Thespis: Act Ii Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A B CCCCD B BAAABBABCAA C BECECCCB FGBFGBBCABCA HAAHAAGBBGBB F CIA BCBFAA J FJ BCJ FHB H H B C C B ACH B A B G JH A CB GH A H CCCK CGFC CAFCC A C C LL B HA FA AM ACA NH H O CB HBA H L CAIIHCAC PPLLAAAL LLPPLLAA BFL BMHBA MLMLHQHQ LRLRJBJB JLJABL| 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 |
| Timidon | A |
| Tipseion | A |
| Preposteros | B |
| Stupidas | B |
| Sparkeion | A |
| Nicemis | B |
| Pretteia | C |
| Daphne | A |
| Cymon | A |
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| ACT II The same Scene with the Ruins Restored | C |
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| SCENE the same scene as in Act I with the exception that in place | B |
| of the ruins that filled the foreground of the stage the | E |
| interior of a magnificent temple is seen showing the background | C |
| of the scene of Act I through the columns of the portico at the | E |
| back High throne L U E Low seats below it All the substitute | C |
| gods and goddesses that is to say Thespians are discovered | C |
| grouped in picturesque attitudes about the stage eating and | C |
| drinking and smoking and singing the following verses | B |
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| CHO Of all symposia | F |
| The best by half | G |
| Upon Olympus here await us | B |
| We eat ambrosia | F |
| And nectar quaff | G |
| It cheers but don't inebriate us | B |
| We know the fallacies | B |
| Of human food | C |
| So please to pass Olympian rosy | A |
| We built up palaces | B |
| Where ruins stood | C |
| And find them much more snug and cosy | A |
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| SILL To work and think my dear | H |
| Up here would be | A |
| The height of conscientious folly | A |
| So eat and drink my dear | H |
| I like to see | A |
| Young people gay young people jolly | A |
| Olympian food my love | G |
| I'll lay long odds | B |
| Will please your lips those rosy portals | B |
| What is the good my love | G |
| Of being gods | B |
| If we must work like common mortals | B |
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| CHO Of all symposia etc | F |
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| Exeunt all but Nicemis who is dressed as Diana and Pretteia | C |
| who is dressed as Venus They take Sillimon's arm and bring him | I |
| down | A |
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| SILL Bless their little hearts I can refuse them nothing As | B |
| the Olympian stage manager I ought to be strict with them and | C |
| make them do their duty but i can't Bless their little hearts | B |
| when I see the pretty little craft come sailing up to me with a | F |
| wheedling smile on their pretty little figure heads I can't turn | A |
| my back on 'em I'm all bow though I'm sure I try to be stern | A |
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| PRET You certainly are a dear old thing | J |
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| SILL She says I'm a dear old thing Deputy Venus says I'm a | F |
| dear old thing | J |
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| NICE It's her affectionate habit to describe everybody in those | B |
| terms I am more particular but still even I am bound to admit | C |
| that you are certainly a very dear old thing | J |
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| SILL Deputy Venus says I'm a dear old thing and Deputy Diana | F |
| who is much more particular endorses it Who could be severe | H |
| with such deputy divinities | B |
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| PRET Do you know I'm going to ask you a favour | H |
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| SILL Venus is going to ask me a favour | H |
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| PRET You see I am Venus | B |
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| SILL No one who saw your face would doubt it | C |
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| NICE aside No one who knew her character would | C |
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| PRET Well Venus you know is married to Mars | B |
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| SILL To Vulcan my dear to Vulcan The exact connubial relation | A |
| of the different gods and goddesses is a point on which we must | C |
| be extremely particular | H |
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| PRET I beg your pardon Venus is married to Mars | B |
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| NICE If she isn't married to Mars she ought to be | A |
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| SILL Then that decides it call it married to Mars | B |
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| PRET Married to Vulcan or married to Mars what does it signify | G |
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| SILL My dear it's a matter on which I have no personal feeling | J |
| whatever | H |
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| PRET So that she is married to someone | A |
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| SILL Exactly So that she is married to someone Call it married | C |
| to Mars | B |
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| PRET Now here's my difficulty Presumptios takes the place of | G |
| Mars and Presumptios is my father | H |
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| SILL Then why object to Vulcan | A |
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| PRET Because Vulcan is my grandfather | H |
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| SILL But my dear what an objection You are playing a part | C |
| till the real gods return That's all Whether you are supposed | C |
| to be married to your father or your grandfather what does it | C |
