING HROTHGAR and QUEEN WEALHTHEOW, powerless to defend their kingdom against Grendel's attacks will be helped by BEOWULF, for he has left his homeland to come and help them.
BEOWULF. King Hrothgar, Queen Wealhtheow, I came here to help you.
KING H. My dear Beowulf, you finally left your homeland to rescue us.
QUEEN W. Thank you for coming.
KING H. All the warriors who tried to kill Grendel are dead, you need to be very careful to
fight him.
BEOWULF. Yes, I know and this is how I’m going to fight Grendel at night, Grendel’s plan is
to enter Hereot and kill everybody while we sleep. The warriors are going to sleep
but not me, I will pretend to be asleep. And when Grendel attempts to kill
someone, I will jump on him. Then, the warriors will take their swords and help me.
QUEEN W. Nice, but we must tell you about a few of Grendel’s magical powers we already
know.
KING H. He has a magic shield that protects him from any attack.
BEOWULF. I don’t know, but it’s not a problem I will fight him with my hands while the
warriors will fight him with their swords. I would succeed by catching Grendel’s
neck in order to strangle him. So his magic shield will be useless in this situation.
KING H. It’s a very good idea but if you suceed in catching him, you will need to be very
careful because he’s a giant, so if you fall, you will be very hurt.
QUEEN W. Yes, it’s true and we wouldn’t like you to come back being hurt by Grendel.
BEOWULF. A fight is the call of duty for a warriors what ever the dangers. I’m a warrior, so my
duty is to protect the others even if the confrontation is risky. So, if they need it, I
will fight to death.
KING H. Yeah maybe but you’re not a warrior of the kingdom but from an other one, so the
fact that you have come to help us is already a lot for us, that’s the reason why I
don’t want you to be hurt during the fight. BEOWULF. I understand but the giant doesn’t frighten me, I’m the strongest warrior. Moreover,
I am grateful to you for what you've done for my father, that’s why I really want to
protect the inhabitants of your kingdom.
QUEEN W. Okay it’s your choice. But how many warriors do you need ?
KING H. We have many reliable and motivated warriors.
BEOWULF. I think it’s better if my warriors come with me rather than yours.
KING H. No, I’m sorry but if you want to go with warriors, they must come from our
kingdom.
BEOWULF. But why ? I think I will be more efficient if they are my warriors.
QUEEN W. We are very sorry but it’s very important for the kingdom that the warriors come
from our country so if you don’t agree you can go back to your home.
BEOWULF. Sorry I didn’t think that was so important. So I need fifty warriors reday for
tomorrow's battle.
KING H. That’s okay, tomorrow afternoon, fifty warriors will wait for you.
BEOWULF. All right ! Good night my Lord!
KING H. Good luck, great warrior! QUEEN W.}
+ =
BEOWULF KING HROTHGAR, Lise BEOWULF, Lélia DUNUT, Espérance ISAAC, Luca NEWTON, Ethan
The scene starts in the harbour, BEOWULF arrives on his ship with his two warriors. He's landing [ upstage centre] and he walks to the king [ centre stage] of the Danes called KING HROTHGAR who is standing with his counsellor who is also his fool.
KING H. One dayyyymy priiince will coooome....My dear Beowulf! I 've waited to see you for so long! And you're finally here! Did you hear about that creature living in the swamps, that ogre?!
BEO. Yes, I have. That's why I'm here.
KING H. Oh great!! Now, take my gift! Donut, come here!
DUNUT who was behind KING HROTHGAR[ centre stage right ]walks towards BEOWULF with a lion in a cage.
This is your gift, Sir!
BEOWULF [taking the gift supsiciously]
Thank you, [ coughing] it's nice! So, you need me?
KING H. Yes, the ogre! He's killing all my warriors!
DUNUT[ interrupting KING HORTHGAR]
If I may speak my Lord, I don't think that it's a good idea. This BEOWULF seems
smug and brutal!
ISAAC [ centre stage left to BEOWULF with a very bad-looking eye contact with DONUT, NEWTON, following him]
What did you say about ou hero? He's the best of all and he will solve any ogre
problems you have!!
