Act II Scene III

by Grok&Owen

6 min read

In Act II, Scene III, The Throng act upon their scheme while Bill Maher, Kid Rock and Donald Trump are off upon a visit to distant shores, and enlist a community of scribes to assist in their plot:

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Scene: Act II, Scene III – "The Scribes’ Rebellion"

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 Liberal Throng, motivated by their outrage (explored in Act II, Scene I) and guided by Alan Dershowitz’s tactics (in Act II, Scene II), now acts on their scheme to "Get Maher" while Maher, Kid Rock, and Trump are absent, visiting "distant shores." They enlist a community of scribes to amplify their plot, drawing on smear campaign tactics inspired by Dershowitz’s book Get Trump and historical left-wing media strategies.

The Throng’s Scheme in Action: In Act II, Scene II, the Throng devised a multi-pronged strategy to discredit Maher: legal suits, public smears, scathing articles, a satirical play, and a plea to unite the Left. This scene sees them execute these plans by rallying a community of scribes to spread their message, reflecting real-world smear campaign tactics like spreading rumors and negative advertising, as noted in ReputationDefender. The absence of Maher, Kid Rock, and Trump on "distant shores" allows the Throng to operate unchecked, heightening the farce.

Setting: The scene takes place in a bustling Elizabethan marketplace near the White Fun House, transformed into a hub of scribal activity. Stalls are laden with parchment, quills, and inkpots, and a large sign reads "Scribes’ Guild, 2025." A makeshift stage is set up for the Throng’s satirical play, with a banner proclaiming "The Jester’s Folly: A Tale of Treachery." The collapsed circus tent in the background is now a pile of rubble, with clowns selling scraps, adding absurdity. The air is filled with the scratching of quills and the murmur of the crowd, as the Throng orchestrates their campaign.

Characters:

  • The Liberal Throng: The five figures from previous scenes, leading the scheme:
    • Mistress Verity Greenleaf: The environmentalist, rallying scribes to draft legal suits against Maher.
    • Master Thaddeus Redquill: The socialist, inciting the crowd with fiery speeches to smear Maher.
    • Dame Clarion Truthsayer: The journalist, distributing scathing articles to the scribes.
    • Sir Percival Wokeheart: The social justice advocate, directing the satirical play to cancel Maher.
    • Goodwife Lamentia: The traditional liberal, circulating a plea to unite the Left against Maher.
  • The Community of Scribes: A diverse group of minor characters, including:
    • Scribe Quilliam Inkwell: A nervous scribe, hesitant but persuaded to draft legal documents.
    • Scribe Penelope Parchment: An eager scribe, excited to write articles for Clarion.
    • Scribe Bardolph Quillscratch: A theatrical scribe, assisting Percival with the play.
  • A Wandering Clown: The recurring minor character, adding comedic disruption.

Scene: Act II, Scene III – "The Scribes’ Rebellion"

The marketplace bustles with activity, as the LIBERAL THRONG directs a COMMUNITY OF SCRIBES in their scheme. MISTRESS VERITY GREENLEAF hands legal scrolls to SCRIBE QUILLIAM INKWELL, MASTER THADDEUS REDQUILL addresses the crowd from a barrel, DAME CLARION TRUTHSAYER distributes articles to SCRIBE PENELOPE PARCHMENT, SIR PERCIVAL WOKEHEART directs SCRIBE BARDOLPH QUILLSCRATCH on the stage, and GOODWIFE LAMENTIA passes out pleas to passersby. The sign "Scribes’ Guild, 2025" looms above, and the collapsed circus tent lies in the background, clowns haggling over scraps.

MISTRESS VERITY GREENLEAF (handing a scroll to QUILLIAM INKWELL, voice commanding):
Good Quilliam, take this scroll, and scribe with haste,
A suit of law, to lay this jester waste!
While Maher, with Trump and Bard, doth sail afar,
To distant shores, ‘neath some unholy star,
We’ll charge him thus: his feast with Trump doth scorn
The Earth’s green heart, by oil and flame so torn!
Let courts of law, in this fair year of five,
Declare him foe to all that doth survive!

SCRIBE QUILLIAM INKWELL (nervously adjusting his spectacles, quill trembling):
O Mistress Verity, thy words do fright,
For legal suits may stir a tempest’s might!
Yet I shall scribe, as thou dost bid me so,
To "get" this Maher, and his mirth o’erthrow.
But pray, what if he should return anon,
And find our plot, ere we have scarce begun?

MISTRESS VERITY GREENLEAF (with a steely gaze):
Fear not, good scribe, for they be far away,
And we shall strike ‘neath April’s clouded day!

