AND SO IT WAS IN THE EAST...

A Cultural Adaptation of ‘The Court Scene’ in

‘The Merchant of Venice’

CHARACTERS

Shankaran

The Lord

Thommen

Philipose

Radhakrishnan

Two Servants

As the curtain goes up we see all the characters except Radhakrishnan on the stage. A huge banyan tree can be seen at the backdrop. The Lord, with his servants by his side, is sitting on his specially prepared seat in front of the banyan tree. Thommen and his friend Philipose are standing left to the Lord and Shankaran opposite to them. Loud chatter of the crowd as well the indistinctive arguments of the characters can be heard.

LORD: (raises his hand) Silence…Silence. (The crowd and the characters go silent) No more quarrelling in the court. Shankaran, I know that an agreement once made and signed is ever valid. But to ask for that beautiful stretch of land for the failure of paying a debt of 100 silver is a step too far. In the name of His Royal Highness, I ask you to reconsider your position.

PHILIPOSE: (takes a bag of money) Here…Take 200 instead of the original amount. Or do you want me to triple the amount.

SHANKARAN: I know that you are a rich man Philipose. But believe me, not all your money can change my heart.

THOMMEN: Shankaran, that land belonged to my forefathers. They are buried there. Every tree you see there, every stick and stone will have a story to tell of how much pain they underwent to make it as beautiful as it is today. That Piece of land is my heritage. Don’t take it away from me.

SHANKARAN: Heritage? How dare you speak of heritage, Thommen? Your forefathers were proud Hindus. They were worthy enough to hold that land. But you…You have abandoned your true gods. You worship a foreign god, a weak god. And not only that, you persuade others to join you. Both of you. You have no right to speak of heritage.

LORD: Shankaran, such matters are not to be discussed here. We have to settle this issue right now.

SHANKARAN: But there is nothing to settle my Lord. Just let me go and take over the land as per the agreement.

LORD: Not yet Shankaran. You will not set foot on that land before I dismiss this case. So you will wait. I have asked the famous Devadathan Nampoothiripad of Ambalapuzha temple to come here and help me resolve this painstaking affair. He is quite an authority in the laws and scriptures of our land… Just out of curiosity Thommen, How did you end up exactly at his feet? Why couldn’t you borrow money from someone else?

PHILIPOSE: There was no one else, my Lord. You see, when His Royal Highness withdrew all the old coins to issue new ones, it took some time for us to exchange the old for the new. When there came an urgent need for money, there was no one else but him (pointing Shankaran) who had the new currency. There was no choice, my Lord.

LORD: Yes…Yes…A new king comes now and then, and he would want his royal stamp on all the coins. So what does he do? He withdraws all the old coins and issues new ones. Will he listen to the sufferings of the common folk as he is too busy displaying his royal pride.

(A messenger enters)

MESSENGER: My Lord, a person has arrived seeking your audience. He claims to have a letter from one Devadathan Nampoothiripad.

LORD: Ahh Yes… Let him come.

(Radhakrishnan  enters)

RADHA: My Lord, I’m Radhakrishnan. Here (Hands over a letter)… I have a message for you.

(Lord goes through the letter silently)

LORD: Ahh! I see. So…He cannot make it. Instead he has sent you. It says here that you are a learnt law scholar. He is full of praises for you. That is quite unusual from a man like him. He says that an acquaintance of a few days was more than enough to be convinced of your genius.

RADHA: He is being kind, my Lord.

LORD: So, are you familiar with the case?

RADHA: Yes. I heard about it from our mutual friend. (Observes the men) I take it that you are Shankaran. And you…

THOMMEN: I’m Thommen, dear sir. And this is my friend Philipose. Do you think you can help us?

RADHA: I do not know my friends. I can only promise you that justice will be done, no matter what.

SHANKARAN: Having a “Krishnan” in your name doesn’t make you the Lord himself. And besides, justice is already done.

RADHA: Let’s not be so certain about it. Now, if it is okay with you my Lord, can I see the agreement in question?