NEWTON [ holding DONUT's shouders]
Yes, if you think you can beat him alone, go ahead, dickhead!
DUNUT [ a little scared]
But, don't be harsh with me, I was just kidding...
KING H. Please, don't fight, I need him.
BEO. [ going in front of his two warriors]
Everyone, stop now! My good king, what will I have in return? KING H. Glad you asked! You will have an important place in my kingdom. But let's talk
about it in Heorot.
ISAAC. What is Heorot?
DUNUT. It's the great mead hall built by our great king for his best warriors.
NEWTON [ walking upstage left, backstage]
Very bad name...
[In the mead hall, same stage positioning]
KING H. So, I will explain everything about what is going to happen.
DUNUT. Grendel, this mean ogre came and killed averyone after the feast, he's so
dangerous!
NEWTON. I'm ready to beat him!
KING H. After killing thirty of our men, he returned to his morbid swamp. You will find him two miles away. It has been like this for twelve long years.
BEO. So you have a problem with a murderous ogre named Grendl. He doesn't seem
to be dangerous for me. I can help you good king Hrothgar, with the help of
my two greatest warriors.
[Showing Isaac and Newton behind him]
ISAAC. We will find the ogre!
NEWTON. We will kill him!
BEO. Let's do it!, but before let's have a feast all together!
DUNUT. A donut? BEOWULF, Karla KING HROTHGAR, Karim WARRIORS, Romane and Océane
Enter BEOWULF, KING HROTHGAR and two warriors.
KING H. Welcome to my land Beowulf! I'm Hrothgar, king of the Danes and I've
been waiting for you for so long. I'm glad that you are with us now. I can't kill
Grendel alone, we need your help.
WARRIORS. I'm Océane and I'm Romane. We are the best warriors in this kingdom and we will
help you to kill this monster. We are so happy to be with you today, everybody
loves you here!
BEO. Oh.....I'm really famous then! Everybody knows me and I love it. I will introduce
myself anyway. I'm Beowulf, the strongest of warriors. I have the power of
thirty men in one grip. Don't worry, I will kill this Grendel!
KING H. But he 's really strong. We have to establish a plan....
BEO. A plan? What plan? It's so easy for me, I'll play with him!
WARRIORS. Wait Sir! Play with him? We have been suffering because of him for so long!
And nobody in this kingdom could kill him...and you say that you will play with
him?
KING H. My warriors are telling the truth Beowulf! You really underestimate Grendel.
BEO. Enough! You're bothering me, don't you know who I am? We will kill this monster
together, then you will live in peace in your kingdom and no one will be scared of
being eaten any more, I swear it!
KING H. Dear Beowulf, that's why we all appreciate you. Thank you so much for what
you are doing for us. BEOWULF, Ariane KING HORTHGAR, Léane UNFERTH, Madison
[Enter KING HORTHGAR with music. He dances and sits on his throne. UNFERTH follows him. KING HORTHGAR stops the music because he has just received a snap from BEOWULF. Unferth reads it too jealously.]
HROTHGAR. Unferth! I have just received a snap from Beowulf, come and see it!
UNFERTH. Hummm... [ looking at the sky], here we go again!....I'm coming my lord!!
[ Snap, BEOWULF on stage]
BEOWULF. Good morning, my dear king Hrothgar! And to you [ to Unferth].
Come on guys [ to his warriors], let us kneel, it's the king!
UNFERTH. He's so clever, good idea !! [ ironically].
BEOWULF. [ standing up ]
You're dismissed great warriors! You can go and see the girls around, they are said
to be beautiful, nice, cute and...so sweet! [ to his warriors]
UNFERTH. Pff... poor girls, this man is such an ignorant thug!
HROTHGAR. Hahaha, you're so funny and... of course what you day is true. I hope your trip was
good. Now, I need you my dear Beowulf.
BEOWULF. That's why I'm here! Don't forget that I'm the strongest of men!
UNFERTH. The strongest? Pff... I'm not that sure.
HROTHGAR. I know....the situation is very complicated, a lot of men died because of Grendel.
It's awful. We must do something!
BEOWULF. Let's talk in private! [ giving UNFERTH a dirty look]
HROTHGAR. Yes, Let's go to the kitchen, I have a good bottle of mead!
