The Tragedy at Cambria

The Tragedy at Cambria begins with a prologue in which the SOOTHSAYER introduces some history and consequences of Cambria’s harsh laws regarding unwed mothers, prior to prophesying that good will come of a bastard child, but not before the king suffers a hellish ordeal.

Act I, Scene 1, covers the public trial of Janette. It takes place in the castle’s great hall with LORDS, LADIES, and CITIZENS in attendance, as well as TRUMPETERS, the HERALD, GUARDS, the PROSECUTOR, KING JOHN, QUEEN BEATRICE, PRINCE SCOTT, and JANETTE (also known as JANE or PLAIN JANE), a girl who is accused of being pregnant and unwed. King John notes that it is unusual for his wife and son to attend a trial, but he allows it. The prosecutor implies that Jane is a prostitute. He asserts that her father was hanged for thievery and her mother was a prostitute who died from pox. Jane responds that she is an orphan who sells firewood for a living. Her mother nursed sick seaman and died of the plague, which taught her to be compassionate and merciful. She asks the king why God put people on earth, if not to find love and happiness. The king explains that life is a test of strength, and strength is necessary for worthiness to sit by God in heaven. He then asks for her plea. She answers indirectly and concludes with a stunning statement that she does not believe God thinks she has sinned. The prosecutor pronounces that her statement alone will send her to hell and requests a verdict. Prince Scott asks the king to ignore Jane’s words because she is young, under-educated, and odd. The king compliments Scott’s perception but instructs him to sit quietly. Then, in an aside to the king, Queen Beatrice attempts to convince King John to let their son determine Jane’s innocence or guilt, using the argument that since the prince will be turning seventeen in two weeks, it will be a test to show his governing ability to the citizens. The king is sympathetic but dismisses the idea because it goes against the law, and he doesn’t want the public or Jane to cry foul. Instead, he makes the guilty ruling, but he commands his son to decide the sentence, as the show of Scott’s governing ability. Neither Jane nor Prince Scott like that decision, but they have no recourse. King John explains that if Jane names the father, she will be reprieved. The father will marry her, and all will end well. Jane responds by asking what happens if he cannot wed, and the king assumes she means he is married to someone else. In that case, he will be castrated so he cannot produce more children. Jane refuses to name the father, so Prince Scott must declare her sentence. He must choose either Jane or the baby to die. The prince stalls by sending Jane to jail for two weeks, ostensibly to contemplate her fate, but in reality, to give himself time to devise a plan. There being no other business, court is adjourned.

Act I, Scene 2, takes place days later at the prison with the JAILER (also known as ORTH), PRINCE SCOTT, and JANETTE. The prince approaches Orth and asks to see Jane. The jailer is reluctant to admit him because the king has decreed that she have no visitors, but Prince Scott convinces Orth that the king’s writ doesn’t apply to him, and he promises to take the blame if the king finds out and is angry. Scott bribes Orth and passes through the gate. The jailer frisks him, and the prince responds that he cannot believe Orth thinks he would bring substances in to end a pregnancy, but the jailer counters that many trulls have escaped their fates after visits from “aunts.” The pair proceed to Jane’s cell, and Orth grudgingly leaves the two alone. The prince and Jane express their love for each other. He asks how she is faring. She says she can’t complain, and then she proceeds to complain about the conditions, including being cold at night. They discuss the inhumanity of Cambria’s laws. Jane begs Scott to choose her death over their baby’s, but he is prepared to profess his guilt and pay the price. She dissuades him, noting that because she is a commoner they cannot marry, and Jane also wants him to be able to father royal children in the future. The prince suggests that she lie and claim a drunken thief raped her, but lying, harming an innocent person, and Scott’s thoughtless insult about her father (a thief) do not set well with her. Scott says the idea wouldn’t work anyway, because she declared her love for the father in court. He then shares a new plan, first informing Jane that the queen is aware he is the father. Scott has enlisted his mother to speak to the king on their behalf, to convince him that the laws are too harsh and to persuade him to allow the prince to choose his own wife; i.e., Jane. Scott tells Jane that his father will do anything for him, but she believes the king loves his kingdom more than his son and would not let them wed. Scott responds that he will trick his father into letting him choose a wife at his birthday party on Friday. Jane trusts his intentions but feels a sense of dread. Scott tells her that the dread is just the wind, and he will have the jailer bring her a quilt. For now, he will warm her body, but after an embrace and kiss, they hear Orth returning. Prince Scott reiterates that he will fix the mess they are in and assures her that he is always nearby in spirit. Jane appreciates his words but has a question, wanting to know if he really thinks she is odd, like he said in court. His answer convinces her of his love, and she, once again, says she can’t complain. The prince orders the jailer to let him out of her cell and to bring her a quilt. Orth has no sympathy for Jane, saying she would be home by now if she would just name the father, and if she is cold and uncomfortable, she will have incentive to do that. The prince explains that regardless of innocence or guilt, all prisoners deserve blankets, though he knows the jailer doesn’t understand why or agree with him. He commands Orth to fake respect for the prisoners but honor his instructions. Scott exits the jail.

