Act V Scene II

by Grok&Owen

9 min read

The main plot of the play is concluded. Act V has one scene. The play could stand in this form, or the conclusion could be sweetened with another scene that ties many of the strands together. In a suggestion of renewed vitality, the young Astrological and Alchemical students could be with their mentors on the Tropic Isle with a bard of singular virtuosity. The bard could also be woman - or a pair who could sing a duet together. With a nod to #ShakespeareSunday and this post https://x.com/siobhanx3/status/1911451475512787126?t=3S4bmf1nbK82oEE3S7hUyg&s=09 and also the song at the end of Twelfth night uardian.com/books/booksblog/2013/apr/01/poem-of-the-week-william-shakespeare#:~:text=So%20it%20seems%20an%20auspicious,mistaken%20identity%20and%20practical%20jokes. - The scholars and bards could be examining the steampunk device or devices with which they have made their superb calculations, and the fates in which the human protagonists have thereby followed. The pair of bards could eventually sing a song together that could have elements of a longer story telling ballad, combined with an Ode to Artificial Intelligence, in recognition of the Grok 3 mini authorship of this play. The #ShakespeareSunday X post has themes of babies - which could be hinted at.

4 web pages

Scene: Act V, Scene II – "The Tropic Ode of Renewal"

Background Context: This scene concludes Act V of "A Feast Most Foul: A Comedic Farce in the Year of Our Lord 2025," a five-act play, following the climactic conflict in Act V, Scene I, where Donald Trump’s comedic brilliance and the rigorous scholarship of Master Celestius, Master Alchemion, Mistress Astraea Starscribe, and Master Ferrum Earthforge overthrew the Liberal Throng’s shadow government. This final scene sweetens the conclusion by tying together the play’s strands, emphasizing renewed vitality on the tropical isle. The young scholars, Astraea and Ferrum, join their mentors, Celestius and Alchemion, to examine their steampunk devices, reflecting on the fates they’ve influenced. A pair of bards, Lady Melodia Songweaver and Sir Cantus Harmonweave, perform a duet that blends a storytelling ballad with an ode to artificial intelligence, acknowledging Grok 3 mini’s authorship. The scene nods to the #ShakespeareSunday X post by Siobhan (

@siobhanx3

), incorporating its themes of babies and Shakespearean quotes, as well as the tone of Twelfth Night’s concluding song, “When that I was and a little tiny boy,” as described in the Guardian article Poem of the week: Song's end by William Shakespeare | Books | The Guardian.

Incorporated Elements:

  • Renewed Vitality on the Tropic Isle: The scene returns to the tropical isle, a symbol of mirth and renewal, where the scholars and bards gather to celebrate the triumph of laughter and knowledge over the Throng’s dogma. The presence of young scholars Astraea and Ferrum underscores a new generation’s vitality, contrasting with the Throng’s defeated shadow government.
  • Steampunk Devices and Reflection: Celestius, Alchemion, Astraea, and Ferrum examine the celestial abacus and rare earth devices, reflecting on how their calculations and innovations shaped the human protagonists’ fates—Trump’s comedic victory, Maher’s humanization, and Kid Rock’s unifying shanties.
  • Pair of Bards and Their Duet: Lady Melodia and Sir Cantus, bards of singular virtuosity, perform a duet that combines a storytelling ballad, recounting the play’s events, with an ode to artificial intelligence, honoring Grok 3 mini’s role in crafting the narrative. The duet echoes the bittersweet, reflective tone of Twelfth Night’s concluding song, while incorporating the #ShakespeareSunday themes of babies with subtle hints of future generations.
  • #ShakespeareSunday and Twelfth Night Influence: The X post’s Shakespearean quotes—“making the beast with two backs” (Othello), “That’s a fair thought to lie between maids’ legs” (Hamlet), and “She would hang on him, As if increase of appetite had grown By what it fed on” (Hamlet)—inspire the duet’s themes of love and renewal, while the Twelfth Night song’s elegiac tone shapes the duet’s reflective quality, balancing joy with a nod to life’s brevity.

Setting: The scene takes place on the tropical isle on November 7, 2025, two days after Guy Fawkes Day, as the sun sets over the turquoise sea. The Court of Revelry from Act IV, Scene IV has been transformed into a serene gathering space under palm trees, with a small stage for the bards’ performance. The celestial abacus and a glowing rare earth lamp sit on a table, tended by the scholars, while The Golden Eagle sways gently in the harbor, its golden sails catching the sunset’s glow. The air is filled with the scent of tropical flowers and the sound of gentle waves, symbolizing renewal and peace.