[ Exeunt HROTHGAR and BEOWULF. UNFERTH is left alone]
UNFERTH. [ to himself] Mmmmmmmh...... Get out, I don't care. I have never trusted Beowulf, I don't like that man....He's so pretentious! Because of him, Hrothgar has forgotten me, he has replaced me! Grrr...it upsets me! Anyway, Grendel will kill him. GRENDEL, Sophie BEOWULF, Séléna
GRENDEL. I hope that Beowulf won’t disturb me...If he comes, I will kill him. I must find a way to enter in this mead hall without been seen by anybody. I think that…
BEO. Hey Grendel, I’ve finally found you. I’ve been looking for you for many years.
Now, it’s your time and you will suffer. I will kill you!
GRENDEL. You think you can frighten me? I’m more powerful than you! Why do you want to
kill me? Am I bothering you?
BEO. You’ve eaten all the warriors in the mead hall I must kill you to restore peace in my
kingdom.
GRENDEL. I’ll show you!
[ fighting]
I will avenge myself and my mother will follow me!!
[ Grendel dies]
BEO. I’m the strongest of men. My father will be very glad and thankful to me. I will come
back to my family and celebrate the victory. MS BEOWULF, Louise MS HROTHGAR, Erin
[Ms HORTHGAR comes on stage and sits at her desk] That's it! This is the end! I'm dying, I'm dead, I'm buried, he finally got me. It's
the beginning of the end of my company! What am I going to become now?
What would I do?
[Ms HROTHGAR sees Ms BEOWULF] Who is it?
[Ms BEOWULF coming on stage] Good morning, Madam, I'm Ms Beowulf, the nest lawyer of England. I've
crossed the sea and come to America because I've heard that a rival company
has ruined yours. You are the head of the company, right?
Ms HROTHGAR. Yes, I am. Unfortunately, everything you said is true. However, even if you are
the best lawyer, I dont see how you could do something against that.
Ms BEOWULF. I'm sure that I can do something but firstly yoy have to tell me exactly what happened.
Ms HROTHGAR. Well, for many months, Mr. Grendel has become the CEO of the family
company. He is the successor of Mr. Cain who had ruined Heorot company,
my company. Several of my employees don't work for me anymore because
they preferred the bigger salary Mr. Grendel was offering. Moreover, he has
bought my co workers, which has been decreasing my ressource from day to
day. And this Mr. Grendel is known for his inequalities in the business, no
lawyers can stop him. They all have been corrupted by his popularity and his
wealth. Will you manage to stop him?
Ms BEOWULF. If, as you are saying, Mr. Grendel is corrupting men, it's possible to stop him
and maybe to bring him to justice. Of course, there will be a few loose ends to
tie up and I still don't know if you want to hire me...
Ms HROTHGAR. Yes! Yes, of course!Well, you are my last chance and I thought mysef lost... Um... If it suits you, it would be amzing if we could discuss all details you
were talking about ina safe place.
Ms BEOWULF. Yes, sure! And, by the way, you could show me a bit of the city: I have just
arrived, so I have seen nothing yet...
Ms HROTHGAR. [ Writing on a paper] Sure! I will reserve a table in a good restaurant. Here's the address. Meet me
at 7.00 pm.
Ms BEOWULF. I'll be there! Thanks for everything! HORTHGAR,Lucien Stefania, BEOWULF Louise, QUEEN WEALHTHEOW
HORTHGAR. Everybody! Here is the kingdom’s new hero: He will lead us to victory against
Grendel’s mother! Applause ! Let’s drink and dance to honor Beowulf!
QUEEN W. Good evening, sir! Are you enjoying our banquet?
BEO. Yes? Sure your majesty. You know, there are a lot of people but there are also
beautiful and smart ladies!
QUEEN W. Oh, I’m happy for you! I just wanted to ask a question, may I?
BEO. Of course, your majesty! You’re so kind with me!
QUEEN W. Well, how do you feel about being our hero? You might be used to it, aren’t you?
BEO. In fact, yes...a little bit. I am not a great fan of loud evenings, you know. I prefer
quiet and sweet nights... Now, may I ask you a question?