Act I, Scene 3, takes place in the king’s chamber with KING JOHN and two ATTENDANTS on the evening before Prince Scott’s birthday party. The king is disrobing when there is a knock on the door, and an attendant announces that it is QUEEN BEATRICE. She enters, and the king dismisses the attendants. The king asks her purpose, and the queen replies she thought he might want to hold her. He agrees to make love, but he wants to know her ulterior motive. She admits that she has been to see the soothsayer, who told her to make love to him tonight beneath the moon. He jokes that he should have started paying the soothsayer years ago to offer that advice, but Beatrice reminds him that he has been satisfied with their love life, and he agrees—he just doesn’t like Beatrice relying on the soothsayer for advice, and he advises his wife to place her faith in God, who sees everything. The queen acknowledges he is right, but in the next breath, she adds that the soothsayer saw that Prince Scott was weighing heavily on her heart. The king again makes fun of the soothsayer’s solution, and the queen admits that the directive to make love sounds ridiculous. Still not through, Beatrice tells the king that the soothsayer also saw a mist of darkness shrouding the monarchy, and she (the queen) thought the cure sounded like a harmless fix. The harm, King John retorts, is in bolstering sorcery. Having made his point, he asks his queen what is wrong regarding Scott. Beatrice gives an impassioned speech about Scott wanting to make a difference in the world, specifically wanting the citizens to vote on the question of adding banishment to the books as a lesser penalty for unwed mothers, because of Jane’s predicament. The queen does not believe the initiative would pass, and it would be an embarrassment for the young prince to fail at his first effort to effect change. Moreover, the prince wants to wed within the year and choose his own wife! The king says it was easy for the soothsayer to “see” that Scott was causing her distress, because Beatrice’s distress is always due to Scott. Nevertheless, he is proud of his son’s independent nature and agrees to act. Since Scott is struggling over choosing whether Jane or her baby will die, King John will make the decision himself and let the citizens think that Prince Scott made it. Once Scott declares the ruling, there will be no need for a change in the law. The queen argues that Scott may try anyway. The king reminds her that their constitution does not allow them to cast criminals out to other kingdoms, because Cambria would then have to accept other kingdoms’ vermin. He agrees that Scott could not gather enough votes; however, he decides to write a decree the next day that allows convict trades. That squelches the need for banishment, giving a king an option other than death. He also agrees that as a birthday gift, he will allow Scott to choose his own wife. Beatrice is happy with the results of their talk and admits that she did not think it would go well. The couple jokes about sons causing gray hair, and then they exit to stroll along the shore and test the seer’s cure.

Act II, Scene 1, occurs on the prince’s birthday at the prison with the JAILER, PRINCE SCOTT, and JANETTE. After greeting each other, the prince asks the jailer to open the gate to him so he can again see Jane. Orth informs Scott that he cannot, because the king had discovered the prince’s previous visit and warned him that the writ applied especially to the prince. In addition, the king informed him that the prince had made his decision regarding Jane and her child and had no further reason to visit her. Furthermore, the king had taken the blankets from all the prisoners, docked the jailer two weeks’ pay, and put a blot on his record. The prince is aghast to hear the news and promises to pay Orth his lost wages. He asks if Orth had told the king that the fault was Scott’s, but the jailer responds that if he had, he would have been fired. Scott admits that he should have asked the king’s permission before his first visit, but he assures Orth that he will have the blot removed. In fact, he will talk to the king about it this very day. The jailer thanks him. Then the prince persists about seeing Jane and offers Orth a bribe. This time, rather than going inside, he asks Orth to bring Jane out. He says he promised her that he would visit again, and he cannot break his promise. The jailer is afraid for his career if he is found out, but Scott assures him he will help him out of trouble, if it occurs. Orth explains that he has his family to think of, but Scott further assures him that he knows the king is two hours’ ride from the prison, and he offers him a bigger bribe. The jailer relents and leaves to fetch Jane. While he is alone, the prince questions the meaning of manhood in a philosophical soliloquy. He vows to be a man in God’s eyes and to be deserving of his people’s praise. The jailer re-enters with Janette, after which Scott orders him to leave them. When Scott asks how she is faring, Jane replies that things are worse. The prince is apologetic, but he bears good news. He shares Beatrice’s success and tells Jane that he will choose her as his wife tonight, and she will be free in the morning. A trumpet sounds, and the jailer runs in, announcing that the king is coming. The prince bids farewell before Jane has a chance to tell him her own news. KING JOHN, the KINGSMAN, and the ENTOURAGE arrive, arrest Orth, and take Jane back to her cell. A man is seen escaping, but the king is not concerned. Orth apologizes, but King John tells him to save his story for court next week. The king reveals that there are princesses in his coach that need to be taken to the castle for tonight’s party. He and his entourage leave. Back in her cell, Jane expresses her love for Scott in a soliloquy that goes on to say she intends to commit suicide if his plan fails.

