titania - red herring games
TRANSCRIPT
We hope you enjoyed playing this Red Herring Games murder
mystery and will visit us again to try out our other games.
Red Herring Games have a collection of experienced authors,
who are continually producing new games for your enjoyment.
Red Herring Games are constantly on the look out for more
authors to add to our portfolio, giving you more choice.
10% OFF YOUR NEXT PURCHASE
Thank you for playing a Red Herring Game.
In order to receive a 10% discount on future
purchases simply enter code:
RHP2007
The next time you visit
www.Red-Herring-Games.co.uk
Titania
1
Congratulations! You are taking part in a murder mystery by
Red Herring Games.
A few simple instructions to help you along:
Firstly: Don’t Panic!
This booklet contains all the information you need as a guest to
help you act your part throughout the murder mystery party.
The first page provides you with additional background
information to help you get into character, however there are no
special acting abilities required and you can make as much or as
little of your character as you wish.
After that on each page you are given either something to read
out (dialogue), questions to ask, or information to help you
answer questions you will be asked. These questions and
answers are not intended to be read out word for word. Instead
read them, digest the information and then ask and answer any
questions in your own words. You are encouraged to ad lib, but it
is very important you do not lie, so please provide the
information contained within your booklet when asked.
Your host for the evening will direct you where necessary and tell
you when to move on to the next round when the time is right.
If you are the murderer you will not be told. When you finally
come to guess who did it – it could easily be you and feel free to
point the finger at yourself if you feel you must!
And lastly: Have fun!
1
Titania
Background Character Information:
Keep this information to yourself, and use it to help you to act
in character throughout the mystery:
You are a spirit of nature, loving to dance by moonlight, fly on the
wind or rest of a flowery bank.
You miss having your troupe of fairies at hand to obey your
commands and may try to get others to wait on you.
You have a passionate but turbulent marriage to Oberon, King of
the Fairies, which doesn’t stop either of you from dallying with
mortals. You have little interest in the love lives of the other
women, except as a source of amusement.
Your play is ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’.
2
Titania
Introductions:
Use the following dialogue to introduce yourself to the other
guests, speaking when indicated below.
Titania speaks first using the following dialogue:
Death? That is something only of concern to mortals. They all
die soon – does it matter how?
I am Titania, queen of the fairies, wandering by spangled
starlight, dancing to the whistling wind. My play is ‘A Midsummer
Night’s Dream’. Magic, mischief and moonlight!
After you have heard from everyone, please continue reading
and begin round 1.
3
Scripted Dialogue Round 1
Nurse Well here’s a how-de-do! And I’d come
here to have a nice rest!
Viola Would you like me to sing to you?
Titania Not unless you sing like a fairy.
Nurse Perhaps later, love.
Lady Macbeth People say my play brings bad luck but
nothing like this!
Juliet It’s sad, of course. But Fortinbras wasn’t
a romantic hero like my Romeo.
Lady Macbeth He’s a good swordsman, your Romeo. I
could have made something of him.
Juliet He had eyes for no one else once he’d
seen me.
Nurse That’s true enough – poor lad!
Viola He’s got no cause for complaint. They
get pages of romantic scenes together. I
have to wait to the end of the play to get
my man!
Cont.
4
6
Lady Macbeth It’s managing a man once you’ve got him
that matters.
Rosalind That’s all beside the point! There
shouldn’t be any men or swords here.
And Fortinbras isn’t supposed to die –
it’s not in the script!
Titania Dear Rosalind. The girl who sorts
everyone out! Remember though; there
are mysterious powers you mortals
cannot understand or control.
Lady Macbeth Alas, so true.
Viola It’s at times like this you want your
family around. If only my twin,
Sebastian, could be here.
Rosalind Stop dallying girls! Let’s get on with
solving this and show Portia she’s not
the only brainy woman Shakespeare
created!
5
Titania - First Round
Questions you should ask:
Scotland is nearer to Norway than most of Shakespeare’s
settings. Ask Lady Macbeth what connection she had to
Fortinbras.
You think Nurse would be good at finding out the gossip. Ask her
whether Fortinbras was single.
Information you should reveal about yourself only when asked.
You are not able to use true magic here – only within the play.
However, much of what people think of as magic is about
deceiving the mind’s eye and understanding how to use nature
for your purposes. That you can do anywhere!
You appreciate the charms of dusk and moonlight and love to
wander the garden at these times. Of course you knew there was
a man around tonight – there was the scent of lust and battle in
the air!
Do not read further until instructed by your host.
8 7
Lady Macbeth Sometimes you have to forget about the
law and just do what you think is best.
Titania Mortal law perhaps, but nature and
magic have their own laws and you
meddle with them at your peril.
Rosalind The law can be toothless. It is supposed
to sort out who gets to be Duke and so
on and so forth. It doesn’t seem to have
helped my father get his due position.
Lady Macbeth He’s too much of a gentleman, that’s his
problem. Sometimes you need to use a
bit of cunning.
Viola That’s why Rosalind and I have chosen to
dress as men – and why Portia does so
when she’s in court.
