Thespis: Act I Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A B CCCCD B BAABBABCAA B EFAEBCCGHI BBBB AAJJ AKKCA LMN N O CP KMC CKC MQRCBCJJ CEBC C KS C C AAB J KTEUKB V MA A WXYZA T TQXBRTEA B CA2 B2CB2CACACCCCC BUBUCBCBK C2CC2CD2CD2CK C D2 CJCB KE2 CCCT KCD2E2F2C B G2 G2 BBCC T E2 B NE2C H2| DRAMATIS PERSONAE | A |
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| GODS | B |
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| Jupiter Aged Diety | C |
| Apollo Aged Diety | C |
| Mars Aged Diety | C |
| Diana Aged Diety | C |
| Mercury | D |
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| THESPIANS | B |
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| Thespis | B |
| Sillimon | A |
| TimidonTipseion | A |
| Preposteros | B |
| Stupidas | B |
| Sparkeio n | A |
| Nicemis | B |
| Pretteia | C |
| Daphne | A |
| Cymon | A |
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| ACT I Ruined Temple on the Summit of Mount Olympus | B |
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| Scene The ruins of the The Temple of the Gods on summit of | E |
| Mount Olympus Picturesque shattered columns overgrown with | F |
| ivy etc R and L with entrances to temple ruined R Fallen | A |
| columns on the stage Three broken pillars R E At the back of | E |
| stage is the approach from the summit of the mountain This | B |
| should be quot practicable quot to enable large numbers of people to | C |
| ascend and descend In the distance are the summits of adjacent | C |
| mountains At first all this is concealed by a thick fog which | G |
| clears presently Enter through fog Chorus of Stars coming off | H |
| duty as fatigued with their night's work | I |
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| CHO Through the night the constellations | B |
| Have given light from various stations | B |
| When midnight gloom falls on all nations | B |
| We will resume our occupations | B |
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| SOLO Our light it's true is not worth mention | A |
| What can we do to gain attention | A |
| When night and noon with vulgar glaring | J |
| A great big moon is always flaring | J |
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| During chorus enter Diana an elderly goddess She is carefully | A |
| wrapped up in cloaks shawls etc A hood is over her head a | K |
| respirator in her mouth and galoshes on her feet During the | K |
| chorus she takes these things off and discovers herself dressed | C |
| in the usual costume of the Lunar Diana the goddess of the moon | A |
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| DIA shuddering Ugh How cold the nights are I don't know how | L |
| it is but I seem to feel the night air a good deal more than I | M |
| used to But it is time for the sun to be rising Calls Apollo | N |
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| AP within Hollo | N |
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| DIA I've come off duty it's time for you to be getting up | O |
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| Enter Apollo He is an elderly quot buck quot with an air of assumed | C |
| juvenility and is dressed in dressing gown and smoking cap | P |
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| AP yawning I shan't go out today I was out yesterday and the | K |
| day before and I want a little rest I don't know how it is but I | M |
| seem to feel my work a great deal more than I used to | C |
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| DIA I am sure these short days can't hurt you Why you don't | C |
| rise til six and you're in bed again by five you should have a | K |
| turn at my work and see how you like that out all night | C |
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| AP My dear sister I don't envy you though I remember when I | M |
| did but that was when I was a younger sun I don't think I'm | Q |
| quite well Perhaps a little change of air will do me good I've | R |
| a mind to show myself in London this winter They'll be very glad | C |
| to see me No I shan't go out today I shall send them this | B |
| fine thick wholesome fog and they won't miss me It's the best | C |
| substitute for a blazing sun and like most substitutes nothing | J |
| at all like the real thing | J |
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| Fog clears away and discovers the scene described Hurried | C |
| music Mercury shoots up from behind precipice at the back of | E |
| stage He carries several parcels afterwards described He sits | B |
| down very much fatigued | C |
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| MER Home at last A nice time I've had of it | C |
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| DIA You young scamp you've been out all night again This is the | K |
| third time you've been out this week | S |
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| MER Well you're a nice one to blow me up for that | C |
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| DIA I can't help being out all night | C |
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| MER And I can't help being down all night The nature of Mercury | A |
| requires that he should go down when the sun sets and rise again | A |
| when the sun rises | B |
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| DIA And what have you been doing | J |
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| MER Stealing on commission There's a set of false teeth and a | K |
| box of Life Pills for Jupiter an invisible peruke and a bottle | T |
| of hair dye that's for Apollo a respirator and a pair of | E |
| galoshes that's for Cupid a full bottomed chignon some | U |
| auricomous fluid a box of pearl powder a pot of rouge and a | K |
| hare's foot that's for Venus | B |
