Scene 4 of 8
Murderous Olympias
TIME: 317 B.C., Late Fall, Mid-afternoon
PLACE: The Palace of Archelaos at Pella
Attalus
Hecataeus,
Hecataeus/Phillip Arrhidaeus,
Gorgatus,
Euxenippus,
Euxenippus/Nicanor,
Gorgias,
Timaeus,
Thessalonike,
Olympias,
Eurydice,
Sophia,
Pothos,
Demarete,
Sophia,
Pothos
(Curtain rises on the throne room at
Pella, late fall, 317 B.C. The Ladies
are gathered around in a gossiping
circle. The Gentlemen, except
Hecataeus, make a commotion offstage
and enter excited, trailing behind
Attalus. The Ladies crowd around.)
ATTALUS
O glorious Alexander! Mighty king, though dead and
gone to Hades realm, claims another victory! We have
returned bathed in the sweat of glory.
EUXENIPPUS
Mighty is his reach from the underworld into the
living’s land! Just three days ago, through the
mighty stare of Queen Olympias, has the enemy been
faced down!
ATTALUS
With a stare!
GORGATAS
A glare!
EUXENIPPUS
A scowl!
GORGIAS
A glower! A frown!
ATTALUS
Alexander’s, by proxy! You see the two armies
opposed on two hills, pulled up overlooking the
field of blood-to-be below. Man-formed Eurydice and
boy-King Philip, flashing the proper crowns, sat
astride over there. We parted to let a horse and
rider through, heavy-caped darkly flowing as the
horse flew like the eagle down the hill by half.
The rider stopped while the horse pranced in place,
nostrils flaring snorting wind. Then the hood
dropped and there was our queen, white hair blazing
in the morning mist as one streak of sun pierced
through to the top of her head–
GORGATAS
–at that very moment! Believe it! Apollo smiled one
ominous sunbeam upon her alone.
ATTALUS
Struck dumb at once with horror and awe– horror at
what they were there to do against her– Eurydice’s
army of Macedonians saw her and knew her, at once!
Their war-cries ceased. They sat in silent
veneration of her. Then we heard a loud cry from one
lone bellows-lunged voice in that other army, “It is
Olympias, the Regent Queen of Macedonia! Mother of
Alexander! who brought us all the blessings of the
great king!”
TIMAEUS
They cheered!
EUXENIPPUS
We cheered not the battle shout!
GORGATAS
We rode toward one another and clashed not in deadly
engagement.
THESSALONIKE
What happened to our queen?
ATTALUS
Surrounded by the tumult of a battle won when the
enemy disappeared without one blow into a great
embrace of countrymen.
DEÏDAMEIA
And Philip the King and Eurydice?
TIMAEUS
Philip Arrhidaeus was bound immediately. Eurydice
flew like a frightened dove. She was captured
retreating to Amphipolis. Philip and she stand in
bonds, awaiting the judgment of Olympias, and she is
on her way here now.
(They all cheer.)
ATTALUS
The girl was in league with Cassander who allowed
her to take over the regency of Polyperchon and the
guardianship of the kings.
She surely would have killed Alexander’s son to
remove that threat to her assuming the throne.
(There is a sudden turmoil of
excitement, the grand entrance of
Olympias. She sweeps by them going toward the
throne, bringing the child Alexander
with her by the hand. Roxanê follows a
step behind. Olympias stands regally as
the others celebrate her entrance.
Alexander takes his place by her side,
and Roxanê by his. Their lines are
punctuated with cries of happiness and
leaps of assent, topping the noise.)
ATTALUS
(continuing)
Our great queen has returned! Triumphant and mighty
in victory without blood.
GORGIAS
The icy economy of mastery!
GORGATAS
The cool parsimony of ability!
TIMAEUS
The surprising creativity of daimon!
EUXENIPPUS
The audacious boldness of confidence.
ATTALUS
The preempting energy of Alexander!
THESSALONIKE
New life! We touch the spirit of Philip and
Alexander through our royal lady–
EUXENIPPUS
–and her princely son, who gives us hope that those
spirits will reign again.
