Medieval Banquet Script Sir Iwasawa: Hear ye! Hear ye! Attention in the hall! (Repeat as needed to get everyone’s attention…) Sir Kang: On behalf of our royal cousins and kin, I bid thee great welcome to our humble hall. Sir Huang: Let us commence with the afternoon’s festivities! Sir Hu: All guests, both of noble blood and that of the common and popular, please come forth to the great hall for an afternoon of modest entertainment and stout victuals. (All families are seated. Knights (5th Graders) form two lines at the door. The Royalty (3rd Graders) wait outside the door to be announced.) Sir Kang: Hail and Welcome good lords and ladies, neighbors and kindred to this, a celebration of a madrigal feast. Sir Iwasawa: We are privileged this afternoon to have in our presence royalty and nobility from lands far and wide. Let the announcements and procession begin! (Knights: Raise swords, forming an arch for the honored guests to walk through.) Sir Huang: From the Kingdom of Berger, please welcome Sir Hu: His majesty, Bryce, King of Miller, (pause) Sir Iwasawa: His highness, Adheesh , King of Giritharan, (pause) Sir Huang: Her grade, Norah, Queen of Knoblach (pause) Sir Kang: From the Kingdom of Holley Sir Huang: His grace, Austin, King of Heideman (pause) Sir Hu: Her highness, Yuan, Queen of Cheng, (pause) Sir Iwasawa: His majesty, Liam, King of Esary, (pause) Sir Kang: Her grace, Sameeha, Queen of Siddique, (pause) - 1 - Sir Huang: His highness, Miles, King of Heller (pause) Sir Hu: His majesty, Ben, King of Bortnick, (pause) Sir Iwasawa: His royal highness, Phoenix, King of Hula, (pause) Sir Kang: Her grace, Nora, Queen of Seely. Sir Huang: From the Kingdom of Boyle (pause) Sir Hu: His highness, Eli, King of Esses (pause) Sir Iwasawa: Her royal highness, Mireia, Queen of Martinez-Carbonell (pause) Sir Kang: His grace, Jai, King of Bist (pause) Sir Huang: His highness, Dominic, King of Helston (pause) Sir Hu: From the Kingdom of Huffer Sir Iwasawa: Her highness, Emma, Queen of Gonzalez (pause) Sir Kang: Her royal majesty, Christina, Queen of Wang, (pause) Sir Huang: As this is a most welcome day, we are blessed with the attendance of those most honored guests, the esteemed Bishops and the Monarchs of several adjoining kingdoms. Sir Kang: Let us learn about travel in our time from Queen Yuan and King Adheesh. (Iwasawa, Huang, Hu, Kang to seats) (Cheng & Giritharan to Mic) (Entertainment—Cheng & Giritharan: Travel in the Middle Ages ) Cheng: Traveling during the Middle Ages could be very dangerous; roads were filled with thieves who would readily attack single individuals or small parties of people. Giritharan: This is one of the reasons why people tended to travel in larger groups. In addition to the dangers of outlaws, the road conditions and weather could be treacherous. People in larger groups were able to look out for and help each other along the way. Cheng: Many people never left their communities, but sometimes a pilgrimage - 2 - was the one and only time they would travel. Giritharan: Most people lived their entire life in the same village or town – with no Real reason to ever leave. Depending on their finances, pilgrims either walked or traveled on horseback. (Cheng & Giritharan to Seats) (Carbonell, Heideman to microphone) (Parents: Be ready to serve drinks.) (Knights, be seated.) (Heideman waits until ALL are seated) King Heideman: Welcome fine friends and neighbors both high and low. I am King Austin from the land of Hick. I bid thee good morrow to you all. Queen Carbonell: Our most congenial hosts have shown much hospitality on this merry eve. Perhaps a word from our gracious hosts would be in order. King Heideman: Thank you your highness. Honored guests. I say welcome merry gentlemen and ladies to you all. I bid you to enjoy these festivities great. Let the cupbearers bring forth my best drink so that we may begin in good cheer. (Carbonell, Heideman to seats) (Knoblach to mic) Queen Knoblach: Pray Your Highnesses. Let us learn about the poet of our time from Queen Nora S, King Bist, King Eli and King Ben. (Knoblach to seat) (Bortnick, Bist, Esses, Seely to Mic) (Parents: serve drinks) Entertainment-Geoffrey Chaucer-Bortnick, Bist, Esses & Seely Bortnick: Geoffrey Chaucer was born in London in 1340. He lived in England but traveled to France, Spain, Flanders and other areas as part of his job as a public servant. He is remembered as a poet, and one of his most well-known works is a poem entitled, “The Canterbury Tales,” a collection of stories written in the last years of his life. - 3 - Seely: The Canterbury Tales is a story about Medieval Pilgrims, on their journey from London to Canterbury. Their