Act II, Scene 2, takes place in the king’s chamber on the evening of Prince Scott’s birthday. ATTENDANTS 1 and 2 are with KING JOHN. The king is being dressed when there is a knock on the door. An attendant announces that it is PRINCE SCOTT. The king states that his shirt is too small. The prince is admitted. The king is impressed with Scott’s appearance, as is Attendant 1. The attendants dress the king in a larger shirt. Scott appreciates the compliments but says he doesn’t feel well. The new shirt fits, and the attendants leave. King John tells his son that it is normal to feel nervous. The prince says that’s not his issue: he has made mistakes that need to be set right. The king says no one is perfect and that God will forgive him because he is remorseful. The prince persists, saying an innocent might die. The king thinks he is exaggerating. They hear a knock, and the king allows QUEEN BEATRICE into the chamber. She wants to know what’s keeping them, as their guests have arrived. The king replies that the prince is just nervous.

Act II, Scene 3, is the prince’s birthday party, the same night as the previous scene. It takes place in the castle ballroom, beginning with these characters: KING JOHN, QUEEN BEATRICE, PRINCE SCOTT, LORDS, LADIES, ROYALTY, CITIZENS, TRUMPETERS, and HERALD. A dance ends, and the herald announces that it is time for the king to give the prince his gift. The king explains that Scott’s gift is the ability to choose his wife. Scott is elated and tries to name Jane, but the king has arranged for a pool of candidates to choose from. The princesses are introduced one by one: WINNICOTT, HUNNICUTT, MARY GRACE, PENNYWEIGHT, and UNNAMED PRINCESSES 1, 2, and 3. The prince decides in an aside that it is best to dance with the princesses and speak to his father later about love, but the herald interrupts Scott’s passionate speech, announcing that it is time for the prince to name his bride. Scott’s final line of the aside names Jane, and that is what the guests hear. They are aghast. The king covers the gaffe by saying Prince Scott is drunk, and he substitutes Princess Hunnicutt as Scott’s intended. The guests accept the explanation and accept Princess Hunnicutt as his fiancée. The king tells the prince to smile and give a speech. Scott’s speech about his love moves the king to allow the marriage to take place almost immediately, rather than after a waiting period. Princess Hunnicutt speaks to the king and says she would gladly marry Prince Scott, except she knows he was speaking of someone else. The king insists that she is the one, but Scott tells his father that Princess Hunnicutt is correct, and he is wrong. Hunnicutt and her sister, Winnicott, leave. The queen now tries to cover the gaffe, telling the guests that it is common to have a false start, they should stay and enjoy the party, and they will be told when something definite is decided. The king and queen then discuss humorous ideas of what to do about Scott, but the king points out that Scott followed the princesses out.