OLYMPIAS
Bring the pretender before us.
(Olympias, Alexander IV, and Roxanê sit.
Attalus and Gorgatus exit to get
Eurydice and Philip Arrhidaeus.)
OLYMPIAS
(continuing)
We are pleased that the Macedonian government now
has one head and one people, preserved from civil
schism. It is a time to heal.
(Atalus and Gorgatus enter with
Eurydice, dressed in her guise as a
man, and Philip Arrhidaeus [Hecataeus].
Philip Arrhidaeus, though dressed as a
king in battle dress, is a pitiable boy
in a grown man’s body. Confused,
miserable, disheveled, he tries to show
some gesture of respect for Olympias.
Eurydice stands straight, not haughty,
but brave, and looking with deep
concern to her husband. The hands of
the couple are bound. Eurydice tries to
hold the hands of Philip Arrhidaeus.)
OLYMPIAS
(continuing)
You are Eurydice? Daughter of Amyntas and Cynna?
Illegitimate granddaughter of Philip?
(Eurydice nods at each question.
Olympias becomes aggressive and
strident.)
OLYMPIAS
(continuing)
Dressed in the guise of a fugitive! Ignoble! The
wife of this wretch they call “king”? Whom you
married to find legitimacy for your royal designs?
(The people assembled begin to show some
manner of rejection of what Olympias is
doing by her tone of pre-judgment.)
OLYMPIAS
(continuing)
Whom you deserted and fled from, after being a
pretend-queen and upstart-general?
(Thessdaloike comes boldly forward
again, in her modest and respectful,
but insistent, way. Olympias has seen
this from her before and recognizes the
corrective coming. She shrugs her
recognition. Thessalonike gestures or
mimes her meaning, a silent request for
fairness, moderation, as if to say
“Softly, my queen. Softly. Do not be so
harsh.”)
OLYMPIAS
(continuing)
Thessalonike wants deliberation. What is your
counsel?
(Thessalonike returns to her previous
place, grateful. Silence. She commands
a response.)
OLYMPIAS
(continuing)
Timaeus, deliberate!
(At his shrug, she prompts.)
OLYMPIAS
(continuing)
Well? What is to be done?
(After proper obeisance.)
TIMAEUS
O great and mighty queen, dear, sweet Olympias! The
heart of Timaeus–
OLYMPIAS
–Called Timmaeus the younger!
TIMAEUS
“The Younger” to honor my father who died–
OLYMPIAS
–Yes!-Shielding Alexander’s body in India. Brave
Timaeus.
TIMAEUS
My heart swells and will soon burst and gush for
love and pride for you. We are all flushed with your
triumph. You are the precious crown jewel of my
life. If respect be a concoction of both love and
fear, where love advances and fear withdraws, and
the conflict holds me still between the two,
starving like an ass between two haycocks, then I
respect you NOT! For the love of you so overpowers
the fear that I would approach you like this–
(He moves with great alacrity to where
she sits on the throne.)
TIMAEUS
(continuing)
–and I would embrace you– Ah! But then, the
smaller part of my respect prevents. I would only
touch you, only for an instant to brush up against
the–mother–
(He touches her hand very lightly. She
covers his hand with hers.)
OLYMPIAS
(affectionately)
How does this affect our cause?
TIMAEUS
When the Great King Alexander, your formidable son,
passed without an heir to the underworld, his army
became divided. The infantry, ever the conservative
which turned Alexander back from pursuing his
longing to continue east to the Great Encircling
Ocean, favored the witless Philip Arrhidaeus. The
cavalry, ever the progressive, favored the unborn
child, if a male, and soon it turned out to be so.
The vote of the army gave us two kings. Ambitious
Eurydice took Philip Arrhidaeus as a means to taking
the throne of Macedonia. The boy Alexander was her
enemy, and she was compelled to attempt his
overthrow.
King Philip and ever-the-triumphant Alexander both
rid themselves of threats to their accession, as you
must now do. She and Philip Arrhidaeus must be
disposed of.
OLYMPIAS
And the means?
TIMAEUS
Ostrakismos– To Hades!
(Again, Olympias must invite a response.)
