Eaton - Elizabeth Bathory

Written by Edward Eaton SMASHWORDS EDITION * * * * * PUBLISHED BY: Dragonfly Publishing, Inc. www.dragonflypubs.com Elizabeth Bathory Copyright 2012 Edward Eaton Drama / Dramatic Verse eBook Edition EAN 978-1-936381-46-3 ISBN 1-936381-46-X Cover Art 2012 Dragonfly Publishing, Inc. Illustrations 2012 Dragonfly Publishing, Inc. Dragonfly Logo 2001 Terri L. Branson Published in the United States of America This is a work of fiction based on real people and historical events. This eBook edition is protected by copyright and is sold under a standard single user license for the exclusive use of the initial retail customer.

This file may not be copied, printed, changed, used for library lending, or distributed by any means for sale or for free to any other persons or business entities without the prior consent of the publisher and all copyright holders. All rights of this play are strictly reserved and applications for permission to perform it, for either professional or amateur productions, must be made in advance to the playwright either through the publisher or the playwright directly. Single copies of scripts are sold only for personal reading or production consideration. One copy for each speaking role, the director, and the stage manager must be purchased for production purposes. The required number of copies of the Play to be purchased for production is six (6). * * * * *

Dedication Acknowledgements Characters SCENE I SCENE II SCENE III SCENE IV SCENE V About the Author * * * * * This work is dedicated to my wife, Silviya, and to my little man, Christopher.

Sine quibus non * * * * *

The playwright would like to thank Richard Girardi and Brian Triber of Ubiquity Stage for their support and encouragement. * * * * * ELIZABETH BATHORY: Hungarian Countess. She is arrogant, proud, imperious, beautiful, haughty, and alone. She is 54 years old, but in the flashbacks should look middle to early twenties, perhaps as young as thirteen or fourteen. PRIEST: Young and fairly nave Priest. He is ambitious, perhaps a bit recklessly so.

Although well born, he is not particularly influential. If he succeeds at obtaining Elizabeths confession and conversion, his career could take off. He is no older than his late twenties. MOTHER: Elizabeths mother. She is strong and accustomed to being obeyed. [Consider: Lady Capulet in Romeo and Juliet is 26.] LADY IN WAITING: A Lady in Waiting. [Consider: Lady Capulet in Romeo and Juliet is 26.] LADY IN WAITING: A Lady in Waiting.

MAID: A maid. FERENC: A young, fierce warrior. He is a violent killer, but a tender lover. Women want him. Men want to be his friend. STRANGER: Demonic and evil, he is creepily sexy.

THURZO: Early in the story, he is a young man only a few years older than Elizabeth. By the end, he is middle-aged. He is strong and proud, but not quite as heroic or attractive as Ferenc. Perhaps he has some issues with this. GUARD: A guard. SETTING: Hungary.

The tower room in the Castle Cjesthe. TIME: 1614 * * * * *

_______________ [The lights come up to reveal the COUNTESS ELIZABETH BATHORY huddled by the fireplace, an old crone enveloped in a cloak.] [We hear the screams of young women in torment.] [We hear the wails of loss and mourning from their families.] [The voices fall silent.] [There is the sound of a babys crying.] VOICE OF ELIZABETH: No! Not my boy! Not my baby! VOICE OF MOTHER: Give it to me! Give me that child! VOICE OF ELIZABETH: No! VOICE OF MOTHER: Take it. Get rid of it. Expose it. Drown it. I do not care.

Just get it out of here. VOICE OF ELIZABETH: No! VOICE OF LADY IN WAITING: Have you seen Ferenc? Hes so handsome. I wish I were you. VOICE OF MOTHER: You are going to marry Ferenc. The guests are already arriving. VOICE OF ELIZABETH: Never! I love VOICE OF MOTHER: He is not for you.

VOICE OF ELIZABETH: He loves me! VOICE OF MOTHER: Whore! VOICE OF ELIZABETH: But he VOICE OF STRANGER: Do you want to be old? Do you want to be lovely? Do you want to be Wanted? Desired? VOICE OF THURZO: You, Elizabeth, are like a wild animal. I condemn you, Lady, to life-long imprisonment in your own castle. [All sound stops abruptly.] [A small hatch next to the large unused door opens and light bursts into the room.] [ELIZABETH hides her face.] [Someone looks through the hatch.] [It slams shut.] [There is the sound of arguing without.] [Silence.] [The hatch opens again.] [ELIZABETH hisses at the light.] [The hatch slams shut again.] [Argument without.] [Silence.] [There are the sounds of ancient locks being broken and mortar being chipped away.] [Eventually the door opens slowly.] [Lights pours in.] [A PRIEST enters the room. A GUARD without tries one last time, to persuade the PRIEST not to enter. The PRIEST insists. He comes all the way in, carrying his lantern and a sack.

The GUARD slams the door shut.] [The PRIEST is a young man. He clearly comes from a wealthy family. He bears himself as an intelligent, handsome, and confidant man. He is also nervous.] [He looks around the room and takes stock of the situation. He looks at ELIZABETH with a mixture of disgust and apprehension.] [He takes the sack and, careful not to get to close to ELIZABETH, places the bag next to her. He backs away from her and sits on the stool.] [ELIZABETH looks at the sack.

She sniffs at it. Slowly she opens it and discovers food and some sort of flask. Animal-like, she tears into the food.] [The PRIEST looks on in disgust.] [He shudders and crosses himself.] PRIEST: How one once so great could become like this. God in heaven. Look down on this wretched creature and soften her heart. [The PRIEST crosses himself.] ELIZABETH: Get out. Bastard. [ELIZABETH continues to feed herself.] PRIEST: So, you are the ancient witch who lives in the tower? Or is it vampire? I have heard so many stories, I really cant keep them straight. [ELIZABETH continues to feed herself.] PRIEST: So, you are the ancient witch who lives in the tower? Or is it vampire? I have heard so many stories, I really cant keep them straight.

You dont look nearly so frightening as you should. Little more than a bedtime story told to frighten naughty children. Behave yourself, or well feed you to the Countess Elizabeth. Ha, ha. [Pause] So. You are the great and powerful Countess Elizabeth Bathory.

ELIZABETH: I was. PRIEST: It speaks. Im sure youve made you family proud of you. ELIZABETH: What does it matter to you, Priest? PRIEST: I remember when the king learned what youd been up to. How many was it? Over 600? Is that right? Thats what I heard. But the numbers get confused in the telling.

One would have been too many, I think. The king still sometimes talks about putting you out of your misery. Some kindling. One torch. And poof! The rotting bones go up in smoke and no more Countess. Ha, ha. [Pause] Ive seen burnings. [Pause] Ive seen burnings.

You know, its the smoke that actually kills you. Most of the time. Saw one man burn once who caught a bad wind. His sins must have been great. The smoke blew away from him. It took him four hours to die.

They said you could hear his screams two towns over. I believe it. It was quite unnerving. But there are those of us who have convinced the king that there is no way to guarantee a good wind. And four hours is not nearly enough time. No matter. No matter.

You cant live for too long shut up in here. How youve lived for three years is beyond me. Does my light burn your eyes? Where are my manners? Let me move it closer to you. Better? Dont worry, I shant let it burn you, witch. [Pause] What a glorious domain you have here, Countess. How lovely.