REVENGE OF THE SEA GOD
Stories from Homer’s Odyssey dramatised for performance by young people
Neil Rathmell
REVENGE OF THE SEA GOD
CAST in order of appearance
Sailors Odysseus Lotus Eaters Sheep Poseidon Hermes Zeus Circe Ghosts Teiresias Athene
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SCENE 1
Sound of the sea.
Sailors 1-19 enter one by one and take up position on board ship until they have created a still picture of Odysseus’s ship at sea.
Enter Odysseus, when the picture is complete. He walks among the Sailors, speaking quietly.
ODYSSEUS Thalassa! Thalassa! Thalassa! Thalassa! Thalassa!
One by one, the Sailors respond by bringing the still picture to life and repeating the word thalassa (the Greek word for ‘sea’) until the stage is full of movement and sound.
Suddenly, the movement stops and there is a brief silence.
SAILORS 1-19 Crescendo
The sea! The sea! THE SEA !
Pause
SAILORS 1-10 Odysseus sailed across the sea from Troy.
SAILORS 11-19 A crafty captain and a skilful crew.
SAILORS 7-13 After the victory, sailing for home.
SAILORS 1-6 Beneath the waves the sea god saw them go.
SAILORS 14-19 He saw them riding on the sea-saw swell.
SAILORS 4-9 Poseidon, sea god, saw the ships go by.
SAILOR 11-16 Odysseus and his men just saw the sea.
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Cast make a new picture of sailors looking disconsolately out to sea. Odysseus studies a chart.
SAILOR 1 How much longer?
SAILOR 2 We’ve been at sea for weeks!
SAILOR 3 And no sign of land.
SAILOR 4 No sign of land.
Sailors 1-19 all sigh. Odysseus continues to study the chart.
SAILOR 1 Perhaps he’s read the charts wrong.
SAILOR 2 Odysseus?
SAILOR 3 He might have.
SAILOR 2 Not him! Not Odysseus!
SAILOR 1 Why not?
SAILOR 2 He led us to victory at Troy, didn’t he?
SAILOR 1 Ah, but that was on land, wasn’t it? Now we’re at sea.
SAILOR 3 You can say that again!
SAILOR 2 Odysseus knows everything there is to know about the sea.
SAILOR 1 Perhaps he did once. But after all those years on land, he might have forgotten.
SAILOR 2 Never!
SAILOR 1 He might have.
SAILOR 4 Pointing and shouting in excitement.
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Look!
SAILOR 3 What?
SAILOR 4 Land!
SAILOR 1 Land?
SAILOR 2 What did I tell you?
SAILORS 1-19 A single shout.
Land!
Odysseus rolls up his chart and shouts commands to the crew.
ODYSSEUS Prepare to land!
Sailors spring into action, following Odysseus’s commands.
Lower the sails! Man the oars! Look-outs to your posts! Helmsmen hold steady! Make fast! Stow the provisions! Bowmen stand ready! Prepare to land!
Sailors freeze in new positions.
And so we arrived in the land of the lotus eaters.
Sailors move quickly into new positions to create a new still picture, sitting in groups, eating and drinking.
When everyone was rested, I picked out three of my best men to go inland to find out, if they could, where we were and what sort of people lived here.
All stand and face the audience. Odysseus points to Sailors 5-7 in turn. As he does so, each steps forward and salutes Odysseus. All three then walk out. The rest resume their original positions.
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A day went by but my men did not return. So I picked out the three next best men to follow them.
All stand again. Odysseus points to Sailors 8-10 and each steps forward and salutes as before. They walk out and the rest resume their original positions.
Another day went by and still they did not return. So I picked out three more men to go after the six who had already gone.
All stand again. Odysseus points to Sailors 11-13 and each steps forward and salutes as before. They walk out and the rest resume their original positions.
Another day went by and still no one returned, neither the three who had gone first, nor the second three who had gone in search of the first three, nor the third three who had gone in search of the second three who had gone in search of the first three. The situation was becoming numerically challenging, so before I ran out of men – and fingers – I decided to go myself and see what had become of them. I ordered the rest of my crew to go back to the ship and prepare to sail at a moment’s notice, just in case.
All those left on stage go out quickly, leaving Odysseus alone.
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SCENE 2
Sound of the sea.
ODYSSEUS I left just as the sun was rising and walked inland, following the trail left by the nine who had gone before. I left at daybreak and by evening I had found them, but what I found was not what I was expecting.
Enter Sailors 5-7.
SAILORS 5-7 We were the best. That’s why he chose us. Three of the best Of the men of Odysseus. We were the best. There was no one to beat us. Till the men of the island Came out to meet us And asked us to eat Of the flower of the lotus.
Enter the Lotus Eaters.
LOTUS EATERS Men of Odysseus! Men of war! Eat of the lotus! Fight no more!
SAILORS 5-7 The fruit looked harmless. The people smiled at us. We were the first Of the men of Odysseus To eat of the fruit Of the flower of the lotus.
LOTUS EATERS Men of Odysseus, Lay down your arms. We ask you to sit with us. We mean you no harm.
Sailors 5-7 sit down with the Lotus Eaters. Enter Sailors 8-10.
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SAILORS 8-10 We were the next best. That’s why he chose us To follow the best Of the men of Odysseus And save them from harm And bring them back with us. But when we saw them They just smiled at us.
SAILORS 5-7 Come, friends, and join us And eat of the fruit Of the flower of the lotus.
SAILORS 8-10 The men of the island Stood up to greet us.
LOTUS EATERS Men of Odysseus! Travel no more! Stay here and share with us The fruit of the lotus.
Sailors 8-10 sit down with Sailors 5-7 and the Lotus Eaters. Enter Sailors 11-13.
SAILORS 11-13 We were the next best. Not as good as the first. But still not the worst Of the men of Odysseus. The best of the rest of us. It could have been worse. Our captain trusted us To find all the others And bring them back with us. But when we saw them They just smiled.
SAILORS 5-10 All six of us.
SAILORS 11-13 We weren’t the best. So we joined the rest, Forgetting Odysseus.
SAILORS 5-10 Odysseus? Odysseus?
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LOTUS EATERS Standing and leading Sailors 11-13 to join the others.
Come and sit with us! Come and eat with us! Forget this Odysseus!
SAILORS 11-13 So we sat where they sat us And we ate of the lotus. And soon we’d forgotten Our captain, Odysseus.
Sailors 11-13 join the others, sitting with the Lotus Eaters. Odysseus steps forward and speaks to them, but they behave as if they can’t see or hear him.
ODYSSEUS Forget your captain? Forget me? Forget Odysseus?
The Lotus Eaters stand between Odysseus and the Sailors.
LOTUS EATERS Odysseus! Odysseus! He’s come for his men! His best nine men! They can’t hear you, Odysseus! They’re ours now, Odysseus! They belong to us! Belong to us! They belong to the lotus! The lotus! The lotus! Belong to the lotus! They’re oblivious to you, Odysseus! Oblivious! Oblivious!
ODYSSEUS Pushing the Lotus Eaters aside, angrily.
Out of my way!
The Lotus Eaters stand aside, calmly, and Odysseus confronts his men.
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Back to the ship!
Pause. The Sailors ignore him.
Do you hear me? I order you to return to the ship.
Pause. The Sailors continue to ignore him. Odysseus is baffled. The Lotus Eaters come closer again.
LOTUS EATERS There’s nothing you can do, Odysseus. You might as well join us.
ODYSSEUS What?
LOTUS EATERS Join us! Join us! Eat of the lotus! Join us, Odysseus!
ODYSSEUS No!
LOTUS EATERS Join us! Join us! The lotus! The lotus! Odysseus! Odysseus!
ODYSSEUS No!
LOTUS EATERS Oblivious! Oblivious!
ODYSSEUS No!
