SHAKES' PEERS (Working Title)

SHX.PYR

by
Larry Nehring

First Draft
L. Nehring, February 2011

Larry Nehring
1342 Beach Pkwy.
Apt. #1
Lakewood, OH 44107
LNehring@aol.com
216.965.8409
 SCENE 1 ANNE’S CHAM BERS AUGUST 1623 HER FINAL NIGHT ALIVE

The bedchamber of a large house in Stratford. Two men,

Heminges and Condell enter the room.

HEM INGES
Why are we here? We have everything we need.

CONDELL
But she still has more. She must have all of his notes, drafts. M ore than we have, surely.

HEM INGES
But we have enough. Its ready for printing.

CONDELL
And out of respect we have given her the opportunity to look it over and advise us.

HEM INGES
What could she possibly know about his writing? She was only his wife!

CONDELL
Only?

HEM INGES
Well he spent all of his time in London. She couldn’t have been much to him or he would
have been here.

CONDELL
Did you actually know Will at all?

HEM INGES
Very well. Yes. As much as anyone. Better than you, no doubt.

CONDELL
Where do you think he disappeared to all those times?

HEM INGES
All those times when?

CONDELL
When he disappeared.
 2.

HEM INGES
Well, we all disappear, especially the married members of the company.

CONDELL
He came here and always returned with new pages, new inspiration, new roles for us all.

HEM INGES
He visited his wife?

CONDELL
Yes.

HEM INGES
Well, that’s a disappointment.

An aged Anne enters. Her body might be weak but her

mind is still sharp.

ANNE
It certainly wasn’t for me.

HEM INGES
I meant no disrespect.

ANNE
And none was taken. That was precisely the reason why so few people knew when he
would visit me. A domesticated artist is rather like a gelding.

CONDELL
And the upstart crow is more attractive than a swan of Avon?

ANNE
Who wants to read a play by a Puritan? Bad boys bring in the groundlings.

CONDELL
M rs. Shakespeare--

ANNE
Please, dear, I never really got on with her so I would prefer to be called just Anne.
 3.

CONDELL
Never “just.” Will would never accept “just” before your name.

ANNE
You have done him a great service with your book.

HEM INGES
We are ready to begin printing it tomorrow.

CONDELL
Or whenever you feel it is ready.

HEM INGES
You do think it is ready, don’t you?

ANNE
It is organized well. Comedies, Histories, Tragedies, but why are there no Romances?

HEM INGES
Romances?

ANNE
Cymbeline, his Winter’s Tale, even Love’s Labour’s Lost? Hardly either Comedies or
Tragedies.

CONDELL
We though simplicity preferable.

HEM INGES
And when a King dies its generally considered Tragic.

The ghost of the young Will Shakespeare enters the

scene, unseen by the men.

ANNE
Some of his titles.... I never did understand why you chose to name Cymbeline after the
father. And a standalone play, M ercutio, would have been an outstanding story.

WILL
Without those troublesome lovers?

CONDELL
Very true. Perhaps you should write that script for us.
 4.

ANNE
Heavens no. A woman writing plays? Would even you give it any consideration?

HEM INGES
What a ridiculous thought! A woman playwright? Ha!

WILL
Prick.

CONDELL
If it were the widow of the Bard of Avon I am sure it would merit consideration.

HEM INGES
Right. That is what I meant to say.

WILL
Ever the toady. At his age he should have some sense.

ANNE
You would assume it was my husband’s work. As you should.

WILL
As they always did.

CONDELL
You have suggestions for us?

ANNE
I do.

WILL
They are not going to like this.

ANNE
They will not.

CONDELL
Not what?

ANNE
They will not be simple. There are passages which are incorrect, many repeated from
other plays, and you are missing whole scenes--
 5.

HEM INGES
Impossible. We are working from the prompt scripts we have used for years.

ANNE
And, of course, if it has been done for years it couldn’t possibly be wrong.

CONDELL
Can you tell us what is missing. We shall add it if we have the lines readily available.

ANNE
In Hamlet the Norwegian captain scene. Its as absent as Ophelia’s mother.

WILL
I knew you would bring her up again.

HEM INGES
We never had a mother for her.

ANNE
I know, and I said it was a mistake.

WILL
It was too long as it is! We just kept adding speeches for the damned Prince to mutter.

ANNE
But there is an obvious hole in the play.

WILL
What could she possibly add that Polonius could not?

ANNE
Imagine the willow speech coming from her own mother.

WILL
And you were right, but what could I do? Signora Leonata was brilliant and heart
wrenching but so hard to find a boy who could pull it off without giggling. Girls? I had
boys to play them. Old crones? I had boys for those too. Wenches, villainesses, foolish
milkmaids? Boys. But honest ladies and virtuous mothers? Nearly impossible.
 6.

ANNE
But he knew the stage and his actors. He was in London with the audiences. He knew
what worked better than I ever could. Would you agree?

CONDELL
Sadly, I would not know. Whatever words you whispered in his ear seemed to invigorate
him. His pages were always brilliant.