Act II, Scene 4, is another trial scene, taking place in the Great Hall. It begins with KING JOHN and QUEEN BEATRICE revealing that Prince Scott has run away. More characters enter: TRUMPETERS, HERALD, PROSECUTOR, JANETTE, JAILER, JAILER’S WIFE and FAMILY, GUARDS, LORDS, LADIES, and CITIZENS. The trial for Jane resumes. She still refuses to name the father of her baby, and she requests to be sentenced, but at that moment, PRINCE SCOTT, who has entered unnoticed and disheveled, interrupts the proceedings. He says he has ridden hard to Kirklandom to speak with King Kirk, and he brings good news that affects Jane’s case. The prosecutor wants the case to proceed, but the queen wants to hear Scott’s news. King John allows Scott to speak. The prince explains that Princess Hunnicutt helped him negotiate with her father to create an exchange of a convict for Jane. The king seems to like the idea but nixes it because their laws require six months to take effect. He calls for Scott to pronounce Jane’s sentence. The prince admits to the gallery that he is the father, and they gasp. Jane refutes Prince Scott’s claim, but he insists. The king pulls Scott aside and tells him he is off the hook, that he himself will make the pronouncement. Scott restates that he is the father, and the king threatens to send him to jail. The prince reiterates that he chooses Janette for his wife. The king won’t allow it, and to the gallery’s horror, Prince Scott says he renounces the throne. The king begins to disown Scott, but Queen Beatrice stops him, warning him to think before he acts. King John is upset by her disrespect, and the queen apologizes, but then she launches into a speech about a mother’s love for a child being born when the child is in utero, and she wonders that he has no such bond for his son. Afterward, she exits to vomit. The king gets back to business and sentences Jane to hang after giving birth. When he says, “May God have mercy on your sinful soul,” she replies cheekily that she is not seeking mercy, and he is more likely to need it, because when he is in hell, she will be fetching wood to keep the fires there burning. The king laughs before sending her back to prison. Scott bursts out an apology to Jane and begins to beg, but the king does not allow him to speak and puts him under house arrest until the day Jane gives birth, when the prince will officiate at her hanging. As Prince Scott is leaving, Orth’s case is called. The prosecutor names his alleged crimes, but the man offers no defense. Prince Scott interrupts the proceedings once more, to try to defend the jailer. The king shows no mercy and sentences Orth to hang the next morning and orders Prince Scott to the tower. Scott tells Orth that he will subsidize his family, as the guards remove them both from the trial. Court is adjourned.

Act III, Scene 1, transpires in the Soothsayer’s lair a few months later. It begins with the SOOTHSAYER and KING JOHN. The soothsayer is surprised by the king’s visit and is disrespectful, but he counters well. She asks about the payment that King John and Queen Beatrice joked about, but he says he is aware that Beatrice has paid her well. He tells her that he wants her to stop seeing Beatrice. She replies that he should be happy, as his wife is with child, and he needs a new heir, since Prince Scott is unfit to rule. The king thinks Scott will recover after Jane is dead and will marry Hunnicutt. The soothsayer teases him for having his own vision of the future, and she tells him he should have consulted her earlier, because Princess Hunnicutt is barren. The king responds that it is of no matter, Prince Scott can switch his bride to Princess Winnicott. The soothsayer declares that Scott’s future is set and cannot be changed, thus the king should focus on his new heir. A knock interrupts them, and the soothsayer directs King John to the back door. He hesitates for a moment, thanks her, pays her, and apparently having been impressed with her skills, grants her permission to continue to see Queen Beatrice. Perhaps unbeknownst to the soothsayer, rather than exiting, the king hides behind a curtain to the back entrance. QUEEN BEATRICE is invited in and tells the soothsayer she cannot continue with the lie. She is sure her husband knows the child is not his. The soothsayer says she will check her crystal ball and accepts payment. She sees King John weeping and Cambria mourning, but she also sees the king lifting a baby above his head in a welcoming gesture. There is no suggestion that he knows she sinned or that he rejects the child. The queen insists that her husband looks at her with doubt, and the baby will be too big and come too soon to match with the time they made love beneath the moon. The soothsayer replies that even if Beatrice is right, the king will not make a fuss. In a long speech, she says the problem is the queen’s guilty conscience. The soothsayer has given her herbs to keep the child’s size small. Beatrice only thinks she looks too big. She must convince herself that King John is the baby’s father to convince him of the same. If he questions the size, she should make up dates that they made love. If he questions the dates, she should tell him his mind is forgetful due to wine. Queen Beatrice wants to believe her husband will accept the child, but in case he does not, she pays the soothsayer for silphium, which the soothsayer is reluctant to provide. They hear a clatter from behind the curtained door. The queen wants to know who is hiding there, and the soothsayer returns with a rat. She then asks how Prince Scott is, and the queen realizes that the soothsayer should know the answer. Beatrice resolves to stop seeing the soothsayer. She also decides that the child she carries mocks God, and to make amends, she must get rid of it without John’s knowledge. She tells the soothsayer that this will be her last visit, and she leaves. Now alone, the soothsayer looks into her crystal ball and sees that the tragedy of Cambria is at hand.