LOTUS EATERS The lotus! The lotus!
ODYSSEUS No! No! NO!
Silence. The Lotus Eaters watch as Odysseus begins to mime running in slow motion.
I ran, back to the ship, and called to the rest of the crew, who were ready on board, as I had told them.
He stops and puts his hands to his mouth as he shouts.
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Throw me a rope!
He mimes catching a rope and winding it round his arm.
I caught the rope and turned and ran back to my men and the Lotus Eaters who held them in their sway.
LOTUS EATERS Us? It is not we who hold them. They hold themselves.
ODYSSEUS They are your captives!
LOTUS EATERS Willing captives!
ODYSSEUS Your prisoners!
LOTUS EATERS Prisoners?
Odysseus mimes unwinding the rope and begins, in mime, to tie the Sailors together in a line. Sailors are drawn into a tight group, linking arms.
Where are their chains? Where are their fetters?
ODYSSEUS In their minds! In their souls!
LOTUS EATERS We set them free. You tie them down.
SAILORS They set us free! They set us free!
ODYSSEUS Goes on tying them together, in mime.
Don’t listen to them!
SAILORS Why are you doing this to us?
LOTUS EATERS You see? They want to stay! We gave them freedom! What do you offer them?
ODYSSEUS Life! Dignity! Freedom!
LOTUS EATERS Is that why you’re tying them together?
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SAILORS Leave us here! We’re happy! This is all we want!
ODYSSEUS No! You’re coming with me!
SAILORS Please! Please don’t take us away! Please! Please!
ODYSSEUS Finishes roping the Sailors together and starts to pull them after him.
You’re coming…
SAILORS Trying to resist.
Please!
ODYSSEUS …with me!
He pulls the rope, in mime, and the Sailors are dragged unwillingly across the stage.
LOTUS EATERS Why so cruel, Odysseus? Why so cruel?
ODYSSEUS Cruel?
LOTUS EATERS Why won’t you leave them? You have other men to help you sail your ship.
ODYSSEUS Turns to face the Lotus Eaters.
Yes, I have other men.
LOTUS EATERS Then why won’t you leave them here?
ODYSSEUS Because they only have themselves.
Pause. Odysseus turns away, then suddenly turns back and shouts angrily at the Lotus Eaters.
Now go!
The Lotus Eaters are scared and run away.
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I dragged them, now my unwilling prisoners, down to the shore, where my ship was ready and waiting.
He puts his hand to his mouth and calls to the rest of the crew.
Help me get them on board!
Sailors 1-4 enter and take hold of Sailors 5-13. Odysseus stands back and shouts his orders. The nine sailors are dragged reluctantly onto the ship. Sailors 1-4 tie them down in mime, responding to Odysseus’s orders.
Hold onto them! Don’t let them go! Tie them down if you have to! Prepare to sail!
Enter Sailors 14-19. They take up position, ready to row. Sailors 1-4 respond to Odysseus’s orders, 1-2 hoisting sail and 3-4 hauling on a rope.
Man the oars! Hoist the sails! Weigh anchor! All on board? Then pull for the open sea!
On Odysseus’s command, Sailors 14-19 pull on their oars, Sailors 1-2 stand by the sail, Sailor 3 takes up position as look-out and Sailor 4 holds the tiller. The whole cast, including Odysseus, chant in time with the action of rowing.
ALL Thalassa! Thalassa! Thalassa!
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SCENE 3
Sound of the sea.
All except Odysseus freeze, while Odysseus speaks.
ODYSSEUS We sailed for many days and, as we left behind the island of the Lotus Eaters, so the memory faded and the nine men who had tasted the flower slowly forgot and became themselves again.
Sailors 14-19 row again, while Sailors 5-13 take up new positions as part of the crew. As soon as the rowing starts, the cast resume their chanting.
ALL Thalassa! Thalassa! Thalassa!
All except Odysseus freeze, while Odysseus speaks.
ODYSSEUS But our provisions were running low and once more we had to look out for land.
Sailors 14-19 row again, while the rest of the crew look out anxiously. Sailor 4 changes places with Sailor 3 as lookout. The rowing becomes more laborious and the pace of the chanting slows down in time with it.
ALL Thalassa! Thalassa! Thalassa! Thalassa! Thalassa! Thalassa!
SAILOR 4 Pointing
Land!
The rest of the crew stand and look where Sailor 4 is pointing.
SAILORS 1-3, 5-19 Land!
ODYSSEUS And so we came to the island of the Cyclops.
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SAILORS 1-19 Whispering
The island of the one-eyed giant!
ODYSSEUS But we didn’t know that when we landed.
SAILORS 1-3 How could we?
Exit
SAILORS 4-5 It just looked like an ordinary island.
Exit
SAILORS 6-8 So we followed Odysseus’s orders.
Exit
SAILORS 9-11 And went off to explore the island.
Exit
SAILORS 12-14 Unaware of any danger.
Exit
SAILOR 15-17 Not knowing that, before nightfall, some of us were to die.
Exit
SAILORS 18-19 Victims of the one-eyed giant.
Exit
ODYSSEUS Alone on stage
The Cyclops.
Exit
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SCENE 4
Sound of the sea.
Enter Sailor 1. He walks cautiously, looking around, then stops in surprise and returns to the side of the stage, calling to the others.
SAILOR 1 Hey! Come and look at this!
Enter Sailors 2-8. They stop in surprise.
SAILOR 2 What is it?
SAILOR 3 Where?
SAILOR 1 Look!
SAILOR 4 Food!
SAILOR 5 Pointing
Wine!
SAILOR 8 Amazing!
SAILOR 3 I thought the island was deserted.
SAILOR 4 It can’t be.
SAILOR 5 Look at it all!
SAILOR 6 Just what we were looking for!
SAILOR 7 There’s enough here for all of us.
SAILOR 1 Enough for a long voyage.
SAILOR 2 So what are we waiting for?
SAILORS 1-8 Let’s take it!
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The Sailors rush forward. Each picks something up in mime, then turns to carry it off. As they do so, Odysseus enters. When Sailors 1-8 turn to go out, he is blocking the way.
SAILOR 3 Odysseus! Look!
SAILOR 4 Look what we’ve found!
SAILOR 5 There’s enough food and drink here to keep us going for weeks!
SAILOR 6 Months!
SAILOR 7 Years!
The other Sailors all turn and look at him.
Well, perhaps not years exactly. But quite a while.
ODYSSEUS Put it all back.
The Sailors stare at him, open-mouthed.
SAILORS 1-8 What?
ODYSSEUS You heard me.
SAILORS 1-8 But…
ODYSSEUS I said, put it back.
SAILORS 1-8 Put it back?
ODYSSEUS Put it back.
Pause
SAILORS 1-8 But…
ODYSSEUS Shouts
Put it back!
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The Sailors hurriedly return their mimed objects, then turn and stand facing Odysseus. After a brief silence, one of them speaks.
SAILOR 1 Why?
ODYSSEUS Because I want to meet the man who lives here.
Sailors nod and speak to each other ad lib.
SAILORS 1-8 Of course. He wants to meet him. We want to meet him. I wonder who he is.
ODYSSEUS And we’re not thieves.
SAILORS 1-8 Ad lib, as before.
Certainly not! We’re not thieves! Not us! No! No! Of course not!
ODYSSEUS So we’ll wait here for the owner to return and we’ll introduce ourselves and we’ll satisfy our thirst for knowledge by finding out about him and the other people who live on the island.
SAILORS 1-8 Without enthusiasm
Right.
ODYSSEUS Then we’ll take it.
SAILORS 1-8 With enthusiasm
Right!
ODYSSEUS So we sat down inside the cave and waited.
All sit.
Until at nightfall we heard a sound outside and went to the mouth of the cave to see what it was.
