Home is the Hunter (12 page)

You did mention nine others, who seem to have a part-interest in this too. Shouldn’t you at least appear to consult them? Clia, will you step into the yard and inform—

ERYX

(Speaking to
CLIA
as
MELAS
turns on
HOMER
)

You’ll find them at the stables. Tell them that Penelope’s little comedy is over. Bring them here. We’ll make her choice for her.

PENELOPE

(Suddenly appearing from her doorway. She pauses at the top of the steps, watching
HOMER
standing his ground as
MELAS
and
ERYX
advance on him.
PENELOPE
is carefully dressed in green, in a chiffon robe of flowing grace. There are jewels in her high-coiled hair. She has never looked more beautiful. But for one moment, too, she looks a little frightened. Then the goddess
ATHENA
emerges from the wall and stands on the dais near
PENELOPE
.
PENELOPE
recovers herself.)

Will you, indeed? That was not the bargain we made.

ERYX

(Swinging round, along with
MELAS
, to see
PENELOPE
on the dais)

You broke the bargain.

PENELOPE

I? I broke my word?

MELAS

You ripped out that embroidery as fast as you stitched it.

PENELOPE

But—but—I
never
made any promise
not
to rip it out.

ATHENA

(Relaxes and smiles)

Not bad, not bad at all. But be careful, Penelope, careful!

(
HOMER
is laughing now; and
ERYX
and
MELAS
look at each other.)

PENELOPE

And haven’t you broken your promise to keep out of this Hall for two hours each afternoon, so that I can walk in peace?

(
ERYX
and
MELAS
exchange a second stare.)

ERYX

Look here—who’s questioning whom?

PENELOPE

Please don’t shout. After all, there is only one more day before I make my choice, so why annoy me?... You see, I admit you’ve won.

HOMER

(Shocked)

Penelope!

MELAS

(Going toward her)

In that case, why not choose now?

(His voice is gentle; his smile is charming.)

PENELOPE

A personal choice would be—invidious. Certainly difficult. Perhaps even a little dangerous. I’ve a better idea: I choose a
contest
in which you will all have an equal chance. That’s fair, isn’t it?

ERYX

(Delighted)

We’ll choose the contest.

PENELOPE

(Sweetly)

But can you? Can you agree on the choice of weapons?

(She watches
ERYX
and
MELAS
exchange looks.)

Then that’s settled—I’ll announce the contest tomorrow night.

ERYX

You’ll do it
now.

MELAS

Yes,
now.

ATHENA

I
told
you to be careful... Oh, why don’t you look at the doorway?

PENELOPE

(Coming down the steps)

But I—I first must go to Athena’s altar, and offer her some flowers, and a prayer... You know how cross she can get, if things aren’t done properly.

ATHENA

Well, really!

ERYX

No more delays, Penelope. It’s now. Or never.

(He and
MELAS
take a quick step to intercept
penelope
as she hurries toward the door. She now can see the beggar, and halts suddenly.
ATHENA
folds her arms and leans against a wall. No one, of course, is aware of her physically. She stands there, seeing but unseen.)

PENELOPE

Who—who’s this?

ERYX

(Sarcastically)

A beggar, I believe.

ULYSSES

(Takes a step forward humbly, touching his hat)

Asking your help, lady. Some food, a place to sleep.

PENELOPE

(In a low voice)

Oh, Clia!

CLIA

(Apologetically)

I haven’t had time to welcome him properly. At first, I didn’t see him, and then when I did, you came into the Hall, and—

ERYX

That’s right! Change the subject.

MELAS

Oh no, she doesn’t!

(Roughly, to
PENELOPE
)

Announce the contest.

PENELOPE

(Turning away from the door)

Now?

HOMER

No! Penelope, don’t! Don’t give in!

PENELOPE

(Ignoring
HOMER
,
and smiling to
MELAS
and
ERYX
)

What about the others? Shouldn’t they be here, too?

ERYX

We’ve had enough delay. You tell us; we’ll tell them.

PENELOPE

(Pausing at the foot of the steps)

I said the contest would be fair to all. None of you has ever shot with a great bow, has he?

MELAS

One of those old things our grandfathers used to shoot with? Why, there hasn’t been one of them around in years.

PENELOPE

(Pointing to the unstrung bow that rests on the wall beside the door)

There
is one... I’ll marry the man who can string that bow and shoot an arrow through a hole bored in the head of an axe. We’ll drive the handle of the axe into the earth floor, over there, at the far end of this Hall.

(Now, she points to the back of the auditorium, and everyone on stage turns to look.)