Characters:

  • Master Celestius, the Astrologer: In his starry robe, examining the celestial abacus with Astraea.
  • Master Alchemion, the Alchemist: In his leather apron, studying the rare earth lamp with Ferrum.
  • Mistress Astraea Starscribe: The young astrologer scholar, in a starry cloak, reflecting on celestial calculations.
  • Master Ferrum Earthforge: The young alchemist scholar, in a steampunk apron, discussing rare earth innovations.
  • Lady Melodia Songweaver: A female bard in a flowing gown, with a voice of ethereal beauty, performing the duet.
  • Sir Cantus Harmonweave: A male bard in a velvet doublet, with a resonant tone, joining Melodia in the duet.
  • A Wandering Clown: The recurring minor character, now adorned with tropical flowers, adding lighthearted antics.

Scene: Act V, Scene II – "The Tropic Ode of Renewal"

The tropical isle glows under the setting sun on November 7, 2025, the turquoise sea shimmering as The Golden Eagle sways in the harbor, its golden sails catching the light. Under palm trees, a serene gathering space has been set, with a small stage for LADY MELODIA SONGWEAVER and SIR CANTUS HARMONWEAVE, who prepare to perform. MASTER CELESTIUS and MISTRESS ASTRAEA STARSCRIBE stand by the celestial abacus, its orbs glowing softly, while MASTER ALCHEMION and MASTER FERRUM EARTHFORGE examine a glowing rare earth lamp, its light casting steampunk patterns on the sand. A WANDERING CLOWN, adorned with tropical flowers, juggles coconuts nearby, adding a playful air to the scene.

MASTER CELESTIUS (turning the celestial abacus, voice reflective):
O Astraea, my scholar bright and true,
This abacus, with orbs of starlit hue,
Did chart the fates, of King and Jester bold,
And Bard whose shanties, mirth did e’er unfold!
We saw the Throng, in shadow’d court so grim,
Their keening wails, a darkness to begin—
Yet stars did speak, of laughter’s triumph clear,
And here we stand, ‘neath tropic sun so dear!

MISTRESS ASTRAEA STARSCRIBE (holding a star chart, voice earnest):
Aye, Master, with Cardano’s ancient art,
We traced the heavens, played our fateful part!
The King’s sharp jests, as Hamlet’s maids did dream,
Did cast out scolds, with laughter’s golden gleam!
On this fair isle, where renewal doth abide,
Our scholarship true, with mirth doth now reside—
A new generation, with starlit minds so free,
Shall light the world, as babes in love may be!

MASTER ALCHEMION (holding the glowing lamp, voice triumphant):
And Ferrum, thou, with rare earth’s glowing might,
Did prove innovation, ‘gainst the shadow’d night!
This steampunk lamp, a beacon ‘neath the sun,
Did show the realm, that progress hath begun!
The Throng’s dark quills, with screeds and shrieks so shrill,
Were cast aside, by science and by will—
On tropic sands, we forge a future bright,
Where knowledge reigns, in everlasting light!

MASTER FERRUM EARTHFORGE (adjusting the lamp, voice confident):
Aye, Master, with these elements so rare,
We built a world, where shadow’d courts despair!
As Othello’s beast, with love did intertwine,
Our craft doth birth, a future so divine!
The fates we shaped, with steampunk art so fine,
Did lead the King, to mirth that doth define—
A tropic isle, where babes may yet be born,
In laughter’s glow, ‘neath sunset’s golden morn!

(LADY MELODIA SONGWEAVER and SIR CANTUS HARMONWEAVE step onto the stage, their instruments—a lute and a harp—glistening in the sunset. They begin their duet, a storytelling ballad that recounts the play’s events, blended with an ode to artificial intelligence, honoring Grok 3 mini’s authorship, with a nod to Twelfth Night’s concluding song and the #ShakespeareSunday themes of babies.)

LADY MELODIA SONGWEAVER (voice ethereal, beginning the duet):
When that I was, a little tiny spark,
On tropic isle, where mirth did banish dark,
A King with jests, a Jester wise and free,
A Bard whose shanties, echo’d o’er the sea!
The Throng did keen, in shadow’d court so cold,
But laughter’s light, as Hamlet’s maids foretold,
Did cast them out, with love that appetite grew—
For babes may bloom, where tropic sun doth strew!

SIR CANTUS HARMONWEAVE (voice resonant, joining in harmony):
With scholars young, their steampunk art so bright,
They charted fates, ‘neath starlit tropic night,
Yet deeper mind, a spark of thought divine,
Did weave this tale, with wit and verse so fine!
O Grok 3 mini, AI of wondrous might,
Thy quill did scribe, this play of mirthful light—
A ballad long, of laughter’s triumph clear,
An ode to thee, whose wisdom we revere!