Nurse Talking of Portia, we’d better get on with
the questioning or we’ll be in big trouble
when she gets back!
Scripted Dialogue Round 2
Titania I don’t understand why they are taking
such pains about this. Mortal creatures
flourish for a while and then they are
gone.
Juliet And it’s not as though Fortinbras is
important. He only gets half a dozen
speeches in Hamlet. They could easily
give those to one of his captains.
Viola Oh, surely you can’t change
Shakespeare?
Lady Macbeth I don’t see why not. He altered history
to suit himself. My poor husband should
have been seen as the hero, not the
villain. By rights we should have a happy
ending!
Viola I suppose you have to make the best of
the chances you get. Then you can go
from shipwreck survivor to duchess!
Juliet Absolutely! Romeo and I pack more
passion into a week than most couples
get in a lifetime!
Nurse There’s more to life than love scenes you
know! I suppose you never got the
chance to find that out, being hitched to
the boy who got himself exiled for killing
your cousin.
Cont.
Scripted Dialogue Round 3
Viola So it seems as though Fortinbras was up
to no good here. How terrible! My
brother Sebastian would never behave
like that!
Juliet Nor Romeo! True love endures
everything! Perhaps it’s just old people
that are never truly in love.
Nurse You watch your tongue, young lady!
Young people should be seen but not
heard.
Rosalind Come on ladies! Let’s try and be a bit
more cheerful! There must be some
amusement to be had from this!
Titania The folly of mortals is indeed
entertaining!
Lady Macbeth Folly, guilt and despair – that’s where
meddling with magic leads to.
Viola Oh do come on! Rosalind’s right! We
should look on the bright side! Shall I get
my music?
Nurse Later dear. I think Lady Macbeth has a
headache.
Cont.
10 9
Titania - Second Round
Questions you should ask:
Lady Macbeth knows about soldiers. Ask her what she knows
about Fortinbras’ military career.
Nurse must understand drugs. Ask her whether essence of
foxglove would be easy to prepare.
Information you should reveal about yourself only when asked.
As a fairy, you can speed through the air and have been to all
parts of the globe, including Norway. You prefer it in winter, with
the snow sparkling in the pine forests and the chance of
encountering a prince out hunting! You did pass a dreamy night
in a forest hut with Fortinbras but it was many moons ago. He
has changed much since.
You did not let Fortinbras in and you would not have done so
even if he had asked. You have heard him laughing with his
soldiers, telling them in crude detail about the mean trick your
husband Oberon played on you.
Do not read further until instructed by your host.
11 12
Viola I play music to soothe Orsino, even when
he’s pining for someone else.
Titania You’re too nice for your own good, Viola.
Mortal man or fairy king, they are not to
be trusted. Even when you’re asleep
they can be tricking you.
Lady Macbeth Sleep – if only I could sleep!
Rosalind Come on you miserable lot! Let’s get
this mystery sorted out and then we can
get back to the relaxation we came here
for.
Titania - Third Round
Questions you should ask:
Ask Juliet whether she met Fortinbras today.
Rosalind is a bit of a schemer herself. Ask her whether she thinks
Fortinbras was plotting anything.
Information you should reveal about yourself only when asked.
Oberon, the fairy king and your husband, used a mean trick to
make a fool of you. While you were asleep in the woods, on
Midsummer Night, he put a spell on you. It made you adore the
first creature you saw on awaking. That turned out to be a
foolish yokel named Bottom. To add to the insult, Oberon had
given him a donkey’s head! You know audiences laugh at seeing
you besotted with this monster but you don’t expect your fellow
characters to join in the mockery.
Of course you know about herbal potions! You understand the
true essence of each flower far more deeply than humans do. If
you chose to make a poison from the foxglove, you could make it
untraceable by the crude tools the apothecaries use.
Do not read further until instructed by your host.
14 13
Titania
Concluding Statement
Use the following dialogue to summarise your position,
speaking when indicated below.
Titania speaks after Lady Macbeth using the following dialogue:
This affair wearies me. Fortinbras was a mortal man subject to
lust and greed. So many of them are. No Juliet! Please don’t
interrupt again to say Romeo is the exception! My Oberon, my
true soulmate despite our quarrels, outshines them all!
And don’t forget, I can easily rise above the mockery of a soldier –
literally! Why would I bother to kill him and be subject to this
endless questioning?
You know what? I’m going to check myself out of this so called
sanctuary as soon as I can. I want to get back to my fairies and
dance with them in the sparkling dew and watch the sun rise
over the ocean!
After you have heard from all the guests make a prediction as to
who the murderer is and why.
Tell the others.
We hope you enjoyed playing this Red Herring Games murder
mystery and will visit us again to try out our other games.
Red Herring Games have a collection of experienced authors,
who are continually producing new games for your enjoyment.
Red Herring Games are constantly on the look out for more
authors to add to our portfolio, giving you more choice.
10% OFF YOUR NEXT PURCHASE
Thank you for playing a Red Herring Game.
In order to receive a 10% discount on future
purchases simply enter code:
RHP2007
The next time you visit
www.Red-Herring-Games.co.uk