Thespis: Act I Poem Rhyme Scheme

Recent Interactions*

This poem was read 32 times,

This poem was added to the favorite list by 0 members,

This poem was voted by 0 members.

(* Interactions only in the last 7 days)

New Poems

A Guidebook To My Future Friends
by Aditi Mukherjee
Ndihamba Ndisekhona" Chant Beat: Stomp-stomp-clap, Stomp-stomp-clap
by Asher Chipu
Ledige Praatjies
by Asher Chipu
Life Is Working
by Asher Chipu
The Knocking To The Door
by Asher Chipu
Ubizo: What You Are Called To Do
by Asher Chipu
Sum Obsession
by Asher Chipu
Locust
by Asher Chipu
Eden Passing
by Asher Chipu
I Am The Silence
by Asher Chipu

Popular Poets

1. Emily Dickinson(2415 poems)
2. Madison Julius Cawein(1231 poems)
3. Ella Wheeler Wilcox(1136 poems)
4. William Wordsworth(1016 poems)
5. Robert Burns(986 poems)
6. Edgar Albert Guest(945 poems)
7. Thomas Moore(849 poems)
8. Robert Service(831 poems)

William Schwenck Gilbert

Thespis: Act I Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

About Thespis: Act I

Write your comment about Thespis: Act I poem by William Schwenck Gilbert

Recent Interactions*

New Poems

Popular Poets

DRAMATIS PERSONAE	A
	-
GODS	B
	-
Jupiter Aged Diety	C
Apollo Aged Diety	C
Mars Aged Diety	C
Diana Aged Diety	C
Mercury	D
	-
THESPIANS	B
	-
Thespis	B
Sillimon	A
TimidonTipseion	A
Preposteros	B
Stupidas	B
Sparkeio n	A
Nicemis	B
Pretteia	C
Daphne	A
Cymon	A
	-
ACT I Ruined Temple on the Summit of Mount Olympus	B
	-
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
AP within Hollo	N
	-
DIA I've come off duty it's time for you to be getting up	O
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
MER Home at last A nice time I've had of it	C
	-
DIA You young scamp you've been out all night again This is the	K
third time you've been out this week	S
	-
MER Well you're a nice one to blow me up for that	C
	-
DIA I can't help being out all night	C
	-
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
	-
DIA And what have you been doing	J
	-
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
	-
DIA Stealing You ought to be ashamed of yourself	V
	-
MER Oh as the god of thieves I must do something to justify my	M
position	A
	-
DIA and AP contemptuously Your position	A
	-
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
	-
AP Your Christmas boxes ought to be something considerable	T
	-
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
	-
AP Why they've ha ha ha they've made you the god of thieves	B
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
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
	-
After song very loud and majestic music is heard	C
	-
DIA and MER looking off Why who's this Jupiter by Jove	D2
	-
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
	-
JUP Good day Diana Ah Apollo Well well well what's the	K
matter What's the matter	E2
	-
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
	-
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
	-
DIA Ah Those good old days	B
	-
JUP Then it fell off to oxen pigs and sheep	G2
	-
AP Well there are worse things than oxen pigs and sheep	G2
	-
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
	-
AP I don't like it at all	T
	-
JUP You won't mention it It might go further	E2
	-
DIA It couldn't fare worse	B
	-
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
	-
MER Coming forward in great alar	H2