“The Prince and the Pauper”

Сценарий

“The Prince and the Pauper” (after Mark Twain)

Ведущий 1

Ведущий 2

A guard

Prince

Tom

The whipping-boy

A man (one of the beggars)

John Canty

The Lord Protector

Lord St. John, some lords and ladies

Ведущий 1:

I am going to tell you a story that took place many, many years ago. The story says that it happened in the second quarter of the sixteenth century. In the old city of London, on a cold autumn day two boys were born.

Ведущий 2:

One boy was born to a poor family. He lay in his poor rags and did not know that the Canty family, the family of paupers, did not want him. They did not want him at all. Nobody wanted Tom Canty, the son of John Canty.

Ведущий 1:

The other English child was born to a rich family. He lay in silks and did not know that he made the people of England so happy. Everybody talked only about the new baby, Edward Tudor, Prince of Wales. The Tudor family wanted the boy very much.

Ведущий 2:

Several years passed.

Tom spent his early years in a very old and dirty house. It was made of wood like all the other houses in the street which was called Offal Court. Tom's father, John Canty, was a thief and Tom's grand­mother was a beggar. They made beggars of the children. If Tom came home without any money his father gave him a hard beating and sent him to bed hungry. At night when Tom lay in the dark on his dirty rags he forgot his father's beatings and thought about kings and princes. Tom wanted to see a real prince with his own eyes. Tom's wish to see a real prince became stronger and stronger.

Scene 1

(Westminster, gates, guards, many people at the gates. A good-looking boy, beautifully dressed, in a bright red cap.)

Guard: (gave Tom a blow and pushed him away from the gates. Tom fell down.)

"Get out of here, you young beggar!”

(The crowd laughed)

Prince: “How can you do that to the poor lad? Open the gates and let him in.”

Ведущий 1:

The prince took Tom to a rich apartment in the palace. He called the room his cabinet. He ordered one of the servants to bring Tom something to eat. For the first time in his life Tom saw and ate such food. Then the prince sat near by and asked questions while Tom ate.

(In the cabinet)

Prince: "It's wonderful. I'm ready to give my crown for a day like that. Look, lad! Shall you give me your clothes and put on mine for some time, so that I can go to Offal Court and have a good time that you have there?"

(The little prince had Tom's rags on and Tom put on the prince's royal clothes.)

Ведущий 1:

A few minutes later the little prince had Tom’s rags on

Ведущий 2:

and Tom put on the prince’s royal clothes.

Scene 2

(Setting: the cabinet. A lad was brought to the cabinet. He was about twelve years old. He looked very sad. He came up to Tom and fell on one knee before him. Tom sat still and looked at the lad in silence a moment.)

Tom: "Rise, lad! Who are you? What do you want?"

The boy: (rose) "You must remember me, my lord. I am your whipping-boy."

Tom: "My whipping-boy?”

The boy: "Yes, my lord. I am Humphrey Marlow."

Tom: (did not know what to say at first) "It seems to me that I remember you. But I can't remember well, as I am ill. I often forget many things these days. But pay no attention to it. Just tell me what you want!"

The boy: "Two days ago when your majesty made three mistakes in your Greek in the morning lessons—do you remember it?"

Tom: "Yes, I think I do."

The boy: "Your teacher promised to whip me for it and—"

Tom: "Whip you? Why did he want to whip you for my mistakes?"

The boy: "Ah, my lord, you have forgotten again. He always whips me when you do not know your lessons."

Tom: "True, true—I have forgotten. You teach me first, and he says that you do not know how to teach me well, and if I make a mistake—"

The boy: "Oh, my lord! What are you saying? I, your servant, teach you? Never! But this is how it is: nobody may strike the Prince of Wales, so when he makes mistakes, I get the blows. And that is right—it is my work and I get money for it."

Tom: "And have they beaten you for my mistakes in Greek, my poor friend?"

The boy: "No, your majesty, they were going to beat me today, but they did not do it because of the death of the King. Now you are no more Prince of Wales, you are the King of England, and I am afraid that you will not continue your studies. You will burn your books and turn the teachers away. Then I am lost and my poor sisters with me."

Tom: "Lost? Why?"

The boy: "My back is my bread. Oh, my lord! If you stop study­ing, you will not need any whipping-boy and I shall have no work. Don't turn me away."

Tom: "Rise, Humphrey Marlow, you will always have the post of whipping-boy at the royal house of England. I shall take my books again and study so badly that you will get money three times more than before."