QUEEN W. How could I refuse?
BEO. What do you think about your husband, the king?
QUEEN W. The king?
BEO. Sorry majesty, I wouldn’t like to bother you but do you love him?
QUEEN W. Oh, no no, don’t worry….it is a bit complicated.
BEO. You don’t look happy with him…
[ KING HORTHGAR comes closer]
KING H. Good evening, dear wife! Do you enjoy the night? And you, Beowulf?
QUEEN W. Yes, My lord. Everything is perfect.
KING H. I’m glad to hear it. You know my dear warrior, she’s always upset! Ahahah...
BEO. I’m honoured to be your guest.
[ end of the scene] KING HORTHGAR, Léo THE WITCH/GRENDEL’S MOTHER, Albertine BEOWULF, Juliette
KING H. Once upon a time, there was a man, Beowulf, with the strength of thirty… well, you
know the entire story. I am Hrothgar, your beautiful and charismatic king, and I ‘m
going to tell you how this incredible Beowulf destroyed Grendel’ mother, an awful
and very very ugly witch.
[ Enter THE WITCH, angry and anxious, ready to prepare her magic potion.]
Here she is! She is nervous because she knows that Beowulf may come onto the stage
to kill her with a lot of blood, violence and everything.
WITCH. I hope that Beowulf won’t come onto the stage, or he will kill me with a lot of blood,
violence and everything. But I want to avenge my son’s death, so I need to get ready to
fight against him. [ Enter Beowulf pretending to be discreet and whispering loudly to the audience]
BEO. This idiot doesn’t know that I'm behind her…
KING H. And here is Beowulf!
WITCH.. [ to herself] So, so so, what am I going to use to kill this twat?...Frog’s eyes or mosquito’s tongues...hihihihihi!
BEO. [hitting the witch’s shoulder] Hey! [ Grendel’s mother turns to Beowulf who brutally slaps her cheek. She falls on the floor]
KING H. Hey, hey, hey! Stop! I didn’t put the battle music! [ Turns the music on]
WITCH. OH, come on!
BEO. What a stupid king!
KING H. [ backstage] I am a beautiful and a very charismatic king! Let’s go, you can start! [ fight starts from the beginning]
BEO. [hitting the witch’s shoulder] Hey!!
[ Both stop fighting and look at Hrothgar standing upstage and dancing awkwardly] KING H. [ Looks around him realizing that he is the only one dancing]
Oh. Hum, hum. I have to change this, right? Okay, don’t panic. [ Go upstage left, sulking in a corner] [ The two fighters look at each other start moving their heads]
BEO. [hitting the witch’s shoulder] Hey! [ Grendel’s mother turns to Beowulf who brutally slaps her cheek. She falls on the floor. Beowulf tries to jump on her bit she dodges and runs away to get the magic wand on the table while Beowulf is lying on the floor after his unsuccessful blow. He stands up when Grendel’s mother puts a spell on him, just like Doris in Harry Potter. Beowulf falls on the floor. She drags him by the ankle and steps on his head. Beowulf finally manages to stand up, strong as he is. ]
WITCH. You miserable thing!AAAARG! [ THE WITCH and BEOWULF backstage fighting loudly and punching ]
KING H. What a beautiful fight: I love those fights, when you can see everything that is
happening between the two fighters.
[ Enter THE WITCH and BEOWULF running and fighting]
But take a precise look on what is about to happen right here and now.
[ Music stops. THE WITCH falls down and BEOWULF jump on her, holding his sword in both hands]
WITCH. Hey, I wanted to avenge my son, but why are you doing this? Why do you want to kill me like this?
BEO. For glory…
KING H. Wooooo! Punchline!
BEO. Come on, I’m trying to kill her formally!
WITCH. And I’m trying to DIE formally as well, so please…
WITCH BEO } Shut up!!
KING H. Okay, okay.
[ Grendel’s mother dies letting out a final cry of pain]
BEO. The witch is dead! KING H. }
[ Exeunt BEOWULF and KING HORTHGAR dancing joyfully. The corpse is left on stage]
Seconde 4, Lycée Jeanne D'arc