All rush to one side of the stage, then stop suddenly. Slowly they all look up, tilting their
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heads backwards, staring up at the giant. After a long silence, they all scream and run back to the other side of the stage, where they cower down, trying to hide behind each other. Odysseus peeps out from the huddle of bodies and speaks in a whisper to the audience.
A giant. Three or four times as big as a man. Twenty feet tall. With one eye. The Cyclops. And with him a flock of sheep, each as big as a horse. We watched as he came into the cave, driving the sheep in before him.
Enter Sheep. Odysseus and the sailors follow the movements of the Cyclops with their eyes.
He stooped to get in through the mouth of the cave, then stood up again when he was inside. He came towards us.
They all cower away.
Then stopped and sat down on a huge boulder, just a few yards away from where we were hiding.
They all breathe a sigh of relief.
We watched in amazement, as the one-eyed giant picked up a huge jar of wine with one hand, lifted it above his head, pulled out the bung and let the wine pour out into his open mouth. When the jar was empty, he flung it over his shoulder.
They all duck, watching the jar fly over their heads, then look back at the Cyclops.
We were trapped, hidden at one end of the cave, with the Cyclops sitting on his stone seat, blocking our way out. If only I had let my men take the things from the cave, as they had wanted, instead of insisting on waiting to see who they belonged to.
SAILORS 1-8 If only!
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ODYSSEUS Suddenly, the giant turned his head.
The Sailors gasp and try to hide.
He stood up and took a pace towards us.
The Sailors follow the Cyclops’s movements with their eyes.
He came closer. He bent down. He reached out and, with one hand, he grabbed one of my men and dragged him out into the cave.
The Sailors sitting either side of Sailor 1 move away, while Sailor 1 appears to be dragged into the middle of the stage by an imaginary giant hand. He struggles and screams. Finally, he is flung off-stage and his screams come to an abrupt end.
We could hardly bear to look, as the Cyclops settled down to prepare his dinner.
The Sailors turn away and cover their eyes with their hands.
He went out of the cave and came back a few moments later with a tree in his hand. He tore off some branches and used them to build a fire. But the roast of the day turned out not to be lamb after all. The sheep survived to live another day, while the giant held out a leg of a different kind to roast over the fire. It was too horrible to watch.
Pause
SAILOR 2 Whispers to Odysseus
Odysseus, what are we going to do?
ODYSSEUS Don’t worry. All we have to do is wait until the giant goes to sleep. Then we’ll be able to creep past him, get out of the cave and return to the ship. Don’t worry. I’ve got out of far more desperate situations
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than this and lived to tell the tale. Trust me. Now tell the others.
Sailor 2 nods. He whispers to the Sailor nearest him. The message is passed round all the Sailors in this way.
So we sat and waited for the Cyclops to fall asleep. After he had finished eating, he threw the bones into a corner of the cave.
The Sailors look up and watch the bones flying over their heads.
Then he stood up in the middle of the cave and yawned and stretched.
The Sailors follow his movements with their eyes.
We all willed him to lie down and sleep.
The Sailors watch the giant with a mixture of hope and fear on their faces.
But our hopes were dashed when we saw the Cyclops push the huge boulder on which he had been sitting towards the mouth of the cave.
The expressions on the Sailors’ faces turn to despair, as they look first at the giant, then at Odysseus, then back at the giant.
With the boulder blocking the only way out, the Cyclops leaned his back against it and fell asleep. Throughout the night, the only sounds which could be heard were the snores of the giant and the muffled groans of my poor, frightened men.
The Sailors moan quietly, as Sailor 2 creeps up beside Odysseus.
SAILOR 2 Now what?
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ODYSSEUS Don’t worry. I’ll get you out of here. It’s just a minor set-back. Don’t worry.
SAILOR 2 Worry? Me? I’m not worried. We’re only trapped in a cave with a one-eyed, man-eating giant. Why should I be worried?
ODYSSEUS Now listen. All we have to do is stay hidden. In the morning, when the giant goes out again, we can escape.
SAILOR 2 Let’s hope he doesn’t want a cooked breakfast.
ODYSSEUS Now go and tell the others to wait patiently till morning and be ready to make a run for it when I give the signal.
Sailor 2 returns to the huddle of sailors and whispers to one of them. The whisper is passed around, as before.
We waited through the night and, in the morning, we watched as the giant opened his one eye, yawned, stretched and stood up.
The Sailors follow his movements with their eyes. Odysseus whispers to them.
He’s letting the sheep out. Look! Get ready!
The Sailors get cautiously to their feet, crouched, ready to run, as the Sheep go out.
Wait! Not yet! Wait till he’s well clear of the entrance. Ready! Run!
The Sailors run across the stage, then skid to a halt and stand facing a solid wall. Slowly, they turn to face Odysseus. Odysseus gives a wan smile and the sailors sit down, despondently. Odysseus speaks to the audience.
The Cyclops must have suspected something. Instead of leaving the cave open, as he had
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yesterday, he rolled another boulder in front of the entrance, trapping us inside.
He turns back to the Sailors and speaks to them in an encouraging tone of voice.
Don’t worry! I’ll get you out.
Pause. The Sailors look at him blankly.
Trust me!
Pause. The Sailors look away again. Odysseus sighs.
In the evening, we heard him coming back.
The Sailors hurry back to their hiding place.
He dragged the boulder away from the mouth of the cave and came in, driving the sheep in front of him.
Enter Sheep.
There was nothing we could do but sit and watch, as the events of the night before were repeated in all their horror.
The Sailors react, as before, watching the giant as he comes towards them and grabs Sailor 3. Another Sailor holds onto him for a moment but loses his grip and Sailor 3 is dragged across the stage and flung out.
Once again, the sheep were spared, as the Cyclops indulged his taste for stronger meat.
SAILOR 2 Creeps out from the huddle of Sailors and whispers to Odysseus.
Any more ideas?
Pause.
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Perhaps he’ll go for the vegetarian option tomorrow. You never know.
ODYSSEUS I’ve got it!
SAILOR 2 Perhaps we should just cover ourselves in parsley and get it over with.
ODYSSEUS To himself, thinking aloud
The sheep, the fire, the branches… Why didn’t I think of it before?
SAILOR 2 I’ll tell you what. Why don’t we all hold hands and pretend to be a string of sausages? That would be fun!
ODYSSEUS Turns to the Sailors and speaks in an urgent whisper
Now listen carefully! This is the plan!
SAILOR 2 To the audience
To the man who invented the Trojan Horse, this was child’s play.
Odysseus and the other Sailors look round, waiting for him to join them.
All right, I’m coming.
Odysseus stands with his back to the audience, while he explains the plan to the sailors. The audience sees his gestures and the reactions of the Sailors, but cannot hear his words. When Odysseus has finished explaining the plan, Sailor 2 speaks to the audience.
Got that? Clever, isn’t it? And it went like clockwork! You’ll see! I’ll be the Cyclops, right?
He pretends to be the Cyclops, acting out his movements.
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Mmm! Nice dinner! Very tasty!
Licks his lips and throws the bones away. Yawns.
I’m sleepy now. I think I’ll just shut my eye and have twenty winks.
Lies down.
ODYSSEUS To Sailors 4-6.
He’s asleep. Quick! Get the fire going again!
Sailors 4-6 blow on the embers of the fire. Odysseus turns to Sailors 7-8 and speaks to them.
Help me sharpen this branch to a point.
Sailors 7-8 mime sharpening the end of a branch, which Odysseus holds out for them. Sailor 2 pretends to stir in his sleep. The others stop what they are doing and stand still. Sailor 2 goes back to sleep.
Now, hold it in the fire until it’s red hot.
Sailors 7-8 mime carrying the branch to the fire and holding it there, slowly turning it, while Sailors 4-6 continue to blow on the embers.
SAILOR 2 Sits up and speaks to the audience in his own voice.
