Penelope and Ulysses (15 page)

the seed from eternity,

it is this that you and lover

are always connected to in absence.

Ulysses is here.

Can’t you see him in my eyes?

Can’t you see him on my body?

Can’t you hear him in my voice?

Ulysses is here because he has never left me.

When I sleep he is next to me,

when I awake he plays with me

and while I am talking to you

he is shaking his head and saying,

“Why are you wasting your time with such a fool?”

AGATHY: Penelope. Stop this madness.

You are not going to frighten me

with your ravings that Ulysses is here.

PENELOPE: How could you stand it

to want to be with me

when you know that I would only see Ulysses?

What type of man does that?

AGATHY: One who has weighed all the benefits and profits

from marrying the beautiful Penelope.

A sane man.

PENELOPE: Why have you decided

to settle for so little, Agathy?

The next question that follows this logic is:

how good are you sexually

when you are willing to settle with the fact

that Ulysses would be in your bed?

AGATHY: You go on and on, just like a woman

who has been given too much freedom

for your own good.

And you are constant

in your defiance and rejection of all

and run threads around the thinking of a simple man.

I can see by your smile that you think me simple?

I know this: that you will have to choose me.

It will be I who you will choose

when all the others start to show you their fangs and claws,

as they grow weary with waiting

for the elusive and cunning Penelope.

There will be no Ulysses to rescue you.

Your son will be killed.

You can barely keep him alive

with your poor excuses.

And while you are eating away at the time

that is running out for you,

they are all pretending,

hiding their claws and fangs

until you step out of the law.

Time will seal you to the law of the land.

Time will seal you to me.

PENELOPE: I will choose my husband to the end.

I chose him in the beginning

and I choose my husband Ulysses,
now
.

AGATHY: He will not hear you.

He will not come.

The man you will take to bed will be me.

I have watched you

and smelled your sweetness as you pass.

I have looked at you from a distance

and you are preoccupied with your devotion.

Well, devote yourself to me, I am here.

I am here, Ulysses is absent.

It makes no difference to me.

I don’t want what you have in your mind or heart.

I want what you have here.

[
AGATHY
touches
PENELOPE’S
genital
area
and
proceeds
to
kiss
her.

He
forces
her
to
kiss
him,
but
it
goes
horribly
wrong

for
he
is
struggling
to
remove
himself
from
her
mouth.

PENELOPE
puts
her
hands
on
his
head
and
holds
him

while
he
is
struggling
to
get
away
from
her

Finally
PENELOPE
lets
go
and
there
is
blood
around
his
mouth.

He
falls
to
his
knees,
wipes
his
mouth,
and
then
stands
.
PENELOPE
wipes
his
blood
from
her
mouth
.]

PENELOPE: I swear by the love that makes and breaks me,

if you ever come near me again,

if you ever try to touch me again,

I will cut you while you sleep.

I will make sure I use the same instruments

that we use for our horses.

I will cut away from you

all your generations to come,

and feed them to my hounds.

[
AGATHY
runs
from
her
wiping
his
mouth,
which
is
covered
with
blood.
He
is
visibly
shaken
by
her
response
to
his
sexual
advances
]

Scene 2 – The Jackal

[
PENELOPE
is
still
standing
in
the
same
place.

PETROCULOS
comes
running
from
the
side
of
the
stage
to
her
.]

PETROCULOS: What is that noise?

What is going on?

Penelope, are you alright?

PENELOPE: Oh, my dear friend, Petroculos!

What would I do without your concern?

PETROCULOS: What happened?

I was walking so that I could clear my head

and I heard your voice and a man’s voice,

and I was not sure.

I ran as fast as I could, to see if you were all right.

You have some blood on your lips!

Here let me wipe it off for you.

[
PENELOPE
refuses
and
wipes
it
off
with
her
hand
.]

PENELOPE: Agathy tried to convince me

that he was the man for me.

PETROCULOS: Here, let me hold you.

PENELOPE: Do you think that by holding me

it will remove from me this experience?

No, I do not want to be comforted

or sedated from what I feel.

I want to rage so that next time he comes near me

I will fulfil my promise to him.

I will not be unsexed by any man.

And if any man tries to brand me as his,

I swear by all that makes and breaks me

I will cut him while he sleeps.

All enemies have to sleep,

and that is when you bleed them

and drain them from their manhood, or their life.

PETROCULOS: Such rage. Was it as bad as that?

The brute—I will deal with him later,

if one can deal with him.

But I am concerned about you.

Things have changed in Ithaca.

