INTRO: (SE: Nature) At Nature) At the midpoint of the journey of life, I found myself in a dark forest, for the clear path was lost. Several times upon my journey home, I had sensed an unseen rider trailing my steed yet when I approached the rider vanished leaving no trace I feared this figure as an evil omen all my life I’ve known such signs and portents, and at the ris e of the hill I saw a spotted leopard, all teeth and fury, at the sight of these beasts my heart sank, I sensed danger not for myself but for my beloved Beatrice. (SE: Nature Ends) (SE: Leopard) Dante: away demons! Dante in his mind: I drove my steed on, racing for my father’s villa and Beatrice.. nothing in this world meant more to me than she. (OPEN CURTAINS) Flashback: Beatrice: You were right Dante, truly this is a divine place paradise on earth. Dante: Beatrice, will you take my hand in marriage? Under God and all that is holy? Beatrice: Dante I will not marry you only to see you dead in this crusade. Dante: Jerusalem must be make christian once more, God is with us, we cannot fail. (HUGS) (CLOSE CURTAINS) (SE: Horse striding) Dante in his mind: (driving) through 3 years of war and horror, my love for beatrice and home make me grew stronger, ha only grew stronger. As I came upon the family estate, I found all unnaturally dark. (OPEN CURTAINS) (SE: Horror) Dante: Huh. the servants, all butchered Dante: father? Oh father (sad) Beatrice!!! Lord, Let her be alive!!! Break into the room, he saw a bed full of blood. Dante: in the name of God,, where is? Oh no, no, no!!! (CLOSE CURTAINS) (OPEN CURTAINS) Dante: Beloved! Are you alright? Beatrice: mumurs.. Dante: Beatrice.. [crying, lifts beatrice into her chest] Beatrice: is it you? Or a dream? Dante: who did this to you? Beatrice: I know not, a s tranger, a foreigner, do you remember that night? Before you left? What we said? Dante: I remember.. Beatrice: Did you? Did you betray me?
Dante: Never! [crying] Beatrice died. (CLOSE CURTAINS) (SE: Horror until curtain closed) (OPEN CURTAINS) Dante: what is this? God in heaven (Dead people are holding Dante) Beatrice soul: what? Dante! Evil: she is mine! Dante: NO!! Evil: I have come to take what was promised me. A soul meant for heaven, Beatrice soul: it can’t be true; Dante would never betray me, Evil: evil laugh Dante: Beatrice!! Release her devil (LIGHTS OFF) (CLOSE CURTAINS) (Dante outside the curtain) (SE: Horror) Beatrice soul: Dante!! Help me!! Evil: laugh Dante: NO!!!!! Dante: this will not stop me, nothing will stop me. Evil: come in me mortal if you have the courage Dante: Beatrice you will not keep me from my beloved, [fighting the dead ones] Beatrice soul: Dante you lied to me, I trusted you, you’ve got to save me, Dante!! Dante: I’m coming for you, I won’t let him hurt you . Beatrice!! The door closes Dante keeps on knocking the door, Grip by the hands of the dead (SE: People Crying) Dead ones: martyr You lost her Martyr You lied to her You lost her Never will you know her flesh again Never will you know her love Her sin Martyr
You lost her Her desire You lied to her Your sins Never will you know her flesh again Your sins Never will you know her flesh again You are bound Martyr You lied to her Martyr Martyr
Dante: Why Lord? Why are you doing this? Virgil: It is not the Lord that brought you to this fate Dante, Dante: what are you? shade or living man? Virgil: Not man, though, once I was, I lived under Augustus on the time of the false and lying gods, Dante: are you not Virgil? Glory of the poets? He who wrote aeneid, the treasure of Rome, Virgil: why do you seek such woe, Dante? Dante: I seek only my beloved Beatrice and nothing more, but I cannot open this accursed gates [using his sword trying to open the gates] Virgil: have you lost all faith in God, O man has the way been so obscured? Keep his sword and race a crucifix, Dante: Heavenly father, if only one soul should be saved, please let it be Beatrice.. Once again, opens the door with his hands.. Beatrice: help! Help! Help [Dante continuously opening the gates] (LIGHTS OFF)
The arrival (OPEN CURTAINS) Dante: what did Beatrice do to deserve such a monstrous fate? Virgil: she made a wager with Lucifer to see your safe return, she lost, Dante: wager? What wager? Virgil: Lucifer bet that you will betray her love Dante: I never betrayed her Virgil: you only deceive, yourself, mortal, (CLOSED CURTAINS)
(OPEN CURTAINS) Flashback: night with Dante and Beatrice Dante: by all that is holy, I vow to forsake of all pleasures of the flesh until I return from this noble crusade Beatrice: I gave myself to you. Because I know you’ll be faithful, to our love . Take this, it is a true relic said to contain the thorn from the crown of Christ . You should bring this back to me. (Closed CURTAINS) (OPEN CURTAINS) Dante: great Virgil lead me in the inferno, I beg you, please, I must save Beatrice even if it means my death, Virgil: I will guide you but you must put aside all division of spirit, and gather your soul against all fear, Dante: I fear nothing Virgil: then proceed (Closed CURTAINS) Virgil: we will now go to the first circle LIMBO, 9 circles compromise inferno, when Lucifer residing in the lowest Horrifying yes, there are more damned in hell than liberated paradise.
