Writing Prompt 1: Create a dialogue between three or four
characters (no more, except walk-ons) from our books (all from different
books). Situate them in a locale of your imaginative choice. Your
dialogue may be serious, philosophical, psychological, or amusing, as you like.
Stay in character! When someone speaks, be certain it is *that* person and no
one else. While writing, go back to the books to get into your characters’
heads. Be inventive!
Books: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde , Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
Wisdom
is the Tree of Life
[In a beautiful, lush
garden]
Dorian Gray: Where in
heaven’s name am I?
Henry Jekyll: Heaven? Am
I in heaven…No I cannot be. I was too wretched of a man…
Dorian Gray: [notices
Henry Jekyll and turns around] I was not so much of a saint myself. The last
thing I remember…[he touches his chest]
Victor Frankenstein: [pushes
aside a thick, green branch] Well gentlemen, this is certainly not hell.
Dorian Gray: Then where
are we? And better yet, who might you be?
Victor Frankenstein: It
seems that I know as much as you do. And, from my experience, perhaps it is
better that we do not know.
Henry Jekyll: Yes, but
you don’t expect…
[A bright figure appears.]
Victor Frankenstein:
[covering his eyes] oh! The light is blinding me.
[The three men look
away, trembling]
The Light: Victor is
wise in saying that it is better that you do not know where you are.
This place is to make amends with who you once were.
Henry Jekyll: Sir…may I
ask what you mean by that?
The Light: You have all
been given the opportunity to either choose a moment in your life to return to
-
Dorian Gray: Any
moment?
The Light: Yes, any
moment. You will be taken there as if any moment beyond that one never existed
and you had never died.
Henry Jekyll: Oh! This cannot
be true. To think that we could rewrite our pasts. Why, I already know exactly
which moment I would return to.
Victor Frankenstein: My
Lord, and what may the other opportunity be?
The Light: You may
choose to enter the dreams of the writers of your time and reveal your stories
to them.
Dorian Gray: And what
would happen to us afterwards? Would we be forever trapped in their dreams?
[The Light vanishes
from their presence.]
Dorian Gray: Wait! Where did he go? Well it
does not matter. If what he said was indeed true, then we have been given a
golden opportunity. To be able to change our past. We have conquered time! Not
all of my fortunes could have bought an opportunity like this. [He addresses
Dr. Jekyll.] You mentioned that you already knew what moment you would return
to. What moment would that be? But first, who are you? Or who were you.
Henry Jekyll: My name
is Henry Jekyll, and in my life I was a doctor.
Dorian Gray: A doctor?
Well that is quite respectable. Why did you refer to yourself as a wretched man
earlier?
Henry Jekyll: [He sighs
and sits on a marble bench] I see no point in hiding it now. If you must know,
I have blood on my hands.
[Silence]
Victor Frankenstein:
[He places his hand on Dr. Jekyll’s left shoulder.] Brother, I do as well. [He
gazes at Dorian.]
Dorian Gray: As do I...
Henry Jekyll: [He looks
up at the men and his surroundings] Well, I suppose then that that is the
reason that we are all here in this place.
Dorian Gray: How did
you commit the murders…
Henry Jekyll: Well, I
did not murder anyone directly. But it was him…
Victor Frankenstein:
Him?
Henry Jekyll: [Sighs]
Yes him. Edward Hyde. That part of
myself that I could never accept. See in my zealous pursuit of purity I
attempted to detach myself from the “darkness” in me. As you said son, [turning
to Dorian] I was a respectable man in my town, I even did some charitable work
in order to prove that I was a moral and decent man. But there was an evil in
me that delighted stolen wine, recklessness, the “freedom” to fulfill every
sinful passion and evil thought in my mind. Without the knowledge of even my closest
companions, I conjured a potion to separate myself from that wretched part of
me. But things did not go as I had expected…I didn't mean for it to happen, I
swear. Oh it was just –
Victor Frankenstein: An
experiment gone wrong.
