William R Cole

Dungeon Play William R Cole

The three main characters in Dungeon Play or the life and times of George of Clarence after his Untimely End are George, Duke of Clarence; Richard, Duke of Gloucester; and their brother, Edward IV. The entire action of the play takes place in a dungeon beneath the Tower of London between the years 1478 to 1485. A fourth character; George, Duke of Bedlam (a madman) is the dungeon's sole occupant. And there is also a somewhat smaller role for a female. Lady Jane Shore, who was the mistress to both Edward and his political cronies. The story of the play opens when George is thrown into this cell by Edward on charges of treason. History suggests that George was sealed in a tun of Malsby wine for his offenses and that the task of executing that sentence fell to the then constable of England, Richard of Gloucester. William Shakespeare made much of Richard's callous mistreatment of his brother, but in truth, Richard more probably pleaded with Edward to spare George's life. In my world, Richard does not see to George's execution but rather deceives Edward (and history) by sealing George in the prison keep instead. The slow reveal of the play is that George of Bedlam and George of Clarence are not cellmates but rather one and the same person and that the entire play is the remembrances of a poor George gone mad. In this world, time is malleable and months and years can skip by in a heartbeat (or in this case, 3 acts). The play ends with mad George left quite alone and forgotten with only the ghosts of his brothers (Richard and Edward) for companionship.