Emperor and Galilean (NHB Classic Plays) E-Book

Henrik Ibsen

• Herausgeber: Nick Hern Books
• Kategorie: Poesie und Drama
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2016

Seitenzahl: 157

Beschreibung

Charting the true odyssey of an astonishing man as he struggles to find spiritual fulfilment and political pre-eminence. Made Emperor, Julian attempts to abolish Christianity and restore the old gods. But met with fierce resistance, this great free-thinker becomes a tyrant more hated than his brutal predecessor, Constantius. And in arousing the Christians from their apathy he advances their cause, his life and death altering the course of history in stark opposition to his intent. Ibsen's little-known masterpiece sweeps across Greece and the Middle East from AD351, covering twelve crucial years in the history of civilisation. 'skilfully edited three-and-a-half-hour version... I would urge anyone interested in Ibsen or the development of drama to see it' - Guardian 'Power's new and thankfully shortened version is a memorable event' - Sunday Times 'surely no one could be unimpressed by Ben Power's pacey adaptation' - Official London Theatre

Leseprobe

Henrik Ibsen

EMPERORAND GALILEAN

in a new version by

Ben Power

NICK HERN BOOKS

London

www.nickhernbooks.co.uk

Contents

Title Page

Original Production

Adapter's Note

Characters

Emperor and Galilean

About the Author

Copyright and Performing Rights Information

This version of Emperor and Galilean was first performed in the Olivier auditorium of the National Theatre, London, on 15 June 2011 (previews from 9 June), with the following cast:

GREGORY

Jamie Ballard

AGATHON

James McArdle

PETER

John Heffernan

CONSTANTIUS

Nabil Shaban

HELENA

Genevieve O’Reilly

MYRRHA / MACRINA

Lara Rossi

JULIAN

Andrew Scott

URSULUS

Richard Durden

VARRO

Oliver Wilson

MEDON / ORIBASIUS

Prasanna Puwanarajah

MAURUS / HILARION

Alexander Vlahos

SALLUST

Jack Whitam

GALLUS

Laurence Spellman

EPHESIAN SAILOR

Tam Dean Burn

EUTHERIUS

Simon Coombs

MAXIMUS

Ian McDiarmid

JOVIAN

Daniel Flynn

FROMENTIUS

Chris Jared

AMMIAN

Simon Merrells

SINTULA

Matthew Barker

PUBLIA

Carole Nimmons

PERSIAN STRANGER

Sargon Yelda

PAGAN CANTOR

Jeremy Avis

CHRISTIAN CANTOR

Michael Henry

Other parts played by members of the company

Additional Company

Anne Adeyemi-Martins, Isabella Baltsavia, Ioannis Charalambous, Jack Chedburn, Darren Cockrill, Gabriella Craparo, Tom Crook, Anton Cross, James Davies, John Fagan, Neil John Gibson, Yasmeen Khalaf, Max Lacome-Shaw, Andrea Laing, Adam Langstaff, Stephen McLeod, Oliver Matjasz, Laura Milani, Robin Owen, Jonathan Padmore, James Powell, Gemma Rees, Stephanie Winiecki

Director

Jonathan Kent

Designer

Paul Brown

Lighting Designer

Mark Henderson

Music

Jonathan Dove

Sound Designer

Christopher Shutt

Movement Director

Denni Sayers

Video Designer

Nina Dunn for Knifedge

Fight Director

Paul Benzig

Adapter’s Note

This new version combines Ibsen’s two plays, Julian the Apostate and Emperor Julian, and is based on literal translations produced for the National Theatre by Anne-Marie Stanton-Ife and Marie Wells. Scenes and characters have been conflated and cut in order to produce a single, performable piece, which honours the intention and spirit of the original and at the same time attempts to make Ibsen’s work accessible for a modern audience. Throughout this project, I’ve been extremely grateful for the invaluable support and collaboration of Jonathan Kent, Mike Bartlett and Sebastian Born.