1st circle - Limbo (OPEN CURTAINS) Virgil: Beyond Limbo is the fallen king Minos, judge of the damned. But for those who remain in Limbo, the rest shall be sentenced to the circle below. Dante: And who remains in Limbo? Virgil: here suffer for those who did not sin, yet did not have the required portal of our faith. Their punishment is the denial of paradise. Dante: has any soul past through here, who was, afterwards, saved? Virgil: I once saw the Mighty One, crowned with victory. Take from there the shade of our first parent of his son, Abel, of Abraham, and others. Like before these, no soul was ever saved. Dante: I saw a fire that overcame the half-world of darkness. (SE: Babies crying) Virgil: The unblessed infants. Baptism they did not have. The one gate to the true faith was never shown to these newborn souls. Limbo shows no mercy for these babies. (CLOSED CURTAINS)
2nd Circle (lust) (OPEN CURTAINS) Virgil: Men who lusts opposite sex are the first men to be truly punished in hell. You see souls are blown about sensuality. People who symbolize the power of lust and became needlessly here in hell,. Go see for yourself. Dante: you’re not coming? Virgil: this is you fight. So go on. Dante: Virgil… (Girl’s chatting) Dante: franceska? Helen? All of you here. (girl’s laughing) Franceska: no. close your eyes and you will see the real me. Dante: oh! Francesca… my love. (hugs franceska) Franceska: it’s been a long time, you’re pretty and amazing. I think I really need to kiss you and be with me in this forever Dante: no! I need to find a way to get out of this place. Franceska: haha. Stop making me laugh. This place is wonderful, full of lust. We could live and be happy heure forever. Dante: but, Franceska: no buts, hahahahahahaha Franceska: paolo Dante: I’m not paol’o are you insane? Franceska: what are you saying my love, if you’re not paolo then who are you? look at the mirror. Dante: oh my God! I’m not paolo. I’m Dante. Franceska: but I love you! you love me too right? What are you talking about? I know I betrayed my husband to be with you paolo, dante is just.. Oh, no stop I only gave myself to him to save my husband. Are we fighting again? Please my love, you know it was always you.. Dante: franceska this is all wrong.. Franceska: but I love you! you love me too right? Dante: no! franceska, I don’t Franceska: what do you mean? Dante: I don’t love you franceska! What we are doing is a big mistake. Franceska: you said you love me? But you love me rightand I love you Dante: what you feel isn’t love it’s just pure lust. We’re commiting adultery franceska, wake up from reality franceska: no.. no… noo. Ahhh.. I know you love me. Kiss me. Kiss me dant e. Beatrice: my love, help me, help me. Dante: NO Franceska: I loved you. you must be mine ahhhh….. (CLOSED CURTAINS)
3rd circle (gluttony) (OPEN CURTAINS) Virgil: Cerberus friend shall we enter the gate you’re guarding? Cerberus: virgil, I’m telling you these people have abandoned thinking about follow folks. Now they’re as cold as winter, even colder. This is gluttony my friend, reveals the true nature of sensuality. Welcome to the real face of gluttony. Dante: real face of gluttony? What do you mean? Cerberus: you will see what I mean dante. Dante: dante? How did you know my name? Cerberus: I just know… (dante entering seeing people over eating, over drinking and over laughing.) Dante: why is everybody seems to be addicted over something ( will look at women over eating sweets and foods) like foods and drinks. ( will look over with people drinking wine) Virgil: dante, this is the real face of gluttony, behind the ice cold face is the sensuality that causes addiction. Dante: you mean this is real face of gluttony? It’s real sense? Virgil: yes it is. Woman: sir, let’s eat the food is so delicious Dante: you seem to be over indulged with all your stuffs Woman: why not? We have our lives as frenzy as the ice cold wheather, we are sent in this circle for these why stop? Dante: you see miss everyone who eats too much gets fat. Look at you! Woman: you’re mouth Dante: why miss feeling offended? Didn’t your mother told you to chew and swallow everything in your mouth before speaking? Woman: I’ve got no mom! Nobody wanted me, nobody. I found comfort in food. I found love in them. They will never leave me! All of these stuffs will never me. Dante: miss you think they comfort you in your times of trouble? You think so miss? They never did, except they brought you here, here in this circle. Woman: gluttony had been the shoulder I cried on. And all I have to do is drink, smoke and eat to forget everything. Yes to forget everything, now is it my fault? Dante: all of you don’t really understand. You really don’t (CLOSED CURTAINS)
