THESEUS AND THE MINOTAUR

Cast

12 Narrators – N1 to N12. Together they are the Chorus

Theseus

Aegeus, King of Athens

Minos, King of Crete

Ariadne, daughter of Minos

Minotaur

Aphrodite

Zeus

Youths & maidens (2 boys & 2 girls)

Stagehand (for carrying the ship)

Chorus:

We mums and dads of Athens old

Invite you to our play

Of Theseus the hero and

The monster he did slay

N1: King Aegeus was the ruler of Athens. His son was Theseus, a great hero.

Aegeus steps forward, bows

Theseus does same

Theseus’s true father was the god Poseidon. He was brave, clever, and an excellent warrior.

Theseus poses, swishes sword a bit, looks heroic

N2: He spent his youth away from home, defeating many monsters and bandits. But Athens had a different problem – and this is where our other king comes in.

N3: King Minos was the ruler of Crete.

Minos enters and bows

He lived in a magnificent palace in Knossos. Underneath the palace was a labyrinth, and in this maze lived the monster, the Minotaur.

The Minotaur enters and acts scary, brandishing horns, roaring

N4: He was a terrifying beast, with a man’s body and the head of a bull. He could gore a man to death with his sharp horns, or tear him apart with his powerful hands.

Minos and Minotaur to back of stage

N5: Years ago Minos’s son was murdered while in Athens. As a punishment Minos forced Athens to send 7 maidens and 7 youths to Knossos every 9 years. Here they were sent into the labyrinth, where they soon got lost, and the Minotaur killed them one by one, gobbling their flesh until only the bones were left.

Youths and maidens enter stage, one by one, and the Minotaur attacks and kills them. Minotaur eats them, leaving bones. Minos watches, pleased. All leave stage

N6: Twice now the youths of Athens had been sacrificed to the Minotaur. Nine years had passed again, and mothers and fathers wept, for it was time for their sons and daughters to be sent to their deaths.

It was at this time that Theseus returned to Athens.

Theseus spoke to his father, King Aegeus.

Theseus and Aegeus enter

N7: 'This terrible tribute must stop, father,’ said Theseus. ‘Let me take the place of one of these doomed children, and I promise I shall destroy the Minotaur and end the sacrifices forever.’

N8: Aegeus tried to change his son’s mind, but Theseus was determined to go.

Aegeus gives Theseus a white sheet

‘My son,’ said Aegeus, ‘if you must go, take this white sail with you. Each time the youths have gone to Crete the ship has borne a black sail, to show our grief. But if you are successful, raise the white sail on your return.’

N9: Theseus took the sail and promised to do as his father asked. Before leaving Theseus sacrificed an ox to the goddess Aphrodite. ‘Aphrodite,’ he prayed, ‘most beautiful of the immortals, help us on this quest.’

Aphrodite enters and hears Theseus’s prayer

N10: Aphrodite heard his prayer.

And so Theseus and the youths of Athens sailed to Crete under a black sail.

Exit all; Stagehand carries ship across stage

N11: Arriving in Crete the ship was met by King Minos and his beautiful daughter, Ariadne. Now Aphrodite gave Theseus his reward, for she made Ariadne fall madly in love with him.

Minos and Ariadne enter left, Theseus and companions left; Aphrodite casts a spell over Ariadne and Ariadne swoons for Theseus. All leave stage; Ariadne and Theseus come back on

N12: That night Ariadne spoke to Theseus in secret.

‘Theseus my love, if I help you to defeat the Minotaur, will you take me back to Athens as your wife?’

N1: ‘I will,’ said Theseus, even though he was not in love with her.

‘Then take this magic ball of wool,’ said Ariadne. ‘Tie one end to the doorway of the labyrinth, and let it fall behind you as you go through the passages. When you kill the Minotaur you can find your way back by winding the wool back onto the ball.’

Ariadne gives Theseus the ball of wool

N2: Theseus took the wool and did as Ariadne had told him. He tied one end to the door, and let the ball unwind as he made his way through the labyrinth.

Theseus ties the wool onto a door if there is one nearby, or to a table or chair leg.

He winds through the room, around chairs.

N3: The hero crept down dark passages, into dead ends, and round twists and turns. Always he listened for the monster, hoping to surprise him, hoping he would not be surprised himself.

 Theseus reaches centre of the stage; Minotaur is there asleep

N4: At last Theseus turned a corner and reached the centre of the labyrinth. There was the Minotaur, asleep. Before Theseus could attack, the beast awoke and leapt back.

N5: Hero and monster faced each other. Theseus slashed with his sword but missed; the Minotaur swung his horns but he missed too. And so they fought.

They fight; Theseus gives death blow

N6: At last the great warrior sank his sword into the belly of the beast. With a cry of agony the Minotaur fell to the ground, blood gushing from his stomach.

Theseus wipes sword and rolls back the ball of wool as he makes his way out.

N7: Theseus wiped the blood off his sword and made his way out of the labyrinth by winding back the wool.

When he got out Ariadne was overjoyed to see him alive. She led Theseus and the youths of Athens back to their ship and they escaped before sunrise.

All leave stage; ship carried across stage

N8: On the way back to Athens the ship stopped at the island of Naxos. Everyone was exhausted and went to sleep on the beach.

Everyone comes back on stage and lies on the floor, sleeping

N9: Now, although Ariadne was crazy about Theseus, he did not feel the same way about her. In the middle of the night he awoke the youths and maidens and they got back on the ship, leaving Ariadne asleep on the sand.

Theseus wakes everyone up and they leave without Ariadne

N10: When Ariadne awoke and saw the ship was gone, she was heartbroken. She became furious, and prayed to Zeus for revenge.

Ariadne wakes up and is sad, then angry

‘Oh Zeus, mightiest of all gods,’ said Ariadne, ‘I beg you to punish Theseus, who broke his promise to me, and who slew your son, the Minotaur.’

Zeus heard her prayer, and gave Ariadne her revenge.

Zeus enters, hears and nods. Exit Ariadne. Theseus enters and Zeus casts a spell of forgetting on him. Theseus and Zeus leave

N11: As the ship drew near to Athens, Zeus made Theseus forget his promise to raise the white sail. King Aegeus, watching from the Acropolis, saw the black sail and believed his son had been killed by the Minotaur. He was so stricken with grief he threw himself to his death into the valley below.

Aegeus, standing on a table, sees the ship approach, and throws himself to the floor

N12: So Theseus arrived home and found his father dead. He had saved Athens from the terrible sacrifice of its youths, but he had lost his own father because of his betrayal of Ariadne.

Theseus kneels sadly over his father’s body.

Chorus:

Our play is done, and so we hope

You liked our tale of old

About the dreadful Minotaur

And Theseus the bold.

Everyone comes on and bows 

Pronunciations:

Aegeus – EE- jee-us             

Theseus – THEE-see-us

Ariadne – Ah-ree-AD-nee

Minos – MY-noss

Minotaur – MY-nuh-taur

Knossos – K-NOSS-oss

Labyrinth – LAB-ee-rinth