You are all good marksmen. You will all have the same chance. What could be fairer?

ERYX

(Looks at the Great Bow)

So that’s a great bow, is it? I always thought it was some old yoke for a pair of decrepit oxen.

HOMER

(Angrily)

It’s a noble contest—heroic, in fact. Too good for any of you.

(Sadly, to
PENELOPE
)

So you no longer think of yourself as the wife of Odysseus? You feel free to marry one of them?

(He gestures with distaste to
MELAS
and
ERYX
.)

PENELOPE

I’ll marry the man who wins the contest. It will be open to
everyone who is in this Hall
tonight. Except Telemachus, of course—there’s no Oedipus complex in
our
family.

ERYX

See what you could win, Homer?

(He and
MELAS
enjoy this joke, but
HOMER
turns away from
PENELOPE
.)

HOMER

I want no part of this.

(At his bitterness,
PENELOPE
’s head droops. She covers her eyes, and runs toward the door on the dais.
ATHENA
shrugs her shoulders once more, and walks slowly back into the wall.)

ERYX

(As he sees
MELAS
edging over toward the bow)

Hands off!

MELAS

I was only looking.

ERYX

We’ll keep it that way. We’ll go up the Green Mountain and kill some meat. We’ll have a banquet tonight.

MELAS

You’re accepting the contest?

ERYX

We can talk it over with the others. Perhaps we’ll think of a better one, and use that old bow for kindling.

HOMER

Barbarians! Respecters of nothing except your own will-to-power! The history of that bow is—

MELAS

Save your breath and compose a wedding song for Penelope.

ERYX

(To
CLIA
)

Tell her we’ll be back, before the shadow reaches there!

(As he speaks, he gashes a line with a sudden stroke of his spear on the sun-covered threshold. Then he elbows the beggar aside, and
melas
follows him with another shove at the beggar. They hurry out, grimly amused.)

CLIA

(Covering her eyes)

Oh, Penelope!

HOMER

(Goes over to the beggar)

Come in, come in. Don’t judge us by the company we are forced to keep.

CLIA

(Remembering her duties)

Yes, come in, you’re welcome, you really are.

(To
HOMER
)

Oh, what are we going to do?

(To the beggar)

Just go over there by the fire. Yes, there.

(To
HOMER
)

I must go to Penelope. You hurt her. Did you see the way you hurt her?

(To the beggar)

Sit down, sit down. I shan’t be a minute. I haven’t forgotten my manners; it’s just that we’ve a lot of trouble in this house.

(She hurries to the dais. From outside, there is a clatter of horses’ hoofs in the distance, diminishing)

HOMER

I didn’t think my words would hurt Penelope, not this new and different Penelope.

CLIA

(Opening the door to the women’s quarters and halting there for a moment)

Then perhaps she isn’t so different, after all.

HOMER

A woman without faith is a woman without virtue; and a man without loyalty is a man without honour. But tell her—tell her I’m sorry. I did not mean to hurt her in front of everyone.

CLIA

You didn’t?

(She gives a disbelieving laugh, and goes out.)

HOMER

(Staring at the closed door)

Perhaps I did...

(He turns and walks thoughtfully over to the hearth. The beggar is now seated by the fireplace.)

We gave you a poor welcome, I’m afraid. And the advice I’m going to give you now will sound still poorer. Don’t stay! Leave!

ULYSSES

But I’ve just got here.

HOMER

Don’t you understand the situation? This house is occupied territory. Its invaders were too divided to win any complete victory, but—

ULYSSES

Then why worry?

HOMER

Because we are now giving in. We are helping them to win. Don’t you see? They had the power of numbers, and ruthlessness to match. We only had a moral strength.

(
ULYSSES
yawns.)

Ah, I see I am holding your complete interest.

(He looks with distaste at the beggar.)

Let me put it another way—I’m serious about this; stop yawning and listen! As our strength weakens, their power grows. They will come back from the Green Mountain drunk with the sense of victory. So leave now, while you can.

ULYSSES

What’s your stake in this?

HOMER

Why, I’m just a visitor, like you.

ULYSSES

Why don’t you leave, then?

HOMER

I’ve been wondering about that. Perhaps I’ve praised courage so often in my songs, that I’ve sung myself into staying.

(He rubs his head ruefully,
ULYSSES
only settles himself more comfortably on the bench.)

You don’t believe my warning?

ULYSSES

I’ll leave when you leave.

HOMER

Have it your own way. But if you
are
staying, why not be comfortable? Take off your cloak and hat.

ULYSSES

(Pulling his cloak over his legs)