Review of The Purge: A Modern Shakespearean Tragedy
Characters:
Father (Patroclus), Mother (Cassandra), Son (Damon), Daughter (Elysia), Neighbor (Lord Malice)
Scene: The dimly lit living room of the noble Patroclus family. The clock strikes seven, and the air is thick with tension.
Patroclus: (clutching his chest) What foul night approaches, fair Cassandra? The hour of wickedness draws near, as the moon doth rise in blood-red hue!
Cassandra: (wringing her hands) Aye, dear husband, for twelve long hours are granted to the savage hearts, and we must barricade our humble abode lest the fiends come knocking!
Damon: (with youthful bravado) Fear not, for I shall wield the sword of courage! Let them come, I shall smite the evildoers at our gates!
Elysia: (rolling her eyes) Oh brother, thou art as foolish as a jester. We are but sheep in a den of wolves. Pray, let us hide and pray for the dawn!
Patroclus: (determined) Then let us fortify our walls! We shall not be easy prey; we shall stand and defend our honor like true knights of yore!
Lord Malice: (entering unexpectedly) Good morrow, Patroclus! I come bearing gifts of chaos. What say you to a night of delightful mayhem?
Cassandra: (screaming) Away with thee, fiend! Our home is not a stage for thy cruel play!
Damon: (brandishing a broom) Thou art mistaken, villain! We shall not succumb to thy treachery!
Lord Malice: (chuckling) Oh, but the night is young! The siren call of violence beckons. Wouldst thou not join the revelry? Or shall I force entry and make thee my unwilling guests?
Elysia: (terrified) What madness is this? The world outside is a tempest of blood! Let us flee to the cellar, where the shadows cannot find us!
Patroclus: (resolute) Nay, my children! We shall not cower like craven mice! We will fight for our lives, for our kin, for the very essence of what it means to be free!
Cassandra: (whispering) But at what cost, dear husband? The night is filled with the cries of the damned. Shall we not consider surrender?
Damon: (defiant) I would rather die a lion than live a coward! Let them come, I say! For every drop of blood they spill, I shall return tenfold!
Lord Malice: (smirking) Brave words, young lad! But canst thou hold thy ground when the wolves arrive? For I bring not just me, but a legion of darkness!
Patroclus: (gripping a makeshift weapon) Then let the battle commence! We shall send thee back to the shadows from whence thou came!
As the clock strikes eight, chaos erupts. The Patroclus family is torn between their noble resolve and the overwhelming terror of their reality. The night unfolds, revealing the depths of human depravity and the lengths to which they must go to survive.
Cassandra: (sobbing) What have we become? In our quest to protect our own, we have become monsters ourselves!
Elysia: (clutching her brother) The darkness consumes us! We are but pawns in a cruel game, where love and honor are sacrificed on the altar of survival!
Patroclus: (with a heavy heart) Aye, my children. In this night of horror, we have lost our way. The Purge is not just an event; it is a mirror reflecting our darkest selves!
Lord Malice: (laughing maniacally) And thus, the curtain falls on morality! Welcome to the stage of chaos, where the only rule is that there are no rules!
As the lights dim and the curtain closes, the audience is left pondering the true cost of survival and the thin veneer that separates civilization from savagery.