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| DIA Stealing You ought to be ashamed of yourself | V |
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| MER Oh as the god of thieves I must do something to justify my | M |
| position | A |
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| DIA and AP contemptuously Your position | A |
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| MER Oh I know it's nothing to boast of even on earth Up here | W |
| it's simply contemptible Now that you gods are too old for your | X |
| work you've made me the miserable drudge of Olympus groom | Y |
| valet postman butler commissionaire maid of all work parish | Z |
| beadle and original dustman | A |
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| AP Your Christmas boxes ought to be something considerable | T |
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| MER They ought to be but they're not I'm treated abominably | T |
| I make everybody and I'm nobody I go everywhere and I'm | Q |
| nowhere I do everything and I'm nothing I've made thunder for | X |
| Jupiter odes for Apollo battles for Mars and love for Venus | B |
| I've married couples for Humen and six weeks afterwards I've | R |
| divorced them for Cupid and in return I get all the kicks while | T |
| they pocket the halfpence And in compensation for robbing me of | E |
| the halfpence in question what have they done for me | A |
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| AP Why they've ha ha ha they've made you the god of thieves | B |
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| MER Very self denying of them There isn't one of them who | C |
| hasn't a better claim to the distinction than I have | A2 |
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| Oh I'm the celestial drudge | B2 |
| For morning to night I must stop at it | C |
| On errands all day I must trudge | B2 |
| And stick to my work til I drop at it | C |
| In summer I get up at one | A |
| As a good natured donkey I'm ranked for it | C |
| then I go and I light up the sun | A |
| And Phoebus Apollo gets thanked for it | C |
| Well well it's the way of the world | C |
| And will be through all its futurity | C |
| Though noodles are baroned and earled | C |
| There's nothing for clever obscurity | C |
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| I'm the slave of the Gods neck and heels | B |
| And I'm bound to obey though I rate at 'em | U |
| And I not only order their meals | B |
| But I cook 'em and serve'em and wait at 'em | U |
| Then I make all their nectar I do | C |
| What a terrible liquor to rack us is | B |
| And whenever I mix them a brew | C |
| Why all the thanksgivings are Bacchus's | B |
| Well well it's the way of the world etc | K |
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| The reading and writing I teach | C2 |
| And spelling books many I've edited | C |
| And for bringing those arts within reach | C2 |
| That donkey Minerva gets credited | C |
| Then I scrape at the stars with a knife | D2 |
| And plate powder the moon on the days for it | C |
| And I hear all the world and his wife | D2 |
| Awarding Diana the praise for it | C |
| Well well it's the way of the world etc | K |
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| After song very loud and majestic music is heard | C |
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| DIA and MER looking off Why who's this Jupiter by Jove | D2 |
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| Enter Jupiter an extremely old man very decrepit with very | C |
| thin straggling white beard he wears a long braided dressing | J |
| gown handsomely trimmed and a silk night cap on his head | C |
| Mercury falls back respectfully as he enters | B |
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| JUP Good day Diana Ah Apollo Well well well what's the | K |
| matter What's the matter | E2 |
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| DIA Why that young scamp Mercury says that we do nothing and | C |
| leave all the duties of Olympus to him Will you believe it he | C |
| actually says that our influence on earth is dropping down to | C |
| nil | T |
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| JUP Well well Don't be hard on the lad To tell you the | K |
| truth I'm not sure that he's far wrong Don't let it go any | C |
| further but between ourselves the sacrifices and votive | D2 |
| offerings have fallen off terribly of late Why I can remember | E2 |
| the time when people offered us human sacrifices no mistake | F2 |
| about it human sacrifices Think of that | C |
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| DIA Ah Those good old days | B |
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| JUP Then it fell off to oxen pigs and sheep | G2 |
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| AP Well there are worse things than oxen pigs and sheep | G2 |
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| JUP So I've found to my cost My dear sir between ourselves | B |
| it's dropped off from one thing to another until it has | B |
| positively dwindled down to preserved Australian beef What do | C |
| you think of that | C |
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| AP I don't like it at all | T |
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| JUP You won't mention it It might go further | E2 |
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| DIA It couldn't fare worse | B |
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| JUP In short matters have come to such a crisis that there's no | N |
| mistake about it something must be done to restore our | E2 |
| influence the only question is what | C |
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| MER Coming forward in great alar | H2 |
William Schwenck Gilbert
(1)
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