Still sleeping. Everything going to plan.
Lies down again.
ODYSSEUS Now, give me the branch.
Sailors 7-8 mime giving the branch to Odysseus. He takes it from them and they react to the heat.
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Holding the branch up, Odysseus creeps towards Sailor 2.
SAILOR 2 Sits up and speaks to the audience.
Still sleeping. No idea that Odysseus is coming towards him with a red hot branch in his hand, sharpened to a point, preparing at any moment to plunge it into the Cyclops’ eye. One eye, right in the middle of his forehead.
Points to the middle of his forehead and lies down again.
Just there.
Odysseus mimes plunging the branch into the middle of Sailor 2’s forehead. Sailor 2 screams and jumps to his feet, holding the branch. Odysseus steps back quickly and Sailors 4-8 gather round him. They watch as Sailor 2 runs round in circles, screaming in agony, trying to pull the branch from his eye. Eventually, he does so and mimes throwing the branch away. He stands in the middle of the stage, clutching his head.
Blind. Screaming in agony. Tries to find his attackers.
Sailor 2 gropes his way across the stage towards Odysseus and the other Sailors.
ODYSSEUS To Sailors 4-8.
Scatter!
The Sailors 4-8 scatter around the edges of the stage. Sailor 2 staggers this way and that, arms stretched out in front of him, while they dodge out of his way.
SAILOR 2 Where are you? Where are you? I know you’re there! You won’t escape! Oh! Oh! My eye! My eye!
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You won’t get out! Oh no! You’re trapped! There’s no escape now! Oh! Oh!
He staggers to the mouth of the cave and sits down, leaning against an imaginary boulder.
I’ll wait here! You won’t get past me! You’ve blinded me, but you haven’t killed me! I’ll wait here and sooner or later I’ll have my revenge! Oh! Oh!
He sits on the floor, holding his head and groaning. Odysseus gathers Sailors 4-8 around him at the opposite side of the stage and whispers to them. Sailor 2 stops groaning for a moment and speaks to the audience in his own voice.
Plan B. The sheep.
Odysseus gives orders in mime. Sailors 4-8 cross one by one to the Sheep. Each hides under one of the sheep. Odysseus does the same, when the others are all in place.
When the morning comes, the sheep are hungry. They want to be let out, so they can graze in the fields. Cyclops can’t see them, but he can hear them.
The Sheep start to bleat and move nearer to Sailor 2. Sailor 2 carries out the actions of the Cyclops as he speaks.
Pushes the boulder aside just far enough to let them through, one by one. Can’t see, but runs his hand over their backs as they go by. Make sure there’s only sheep. Nobody else. Only sheep. Only sheep.
The Sheep go out one by one, past Sailor 2, while he speaks. The sheep hiding Odysseus is the last to go. Sailor 2 continues to act out the movements of the Cyclops while he speaks.
Counts them and when they’ve all gone, pushes the boulder back in place, so his enemies can’t get out.
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Trapping them, as he thinks, inside the cave. For ever.
Pause. Slowly, Sailor 2 realises that he has been left behind.
Wait a minute. What about me? What am I supposed to do? This isn’t fair! Odysseus! You’re out there and I’m still in here! With him! A blind, man-eating giant! Odysseus!
Pause. He turns to the audience, with a look of resignation.
So that’s how I found out what none of them knew. Left behind in the cave with the Cyclops, there was nothing for it but to try to make friends with him. Engage him in conversation. I introduced myself and we chatted for a while. I explained how Odysseus had tricked him and we had a bit of a laugh about that. Then he told me a bit about himself. He said he was going to have the last laugh. I said, how’s that then? And he said he would tell his dad and his dad would get Odysseus for him. I couldn’t help laughing at that, which was probably where I made my mistake, because we’d been getting on quite well until then. It turned out his dad was Poseidon, the Sea God. So he really was going to have the last laugh. Even Odysseus was no match for the Sea God. Anyway, he started to get hungry then. I told him about the vegetarian option, but he wasn’t interested. I said there’d be more meat on one of the sheep, but he said he liked something to nibble on before dinner. I offered to get him a cup of wine and that might have delayed it for a while if I hadn’t tried to make a joke about doing a blind tasting. That was definitely a mistake.
Acting out the movements of the Cyclops, as he describes them.
He knocked back the wine with one hand, picked me up in the other, threw the empty cup against the wall of the cave, pushed the boulder away from the
28 REVENGE OF THE SEA GOD entrance, strode out onto the hillside, turned to face the sea, where our ship was already disappearing over the horizon, and called to his father. “Poseidon! Poseidon! Great god of the sea! Take vengeance for me on Odysseus! Vengeance! Vengeance!” He was trembling with rage and he must have forgotten that he meant to eat me, because instead he lifted me high above his head, drew back his arm and threw me with all his strength out towards the sea, where I landed not far behind our ship and swam after them as hard as I could.
Goes out, swimming, calling to Odysseus.
Odysseus! Odysseus! Wait for me! I’ve got something to tell you! Odysseus! Odysseus!
Exit
29 REVENGE OF THE SEA GOD
SCENE 5
Sound of the sea.
Enter Poseidon, in a rage.
POSEIDON Who does he think he is? This Odysseus? Who does he think he is?
Enter Hermes, whistling.
What is he? A man! That’s all! A man! Huh!
HERMES Something wrong, Poseidon?
POSEIDON What?
HERMES Something wrong?
POSEIDON Yes!
HERMES I only asked. There’s no need to bite my head off.
POSEIDON Good idea!
HERMES What?
POSEIDON Biting his head off. I’m sure it could be arranged.
HERMES Calm down, Poseidon! Calm down!
POSEIDON Why should I calm down?
HERMES Because you’re a god, like me.
POSEIDON Yes, I am a god. But I’m not like you. You are Hermes, the messenger.
HERMES And giant slayer.
POSEIDON Messengers have to stay calm, otherwise they might forget the message.
30 REVENGE OF THE SEA GOD
HERMES You have to stay calm to kill giants, too. The calmer you are, the angrier they get and that’s when they make mistakes.
POSEIDON But I am Poseidon, the god of the sea, and I have different moods, like the sea. Sometimes I’m calm and sometimes I’m very, very angry.
HERMES So what’s made you angry this time?
POSEIDON A man.
HERMES What man?
POSEIDON A man who thinks he’s a god.
HERMES Oh? Who?
POSEIDON Spitting the word out
Odysseus!
HERMES Oh, him! Athene’s favourite! Gets a bit above himself sometimes, doesn’t he?
POSEIDON You can say that again.
Pause
HERMES Gets a bit above himself sometimes, doesn’t he?
POSEIDON I heard you the first time.
HERMES So why did you ask me to say it again?
POSEIDON Where’s Zeus?
HERMES On Mount Olympus, I suppose. Why?
POSEIDON I want to see him.
HERMES Would you like me to take a message?
31 REVENGE OF THE SEA GOD
POSEIDON Yes. Tell him I want revenge on Odysseus. Tell him I want to teach Odysseus a lesson. Tell him I want Odysseus dead!
Exit Poseidon
HERMES Life on Mount Olympus would be very dull without gods like Poseidon – and men like Odysseus. Gods who behave like men and men who behave like gods. Revenge on Odysseus, eh? Athene won’t like that. I’m not sure what Zeus will make of it either, come to that. He’s quite keen on Odysseus, too. This could be interesting.
Exit Hermes
32 REVENGE OF THE SEA GOD
SCENE 6
Sound of the sea.
Enter Sailors 4-19, one by one, taking up positions on board ship. The picture they create is one of energy and hope. They speak as they enter, until all are speaking in unison.
