Some History
Yeah, here's your chapter. I'd just like to say a big thank you to SoapSudd, for your nice reviews. Sorry it took 5 chapters, but better late than never I suppose. Have fun.
Rose - JACK, WHERE ARE MY STRAIGHTENERS?
-NO IDEA! Why do you think I know, anyway? I'm not that bad.
-Well will you help me look for them, then?
-Alright, alright.
-Looking for something, Rose?
-Yes, you haven't seen my straighteners anywhere have you, Doctor? I left them in the control room last night...
-Um...what do they look like?
-Two long off-white bits hinged together, with ceramic plate-things on one end. Jack, for some reason I don't think they'll be in there.
-Only checking...
-Ah, well. You see I found them lying around last night, and I didn't think they were important. I needed some ceramic bits for the TARDIS transgenic regulatory drive...so I sort of took them apart. Sorry.
-YOU TOOK THEM APART? Do you know how much those things cost me? What am I going to do with my hair now? It looks awful.
-No it doesn't, it looks nice. Frizzy.
-Big mistake.
-FRIZZY!
-No! Um, blonde! Long and blonde. Nice. Look, you look fine without dead straight hair.
-Hmph.
-Come on, Rose. I'm sorry. I'll make you one of my Super Time Lord Bacon Butties... You know you can't resist that.
-Oh God, it's true. You're beautiful.
-Is that to me, or to the butty?
-Does it matter? Both - give it here!
-Fair enough. So, where do you fancy going today?
-Oooh, I heard about a good pleasure planet a few light-years from us...
-No pleasure planets, Jack.
-Yeah, all that neon makes my head spin.
-Like a couple of old maids, you are. What about some nice flowery history?
-What do you think, Rose? Fancy meeting Shakespeare?
-Oh bloody hell, not Shakespeare! Ancient history, men in tights, bubonic plague!
-No, Shakespeare! Sonnets, greatest playwright in history, 'If I were to compare you to a summer's day'. Let's go!
-The lady's decision is final. 16th century London, it is then!
-It's always the bloody lady's decision...
-I heard that, Jack.
the Doctor - So we're off to London again, to meet the great man himself. Just hope there's not too much plague about.
-Ok, we're here. Rose, you hair's fine! Nice skirt.
-Thanks. Here, give that a good tug, will you?
-Alright...What is it?
-Aargh! It's my goddamn corset, can't fit into any of these things without one. Torture, it is.
-Sorry! Can you breathe?
-Just about. Why aren't you in tights? If BBC costume dramas have taught me anything, men wore tights.
-Fat chance, I'm fine as I am.
-Well Jack is getting into the spirit of things, at least.
-What do you think guys?
-It...leaves little to the imagination, Jack.
-You like my codpiece? Yeah, all the rage back now. Sign of my masculinity. Doctor, what's your opinion?
-I'm trying not to look, thanks. Will we go out then? If we can find The Globe, there might be a play on.
-What's that stink? It's bloody awful, whatever it is.
-It's the river, I think. The city's sewer, and we've got here in the height of summer by the smell of it. Come on, if we stay away from the shoreline it might get better.
-Where is everyone, Doctor? Look, that pub's boarded up.
-Yeah, I'm sure we should have come across some comely wenches by now.
-I don't know...hey, boy!
-Yes, your worship?
-I'm not...where is everyone?
-They've all run away, sir.
-What? Everyone?
-Those with family in the country, sir. Or those with money enough to rent somewhere.
-So you don't?
-I do, sir. My mother and sisters have gone to Whitby. But I'm staying to rehearse.
-You're an actor?
-Yes, I am. I'm one of the Lord Chamberlain's Men. If you don't mind me asking, sir, where have you and your companions come from?
-The North. How's the plague this year?
-Bad, sir. They've closed the theatres to the public of course; and the Queen has moved out of the city. The body-collectors have been going out twice a day. It's not the safest place in the world.
-Ah, typical. You work with Mr. Shakespeare, do you?
-Yes, sir. Oh he's the greatest playwright in the city! So dedicated...he could have gone home to Stratford this summer, but has stayed to oversee his new play.
-Shakespeare's here? Can we meet him?
-I'm sure he would be delighted to meet you, my lady. Would you like to follow me?
Rose - Oh my God, I'm about to meet Shakespeare! If only I could have told my GCSE English teacher this.
-Here it is, sirs and Lady, the Globe Theatre! I must go and prepare for my rehearsal, but just go in there. Say Tom sent you.
-Thank you, Tom. I'm looking forward to seeing you perform!
-Well...thank you, my lady. I'd better go.
-Rose, how come wherever we go you always get fans? He was blushing so hard, poor lad.
-I've seen you blush worse than that, Doctor. But I suppose that was whatever Jack said, so no wonder...
-Well it's his fault for being such an innocent little schoolgirl!
-Doctor! Leave him! You're not starting a fight now!
