Ouroboros: an Hourglass of Devotion and Redemption

Llewelyn Alain

CAST

OUROBOROS
KRONOS
RHEA
CLOTHO
LACHESIS
ATROPOS
ZEUS

Notes
Time-based painting decorates the stage
A pile of broken clocks in various shapes is seen on the stage
KRONOS seats himself on the top of the broken clocks

Light on

RHEA and KRONOS are seen

RHEA carries baby ZEUS on her left arm and wielding a blade with her
right hand
KRONOS with his giant death scythe walks slowly from the top of the
pile to persuade RHEA handing over ZEUS to him
A level of twelve steps is located among the pile of clocks
KRONOS utters his line on every step he takes
Each time he steps down, a loud clock clicking is heard
CLOTHO, LACHESIS, and ATROPOS are silhouetted
OUROBOROS is a voice

KRONOS
Will you let me die over the life of that child, Rhea?

RHEA
Claiming the life of this innocent child will never severe the
endless cycle of pain and regret looming over our family! Kronos, I
beg of you. Submit yourself to Fate! Please, die.

KRONOS
I sinned. I harvested the holy life of Uranus, my father. ‘Tis to
my knowledge that the karmic law of Ouroboros shall consume me. That
child of mine would feed on my life, would cut my thread of life
with Atropos’ scissors of fate. What would a family be without a man
that you call ‘husband’?

RHEA
It befalls to a mother to lullaby her children with a song of their
father’s braver. It befalls to a father to awake his children with a
whisper of their mother’s prayer. What would a family be without a
heaven we call ‘children’?
 KRONOS
Burying me in the ocean of time will bestow thee and the living none
but elegy and suffering. I am Kronos. I am the darkness that morning
leaves behind. I am the light that night pursues. Are you ready to
bear the burden of losing humanities that you love so much, Rhea?
Will you sacrifice the mortals, the ones that you call children,
over that child?

RHEA
Confuse me not with choices! Choices spare me none but despises!
(screams)

RHEA rushes to KRONOS and stabs him

KRONOS
You chose well, dear wife...

RHEA
Forgive me, Kronos...

KRONOS falls
Silhouettes play
CLOTHO, LACHESIS, AND ATROPOS
What have you done, Rhea?!
With Kronos’ death,
Night and Morrow will find no meaning
Dawn and Dusk will fall, grieving!

RHEA
Tell-tell me what I should do! I just wanted to shield my son. His
death will invite winter earlier. His death will prevent spring from
blooming. Tell me what I should do! Tell me, Sisters of Fate!

CLOTHO, LACHESIS, AND ATROPOS

Ouroboros!
Karmic law!
Chaos and Cosmos!
We summon thee!

Voices of hour hand moving so fast are heard

Voices of bustling clock machinery are heard

OUROBOROS
Rhea!
Kronos chose to sin to bring glory to mankind.
The end of Uranus opened the Golden Age of humanity.
You chose to sin to save your child.
The end of Kronos closed the Golden Age of humanity.
Choose well this time, child.

Black out
Voices of hour hand moving so fast are heard
Voices of bustling clock machinery are heard
The scene returns to the act where RHEA is consumed by confusion
 KRONOS
Burying me in the ocean of time will bestow thee and the living none
but elegy and suffering. I am Kronos. I am the darkness that morning
leaves behind. I am the light that night pursues. Are you ready to
bear the burden of losing humanities that you love so much, Rhea?
Will you sacrifice the mortals, the ones that you call children,
over that child?

RHEA
Confuse me not with choices! Choices spare me none but despises!
(screams)

RHEA rushes to KRONOS and stops herself from stabbing him

KRONOS
Dying in your hands is the fate I will cherish. Please, freeze my
burning heart with that cold steel of yours, Rhea.

RHEA
I can’t...

KRONOS
(takes ZEUS)
(laughs)
Why could a powerless creature like you spark Chaos in Heavens and
Earth?

RHEA
Don’t take my son!
(unconsciously stabs KRONOS)

KRONOS falls
RHEA holds ZEUS

KRONOS
Live on, Rhea...

RHEA
No! No! What-what have I done? I-I repeated the same fate! No!
Kronos! Kronos!

Silhouttes play
CLOTHO, LACHESIS, AND ATROPOS
What have you done, Rhea?!
With Kronos’ death,
Sun laments, Moon saddens
Eclipse was born, Sea was torn!

RHEA
Blame me not, Sisters of Fate! You spun this life thread, Clotho!
You wove this life thread, Lachesis! Kronos’ death is your scissors’
work, Atropos!

CLOTHO, LACHESIS, AND ATROPOS

How dare you, Rhea!
Kronos was our sibling
 To us he was darling
No requiem did we sing!
Ouroboros!

Voices of hour hand moving so fast are heard

Voices of bustling clock machinery are heard

OUROBOROS
Rhea!
‘Tis to a mother’s embrace, we halt our pace.
No good is ever greater
than keeping yourself somber over other’s slumber.
Kronos’ scythe never tore Uranus’ heart.
‘Tis Uranus’ will to let his blood spill
In the hands of his beloved.
A wife is not her husband’s shadow;
Mirror, she is.
Juror, shall she be!
Black out
Voices of hour hand moving so fast are heard
Voices of bustling clock machinery are heard
The scene returns to the act where RHEA is consumed by confusion
KRONOS and RHEA’s positions are switched
RHEA stands on the top
KRONOS carrying ZEUS stands below RHEA

RHEA
Burying me in the ocean of time will bestow thee and the living none
but elegy and suffering. I am Rhea. I am the darkness that morning
leaves behind. I am the light that night pursues. Are you ready to
bear the burden of losing humanities that you love so much, Kronos?
Will you sacrifice the mortals, the ones that you call children,
over that child?