SAILOR 4 And now we sail for home
SAILORS 4-5 With a fair wind to fill our sails
SAILORS 4-6 Driving us forward over the sea
SAILORS 4-7 Over the white-tipped waves
SAILORS 4-8 Home to Ithaca
SAILORS 4-9 Beautiful homeland
SAILORS 4-10 Ithaca
SAILORS 4-11 After the years of battle
SAILORS 4-12 After the years of toil
SAILORS 4-13 The sea will take us home again
SAILORS 4-14 Home again
SAILORS 4-15 To Ithaca
SAILORS 4-16 Those years are ended
SAILORS 4-17 And now we sail for home
SAILORS 4-18 With a fair wind to fill our sails
SAILORS 4-19 Driving us forward over the sea Poseidon will guide us Poseidon the sea-god Over the white-tipped waves
33 REVENGE OF THE SEA GOD
Home to Ithaca Beautiful homeland Ithaca.
Enter Odysseus
ODYSSEUS Odysseus will guide you.
Sailors all turn to look at Odysseus.
Trust me.
SAILOR 2 Off
Odysseus! Odysseus! Wait for me! Odysseus! Odysseus!
Sailors all turn and look offstage, where Sailor 2’s voice is coming from.
ODYSSEUS But first, we will visit the island of Aeolus.
Sailors all look back towards Odysseus.
SAILOR 2 His voice getting nearer
Odysseus!
Sailors all turn and look offstage again.
Odysseus!
ODYSSEUS Aeolus is a favourite of the gods.
Sailors all look back towards Odysseus.
He will help us make good speed towards our home.
SAILOR 2 His voice getting nearer still
Odysseus!
Sailors all turn and look offstage again.
34 REVENGE OF THE SEA GOD
Odysseus!
ODYSSEUS Row for the island!
Sailors pull on the oars.
Pull! Pull! Pull!
SAILOR 2 His voice fading into the distance
Odysseus! Odysseus! Odysseus!
Action freezes. Odysseus speaks to the audience.
ODYSSEUS We came to the island of Aeolus and, leaving my men on the ship, I made my way to the palace and asked for Aeolus’s help. He gave me this.
Holds up a bulging sack.
A sack holding the four winds, north, south, east and west, tied at the neck with a silver wire. Take this, he said, and keep it firmly tied, until you need it to help you on your way. When your ship is becalmed and you need a strong wind to blow your sails, untie the silver wire and release the winds. Until then, he said, keep it firmly tied.
Checks the sack.
I would have returned to my ship at once, where my men were waiting, eager to get home, but Aeolus insisted on making me his guest and so, for a few days, I stayed in his palace and was royally entertained. But at last he let me go and I returned to my ship and we set sail again for home.
Puts down the sack.
I was tired after so many days feasting in the palace and, after I had greeted my men and given them their orders, I lay down and went to sleep.
35 REVENGE OF THE SEA GOD
Lies down.
SAILOR 7 What’s he got in that sack?
SAILOR 8 Treasure, probably.
SAILOR 4 Gifts from the palace.
SAILOR 5 Gold.
SAILOR 6 Silver.
SAILOR 7 He’s always checking to make sure it’s properly tied.
SAILOR 4 Always keeps it with him.
SAILOR 5 Must be valuable.
SAILOR 8 Never offered to share it with us, did he?
SAILOR 6 Never!
SAILOR 5 Mean old bugger!
SAILOR 7 We could have a look inside, while he’s asleep.
SAILOR 8 We could!
SAILOR 4 Why not?
SAILOR 5 Go on then!
SAILOR 6 I dare you!
SAILOR 5 Go on!
SAILOR 7 Shall I?
SAILOR 8 Whatever it is, we deserve a share.
SAILOR 4 Go on! Open it!
Sailor 7 picks up the sack.
36 REVENGE OF THE SEA GOD
SAILOR 7 Doesn’t feel very heavy.
SAILOR 5 What do you think it is?
SAILOR 7 Don’t know.
SAILOR 6 Open it then. Let’s find out!
SAILOR 4 Go on!
Pause
SAILOR 7 All right!
Holds up the sack with one hand and takes hold of the silver wire with the other.
I will!
He pulls the silver wire to open the sack. Immediately, he reacts as though holding a powerful hose. He struggles to control it. Wherever he points it, the Sailors are blown off their feet. Odysseus wakes up and tries to get the sack from him, but he can’t control it either. Other Sailors join in, but the sack is too powerful for all of them and, eventually, they are all blown off stage.
SAILOR 2 Offstage, his voice coming closer.
Odysseus! Odysseus!
Enter Sailor 2, swimming. He looks round, then swims off again.
Odysseus! Odysseus!
Exit Sailor 2, swimming.
37 REVENGE OF THE SEA GOD
SCENE 7
Sound of the sea.
Enter Hermes, as though walking up a steep path. He stops and straightens his back.
HERMES Phew! Made it!
He looks back down the path, then puts his hand over his eyes and looks all round, admiring the view.
You can see the whole world from the top of Mount Olympus.
Enter Zeus
ZEUS Ah! Hermes! I saw you coming. Have you brought me a message?
HERMES Bowing
Zeus, father of gods and men. Yes, I have.
ZEUS Who is it from?
HERMES Poseidon. He wants revenge on Odysseus.
ZEUS Surprised
Odysseus?
HERMES Yes. For what he did to the Cyclops, Poseidon’s son.
ZEUS What did he do?
HERMES Put his eye out. Blinded him.
ZEUS Thoughtful
Hmm…
38 REVENGE OF THE SEA GOD
HERMES He wants Odysseus killed.
ZEUS Shocked
Killed? Oh no, he can’t be killed. That’s not his destiny.
HERMES What is his destiny?
ZEUS His destiny is to return home and be reunited with his wife and son and… I thought he was ready to return, but…
HERMES Poseidon’s very angry. Very angry.
Pointing down the mountain and over the sea.
Look.
ZEUS Looking where Hermes is pointing.
Oh yes! I see what you mean.
ZEUS Thinks for a moment, then turns to the audience.
Men are men and gods are gods. If Odysseus has forgotten that, we must remind him. Poseidon will have his revenge.
To Hermes
Tell him.
Exit Zeus
HERMES Athene’s not going to like this.
Turns to go back down the mountain.
From here on, it’s all downhill. For me – and Odysseus!
Exit, running.
39 REVENGE OF THE SEA GOD
SCENE 8
Sound of the sea.
Enter Odysseus and Sailors 4-18, backwards, falling over each other. They end up in a heap on the floor. Odysseus stands up and picks up the sack, which is now deflated. He holds it upside down and shakes it.
ODYSSEUS Empty! Why didn’t you trust me?
SAILORS 4-18 Ad lib
We’re sorry. Sorry, Odysseus. Sorry. We didn’t know.
ODYSSEUS This gift from Aeolus was to help us make a swift journey home. Instead, we’re back where we started.
He sighs and the Sailors look guilty and ashamed.
SAILOR 7 Perhaps, if you took back the sack and explained, he would help us again.
SAILOR 8 Yes. Tell him it was an accident. A misunderstanding.
ODYSSEUS To the audience
I did as my men suggested. But this time, my welcome was very different. I told Aeolus what had happened. I told him the truth. But he sent me packing.
SAILORS 4-18 To the audience
The gods must hate you,
ODYSSEUS he said.
SAILORS 4-18 No one,
40 REVENGE OF THE SEA GOD
ODYSSEUS he said,
SAILORS 4-18 can help a man hated by the gods.
ODYSSEUS I begged him to help me, but it was no use. He had me thrown out of his palace and ordered me to leave the island at once. So, once again, we set sail and headed for the open sea.
Sailors 4-18 take up positions on board ship, some rowing, some pulling on ropes, some keeping look-out. Their movements are weary and they look miserable.
We sailed for six days before we saw land.
Sailors 14-18 stand and look over the audience, shading their eyes with their hands.
At first sight, the land looked hospitable and our spirits rose.
