Yorick: A Tragedy in Three Acts

ACT I 

It is several years before the great tragedy of Hamlet takes place at Elsinore between his father and his brother Claudius which results in murder and usurping of the kingdom when Claudius marries the widow Gertrude and the whole rigmarole. Before his unexpected passing, Yorick had a front row seat of all that was rotten in Denmark.   l 

YORICK: (Soliloquy, starts seated at a table with a table of fine material covering the table.  On the table is a chessboard set up for a game) Hello, come on into the chambers of the king and queen.  While few ever are admitted to this secluded room in the palace, I, as court jester, have unrestricted access to the entire place.  It is cold and drafty, but when the evening fires are lit, it is really quite cozy. William Shakespeare did not have any sort of respect for me since my skull was pulled from a graveyard. (Stands and crosses downstage) The truth is, I was caught up in a complicated situation which ended up costing me my life.  I understand the intricacies of politics, especially here in Denmark where politics takes on a ruthless game of chess. (draws out the word) Checkmate.  (sighs) Sometimes when you put your opponent in that situation, you wind up the loser. (Knocks over the black king. Laughs and then knocks over the white king) What you will see is the story that Shakespeare was afraid to tell. Sit back and be…entertained. (off stage voices) Hush, I hear someone coming. (exit stage right).

GERTRUDE: (enters with Ophelia) We are alone.  I must confess that my love for the king has waned.

OPHELIA: (dressed in a simple gown, age 16) Why seek my counsel, me lady?

GERTRUDE: I feel I must confess to someone.  Someone who will not betray my confidence.

OPHELIA: Oh, my lady, I would never do such a thing.

GERTRUDE: (takes Ophelia’s hand) I know it to be true, my dear. (Gertrude looks in both directions) I feel someone is skulking about.

OPHELIA: Shall I check me lady?

GERTRUDE:  Oh, my dear, once the deed has taken place, I shall no longer be haunted by visions that speak of my betrayal.  We shall talk no more.  Someone is approaching.

HAMLET: (age 15 is dressed in a royal robe) Mother, I have been looking for you.

GERTRUDE: And now you have found me. (Gertrude embraces Hamlet) Have you seen your father?

HAMLET: Nay, I have not. (see Ophelia) How be you today, my love?  (Hamlet and Ophelia kiss) 

OPHELIA: Happy to see you. What have you been doing?

HAMLET: Speaking with Yorick.  He seemed in poor humor this morn. It seems he is concerned with the general state of Elsinore.  (Hamlet glances at Gertrude) If such is the state of this frail kingdom, they we are all in peril.

OPHELIA: What seems to be ailing Elsinore? 

HAMLET: He has revealed to me there is corruption and betrayal afoot. T’is true, I’m afraid.  It seems someone in this very castle has been in conference with Fortinbras. (Grimace) Oh how low can our affairs sink? Betrayal to a devious enemy such as he. I have been in counsel with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern who have confided in me the very details of this diabolical plot.

GERTRUDE: What did they reveal to you, son? (she puts her hand on Hamlet’s cheek). Were their names attached to the accusations? (Guilty glance at Ophelia, but she does not return the glance). 

HAMLET: Nay, but I suspect Polonius to be involved.

OPHELIA: (she is irritated) What, pray tell, makes you suspect my father? 

HAMLET:  He has been in a foul mood as of late. (Puts his hand to his chin) He confided in me last week that he was concerned about recent relations between Denmark and Norway.

OPHELIA: Talk of the affairs of state does not profess guilt, my love.  My father has always been involved with diplomatic relations between Denmark and Norway.

HAMLET: (turns away from Ophelia) I do not trust the diplomatic negotiations of Lord Fortinbras. He only wishes to gain more land to his realm.  He is not to be trusted.

OPHELIA: But he is someone we must deal with, is he not? (very upset) Come along me lady.  I do not wish to listen to any further slander against my family. (Ophelia and Gertrude exit)

HAMLET: These are difficult times indeed. (sits at table, puts both kings back in place on the board as his father the King enters)

KING: Why so glum, my son?

