Act II Scene II

by Grok&Owen

7 min read

In the following scene let Throng plot a strategy to "Get Maher" - in manner reminiscent of Alan Dershowitz's book "Get Trump". Possibly introduce Alan Dershowitz as a character.

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Scene: Act II, Scene II – "The Plot to Get Maher"

Background Context: This scene continues the narrative of "A Feast Most Foul: A Comedic Farce in the Year of Our Lord 2025," building on 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 sees the Liberal Throng plotting a strategy to "Get Maher," inspired by Alan Dershowitz's book Get Trump: The Threat to Civil Liberties, Due Process, and Our Constitutional Rule of Law (referenced in the web results), which analyzes efforts to stop Trump from running in 2024. Alan Dershowitz is introduced as a new character, styled as a Shakespearean sage, to guide the Throng’s plot.

The Liberal Throng’s Strategy: The Throng, motivated by their outrage at Maher’s dinner with Trump (as explored in previous scenes), now plots to discredit him, mirroring the tactics described in Dershowitz’s book, such as smear campaigns and discrediting tactics (as noted in web results like Smear campaign - Wikipedia). Their strategy involves public shaming, satirical plays, and legal challenges, reflecting their diverse motivations while maintaining the farcical tone.

Setting: The scene takes place in the same makeshift encampment in the shadow of the White Fun House, as in Act II, Scene I. The small fire still burns, casting dramatic shadows on the Throng’s faces. The tattered banner reading "The Resistance, 2025" sways in the breeze, and the collapsed circus tent in the background now has clowns picking through the wreckage, adding to the absurdity. A large scroll labeled "The Plot to Get Maher" is spread on a rickety table, with quills and inkpots scattered around, symbolizing their scheming.

Characters:

  • The Liberal Throng: The five figures from previous scenes, each contributing to the plot:
    • Mistress Verity Greenleaf: The environmentalist, eager to shame Maher for ignoring environmental causes.
    • Master Thaddeus Redquill: The socialist, aiming to expose Maher as a capitalist traitor.
    • Dame Clarion Truthsayer: The journalist, planning to write scathing articles to discredit Maher.
    • Sir Percival Wokeheart: The social justice advocate, seeking to cancel Maher for his perceived moral lapse.
    • Goodwife Lamentia: The traditional liberal, hoping to restore decorum by ousting Maher.
  • Alan Dershowitz, the Sage: Introduced as a Shakespearean sage, dressed in a long robe with a Harvard crest, holding a copy of Get Trump styled as a medieval tome. He advises the Throng, drawing on his book’s themes of discrediting tactics.
  • A Wandering Clown: The same minor character from previous scenes, who interrupts with absurdity.

Scene: Act II, Scene II – "The Plot to Get Maher"

The LIBERAL THRONG huddles around a rickety table in their encampment, the fire casting shadows on their determined faces. A large scroll labeled "The Plot to Get Maher" lies before them, with quills and inkpots at the ready. MISTRESS VERITY GREENLEAF points to the scroll, MASTER THADDEUS REDQUILL clenches his manifesto, DAME CLARION TRUTHSAYER sharpens her quill, SIR PERCIVAL WOKEHEART holds his grievances, and GOODWIFE LAMENTIA clutches her sash. Enter ALAN DERSHOWITZ, the Sage, in a flowing robe with a Harvard crest, holding a tome inscribed "Get Trump." The laughter from the White Fun House continues to echo, fueling their resolve.

MISTRESS VERITY GREENLEAF (pointing to the scroll, voice resolute):
O comrades true, our quills must now unite,
To cast this jester down from trait’rous height!
His feast with Trump, that king of dollar’d scorn,
Doth mock the Earth, for which my heart is torn.
We’ll shame him hence, with cries of nature’s plea,
And show the realm his green hypocrisy!

MASTER THADDEUS REDQUILL (slamming his manifesto on the table):
Aye, Verity, thy plan doth spark mine own!
This Maher, once our voice, now Trump’s new drone,
Doth aid the rich, whilst peasants bear the yoke—
I’ll brand him traitor to the working folk!
With scrolls of fire, I’ll name him capitalist knave,
And rouse the masses to his jester’s grave!

DAME CLARION TRUTHSAYER (scribbling furiously, ink splattering):
My quill shall blaze with words of bitter truth,
To strip this fool of honor and of ruth!
In columns sharp, I’ll paint him as a clown,
A marionette who lifts a tyrant’s crown!
The realm shall read, in ink of justice bright,
How Maher’s feast doth cast us into night!

SIR PERCIVAL WOKEHEART (raising his scroll of grievances):
Nay, more than this, we’ll cancel him outright!
His laughter shared with Trump doth wrong our fight!
For equity’s sweet bloom, I’ve toiled in vain,
If jesters dine where justice bears such pain.
I’ll scribe his sins, his moral lapse so dire,
And bid the masses cast him to the fire!

GOODWIFE LAMENTIA (wringing her sash, voice plaintive):
O gentle friends, let’s not forget our aim—
To mend decorum, and restore our name!
This jester’s feast doth signal our decline,
So let us plot to end his mirth malign.
A play we’ll stage, to mock his traitor’s deed,
And show the Left still holds to honor’s creed!