Sailors 4-18 all smile, holding their positions.
So I ordered some of my men to go inland and explore, while the rest of us waited on the ship.
Sailors 4-13 sit down quickly. Sailors 14-18 are left standing. They turn to look at Odysseus with worried faces. Odysseus tries to reassure them.
Trust me.
Odysseus sits down and Sailors 14-18 come forward to the front of the stage.
SAILOR 17 What shall we do?
SAILOR 18 Split up?
SAILOR 14 No, stick together.
41 REVENGE OF THE SEA GOD
SAILOR 15 Fan out across the island but stay in sight of each other.
SAILOR 16 Right!
SAILOR 17 Right!
Sailors 14-18 walk off the stage towards the audience.
SAILOR 15 Can you hear me?
SAILORS Ad lib
Yes. Yes, I can hear you. Yes.
They make their way through the audience, up the aisles and along the rows.
SAILOR 15 What can you see?
SAILOR 17 Nothing much.
SAILOR 18 It’s hard to see through the undergrowth.
SAILOR 14 I can see some strange animals over there.
SAILOR 15 What do they look like?
SAILOR 14 Almost human. But not quite.
SAILOR 15 Don’t go near them. They might be dangerous. Keep looking.
SAILOR 16 Holding up something belonging to a member of the audience.
Look at this!
SAILOR 18 What is it?
SAILOR 16 I don’t know.
SAILOR 18 Can you eat it?
42 REVENGE OF THE SEA GOD
SAILOR 16 Sniffing it.
I’m not sure.
SAILOR 18 It might be poisonous. Better put it back.
Sailor 14 has returned to the front of the audience. He appears to see something on the back row and calls to the others.
SAILOR 14 Come here!
OTHERS Ad lib, making their way back to Sailor 14.
What? What is it? What have you found?
SAILOR 14 Look!
OTHERS Ad lib, as they join Sailor 14, who points towards the back of the audience.
Where? What? What is it?
SAILOR 14 Look! Up there! Can’t you see?
SAILOR 17 People!
SAILOR 14 I don’t think so.
SAILOR 17 What are they then, if they’re not people.
SAILOR 18 They’re coming closer.
SAILOR 15 They’re getting bigger.
SAILOR 17 And bigger.
SAILOR 18 And bigger.
SAILOR 14 Oh no!
SAILOR 16 I don’t believe it!
43 REVENGE OF THE SEA GOD
SAILOR 17 Not again!
SAILOR 18 They’re…
ALL Giants!
SAILOR 15 Run for your lives!
Sailors 14-18 turn their backs on the audience and begin to run on the spot in slow motion towards the stage. Odysseus stands and puts a hand to his eyes, looking out towards the audience, over the heads of Sailors 14-18.
ODYSSEUS I heard a shouting in the distance and climbed up to the look-out post to see what it was. At first I could see nothing, but then I saw them and froze in horror. My men running towards the shore, pursued by giants. Huge, fearsome giants, gaining on them with every step, leaping over rocks and bushes, each holding a massive club in his hand. Closer they came and closer. My men ran and ran, with looks of terror on their faces. They looked over their shoulders as they heard the giants coming closer and closer. I could see the horror in their eyes as they ran towards the ship. But there was nothing I could do. One by one, the giants swung their clubs and knocked my men to the ground. One by one, they fell. Dead.
Sailors 14-18 fall to the ground, one after another, and lie still in front of the stage. Sailors 4-13 stand up with Odysseus and look out towards the audience, with frightened expressions.
We watched from the ship as our comrades lay dying on the beach. Their life on this earth was over and it was time for them to join their ancestors in the Underworld, in the house of Hades.
Sailors 14-18 slowly stand. They rest their arms on each other’s shoulders and slowly walk out. Odysseus and Sailors 4-13 bow their heads. When they have gone, Odysseus looks up again.
44 REVENGE OF THE SEA GOD
But the giants had seen us. It was time to go.
Sailors 4-13 quickly run to new positions as Odysseus shouts his orders.
Man the oars! Hoist the sails! Weigh anchor! Pull for the sea! Pull! Pull! Pull! Pull!
The Sailors mime rowing, then freeze.
45 REVENGE OF THE SEA GOD
SCENE 9
Sound of the sea.
Odysseus speaks to the audience.
ODYSSEUS My men were weary and our provisions were running low. We sailed for many days with no sign of land. Our throats were dry, our bellies were empty and our hearts ached for home. But then…
SAILOR 9 Pointing offstage
Land!
ODYSSEUS And we found ourselves on another strange island, not knowing where we were or what fate had in store for us. My men dragged the ship up onto the beach.
Sailors 4-13 move into new positions, as if hauling on ropes, and freeze in position.
Then lay down to rest.
Sailors 4-13 move again, lowering themselves to the ground and lying still.
After they were rested…
Sailors 4-13 sit up and look at Odysseus.
… I asked for volunteers to explore the island.
Sailors 4-13 look at each other, then look back at Odysseus. Silence. Odysseus changes his mind.
I can see you’re still tired. You stay here and guard the ship. I’ll go and explore the island.
Sailors 4-13 lie down again.
So I set off, putting my trust in the gods, who rewarded me with two things. First, climbing to the
46 REVENGE OF THE SEA GOD top of a small hill, from where I could see the whole of the island, I saw a wisp of smoke rising from a clearing in the middle of a forest. Next, hearing a noise behind me, I turned and saw a stag. With one movement, pulling an arrow from my belt and fixing it to my bow, I killed him. Dragging the beast behind me, I returned to my men on the beach.
Sailors 4-13 sit up.
We made a fire and soon we were all feasting on the meat of the stag, which made food enough for everyone.
Sailors 4-13 break into noise and movement, as they mime eating the stag.
When everyone had eaten their fill, I divided my men into two parties.
Sailors 4-13 divide into two groups, 4-8 and 9-13, one at each side of the stage.
I gave one of my best men the task of leading one of the groups.
Sailor 9 steps forward from one of the groups.
The other I led myself. Then we drew lots for the task of exploring the forest where I had seen the wisp of smoke.
Odysseus and Sailor 9 stand next to each other. Odysseus holds out two straws. Sailor 9 draws the short straw.
Trust me.
Odysseus goes out one way with Sailors 4-8, Sailor 9 goes out the other way with Sailors 10-13.
47 REVENGE OF THE SEA GOD
SCENE 10
Sound of the sea.
Enter Hermes. He speaks to the audience.
HERMES What was it Odysseus said? I put my trust in the gods?
Shakes his head, smiling.
Poor man! This is the island of the goddess, Circe, who lures men into her house and then… Well, you’ll see. It goes like this.
Circe and Sailors 9-13 act out in mime the story which Hermes relates.
Enter Circe
Enter Circe, looking stunning. Knows the fleet’s in. So beware! Circe, goddess, full of cunning. Enter sailors, unaware.
Enter Sailors 9-13
When they see her, think their luck’s in. Can’t believe it. Well, would you? Circe beckons, smiles a welcome. ‘Come inside. It’s all for you.’
Sailors enter, sit in comfort, Warm their hands at Circe’s fire. While the goddess cooks a banquet, Mortals watch the flames grow higher.
Sailors in anticipation Close their eyes and lick their lips. While divinest inspiration In the kitchen Circe grips.
Soon the goddess brings in dishes
48 REVENGE OF THE SEA GOD
Full of food to tempt the gods. Sailors start to eat with relish. Forget their manners. Eat like dogs.
Circe watches while the mortals Lick the crumbs from off the floor. When they’ve finished every morsel, Circe offers something more.
‘Circe’s special! Sweet of the day! Perfect ending to our feast! Try this gourmet delicacy! Go on! Please! Try one at least!’
No one can resist her urging, Tempted by the special sweet. Though they all are full to bursting, One more thing they have to eat.