The suitors have become bored

and tired and sexually frustrated

waiting for your decision.

I knew that it would come to this.

Agathy has become restless

and will not follow the ways of the law.

You do know he has an army

waiting to hear from him

so that they can come and attack Ithaca.

I don’t know if any of us here has the ability

to stop the chain of events once they start.

There will be much bloodshed.

But I am not concerned about their blood;

I am concerned about you and your son.

PENELOPE: What can I do to save my son?

I have kept him safe all these years.

I will not have him slaughtered.

I would rather die than see this happen.

But before I surrender my sword

I will send a few of the suitors to Hades

to find their legal wives.

PETROCULOS: Dear Penelope, how difficult it must be for you,

to have all of us here for so long.

We have become locusts and intruders in your home.

I have been thinking about this situation.

It really cannot continue.

PENELOPE: What do you suggest, my trusted friend?

I always believe in outwitting and out-planning the enemy.

PETROCULOS: One must always keep above and below

the nets they throw.

A warrior of courage and discipline

uses his sword only when they have netted him.

PENELOPE: My sword is the last act of defence

to save my son’s life.

What can I do to keep my son alive

and safe from the dangers

that come with me and his father?

PETROCULOS: I will give you some suggestions,

but the choice will have to be yours and yours alone.

First, I want to tell you

how I marvel at how you have kept you and your son alive

for so long

with so many vultures and invaders

waiting and waiting for you to trip up,

or make a mistake,

or simply give in and give up.

Truly, Penelope, you are a great diplomat.

And the tapestry was a brilliant idea,

for it gave you more time for Ulysses’s return

to conduct yourself as a woman of integrity

following the law of the land.

Now let me see if I can offer you some advice

in which you do not compromise

your position and standing.

We all have followed the law of the land,

but the time is coming that this law will be useless

in the face of conquest and brute force.

Laws do not exist when there is chaos and violence.

Each man makes his own law

and murder is part of their law.

On the other hand, I have always been here for you.

I have even advised you

on the weakness of certain men

and how to avoid them

and protect yourself from their advances

without hurting their vanity.

I have always told all of them to follow the law

and to respect you and your son.

PENELOPE: Yes, Petroculos.

You have proven yourself more than once

a fair man in the face of turbulence and chaos.

PETROCULOS: Dear Penelope, your time is running out.

You will have to choose soon,

and from the struggle I heard

that you had with Agathy,

your decision or your conquest is very near.

Agathy is the strongest here

and he does have a small army

waiting to support him when he is ready to strike.

We all have small armies waiting at the port of Ithaca.

You may avoid conquest

and the murder of your son

if you marry me.

PENELOPE: It will be a marriage of convenience,

for I only see you as my sister.

PETROCULOS: Very few marriages have to do with love.

It is about two people seeking security and protection

from the invasion of the outside world.

They combine their skills and territories

and have a better place in the world

because they have more assets and power

and can live in security, comfort, and safety.

So you see, my dear Penelope,

our marriage would offer you all the above.

Marry me, Penelope.

I know you do not love me,

and I am not in love with you.

You are too sensible and disciplined

for such wild flights and fancies of the heart and passion.

I am talking about a marriage of convenience

in which I can offer you safety and protection.

If you do not choose me, I cannot protect you

because all the men have the right of the law to you.

You belong to all of us

and no one will leave this island

until you choose a husband.

PENELOPE: Are you telling me

that if I chose you as my husband

all the others will leave and my son will be safe?

PETROCULOS: Poor, hunted, tormented Penelope.

I have told you from the beginning,

I only came to Ithaca so that there is no bloodshed

and to keep peace in the region.

And I wanted to keep you safe.

PENELOPE: I cannot make this decision at this moment,

I need time to think.

I cannot compromise

the truth and love of my heart.

What of Ulysses? I love Ulysses.

How can I enter a marriage of convenience with you?

What of my love?

PETROCULOS: Ulysses, if he returns,

will understand that you had no other choice.

Besides, I will set you free

to be with your first husband.

Remember, we will not marry for love

but rather that you do not wake to find Agathy

or any other lustful suitor in your bed

and your poor dear son murdered.

PENELOPE: Thank you my dear friend,

for concerning yourself with my son’s protection

and my welfare and safety.

I will think about what you have suggested

and I will speak with you further about this.

I can sense the stillness and restlessness

and you may well be right,

for my tapestry is nearly finished.

[
PENELOPE
exits.

PETROCULOS
speaks
his
thoughts
.]

PETROCULOS: [
to
himself
] Penelope, you are smelling the bait for