-I was just going to punch him a little bit...
-Shhh, look!
-Now Cassius, will you try to remember not to turn downstage left? You'll collide with Portia if you do. Where the hell is Tom?
-Gone to the dressmakers over at the bridge for some pins and thread, Mr. Shakespeare.
-Well he shouldn't take this long...
-I'm here, sir! Sorry, I was stopped on the street. I've got the thread and everything!
-Well as long as you've learnt your lines.
-Oh yes, and I've brought some people to meet you, sir. Visitors from the North.
-Oh, yes? They won't find much to open to visit this summer. Welcome, anyway.
-Good afternoon, Mr. Shakespeare. These are my traveling companions, Miss Tyler and Mr. Harkness. I am the Doctor.
-Good afternoon to the three of you. Doctor...you aren't a Puritan, are you?
-No.
-Ah, good! It was the black, you see. Thought you might be here to curse me and my entire company to eternal damnation in the fiery pits of Hell. Been happening a lot these days.
-No, I'm not that. What is the play called?
-Aha, now seeing as you from out of town, I'll tell you about it. It is the tale of that hook-nosed fellow of Rome, whose remembrance yet lives in men's eyes, and will to ears and tongues be theme and hearing ever. Hmm, must remember that line for later. Anyway, the title of my brand new play is 'Julius Cæsar'. You're welcome to stay and watch our rehearsal, if you'd like.
-Yes, let's stay!
-I'm glad you would like to watch my humble play, my lady. But if you'd excuse me for a moment, someone has to organise this rabble of actors...
-Well if you're staying, I might go and see if I can find anything interesting to do. Some pubs might be open.
-Oh come on, Jack. None of the pubs'll be open cos of the plague. Plus, we're now going to see one of the first performances of on this fantastic play!
-Yeah, stay Jack! I'd never have picked you out as a theatre buff, Doctor.
-Yeah well, they pass the time on a long night. You needn't worry about the plague, by the way. The TARDIS injected you with something when you came on first, so you should be ok. Just don't touch any rats.
-Well that's good to know. What year is it, by the way?
-1599, the middle of July. On September the 21st, a Swiss traveler will record going to see a new play in the Globe, and people four hundred years in the future will see it as the first mention of it. But we're going to see it first!
-Doctor, I think I speak for everyone here when I say, please just shut up about it.
-Right you lot, Act 3, Scene 1. Please remember your lines, and try not to fall over too much this time. Begin!
-The Ides of March are come.
-Ay Cæsar, but not gone.
Jack - Is this nearly finished yet? I thought the scenes were supposed to be short... So some ancient human gets murdered, big deal. Rose and the Doctor seem to be fascinated, though. I notice they're holding hands again. Why don't they just go for it and put themselves out of their misery?
-Great Cæsar-
-Doth not Brutus bootless kneel?
-Speak hands for me!
-Et tu Brute? Then fall Cæsar!
-Bravo! Fantastic! Did you see, Jack? Didn't you think it was great?
-Oh, yes. Great.
-Mr Shakespeare! Fantastic!
-Well thank you, my lady. I'm rather pleased with it myself...
-HERETIC! GODLESSNESS AND BLASPHEMY LIVE IN THIS PLAY-ACTING! ALL OF YOU SHALL FIND YOUR RIGHT PUNISHMENT IN THE PITS OF HELL!
-Damn, we've got ourselves a Puritan. Ah, my lord, I'm afraid there is no play today! We are rehearsing!
-THE PLAGUE IS A BLESSING IF IT CLOSES DOWN THESE HOUSES OF SIN! GOD SHALL STRIKE YOU DOWN FOR THIS ENTERTAINMENT!
-Rose, stay away from him. Come here beside me, will you?
-HARLOT! WHORE! NO GOD-FEARING WOMAN WOULD FREQUENT THIS NEST OF DEVILS!
-Rose, run!
-Got you!
-Aaw, let go!
-STAY AWAY FROM HER...
-I wouldn't touch the slut, anyway. Here, she's yours.
-Please, my lord, you are disrupting out rehearsal...
-Just wait till this country sees sense; entertainments like this will be closed down permanently! PERMANENTLY!
-Well thank God he's gone, that's the third this week. Just as well those Puritans will never get power, they're insane.
-Really, well have you ever heard of a family called Cromwell?
-Jack! Ignore him. I think we'd better be going, Mr Shakespeare.
-Already? Well I hope you enjoyed that one scene of my play, I'm sorry about that damn Puritan, my lady.
-Oh, no. I'm fine. My Doctor caught me, again.
Hmmm I don't know about that chapter, it's a bit iffy in places in my opinion. Oh well, I'll probably edit it. That bit about Caesar's from Cymbelline, by the way. Hope you're all happy with your little lives. My little life is confusing me at the moment, but oh well. I don't where this is going, but I promise you it's going somewhere. Maybe. Hwyl.