OLYMPIAS
And Attalus, what does our Alexander advise?
ATTALUS
Timaeus is young and passionate, my passionate
queen. It is right to delay your passion with
deliberation. When I was with Alexander, I observed
his magnanimity in victory. Always, though only with
good reason judged from the demeanor of the
vanquished. We must hear this pretender state her
case.
EUXENIPPUS
My queen. Timaeus has argued for a political
expedient. I say otherwise, my lady, if we are to
meet our duty to consider all things.
(Olympias nods.)
EUXENIPPUS
(continuing)
I, too, was an observer of the Great King. This, my
queen, is a blood feud, where honor demands that
revenge be taken. Did this woman act from anger, or
from an appetite for power? To assuage her anger? Or
to satisfy her need for the pleasure of dominance?
I say the latter! She plotted! She connived! She is
not an ignorant brute. She does not act out of
disease, accident or chance, but from the cold
calculation of ambition. Anger is warm and hasty.
NO! She is cunning. And I say she acted out of evil
designs. She acted in the same manner as before at
Triparadeisus, where she worked against the efforts
of the guardians of the two kings, stirring great
disorder in the Macedonian army. Alexander’s tutor,
Aristotle, has said that “who commits outrage acts
with pleasure.” Her ambition is an appetite, and
ravenous. Insatiable! Unstoppable! So you must
condemn her, my beautiful queen.
OLYMPIAS
Condemn her to what, dear Euxenippus?
EUXENIPPUS
Put her where her addiction to pleasurable mischief
cannot harm us any longer. Ostrakismos, my queen.
ATTALUS
If the argument be for vengeful punishment, then we
must look at Alexander’s example, which elevated our
national war against the Persians to a religious war
of vengeance to be taken for crimes against the
temples of the Greek Gods by Xerxes. It is the anger
of Euxenippus that bothers me, for he himself has
sprung to revenge before he has heard the full
deliberation, just as dogs bark if there is but a
knock at the door. Alexander had many regrets for
some lethal displays of brutish anger and revenge.
He ever after guarded against it.
Those men who go beyond all ordinary standards by
reason of virtue become godlike. The gods have no
vices or virtues. The gods are above morality. Who
better to seek revenge than one who is above
morality, where no law covers except that of honor?
Who here will make that claim?
EUXENIPPUS
Is not Queen Olympias the law? Is not the honor of
Macedonia at stake? She can pardon and forgive. She
can condemn.
(Thessalonike turns the queen’s head,
making her customary approach unbidden.
Olympias reacts as if to say, “Of
course!”)
THESSALONIKE
My queen. My heart glows with love, for you, for
your return to the throne, for your stature in the
land.
OLYMPIAS
What is your counsel, my dear, regarding what should
be done with them?
THESSALONIKE
If I may, I would like humbly to request that we not
speak of “them”, only of “her”. He is not competent
to speak or act in any reasonable way; any acts have
been solely on her account. If I may, I would like
to ask you to restore control of your honor and
standing among the people by acts of compassion and
drown the fires of anger in a flood of good feeling,
by a flood of goodness washing clean the festering
sores of perceived injury. Like the compassion
taught by Dionysus, and Aphrodite. I would ask us
all to forswear our anger to let the Macedonian
people share your benevolence as a way to live in
peace. I plead with you, if I may be so bold, to
view these offenders–after she has acknowledged
what she has done–with compassion, tolerance, and
forgiveness. I believe, and I would hope that you
could believe, that, to be freed from their offense,
you need not be reconciled to them to forgive them.
OLYMPIAS
What ruling must be made?
THESSALONIKE
In my opinion, ostrakismos is a proper restraint
against their further acts. But I, too, ask that
Eurydice be heard before any judgment is brought.
(Olympias gestures to the two gentlemen
to place Eurydice before her. Eurydice
drops the hands of Philip Arrhidaeus,
facing Olympias directly.)