| matter This passion for realism is the curse of the stage | K |
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| PRET That's all very well but I can't throw myself into a part | C |
| that has already lasted a twelvemonth when I have to make love | G |
| to my father It interferes with my conception of the | F |
| characters It spoils the part | C |
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| SILL Well well I'll see what can be done Exit Pretteia | C |
| L U E That's always the way with beginners they've no | A |
| imaginative power A true artist ought to be superior to such | F |
| considerations Nicemis comes down R Well Nicemis I should | C |
| say Diana what's wrong with you Don't you like your part | C |
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| NICE Oh immensely It's great fun | A |
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| SILL Don't you find it lonely out by yourself all night | C |
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| NICE Oh but I'm not alone all night | C |
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| SILL But I don't want to ask any injudicious questions but who | L |
| accompanies you | L |
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| NICE Who Why Sparkeion of course | B |
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| SILL Sparkeion Well but Sparkeion is Phoebus Apollo enter | H |
| Sparkeion He's the sun you know | A |
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| NICE Of course he is I should catch my death of cold in the | F |
| night air if he didn't accompany me | A |
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| SPAR My dear Sillimon it would never do for a young lady to be | A |
| out alone all night It wouldn't be respectable | M |
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| SILL There's a good deal of truth in that But still the sun | A |
| at night I don't like the idea The original Diana always went | C |
| out alone | A |
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| NICE I hope the original Diana is no rule for me After all | N |
| what does it matter | H |
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| SILL To be sure what does it matter | H |
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| SPAR The sun at night or in the daytime | O |
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| SILL So that he shines That's all that's necessary Exit | C |
| Nicemis R U E But poor Daphne what will she say to this | B |
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| SPAR Oh Daphne can console herself young ladies soon get over | H |
| this sort of thing Did you never hear of the young lady who was | B |
| engaged to Cousin Robin | A |
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| SILL Never | H |
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| SPAR Then I'll sing it to you | L |
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| Little maid of Arcadee | C |
| Sat on Cousin Robin's knee | A |
| Thought in form and face and limb | I |
| Nobody could rival him | I |
| He was brave and she was fair | H |
| Truth they made a pretty paid | C |
| Happy little maiden she | A |
| Happy maid of Arcadee | C |
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| Moments fled as moments will | P |
| Happily enough until | P |
| After say a month or two | L |
| Robin did as Robins do | L |
| Weary of his lover's play | A |
| Jilted her and went away | A |
| Wretched little maiden she | A |
| Wretched maid of Arcadee | L |
| - | |
| To her little home she crept | L |
| There she sat her down and wept | L |
| Maiden wept as maidens will | P |
| Grew so thin and pale until | P |
| Cousin Richard came to woo | L |
| Then again the roses grew | L |
| Happy little maiden she | A |
| Happy maid of Arcadee Exit Sparkeion | A |
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| SILL Well Mercury my boy you've had a year's experience of us | B |
| here How do we do it I think we're rather an improvement on the | F |
| original gods don't you | L |
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| MER Well you see there's a good deal to be said on both sides | B |
| of the question you are certainly younger than the original | M |
| gods and therefore more active On the other hand they are | H |
| certainly older than you and have therefore more experience | B |
| On the whole I prefer you because your mistakes amuse me | A |
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| Olympus is now in a terrible muddle | M |
| The deputy deities all are at fault | L |
| They splutter and splash like a pig in a puddle | M |
| And dickens a one of 'em's earning his salt | L |
| For Thespis as Jove is a terrible blunder | H |
| Too nervous and timid too easy and weak | Q |
| Whenever he's called on to lighten or thunder | H |
| The thought of it keeps him awake for a week | Q |
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| Then mighty Mars hasn't the pluck of a parrot | L |
| When left in the dark he will quiver and quail | R |
| And Vulcan has arms that would snap like a carrot | L |
| Before he could drive in a tenpenny nail | R |
| Then Venus's freckles are very repelling | J |
| And Venus should not have a quint in her eyes | B |
| The learned Minerva is weak in her spelling | J |
| And scatters her h's all over the skies | B |
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| Then Pluto in kindhearted tenderness erring | J |
| Can't make up his mind to let anyone die | L |
| The Times has a paragraph ever recurring | J |
| Remarkable incidence of longevity | A |
| On some it has some as a serious onus | B |
| to others it's quite an advantage in short | L |
William Schwenck Gilbert
(1)
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About Thespis: Act Ii
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