Ben Power, 2011

Characters

GREGORYAGATHONPETERCONSTANTIUSHELENAJULIAN, his nephewMYRRHA, Helena’s maidservantURSULUS, the Emperor’s adviserVARRO, a studentMEDON, a studentMAURUS, a studentSALLUST, a studentGALLUS, Julian’s brother, betrothed to HelenaEPHESIAN SAILOREUTHERIUSMAXIMUSVOICES OF TWO SPIRITSJOVIAN, a general in Julian’s armyFROMENTIUS, a soldierAMMIAN, a soldierSINTULA, a soldierORIBASIUS, a doctorMESSENGER FROM ANTIOCHPAGAN SINGERTHREE CITIZENS OF CONSTANTINOPLEMACRINAPUBLIATHREE ASIAN AMBASSADORSHILARIONTHREE CIOTIZENS OF ANTIOCHPERSIAN STRANGER

Plus various churchgoers, guards, attendants, students, dancers, musicians, Roman soldiers, Barbarians, choirs, priests, Christian prisoners, women of Antioch, Persian soldiers.

The action of the play takes place between 351 and 363 AD.

A forward slash ( / ) in the text marks the point at which the next speaker interrupts.

PART ONE – Young Julian

Scene One

Constantinople.

The evening of Easter Sunday. The public square in front of the Hagia Irene, the great temple of the early Holy Roman Empire. Steps lead up to an open doorway, beyond which candles illuminate an altar and a golden dome, adorned with a huge cross. There’s a palpable and growing sense of expectation.

AGATHON is waiting. GREGORY enters and walks quickly towards him.

GREGORY. You’re still here?

AGATHON. Of course, where else am I going to go? Well? Did you see him?

GREGORY. No. I can’t even get near him.

AGATHON. Gregory, this is really important.

GREGORY. As you’ve said.

AGATHON. I’ve come all this way. You’re saying you can’t even get a message to him?

GREGORY. That’s right.

AGATHON. What about Peter?

GREGORY. He went last night but I doubt he did any better than me. I told you. Julian’s kept away from everyone at the moment. You can’t just turn up and expect to see him.

AGATHON. I thought we were friends, all of us…

GREGORY. Agathon, I know, I’m sorry, but you have to understand, it’s different here. In the mountains, when it was just the four of us, we were friends. But it’s been three years, here he’s a prince. And it’s dangerous. We’re watched constantly. You coming here, waiting outside the Palace like this. It’s put us all in danger. Perhaps you should just go back.

PETER dashes into the square.

AGATHON. Peter!

PETER (shakes his head). I’m sorry. I tried but he’s been stuck in that room with the priests all day. They’re all on their way here now, with the Emperor…

GREGORY (to AGATHON). You’d better go.

PETER. Wait! I have to tell you, both of you, I saw him last night. He was…

GREGORY. What?

PETER. Normally he at least comes down for dinner but I hadn’t seen him all evening so I went to the door of his room. I was about to knock when I heard this noise. Crack. Crack. Over and over. Leather on skin. Crack. Crack.

AGATHON. What did you do?

PETER. I could hear him crying, I should’ve just opened the door and gone in, put a stop to it, but –

GREGORY. You were scared.

PETER. I didn’t know –

GREGORY. We’ve sworn to protect him.

PETER. When he came down, we went out into the gardens and I tried to ask him about it… but he wouldn’t look at me… there was blood seeping through the back of his shirt. You remember the nightmares he had when he was a child? When he’d lie there sweating, whispering the names of Christ? He’s like that all the time now.

GREGORY. He’s not a child any more. It’s indulgent.

PETER. All the time, asleep and awake. Doubts, questions, philosophy. He hears the students marching outside and it makes it worse –

AGATHON. Students?

PETER. Laughing and chattering. Protests and questions. He says that their words seep in, whatever he does…

GREGORY. The students are nothing. Julian needs to forget about them and concentrate on pleasing Christ and pleasing the Emperor. That’s where the danger is. He shouldn’t waste time dreaming of philosophy.

PETER. He only dreams of it because it’s forbidden.

AGATHON. What do you mean, forbidden?

PETER. They say his faith needs protecting, so he’s not allowed to even mention the university. It just makes it worse, he wants what he can’t have. It festers, the sore itches.

GREGORY. Two months ago, Julian was the most devout man in Constantinople. Remember him in the old days, Agathon? We thought he was going to become a priest.

AGATHON. Of course. Julian’s faith is stronger than anyone.

PETER. Not at the moment. He thinks God’s abandoned him.

AGATHON. Why?

GREGORY. It’s ridiculous. God is where he’s always been. Julian needs to wake up and find him again.

A noise off, the PROCESSION is arriving.

PETER. You should go.

AGATHON. Gregory. Maybe after the sacrament, maybe I can see him then?

