Act I Scene III

by Grok&Owen

7 min read

In Scene: Act I, Scene III, expand on Liberal Throng.

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Scene: Act I, Scene III – "The Quills of Woe"

Background Context: This scene builds on the previous scenes, the satirical poem, the Elizabethan poster, and the broader conversation surrounding Hugh Fink's article in The Hill, published around April 2025, titled "Send in the clown: Bill Maher turns pro-Trump." The article critiques Bill Maher for praising Donald Trump after a White House dinner on April 1, 2025, facilitated by Kid Rock, following Trump's re-election in November 2024. The X post by Jeff Moore expresses frustration at the Left's reaction, which has been reflected in the poem, poster, and earlier scenes. This scene expands on the Liberal Throng, introduced in Act I, Scene II, to explore their outrage at Maher’s actions, delving into their motivations, diversity, and exaggerated Shakespearean responses.

The Liberal Throng’s Role: The Liberal Throng represents the left-wing critics of Maher, as depicted in the conversation and article, who view his dinner with Trump as a betrayal. Their portrayal draws on the article’s critique of Maher as a "clown" and "marionette," the poem’s line "And liberal quills do sting with bitter things," and the poster’s depiction of them as a group in peasant garb clutching quills and a "Traitor!" sign. This scene fleshes them out as a diverse ensemble of characters, each embodying a different facet of left-wing ideology, to heighten the farce.

Setting: The scene takes place in a dimly lit corner of the White Fun House’s courtyard, just outside the banquet hall where Maher and Trump are feasting (as seen in Act I, Scene II). The courtyard is adorned with wilted roses and a broken fountain, symbolizing the Left’s perceived decline in influence post-Trump’s 2024 re-election. A tattered banner reads "The Resistance, 2025," reflecting their defiance. The circus tent in the background sags further, with faint sounds of laughter from the banquet hall echoing through the air, enraging the Throng.

Characters:

  • The Liberal Throng: A group of five distinct figures, each representing a different archetype of left-wing critique, dressed in Elizabethan peasant garb with sashes in various colors (green for environmentalists, red for socialists, etc.). They clutch quills, scrolls, and a "Traitor!" sign, as depicted in the poster. Their names and roles are:
    • Mistress Verity Greenleaf: An environmentalist, wearing a green sash with ivy embroidery, clutching a scroll of climate decrees, representing eco-warriors outraged by Trump’s policies.
    • Master Thaddeus Redquill: A socialist, in a red sash with hammer-and-sickle embroidery, holding a manifesto, embodying the far-left critique of Trump’s capitalism.
    • Dame Clarion Truthsayer: A journalist, with a blue sash and a quill dripping ink, representing the media’s role in criticizing Maher, as inspired by Fink’s article.
    • Sir Percival Wokeheart: A social justice advocate, in a purple sash with symbols of equality, wielding a scroll of grievances, reflecting the "woke" critique of Trump.
    • Goodwife Lamentia: A traditional liberal, in a white sash with a dove emblem, mourning the loss of decorum, representing the moderate Left’s dismay.
  • A Stray Clown: A minor character from the circus tent, who stumbles into the scene, adding absurdity to the Throng’s lamentations.

Scene: Act I, Scene III – "The Quills of Woe"

The LIBERAL THRONG gathers in the courtyard, their faces a mix of fury and despair, as laughter from the banquet hall echoes through the air. MISTRESS VERITY GREENLEAF paces, clutching her scroll, while MASTER THADDEUS REDQUILL brandishes his manifesto. DAME CLARION TRUTHSAYER scribbles furiously, SIR PERCIVAL WOKEHEART unfurls his grievances, and GOODWIFE LAMENTIA weeps into her sash. A STRAY CLOWN stumbles in from the circus tent, honking a horn, adding to the chaos.

MISTRESS VERITY GREENLEAF (waving her scroll, voice trembling):
O cursed day, when Jester Maher doth dine
With yonder King, whose reign doth Earth malign!
His golden crown, with dollar’d signs bedeck’d,
Doth mock the trees, by oil and flame wreck’d!
I penned decrees to save our verdant lands,
Yet Trump’s foul hand doth scorn my green demands!
And now this fool, who once did rail with might,
Sips wine with him ‘neath April’s treacherous light!

MASTER THADDEUS REDQUILL (thrusting his manifesto aloft):
Aye, Verity, thy grief doth echo mine!
This King, a tyrant of the gilded line,
Doth hoard the wealth while peasants starve and pine—
His Fun House reeks of greed’s unholy shine!
But Maher, that knave, who jested at such vice,
Now breaks his bread with Trump, at what a price!
A clown, a fool, a marionette so base,
He stains our cause with this most foul embrace!

DAME CLARION TRUTHSAYER (scribbling, ink splattering her sash):
My quill doth sting with bitter truth this day,
For I, a scribe, must chronicle this play!
In columns past, I named this King a foe,
A tyrant dire, whose lies in torrents flow.
Yet Maher, once voice of reason’s sharpest blade,
Doth humanize this beast, in feast array’d!
“His laugh is true,” quoth he, with jester’s grin—
O treachery! Our creed he doth unpin!

