Emperor and Galilean

Henrik Ibsen, Ben Power

• Publisher: Nick Hern Books
• Year: 2016
• eBook ISBN: 9781780017501
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Drama
• Index: Literature

A thrilling version of Ibsen's epic play, charting the true odyssey of an astonishing man as he struggles to find spiritual fulfilment and political pre-eminence.

Made Emperor in Rome, Julian attempts to abolish Christianity and restore the old gods. But met with fierce resistance, this great free-thinker becomes a tyrant more hated than his brutal predecessor, Constantius. And in arousing the Christians from their apathy he advances their cause, his life and death altering the course of history in stark opposition to his intent.

Ibsen's little-known masterpiece sweeps across Greece and the Middle East from AD351, covering twelve crucial years in the history of civilisation. Completed and published in 1873, Emperor and Galilean was premiered in Leipzig in 1896.

This newly created version by Ben Power was first staged at the National Theatre, London, in June 2011, marking the first time that Emperor and Galilean had been performed on the stage in English. The production was directed by Jonathan Kent, with Andrew Scott as the Emperor Julian, and Ian McDiarmid as Maximus.

PART ONE – Young Julian

Scene One

Constantinople.

The evening of Easter Sunday. The public square in front of the Hagia Irene, the great temple of the early Holy Roman Empire. Steps lead up to an open doorway, beyond which candles illuminate an altar and a golden dome, adorned with a huge cross. There’s a palpable and growing sense of expectation.

AGATHON is waiting. GREGORY enters and walks quickly towards him.

GREGORY. You’re still here?

AGATHON. Of course, where else am I going to go? Well? Did you see him?

GREGORY. No. I can’t even get near him.

AGATHON. Gregory, this is really important.

GREGORY. As you’ve said.

AGATHON. I’ve come all this way. You’re saying you can’t even get a message to him?

GREGORY. That’s right.

AGATHON. What about Peter?

GREGORY. He went last night but I doubt he did any better than me. I told you. Julian’s kept away from everyone at the moment. You can’t just turn up and expect to see him.

AGATHON. I thought we were friends, all of us…

GREGORY. Agathon, I know, I’m sorry, but you have to understand, it’s different here. In the mountains, when it was just the four of us, we were friends. But it’s been three years, here he’s a prince. And it’s dangerous. We’re watched constantly. You coming here, waiting outside the Palace like this. It’s put us all in danger. Perhaps you should just go back.

PETER dashes into the square.

AGATHON. Peter!

PETER (shakes his head). I’m sorry. I tried but he’s been stuck in that room with the priests all day. They’re all on their way here now, with the Emperor…

GREGORY (to AGATHON). You’d better go.

PETER. Wait! I have to tell you, both of you, I saw him last night. He was…

GREGORY. What?

PETER. Normally he at least comes down for dinner but I hadn’t seen him all evening so I went to the door of his room. I was about to knock when I heard this noise. Crack. Crack. Over and over. Leather on skin. Crack. Crack.

AGATHON. What did you do?

PETER. I could hear him crying, I should’ve just opened the door and gone in, put a stop to it, but –

GREGORY. You were scared.

PETER. I didn’t know –

GREGORY. We’ve sworn to protect him.

PETER. When he came down, we went out into the gardens and I tried to ask him about it… but he wouldn’t look at me… there was blood seeping through the back of his shirt. You remember the nightmares he had when he was a child? When he’d lie there sweating, whispering the names of Christ? He’s like that all the time now.

GREGORY. He’s not a child any more. It’s indulgent.

PETER. All the time, asleep and awake. Doubts, questions, philosophy. He hears the students marching outside and it makes it worse –

AGATHON. Students?

PETER. Laughing and chattering. Protests and questions. He says that their words seep in, whatever he does…

GREGORY. The students are nothing. Julian needs to forget about them and concentrate on pleasing Christ and pleasing the Emperor. That’s where the danger is. He shouldn’t waste time dreaming of philosophy.

PETER. He only dreams of it because it’s forbidden.

AGATHON. What do you mean, forbidden?

PETER. They say his faith needs protecting, so he’s not allowed to even mention the university. It just makes it worse, he wants what he can’t have. It festers, the sore itches.

GREGORY. Two months ago, Julian was the most devout man in Constantinople. Remember him in the old days, Agathon? We thought he was going to become a priest.

AGATHON. Of course. Julian’s fai...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Original Production
• Adapter's Note
• Characters
• Part One
• Part Two
• Part Three
• Part Four
• About the Author
• Copyright and Performing Rights Information