The Clowns Jangsaeng: Is the man who wrote the poster still at large? Park: Yes, but even if he is caught, nothing changes. Our nation has been corrupted and wrecked. On the king’s orders, the nobility arrests and tortures innocent people, confiscates their land and kills them. I've even heard of a father who turned his son in for reward money. The day of the uprising will soon arrive. | will tell you when | know it, | promise you. Jangsaeng: (To the messenger.) | will stay in Hanyang and organize the clowns. You go down, to Jeollado right now and tell Master Lee what's happening. Messenger: | understand. Be careful. (The ‘messenger goes out.) Jangsaeng: (Pause.) When the man who wrote the poster of slander is caught, he will be killed, will he not? Park: The king kills people like flies, doesn’t he? But it is the king whose neck will be cut. 68 The Clowns Jangsaeng: If there is justice. Park: We must be very cautious now. If we are caught, our entire families will be slaughtered. ‘You must tell no one about our relationship. Jangsaeng: (He gets up.) You have my word. So. Iwill leave you. Uangsaeng starts to go. He looks at the poster again, exits.) SCENE 4, Administration The palace. The king is alone, talking to outside attendants. Yonsan: You still have not arrested the criminal? You are worthless! (The king coughs, deep and hoarse. Gonggil enters, carrying a gift.) Gonggil: Your Majesty, | heard recently that your mind and body are in bad condition, so | 69‘The Clowns looked around and found a little medicine. Take this, Your Majesty, and restore your strength. Yonsan: What is it? Gonggil: It’s called “the elixir of love.” Yonsan: “The elixir of love”? Gonggil: Your Majesty, your emotions are tearing you apart, ruining you mentally and physically. You need rest and relaxation. Yonsan: Because of the poster of slander, | have not been paying attention to you. Once | finish this incident we can open a big show. Gonggil: Yes, Your Majesty. Perhaps you should just finish it now. Yonsan: What? Finish it? Gonggil: For your health, | do not think that dragging this out is particularly advantageous. Yonsan: So you think | deserve to be insulted? 70 The Clowns Gonggil: That is not what | said. | do not believe the best way to finish this is to capture and kill the person who wrote the poster. You should think bigger. Change something bad into something good. Thanks to King Sejong, the Korean alphabet is easy to read and write, so everyone can learn it. But because itis so easy to learn, even the lower classes can master it and write posters against your person. So. Make this case a turning point. Ban Korean writing. The upper classes will still be able to write Chinese. But the lower classes will not be able to write Korean and spread vicious rumors against you. Yonsan: Ban Korean wri 18? Gonggil: And furthermore, those officials who would challenge your orders, every time, should be cast out of the palace. With critics in the palace, no one will bow to the king’s authority. Yonsan: Cast out the cr like looking into a mirror. 3? You read my mind, Gonggil: Your Majesty, | have learned that the ‘worst of times are a great opportunity to ‘overturn an unfavorable situation. mn‘The Clowns Yonsan: Ha ha! A great opportunity? You are just angry because the officials wrote letters asking that the Hirakuan be closed. Gather the workers and build a theater. When you finish it, will we not make great merriment? Gonggil: | will build whatever you order. Donot — forget to take your medicine. Yonsan: | know. | would never forget to take my medicine. What other woman could take care of me better than you? Gongail: | will go and build a theater, Your Majesty. (Gonggil heads offstage, stops and faces Noksu coming in. Pause. He exits.) Noksu: Why are you so happy? You look better ‘than | have seen you in a long time. Your face radiant. (She looks at Gonggil's present.) What ‘Yonsan: What is this? Itis called “the elixir of love.” Ha ha ha. It is a gift from Daebong Gongail, for my illness. Would you like to take some too? R The Clowns Noksu: (Holding the present.) It is an amazing, gift from the heart. An amazing gift from the heart! (Calls out.) Attendant! Take this and check it for poison. Yonsan: What are you doing? Noksu: Gonggil. It was Gonggil who wrote the poster of slander. Yonsan: Noksu, you have eaten something bad... Noksu: That bastard can even write iyrics with Korean letters, Yonsan: Ha ha ha! Jealous! Jealous! Are you Jealous of him? (Standing close to Noksu and ooking in her eyes.) Yes, my concubine. What's in your eyes? Why are they red like a rabbit's? Is this a woman's duty, to always doubt and Judge? Is this a woman's duty, to alienate the monarch and the man? |s this a woman's duty, to estrange 2 father and son? What! You ‘thought Gonggll stole your place. If you look on one thing with suspicious eyes, then a thousand things seem doubtful. What did you hear? Why do you instigate discord? 