Playwriting: Sir Cloudesley Shovell On 14 January, 1676, Sir Cloudesley Shovell led a courageous rescue mission in Tripoli, saving the crews of two English merchant ships from slavery in North Africa and winning treasure in pieces-of-eight worth thousands of pounds. Rev. Henry Teonge, a clergyman from Warwickshire, was the chaplain in Sir John Narborugh’s fleet, and he wrote a detailed diary of his voyage. Below is an excerpt from his journal about Shovell’s heroic deed. “The Corsairs of Tripoli Having for some time committed great outrages on the English trade. Sir John Narborough was sent, in the latter end of the year 1674, to reduce them to reason. The 14th of January following, Sir John came before the place ; and having blocked up the port in the night, so that no ship could go in or come out, he manned all his boats, and sent them under the com-mand of Lieutenant Shovel, afterwards Sir Cloudesley the famous admiral, in-to the harbour, where he seized the guard-ship, and afterwards burnt the follow-ing vessels, which were all that lay at that time in the harbour ; viz. the White Eagle Crowned, a fifty gun ship ; the Looking- glass, which carried thirty-six ; the Santa Clara, of twenty - four ; and a French vessel of twenty : after which he safely returned to the fleet, without the loss of a single man. This extraordi-nary action struck the Tripolines with amazement, and made them instantly sue for peace.” Artist Wilhelm Van de Welde the Younger represented this event in his painting A Fight in Boats with Barbary Pirates. You can see this painting in the Royal Maritime Museum in Greenwich. He describes the painting as, “A near view showing on the left a boat with Barbary pirates, one holding an ensign, one with sword and shield, one with a drum and two rowing. A boat crowded with Dutch or English is close alongside to starboard. A man standing up in the stern sheets is shown firing a musket.” English Barbary pirate English sailors marksman Barbary pirate flag-bearer drummer Use your imagination and choose which English character you want to pretend is Sir Cloudesley Shovell. With a partner, write a scene about Shovell’s rescue mission that includes three characters from the painting (one needs to be Shovell). Use Rev. Teonge’s diary and the painting as references. Talk about how the English sailors feel about the pirates, and how the pirates feel about Shovell’s attack – angry, surprised, frightened? How would the sailors sound? What would the pirates say? How would Shovell act? Don’t forget to include stage directions. Stage directions are instructions for the actors like movement, position, or tone. SHOVELL: STAGE DIRECTION: __________________ (write in character’s name): STAGE DIRECTION: __________________ (write in character’s name): STAGE DIRECTION: SHOVELL: STAGE DIRECTION: __________________: __________________: SHOVELL: STAGE DIRECTION: __________________: STAGE DIRECTION: __________________: STAGE DIRECTION: SHOVELL: _______________: _______________: .