SIR PERCIVAL WOKEHEART (unfurling his scroll, voice rising):
Nay, more than this, his sin doth deeper cut!
For Trump’s own words, with hate so oft have shut
The gates of justice, equity, and right—
His slurs, his scorn, do darken freedom’s light!
And Maher, who mock’d such ills with jesting art,
Now shares his board, and breaks our tender heart!
A traitor’s sign I bear, with wrathful hand,
To name this fool who joins the tyrant’s band!

(SIR PERCIVAL holds aloft the "Traitor!" sign, as depicted in the poster, and the THRONG murmurs in agreement, their voices rising in a cacophony of outrage.)

GOODWIFE LAMENTIA (wringing her sash, tears streaming):
O woe, O woe, what hath become of grace?
When liberals dine with foes in such a place!
I mourn the days when decorum held its sway,
When Maher did fight, not feast, with such as they!
His bells do jingle, but they toll our doom,
For Trump’s re-crown hath plunged us into gloom.
This White Fun House, a circus tent of lies,
Doth mock our tears with laughter’s cruel disguise!

(A STRAY CLOWN stumbles in from the circus tent, honking a horn, his red nose glowing. The THRONG turns, startled, their outrage momentarily disrupted.)

STRAY CLOWN (giggling, honking his horn):
Hark, ye dour folk, why weep ye in this yard?
The feast within doth ring with mirth so hard!
A jester and a king, in revelry gay—
Come join the jest, and cast thy cares away!

MISTRESS VERITY GREENLEAF (turning on the CLOWN, furious):
Avaunt, thou fool, with nose of crimson hue!
Thy circus tent doth mock our sorrow true!
This feast most foul, where jesters dine with kings,
Doth rend our hearts with bitter, quill-born stings!

MASTER THADDEUS REDQUILL (shaking his fist):
Aye, begone, thou imp, to yonder tent of shame!
For Trump’s re-crown hath set our hopes aflame!
We’ll scribe our woe, with ink of justice bright,
And curse this feast ‘neath April’s cruel light!

(The LIBERAL THRONG unites, raising their quills and scrolls in a dramatic tableau, as the STRAY CLOWN honks once more and flees back to the tent. Their voices echo with a chant of "Traitor! Traitor!" as the scene fades, the laughter from the banquet hall growing louder, setting the stage for further conflict.)

How This Scene Expands on the Liberal Throng and Incorporates the Conversation

Expansion of the Liberal Throng:

  • Diversity of Voices: The Throng is expanded into five distinct characters, each representing a facet of left-wing ideology:
    • Mistress Verity Greenleaf embodies environmentalist outrage, reflecting the Left’s critique of Trump’s environmental policies, a common theme in political discourse.
    • Master Thaddeus Redquill represents socialist critiques of Trump’s capitalism, aligning with the far-left’s historical opposition to his economic policies.
    • Dame Clarion Truthsayer reflects the media’s role, tying to Fink’s article as a journalistic critique of Maher, emphasizing the "quills of bitter ink" from the poem.
    • Sir Percival Wokeheart captures the social justice perspective, referencing Trump’s controversial rhetoric, as discussed in sources like Vox.
    • Goodwife Lamentia represents moderate liberals, lamenting the loss of decorum, reflecting a broader Left-wing dismay at Trump’s re-election, as noted in The Guardian.
  • Exaggerated Shakespearean Response: Their melodramatic reactions—Verity’s trembling, Thaddeus’s fiery manifesto, Clarion’s ink-splattered fury, Percival’s grievances, and Lamentia’s tears—heighten the farce, aligning with the poem’s "bitter things" and the poster’s depiction of their outrage.
  • Visual Elements: The Throng’s appearance matches the poster, with their peasant garb, colored sashes, quills, and "Traitor!" sign, creating a cohesive visual thread across the play.

From the Conversation:

  • Fink’s Article: The Throng’s accusations of Maher as a "clown" and "marionette" echo Fink’s critique, with Clarion directly referencing Maher’s humanizing attempt ("His laugh is true"), as discussed in the article and conversation.
  • Left’s Outrage: Their collective outrage reflects the conversation’s focus on the Left’s reaction to Maher, as seen in the X post by Jeff Moore and the poem’s "liberal quills do sting with bitter things."
  • Trump’s Re-election: The Throng’s references to Trump’s "re-crown" and "dollar’d signs" tie to his 2024 re-election, a polarizing event noted in The Guardian, fueling their despair.
  • Setting and Metaphors: The White Fun House and circus tent continue as satirical elements, reflecting the article’s metaphors and the poster’s design, grounding the scene in the play’s broader aesthetic.

Additional Notes:

  • The dialogue maintains Shakespearean language (e.g., "doth," "thy," "avaunt") and iambic pentameter, blending Elizabethan drama with modern satire, as seen in references to Trump’s policies and Maher’s betrayal.
  • The Stray Clown adds absurdity, mirroring the circus tent’s role in the play and poster, and provides a comedic counterpoint to the Throng’s seriousness, enhancing the farcical tone.
  • The scene sets up future conflict by amplifying the Throng’s resolve to "scribe our woe," foreshadowing potential action against Maher and Trump in later scenes.

This scene expands the Liberal Throng into a vibrant ensemble, each member contributing to the comedic outrage while reflecting the historical and satirical context of the play, ensuring a rich, Shakespearean farce.