All my posts this season are “inspired by” a letter of the alphabet!

The following is an extract from my play The Untaming, Or What She Wills. It is a play based on Shakespeare’s female characters and what would happen if they met each other. Each character is extracted from a specific point in their timeline and meets a woman from a different play. It’s in iambic pentameter, blank verse, the verse Shakespeare used, and is about an hour long. There are also notes as to the characters and staging.

I do want to add a note. The great Harriet Walter, an expert Shakespearean actress among other talents, has recently published a book called She Speaks!, and it is about Shakespeare’s women and what they might have said. It’s on my wish list. But I do want to make clear that mine is not a copycat!! I have no doubt my work does not match up to hers, but I would like to underline that The Untaming was self-published before She Speaks! Just in case among my readers there are any doubts about plagiarism! But clearly I was on to a good idea! Oh, if I had an agent… Never mind, I do it for fun.

The links to the full play are below (and the dates of publication too!)

The Untaming Ebook

The Untaming Paper Version

Scene One: Introduction

Titania is sitting on a swing, centre stage, lazily swinging. She has called the Witches, who are now kneeling before her. Puck is watching from a corner stage right. During his narration, he always occupies this area, as the witches do stage left. Titania, after this scene, removes herself to behind a transparent, dimly back-lit screen so that her silhouette is visible, upstage centre, where she stays for the duration, observing.

Titania:

I bring you here to use the strength you once

Displayed for your own evil ends, it’s true,

But now diversion only is my wish

And you will help me ease my boredom here

For I should like to know, to see, the strange

Effect that may occur if we should try

To bring together women who have not

Till now been known among themselves and who

Could maybe cause a scene which would amuse

For they are strong and independent souls

And will perhaps feel alienated here

Not understanding why they’ve been displaced

Yet will, I hope, find ways to co-exist

And even live a different life to that

Which they by destiny have been assigned

Long pause as Witches look blankly at each other. Titania stage whispers to them.

Go make a spell to bring lots of women here from other plays so that they’re all mixed up and confused!

Titania returns to her normal voice.

Go now and conjure that which you may need

And here, the names with which to plant the seed.

First Witch:

Sisters, as I you’ve heard the words with which

This Queen has ordered us

Second Witch:

Her pleasure? No

I will not be a part of what she wants

Third Witch confused. In stage whisper

Third Witch:

What does she want?

Other witches try to Sshh her, whisper something in her ear, and she nods, still confused. The following is melodramatic.

Third Witch:

But stop, if we cannot avoid this act

Perhaps it could be to our good to add

A little something extra to our brew

Amuse ourselves as well

First Witch:

Sharp thoughts

Second Witch:

Good words

Third Witch:

We’ll give her what she asks and still some more

She’ll weep for leaving us an open door

Witches leave, cackling maniacally and wait stage left, huddled together. Puck comes to centre right. Titania still on her swing.

Puck:

And so these four are planning to unite

The women they can conjure up tonight

And as we know, the kind of spell they weave

Can only start at dusk to be believed

But quickly, I should really disappear

I would not want Titania t’see me here

Though my own presence shall be seen by none

And I can wander freely, have my fun,

Yet still I fear Titania, by her pow’r,

May sense I’m here, but that I’ll not allow.

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