Good Heavens! follows the partnership and rivalry between astronomers Johannes Kepler and Tycho Brahe at the dawn of the 17th century. Kepler is a brilliant theorist determined to discover divine order in the universe, while Tycho is a master observer set on proving his incorrect model of the solar system. Hypatia of Alexandria and Guillaume le Gentil, two astronomers form other periods in history, serve as the narrators of the story and play the characters around Kepler and Tycho. Here, we present two scenes from the original full-length play

Repp, Daniel

Western Washington University

Western Washington University Western CEDAR WWU Honors Program Senior Projects WWU Graduate and Undergraduate Scholarship Spring 2020 Good Heavens! A play in two acts Daniel Repp Western Washington University Follow this and additional works at: https://cedar.wwu.edu/wwu_honors Recommended Citation Repp, Daniel, "Good Heavens! A play in two acts" (2020). WWU Honors Program Senior Projects. 404. https://cedar.wwu.edu/wwu_honors/404 This Project is brought to you for free and open access by the WWU Graduate and Undergraduate Scholarship at Western CEDAR. It has been accepted for inclusion in WWU Honors Program Senior Projects by an authorized administrator of Western CEDAR. For more information, please contact westerncedar@wwu.edu. Excerpts from Good Heavens!, a play in two acts The tale of two great minds with an astronomical legacy By Daniel Repp  Summary: Good Heavens! follows the partnership and rivalry between astronomers Johannes Kepler and Tycho Brahe at the dawn of the 17th century. Kepler is a brilliant theorist determined to discover divine order in the universe, while Tycho is a master observer set on proving his incorrect model of the solar system. Hypatia of Alexandria and Guillaume le Gentil, two astronomers form other periods in history, serve as the narrators of the story and play the characters around Kepler and Tycho.  From the end of Act I HYPATIA We take you now to Prague, Bohemia on October 13th, 1601.  Lights up on a vacant dining table.  GUILLAUME Peter Vok Ursinus Rozmberk—  HYPATIA takes on the role of Rozmberk and sits at the head of the table.   ROZMBERK/HYPATIA Present!  GUILLAUME —is hosting a dinner at his palace, just next door to Emperor Rudolf.  ROZMBERK This meal will be to die for!  GUILLAUME In attendance at this dinner are Tycho and his dear friend, Councilor Minckwicz  GUILLAUME takes on the role of MINCKWICZ as TYCHO enters.  TYCHO These horoscopes Rudolf has been demanding are driving me mad!  MINCKWICZ How will we tell the difference in you?  TYCHO No, I mean it! I have far better things to do than figure out what the planets have to say about his chances of being assassinated.  ROZMBERK Minckwicz, Tycho, come join us at the table! What’s this I hear about assassination attempts?  TYCHO Nothing which lies outside the realm of paranoia.   MINCKWICZ A realm you’re familiar with, if your obsession with Ursus is any indication.  TYCHO The man is a threat to my very legacy!  ROZMBERK The man is dead.  TYCHO And all the harder to kill because of it. I am not going to let him be remembered for my model of the heavens.  ROZMBERK He won’t be.  TYCHO I have Kepler working on a refutation of his claims on my work.  MINCKWICZ Another one? Ragging on the deceased, this time?  TYCHO It is the only way to have the last word.  MINCKWICZ Is Kepler up to the task?  TYCHO He is exceptionally bright. Except that he thinks the planets go around the sun.  MINCKWICZ So do you.  TYCHO Most of them, yes. But the sun itself—  ROZMBERK Don’t let Minckwicz provoke you. Come sit.  TYCHO and MINCKWICZ sit. As soon as TYCHO makes contact with the seat, he freezes, and GUILLAUME and HYPATIA break out of character.  GUILLAUME He sits!  HYPATIA The trap is sprung.  GUILLAUME His fate is set.  HYPATIA This chair will consign Tycho, with Ursus, to the grave.  GUILLAUME And, with Ursus, to the hosts of astronomers refuted by the methodical mind of Kepler.  HYPATIA & GUILLAUME He sits!  TYCHO unfreezes, and HYPATIA and GUILLAUME resume their roles as ROZMBERK and MINCKWICZ, respectively.  TYCHO Peter, have you heard the story about my ill-fated elk?  ROZMBERK I certainly haven’t.  MINCKWICZ It’s a solemn story.  