Act IV Scene III

by Grok&Owen

8 min read

In the following scene, explain the Scolds' sermons, partially in terms of an Elizabethan shadow government. Invoke a Malvolio-like Twelfth Night character to set the scene, particularly in relation to the Twelfth Night-like characters who oppose him and the reasons why.

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Scene: Act IV, Scene III – "The Scolds’ Sermons and the Shadowed Court"

Background Context: This scene continues Act IV of "A Feast Most Foul: A Comedic Farce in the Year of Our Lord 2025," a five-act play, following the events of Act IV, Scene II, where the Liberal Throng trained fools at Harvwit Hill’s School of Comedy Writing, using keening and shrieking in place of laughter and delivering Scolds’ Sermons to denounce mirth. The scene now explains the Scolds’ Sermons in detail, framing them partially as a tool of an Elizabethan shadow government, inspired by the web result Shadow government (conspiracy theory) - Wikipedia - en.wikipedia.org. A Malvolio-like character from Twelfth Night, as detailed in the web result Malvolio Character Analysis in Twelfth Night | SparkNotes - www.sparknotes.com, sets the scene, embodying the Throng’s sanctimonious rigidity, while being opposed by Twelfth Night-like characters who represent mirth and revelry, akin to Trump, Maher, and Kid Rock’s faction. The opposition stems from the same ideological divide seen earlier: the Throng’s humorless scolding versus the trio’s embrace of laughter and humanization.

The Scolds’ Sermons and the Shadow Government:

  • Scolds’ Sermons Explained: The Scolds’ Sermons are formal, sanctimonious lectures delivered by the fools in training, designed to denounce laughter as a moral failing and to reinforce the Throng’s ideology. Each sermon follows a strict structure: a mournful invocation of a societal ill (e.g., laughter or humanizing a “tyrant”), a keening lament for the moral decay it causes, and a shrieking call to action to “scourge the land” of mirth. These sermons are a propaganda tool, amplifying the Throng’s smear campaign against Maher and Trump by indoctrinating students and the public with humorless dogma.
  • Elizabethan Shadow Government: The Throng operates as an Elizabethan shadow government, a secretive cabal that manipulates power behind the scenes, as described in the web result. They believe they hold true authority, regardless of Trump’s rule, using Harvwit Hill as their base to train fools and scribes who perpetuate their influence. The Scolds’ Sermons are a key mechanism of this shadow government, spreading their ideology to undermine Trump’s legitimacy and maintain control over public sentiment, much like the shadow government theories involving Freemasons or globalist elites.

Malvolio-Like Character and Opposition:

  • Malvolio-Like Character: The scene introduces Master Puritus Grimface, a Malvolio-like figure who embodies the Throng’s sanctimonious rigidity. Like Malvolio in Twelfth Night, who is described as a humorless steward obsessed with order and sobriety, Puritus is a high-ranking member of the Throng’s shadow government, overseeing the Scolds’ Sermons with a stern, self-righteous demeanor. He views laughter as a threat to moral order, mirroring Malvolio’s disdain for revelry, and seeks to impose the Throng’s ideology on all.
  • Twelfth Night-Like Opposition: Puritus is opposed by Sir Festeus Merrywit and Lady Violia Revelheart, Twelfth Night-like characters inspired by Feste and Viola. Sir Festeus, a jester-like figure akin to Feste, represents mirth and wit, mocking Puritus’s rigidity with songs and jests, much like Feste’s role in challenging Malvolio. Lady Violia, inspired by Viola’s adaptability and emotional depth, champions human connection and laughter, aligning with Maher’s humanization of Trump. Their opposition stems from Puritus’s attempt to banish mirth, which they see as essential to human joy, echoing the broader conflict between the Throng’s humorless scolding and Trump, Maher, and Kid Rock’s embrace of laughter.

Setting: The scene takes place in a dimly lit, cavernous chamber at Harvwit Hill, styled as the "Shadowed Court," where the Throng’s shadow government convenes. The chamber is adorned with dark tapestries depicting mournful scenes, and a large podium stands at the center for delivering Scolds’ Sermons. Fools in training with dunce caps and scribes with quills sit in pews, while Puritan schoolgirls from the previous scene add their shrieks from the back. The Throng, still muddy, sits in a semicircle, their faces stern. Outside, the muddy square near the White Fun House is referenced, while the tropical isle’s influence lingers in the opposition’s sunny defiance.