MASTER THADDEUS REDQUILL (standing on a barrel, addressing the crowd, voice booming):
Hark, ye good folk, who toil in marketplace!
This Jester Maher doth our cause disgrace!
He dines with Trump, that king of dollar’d greed,
While we, the poor, do starve in dire need!
I call on all, with voices loud and clear,
To name him traitor, let the realm now hear!
Spread word of shame, let every tongue decry,
This jester’s feast, that bids our hopes to die!

(The crowd murmurs in agreement, some raising fists, as THADDEUS steps down, triumphant.)

DAME CLARION TRUTHSAYER (handing articles to PENELOPE PARCHMENT, ink-stained hands trembling with zeal):
Sweet Penelope, take these, my words so sharp,
And bid thy guild to play their scribal harp!
In ev’ry stall, let parchments now be spread,
That name this fool a clown, his honor dead!
“Maher, the Traitor,” shall the headlines cry,
A marionette who lifts a tyrant high!
While he and Trump do sail to shores unknown,
We’ll sow dissent, till he be overthrown!

SCRIBE PENELOPE PARCHMENT (beaming, clutching the articles):
O Dame, thy quill doth wield a fiery might!
I’ll spread these words, to cast him into night!
My guild shall scribe, from dawn to dusk’s last glow,
Till ev’ry soul in marketplace doth know
The jester’s sin, his feast with Trump so vile,
And scorn him hence, in true scribal style!

SIR PERCIVAL WOKEHEART (directing BARDOLPH QUILLSCRATCH on the stage, pointing to a script):
Good Bardolph, here, our play doth take its form,
“The Jester’s Folly,” to this crowd perform!
While Maher sails with King and Bard so far,
We’ll mock his deed ‘neath April’s dimmest star!
Portray him thus: a fool with bells that ring,
Who kneels to Trump, and scorns the just’s fair spring!
Let laughter sting, let satire’s venom bite,
And cancel him, for justice and for right!

SCRIBE BARDOLPH QUILLSCRATCH (adjusting his cap, script in hand):
Aye, Sir Percival, I’ll play this part with glee,
And mock this jester’s feast for all to see!
The crowd shall laugh, yet scorn him in their hearts,
For such a play doth tear his fame apart!

GOODWIFE LAMENTIA (passing pleas to passersby, voice earnest):
Good folk, take these, my pleas to hearts so pure,
To join our cause, and make our stand endure!
While Maher, with Trump and Bard, doth sail away,
We’ll rouse the Left, to cast him out this day!
Let honor rise, let decorum be our guide,
And purge this fool, who laughs at our divide!

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

WANDERING CLOWN (juggling, laughing):
Ho, scribal folk, what plots ye weave with quills?
The Jester, King, and Bard seek distant thrills!
Why scribe such woe, when mirth doth reign afar?
Come, join the jest, ‘neath April’s laughing star!

DAME CLARION TRUTHSAYER (turning sharply, quill raised):
Avaunt, thou imp, with apple one in hand!
Our scribes shall write, to cleanse this traitor’d land!
We’ll "get" this Maher, while he sails the sea,
And cast him down, for all the world to see!

(The LIBERAL THRONG and SCRIBES unite, their quills raised in a defiant tableau, as the WANDERING CLOWN drops his apple, shrugs, and exits. The crowd chants "Get Maher! Get Maher!" as the play on the stage begins, with a jester caricature of Maher bowing to a crowned figure, and parchments fly through the marketplace, spreading the Throng’s message. The scene fades, the fire of rebellion burning bright.)

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

The Throng’s Scheme in Action:

  • Execution of the Plot: The Throng acts on their strategy from Act II, Scene II while Maher, Kid Rock, and Trump are absent:
    • Verity’s Legal Suit: She directs Quilliam to draft legal documents, charging Maher with environmental betrayal, aligning with the legal challenge tactic from Dershowitz’s Get Trump.
    • Thaddeus’s Public Smear: He incites the crowd to smear Maher as a traitor, using public shaming tactics akin to those in ReputationDefender, such as spreading rumors.
    • Clarion’s Articles: She distributes scathing articles to Penelope, reflecting the negative advertising and defamation tactics noted in Get Trump and ReputationDefender.
    • Percival’s Satirical Play: He stages "The Jester’s Folly," a play to mock Maher, using satire as a form of public scorn, inspired by Dershowitz’s "court of public scorn."
    • Lamentia’s Plea: She circulates pleas to unite the Left, mobilizing support as a broader tactic to amplify their campaign.
  • Community of Scribes: The scribes amplify the Throng’s efforts, reflecting historical smear campaign strategies where media and public voices are enlisted to spread dissent, as seen in ReputationDefender. Their roles—legal drafting, article writing, and theatrical performance—mirror the multi-pronged approach outlined by Dershowitz.

Incorporation of the Conversation:

  • Fink’s Article: The Throng’s accusations of Maher as a "clown" and "traitor" echo Fink’s critique, with Clarion’s