King Solomon and the Baker
script by Leo Heska
based on a traditional Jewish folk tale
Summary
Greedy baker gets what he/she deserves.
Characters
Narrator/Announcer (male or female)
Baker (male or female)
King Solomon
Old Woman
This play is meant to contain humor. For comic effect, or for
other reasons, you may choose a female to play King Solomon, or a male
to play the old woman.
Run time
4 to 5 minutes - the dialogue should move quickly. This play is
basically a setup and a punch line.
Setting
2 locations - at the bakery and in King Solomon's court. But you
don't need any set; a bare stage will do fine.
Props
(optional) A cue card or scroll for the announcer to read from.
1 bread roll (or bagel, or flat bread)
1 small loaf of bread
4 coins. Ideally they should be copper. Pennies are fine,
but if you can get larger
"coins" made of real metal, so that they clink loudly, that's even
better.
|
One Agora Motif:
Ancient Galley
Origin of Motif: Coin issued by Herod Archelaus (4 B.C.E. - 6 C.E.). |
|
One
Shekel Motif:
Lily; "Yehud" in ancient Hebrew
Origin of Motif: A Judean coin during the Persian period (6th-4th
century B.C.E.).
|
Notes
Depending on your own political leanings, or those of your audience,
you may want to omit or change the last 2 lines. Especially if
one of your benefactors happens to be a greedy, humorless baker!
Script
Announcer:
(pops onstage)
(speaking quickly)
(may read this
from a cue card or scroll)
Ancient Israel. Generosity and
Justice. Scene 1 - at the
baker's.
(pops offstage)
Alternatively:
Announcer:
(formally)
(may read this from a cue
card or scroll)
King Solomon And The Baker. A
story of Generosity and Justice
from ancient Israel. Scene 1 - at the baker's.
Baker:
I love my
life. (chews bread) Plenty of bread to eat; (stretches) a nice
warm place to work; and everyone comes to see me. (Scowls) Everyone
except those miserable poor folk, that is. (Scornful laugh) They
don't bother me because they don't have enough money to buy my
bread!
Old Woman:
Please sir, may I buy some of your
bread?
Baker :
(loudly) 2 shekels for a loaf of
bread, Old Woman!
Old Woman:
(counting her few miserable
coins) Please, kind sir,
I have only 4 agoras...
Baker:
(shouting) Get out with your
miserable 4 agoras! I have
nothing for you here!
Old Woman:
You are rude and unkind, young man. Since you
insist, I will pay you nothing. But I will also stand here just
outside your door, and enjoy the smell of your wonderful bread...
Baker:
(enraged, interrupting) You may
not enjoy the smell of my
bread, you miserable old hag! Thief! Police! Take
this old crone
away! Take her to the king!
Announcer
(quickly): Scene 2 - at King
Solomon's court
Baker:
King Solomon, the law says that what is
enjoyed must be
paid for. This woman enjoyed the delicious, wonderful smell of my
fine bread, yet paid me nothing. I demand payment!
King Solomon
(to old woman) Did you
enjoy the smell of his bread?
Old Woman:
Yes, King Solomon, I did. The
smell was so
delicious! And I was so hungry I could not resist.
King Solomon
(to baker) It is true that we are
a people of the
law. And you quote the law correctly; this poor old woman must
pay. But we are also a people of compassion and generosity.
Cannot you find it in your heart to forgive this payment?
Baker:
No! I demand my payment under the
law! Enforce
the law, as you must!
King Solomon
(to baker) As you insist.
(Imperiously, to
old woman) The baker is right. The law is the law, and I
must
enforce it. I desire to be generous, but I must be just.
How much money have you, old woman?
Old Woman:
Only these 4 agoras, King Solomon!
King Solomon:
Count them out!
(Old Woman starts to move to baker)
King Solomon:
No, not to him. Count them out to
me. Here, in my hand. Baker, listen well!
Old Woman
(counting the coins into King Solomon's
hand, clinking them
loudly): One, Two, Three, Four!
King Solomon:
Baker, did you listen well?
Baker:
I did, King Solomon!
King Solomon:
Did you hear the clinking of the
miserable old crone's miserable old coins? 4 puny agoras?
Baker:
I did, King Solomon!
King Solomon:
(sternly, resoundingly) Then, baker,
that shall be your
payment! For the smell of your bread, this old woman has paid you
the sound of her coins!
(pauses)
(commanding) And now, leave here and
bother me no
more, miserable greedy baker!
(hands old woman a loaf of bread)
Old woman, this bread is for you.
Compliments of the baker. (clearly and distinctly, to
audience)
I taxed him this morning.
Author: Leo Heska (adapted
from a traditional folk tale)
Distributor/Publisher: http://www.freeplays.org
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