The boy: "Oh, thank you, my dear master! Now I shall be happy all my days."

Ведущий 2:

Tom was clever enough to understand that Humphrey could be useful to him. He asked Humphrey to tell him about the people in the palace and the prince's lessons in the school-room. At the end of an hour he knew many things about the prince; so he decided to talk with Humphrey every day.

Ведущий 1:

As soon as the prince left the palace, his troubles began. Every time when he said, “I am the Prince of Wales”, people laughed. They mocked at him, pulled and pushed him. But he repeated again and again: “I am the Prince of Wales.”

Scene 3

(Setting: Offal Court, a barn. Edward was awakened by a loud laughter and many voices talking together. He opened his eyes and saw a big crowd of people in rags. Some of them told stories of their life.)

A man: "I was a farmer. I had a kind wife and nice children. Now I have neither a wife nor children. They are dead. I am glad that they died. My old mother tried to earn her bread. She took care of sick people. One of them died and the doctors did not know why. So by the English law she was burned for a witch and my children stood and looked how it was done. English law! Stand up, all of you, raise your cups and drink to the kind English law that killed an honest woman! Then I had to beg from house to house—I and my wife and the children. But the English law does not allow people to go hungry, so we were caught and whipped many times. Drink, all of you, to the kind English law which killed my wife by whipping her. As I could not see my children hungry, I begged again, and at last I was sold as a slave. A slave! Do you understand that word? An English slave! I have run away from my master, and when I am found, the English law will hang me."

Prince: (in a loud voice) "No, it will not hang you, I shall not allow it."

(All turned and saw the small figure of the little king who had come out of his corner.) Voices: "Who is it? What is it? Who are you?"

Prince: "I am Edward, King of England."

(Wild laughter followed.)

Prince: (angrily) "You, thieves and beggars, this is how you thank your king."

(The laughter grew louder and louder)

John Canty: "Friends, this is my mad son, don't pay any attention to him, he thinks he is the king."

Prince: (proudly) "I am the king."

Voices: "Long live Edward, King of England!"

Prince: (bowed his head) "I thank you, my good people."

(The laughter grew even louder. Somebody shouted: "Foo-Foo the First, King of Fools!" Soon the whole crowd was shouting: "Long live Foo-Foo the First!" Before Edward could do anything, he was crowned with a tin basin, a dirty old blanket was put on his shoulders, and he himself was put on the throne—a barrel. Then all of them fell upon their knees and began to shout: "Oh, sweet king, oh, king Foo-Foo!")

Ведущий 1:

In old England royal processions usually took place before the coronation of a new king.

On the morning of the 20^th of February London streets were beautifully decorated with flags and banners for the coronation of Edward VI. When the coronation procession was over, people filled the Westminster Abbey to watch the coronation ceremony.

Scene 4

(Great lords and ladies gathered in the Abbey, waiting for the young king. At a signal, the sounds of the anthem filled the Abbey. Tom Canty, dressed in a beautiful long mantle, appeared in the door and stepped upon the platform. Then he was led to the throne, and the ceremony began. At last the Archbishop of Canterbury lifted the crown of England and held it out over the trembling mock king’s head.)

Prince: "Do not put the crown of England on his head! I am the king!"

(In a moment several hands were laid upon the boy and they pulled the boy from the platform.)

Tom: (made a quick step forward and cried out in an angry voice) "Let him go and don't touch him, he is the king!"

(Surprise and panic made the people rise in their places and look attentively at the two boys. Everybody saw that they looked very much alike.)

The Lord Protector: (was as surprised as all other people, but he quickly came to himself and said loudly) "Pay no attention to the words of his majesty. He is ill again. Take the beggar...!"

Tom: "Do not touch him, he is the king!"

(Silence fell upon the hall. Nobody moved, nobody spoke, nobody knew what to say or what to do. The boy in rags stepped upon the platform, and the mock king ran with a glad face to meet him. He fell on his knees before the king.)

Tom: "Oh, my lord, the king, let poor Tom Canty be the first to welcome you!"

The Lord Protector: (thought a moment or two, then he said) "If you please, sir, I wish to ask you a few questions."

Prince: "I will answer them, my lord."

Ведущий 1:

The Lord Protector asked him many questions about the palace, the court, about the dead King Henry VIII and about the prince and the princesses. The lad answered them correctly. He described the rooms in the palace, the dead king's apartments and the apartments of the Prince of Wales. It was strange; it was wonderful. Nobody could explain it. There was no explanation for it.

