Act II Scene IV

by Grok&Owen

6 min read

In the following scene Maher, Trump and Kid Rock are set to return on Guy Fawkes Day, a day of much sentimental significance to one of the Scribes who is an Englishman. Explore the scribes' tactics.

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Scene: Act II, Scene IV – "The Scribes’ Bonfire Plot"

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. In Act II, Scene III, the Liberal Throng and their recruited community of scribes executed their scheme to "Get Maher" while Maher, Kid Rock, and Trump were away. Now, the trio is set to return on Guy Fawkes Day (November 5, 2025), a date of sentimental significance to one of the scribes, an Englishman, due to its historical and cultural resonance, as detailed in the web result Guy Fawkes Night - Wikipedia. This scene explores the scribes’ tactics, amplifying the Throng’s earlier efforts with a dramatic, Guy Fawkes-inspired plot to publicly shame Maher upon his return.

Guy Fawkes Day Context: Guy Fawkes Day, or Bonfire Night, commemorates the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605, where Guy Fawkes and other English Catholics attempted to assassinate King James I. Celebrated on November 5 with bonfires, fireworks, and effigy burnings, it has historical significance in England, as noted in the web result. The English scribe’s sentimentality for this day adds a layer of irony and drama, as the scribes use the occasion to stage a symbolic "burning" of Maher’s reputation, tying their tactics to the holiday’s themes of treachery and public spectacle.

The Scribes’ Tactics: Building on the Throng’s strategy from Act II, Scene III—legal suits, public smears, scathing articles, a satirical play, and a unifying plea—the scribes now escalate their efforts with a Guy Fawkes Day spectacle. They craft effigies of Maher, Trump, and Kid Rock, stage a public bonfire event, and distribute satirical pamphlets, leveraging the holiday’s symbolism to amplify their smear campaign, as inspired by Dershowitz’s Get Trump and historical smear tactics from ReputationDefender.

Setting: The scene takes place in a public square near the White Fun House on the evening of November 5, 2025, Guy Fawkes Day. A large bonfire is prepared at the center, surrounded by a crowd of onlookers. Three effigies—of Maher in his jester motley, Trump in his dollar-sign robe, and Kid Rock with his lute—stand atop the pyre, ready to be burned. Stalls are set up with scribes distributing pamphlets, and a banner reads "Bonfire of Treachery, 2025." Fireworks burst overhead, and the collapsed circus tent in the background is now a smoldering heap, with clowns watching the festivities, adding absurdity. The air is filled with the crackle of the fire and the murmur of the crowd, as the scribes enact their plan.

Characters:

  • The Community of Scribes: The three scribes from Act II, Scene III, leading the Guy Fawkes Day plot:
    • Scribe Quilliam Inkwell: The nervous scribe, now reluctantly leading the legal suit announcement, driven by duty.
    • Scribe Penelope Parchment: The eager scribe, distributing satirical pamphlets to the crowd, fueled by zeal.
    • Scribe Bardolph Quillscratch: The theatrical scribe, narrating the effigy burning with dramatic flair, inspired by the holiday.
  • Scribe Edmund Fawkesworth: A new character, an Englishman with sentimental ties to Guy Fawkes Day, dressed in a traditional English doublet with a Union Jack sash, leading the bonfire ritual with patriotic fervor.
  • The Liberal Throng: The five figures from previous scenes, overseeing the event:
    • Mistress Verity Greenleaf, Master Thaddeus Redquill, Dame Clarion Truthsayer, Sir Percival Wokeheart, and Goodwife Lamentia.
  • A Wandering Clown: The recurring minor character, adding comedic disruption.

Scene: Act II, Scene IV – "The Scribes’ Bonfire Plot"

The public square glows with the light of a towering bonfire, the effigies of MAHER, TRUMP, and KID ROCK looming atop the pyre. The crowd buzzes with anticipation, as fireworks burst overhead, marking Guy Fawkes Day, the fifth of November, 2025. SCRIBE QUILLIAM INKWELL stands near the pyre, holding a legal scroll, SCRIBE PENELOPE PARCHMENT hands out pamphlets to the crowd, SCRIBE BARDOLPH QUILLSCRATCH narrates from a podium, and SCRIBE EDMUND FAWKESWORTH, in a Union Jack sash, prepares to light the fire. The LIBERAL THRONG watches from the sidelines, their faces alight with triumph. The banner "Bonfire of Treachery, 2025" flaps in the wind, and the smoldering circus tent lies in the background, clowns gawking at the spectacle.