2BThe Clowns Noksu: Then what is a man’s duty? Is thisa man’s duty, to consult with the traitor who wrote the poster of slander against me and plastered it all over the city? He is full of vengeance, a beast with a human face. Is this a man’s duty, to let your son's mother become a laughingstock while you gleefully enjoy the comedy on stage? Is this a man’s duty, to trivialize shame upon the heir to the throne? To be hoodwinked because you refuse to examine the evidence? (She shows Gongail’s crumpled Korean writing paper.) Here's the proof. This is Gonggil’s handwriting, Look at this with your ‘own eyes! (Shows the poster of slander.) Look! This poster of slander has the same handwriting, This is the reality. The reality! Yonsan: (Pause.) He did not do it. Why would he do it? Noksu: A son sells his father into slavery. Who can be trusted in a world like this? Yonsan: Guard! Call Daebong Gon; Noksu: Arrest him and bring him here. 74 . The Clowns Looks at the poster, shakes his head, dumbfounded.) No .... right! The handwriting could be the same. Noksu: | heard that he burnt all of his ‘manuscripts, letters, and lyrics. Why would he do that? Because he grew scared. Yonsan: Well... (Looks at Gonggil’s present.) To cover up what he did, he gave. . . (Gonggil, bound, is brought in by guards.) Gonggil: Why am | being rushed in? What did | do wrong, Your Majesty? Noksu: You don't know what you've done? Yonsan: (Shows the writing paper to Gonggil.) Did you write this? Gonggil:... Yonsan: Why can you not speak? (Shows the poster.) Then you also wrote the poster of slander? 75The Clowns Noksu: That's right. He hides a dagger behind his smile. Yonsan: What happened? Is this true? Noksu: You tried to burn the evidence, but you couldn’t burn the truth. Tell us the truth. Yonsan: | was so stupid to believe an animal could walk on two feet. Is this Clown Gonggil, who promised such loyalty? Gongei Yonsan: Tell me, my clown! Gonggil: | do not know what this is. | am an insignificant person. ‘Yonsan: |s that so? (Shows the writing paper again.) Then what is this and this? Is this the same handwriting as the poster of slander? How could you stick this dagger in my heart? Gonggll: Your Majesty, itis a plot. | never wi the poster of slander. Yonsan: A plot? Who did it? 76 The Clowns Gonggll:... Yonsan: Who? Why? (Gonggil looks at the writing paper. Outside, the sound of a scuffle. Jangsaeng comes in, fighting past palace quards.) Jangsaeng: | wrote the poster of slander. You have arrested an innocent man. Yonsan: What? Jangsaeng! You left to gather clowns. Why do you confess to this? Jangsaeng: Ha ha! Who else but Jangsaeng would throw contempt in the teeth of the king? Yonsan: You wretch, if you confess falsely you will be killed. Jangsaeng: If | tell you the truth, will you set me free? | don’t want to die... Noksu: He is playing games. If he slandered me, why would he surrender? 7The Clowns Jangsaeng: Ah, the carping crow. Always chattering and sticking her nose in it. ‘Noksu: What did you hope to accomplish? Compare the handwriting. The handwriting! Jangsaeng: The handwriting? For what reason? | told you | did it. What 2 witch, to cause such trouble. Yonsan: Take the paper and brush. (He does.) Write. (Jangsaeng hesitates.) Write! (angsaeng hesitates for a moment, then writes the first few lines of the poster of slander. His hand is shaking. The king snatches it up, looks at the two posters in amazement. The handwriting is exact.) Yonsan: The same. (He shows the writing paper to Jangsaeng.) Then you wrote this, did you? Gonggil: No, | wrote it. Jangsaeng: Ha ha ha, all right. | see. There is a misunderstanding. Misunderstanding. Our 8 The Clowns handwriting is the same because | learned how ‘to write from him. | learned by copying, by tracing his characters, by repetition. It’s how writing is passed on from master to pupil. So how could our writing be different? Gonggil is a small person, a coward. He would never do anything like this. How did you become a king with that stupid block, that stupid clog you call ahead? Yonsan: Bastard... Gonggil: It is my fault. | should have controlled him but | did not. Jangsaeng: Who controls me? Who gives me orders? Gonggil: Stop! Jangsaeng: Ha ha ha. I’s the writing, The writing shows only the truth. Yes, the writing, the writing tells the real story. Noksu was a servant and a whore . .- (Noksu breathes heavily, shudders with rage. She exits, shouting.) 73The Clowns Yonsan: Noksu! (Turning to Jangsaeng, pulls out his sword.) should have killed you. Gonggil: No! Stop, | beg you! Killing criminals is a job for the lower class. Would you debase yourself so? Jangsaeng: Just kill me quickly, old man, oldie mannie, old-craw grandpa. Aren’t you the savage king? Yonsan: Wicked man! Gonggil: Your Majesty! Jangsaeng: Kill me. If you get something by killing me, then do it. We're just insects to you, something to stomp on for fun? Use your eyes and ears, Listen to the cries of the people who scour the countryside looking for food. Listen to the mother who ate her dead infant because she was starving. Can't you hear her screams? When a man sees a dead dog rotting in the street, his gait grows heavy as he walks past because that’s the human mind. Why can't you control your devils? Why can't you use your power like a king? Jangsaeng is a low person who sells cheap smiles and laughs to weak 80 The Clowns and starving people. in no way are you above me. (Stares into the king’s eyes.) Kill me. | have nothing left to lose. I'm not afraid of anything. So just kill me. (The king brings up his sword, but hesitates, then puts it away.) Yonsan: Nothing left to lose? Before I kill you | will let you stray in the darkness. Guards! Take Jangsaeng’s eyes and throw them to the dogs. A quick death is too generous. (angsaeng’s eyes are torn out. Jangsaeng screams. The wanted poster is removed from the wall.) SCENE 5. Jangsaeng’s Will Jail. Jangsaeng, his eyes bandaged with a bloody cloth, waits for execution. Gonggil enters. Gonggil: Why were you so foolish? a1