EURYDICE
I am Eurydice, daughter of Cynna, who was a daughter
of Philip, your husband. I am married to the king,
Philip Arrhidaeus, who stands here at my side. I
make these points so all will know and reason from
the same grounds. I confess, I became impatient with
the rule of two kings, one a very young child, and
the other a very old child. In their stead, the
generals made wasteful war for the power of the dead
king. I know a woman can command, and I believed
that I was the one to rule. You did not fight,
Olympias; you stared at me across the field, and, at
the mere sight of Alexander’s mother, the army
abandoned me. My army deserted me because you carry
the power of your son, who was never defeated by
man, but only by the will of the gods. I did not
then desert the king. I presumed you would treat him
with compassion. I was serving his interests, going
to meet his protector in Asia. Blood and marriage
bind me to the royal line. You are bound by the same
obligation to treat kin honorably. I make a special
plea for my husband. You, Olympias, as all here
should know, are the cause of this boy’s mental
deficiency, when you once gave a potion to him. He
is the son of Philip, your husband, the king. I am
his true guardian. If there is justice in your
heart, you will free us from these bonds and restore
us to our rightful place alongside Alexander IV.
(She stands straight and faces Olympias
squarely. Not defiant, but mute.)
OLYMPIAS
Well, you see Alexander and Roxanê how we deliberate
in Macedon, with democratic fairness. Now Alexander,
Roxanê, please go to your rooms and rest before we
dine.
(They exit. She turns to Eurydice.)
OLYMPIAS
(continuing)
You are a thorn, but not one that shields anything
precious. Gentlemen! Turn these two over to the army
to be taken to that hut in the garden. Wall them up,
but leave only so much opening to shove to them a
crust and cup each day. Now go! Out of my sight!
(The two gentlemen deliver the prisoners
offstage. All gasp. Thessalonike
perceives the calamity that has been
the outcome. Thessalonike, Deïdameia, Demarete,
Pothos, Sophia, and Attalus approach
Olympias with supplications on behalf
of the pair.)
ATTALUS
(returning)
The sight of poor Philip moves me. He knows not
where he is– what he has done– whom to turn to–
to wipe his grime away– to give him water– a crust
of bread– a loving arm.
(As before, Thessalonike moves in front
of Olympias, head and eyes down.)
THESSALONIKE
Hearts are soft, or hearts are hard.
(Deïdameia is not so abject as
Thessalonike.)
DEÏDAMEIA
When soft, they float on pools of moistened eyes.
ATTALUS
When hard, they find the stones to cast in vengeful
hate.
SOPHIA
You would act to emulate the stony heart of kings
and turn upside down the true work of a woman’s head.
EPHTHALIA
My heart weeps for her.
(All stare at her. She points offstage,
clarifying.)
POTHOS
Her heart was spirited away by her head.
(All stare at her. She indicates the
queen, clarifying.)
SOPHIA
I could weep for poor Philip, a lamb that will not
comprehend its torment at the sacrificial knife.
(Olympias waves them all off. They all
retreat to another part of the stage.
Euxenippus goes off. Attalus stays
near. Thinking herself alone, she
contemplates her action. She takes a
goblet of wine.)
OLYMPIAS
(aside)
I do not blame Eurydice and Philip. I understand her
desire to resolve the division.
(She sees Attalus and begins to include
him.)
OLYMPIAS
(continuing)
She made a fair case. She acknowledged what she had
done. She has fire. He is pitiable. Like the
meandering ant, she would hasten to save herself
when I am about. But like that ant long ago, she bit
me. And like that ant, do you believe she will be
equally oblivious to the forces that must come
crushing down on her?
ATTALUS
Preservation.
OLYMPIAS
And like the bee, I must sting.
ATTALUS
Altruism, for the bee must die.
OLYMPIAS
There is the source of any compassion I could feel.
But I must reject the child’s view. For– Alexander
must be revenged. I want Philip dead. I will forgive
him after he is dead. I will feel compassion for him
after I have done what I need to do and he is dead.
I am in need of no person’s approval for what I do.
I want her dead. I will forgive her after she is
dead. I will not be too quick to forgive. It is the
politically expedient thing to do. Theirs is a case
only of the rightful heir. But hold! Yes! Maybe
there will be some small measure of revenge for my
husband Philip’s infidelities, at the same time. The
real case for blame and revenge now comes to me. My
right. In a world of men voracious for power and
wealth, Olympias must be strong and copy the men.