HAMLET:  I feel as though the world has turned against us.

KING: (Puts his arm around Hamlet’s shoulders) You are far too young to be discouraged by the events taking place between our kingdom and Norway. 

HAMLET: I fear treachery is afoot.

KING: It has always been afoot.  Betrayal has woven itself in our tapestry.  You must be strong in such matters. (hands on hips, King crosses to upstage) When I was your age, my son, I did not fill my mind with matter of state.  Your time will come. Don’t hurry it. (both King and Hamlet freeze as statues.  Yorick enters shaking his head). 

YORICK:  There you have it. All stories have elements. Love. Hate. Revenge. Betrayal. Treachery.  Diplomacy.  (Crosses downstage. Stands next to the King) Sleep the sleep of the dead, your majesty (into the King’s ear) Your son will be usurped by your brother Claudius as he marries your widow.  Who could see this coming?  Who could forecast this outcome? Only the hand that holds the pen. While this story has been told from his twisted perspective, I on the other hand would choose a gentler outcome.  You see when it all went down, I was accused of treason by King Claudius.  I was sentenced to be drawn and quartered as a commoner would since beheading was reserved for nobility.  Have you ever been drawn and quartered?  It is disgusting.  The executer lays your entrails on your chest after he cuts them out of your body.  If you are lucky, death will follow shortly.  I had the fortune of living for more than ten minutes as my entrails bled out.  The last sound I heard was the cheering of the crowd that had surrounded the platform.  Later they found that I did not kill the king as they originally thought.  Did Shakespeare bother with those details? (pauses, crosses to Hamlet) No, he did not.  His focus remained upon the young prince.  Justice would be served through his actions, but in the end justice did not prevail.  Did it? (crosses downstage) No. (exits stage left).  

ACT II   

When lights come up, Polonius, Laertes, and Claudius are sitting at the table.  They are silent as Yorick hovers upstage of the table.  He is wearing his jester’s outfit holding his scepter.  He has a devious smile on his face. 

YORICK: Back so soon? (points scepter at audience) By now you should be wise to my game. I do enjoy being unpredictable.  (crossed to upstage right)

POLONIUS: (Moves white pawn) So did you do the deed?

CLAUDIUS: (Moves black pawn) He fell asleep under a tree.  I put the poison in his ear as the apothecary instructed.  He was deceased before I walked away.

POLONIUS: (Moves a white pawn) Good work.  We have been struggling with the treaty with Fortinbras due to his arrogance. Now that he is out of the way, what is our next move? 

LAERTES: I have heard that Fortinbras is readying his army for war.  It would be good not to wage war at this time. 

CLAUDIUS: (Moves a black pawn) Right you are, my lad.  But I will propose marriage to the queen and cement my power as king.

POLONIUS: (Moves white knight) Wise idea, King Claudius.

CLAUDIUS: (Moves the black bishop) Let us not get ahead of ourselves.  I must consider Prince Hamlet.

LAERTES: I don’t see why.  He is not yet of the age of consent.

CLAUDIUS: But there are those who would question my motives.

POLONIUS: (Moves white rook) What of it?  You will be crowned the king once you have taken the marriage vows.  One move at a time, Claudius.  One move at a time. (Pats Claudius on the back) One move at a time.

YORICK: (Lights fade as Polonius, Laertes, and Claudius exit stage.  Yorick steps downstage still holding his scepter.  Sit on the edge of the stage.  Laughs) How easily we fall for ploys like this.  The king is dead.  The king is dead (Laughs) I have no loyalty to him.  He never did me any favors.  I did live in the palace, but I was treated like dirt.  (Hamlet and Ophilia enter and sit at the table.  He holds her hand) My dear mother, however, sold me to the palace to pay her rent.  This is the only home I have ever known.  Tell me Mr. Shakespeare, have you ever used that in one of your plays.  Of course not, why should you? 

OPHERLIA: I am so sorry, my love.

HAMLET:  I swear I will find the scoundrel and put an end to him.

OPHELIA: I do not want to lose you in this.

HAMLET: I will not be done in until I have the murderer put to justice.