4th circle – Greed (SE: Souls Screaming) (OPEN CURTAINS) Flashback: Father was counting in his Gold coins, when Dante was young
Father: 48, 49, 50, 51.. what? Where are my last 3 coins? (look at Dante) .. Dante! (Angry) Bella! Bella! Wife: Yes Husband? Father: are you stealing to me woman? Wife: No.. no… I would never do such thing husband… Father: Ggrr! (slapped his wife) tell me where you put my money!!! Tried to hit his wife but Dante restrained him Dante: don’t hit her! …mother… (father pushed him) Father is hitting his mother (CLOSED CURTAINS)
5th circle: anger (SE: Souls Screaming) (OPEN CURTAINS) They arrived in the Fifth circle. Dante: I cannot stand this wretched place Virgil: for we are in the fifth circle, Anger, the very air reeks of fury. Virgil: keep your mind, Dante. Do not dwell on past deeds here. See the souls over whom anger has prevailed. [They see dead people crying with anger in the river of mud] in the black sludge of the river Styx do they wish they had never been born. The fools. It is here we must cross. Dante and Virgil Walking (Dead prisoner’s trying to touch Dante) (CLOSED CURTAINS)
6th circle - heresy (OPEN CURTAINS) Dante: What is this place? Virgil: The tombs of heresy. Here in the sixth circle you will find endless heretics burning in eternal fire. Farinata: O Tuscan, who walks through this place speaking so decorously, know that I am Farinata. Dante: Farinata, another hated man in life. What do you want, spirit? Farinata: know this. The damned can foresee the future but can never know the present. Your future, dante, is filled with death and destruction. Beatrice will marry Lucifer and reign hell, and you will be damned with us forever. Dante stab farinata’s eyes with his cross, farinata cried for pain and burned to death. Dante: I never liked him. Dante: what’s happening? Virgil: the harrowing of hell. Christ’s death forever quakes this circle. We must hurry. (CLOSED CURTAINS)
(Red light) (OPEN CURTAINS) Beatrice: Let me go. What do you want from me? Lucifer: I have taken countless brides over the millennia- Cleopatra, Salome, and Helen of Troy. But unlike them, your spirit is pure, unspoiled. Beatrice: I will never succumb to you. Kill me again and again, slit my throat, tear me to pieces, but I will never love you. Lucifer: yes, such passion. You have fire inside you. after we are properly married, you will give me a brood to carry on my legacy. You will be birthing my children for eternity, sweet soul. (CLOSED CURTAINS)
7th circle – violence (OPEN CURTAINS) Dante’s mother: Dante … Dante: this is no forest. Virgil: yes, they are those who did violence to themselves. This is the wood of suicide. Dante’s mother: Dante…… Dante run to the voice Virgil: no, my friend! turn back! Dante’s mother: Come to me, dante. Come to me, dante. Come to me Dante was near a wood and suddenly break the wood, who talked to Him. Dante’s mother: why do you break me? Have you no pity? [dante looked to the wood and saw his mother] Dante: Mother? Dante’s mother: yes son, I too am among damned. Dante: but how can this be? Virgil: when a soul takes its own life, minos judges it to this circle. Her it sprouts, shoots up like a sapling. No body, only pain. Dante: no mother you don’t belong here. You died of fever. Dante’s mother: I despised you father’s cruelty, but I was too weak to defy him. and so, I… I took my… [dante is crying] you learned your father’s ways, but you are not lost. You can redeem yourself. Dante: Beatrice was all I had. How could I betray her? Dante’s mother: the pain you endure purifies you, son. Heed my words. You must look into your deepest sin to save her. Dante: and what of you? Dante’s mother: only living can redeem themselves. I cannot. Dante: this too cruel a punishment for you , mother. God must know this is not your fault. I’m going to free you. Dante will free his mother… he draws the cross in front of his mother, the cross light up, dante’s mother breaks from the wood that cover hers.