Here comes my true anger, a fortress against my
enemies’ predations. Not without great trouble will
I let the thieves take what I have. Those are the
rules of rule among the warring generals. Their
world, not mine. And blame. And revenge. I name
Antipater, his sons, his relatives, and all his
oligarchic friends, my enemies and the source of
great injuries to me, Macedonia and all Hellas. I
blame Antipater and his sons, Iollas, Cassander, and
Nicanor, and I claim they poisoned Alexander in
Babylon. I will not forswear my anger and be gobbled
up by the greedy successors–where is their
benevolence? I will make things right. I am wholly
devoted to my just revenge. Place Nicanor before me.
(Thessalonike, Deïdameia, Demarete,
Pothos, Sophia, Ephthalia, Attalus and
the rest of her friends come closer.
Gorgatus and Gorgias go off to get
Nicanor/Euxenippus and enter with
him, bound and gagged.)
OLYMPIAS
(continuing)
You are Nicanor?
(He nods assent. She sneers, not with
queries, but with condemnations.)
OLYMPIAS
(continuing)
Son of Antipater, dead destroyer of Alexander’s
gracious reign. Brother of Cassander, enemy of the
gods. Brother of Iollas, dealer of death to the
Great King, my son Alexander. Nicanor, traitor to
the Macedonian king. Ally of the usurper Eurydice.
(She rises and paces back and forth
furiously in front of the throne.)
OLYMPIAS
(continuing)
Do you have your list of witnesses who will speak
for you?
(Gorgias hands a list on a scroll to
Olympias.)
OLYMPIAS
(continuing)
Who are these people?
GORGIAS
Relatives and friends.
OLYMPIAS
Friends and relatives of whom?
(Gorgatus removes the gag, goading
Nicanor.)
EUXENIPPUS/NICANOR
My relatives and friends.
OLYMPIAS
A hill of ants. A buzzing hive! Relatives and
friends of Cassander! And Antipater!
(She clutches the list as if it were
made of the flesh and blood of her
enemies. Then mock-kindly:)
OLYMPIAS
(continuing)
You want a fig, Nicanor?
(She bids the basket be taken to present
to Nicanor. He hesitantly puts his
bound hands up. She screams at him.)
OLYMPIAS
(continuing)
Take a fig!
(He begins more quickly to put his hand
in the basket. But she stops him by
screaming:)
OLYMPIAS
(continuing)
Is your hand clean?
(He looks at his hand, puzzled, and
nods. She waves him permission to take
a fig. He reaches slowly into the
basket. The snake strikes. He screeches
in surprise and pain, and falls.
Olympias smiles.)
OLYMPIAS
(continuing)
My pet.
(Suddenly, Pothos breaks to go DSL. As
she does so, taking the voice of Ate
[AH-TAY], she makes the sound of a
malevolent laugh as if the spirit of
the goddess was possessing her. The
other Ladies go DSL and circle her.)
SOPHIA
Ate!
POTHOS
(in an unearthly voice)
Treacherous Ate! I have seen her. Here. Among us.
DEMARETE
Strife and ruin!
SOPHIA
She enters! She is here. In Pothos!
POTHOS
(becoming Ate)
The luscious pleasure of retribution!
ATTALUS
Reckless Olympias!
(Ephthalia, Demarete, and Sophia come
together to take the roles of the Three
Litae.)
EPHTHALIA
Olympias! Olympias! Where Ate goes, there is sin.
And there are the three Litae to help the witless
prey of Ate. Where are they now for our queen.
DEMARETE
Olympias. Wretched Olympias. Here we, her
companions, find ourselves offering in the ways of
the prayerful goddesses to take her prayers to
heaven on her behalf.
SOPHIA
Her delight in the torment of others will turn the
winds of her revenge to blow bitter cold into her
own face–
DEMARETE
–unless, in the midst of her feast of torture she
stops herself by an act of sovereign will.
(They turn to Olympias.)
