raging rome first draft
TRANSCRIPT
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Raging Rome
First Draft
by
Gabriel Kowak
based on William Shakespeare’s"Titus Andronicus"
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OPENING
A dimly lit stage; greenish light not only dominates the scenery, but the entireatmosphere.
AARON, the moor, is sitting on a small platform.He is not only one of the main characters, hewill also guide us through and comment on theactions of the evening.
#1 Rome, Sweet Rome!
The following is a drastically abridged and entirely fictional history of Rome, loosely based on historic myths and facts and merely inspired by the information given inShakespeare’s "Titus Andronicus".
AARONRome, sweet Rome! The most virtuous place in theworld, people call it. Well, people aren’t exactlythe brightest, are they? Even the most barbarousGoth, yes, even Aaron, whose skin’s as black as hissoul, can tell, that this city’s nothing but a hugepile of shit. Of course, it’s an enormous empire, butit’s shit nontheless. Don’t you know that Rome wasfounded solely on cruelty, on murder, on fratricide?
As the background music rises to a majesticcrescendo, the platform on which he sits rises
too, to be revealed as a huge wall, dividing thestage diagonally in two.
AARONSure, you might infer, that it’s just a myth. But,let us be honest: How sick must a nation be, to comeup with such a terrifying story to tell to theirchildren?
A young man enters, sees the wall and pauses tocontemplate.
AARONSucked by a wolf, raised by a shepherd, separated bya wall.
He looks at the young man.
AARONWhat are you waiting for, boy? Scared of jumping, ey?
The young man shakes his head.
AARONCome on, what can you lose?
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2.
The young man jumps over the wall, only to bekilled by a second one of his sort.
AARONOops, my fault, I guess.
(to the audience)
You see, what I mean?
Aaron jumps of the wall, that disappears intothe ground, revealing a choir of Romans.
AARONWho are we kidding? There’s nothing noble about Rome.It isn’t nice, it isn’t cozy - it’s barbaric. Asenseless, bloody wilderness of tigers. My friends,Rome is raging; and I love it.
The music changes and the attention shifts
towards the choir.
WOMAN #1BRUTAL ROME!
AARONIt’s a dangerous city...
MAN #1INUTILE ROME!
AARONMurder’s lurking everywhere.
WOMAN #2,3NO ESCAPE FROM RAPING ROME.
MAN #2NO PRETTY ROME.
AARONRoman’s aren’t people. They’re wolves!
MAN #3I PITY ROME.
AARONYou hang around here,...
ALLSTILL, THIS CITY IS OUR HOME.
AARON... you’re a dead man.
WOMAN #2, MAN #4DESPITE ALL THE HATING.
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3.
WOMAN #4,5ALL THE BAITING.
WOMAN #2,4,5, MAN #4YOU WILL SEE, WHAT WE ARE STATING.
WOMAN #3YOU’LL LOVE CRUEL DECAPITATING.
WOMENHEAR OUR SLAVES,THEY GRUNT AND GROAN.
MENHEAR OUR WOMEN,HERE THEY MOAN.
MAN #5
NO DESIRE IS UNKNOWN.
WOMAN #1OUR EMPIRE:
ALLROME, SWEET ROME!
The choir, but doesn’t leave the stage. A goldenthrone glides into the scenery. It turns around and we see Aaron, casually sitting on it.
AARON
See, I told you: they’re all savages. Still don’tbelieve me? Let me show you.
He descends the throne, as the second young man,dressed as an Emperor, enters.
AARONI mean, let’s face it. No one’s safe around here. Noteven the Emperor himself.
He signals to someone beyond the stage. Anassassin enters.
AARON(to the Emperor)
Alright, boy, why don’t you take your seat?
As the emperor is sitting down, the assassinkills him.
AARONDon’t worry. It wasn’t all too comfortable.
The assassin takes the crown and once againAaron gives a signal. A line of assassins comesin.
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4.
Each one kills the one before him and takes upthe place himself.
AARON(to the audience)
Got the idea?