Dante’s mother: my soul belongs to God now, son. Dante’s mother’s soul leaves and ascended to heaven. Dante is crying. Dante walks back to virgil. Dante: we are still in the seventh circle? Virgil: yes, the abominable sands. It is here the damned did violence against God. (CLOSED CURTAINS)
8th circle – Fraud (SE: WATER FLOWING) Virgil: This is the union of the 3 great rivers of hell (OPEN CURTAINS) Flashback: in jail Dante: release that man, Franceska already paid his ransom. Prisoner: My ransom? No! you ashamed me. You’re not my wife! You bastard! I’ll kill you! His wife just looked at him and eventually followed Dante. The prisoner tried to chase his wife but the guard hit him. (CLOSED CURTAINS) One night a man broke into Dante’s house, while Beatrice and his father were eating. The man killed Dante’s father and he chased Beatrice. (OPEN CURTAINS) (SE: HOrror) Beatrice: Stay away from me. Man: there is no escape for you. Beatrice: No………… (LIGHTS OFF) (CLOSED CURTAINS) (OPEN CURTAINS) Dante: it was all my fault Virgil: Now you know that you are the cause of Beatrice suffering and same as the others. (RED LIGHT) Beatrice : When you had your way to that girl, you gave me to Lucifer. It’s all because of you.” Dante screamed: NO!!! Beatrice hit dante Beatrice [devil]: this where you belong, dante. You are the greatest fraud of all. You lied to me, you deceived me, and for that you shall suffer. Dante: Beatrice don’t do this. Beatrice [devil]: you never loved me. It was all a lie, all of it… our whole l ife. Dante: Beatrice, listen to me. I braved the circles of hell for you.
Beatrice [devil]: you mean nothing to me. Dante: but I have faced my sins. I am ready to take you home. Beatrice [devil]: Faced your sins? Look down, dante. Look deep into the ninth circle… the circle of traitors. Dante: I wanted nothing more than to see you and beg for forgiveness. Beatrice devil: I will never forgive what you’ve done, never. Dante: but while I live, I can absolve you. forgive me, and free yourself. [he draws the cross in front of her] Beatrice devil: my cross. Dante: I brought it back to you. accept again the love of God. (NORMAL LIGHT) Beatrice: dante,I forgive you. Dante: I never wanted any harm to come to you. An angel came down from heaven… Virgil: you have done well, my friend. and tough you may not understand it now, dante, you have perhaps saved far more than just one innocent soul. Beatrice and the angel ascended to heaven… Dante: wait. I can’t be separated from her now. I’ve come this far. Virgil: you cannot claim a place with her yet, dante. You have to face the true enemy, in the lowest part of the ninth circle… the circle of the traitors. There, you must face the king of traitors, Lucifer himself. He guards your only escape from the inferno. Beatrice: we shall be united someday. I promise. Dante: Goodbye my love Virgil: this is the last trial. It’s for you alone. God speed my friend. Dante: very well Lucifer. I will make you pay for her sufferings. I’m coming for you. [he jumped down to the last circle] (CLOSED CURTAINS) (SE: Horror)
9th and Last circle - treachery [traitors] Dante: I fell, not into the fire, but into the vast, frozen wasteland. The very centre of hell, furthest place in all of creation, from the divine light of God. Treachery, the ninth circle of the inferno. I walked through the darkness, numb with bitter cold. All about me were forsaken, frozen souls of deceivers and traitors. (OPEN CURTAINS) Lady in the ice: who are you to walk the paths of hell so warmly, o living man? Dante: damned soul, where is Lucifer? Tell me, before I too freeze in this miserable hell.
