Click here to read this playscript in Spanish: EL ANILLO DEL REY
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THE KING’S RING
CHARACTERS:
NARRATOR
KING
WISE MAN 1
WISE MAN 2
SERVANT
KING SOLDIERS
ENEMY SOLDIERS
CROWD
SCRIPT:
NARRATOR: Once upon a time there was a king who needed something special from the wise men of his kingdom. One day he told them.
KING: Do you see this beautiful ring?.
WISE MEN 1 AND 2: Yes, your majesty.
KING: Well this ring was made specially for me. As you can see, it has beautiful diamonds, rubies, and sapphires. I consider it a treasure. But I want to keep inside it, a message that will help me go through the most desperate and difficult moments of my life.
WISE MAN 1: And you want us to give you that message?.
KING: Yes, but it has to be a short message.
WISE MAN 2:I understand your majesty, it has to be short enough to fit inside the ring.
KING: Yes, that´s what I want.
WISE MAN 1: Very good. You will have your message tomorrow morning.
KING: Thank you. When you have it, give it to me.
WISE MAN 2: Yes, your majesty.
NARRATOR: The two wise men left the room, and quickly started thinking about the message.They thought and thought all night.
WISE MAN 1: I can´t come up with something short.
WISE MAN 2: Me neither. There are no wise words that can fit inside the ring.
WISE MAN 1: We should rest. Maybe in our sleep we can come up with a message.
WISE MAN 2: I agree.
WISE MAN 1: See you tomorrow.
WISE MAN 2: Good night.
NARRATOR: The wise men went to sleep. Next morning they woke up early and kept thinking about the message.
WISE MAN 1: I couldn´t sleep last night, so I went through some books, but I couldn´t find a short message that can fit inside the ring.
WISE MAN 2: It´s a hard task we have in our hands. Let´s be honest and tell our king.
WISE MAN 1: I think we shouldn´t. How can we tell our king that we have failed?.
WISE MAN 2: What do you suggest?.
WISE MAN 1: Let´s tell him that we need more time.
WISE MAN 2: Very well, let´s go see him. Maybe he is already expecting us.
NARRATOR: When the wise men went to see the king, they said.
WISE MAN 1: Your majesty, we need more time.
KING: How much time do you need?.
WISE MAN 2: Honestly, we don´t know.
KING: Very well. Take all the time you need, but as soon as you have it, come to me.
WISE MEN: Thank you, your majesty, we will.
NARRATOR: As soon as the wise men left, the king talked to one of his old servants.
KING: Those wise men aren´t of any help.
SERVANT: Your majesty, with all due respect, I am not a wise man, but I have a message that can fit perfectly inside your ring. You know I served your father, and now I serve you, and through all these years I have met many people.
KING: I know that, my father appreciated and respected you.
SERVANT: He was very considerate. Once I met a priest who was a guest here at the palace and when he left, he gave me this message.
NARRATOR: The servant wrote the message on a piece of paper. He folded it and gave it to the king.
KING: Thank you.
SERVANT: Just remember to open it when everything else has failed; when you can´t find a solution to a problem, when you think that everything is over, when there is no hope.
KING: I will, and thank you once again.
SERVANT: Now, if you will excuse me, I have to continue with my duties.
KING: Sure, you can go now.
NARRATOR: A few months later the country went to war. While his soldiers were engaged in a terrible fight, he escaped in one of his horses, but his enemies followed him.
KING: I need to save my life. When will they stop chasing me!.
NARRATOR: But his enemies were too many. Suddenly he reached a dead end, it was the end of the road. There was no way out. And there he stood on top of a high mountain, looking only at the rocky valley thousand feet deep. A valley impossible to cross.
KING: Oh my!. If I fall, I can die, and if I go back, they will capture me!.
NARRATOR: The king could hear the horses approaching, the noise was coming closer and closer, then he remembered the ring.
KING: The ring!. The message inside the ring is my only hope.
NARRATOR: He took off the ring, holded it in one of his hands, unfolded the paper, and read it aloud.
KING: This too shall pass.
NARRATOR: Then everything was in silence. His enemies that were chasing him got lost in the forest. The revelation of the message had a strong effect on him. Then he felt a deep gratitude for his servant, and a great peace inside of him. Those words had been magical. He folded the paper once again and put it again inside the ring.
KING: I feel stronger!. I have to go back and fight. My soldiers must be waiting for me.
NARRATOR: He went back, reorganized his army and fought back. Finally, he won the war and there was a great celebration at the palace. When he was sitting in his throne, he told his faithfull servant.
KING: I am proud of myself. I am one of the bravest and greatest King!.
SERVANT: This is the right moment, please, your majesty read the message again.
KING: What do you mean?. Victory is in my hands!. People is celebrating that I am back. I am not desperate. I am not in a dead end.
SERVANT: Listen… this message is not only for those hard situations, it´s also for pleasant situations. The message is not only for those moments when you feel desperate and miserable, it´s also for those moments when you feel triumphant. It´s not only for those occasions when you feel that you are the last one, but also for those times when you feel that you are the first one.
NARRATOR: Then the king opened the message and read it again out loud.
KING: This too shall pass.
NARRATOR: And once again he felt the same peace, the same silence, even surrounded by his people who were dancing and celebrating. But now his pride had disappeared. Then his servant said.
SERVANT: Just remember that everything is going to pass. Nothing, not even an emotion is permanent. Like day and night, there are happy and sad moments in our life. You have to accept them, it´s part of human nature. Keep it always in your head and in your heart, nothing remains forever.
THE END
Author: Budhist Short Story
Adapted by: K I D S I N C O
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Tags: king, palace, ring, servant, Wiseman