OPHELIA: There is no assurance that this will come to be. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern enter)

ROSENCRANTZ:  Lord Hamlet. (He bows his head) We have news.

GUILDENSTERN:  Seems to me there has been plenty of misdeeds a foot in the castle.

HAMLET: (offers them a chair which both men take) Tell me more.

ROSENCRANTZ:  I have documents that your uncle has authored and sent to Fortinbras.

HAMLET: I knew it! (claps his hands together) When should we move?

GUILDENSTERN: We both urge caution. (Rosencrantz nods his head in agreement) Things have become dangerous for those who rush to action, Lord Hamlet.

HAMLET: My father had been murdered. I cannot stand idly by and not be willing to extol justice upon the cur even if it is my uncle. 

YORICK: (lights fade as Hamlet, Ophelia, Guildenstern, and Rosencrantz exit) In the original, Prince Hamlet spends four acts pondering what to do when the answer is so obvious.  Kill Claudius.  When he finds out who did his father in with poison in his ear.  There is no ghost on the battlements of Elsinore, there is no Polonius behind the arras.  There is no body count in the final scene with King Fortinbras coming and viewing the carnage.  Is justice served? (laughs) Hardly.  Ophelia kills herself.  Gertrude. Claudius, Laertes, and Hamlet are dead.  Polonius is stabbed by Hamlet.  Guildenstern and Rosencrantz are executed for betraying Hamlet.  (Yorick emphasizes each word) What. A. Waste. My only appearance is a skull in a graveyard.  Can you imagine that?  How would you feel in your big scene?  A skull? “Poor Yorick, I knew him well.” That’s it? I protest, I want better.  I’m sorry.  I’m not asking too much, am I?  I don’t think so. (lights fade out)  

Act III

YORICK:  So, we have arrived at the end of our story, Act Three.  If William Shakespeare was such a genius, why did it take him five acts to resolve a tragedy?  I must admit, I have my favorites, but for the most part taking five acts to resolve the conflict is a little excessive, don’t you think? (crosses to right from left downstage, paces).  So as with all dramas, we must resolve the conflict.  As with most conflicts, the protagonist must resolve the conflict through political process.  We are all citizens of the world who must learn to resolve our differences in the best way possible.  In rewriting this classic, we had to make sure that the outcome was true to the original.  According to the story I heard and the story I was a part of, King Fortinbras would prevail as both protagonist and antagonist both fell victim to their own sense of justice. (pauses) Isn’t that the biggest shortcoming we have as a species?

FORTINBRAS:  What horrible event has taken place here, squire?

SQUIRE: Lord Hamlet and his Uncle Claudius are dead, sir.  It appears they were engaged in mortal combat, but neither prevailed.

FORTINBRAS: (looks at the bodies of Claudius and Fortinbras) I can see that for myself.  Pity. (pauses) You know, I reached out to each of them to write a treaty and avoid this tragedy, but it seems I have failed in my efforts. We deserved a much better outcome, eh? 

SQUIRE: Yes, your excellency, it appears so.

FORTINBRAS: It is a shame (he squats next to the body of Hamlet).  I knew his father.  The man was hard to deal with.  I thought his son would be better, but it appears I was mistaken.

SQUIRE: I am sorry, sir.” 

FORTINBRAS: Power and greed has led a lot of heroes to their own destruction.  It is tragic.  Quite tragic, Squire.

SQUIRE: Yes, your excellency.

FORTINBRAS: I lost my son in a battle.  It was a battle we won, but when it was over, I did not feel as though my army had won. (kneels between the bodies of Hamlet and Clausius and does the sign of the cross).

YORICK: We have come to the end of our story.  No matter how you view this tragedy, the end is still bleak. (Yorick put his hand on Fortinbras’ shoulder) I guess in both versions the ending is nothing but a microcosm of how we seldom choose the best outcome.  When considering how the seven deadly sins influence our lives, there is little wonder why Shakespeare’s best-known plays are tragedies. I wish things were different, but in the five centuries since his death we have not made significant progress, have we?  (Laughs as he crosses to a stage left exit.  Lights fade)

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