destination is a Cathedral in Canterbury, England, where a shrine is dedicated to a Saint named Thomas Becket. Thomas Becket was an Archbishop who was murdered in his own Cathedral by men devoted to the king at that time – King Henry II. Esses: The pilgrims who are travelling in the poem consists of men and women from different classes and occupations. There is one host and 30 pilgrims including Chaucer, who is actually a character – the narrator - in his poem. The pilgrims include a knight, a merchant, a miller, a pardoner, and a monk, among others. The host proposes a contest: each pilgrim is to tell two tales on the way to the shrine and two tales on the return. Bist: The host will judge the stories and choose the one that is the most entertaining. According to the rules conveyed by the host, there would have been 120 tales (30 pilgrims each telling four stories). Knowing this, it is clear that the Canterbury Tales is not a complete work; Chaucer died before he could finish the poem. Only 24 tales have survived – and two of those are only partial stories. (Bortnick, Bist, Esses, Seely to Seats) (Giritharan to mic) King Giritharan: Such interesting history to punctuate our occasion. I commend thee For such cultural loveliness. Next we will enjoy the prologue of the Pardoner’s Tale performed by Queen Knoblach and Queen Carbonell (Giritharan to seat) (Knoblach, Carbonell to Mic) (Entertainment: The Pardoner’s Tale, Part I-Carbonell & Knoblach) Knoblach: The Pardoner begins his introduction by telling his fellow pilgrims about his job. He explains that he is a pardoner who preaches that greed is the root of all evil. During his sermons he offers to sell holy relics to the members of the congregation. He explains that these holy relics have miraculous powers that will pardon the person’s sins. Carbonell: He confesses to the pilgrims that the holy relics have no power whatsoever. The Pardoner explains very honestly that he only sells relics for the money and that he truly does not have a care about what happens to the person’s soul upon death. He professes to be holy while pocketing the money dishonestly. After revealing these details about his occupation, the Pardoner begins his tale. (Knoblach, Carbonell to Seat) (Wang, Carbonell, Esses, Seely, Siddique to mic) - 4 - Queen Wang: Such wondrous tales for the ear to behold. I commend thee for such merriment, the likes of which are sorely missed within these confines. Queen Carbonell: Let us wet our lips, warm our hearts, and offer our toasts. A toast to this festive occasion. I beg thee lend aid in giving your blessing in this endeavor. King Esses: A toast to our honored guests. May health and happiness attend you each and all. May every joy be you and yours, both in home and hearth. May you be blessed by Providence with longevity and health. All Hail! All: Wassail! Queen Siddique: May we n’er forget the fairer folk who dine amongst our rough comrades. A toast to the ladies in this hall!! To them who are the quiet strengths of our lives, the rarest flowers of our courts, and the highest inspiration of our hearts. All Hail! All: Wassail!! Queen Seely: And let us also not forget our gentlemen both noble and stalwart. A toast to our men in this hall. To them, who display continued the noble aspects of friendship and the steel of loyalty. All Hail! All: Wassail! Queen Wang: Let us have some entertainment to begin our feast. We offer the Musings of King Austin and King Phoenix delighting us with the first part of The Pardoner’s Tale. (all speakers to seats) (Heideman & Hula to Mic) (Entertainment: The Pardoner’s Tale Part I: Heideman & Hula) Heideman: There once lived in Flanders three wicked men who spent their time in illegal, immoral activities. One night while the three men were in an inn, they looked outside and saw a group of men carrying a corpse to the grave. One of the three asked about the corpse and was told that he was an old man whose heart had been attacked by a thief named “Death.” Hula: The three wicked men had heard of this “Death” and how he had killed so many people: young, old, rich and poor. The three men vowed to find Death and murder him. The three men headed out in search of the elusive thief. They came upon an elderly man sitting on the side of the road. They approached him and rudely - 5 - asked, “How is it, that you are still alive?” Heideman: The elderly man politely responded, “I have asked to die, but so far I have been denied.” One of the wicked men asked, “Have you seen the mysterious thief, Death?” The elderly man replied, “Yes, he is up the road a bit, under an old oak tree.” Hula: The three men rushed up the road in search of the oak tree.