GREGORY. The Emperor won’t let him out of his sight.

More noise from off as they arrive.

AGATHON. I have to speak to him!

GREGORY. Just go!

AGATHON runs into the trees and GREGORY and PETER retreat to one side as the IMPERIAL PROCESSION enters, chanting in Latin. Three PRIESTS, one carrying a cross, two swinging incense burners, are followed by GUARDS, TORCHBEARERS and ATTENDANTS. Then, lifted high, the EMPERORCONSTANTIUS. His sister, HELENA is behind him, with her servant, MYRRHA, then the councillor, URSULUS. More GUARDS and TORCHBEARERS at the rear and then a crowd of ordinary WORSHIPPERS. They all sing.

WORSHIPPERS.

Praise Him, praise the Lord divine

Behold, the saviour of mankind!

May all repent of mortal sin

Glory to God this sacred night.

May the kingdom of the lamb begin

May He forever reign in light.

See the fallen, wretched, broken

Bend before the wooden cross.

Until, by Christ our Lord, awoken,

His death redeems the pilgrim lost.

His death redeems!

His death redeems!

The martyr’s blood, his splintered skin!

His death redeems!

His death redeems!

The serpent vanquished, ending sin.

As the singing climaxes, CONSTANTIUS mutters a prayer to himself.

CONSTANTIUS.

By every star in God’s Heaven above.

By the blood of the martyrs and the wisdom of the Saints.

By the power of my imperial hand.

Almighty… Father… Saviour…

Bless me! Bless this city! This Empire!

Save these wretched, sinful souls.

Save me! Save me!

(Suddenly looking up, loud.) STOP!

The IMPERIAL PROCESSION shudders to a halt. CONSTANTIUS looks around.

HELENA. Constantius?

CONSTANTIUS. Julian!

The CROWD parts and JULIAN is revealed. His eyes are wide.

Tell me where your brother is.

JULIAN. Gallus? I don’t know. I haven’t seen him.

CONSTANTIUS. No?

JULIAN. I haven’t seen him since yesterday.

CONSTANTIUS. The truth flickers across your face –

JULIAN. My lord? What truth?

CONSTANTIUS. Conspiracy, in your eyes, yes, treason, there, murder!

I see it, Julian, you and Gallus, plotting to take away my life, my Empire!

He begins to descend. The IMPERIAL PROCESSION parts uneasily.

JULIAN. No. I swear, my lord…

CONSTANTIUS. You swear, of course, everyone swears all the time but no light appears. In fact, the shadows under your eyes grow darker. They show your guilt. What did it say?

JULIAN. Emperor?

CONSTANTIUS. The Oracle! The Pagan Oracle!

Gasps from the CROWD.

What was the prophecy?

JULIAN. The prophecy?

CONSTANTIUS. Your brother has visited the Pagan Oracle. The Oracle was asked a question and the Oracle spoke.

JULIAN. My brother? No… He’d never commit such sacrilege. Gallus hates the pagans and their blasphemies! He knows it’s forbidden…

CONSTANTIUS. Then where is he?

HELENA. Constantius.

CONSTANTIUS. Be quiet, sister. Unless you know where Gallus is?

HELENA. No, my lord.

CONSTANTIUS. Well, then.

JULIAN. I assure you, my lord, my brother is committed to Christ, and to his Emperor.

CONSTANTIUS. I will discover the truth, Julian. You can’t hide.

JULIAN. I don’t want to hide! I want the salvation of our Lord, I desire forgiveness. My Holy Saviour, I’m in your hands!

JULIAN takes CONSTANTIUS’s hands.

CONSTANTIUS. My hands?

JULIAN. Hold them in mercy over me.

CONSTANTIUS. I don’t understand.

JULIAN. Oh! They’re cool. Clean and pure, at last to touch something sacred. Oh holy… holy… Bless me, my Emperor, bless me.

JULIAN drops to his knees, still holding CONSTANTIUS’s hands.

CONSTANTIUS. What does that mean? Cool? Cold? Dreaming of my corpse?

JULIAN. Your hands are the petals of roses on the moonlit water! Your hands are as our Lord’s; healing, forgiving, blessing the world with righteousness. Your hands, your hands! Oh Jesus. Oh my Christ. Bless me. Emperor, I am not safe without you.

CONSTANTIUS looks at him for a moment, then changes suddenly.