EPHTHALIA
Olympias, great queen, you are in grave danger. Turn
again to deliberation. This is what we pray.
SOPHIA
We weep as we pray, for rarely does a mortal look to
the consequences of evil.
OLYMPIAS
(looking at the three)
So you mutter among yourselves of my evil, without
regard for the evil done me and my son by the brood
of Antipater, Cassander, Eurydice, and Nicanor. Do
not concern yourselves with my sin. What bothers our
friend, Pothos?
THESSALONIKE
She feels the presence of Ate and has fallen into a
twitch of fear.
OLYMPIAS
(toeing Nicanor)
You do not have the correct approach, boy. You move
too fast. You do not smell right. The serpent is
harmless. But if it is not, it is no matter. My pet
needed the exercise.
(She beckons the Ladies to come to
her.)
OLYMPIAS
(continuing)
I observe your recoil. Your prayers should not be
for me. You are innocent of power and rule. You
would act as any commoner would. This act also feels
strong to me. I feel the harshness myself, and the
strangeness of it, but I have seen the kings do the
same things with cool severity. It is political
efficiency. I could feel sympathy, but–
ATTALUS
–No, my queen. I must respectfully challenge these
acts. There is more hate than policy in what you do.
And the bee that stings, dies.
OLYMPIAS
Only those words will die now. With required
patience, I have heard your deliberations. I am
decided. I am ready to act.
(She paces as she puts together her plan
of attack.)
OLYMPIAS
(continuing; aside)
They will count a hundred trees, two men in command
of each tree. They will strip bare one branch on
each at the height of the wall, and hang there one
person of these one hundred names. The house of
Antipater will dance to my music.
(She hands to Timaeus the scroll with
Nicanor’s list.)
GORGATAS
The way Ate dances about on the head of each mortal
when she afflicts just for sheer, ungodly joy of it.
OLYMPIAS
Hang Nicanor! And hang them all! At once! You see,
Nicanor, you will have a party of your friends and
family to accompany you to Hades’ realm. We will
send Cassander to you soon. Carry him off!
(No one moves to obey.)
OLYMPIAS
(continuing)
Off, I say. Off, now, go!
(Gorgatus carries him off, limp.)
OLYMPIAS
(continuing)
Just retribution on treasonous rebels! On usurpers!
On false husbands! On unfaithful fathers of bastard
idiots! On the whole tribe of murderers, the
poisoners of a noble and god-like son! How might a
man become a god? By doing that which is impossible
for men to do. Such was he who must be avenged.
(At her first words, her friends recoil
from her as she walks resolutely around
the throne area, muttering.)
POTHOS
(as Ate)
Olympias! I have you now.
(She is comforted by two of the Ladies.)
EPHTHALIA
We cower for fear in the presence of these
atrocities, which must become infamous.
(Pothos/Ate laughs.)
DEMARETE
To ignore the Litae is to ignore the will of Zeus.
SOPHIA
Now she will be our grave concern.
ATTALUS
Queen Olympias!
(Olympias waves him off. She is
preoccupied. He turns to his friends.)
ATTALUS
(continuing)
She is not blind from too much light from Apollo.
She sees too well in the dark and she shuns even the
faintest light. My hope is dying here; I must go fix
it on events elsewhere.
TIMAEUS
To leave our queen is unthinkable!
ATTALUS
To survive we must make the unthinkable–thinkable.
GORGIAS
We must not be so squeamish about the unthinkable–
GORGATAS
So squeamish that we cannot imagine–
TIMAEUS
–I cannot conceive of doing that.
HECATAEUS
Hate is always hasty, or if not, then all the more
malignant.
(He tries to get the attention of the
queen.)
HECATAEUS
(continuing)
My queen!
(The same fixation in her.)
HECATAEUS
(continuing)
My distracted queen. I needed to say farewell. I go
with Attalus to take part in your rightful wars.
ATTALUS
I portrayed a faint likeness to Alexander, and I
could mimic several of the qualities of his
character. But I could not touch the manhood of his
many, grave wounds, taken as he led the charge, or
emulate the divinity in his practice.