There they sit, while Circe feeds them, Open-mouthed like baby birds. One by one, she pops a sweet in, So they get their just desserts.
Open-mouthed, they stare at Circe, As a glass of wine she swigs. Now she has them at her mercy, Watching as they turn to pigs.
First a hand becomes a trotter. Then a nose becomes a snout. When a word they try to utter, Grunts and oinks are what comes out.
Circe takes a stick and beats them, Drives them out with angry cries, To the yard where she will keep them, All locked up inside their sties.
Exeunt Circe and Sailors 9-13
There they stay on Circe’s island, Caught by Circe’s magic spell. In a pigsty, trapped for ever…
49 REVENGE OF THE SEA GOD
And if you ask me, it serves them right! If you eat like a pig, what can you expect? So there they stayed, grunting and rolling in the mud, while Circe fed them slops from a bucket. Until Odysseus, wondering where they were and fearing for their lives, came in search of them. He looked everywhere, but he couldn’t find them. So in the end, he decided to look for food instead. Provisions for the voyage.
Enter Odysseus. Hermes watches while Odysseus creeps across the stage and off. Sound of pigs grunting and squealing, off stage. Odysseus returns, with a sack over his back, out of which sticks a pig’s head. Exit Odysseus. Hermes sighs.
So Odysseus went on with his voyage – with the help of the gods.
Exit Hermes
50 REVENGE OF THE SEA GOD
SCENE 11
Sound of the sea.
Enter Sailors 4-8. They take up positions around the stage, as though sitting on the shore waiting for Odysseus.
SAILORS 4-6 Odysseus left us here,
SAILORS 7-8 Told us to wait for him,
SAILOR 4 Promised he’d find them,
SAILOR 5 Bring them back,
SAILORS 6-8 Our comrades,
SAILORS 4-5 Our old friends.
SAILOR 8 ‘Trust me!’ he said.
SAILOR 4-6 But where are they?
SAILORS 7-8 No one knows.
SAILOR 4 Dead,
SAILORS 5-8 We suppose, Like the others.
SAILOR 4 Food for a hungry giant.
SAILORS 6-8 What are we doing here? It would have been better To die with honour On the field of battle
SAILORS 4-5 Or to die at sea Doing battle with the waves
SAILORS 6-7 Or to eat the lotus flower And forget our troubles
51 REVENGE OF THE SEA GOD
SAILOR 8 Than to live like this.
SAILORS 4-5 Where is he now, Odysseus, our captain?
SAILORS 6-8 Up on the hilltop, Praying to the gods, Praying to Athene.
SAILORS 4-8 For we are lost And if the gods won’t help us We are without hope.
Enter Odysseus
Odysseus! Did you pray to Athene? Did she speak to you? What did she say?
ODYSSEUS I went up onto the hilltop And there I made a sacrifice to Athene, Great goddess Athene, Who protected me on the field of battle During the long years at Troy And saved me many times from death.
SAILORS 4-8 Did she speak to you?
ODYSSEUS Yes, she spoke to me.
SAILORS 4-8 What did she say?
ODYSSEUS These were the words of the goddess Athene: ‘Don’t wait here any longer, but hoist sail now and let the north wind fill your sails and carry you to where Teiresias, the blind Theban prophet, will tell you how to find your way back home to Ithaca.’
SAILOR 4 Teiresias? I thought he was dead.
ODYSSEUS He is. We’re setting our sails for the Underworld, for the House of Hades, for the land of the dead.
52 REVENGE OF THE SEA GOD
SAILORS 4-8 Turning to face the audience
The land of the dead?
ODYSSEUS Trust me!
Odysseus and Sailors 4-8 gather together in a tight group, facing the audience, as though sailing on a small ship, through rough waters.
Let the north wind fill our sails! Put your trust in the gods! Let the north wind take us where it will! The gods will guide us! Don’t be afraid!
SAILORS 4-8 Ad lib, looking very scared
Us? Afraid? We’re not afraid! What is there to be afraid of?
All shouting at once
HELP!!!
ODYSSEUS This is it! The House of Hades! Trust me! Trust Athene!
SAILORS 4-8 Ad lib
We do! We trust you! We trust Athene! We’ve always trusted you!
Enter Ghosts. They walk slowly towards Odysseus and Sailors 4-8.
ODYSSEUS Athene will protect us! There’s nothing to fear!
SAILORS 4-8 Ad lib
Nothing to fear! No, nothing to fear! Athene will protect us!
Seeing the Ghosts around them, they scream and cling onto each other.
53 REVENGE OF THE SEA GOD
Help! Ghosts! They’re dead! Help! Help! Ahhh!
Enter Teiresias, the blind prophet.
ODYSSEUS Teiresias!
TEIRESIAS No living man has ever before entered the House of Hades. Who are you?
ODYSSEUS I am Odysseus.
TEIRESIAS Odysseus! Stand before me, so that I can touch you!
Odysseus leaves Sailors 4-8 and stands in front of Teiresias.
Now that I can touch you, I can see you.
ODYSSEUS What can you see?
TEIRESIAS Your destiny.
ODYSSEUS What is my destiny?
TEIRESIAS To return to your home in Ithaca.
ODYSSEUS Ah!
TEIRESIAS But your journey will be hard. Poseidon will have his revenge. Only you will survive.
ODYSSEUS My men?
TEIRESIAS All will die!
ODYSSEUS Many have died already. Is there nothing I can do to save the few that are left?
TEIRESIAS Your journey back will be full of danger. First, you must pass the Siren. Her song is so beautiful it lures every man who hears it onto the rocks which surround her island and so they drown.
54 REVENGE OF THE SEA GOD
ODYSSEUS What should we do?
TEIRESIAS Come closer and I will tell you.
He whispers in Odysseus’s ear.
ODYSSEUS Nodding
I understand.
TEIRESIAS Then you must pass between the rocks of Scylla and Charybdis. They work together to wreck the ships which try to sail between them. A monstrous fiend will pluck you from your ship if you sail too close to one and, if you sail too close to the other, a deadly whirlpool will drag your ship to the bottom of the sea.
ODYSSEUS What can I do?
TEIRESIAS Come closer and I will tell you.
He whispers in Odysseus’s ear.
ODYSSEUS I understand. And after that, will we be safe?
TEIRESIAS Let the sun keep what belongs to him and you will all be safe.
ODYSSEUS Let the sun keep what belongs to him? What does that mean?
TEIRESIAS I have said enough.
ODYSSEUS Please! Tell me what you mean!
TEIRESIAS You must leave now.
ODYSSEUS I don’t understand!
TEIRESIAS Go! Go now or your dead comrades won’t let you leave! Go! Go!
Exit Teiresias. Odysseus returns to his crew.
55 REVENGE OF THE SEA GOD
ODYSSEUS Back, men! Back to the land of the living!
Odysseus and Sailors 4-8 struggle to break free from the Ghosts who are hanging onto them.
GHOSTS Ad lib
Stay with us! Stay with us! Stay with the dead! Stay! Don’t leave us! Don’t go!
SAILORS 4-8 Ad lib, trying to push them off
No! Let go! We’re not dead! We’re still alive! Let us go! We want to live!
ODYSSEUS Pull on the oars! Pull! Pull harder! Pull! Pull!
Sailors 4-8 start to row and, one by one, Ghosts fall away and go out, still calling, until they have all gone and their voices fade into the distance. When Ghosts have all gone, Odysseus and Sailors 4-8 rest.
56 REVENGE OF THE SEA GOD
SCENE 12
Sound of the sea.
ODYSSEUS So we came back from the House of Hades and I remembered what Teiresias had told me to do. First, we had to get past the Siren and her beautiful song, which lures men onto the rocks.
SAILORS 4-8 Are we safe now, Odysseus? What did Teiresias tell you? Did he tell you how to get home?