HEM INGES
And never anything scratched out.

WILL
You made me waste half my life copying pages so they would never see any of your
handwriting.

ANNE
It was the best way.

WILL
You and your pride.

ANNE
An air of mystique.

CONDELL
Still makes Ben Jonson rant like madman. “How the hell did he do it?! I can’t write a
bloody stanza without crossing out--” Begging your pardon.

ANNE
Please, never edit yourself on my behalf. I was married to William, if you remember.

CONDELL
Yes, he did relish the colorful words and phrases.

HEM INGES
We left those out as well.

WILL
Bastards! Don’t remind me!

ANNE
A wise decision.
 7.

WILL
Fine, side with the Puritans.

ANNE
You did leave my favorite in, which pleased me.

CONDELL
Did we?

WILL
I didn’t see any! Where?

ANNE
Twelfth Night. M alvolio’s letter?

HEM INGES
We can’t print profanity.

CONDELL
I need to make sure.

WILL
Find the damn page, Henry!

CONDELL
Here.

ANNE
I placed a mark beside it.

CONDELL
Her C’s, her U’s, and her T’s?

WILL
Fantastic!

HEM INGES
I don’t get it.

WILL
No surprise there.
 8.

CONDELL
And neither will anyone else.

ANNE
You were worried?

CONDELL
If this is not done correctly William Shakespeare might be as forgotten as M enander.

HEM INGES
Who?

ANNE
“Whom the gods love die young.”

WILL
Still on the tip of your tongue.

CONDELL
You know his works?

ANNE
William read me some fragments he had found.

WILL
M e? It was you who showed them to me!

ANNE
There was one favorite term, which he could never use on stage.

WILL
Don’t say it!

ANNE
Skatophagos. He loved that word.

WILL
No no no! Now you’ll have to explain.

HEM INGES
I don’t understand.
 9.

ANNE
That’s okay, it suits you well. Here are my notes so far. But I shall need a few more
days, I’m afraid.

HEM INGES
We need to get back to London tonight.

CONDELL
Take as much time as you need. We want this to be the way Will would have wanted it.

WILL
I would have wanted it done while I was alive and we could make use of the profits.

ANNE
I shall be as expedient as I am able.

HEM INGES
Henry!

CONDELL
John!

ANNE
You have your reasons. I understand. I need to give a closer read to a few pages, but on
the whole I am sure my husband is proud.

WILL
Her C’s, her U’s, and her T’s. We were a good team.

ANNE
Of something, at least. Now if you will excuse me, I will have my evening meal and get
right to work.

CONDELL
Of course. We will call on you tomorrow.

HEM INGES
When the cock crows expect us.

WILL
I’ll crow his cock! (to Heminges) You skatophagos!
 10.

ANNE
Will!

CONDELL
M a’am?

ANNE
Will you join me for lunch? I rarely receive guests for my morning meal.

CONDELL
Of course. Good night.

HEM INGES
Night.

Heminges and Condell exit.

WILL
I should have punched him in the mouth.

ANNE
You could have done no such thing. You are such stuff as dreams are made on, are you
not?

WILL
Was I what your dreams were made on?

ANNE
And a few nightmares. Now help me get these pages done so that your friends can get
your volume printed and then you shall be immortal.

WILL
All my life and what will I have to show for it? A book of plays and a T added to my
description.

ANNE
You were not “immoral”, no matter how hard you tried.

WILL
I was a bit.
 11.

ANNE
So was I. A spinster seducing a teenager? It was just not done.

WILL
Scandalous! You ruined my virtue.

ANNE
It was your own fault. You sent me poems first.

WILL
One or two, mostly stolen from Ovid. And you never responded.

ANNE
M y father found them before I could determine the author! M other spirited them away
before he could burn them but it took time do figure out who they were from.

WILL
Well i had given up on you.

ANNE
And yet you criticize Gertrude for being inconstant.

WILL
A year is a lifetime to a sixteen year old boy.

ANNE
It is a bit difficult to be the aggressor when you wear a dress and are caring for a farm and
younger siblings

WILL
Excuses, excuses.

ANNE
Boys, more ficle than girls, i warrant.

WILL
All boys pine for some older woman.An older sister of a friend, even someone’s mother.
James longed for my mother, for some reason. “Yes, M rs Shakespeare. M y you look
lovely today, M rs Shakespeare.”
 12.

ANNE
And I was your M rs Shakespeare?

WILL
Eventually.

ANNE
Then it all worked out for the best. I was certainly not the first to take a younger
husband. Behind closed doors even the parish widows would pat my shoulder and say
“well done”.

WILL
They wouldn’t if they knew how you did it.

ANNE
No matter the course so long as the destination is reached.

WILL
M ade me think i was in love with a man. I should neve have forgiven you for that.

ANNE
You loved that first kiss, boy, and don’t you forget it.

WILL
When you remind me every chance you get? Impossible. But it was those poems. They
were so moving and so passionate. Just reading them moved me so much.

The lights change and we are now in the Stratford Pub.