The Lord Protector: (thought some time, then he turned to the stranger) "I wish to ask you a question. If you answer it correctly, then you are the king. If you can't answer it, you will be arrested. Your answer will decide everything. The question is this: where does the Great Seal lie? Only the Prince of Wales can answer it. Only he can know it."

Prince: "It is not difficult to answer this question." (Then he turned and gave this command)

"My lord St. John, go to my cabinet in the palace, and in the left-hand wall you will find a nail-head. Press upon it, and the wall will open a little. The first thing you will see in the opening will be the Great Seal. Bring it here."

Tom: (to Lord St. John) "Why do you not go? Have you not heard the king's command? Go!"

Lord St. John: (bowed and left. In a few minutes he came back) "Your majesty, the Seal is not there."

The Lord Protector: "Did you look well for it? It is so strange! How could such a big thing as the Seal of England disappear? A big heavy thing, a massive golden disk..."

Tom: (jumped forward and shouted) “Wait! That is enough! Was it round and thick? Had it letters and emblems cut upon it? Oh, now I know what this Great Seal is! And I know where it lies. I am sorry you did not describe it to me before. We could have it three weeks ago. Yes, I know where it lies; but it was not I that put it there—first."

The Lord Protector: "Who was it then, your majesty?"

Tom: "He that stands there—the true king of England. And he will tell you himself where it lies. Then you will believe him. Think, my king, try to think well! It was the last thing which you did that day before you ran out of the palace, dressed in my rags, to punish the soldier who had bruised me."

(There was silence for some time. Everybody looked at the stranger, who stood, with bowed head, thinking hard. The boy stood silently and said no word. At last he lifted his head, shook it slowly and said in a trembling voice!)

Prince: "I do not remember where I put it."

Tom: "Oh, my king. Wait! Think! Try to remember! Listen to what I say. I am going to bring that morning back again, every little thing, just as it happened. We talked—I told you about my sisters, Nan and Bet,—ah, yes, you remember that; and I told you about my grandmother and about the games of the lads of Offal Court—yes, you remember these things too. Listen to me and you will remember everything. You gave me food and drink, and sent away, the servant—ah, yes, this also you remember. Then, my prince, you put on my clothes and I put on yours. We stood before a mirror and were surprised to see that we were so much alike—yes, you remember that. Then you saw that the soldier had bruised my hand. At this your highness got very angry and ran towards the door to punish the soldier. You passed a table—the thing you call the Seal lay on that table—you took it from the table and looked around as if you wanted to find a place to hide it, then..."

Prince: "That is enough. I remember it now. Gо, my good St. John,—in an arm-piece of the armour that hangs on the wall you will find the Seal."

Tom: "That's right, my king, that's right. Now the throne of England is yours. Hurry, my lord St. John, hurry!"

(At last St. John appeared holding the Great Seal high up in the air. Then a shout went up: "Long live the true king!")

Tom: "Now, my king, take this royal clothing back and give poor Tom, your servant, his rags again!"

The Lord Protector: "The beggar must be thrown into prison!"

Prince: "No, I don't allow you to do that! He will not go to pris­on. It is only because of him that I got my crown back. My poor boy, how was it that you could remember where I had hidden the Great Seal when I could not remember it myself?"

Tom: "Ah, my king, that was easy, because I used it many times."

Prince: "Used it? But you could not explain where it was."

Tom: "When they asked about it I did not understand what they wanted. I did not know that the thing which I used was the Great Seal. They did not describe it, your majesty. They did not say what it was like."

Prince: "Then how did you use it?"

(Tom dropped his eyes and was silent.)

Prince: "Speak up, good lad, do not be afraid of anything. How did you use the Great Seal of England?"

Tom: "I cracked nuts with it."

Ведущий 1:

Edward was a kind, merciful king.

As long as he lived he liked to tell the story of his adventures.

He always said that he remembered all people who suf­fered because of the cruel laws of England.

Ведущий 2:

Tom Canty lived happily a very long life. He had kindness and mercy. Edward gave him the title of the King's Ward for it. He was a white-haired old man and wore a costume that looked dif­ferent from any other man's clothes. Everybody paid atten­tion to him when he appeared in the streets of London. People whispered to each other: "Take your hat off, it is the King's Ward!"