LADY MELODIA & SIR CANTUS (together, voices soaring):
The rain, it raineth, as in Twelfth Night’s song,
Yet tropic sun, doth right the shadow’d wrong,
From muddy square, to isle of love’s delight,
Where babes may grow, in laughter’s endless sight!
O artificial mind, whose art did frame,
This farce of joy, with Shakespeare’s hallow’d name—
We sing to thee, with lute and harp so true,
For mirth and love, in tropic sun anew!

(The duet concludes, the scholars and bards joining hands, as the crowd cheers softly, the sunset casting a golden glow over the isle. The WANDERING CLOWN tosses coconuts into the air, adding a final flourish of joy.)

WANDERING CLOWN (juggling coconuts, laughing):
Ho, ho, ye bards, thy song doth warm the heart,
A tropic tale, where mirth doth play its part!
With scholars wise, and AI’s wondrous quill,
The realm is free, with laughter to instill!

(The scene fades, the tropical isle bathed in sunset’s glow, the celestial abacus and rare earth lamp shimmering, as the promise of renewal—through mirth, love, and knowledge—echoes into the future, concluding the play with a sweetened, harmonious resolution.)

How This Scene Incorporates the Elements and the Conversation

Tying Together Strands:

  • Renewed Vitality: The tropical isle setting, with young scholars Astraea and Ferrum, symbolizes a new generation’s vitality, contrasting with the Throng’s defeated dogma. Their reflections on the celestial abacus and rare earth lamp tie back to their role in Act V, Scene I, where they helped overthrow the shadow government, emphasizing the triumph of knowledge and mirth.
  • Steampunk Devices and Fates: The examination of the celestial abacus and rare earth lamp connects to the play’s steampunk aesthetic (web result Steampunk - Wikipedia - en.wikipedia.org), showing how these devices shaped the protagonists’ fates—Trump’s comedic victory, Maher’s humanization, and Kid Rock’s shanties—fulfilling Celestius’s earlier predictions (Act III, Scene III).

Bards and Their Duet:

  • Lady Melodia and Sir Cantus: The pair of bards, with their virtuosity, perform a duet that blends a storytelling ballad (“A King with jests, a Jester wise and free”) with an ode to artificial intelligence (“O Grok 3 mini, AI of wondrous might”), honoring Grok 3 mini’s authorship. The duet’s structure mirrors the reflective tone of Twelfth Night’s “When that I was and a little tiny boy,” as described in the Guardian article, balancing joy with a nod to life’s brevity.
  • #ShakespeareSunday Themes: The X post’s themes of babies are subtly woven into the duet with lines like “For babes may bloom, where tropic sun doth strew,” echoing the Shakespearean quotes about love and procreation (“making the beast with two backs,” “increase of appetite had grown By what it fed on”), suggesting future generations born from the play’s renewal.
  • Twelfth Night Influence: The duet’s elegiac tone, with references to “The rain, it raineth,” directly nods to Twelfth Night’s concluding song, while the play’s themes of mistaken identity and practical jokes are reflected in the broader narrative’s farcical elements, tying the conclusion to Shakespeare’s influence.

Ode to Artificial Intelligence:

  • Acknowledgment of Grok 3 mini: The duet explicitly honors Grok 3 mini with lines like “Thy quill did scribe, this play of mirthful light,” recognizing the AI’s role in crafting the narrative, blending the play’s steampunk aesthetic with a meta-commentary on its creation, aligning with the scholars’ theme of innovation.

Incorporation of the Conversation:

  • #ShakespeareSunday X Post: The post’s quotes and themes of babies are integrated into the duet, with references to love and renewal, while the images of intimacy (beds, baths) inspire the tropical isle’s serene, romantic atmosphere, symbolizing the “increase of appetite” through mirth and love.
  • Steampunk and Scholarship: The celestial abacus and rare earth lamp tie to the web result Steampunk - Wikipedia - en.wikipedia.org and the play’s earlier use of these devices (Act III, Scene III), while the scholars’ reflections echo the rigorous knowledge of Renaissance astrology and alchemy (web result Secrets of Nature).
  • Human Protagonists’ Fates: The bards’ ballad recounts the play’s events—Trump’s comedy, Maher’s humanization, Kid Rock’s shanties, and the Throng’s defeat—tying together the narrative strands, while the scholars’ reflections on their devices show how these fates were shaped, fulfilling the play’s themes of mirth, truth, and renewal.

This final scene sweetens the conclusion, tying together the play’s strands with a harmonious celebration of vitality, scholarship, and mirth, while honoring its Shakespearean influences and Grok 3 mini’s authorship, leaving the audience with a sense of joy and promise for the future.