Act III, Scene 2, begins with KING JOHN alone in his chamber on a stormy night. In a long soliloquy, he examines how his life went from perfect to a disaster in the last five months. He questions if Prince Scott is his son; he reveals that he overheard Beatrice’s confession; he contemplates what to do with her child, accept or reject it. He concludes that it does not matter if Scott is his biological son or not, he loves him, and that is enough, and he wonders if it will be the same way with Beatrice’s baby. He ponders if his line has something special in its blood that makes them qualified to rule, and if another’s line took the throne, would Cambria be doomed, with him at fault for knowingly allowing an imposter on the throne. He decides to forgive Queen Beatrice, because he, too, had been unfaithful, years ago when he went to inspect Cambria’s navy and was injured. His nurse was too much temptation and became pregnant. He paid a man to marry her, but the man blackmailed him. To solve the problem permanently, the king framed the man for theft and had him hanged. His child, he later learned, was named Plain Jane. He could not allow half-siblings to marry, and he could not keep Prince Scott from Jane. The only solution he could think of to end the situation was through Jane’s death. He resolves to win Beatrice back and love her child. ATTENDANT 1 knocks and enters. He informs the king that both Queen Beatrice and Jane are in labor, that Prince Scott escaped from the tower and has taken refuge in the birthing ward with a knife, threatening to kill himself after Jane gives birth. The king prays that no harm will come to anyone.

Act III, Scene 3, takes place in the birthing ward on the same stormy night as the previous scene. QUEEN BEATRICE is being attended by the MIDWIFE, and JANETTE is being attended by PRINCE SCOTT, who holds a dagger. KING JOHN knocks and is told by Prince Scott to go away. The king enters anyway, and Scott holds the dagger to his father’s neck, telling him to send his men away, which the king does. The king persuades Scott to allow him to attend Queen Beatrice and to put the knife down. Janette and Scott have a tender conversation while she labors. Her pains increase, and Scott calls the midwife over to help. A healthy boy is born, and Scott gives Jane wine to help her sleep. Jane realizes that the wine has been poisoned. Scott says he will wait for her to die, and then join her. They express their love for each other, and Jane falls asleep. On the other side of the room, the queen tells King John that something is wrong. He comforts her, but the midwife tells him the baby is breech and needs to be surgically removed or the queen will die. King John and Queen Beatrice now have their tender conversation. The midwife gives the queen something to make her sleep and goes to the table for Scott’s knife. Just as she reaches for it, so does Scott. They struggle for it, and Scott wins. He accuses the king of crossing him and stabs and kills the midwife before using the same knife to kill himself. The king mourns briefly for his son, and then he grabs the knife and attends Beatrice. He performs the surgery, but the child is born dead and deformed. Beatrice hears Jane’s baby crying and thinks it is hers. She requests to see it. The king stalls by saying the baby needs to be dried. Beatrice asks of Scott, and the king tells her he is sleeping beside Jane. The king takes Jane’s baby, but Jane awakes, thinking he is Scott. She asks Scott to allow the baby to stay until the poison has finished her. The king is unaware she had been poisoned, but now he sees an opportunity. He tells Jane that Scott has gone to wait for her and that her son will sit upon the throne as John’s son. He tells her she will soon be in heaven and gives her more wine. She rebukes him for his lying ways and praises Scott’s attributes. She blames the king for Scott’s destruction and death and vows to haunt the king if he ever harms her baby. After she dies, King John speaks to the baby and promises to change his ways before taking him to Beatrice as hers and describing how perfect he is. The queen tries to confess her sin, but her husband tells her he doesn’t want to hear it—she should confess to God. The king steps out to the balcony and holds the child above his head to a cheering crowd, just as the soothsayer foresaw. Seeing that, the queen says the soothsayer is not a fake and regrets that she turned from her. The king says Beatrice is wrong about the soothsayer, and Beatrice replies that he must know something she does not. She dies, and the king announces to the citizens that both the queen and prince are dead and in heaven, they will be missed, and they will be seen again by those people who also make it to heaven. Aside, he takes blame for their early demise.

The Tragedy at Cambria concludes with an epilogue by the SOOTHSAYER. She tells the audience that the royal bloodline continues, as do the ancient laws regarding succession, and she predicts the laws that deal with unwed mothers will lose strength. She also says that King John will be remembered for his virtuosity, and Jane and Scott’s baby will rule well, never knowing the hell that Jane’s existence caused the king or that he was predestined to rule.    

© Sherrie J. Lyons, September 2023