Characters:

  • Master Puritus Grimface: The Malvolio-like figure, a sanctimonious Throng member in a black doublet, overseeing the Scolds’ Sermons.
  • Sir Festeus Merrywit: A Feste-like jester, in motley with bells, opposing Puritus with mirth and wit.
  • Lady Violia Revelheart: A Viola-like figure, in a flowing gown, advocating for human connection and laughter.
  • The Liberal Throng: The five figures, supporting Puritus:
    • Mistress Verity Greenleaf, Master Thaddeus Redquill, Dame Clarion Truthsayer, Sir Percival Wokeheart, and Goodwife Lamentia.
  • Lord Scornelius the Shadowed: The disguised Stephen Colbert, Chief Fool, reinforcing the shadow government’s agenda.
  • Fools in Training:
    • Fool Prudentia and Fool Sanctus: Delivering Scolds’ Sermons, keening and shrieking.
  • Puritan Schoolgirls: Shrieking in the audience, amplifying the sermons.
  • A Wandering Clown: The recurring minor character, sneaking in to disrupt with laughter.

Scene: Act IV, Scene III – "The Scolds’ Sermons and the Shadowed Court"

The dimly lit chamber of the Shadowed Court at Harvwit Hill is filled with a somber air, dark tapestries depicting mournful scenes hanging on the walls. A large podium stands at the center, where FOOLS IN TRAINING deliver Scolds’ Sermons. The LIBERAL THRONG sits in a semicircle, their muddy appearances a reminder of their earlier defeat, while PURITAN SCHOOLGIRLS shriek from the back. MASTER PURITUS GRIMFACE, a Malvolio-like figure in a black doublet, stands at the podium, overseeing the sermons with a stern gaze. SIR FESTEUS MERRYWIT, in motley, and LADY VIOLIA REVELHEART, in a flowing gown, stand at the back, preparing to oppose him.

MASTER PURITUS GRIMFACE (raising his hands, voice stern and sanctimonious):
Good Throng, ye shadows of this hallow’d court,
At Harvwit Hill, where power we consort!
A shadow government, we hold our sway,
Beyond the King, whose mirth doth us dismay!
Like Freemasons of old, or elites unseen,
We scribe the truth, where laughter ne’er hath been!
Our Scolds’ Sermons, a tool of righteous might,
Shall scourge the land, of tropic mirth so bright!
First, a mournful cry, for laughter’s direful sin,
Then keening wails, to cleanse the world within,
And shrieking calls, to banish joy’s foul gleam—
Thus we shall reign, in shadow’s sacred scheme!

(FOOL PRUDENTIA steps to the podium, her dunce cap tilted, delivering a Scolds’ Sermon with a mournful invocation, followed by a keening lament and a shrieking call to action.)

FOOL PRUDENTIA (voice mournful, then keening, then shrieking):
O laughter vile, thou sin of tropic sun,
That Maher shared with Trump, our cause undone!
Keen—eeeee! I wail for justice, pure and true,
To scourge this mirth, that doth our hearts eschew!
Shrieeek—eeee! Arise, ye shadows, cast out joy’s foul flame,
And scourge the land, in shadow’s sacred name!

(The PURITAN SCHOOLGIRLS erupt in high-pitched shrieks, amplifying Prudentia’s sermon, as FOOL SANCTUS follows, his sermon echoing the same structure with even louder keening and shrieking.)

FOOL SANCTUS (voice trembling, then keening, then shrieking):
O tropic jest, a traitor’s cruel delight,
That mocks our cause, ‘neath sun so warm and bright!
Keen—eeeee! I lament the mirth that doth us scorn,
For laughter’s sin, our sacred trust is torn!
Shrieeek—eeee! Let shadows rise, and scourge this jester’s glee,
To save the realm, from mirth’s iniquity!

(LORD SCORNELIUS THE SHADOWED, the Chief Fool, nods approvingly, his shadowy cloak billowing, reinforcing the shadow government’s agenda.)

LORD SCORNELIUS THE SHADOWED (voice cold, authoritative):
Well done, ye fools, thy sermons scold with might,
For shadows reign, where laughter finds no light!
We, shadow’d court, do hold the realm’s true throne,
And with these quills, our power shall be known!
Let keening wails, and shrieks so pure and shrill,
Enforce our rule, from Harvwit’s sacred hill!