Lady in the ice: wipe the icy tears from my eyes, and I shall tell you. [he wipes the tears]the lord of hell dwells at the centre of this frozen lake. Past the storms of ptolomea, deep in the centre pit Judecca, there his icy halls are well protected, and none but the mightiest may cleave a path. But can you believe me? Can you believe a traitor? (CLOSED CURTAINS) Dante: long did I wander the dim and icy paths of hell. Past the frozen giants of legend… nimrod, ephialtes and antaeus. I was battered by a frigid wind that was like the beating of lucifer’s black wings. Finally, after a seeming eternity, I came t o a passage blocked by the frozen links of a mighty chain. Lucifer thinks he can block my way with this? He thinks he can stay my vengeance? (OPEN CURTAINS) (RED LIGHT) and (SE: Horror) Lucifer: welcome, great dante. Welcome to your final resting place, the circle of traitors. Dante: Lucifer, I have come to escaope this hell so that I may be reunited with my beloved, but not before I rid the world with your corruption. Lucifer: you will never see Beatrice again. The path to purgatory lies through me. You are the warrior of a weak and dying God, a God who is the true evil. His power wanes over the world. Dante: silence. Your lies have no power over me, devil. I will rend the very so ul from your frozen body. Lucifer: indignant fool. Come let me devour your soul as I devou red judas Iscariot. You will remain in this pit until creation’s last breath, do you hear? Dante: never! You are not invincible here. You are just another demon, and, like any fallen, you can be destroyed. Dante stab Lucifer in the shoulders. Lucifer: you cannot destroy me! [bleeds] what you have done to me? Dante: I have slain you, great beast. Victory is mine. {Something happened to Lucifer…} what’s this? NO. Lucifer: thank you, dante. I am very impressed. Many have tried, but all have failed me. Ulysses, Alexander, atilla, lancelot… truly, you are the greatest of all my minions. Dante: Minion? I do not serve you. speak without your forked tongue, serpent! Lucifer: do you not? You freed me from my eternal torment. Dante: I came only for Beatrice. Lucifer: Beatrice? She was only bait. It was you I wanted all along. Don’t you see? I was bound by God in this frozen pit, only my shadow self allowed to roam free. It took a mortal to release me- you, dante. Dante: no, it isn’t true! I defeated you before. Show me the path from hell, or I will end your miserable existence. Lucifer: destroy an angel of God? You arrogant gnat. Such vanity, such pride. I could have slain you the moment you fell into the hell. Fight scene Lucifer: you worship God, but it was He who created evil. It was he who created me. If you knew the true nature of God, dante, you too would rebel. Dante: No!
Lucifer: you are nothing to me. A talking animal. He made you in his image… and I was to bow down to you.. [continues fighting] I grow weary of this game. Finally, I will reclaim my proper place in heaven. Behold, dante. Beyond the inferno lie s purgatory, where awaits your precious Beatrice. But instead of you I shall escape from this pit. All the souls in purgatory shall suffer and burn. And beyond purgatory, paradise itself. I will plunge the cosmos into chaos, and it is all your doing, dante. Because of you, God will finally see me rule His creation. Dante: No, I cannot be the cause of this. Lucifer: there is nothing you can do to stop me, mortal. No one can stop me. Dante: One can. [dante prayed] almighty God, forgive me for all of my wicked sins. I forsake my escape. I give up even Beatrice. I belong here, in hell, and accept my just damnation. Lucifer: what are you doing? A repentant soul in judecca? Stop! Do not utter a word! Dante:[ while holding a lighted cross] but grant me the power to keep your enemy here with me. [the cross in his chest also light up] stop. I command you. Lucifer: NO!!! Lucifer once again froze. (Normal Light) Dante sees the way to purgatory. Dante: purgatory. (CLOSED CURTAINS) Dante escapes from hell. And arrive at the purgatory. Dante: Beatrice. I will come to you yet. Beatrice soul: my love, I have forgiven you. God will forgive you. Now forgive yourself. Dante removed the cross in his chest. Dante: I fought across Earth and hell to find my beloved Beatrice. We were together neither, in hell nor in paradise, neither damned nor saved. I did not die, I did not live.
End