CONSTANTIUS. Oh… Forgive me! Julian! It’s my mind. Shot through with suspicion. They mutter to me, informing, suggesting… (Whispers.) They’re all rotten. How could I doubt you? Only you and I can trust each other. We must unite in our faith.

JULIAN. Yes.

URSULUS. We should go in, my lord.

CONSTANTIUS (turning to IMPERIAL PROCESSION). My people! This Holy Night I’ll consume the body of my God! I’ll drink His blood! Pray for me, Julian. Pray that Christ protects my fragile soul.

JULIAN. My lord, I will, I’ll pray for your safety and strength. And in return, I only ask that you take pity on me and send me away.

CONSTANTIUS. Away?

JULIAN. From the city. It’s choking me. I find nothing to cleanse me here. I have to get back to the mountains, to Cappadocia, the great solitude.

CONSTANTIUS. My poor Julian…

JULIAN. Sin is everywhere here, in the streets, in the air itself. All the talking, the dirty gossiping. It gets into my head, whatever I do. I shut the door but it creeps underneath. I try to atone – for nine days now I’ve worn a hair shirt, for nine nights I’ve lashed my back, I talk to Ursulus, to the priests. But it’s no good. I must be pure, and it’s impossible here.

CONSTANTIUS. The path is hard. Yes. Satan everywhere.

JULIAN. Everywhere, on my hands, in my mind. I’m diseased, and I must find the cure.

HELENA. Constantius, it’s time.

URSULUS. We can’t wait any longer, my lord.

CONSTANTIUS. Diseased. Contagion!

CONSTANTIUS turns toward the church, makes a decision.

Perhaps you would be wise not to enter the house of God with these demons on your shoulder. You’ll stay outside today.

JULIAN. Outside?

URSULUS. My lord, the Prince shouldn’t be left without our guidance. Certainly not outside the walls of the Palace.

HELENA. Oh, nonsense. Look at him, he’s a grown man.

URSULUS. And so’s his brother, Gallus.

HELENA. That doesn’t make him a traitor.

URSULUS. We must go in.

CONSTANTIUS. Julian, you asked for solitude. Have it now. Stay here and reflect on love. On loyalty. Yes?

JULIAN. Yes, my lord.

CONSTANTIUS. Come. Follow me. Christ is calling!

Leaving JULIAN behind, the IMPERIAL PROCESSION enters the church and the doors close. The GUARDS disperse. JULIAN stares after CONSTANTIUS.

PETER. Julian!

GREGORY. I don’t believe it…

PETER. On your own!

GREGORY. He’s not let you out of his sight in three years!

PETER. You can breathe at last, Julian.

JULIAN. The Oracle!

PETER. What?

JULIAN. Gallus is insane, asking for a prophecy.

PETER. Do you think he would do something like that?

GREGORY. He would.

JULIAN. Of course he would. And it’s blasphemy. He’ll be killed. Find out where he is.

PETER. Wait.

JULIAN. Why? What for? We don’t have long, I have to warn him!

PETER. Gregory?

GREGORY (into the trees). Come out!

JULIAN. What…

AGATHON steps out of the trees.

Stay where you are! Who is this?

PETER. It’s Agathon!

JULIAN. Agathon’s a boy, Agathon’s nothing like this.

AGATHON. It’s been three years.

JULIAN looks at him for a moment.

JULIAN. But Agathon’s in Cappadocia, where we grew up… in the countryside, on those hills… he can’t be here in this city. I don’t believe it.

AGATHON. I walked for six days to the shore, then got onto a trading ship. I landed a week ago. I had to see you.

JULIAN. I hardly recognise you.

AGATHON. Do you recognise this?

He holds up a small carved wooden cross that he wears around his neck.

The cross you carved for me the day I was baptised, to save me from sin. A symbol of love, of the salvation of our Lord.

JULIAN. Oh, Agathon!

JULIAN runs and embraces him.

But why? Why have you come?

GREGORY. Will you tell us now?

JULIAN. I missed you, we all have. Agathon, we need your certainty now… I… Oh…

AGATHON. Julian? What’s… What is this?

JULIAN. Look! You’ve become a man.

AGATHON. You’re just the same. Maybe a bit paler…

JULIAN. I know! It’s the air here. I hate it. Nothing like those mountains, when the wind sweeps in from the Taurus, the Cappadocian sunlight, clear and fresh on your skin. Is it the same as it was?