LORD: Show him the agreement, Shankaran.

(Shankaran produces the document and hands it over to Radhakrishnan.)

RADHA: (after examining the document) Just as I thought.

SHANKARAN: What…?

RADHA: Now before that, I just want to ask you, Shankaran. Why can’t you just take the money that they are offering now? Please spare this innocent man of your greed. Have a little humaneness. I’m not appealing to your spirituality. I just want you to know that your current actions might stand against you in the future. In the near future.

LORD: Yes. How can we expect mercy from others if we are incapable of showing it?

SHANKARAN: I’m standing firm on the law. What do I have to fear?

RADHA: Very well then. I’m afraid that is all I can do. A man should be accountable for his word. If it is written, even more so. I’m so sorry Thommen. Your Land now belongs to Shankaran.

SHANKARAN: Finally…I knew that you were a good man. Now my Lord, may I go and take charge over what is now mine.

RADHA: O! You may, Shankaran. You may go. But there is something that you have to do first.

SHANKARAN: Anything dear sir. I would do anything for you.

RADHA: You see, according to the agreement, (reads out from the document) “If Thommen fails in repaying the debt, his one hectare of land near the banks of river Pamba at Kainakary will be mine”. His Land Shankaran. His Land.

SHANKARAN: Yes sir. Is it not clear enough?

RADHA: You see, when the ancestors of Thommen bought that place, it was just a barren stretch of land. It is their labour and strife that made it what it is today. But now you, as per your agreement, has won over the land. Only the land. But everything else in it, every tree, every little shrub, every stick and stone still belongs to Thommen and his family. So you are free to have your land. But first uproot everything from there, without causing a slight damage and deliver it safely to Thommen.

SHANKARAN: But…That is…That is impossible.

LORD: (laughs) You heard him Shankaran. That is my verdict. You either do as he said or you have no land.

SHANKARAN: But how can one uproot giant trees without causing damage. My Lord, I’m sure there is another possible solution.

LORD: No. There isn’t. This decision is final.

SHANKARAN: Very well then…I think I will think about the offer they made. I will take the 200 silver and I will release the claim.

THOMMEN: No my friend. That is not going to happen. You are free to take my land once you give me my belongings.

SHANKARAN: The initial 100 will be enough, Thommen. That’s what you wanted right. I’ll spare you the interest.

PHILIPOSE: Your dirty plot is exposed Shankaran. You will receive no money from us. My Lord, it is up to you to decide what must be done to him.

SHANKARAN: But you can’t do anything. I haven’t done anything against the law.

RADHA: Yes. You haven’t done anything against the law. That is because sometimes the law can’t stop men like you from fooling men innocent men.

LORD: That is why I’m here. To stop the villainy of treacherous men like you. And to protect men like them. I don’t need any law to take action against you Shankaran.

SHANKARAN: Mercy, my Lord. I never meant any harm to anyone.

LORD: It doesn’t matter. (calls the messenger)  Raman.

(The messenger enters)

MESSENGER: Yes, my Lord.

LORD: Make necessary arrangements for the legal acquisition of the half of Shankaran’s assets.

MESSENGER: At once, my Lord.

(The messenger exits) 

SHANKARAN: Please my Lord. I beg of you.

RADHA: Did I not tell you that your actions might stand against you.

LORD: This case is settled. You are dismissed from the court Shankaran. You may go.

THOMMEN: My Lord, dear Sir, we are forever indebted to you.

(The characters go still, while the below passage is played as voice clip.)

VOICE: Whether it be Venice or Alappuzha, there will always be men like Shylock and Shankaran, waiting to prey on the weakness of their fellow beings. We often waste our time lecturing these men on humane qualities. But does it really help?

 Some men are fortunate enough to have a Balthazar or Radhakrishnan around. But are they really around? Or are they really a part of us in disguise so that we wouldn’t recognize them?

We might have to look closer. See beyond that beard and moustache. It will not be too long before Radhakrishnan turns into Radha.

(Curtain falls)