ODYSSEUS Teiresias told me everything.
SAILORS 4-8 What do we have to do to get home safely?
ODYSSEUS Just do what I say.
Sailors 4-8 look at each other.
Trust me.
Sailors 4-8 give a deep sigh. Odysseus speaks to the audience.
I did what Teiresias had told me to do. So that I could hear the song of the Siren without danger, I got my men to tie me to the mast, with orders not to release me until we were well past the island.
Sailors 4-8 mime tying Odysseus to the mast.
Then they stopped their ears with wax, so that they wouldn’t hear the Siren’s song.
Sailors 4-8 mime putting wax in their ears.
Then they started to row.
Sailors 4-8 mime rowing at a steady pace.
And, as we sailed past the Isle of the Sirens, I heard what no man has ever heard before without dying.
57 REVENGE OF THE SEA GOD
He speaks to Sailors 4-8.
Listen! Can’t you hear it? A beautiful song! So beautiful! I’ve never heard anything so beautiful before! It’s the song of a goddess! Oh, please! Let me hear more! Slow down! Let’s sail to the island! Please! Please! It’s so beautiful! Like soft rain falling! Oh, please! Please! It’s fading, fading. Go back! Go back! It’s fading, fading, fading.
Speaks to the audience.
And at last it was gone and the danger was past.
To Sailors 4-8.
You can untie me now.
Sailors 4-8 go on rowing, ignoring him.
I said, you can untie me now. Oh, they can’t hear me!
Shouting.
Take the wax out of your ears! Take the wax out of your ears! TAKE THE WAX OUT OF YOUR EARS!
SAILORS 4-8 Taking the wax out of their ears
Pardon?
ODYSSEUS That was one danger out of the way. But we still had to get past Scylla and Charybdis.
Sailors 4-8 react to Odysseus’s narration, showing that they are rowing through rough water.
Already the sea was growing rough, as we approached the high rocks where the dreadful fiend, Scylla, the monster of the rocks, hid in a cave, waiting
58 REVENGE OF THE SEA GOD to reach out with her long arms and pluck sailors out of their boats and eat them.
Odysseus keeps a lookout to one side, staring up at the rocks, while urging Sailors 4-8 to row harder.
Keep rowing! Pull! Pull! Harder! Harder!
Sailors 4-8 re-double their efforts. Odysseus suddenly looks to the other side.
Then, with Scylla still on one side of us, Charybdis on the other sent up a huge plume of water. It towered above us and then, a moment later, came crashing down on us.
Odysseus and the Sailors 4-8 are thrown about in the boat. Shouts and screams, ad lib.
And in that very moment the long arm of Scylla reached out from her cave and grabbed one of my men.
Sailor 4 reacts as though being plucked out of the boat and carried off. Sailors 5-8 try to save him but fail to do so and he disappears.
Leave him! There’s nothing you can do! Keep rowing!
Sailor 5 screams as he too is plucked out of the boat and carried off.
Teiresias said it would be like this! Keep rowing! At all costs, we must get past Charybdis or we’ll all be lost! Keep rowing!
Sailors 6-8 row as hard as they can as the boat is tossed this way and that. Sailor 6 is plucked out and carried off by Scylla. Sailors 7-8 try in vain to save him.
59 REVENGE OF THE SEA GOD
It’s no good! You can’t save him! Let him go! Keep rowing! We’re nearly there! Pull! Pull! Pull!
Sailors 7-8 row harder, in time with Odysseus’s words, then slow down and stop, falling forward, exhausted.
Once again, Teiresias’s words had proved true, helping me to steer a course between Scylla and Charybdis. Three men were lost to the monster of the rocks, but the rest of us were safe. The sea was calm again. Before nightfall we had found land. We drew our boat up onto the beach and slept under the stars.
Odysseus and Sailors 7-8 crawl to various places around the stage and then lie still.
60 REVENGE OF THE SEA GOD
SCENE 13
Sound of the sea.
Enter Poseidon. He walks about the stage, looking at the scattered bodies.
POSEIDON Sleeping peacefully. But not for long. Not for long. The time has come for me to take my revenge. Do you know where you are, Odysseus? This is the Island of the Sun-god. Everything here belongs to the sun. Do you remember what Teiresias told you, Odysseus? Let the sun keep what belongs to him. I will have my revenge, Odysseus. I will have my revenge.
Exit Poseidon.
ODYSSEUS Waking up.
The sun woke us.
Sailors 7-8 sit up, reacting to the sun. Odysseus speaks to them.
The danger is over. The gods have led us to this beautiful island. Surely now they will lead us safely home, back to Ithaca.
SAILORS 7-8 Ithaca!
ODYSSEUS So! Are you ready to set sail for home?
SAILORS 7-8 We’re hungry! First, let us eat!
ODYSSEUS There’s food on board. We have enough provisions for our journey. I think we should set sail at once. Something tells me we should go, without delay.
Pause.
Trust me!
61 REVENGE OF THE SEA GOD
Pause
SAILORS 7-8 We need to eat.
Exeunt Sailors 7-8
ODYSSEUS They found a herd of cows, fine, fat cows, grazing in the sun, and they killed one and cooked it and only when they had eaten their fill could I persuade them to set sail for home.
Enter Poseidon, Zeus and Hermes, at one side.
POSEIDON I will have my revenge! Odysseus and his men have killed and eaten the cattle belonging to the Sun-god. You know this is forbidden. I will have my revenge!
Pause
ZEUS To Hermes
Is this true?
HERMES Yes. It’s true.
POSEIDON Give me my revenge.
Pause
ZEUS Very well.
To Hermes
Watch and tell me what happens.
Exit Zeus
ODYSSEUS At last, I gathered my men together and we set sail.
Enter Sailors 7-8. They take up positions on board ship. Odysseus stands with them.
POSEIDON Revenge!
62 REVENGE OF THE SEA GOD
Poseidon throws a thunder bolt. Thunder and lightning continue. Odysseus and the Sailors react to the storm in a series of frozen pictures. Sailors 7-8 are thrown overboard and exit, until only Odysseus is left. There is a struggle between Poseidon and Odysseus, which ends with Odysseus being thrown offstage. Poseidon looks round the stage, then walks out. The storms subsides but continues to rumble in the distance.
HERMES That’s that then. Better go tell Zeus.
Enter Athene.
Athene!
ATHENE Hermes!
HERMES I’m afraid you’re too late.
ATHENE Am I?
There is a clap of thunder. Enter Odysseus, as though he has been thrown in. He lies on the ground. Athene walks towards him and helps him to his feet.
ODYSSEUS Athene! Goddess!
ATHENE Odysseus! I’ve left you on your own for too long. You’ve suffered enough. Come with me. I’ll take you home. Come, Odysseus! Come with me!
She leads him out. Pause. In the distance, we hear Sailor 2.
SAILOR 2 Odysseus! Odysseus!
Enter Sailor 2, swimming. He stops and looks round.
Odysseus! Odysseus!
63 REVENGE OF THE SEA GOD
He sees Hermes and speaks to him.
I’m looking for Odysseus. Have you seen him anywhere?
HERMES You’ve just missed him.
SAILOR 2 I’ve been following him for ages, trying to warn him…
HERMES You’re too late. It’s all over.
SAILOR 2 You mean…
HERMES Yes.
Pause
That’s the end of the play.
SAILOR 2 Oh!
Pause
Was it good?
HERMES Not bad.
SAILOR 2 I missed most of it. What happened after the Cyclops?
HERMES Come on! I’ll tell you all about it.
Puts his arm round Sailor 2’s shoulder and leads him out.
Well, after they’d escaped from the Cyclops’ cave, they landed on another island and Odysseus sent some of his men to explore…
Exeunt Hermes and Sailor 2.
Sound of the sea.
64