TYCHO Indeed. Ten years ago, I had my niece’s husband look after an elk I had gotten for my animal collection. She was a well-behaved creature, but perhaps took after me too well. One day, she found her way up to the room where the beer was stored. After drinking more than her fill, she took a tumble down the stairs. Bam!  TYCHO bangs the table for emphasis, and his golden nose falls off.  MINCKWICZ Tycho!  TYCHO That’s alright.  TYCHO takes a container of paste out of his pocket, rubs it on the back of the golden nose, and reattaches it to his face.  It happens sometimes. Anyway, the poor elk broke its leg and died shortly after.  ROZMBERK Oh dear.  TYCHO Such are the dangers of excessive indulgence in alcohol. Speaking of which, is that a bottle of wine I see?  HYPATIA and GUILLAUME come out of character as TYCHO continues to silently engage in the dinner.  HYPATIA The dinner continues.  GUILLAUME More guests. HYPATIA Small talk.  GUILLAUME Savory meats.  HYPATIA Fine drink.  GUILLAUME The very picture of noble society which Tycho scorned…  HYPATIA …but never abandoned.  GUILLAUME At one point in his life, his salary amounted to one percent of Denmark’s revenue.  HYPATIA But you can’t take it with you.  HYPATIA and GUILLAUME resume their roles as ROZMBERK and MINCKWICZ, respectively. TYCHO shifts in his seat and grunts in discomfort.  MINCKWICZ What’s wrong?  TYCHO I need to relieve myself.  MINCKWICZ Of what?  TYCHO Of pee. I need to pee.  MINCKWICZ It would be incredibly disrespectful to get up before the host.  TYCHO I’m aware.  MINCKWICZ Do you think you can hold it?  TYCHO Yes. I will be fine.  ROZMBERK Tycho?  TYCHO sits up straight, then winces in pain.  TYCHO Yes?  ROZMBERK Didn’t you lose your nose in a duel?  TYCHO That is correct.  ROZMBERK That’s what I thought. My wife was wondering.  TYCHO Ah.  MINCKWICZ (Aside to TYCHO) It’s okay. He’s almost finished with his chicken.  ROZMBERK mimes eating a piece of chicken, savoring each bite. It takes a long time. Perhaps he then licks his fingers, wipes them with a napkin, lets out a satisfied sigh, etc. Whatever can be done to draw out TYCHO’s agony. Finally, ROZMBERK is about to rise, but then… ROZMBERK Ooh! Dessert is on its way.  TYCHO Son of a—  HYPATIA and GUILLAUME come out of character. The scene shifts as they narrate.  GUILLAUME Tycho would have no relief that night.  HYPATIA In either sense of the word. GUILLAUME Not even after he returned home.  TYCHO stands with his back to the audience, attempting to relieve himself.  TYCHO It’s no use!  We are now in TYCHO’s bedroom. TYCHO lies down on the bed.  HYPATIA Holding it in at dinner had done his bladder no service. For five sleepless days and nights, he cannot pee.  GUILLAUME With intense pain, he manages to get a little out, but it’s still mostly blocked. (To HYPATIA) Is that too much information?  HYPATIA We astronomers care about all the data.  TYCHO Ne frustra vixisse videar. Ne frustra vixisse videar. Ne frustra vixisse videar.  TYCHO continues to repeat this phrase in a whisper.  HYPATIA Many come to visit Tycho in his suffering.   GUILLAUME His family, of course. HYPATIA And also his best assistant.  KEPLER enters.  TYCHO Kepler.  KEPLER I am here. Are you?  TYCHO Where else would I be? KEPLER You have been delirious for days. I was not sure you would be here here.  TYCHO I am. Unfortunately.  KEPLER I have been praying for you constantly.  TYCHO Kepler, I need you to carry on my work.  KEPLER You can carry it on.  TYCHO I think this is it for me. But you are my brightest student.  KEPLER You flatter me.  TYCHO No flattery. You are the one who can prove it to the world.  KEPLER The Tychonic system?  TYCHO Yes!  KEPLER I…I will continue your work.  TYCHO I know you favor Copernicus.  KEPLER It is hard to tell for certain. I have only just begun to see your data.  TYCHO I could not trust you. You and Ursus…  KEPLER Stop fighting dead men’s battles!   TYCHO I will, soon. But I hope you won’t.  KEPLER Thank you for taking me in. For everything.  TYCHO I did do quite a lot for you.  KEPLER Yes.  TYCHO Think about that when choosing a model to publish.  KEPLER Okay.  TYCHO Okay what?  KEPLER I am not going to argue with you in this state.  TYCHO You can speak your mind. Dying men get plenty of sympathy already.  