Miriam was working at the Cheltenham Library in Manchester and while moving some very old books to a new location, some small pieces of paper fell out from between the pages. She examined them and they seemed to be written in Early Modern English. It was a play that seemed to take in some of the characters from various Shakespearean plays. She took them to the library supervisor, Harold who had a good look over them.
The play written certainly took in a number of characters from various Shakespearean plays as well as a few characters that he didn’t recognise. Intrigued, he rang his friend Wendy who was a Shakespearean expert at the University of Manchester. He described what Miriam had found and the next day Wendy paid a visit to examine the pieces of paper.
Wendy read through the papers the next day. They did indeed include at least part of a play (only the 1st Act). The play was written in Early Modern English and used the same blank verse style that was indicative of a Shakespearean play. However, it was different, in that most of the characters came from other Shakespearean plays, except for a few that she didn’t recognise. It also seemed quite weird. Her best guess was that someone else had written the play in the style of Shakespeare and incorporated his characters. But she considered it worthy of bringing it to the attention of Ted, the Professor of English Literature at the University of Cambridge, who was considered the worlds foremost expert on Shakespearean writings.
The next week, Ted made the trip to Manchester to see these discovered pieces of paper. After reading through them thoroughly, numerous times, Ted looked up at Miriam, Harold and Wendy who had gathered around and said to all those gathered. “Ladies and Gentlemen, it seems we have discovered at least part of a new Shakespearean play. This is quite astonishing!”
And so, it was with that, that at least part of one of the lost Shakespeare plays was rediscovered. Below is the transcript of what was found on the paper.
Act 1 – Scene 1 - The Kings Bedroom
Enter Stephano, Trinculo, Ariel, Francisco & Cordelia
Trinculo: O king Stephano! O peer! O worthy Stephano! look
what a wardrobe here is for thee!
Cordelia: How does my royal lord? How fares your Majesty?
Puck’s voice comes from off stage
Puck: Thou speak'st aright;
I am that merry wanderer of the night.
I jest to Oberon and make him smile
When I a fat and bean-fed horse beguile.
Ariel: That's my noble master!
What shall I do?
Enter Oberon
Oberon: My gentle Puck, come hither. Thou rememberest.
Ariel: Thy thoughts I cleave to. What's thy pleasure?
Stephano: Here, kiss the book. Though thou canst swim like a
duck, thou art made like a goose.
Francisco: I think I hear them. Stand, ho! Who is there?
Enter Portia, Belinda & Ophelia
Belinda: T is me nay needeth to worry.
Ariel: Thou liest.
Ophelia: Ay, my lord.
Francisco: Nay, answer me. Stand and unfold yourself.
Ariel: I go, I go.
Puck: I go, I go; look how I go,
Swifter than arrow from the Tartar's bow.
Ariel & Puck exit.
Trinculo: A howling monster: a drunken monster!
Enter Cupid and Miranda
Cupid: Hail to thee.
Miranda: You look wearily.
Portia: Stay not to answer me, but get thee gone.
All exit.
Act 1 – Scene 2 - The Courtyard
Enter Caliban Desdemona & Rosalind.
Caliban: Do not torment me: Oh!
Rosalind: But, cousin, what if we assay'd to steal
The clownish fool out of your father's court?
Would he not be a comfort to our travel?
Desdemona: Wouldst thou do such a deed for all the world?
Enter Umbriel, Stephano & Setebos.
Umbriel: Beest careful the king is hither.
Stephano: If thou beest a man, show thyself in thy likeness:
if thou beest a devil, take't as thou list.
Setebos: Caliban thou art tourment'd. The rest of thee might not but leaveth.
Caliban, Rosalind, Umbriel & Stephano exit.
Setebos: Desdemona, art thee not frighten of me?
Puck’s voice comes from off stage
Puck: This is the woman, but not this the man.
Desdemona: O, fie upon thee, slanderer!
Enter Cupid, Francisco and Cressida
Cupid: They only now come but to feast thine eyes.
Cressida: And whither go they?
Desdemona: Why, stay, and hear me speak.
Francisco: For this relief much thanks.
Cupid: To gratulate thy plenteous bosom.
Enter Oberon
Oberon: Yet mark'd I where the bolt of Cupid fell:
It fell upon a little western flower,
Before milk-white, now purple with love's wound,
And maidens call it love-in-idleness.
Desdemona: Alas, she has no speech.