As the next in line kills the Emperor, the crownfalls down at Aaron’s feet.
AARONNow, let’s make this a bit more interesting, shallwe?
He throws the crown into the line. A tumult fullof killing ensues, until one victor is crowned.
Once again the choir takes over the stage.
MAN #3,5, WOMAN #1VICIOUS ROME!
AARONYou know what?
WOMAN #2,3,5MALICIOUS ROME!
AARONIf it were up to me, ...
MAN #1,2,4, WOMAN #4STENCHING AND REVENGING ROME.
AARON... this city should be burnt to ashes!
MAN #2HATEFUL ROME!
WOMAN #3INGRATEFUL ROME!
WOMAN #2, MAN #1WE’RE WAITING FOR THE CATACOMB.
MENWE DON’T KNOW DEPRESSION.
WOMENJUST AGRESSION.
MAN #4HERE, THERE’S ONLY ONE OBSESSION.
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5.
ALLTORTURING’S A HOMELY PASSION.
WOMENSPEND SOME TIME ...
MAN #4... AND BREAK A BONE!
MENDO SOME CRIME, ...
WOMAN #5WE’LL THROW A STONE.
MAN #4, WOMAN #5NO ABSURDER TOWN IS KNOWN.
ALL WE LOVE MURDER:ROME, SWEET ROME!
The choir moves more to the background again, aswe see the victor of the previous quarrelascending the throne.
AARONOf course, living here can have some advantages.Let’s just say: The women here are goddamn gorgeous.
He winks some girls in. As they crowd around the
new Emperor, he looks into the audience and raises an eyebrow, as if to say: "Told you so"
AARONBut don’t be too easily eluded by their beauty. InRome, danger’s waiting behind every corner. The foodyou eat could be poisoned.
The Emperor drops his plate.
AARONAnd don’t forget the wine.
He spits out the wine.
AARONBut, at the end of the day, no matter how careful youmight have been, there will alwys be an enemy tryingto catch you unaware, in your most intimate moments.
On of the girls, whose been very close to theEmperor all the time, now draws a dagger and kills him.
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6.
AARONAnd the people here don’t need much more of a causethan that to go off to war.
During the following, two armies assemble.
In the Roman army we can see Titus and his sons;in the Goth army there are Tamora and her children, whom the audience does not yetrecognize.
They fight. We see violence, we witness rape and murder, the entire stage is filled withbrutality.
When the Romans finally prove victorious, Tamorais arrested alongside her sons, Alarbus, Chironand Demetrius.
The entire action is accompanied by the choir.
AARONROME IS FULL OF RAGE.
GROUP 1WE ARE RAGING!
AARONROME’S A GILDED CAGE!
GROUP 2
WE’RE IMPRISONED!
AARONROME’S A PILE OF MUD.
CHOIRWE ARE NOT WHAT ...
AARONROME’S A FLOOD OF BLOOD.
CHOIR
... WE ENVISIONED!
AARONPERPETRATING ROME!
CHOIR(overlapping)
STIMULATING ROME!
ALLOUR/YOUR HOME!
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8.
CHOIRBLEEDING ROME!
AARONAh, sweet victory.
CHOIRSUCCEEDING ROME!
AARONBut keep one thing in mind:
CHOIRNO ESCAPE FROM RAPING ROME.
AARONSuccess is very close to defeat.
CHOIRPRETTY ROME.
AARONAnd, as I told you before, no one is safe aroundhere.
CHOIRI PITY ROME.
AARONVirtually no one.
CHOIRSTILL THIS CITY IS OUR HOME.
Each person in the choir draws a dagger. They turn around and stab the Emperor.
CHOIRROME, SWEET ROME!
AARONLooks like this position is open again.
CHOIRROME, SWEET ROME!
AARONBetter find some fool to take up that crown.
CHOIRROME, SWEET ROME!
They leave the stage one after one. The musicchanges and the scene quickly leads into thenext section.
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9.
AARONROME, SWEET ROME!
He exits.