sophia or while i almost ask for more or a parable of the ruler and the wisdom

This cruel play is set in an undefined past or in a time “while I almost ask for more” in some kind of in-betweenness, in a palace where the ruler and his two ministers run the country. The ruler is narcissistic, haughty and prone to violence. The ministers represent two opposite angles: one assesses the crisis in the country realistically and gives constructive suggestions to solving the problems, whilst the other contributes to creating the problems which in turn demand governing with an iron fist and justify a variety of debatable government measures. Naturally, the ruler only listens to his second minister: poverty, hunger and discontent are spreading across their depleted country, so an external enemy must be invented and forces need to be joined.

The play is an unforgiving anatomy of governing, a vivisection of cynical ruling strategies and unscrupulous manipulations. Despite a hint of medieval rulers’ absolutism that the author reveals with an almost Ubu-like humour, it all feels very much like today and seems painfully familiar.

No. of roles

8

No. of male roles

4

No. of female roles

4

Script extract

and I stopped at the square

and there was a crowd speaking about war

sir, the crowd spoke thetime for war has come, for an attack, for bloodshed

sir

and then I spoke, too

I spoke about how it’s too beautiful to make war

that it’s too beautiful, you know, that we are all people, aren't we

that we cannot raise a hand against another human being