HECATAEUS
I took the part of the debauched Philip with
brainsick lechery, with no understanding of its
meaning to her. O how I see now that madness has come
to this woeful end!
THESSALONIKE
I will save her yet. And young Alexander and Roxanê.
(Olympias abruptly stops her furious
pacing and calls out several more
commands.)
OLYMPIAS
Go to the tomb of Iollas, brother of Cassander!
Destroy it! Dump his rotted flesh and bones into the
river.
(She resumes her self-absorbed pacing.
Gorgias, in the group, looks with
horror on the machinations of Olympias.)
GORGIAS
I enacted the love of her serpent god, but it is as
if she were the snake, who strikes again, again, and
yet again. I shudder even to be on her friendly
side. I go with the others.
SOPHIA
Her appetite for revenge contains no deliberative
element. I am between the men and Thessalonike.
Something here is no longer safe.
EUXENIPPUS
Old Antipater is safely away. But alas for his
family and friends.
GORGATAS
Sophia quotes old Aristotle correctly. This is a
dismal show of appetite. She starves, and what she
feeds on is good health for a snake, swallowing
people whole. Since she knows us no longer, I may as
well depart.
OLYMPIAS
You!
(She points to Attalus.)
OLYMPIAS
(continuing)
To the witless one! put a knife to his throat and
cut it.
(She resumes pacing.)
DEÏDAMEIA
I am reminded that I once saw an artisan’s cart
overloaded coming down a hill. It pushed the horse
and then got in front of the horse and dragged him
at a very high speed. The horse was very badly hurt,
the man’s treasures were all broken, and the man sat
at the bottom of the hill crying at the litter of
his great losses.
TIMAEUS
The weight of my respect for our queen has shifted.
Now my fear out-balances my undoubted love. But as
my father protected her son, I must stand by and
protect his mother. She may be right. I can
understand her passion to preserve what she sees as
the right order. I counseled for “Thanatos”. That is
the man’s game that she plays. Although she plays it
in a woman’s arena, at a safe distance from the
man’s violent deeds, she may sense something of the
consequence in your recoil. She is no coward.
EUXENIPPUS
We can seek out Polyperchon for wars we understand.
TIMAEUS
Farewell, my friends. May good fortune be with you.
(Attalus, Euxenippus, Gorgatus, Gorgias,
and Hecataeus exit.)
OLYMPIAS
Bring the girl here.
(Timaeus exits. Olympias walks around,
wringing her hands. Then she exits.)
POTHOS
I long to see the end of all these killings. I dread
this next.
DEMARETE
Some music and a poem would tame her. But I cannot
bear to bring sweetness into this scene.
DEÏDAMEIA
What evil is here transpiring?
POTHOS
Evil is there, where you cannot feel with these poor mortals.
SOPHIA
That is the nature of evil everywhere. She has wrung
from me all compassion I may have felt for her.
EPHTHALIA
We say, “They are helpless in your hands, Queen
Olympias.
DEMARETE
“Show mercy and greatness of temperament,” we say.
POTHOS
“Be kind and compassionate,” we beg.
THESSALONIKE
But she is gone and does not hear.
(Olympias enters DR. The Ladies move to
the opposite side, SL. She holds a
goblet of wine. Olympias walks around.
She goes to the basket and, with her
back to the audience, works over the
basket, which is shielded from audience
view.)
SOPHIA
She is so full of herself she does not see others.
POTHOS
We are shades to her.
SOPHIA
She has had great numbers of people around her, always.
THESSALONIKE
They are but creatures.
SOPHIA
We are wall paintings.
EPHTHALIA
Shadows.
DEMARETE
Statues.
POTHOS
Hidden in plain sight.
SOPHIA
Like that snake in the basket.
(They exit shielding their faces from
the scene. Timaeus returns.)
OLYMPIAS
Is it done?
TIMAEUS
It is now being done and will soon be accomplished.
OLYMPIAS
Then bring the girl in. And give her this note.
(She points to the scroll on the table.
She indicates the basket on the table.)
OLYMPIAS
(continuing)
And show her this basket.