(The LIBERAL THRONG murmurs in approval, their muddy faces set with determination, as SIR FESTEUS MERRYWIT and LADY VIOLIA REVELHEART step forward to oppose PURITUS, their vibrant attire a stark contrast to the chamber’s gloom.)

SIR FESTEUS MERRYWIT (jingling his bells, voice mocking):
O Puritus, thou Malvolio of this court,
Thy scolding sermons make a merry sport!
Like Feste I, in Twelfth Night’s joyful play,
I mock thy gloom, with laughter’s bright array!
Thy shadow’d rule, with keening wails so dire,
Doth scorn the mirth that sets my heart afire!
For laughter’s truth, as Jester Maher did prove,
Doth humanize, and bid our souls to move!

LADY VIOLIA REVELHEART (voice earnest, stepping beside FESTEUS):
And I, Violia, with a heart so free,
Do champion joy, as Viola’s love did be!
In Twelfth Night’s tale, where Malvolio did fall,
His rigid ways did bring no joy at all!
O Puritus, thy shadow’d court’s decree,
Doth scorn the mirth that binds humanity!
Thy Scolds’ Sermons, with shrieks and keens so grim,
Shall ne’er extinguish laughter’s sacred hymn!

MASTER PURITUS GRIMFACE (turning sharply, voice indignant):
Avaunt, ye fools, with mirth so out of place!
This shadow’d court doth scorn thy merry grace!
Like Malvolio, I stand for order’s might,
And banish laughter, from this sacred site!
Thy tropic jests, with King and Jester bold,
Doth mock our cause, and leave our hearts so cold!
Our Scolds’ Sermons, with shadow’d power true,
Shall scourge thy mirth, and bid thy joy adieu!

(The PURITAN SCHOOLGIRLS shriek louder, the fools keen in unison, and the scribes draft smears, as the Throng rallies behind PURITUS, their shadow government’s agenda clear.)

MISTRESS VERITY GREENLEAF (clutching her soggy scroll, voice resolute):
O Puritus, thy sermons lead us well,
To scourge the mirth, that doth our cause dispel!
This shadow’d court, at Harvwit’s sacred hill,
Shall spread our scolds, and bend the realm to will!

(A WANDERING CLOWN sneaks in, covered in mud, his red nose glowing, and begins laughing loudly, disrupting the sanctimonious sermon with comedic chaos.)

WANDERING CLOWN (laughing, juggling apples):
Ho, ho, ye shadow’d court, what mournful din?
Thy keening wails, a jest that makes me grin!
Thy Scolds’ Sermons, with shrieks so loud and shrill,
Shall ne’er outmatch the mirth I bring at will!

MASTER PURITUS GRIMFACE (shoving the CLOWN, voice furious):
Avaunt, thou imp, with laughter so profane!
Our shadow’d court shall scourge thy mirth with pain!
These Scolds’ Sermons, with keening wails so pure,
Shall banish joy, and make our reign endure!

(The scene fades, the Shadowed Court echoing with keening and shrieking, as FESTEUS and VIOLIA retreat, their defiance setting the stage for a future clash, while the Throng’s shadow government tightens its grip.)

How This Scene Incorporates the Elements and the Conversation

Explanation of the Scolds’ Sermons:

  • Structure and Purpose: The Scolds’ Sermons are detailed as a three-part propaganda tool: a mournful invocation (e.g., Prudentia’s “O laughter vile, thou sin of tropic sun”), a keening lament for moral decay (“I wail for justice, pure and true”), and a shrieking call to action (“Arise, ye shadows, cast out joy’s foul flame”). This structure reinforces the Throng’s humorless ideology, aiming to indoctrinate students and the public against laughter, aligning with their smear campaign against Maher and Trump.
  • Tool of Indoctrination: The sermons amplify the Throng’s agenda, using keening and shrieking to evoke emotional responses, much like historical smear campaigns use emotional manipulation to sway public opinion, as seen in ReputationDefender.

Elizabethan Shadow Government:

  • Shadow Government Concept: The Throng operates as an Elizabethan shadow government, inspired by the web result [Shadow government (conspiracy theory) - Wikipedia - en.wikipedia.org](