Ulysses (Ulisse)

Go now, my ladies.

Go to your rooms.

Do not follow the unfortunate example of Melanthius

who consorts with these unwelcome guests in Ulysses' house.

And remember always

that only your lady Penelope is mistress here.

Go now.

Euryclea! Euryclea!

Just now as the sun descended into the sea,

a veil of clouds surrounded it.

And all of a sudden a black shadow

shaped like a billowing sail covered it completely.

What can this mean, Euryclea?

For years now you have been desperately seeking

for omens of the return of Ulysses--

in the flight of the birds,

in the blood of sacrificial offerings, in the shape of clouds.

Do not torment yourself like this any longer, Penelope.

But how can I do otherwise?

When the daylight starts to fade slowly in the sky

and the night and the stars spread their curtain of silence

and my torment and my sorrow increase 1000 fold,

sometimes it seems I can bear it no longer.

Do you hear them?

Those bullies, my so called suitors,

using their strength to enter here,

taking advantage of a lonely and frightened woman

and her young son,

forcing her into a promise of a hideous wedding.

Do you hear them?

Hear now my song of the siege of Troy.

Is that the storyteller?

Yes, he is telling the seige of Troy.

And so...

as if despairing that they could ever take it,

the Greeks departed from Troy

and left behind in memory of their dead

a giant wooden horse.

Rejoicing, the Trojans poured out of their walls

to claim the horse as a token of their victory.

But inside the horse hid a company of Greeks

commanded by Ulysses.

Get ready now.

Triumphantly, the Trojans dragged the horse

inside the walls of Troy.

Then while the Trojans were feasting,

Ulysses and his Greeks crept out of the wooden horse.

They opened up the city gates

and let the Grecian army in.

That night, the city of Troy

was sacked and burned.

That night, the Trojans died by the hundreds.

Great was Ulysses' triumph,

but greater was his pride.

And in his pride

he sacked the temple of the Trojan god,

the mighty Neptune, king of all the seas

and smashed his holy statue.

And for this deed, the Trojan prophetess Cassandra

laid a curse upon Ulysses.

Cursed be, sacrilegious Greeks.

And to you, three times cursed Ulysses.

May the wrath of Neptune descend upon you

and may you never know peace again.

You will live in exile and die in the depths of the sea.

Enough! Enough, Phemius.

Penelope.

Penelope.

- The queen. - The queen.

Penelope, it has been many months since you've come to see us.

Sing a different song.

It is much too sad for us

to invoke these ancient memories.

Not for us, Penelope. No, we do not live on memories.

Be silent. Have you no respect for her grief?

If it were at least grief for one who is really dead,

it might soon come to an end as it should.

Then you would be able to choose one of us.

No one knows the fate of Ulysses.

No one speak of him as dead

or have not seen his body on a funeral pyre.

You see, Penelope,

even the storyteller fantasies trouble you.

Inside you there is still much doubt.

But as for us we are quite certain. Where is Ulysses? Huh?

In what land is he held prisoner?

You promised us that you'd choose one of us for a husband

as soon you finish weaving your tapestry.

But you've been working too long on this tapestry

which you started years ago and which never ends.

That's right.

It's the memory of Ulysses which prevents me finishing it.

It's my sorrow and tears, they cloud my eyes.

And so my hands work slower.

If you would only favor one of us with your smile.

There is not one among you to compare with my father.

Are we not men too?

Have we not also strength and courage

and noble hearts?

You have certainly one thing: insatiable appetites.

You have taken advantage of the weakness

of a woman and her young son

to invade the house of Ulysses

and squander his wealth and his flocks.

You have even dared to force from the queen

her promise to marry one of you.

By what right do you judge us, old one?

He speaks the truth.

You have invaded my house.

You have destroyed my peace here.

You have extracted from me a promise I did not--

No, it is more than a promise.

It is the destiny of Ithaca which has been too long without a king.

He is right.

Not one of you is worthy of the crown.

And so we continue to have a king made of mist,

a shadow.

The people too are growing weary, Penelope.

The feelings of my people are no concern of yours.

You are all strangers on this island.

I am still the queen here!

And the people of Ithaca love their queen,

sympathize with her sorrow.

Respect her memories.

You are too selfish with your beauty, Penelope.

You are much too young

to sleep only with your memories.

I say Ulysses lives and he will return.

And when he does,

you will all regret having dared to offend me.

Come, drink, Phemius. Clear your voice and start your songs again.

I want to hear about Cassandra once more

and all those wonderful curses.

Leucanthus, Melanthius and the rest of you, get out!

You bring shame upon this house.

Get back to your rooms and stay there.

I'm going to bring an end to this once and for all.

What makes you think you can give orders?

- I'm the son of Ulysses. - You're nothing but a young fool.

All I need is 10 armed men to drive all of you from this house.

Come now. Come, little brave one, and fight against half a man.

Jump again. my boy!

Jump, Telemachus, jump.

Go to your mother, son of Ulysses.

Run, little boy. Run home.

Run, Telemachus. Run away.

One day your suitors will discover that this tapestry never ends

only because you unravel at night the weaving you do in the daytime.

What else can I do?

I was forced to promise I would marry one of them.

We should thank the gods that they agreed

to wait until the tapestry is finished.

Let us hope they never discover my secret.

- Mother. - What is it, Telemachus?

What has happened?

- I must leave, Mother. - Where do you want to go?

Away from here. I can stand it no longer--

their insults and cruelties. I must go to look for my father.

You wish to leave me also?

We must end this doubt, Mother. We must be certain.

I shall go see the friends of Ulysses--

King Nestor of Pylos and Menelaus in Sparta.

Do not leave me alone with these people, Telemachus.

Do you believe my father is alive?

Yes, Telemachus.

Tell me the truth, Mother.

You do not, do you?

You must not leave me. Stay with me, my son.

Do not leave me.

If you go, what have I left?

Only your presence and your voice

ever since you were a child have filled my solitude.

In your face and in your eyes,

I have seen all the while the face and eyes of Ulysses.

And I've found in you the strength

which sometimes seemed to abandon me.

Stay here with me, Telemachus,

and we will fight together. Don't leave me.

You must fight, Mother.

You must believe.

What does it matter what I believe?

Ulysses is far off.

This alone we know to be true.

And that is why this tapestry increases each day

and is undone each night.

And that is how I keep deceiving these suitors who wait for me

while I wait for Ulysses.

Ulysses.

Nausicaa.

Nausicaa, what are you doing?

Phaedra, there's a dead man here.

- Where? - Behind this rock.

Be careful, Nausicaa. Do not touch him.

He's dead.

- He is alive. - That's worse.

Where am I?

In the kingdom of Alcinous. lam his daughter.

What part of the world is this?

The island of the Phaeacia. Surely you know it.

It is very close to Ithaca.