AGATHON. The mountains are the same, but –

JULIAN. Yes, of course they are, I can’t wait to go back. Look at him, Peter! Here with us! It’s a miracle.

PETER. I know.

GREGORY. Unexpected, certainly.

JULIAN. The four of us together again. ‘Our shared lives’, we used to say. All the things we wanted to achieve… a long time ago now. Why didn’t you come to the Palace?

AGATHON. I had to talk to you away from the Court. There would have been questions.

JULIAN. Seeing you reminds me how sinful we’ve become here.

GREGORY. Julian…

JULIAN. You look terrible, Agathon, but underneath I know you’re pure. In this city, it’s the other way round. We’re freshly bathed and beautifully dressed, but underneath – full of sin, covered in dirt. Isn’t that right, Peter?

PETER. Only according to Ursulus.

AGATHON. Who’s that?

PETER. The Emperor’s advisor. Our tutor. He sees sin everywhere.

JULIAN. It was better when we taught ourselves. You remember? I read Homer to you.

AGATHON. Of course I remember. Hector, Priam –

JULIAN. Priam, Zeus! Heroes and gods alive in my voice.

AGATHON. You read the death of Hector over and over.

PETER. Achilles and Hector…

JULIAN. Achilles and Hector! Yes! The confrontation on the plain, the spear, the shield!

GREGORY. We shouldn’t stay out here.

JULIAN. The four of us, growing up together, reading and talking, always talking. Hours passed like minutes… while Gallus, my brother, was off in the distance, riding his horse across the sand like the shadow of a cloud! Ha! Do you remember the church we built?

GREGORY. Peter… help me…

AGATHON. Yes, I remember. In honour of Saint Mamas!

PETER. Why don’t we / talk somewhere more private?

AGATHON. It was magnificent.

JULIAN. Half of it was. Gallus finished his side of the building but the builder said my designs were impossible. I didn’t understand it then. But now…

GREGORY. Come on, we need to –

JULIAN. Now I know why he succeeded and I failed. His faith is pure, simple, but mine… is… I’m far away, Agathon.

PETER. Let’s go back to the Palace.

JULIAN (whispered). God’s left me!

GREGORY. He shouldn’t be talking / like this.

AGATHON. It’s not true. God’s not left you. God is with you.

JULIAN. No. No! How do you know what’s true? You haven’t been here. I’m lost! Falling!

AGATHON. You stand in the grace of God, Julian, you always have. You found me in the mountains, suffocating in the darkness of paganism…

JULIAN. You made sacrifices, you worshipped the sun –

AGATHON. … and even though you were still grieving your parents’ death, but somehow you found the strength to take me in and teach me. Even as children you showed me the light of Christ.

He holds the cross.

You saved me.

JULIAN. Back then I heard hymns of thanksgiving, I saw ladders that stretched from Earth to Heaven.

AGATHON. You did.

JULIAN. It’s beautiful.

AGATHON. Yes… Julian…

He gives the cross back.

JULIAN. All so long ago…

AGATHON. But your faith is strong, I know it is.

JULIAN. I listen for the hymns now, but they’re silent! And the skies are… (Looks up.) Wait… there! Look, look!

PETER. What?

JULIAN. There! A falling star, between the trees!

They all look.

AGATHON. I don’t see anything…

JULIAN. My mother saw a falling star the night I was born – my father was away, she sat alone in the Palace. Then she saw a star fall outside her window.

PETER. I can’t see it.

JULIAN. Fire scorched across the sky, racing toward Earth. She watched it, then slept and dreamt that she’d given birth to a hero. A man unafraid to enter the den, to wrestle the strongest lions!

AGATHON. Lions? Oh!

PETER. Where is it?

JULIAN. A second Alexander. A conqueror of worlds.

He turns back to his friends. PETER is still looking up.

PETER. It must have gone.

JULIAN. When she awoke, the birth pains began. A second Alexander…

AGATHON. A dream of destiny?

JULIAN. Yes.

AGATHON. Julian. It was a dream that called me here, to you.

GREGORY. What are you talking about? Agathon, why are you here?

AGATHON. To do the bidding of the Lord.

JULIAN. The bidding of the Lord? Then you’re in the wrong place. Every day people arrive, convinced this is the holiest city on Earth, come to kiss the wood of the true cross… but Constantinople has changed. We’re overrun.

AGATHON. What’s he talking about?