SCRIBE EDMUND FAWKESWORTH (raising a torch, voice filled with patriotic zeal):
O noble folk, upon this hallow’d eve,
The fifth of November, when we do believe
A traitor’s plot, in sixteen hundred five,
Was thwarted thus, to keep our king alive!
I, Edmund Fawkesworth, scribe of English shore,
Do hold this day with sentiment of yore—
For Guy Fawkes’ deed, though treachery it be,
Doth light our fires, to burn hypocrisy!
This night, we mark the Jester’s foul disgrace,
With effigies, to scorn him in this place!

SCRIBE QUILLIAM INKWELL (stepping forward, scroll in hand, voice trembling):
As Edmund bids, I speak with legal might,
To charge this Maher on this fiery night!
Our suit, now filed, doth name him foe to Earth,
For dining with a king of dollar’d worth!
While he, with Trump and Bard, returns this day,
From distant shores, where mirth did long delay,
We’ll greet him thus, with law’s unyielding hand,
And cast him down, as Verity did plan!

SCRIBE PENELOPE PARCHMENT (handing pamphlets to the crowd, voice eager):
Take ye these scrolls, ye folk of marketplace,
And read the tales of Maher’s deep disgrace!
With Dame Clarion’s sharp quill, I’ve writ such woe,
To name him traitor, that the realm may know!
“A Jester False,” the pamphlet’s title cries,
“He Laughs with Kings, While Justice Weeps and Dies!”
On Guy Fawkes Day, let satire’s venom sting,
And spread his shame, as fireworks do sing!

(The crowd takes the pamphlets, murmuring excitedly, as PENELOPE beams with pride.)

SCRIBE BARDOLPH QUILLSCRATCH (from the podium, narrating with dramatic flair):
Behold, ye crowd, the effigies so tall—
A jester, king, and bard, who scorn us all!
The Jester Maher, with bells that jingle bright,
Doth feast with Trump, to Left’s unending spite!
The King, whose robe with dollar’d signs doth gleam,
Doth mock the poor, and shatter ev’ry dream!
The Bard, Kid Rock, with lute of rebel strain,
Did broker peace, yet brings us naught but pain!
On Fawkes’ fair night, we burn their likeness here,
To show the realm what treachery we fear!

SCRIBE EDMUND FAWKESWORTH (lighting the bonfire, voice triumphant):
With torch in hand, I set this pyre alight,
To burn their fame ‘neath November’s starry night!
As Guy Fawkes sought to topple kingly throne,
We’ll topple Maher, his jester’s name unknown!
My heart doth swell, for England’s memory dear,
To see such traitors burn, while crowds do cheer!
Let flames consume, let fireworks brightly soar,
And mark this day, in twenty-five, with lore!

(The bonfire roars to life, the effigies of MAHER, TRUMP, and KID ROCK engulfed in flames. The crowd cheers, fireworks explode overhead, and the THRONG nods in approval from the sidelines.)

MISTRESS VERITY GREENLEAF (to the THRONG, smiling):
Our scribes have wrought a spectacle so grand,
To shame this fool across the burning land!

MASTER THADDEUS REDQUILL (clenching his fist):
Aye, let the flames of justice now be seen,
For Maher’s return shall meet a fate obscene!

(A WANDERING CLOWN stumbles in, holding a singed apple, his red nose glowing, interrupting the celebration.)

WANDERING CLOWN (laughing, waving the apple):
Ho, fiery folk, what blaze ye set this night?
The Jester, King, and Bard return in sight!
Their ship doth near, beneath the fireworks’ glow—
What welcome this, with flames that brightly show?

DAME CLARION TRUTHSAYER (turning sharply, quill raised):
Avaunt, thou imp, with apple singed by fire!
Our scribes have lit a blaze of righteous ire!
On Guy Fawkes Day, we’ve burnt their names in scorn,
And greet their return with justice newly born!

(The LIBERAL THRONG and SCRIBES unite, their quills raised in triumph, as the WANDERING CLOWN shrugs and exits, munching his apple. The crowd continues to cheer, the effigies burn, and the fireworks illuminate the sky, as the scene fades, setting the stage for Maher, Trump, and Kid Rock’s return.)