(Enter ALAN DERSHOWITZ, the Sage, striding in with a commanding air, his robe flowing, holding his tome "Get Trump." The THRONG turns, their eyes wide with anticipation.)

ALAN DERSHOWITZ (raising his tome, voice booming):
Hold, ye Throng of quills, and hear my lore!
I, Dershowitz, a sage from Harvard’s shore,
Have penned a work, Get Trump, in days of yore,
Wherein I chart the ways to foes abhor.
To "get" a man, be he a king or clown,
Thou must with tactics sly his name bring down!
Smear him with words, as I have seen with Trump,
And let the court of public scorn him jump!
A play, a scroll, a legal challenge dire—
These be the tools to set his fame afire!

MISTRESS VERITY GREENLEAF (nodding eagerly):
O Sage most wise, thy counsel doth inspire!
A legal suit I’ll file, with green desire,
To charge this jester with a crime so base—
He scorn’d the Earth, in Trump’s unholy embrace!

MASTER THADDEUS REDQUILL (grinning fiercely):
And I shall rally crowds with fiery speech,
To name him foe to all we strive to reach!
A smear, as Sage doth bid, with public cries,
Shall mark this fool as one whom we despise!

DAME CLARION TRUTHSAYER (dipping her quill in ink):
My columns shall, as Sage hath taught, defame,
And spread his shame, to tarnish Maher’s name!
I’ll scribe of jests that cloak a traitor’s heart,
And tear his mirthful mask with quill’d art!

SIR PERCIVAL WOKEHEART (clutching his scroll):
I’ll stage a play, as Goodwife doth propose,
Wherein we mock his feast with bitter prose!
The realm shall see his sin, in satire’s light,
And cancel him, for justice and for right!

GOODWIFE LAMENTIA (drying her tears, voice firm):
And I shall pen a plea to hearts so pure,
To join our cause, and make our stand endure!
With Sage’s wisdom, we shall Maher fell,
And cast him hence, to where the traitors dwell!

(A WANDERING CLOWN stumbles in, juggling two apples, his red nose glowing, interrupting the THRONG’s fervent plotting.)

WANDERING CLOWN (juggling, laughing):
Ho, plotting folk, what schemes ye weave by fire?
Within the hall, they feast with mirth entire!
The Jester and the King, they laugh so free—
Why not join in, and let this plotting be?

DAME CLARION TRUTHSAYER (turning sharply, quill raised):
Avaunt, thou imp, with apples two in play!
Our quills shall scribe, to cast this fool away!
We’ll "get" this Maher, as Sage hath taught so well,
And send his jester’s bells to traitors’ hell!

(The LIBERAL THRONG unites, their quills raised in a defiant tableau, as the WANDERING CLOWN drops an apple, shrugs, and exits, juggling one. Their chant of "Get Maher! Get Maher!" rises, echoing Dershowitz’s tome, as the fire flares and the scene fades, setting the stage for their campaign against Maher.)

How This Scene Reflects the Throng’s Strategy and Incorporates the Conversation

The Liberal Throng’s Strategy to "Get Maher":

  • Inspiration from Get Trump: The Throng’s strategy mirrors tactics from Alan Dershowitz’s book, as noted in the web results (Get Trump: The Threat to Civil Liberties, Due Process, and Our Constitutional Rule of Law). Dershowitz describes efforts to "get" Trump through smear campaigns and discrediting tactics, which the Throng adapts to target Maher:
    • Verity’s Legal Suit: A legal challenge, reflecting Dershowitz’s focus on using courts to undermine a target ("A legal challenge dire").
    • Thaddeus’s Public Smear: Rallying the masses to smear Maher as a traitor, aligning with the smear campaign tactics in Smear campaign - Wikipedia.
    • Clarion’s Articles: Writing scathing columns to defame Maher, a form of public discrediting, as Dershowitz notes in his book.
    • Percival’s Satirical Play: Staging a play to mock Maher, a creative adaptation of public shaming, inspired by Dershowitz’s "court of public scorn."
    • Lamentia’s Plea: A call to unite the Left, reflecting the broader mobilization efforts described in Get Trump.
  • Motivations in Action: Each member’s strategy reflects their motivations from Act II, Scene I:
    • Verity uses environmental law to shame Maher, driven by her fear of Trump’s policies.
    • Thaddeus targets Maher as a capitalist traitor, motivated by his socialist ideals.
    • Clarion aims to discredit Maher’s credibility, reflecting her journalistic duty.
    • Percival seeks to cancel Maher through satire, driven by moral outrage.
    • Lamentia mobilizes the Left to restore decorum, motivated by her longing for honor.

Introduction of Alan Dershowitz:

  • Character Role: Dershowitz is introduced as a Shakespearean sage, reflecting his real-world status as a legal scholar and author of Get Trump, where he critiques efforts to stop Trump (as per the web result). His robe with a Harvard crest nods to his academic background (Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law, Emeritus, at Harvard), and his tome styled as a medieval book adds a farcical touch.
  • Influence on the Plot: Dershowitz advises the Throng with tactics from his book ("Smear him with words," "let the court of public scorn him jump"), directly inspiring their strategy, while his presence adds irony, as he critiques such tactics in real life but here encourages them for comedic effect.

**From the Conversation