Ulisse

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1

Go now, my ladies.

Go to your rooms.

Do not follow the unfortunate

example of Melanthius

who consorts with these unwelcome

guests in Ulysses' house.

And remember always

that only your lady Penelope

is mistress here.

Go now.

Euryclea! Euryclea!

Just now as the sun

descended into the sea,

a veil of clouds surrounded it.

And all of a sudden

a black shadow

shaped like a billowing sail

covered it completely.

What can this mean, Euryclea?

For years now you have

been desperately seeking

for omens of the return

of Ulysses--

in the flight of the birds,

in the blood of sacrificial offerings,

in the shape of clouds.

Do not torment yourself

like this any longer, Penelope.

But how can I do otherwise?

When the daylight starts

to fade slowly in the sky

and the night and the stars

spread their curtain of silence

and my torment and my sorrow

increase 1000 fold,

sometimes it seems

I can bear it no longer.

Do you hear them?

Those bullies,

my so called suitors,

using their strength

to enter here,

taking advantage of a lonely

and frightened woman

and her young son,

forcing her into a promise

of a hideous wedding.

Do you hear them?

Hear now my song

of the siege of Troy.

Is that the storyteller?

Yes, he is telling the seige of Troy.

And so...

as if despairing

that they could ever take it,

the Greeks departed from Troy

and left behind

in memory of their dead

a giant wooden horse.

Rejoicing, the Trojans

poured out of their walls

to claim the horse

as a token of their victory.

But inside the horse

hid a company of Greeks

commanded by Ulysses.

Get ready now.

Triumphantly, the Trojans

dragged the horse

inside the walls of Troy.

Then while the Trojans were feasting,

Ulysses and his Greeks

crept out of the wooden horse.

They opened up the city gates

and let the Grecian army in.

That night, the city of Troy

was sacked and burned.

That night, the Trojans died

by the hundreds.

Great was Ulysses' triumph,

but greater was his pride.

And in his pride

he sacked the temple

of the Trojan god,

the mighty Neptune,

king of all the seas

and smashed his holy statue.

And for this deed, the Trojan

prophetess Cassandra

laid a curse upon Ulysses.

Cursed be, sacrilegious Greeks.

And to you,

three times cursed Ulysses.

May the wrath of Neptune

descend upon you

and may you never

know peace again.

You will live in exile

and die in the depths of the sea.

Enough!

Enough, Phemius.

Penelope.

Penelope.

- The queen.

- The queen.

Penelope, it has been many months

since you've come to see us.

Sing a different song.

It is much too sad for us

to invoke these

ancient memories.

Not for us, Penelope.

No, we do not live on memories.

Be silent.

Have you no respect for her grief?

If it were at least grief

for one who is really dead,

it might soon come to an end

as it should.

Then you would be able

to choose one of us.

No one knows the fate

of Ulysses.

No one speak of him as dead

or have not seen his body

on a funeral pyre.

You see, Penelope,

even the storyteller

fantasies trouble you.

Inside you there is

still much doubt.

But as for us we are quite certain.

Where is Ulysses? Huh?

In what land

is he held prisoner?

You promised us that you'd

choose one of us for a husband

as soon you finish weaving

your tapestry.

But you've been working

too long on this tapestry

which you started years ago

and which never ends.

That's right.

It's the memory of Ulysses

which prevents me finishing it.

It's my sorrow and tears,

they cloud my eyes.

And so my hands

work slower.

If you would only favor

one of us with your smile.

There is not one among you

to compare with my father.

Are we not men too?

Have we not also

strength and courage

and noble hearts?

You have certainly one thing:

insatiable appetites.

You have taken advantage

of the weakness

of a woman

and her young son

to invade the house

of Ulysses

and squander his wealth

and his flocks.

You have even dared

to force from the queen

her promise to

marry one of you.

By what right

do you judge us, old one?

He speaks the truth.

You have invaded my house.

You have destroyed

my peace here.

You have extracted from me

a promise I did not--

No, it is more than a promise.

It is the destiny of Ithaca which

has been too long without a king.

He is right.

Not one of you

is worthy of the crown.

And so we continue

to have a king made of mist,

a shadow.

The people too

are growing weary, Penelope.

The feelings of my people

are no concern of yours.

You are all strangers

on this island.

I am still the queen here!

And the people of Ithaca

love their queen,

sympathize with her sorrow.

Respect her memories.

You are too selfish with your

beauty, Penelope.

You are much too young

to sleep only with your memories.

I say Ulysses lives

and he will return.

And when he does,

you will all regret having

dared to offend me.

Come, drink, Phemius. Clear

your voice and start your songs again.

I want to hear about

Cassandra once more

and all those wonderful curses.

Leucanthus, Melanthius

and the rest of you, get out!

You bring shame

upon this house.

Get back to your rooms

and stay there.

I'm going to bring an end

to this once and for all.

What makes you think

you can give orders?

- I'm the son of Ulysses.

- You're nothing but a young fool.

All I need is 10 armed men

to drive all of you from this house.

Come now. Come, little brave one,

and fight against half a man.

Jump again. my boy!

Jump, Telemachus, jump.

Go to your mother,

son of Ulysses.

Run, little boy.

Run home.

Run, Telemachus.

Run away.

One day your suitors will discover

that this tapestry never ends

only because you unravel at night

the weaving you do in the daytime.

What else can I do?

I was forced to promise

I would marry one of them.

We should thank the gods

that they agreed

to wait until the tapestry

is finished.

Let us hope they never

discover my secret.

- Mother.

- What is it, Telemachus?

What has happened?

- I must leave, Mother.

- Where do you want to go?

Away from here.

I can stand it no longer--

their insults and cruelties.

I must go to look for my father.

You wish to leave me also?

We must end this doubt, Mother.

We must be certain.

I shall go see the friends of Ulysses--

King Nestor of Pylos

and Menelaus in Sparta.

Do not leave me alone

with these people, Telemachus.

Do you believe

my father is alive?

Yes, Telemachus.

Tell me the truth, Mother.

You do not, do you?

You must not leave me.

Stay with me, my son.

Do not leave me.

If you go, what have I left?

Only your presence

and your voice

ever since you were a child

have filled my solitude.

In your face and in your eyes,

I have seen all the while

the face and eyes of Ulysses.

And I've found in you

the strength

which sometimes

seemed to abandon me.

Stay here with me,

Telemachus,

and we will fight together.

Don't leave me.

You must fight, Mother.

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