Setebos, Oberon & Francisco exits.
Caliban and Rosalind return
Caliban: I must obey: his art is of such power,
It would control my dam's god, Setebos,
and make a vassal of him.
Rosalind: Why, God will send more if the man will be thankful.
Desdemona: Then would to God that I had never seen't!
Caliban, Rosalind and Desdemona exit.
Cressida: O, all you gods! O pretty, pretty pledge!
Thy master now lies thinking in his bed.
Cupid: That of his bounties taste!
Cressida: In faith, I will, la; never trust me else.
Exit Everyone.
Act 1 Scene 3 - The Palace Gate
Desdemona: My noble father,
I do perceive here a divided duty.
Miranda: If by your art, my dearest father, you have
Put the wild waters in this roar, allay them.
Belinda: Prospero mine own king, mine own father.
Ariel: Prospero my lord shall know what I have done:
So, king, go safely on to seek thy son.
Prospero: Thou hast done well, fine Ariel!
Prospero: Thou hadst, and more, Miranda. But how is it
That this lives in thy mind? What seest thou else?
Exit Prospero
Ariel: From Milan did supplant good Prospero.
Exit Miranda, Belinda & Ariel
Enter Puck, Stephano, Francisco & Caliban
Stephano: He that dies pays all debts: I defy thee. Mercy upon us!
Francisco: Give you good night.
Caliban: When Prospero is destroyed.
Exit Stephano, Francisco & Caliban
Desdemona: To do what?
Puck: Follow me, then,
To plainer ground.
Exit Desdemona & Puck
Enter Juliet
Juliet: O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name.
Act 1 – Scene 4 - The Forest
Enter Caliban, Rosalind, Desdemona, Ariel, Oberon & Cressida
Caliban: I must eat my dinner.
This island's mine, by Sycorax my mother.
Rosalind: And why, I pray you? Who might be your
mother?
Desdemona: And so much duty as my mother show'd
To you, preferring you before her father
Enter Sycorax
Sycorax: I am thy mother. Thou art all mine own children
Ariel: For that's my business to you—that you three
From Milan did supplant good Prospero.
Oberon: What hast thou done? thou hast mistaken quite.
Exit Oberon
Cressida: Too headstrong for their mother. See, we fools!
Enter Miranda & Prospero
Prospero: The foul witch Sycorax, who with age and envy
Was grown into a hoop.
Ariel: You fools! I and my fellows
Are ministers of Fate.
Exit Ariel
Miranda: O dear father,
Make not too rash a trial of her, for
She's gentle and not fearful.
Exit Prospero, followed by Miranda
Cressida: I have forgot my father;
I know no touch of consanguinity;
No kin no love, no blood, no soul so near me.
Caliban: Cursed be I that did so! All the charms
Of Sycorax, toads, beetles, bats, light on you!
Rosalind: I'll have no father, if you be not he.
Desdemona: My mother had a maid call'd Barbara.
Enter Francisco & Barbara
Desdemona: But to go hang my head all at one side,
And sing it like poor Barbara.
Exit Sycorax, Cressida, Caliban & Rosalind
Francisco: They vanish'd strangely.
Exit Francisco & Barbara
Desdemona: To do the act that might the addition earn
Not the world's mass of vanity could make me.
Enter Perdita
Desdemona: If I court moe women, you'll couch with moe men!
So, get thee gone; good night Ate eyes do itch.
Perdita: One of these is true:
I think affliction may subdue the cheek,
But not take in the mind.
Act 1 Scene 5 - The Tavern
Cupid, Francisco, Desdemona, Miranda, Cressida, Cordelia, Triculo, Ariel, Stephano & Oberon are sitting at a table.
Cupid: What has't we all learn'd about love?
Francisco: The people yond I love the most vanish ere mine own eyes.
Desdemona: We art but a train of bethought in the writer’s mind.
Miranda: Insightful bethinking Desdemona.
Cressida: But art we thoughts, 'r art we reall people?
Desdemona: Lief cressida, we art only thoughts, we art not real.
Cordelia: I feeleth real.
Trinculo: I feeleth very much malt-worm.
Ariel: Thou art at each moment malt-worm Trinculo.
Stephano: Anon I feeleth like the goose.
Oberon: We art all geese Stephano.
Francisco: Haply the people I love vanish not ere mine own eyes. Haply they wast nev'r very much thither.
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