(Timaeus exits, DR. Olympias goes DL,
hiding behind a pillar. Eurydice enters,
much disheveled, led in by Timaeus who
unbinds her hands. He shows her the scroll
and takes her to the table, where the basket
is, and stands back. She reads.)
EURYDICE
“My sweet, dear Eurydice, someone awaits you, and
needs you to guide him into mother earth. He is lost
without you, his dear wife. There is only one way to
get to him, but you have three choices. Go to the
basket on the table. Put your hand inside and take
out all that is there.”
(Eurydice goes to the basket, raises the
lid, and slowly puts her hand inside.
She withdraws it quickly with a shout.
She looks at her hand)
EURYDICE
(continuing)
I am cut.
(She sucks the cut while she puts her
other hand inside and draws out the
knife.)
EURYDICE
(continuing)
At last, for my defense.
(She brandishes it as if attacking an
enemy. She reaches in again and takes
out–)
EURYDICE
(continuing)
A phial?
EURYDICE
(continuing; reaching in again)
A noose!
(Timaeus hands her another scroll. She
reads.)
EURYDICE
(continuing)
“It has reached my ears that you are unrestrained in
declaring the kingdom yours. Its rightful rulers
will keep the kingdom for you while you sojourn in
Hades. Your only choices are three: this noose, this
knife, or this phial of hemlock. Go, now. Your
witless husband, whom you called king, in whose name
you made war against Macedonia, your queen, and the only
true heir to Alexander’s rule, awaits you. And if
you hesitate, there will come those who will strangle
you on the spot.”
(Ate/Pothos laughs offstage. The Three
Litae moan offstage. Eurydice looks up
from her reading, and takes up the three
items. She throws the items into the basket.)
EURYDICE
(continuing, to Timaeus)
I am Eurydice.
(She shows the cut on her hand.)
EURYDICE
(continuing)
Of noble blood. Of royalty descended.
Philip is dead. He awaits in the world below, mute
and innocent. What is his guilt? Who disposed to him
his fate? Lachesis. As the course you set unfolds,
revealed too late the branching path he might have
trod. Who wound the thread of his life? Clotho. His
thread was bare of strength. Who snipped the thread
of his life so cruelly short? Atropos. Too quick you
cut him off. More powerful, the Fates, than the
thunderbolts of Zeus. In dreams our fate clearly
unwinds. With clouded mind this boy saw darkness. I
greeted my fate when the goddess Great Ananke seized
me with what I had to do. I challenged the queen,
and lost
.
You, Olympias, have the power of Alexander, whose
daimon roams the earth as if he were still Great
King. You have stolen his spirit. But this boy-man
of mine, this poor lost shade I sheltered in life–
I must go to him, hurry to him. By my own hand, not
yours, queen of despair. These gifts of yours to me,
I pray they may fall to your lot.
(She picks up the basket and puts the
lid on, patting it. She unfastens her
girdle. The torn and dirty dress falls
straight from her shoulders.)
EURYDICE
(continuing)
I will slip out of this life as quickly as I slipped
into it.
(She looks up and around for a place to
fasten the girdle. All too high. She
holds it up and looks at it.)
EURYDICE
(continuing)
Olympias, I am soon released, but I am awake,
dreaming a clear vision. I know your fate cannot
rest with the Moirae, fixed at birth, but Úpermoira!
That fate well deserved by sin. Your acts of hubris
pushed by Ate annul your privileged share and draw
upon yourself the Erinyes. Themis, the voice and
justice of Gaia, the mother of all, will provide for
me. I go into Mother Earth where the tree roots
shall pierce my mold to feed the leaves of spring.
I am eager for a rebirth.
(She skips off. Timaeus picks up the
basket to take it off, but he stops and
listens as the faint sound of a flute
leading the sound of feet tramping in
step, growing louder. Olympias steps
out of her hiding place DL and goes to
Timaeus.)
OLYMPIAS
Cassander’s army moves toward us. We must hasten to
safer ground in the castle at Pydna. We must move
quickly. Alert the people and our guard. Polyperchon
is moving to head off the enemy.
(She looks around for her gentlemen.)
OLYMPIAS
(continuing)
Where are my gentlemen?
(calling)