Henry Jekyll: You seem
to understand Mr…
Victor Frankenstein:
Frankenstein. Victor Frankenstein. I was a scientist in my time. And in my
zealous pursuit of knowledge, you could say that I created a monster. It was my
first creation. I imagined that I would marvel at it. But when it came to “life”
I despised it. I refused to comply with its request for a mate, and my bitterness
led it to revenge. It destroyed all that I loved, everything and everyone
around me. Including myself.
Dorian Gray: It was as
if you were responsible for your own deaths…
Henry Jekyll: And you,
my son?
Dorian Gray: I was
known as Dorian Gray. And I would consider myself the worst among us all because
I was responsible for the suicides of two beings, a death of a man seeking
revenge against me, and I myself killed a man in cold blood. A friend. A close
friend. I am also responsible for my own death. [He points to his heart.] A
knife to my own heart.
Henry Jekyll: With an
innocent and beautiful demeanor as yours, I would have never expected such acts.
But I myself cannot judge you, my son. What drove you to do such things?
Dorian Gray: [He looks at Dr. Jekyll] You
chased after purity. [At Frankenstein] Knowledge. I foolishly thirsted for the idea that I
could stay young and beautiful forever.
Henry Jekyll: But how…
Dorian Gray: A portrait.
Not my own experiment or creation. But an admirer of mine. Or an admirer of my
youth and beauty. The irony. In the heat of emotions, I wished that the
portrait would change but that I would remain the same. The portrait began to
reflect my sins, grow older and more hideous each day, but I, I still
maintained my glorious beauty. I never aged a single day. But my soul became
poisoned day by day until the night came when I tried to destroy that portrait that
haunted me so.
Victor Frankenstein:
But in the end you destroyed yourself.
Henry Jekyll: Yes, we
all did. What do you reckon we should do now? I would go back to the moment
before I ever created that vile potion.
Dorian Gray: The moment
before I made that wish. No, the moment before I met the eyes of Basil. I
should have never sat for that portrait. To have allowed myself to have heard
that melodious, deep voice of Lord Henry…
[Frankenstein said
nothing.]
Henry Jekyll: [To
Frankenstein] And you? I’m guessing the moment before you created that “monster”
of yours.
Victor Frankenstein: [Pauses]
Brothers, we have pursued after dangerous things. Ideas that were once glorious
to us, but now we realize that the pursuit of such unsearchable concepts will
destroy a man. Yet the world does not know. Our world is still under the
deception that the zealous pursuit of knowledge, purity, and beauty are glorious
endeavors. The man who spoke to us
before. He had also given us the option to tell our stories. Stories that may
one day lead men to life and not destruction. I have now learned the only truth
that should have mattered to me before. Only God should know all things. Only can
He create beings. Only is He completely pure. And Only is His beauty
everlasting.
Dorian Gray: But we do
not know what will happen once we enter the minds of those writers…
Frankenstein: It is not
for us to know. But for us to trust that this is right.
Henry Jekyll: [To Dorian]
My son, I have spent my life searching for what is right. I thought I knew, but
I still have yet to understand. [To Frankenstein] But your words seem to hold
truth. I do not know if it is right to share my story, but I am willing to take
that risk. To spare a man from the hypocrisy of my days. I am willing to
sacrifice my life.
[The Light reappears. The
three men look away.]
The Light: Have we made
a decision.
Henry Jekyll: Yes, but
I have a request. I would like to enter the dreams of a writer who has gone
through many trouble and hardships in his life. One who would understand my
pain.
The Light: Very well.
And you? [To Dorian]
Dorian Gray: [Pause] I
suppose I will as well. And I would also like to make a request. I want to enter
the dreams of a writer who has the ability to write with beauty and eloquence. The
work of art I destroyed, for him to create anew.
The Light: Very well. [He
looks at Victor] Victor, my friend. What would you like.
Victor: I would like to
enter a dream of a writer who is a young woman. I want her name to be Mary. I picture a woman similar to Mary Magdalene. A
woman who had endured much troubles and shame from her society. A woman who would
not judge my actions or my creation. Perhaps, she will even have compassion for
him.
The Light: [To the three
men] Very well. I will grant your requests. And for your faith, I do not condemn
you either. Your sins are forgiven.
---
