Greig - Dunsinane

Dawn. Rain. The English army prepares for battle. We boarded our ships at the Thames mouth. There were two thousand of us and also Some horses for the knights to ride and animals For us to slaughter on the way. Scotland. Scotland. Scotland.

Where we would install a king. I have not been on a boat before, Not a boat like that before, Not on a boat like that On a sea like that, swells rising about us, Waves clashing and retreating about us, A day and a night and a day of it feeling sick And every single moment of it afraid But excited too in the hull with my companions Talking against the sea with stories, And one or two had a song or two And one man showed me how to fight With a spoon for a sword laughing Laughing at me me acting the goat And all of us both knowing and not knowing what lay Ahead of us. War. And that some of us would die in it. In time the fleet found the softer waters Of the river Forth and we landed in a place called Fife Which is a wild place compared to Kent And there we camped in woods near the abbey of Inchcolm. Sergeant You Sir? Sergeant Be a tree. Yes, Sir. Sergeant You and you and you make yourself undergrowth Yes, Sir. Sergeant Come on! Youre supposed to be a forest! You make the noise of a bird Sir? Sergeant What? Is this all right, Sir? Sergeant Whats that? Come on, think. Sergeant Come on! Youre supposed to be a forest! You make the noise of a bird Sir? Sergeant What? Is this all right, Sir? Sergeant Whats that? Come on, think.

Whats a forest got? Sir? Sergeant Whats its stuff? Trees? Sergeant Trees yes trees and apart from trees? I dont know. Sergeant Close your eyes Conjure up a wood walk in it look about you what do you see? The wind. Sergeant What else? What do you see look hard what do you see now? Badgers. Sergeant Badgers yes and what else? Nothing, Sir. Sergeant Exactly nothing. Nothing. Nothing.

What does nothing look like? Nothing. Sergeant No. Nothing looks like something what? Darkness. Sergeant Thats it good lad. The forests made of trees and in between the trees the darkness. Its not the something of it that fools the eyes but the nothing in between.

All of you get on your knees, dig your hands into the bog water smear your faces with black mud well make a forest of you yet come on! Preparations continue. Lord Siwards coming, Sir. Sergeant Stand ready. The boys become a forest. Siward enters with Osborn, his son, beside him, and
Macduff. Sergeant Lord Siward, Macduff, Lord Osborn.

May I present Birnam Wood. A forest, birds sing, trees move in the breeze, shadows.Siward and his son walk through the forest. Siward Look, Osborn. A forest of English yew, each branch of which can bend and twist but when it is knotted together in a thicket it is impenetrable a sword cuts one branch and another springs up to take its place. Here Take a branch. Put mud on your face, Take my sword.

If these boys are old enough to fight then so are you. Siward gives Osborn his sword. Tomorrow before the suns up well surround the tyrant. Hell wipe the sleep from his eyes and find himself not in his bed in his castle but deep in the middle of the wild wood with an English spear at his throat. The sun sets. Sentries are killed. The English overwhelm the castle. * A room in the castle. A bed.A Scottish Soldier fires arrows from a vantage point ontothe battle outside. He speaks to someone whom we cannot see; he speaks in Gaelic.Scottish Soldier [This is your last chance. He speaks to someone whom we cannot see; he speaks in Gaelic.Scottish Soldier [This is your last chance.

Go now.] Gruach and the Boy emerge from the shadows.Gruach kisses the Boy. [Go now. Run. Run.]
The Boy runs out of the room. Gruach looks at the battle out of the window. The Scottish Soldier runs out of arrows. [Its too late. [Its too late.

Theyve taken the door.]
Outside the door they hear the shouts of the EnglishSoldiers. [Hide yourself.] Gruach [No.] Scottish Soldier [Theyll kill you.] English voices outside. Clear. Clear. Clear. Gruach hides herself. Hold on. Hold on.

Stand back. The Scottish Soldier prepares himself for the assault.He holds a knife. English Soldiers break down the door.They are bloody from the fight. A moment of looking between them. The Scottish Soldier attacks the Soldiers. A Soldier holds him. A Soldier holds him.

He cut my leg. Fuck. Ayah.
A Soldier cuts the Scottish Soldiers throat.The Scottish Soldier dies. Clear. Clear. The Soldiers having established clarity rest. One looks out of a window. One looks out of a window.

He was firing from here. He could see right over the courtyard. He could just pick a target. Look at them. There must be twelve men dead down out there. Hed have got more if he hadnt run out of arrows.

He ran out of arrows? Look. Why did he fight? Why didnt he just surrender? He knew wed kill him either way. They examine the dead mans bow. Its small. I had one like this when I was a kid. He had a good eye.

Check the hall. Soldiers exit to check other parts of the castle.The room is empty apart from the body of the man.From off: Clear! Safe! All clear! Gruach emerges from the shadows.She makes for the door.She hears a man outside groaning, clanking witharmour. She returns to her hiding place. Egham enters.He has an arrow in his arm.It hurts. He sees the dead Scottish Soldier. He kicks him. Ow. Ow.

Scottish fucking bastard. Ah ah ah ah. Egham sits on the bed. Lads! Lads! Lads! Egham tries to stand.Egham slumps. A moment. The other Soldiers return.

This towers safe. What now? Theres still fighting. Weve done our share. Rest. Egham groans. Christ.

Whos that? Egham. Egham? Lord Egham of Egham. Is he one of ours? Yes. Is he dead? Hes breathing. Lets see. Sir. Sir. Sir. Egham Lads Sir. Egham Its my arm. Egham Its my arm.

The pain is very bad. Give him a drink and well pull the arrow out. Egham No! No! Sir, its best if we pull it out. Egham I want the surgeon. The longer its in, Sir, the longer its sore. Egham I will wait for the surgeon.

All right, Sir only theres a few hundred boys lying
dying on the field out there arms and legs and all sorts
cut. It might be a while before the surgeon comes. Egham Im tired. I feel tired beyond words. Wake me when the surgeon comes. Egham slumps again.

What shall we do with him? He looks very pale. Leave him. The Soldiers sit. Whats happening out there? Looks like things are coming to an end. Shouldnt we go out there and help? Weve done enough. Enough? Look out there.