KRONOS
Confuse me not with choices! Choices spare me none but despises!
(screams)

KRONOS rushes to RHEA and swings his scythe

RHEA
You chose well, dear husband...

KRONOS
Forgive me, Rhea! I refuse this fate! I reject this destiny! Turn
over the sand of time!

Black out
Voices of hour hand moving so fast are heard
Voices of bustling clock machinery are heard
The scene returns to the act where RHEA is consumed by confusion

KRONOS
Burying me in the ocean of time will bestow thee and the living none
but elegy and suffering. I am Kronos. I am the darkness that morning
 leaves behind. I am the light that night pursues. Are you ready to
bear the burden of losing humanities that you love so much, Rhea?
Will you sacrifice the mortals, the ones that you call children,
over that child?

RHEA
Confuse me not with choices! Choices spare me none but despises!
(screams)

RHEA rushes to KRONOS and stops herself from stabbing him

KRONOS
Dying in your hands is the fate I will cherish to choose. Please,
freeze my burning heart with that cold steel of yours, Rhea.

RHEA
I can’t...

KRONOS
(holds Rhea’s blade holding hand and thrusts his heart)

RHEA
Kronos!

KRONOS
I chose well my fate, did I, Rhea?
(falls)

RHEA
Forgive me, Kronos! I refuse this fate! I reject this destiny! Turn
over the hourglass!

Black out
Voices of hour hand moving so fast are heard
Voices of bustling clock machinery are heard
The scene returns to the act where RHEA is consumed by confusion

KRONOS
Burying me in the ocean of time will bestow thee and the living none
but elegy and suffering. I am Kronos. I am the darkness that morning
leaves behind. I am the light that night pursues. Are you ready to
bear the burden of losing humanities that you love so much, Rhea?
Will you sacrifice the mortals, the ones that you call children,
over that child?

RHEA
Confuse me not with choices! Choices spare me none but despises!
(screams)

Both rush forward

RHEA stabs KRONOS
KRONOS slashes RHEA
They fall

RHEA
Forgive me, Kronos...
 KRONOS
Forgive me, Rhea!

RHEA
I refuse this fate!

KRONOS
I reject this destiny!

Black out
Only the silhouettes are seen

CLOTHO, LACHESIS, AND ATROPOS

Fate is prayer-smithed.
Destiny is wish-forged.
Nothing can change fate and destiny but everything.
No matter how far we run from our fate,
Return shall we to the place we depart.
No matter how long we accept our fate,
Farewell will always severe us apart.
Ouroboros!
We refuse their fate!
We reject their destiny!
Embrace them no more!

Black out
Voices of hour hand moving so fast are heard
Voices of bustling clock machinery are heard
The scene returns to the act where RHEA is consumed by confusion

KRONOS
Burying me in the ocean of time will bestow thee and the living none
but elegy and suffering. I am Kronos. I am the darkness that morning
leaves behind. I am the light that night pursues. Are you ready to
bear the burden of losing humanities that you love so much, Rhea?
Will you sacrifice the mortals, the ones that you call children,
over that child?

RHEA
Confuse me not with choices! Choices spare me none but despises!
(screams)

RHEA rushes to KRONOS and stops herself from stabbing him

KRONOS embraces RHEA

KRONOS
Take him away. Nurture him. Raise him into a fine man. Teach him to
love mankind. Teach him to hate me. I shall await him here, greeting
my fate, embracing my end.

RHEA
Kronos...
 KRONOS
I chose this fate. Steel heart and choose this fate also, Rhea. This
child of ours is our fate. My death is your devotion and mankind’s
redemption. Regret it not, I shall.

RHEA
Forgive me... If I were not Rhea, and you were not Kronos... If
mankind never existed in the first place... Why would the two of us
attach our hearts to them, knowing that they could turn into beasts
and even demons? Why?

KRONOS
Because they open their arms wide to embrace their fate. Live among
them, Rhea. Let our son learn how to be a human. Let him learn how
to accept any fate bestowed upon him.
(takes ZEUS)
Be the sky that will protect your mother, child.
Be the light that will pierce my darkness.
I name thee, Zeus.

Black out
Voices of hour hand moving so fast are heard
Voices of bustling clock machinery are heard
KRONOS is seen seating himself on the top of the level while ZEUS
standing on the bottom

KRONOS
Those eyes remind me of someone I dear. That blade is capturing my
attention and inviting me for a reminiscence. Who might you be, lad?

ZEUS
Hail me Zeus. Son of Rhea.

KRONOS
(laughs)
(stands)
Zeus. The prophesied child. I have been waiting for you, child. The
divine throne seats only the strongest.

ZEUS
The hourglass flowing in your veins, I shall scatter it to pieces!
Your fall is the rise of man! To end you is the beginning of all
living things’ rejoice! Kronos! My mother’s blade will feed upon
your forsaken flesh! Your cataclysmic chronology ends now!

KRONOS
Brave. Your mother has nurtured you well. End me. Freeze my time
with your wintry steel. Come, child. Engage!

ZEUS
Kronos!

KRONOS jumps
ZEUS rushes forward
Black out
CURTAIN