quote from an imaginary play by an imaginary playwright

[truepenny]

I'm reading F. W. Deakin's The Brutal Friendship: Mussolini, Hitler, and the Fall of Italian Fascism (1962), and for some reason a minor exchange Deakin mentions between the King of Italy and one of his marshals insists on being rewritten in iambic pentameter, as if it were a quote from some time-traveling Elizabethan playwright*:

VICTOR EMMANUEL: The old guard . . . ghosts, all of them.
BADOGLIO: Then we, sir, we two are also ghosts.

--The Fall of Mussolini

If anyone wants to do anything with this, you may consider yourself to have my blessing. Because I'm not ABOUT to write a five-act blank verse tragedy about Mussolini--despite the sudden, ridiculous temptation of writing the Hitler scenes.

---
*This is oddly appropriate, since February 26 was the day of Christopher Marlowe's baptism in 1564, and in matociquala's excellent story, "This Tragic Glass," Marlowe is exactly that: a time-traveling Elizabethan playwright. Happy approximate birthday, Kit, and next time, just pay for the fucking fish, all right?

Comments

[coffeeem.livejournal.com]

Damn, I'd read that play.

[truepenny.livejournal.com]

Don't encourage me! :)

[marycatelli]

It doesn't have to be about Mussolini, after all -- one can imagine a lot of contexts where it's appropriate.

[heresluck]

I love your brain.

[kitgordon.livejournal.com]

I'm currently working as dramaturg on a production of Marlowe's Dido, Queen of Carthage (with Theatre Pro Rata; opens March 5 here in Minneapolis) and we celebrated Kit's baptismal anniversary as well as our stage manager's birthday at rehearsal. Has Bear's play been published? I'd love to read it since I'm a Marlowe geek.

torn

[(Anonymous)]

between really wanting to read "The Fall of Mussolini" and thinking he doesn't deserve a tragedy.
~maya~

Re: torn

[kitgordon.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the link to This Tragic Glass, Maya. I have read the two novels, and think they're terrific.