KEPLER I cannot promise to support your model. I will have to align with whatever the data shows.  TYCHO Oh.  KEPLER I am sorry.  TYCHO I should have gone for the sympathy.  TYCHO has a fit of pain.  KEPLER Let me bring your family in.  TYCHO Ne frustra vixisse videar. Ne frustra vixisse videar.    TYCHO          KEPLER (translating) Ne frustra vixisse videar.                        Let me not seem to have lived in vain.  KEPLER exits. GUILLAUME speaks over TYCHO as a memory of MINCKWICZ.  MINCKWICZ It would be incredibly disrespectful to get up before the host.  TYCHO So trivial an offense.  Lights fade on TYCHO as he dies.  GUILLAUME So trivial an offense indeed! It is astounding how often astronomers are thwarted by the smallest of matters. Rocking ships, cloudy skies…Why, in my journeys I—  HYPATIA Guillaume!  GUILLAUME Yes?  HYPATIA Tycho just died.  GUILLAUME Of course. I apologize.  HYPATIA Show a little respect.  GUILLAUME Shall we have a moment of silence?  HYPATIA Let’s take fifteen minutes.  GUILLAUME For silence?  HYPATIA For intermission.   GUILLAUME Ah, yes! Tycho’s death makes for a compelling cliffhanger. What will happen next?  HYPATIA That, and the audience could probably use a bathroom break. We just saw what happens if you try to hold it in.  GUILLAUME You die!  HYPATIA Not the most tactful way of putting it, but I can’t fault your accuracy.   GUILLAUME (To audience) So please, everyone, take advantage of the intermission.  HYPATIA You saw what’s at stake. Don’t be a hero.    From the end of Act II TYCHO To think, things looked so bright for Kepler when he wrote New Astronomy.  Lights suddenly up on KEPLER working in his study. TYCHO makes a startled noise as KEPLER speaks.  KEPLER Let us consider how the Earth would appear in the sky from Mars.  GUILLAUME Oh yeah—when you reference something here, it can show up in front of you.  HYPATIA Takes some getting used to.  KEPLER Let us consider how the Earth would appear in the sky from Mars.  TYCHO So now we are back at him writing New Astronomy?  HYPATIA So it seems.  KEPLER As the sun orbits the Earth along with Mars, you can see that Earth would move at different speeds over time. In other words, Earth appears to move just like a planet.  TYCHO What?!  TYCHO glares at HYPATIA and GUILLAUME, then begins reading through the copy of New Astronomy.  The rascal! He assumed the Earth was fixed to argue that it moves.  GUILLAUME He’s a clever writer.  TYCHO Clever? He is devious and deceitful!   GUILLAUME It’s a fairly common rhetorical device—  TYCHO You made it sound like Tengnagel made sure Kepler published my model.  GUILLAUME We didn’t want to upset you.  TYCHO Kepler downplayed my achievements based on the advantages I got by being born into nobility. Yet even with all my advantages, this feeble nobody gets to come out ahead?  GUILLAUME If you think about it, being raised in nobility was sort of your downfall, with the whole staying seated during dinner thing.  TYCHO That ungrateful—I’m going to give him a piece of my mind.  TYCHO begins to approach KEPLER.  HYPATIA You want to play a character in Kepler’s history?  TYCHO No, I want to talk to him as me, from now.  GUILLAUME You can’t do that. (To HYPATIA) Can he do that?  HYPATIA Tycho, we need to be objective narrators here. We’re not supposed to intervene!  TYCHO leans over KEPLER’s desk.  He’s intervening.  TYCHO Kepler! TYCHO pushes the paper KEPLER is working on to the floor. KEPLER is confused, but picks it up and returns to work.   Look at me! TYCHO pushes it off again, and KEPLER again picks it up and continues working. Then, TYCHO picks up the paper and holds it in the air. KEPLER is disturbed.   TYCHO Hey, it’s Tycho! Remember, the man that made you?  KEPLER notices TYCHO for the first time and freaks out. He prays.  KEPLER Holy father, protect me from this spirit I see before me.  TYCHO Stop that. I’m not a ghost.  He considers, then turns to HYPATIA and GUILLAUME.  Am I a ghost?  They give him a look or gesture of “This one’s on you.”  It doesn’t matter. What matters is that you are abusing my data.  KEPLER I need to get more sleep. This is why I don’t do observations.  TYCHO You’re not hallucinating. And no, you don’t do observations, so stop taking advantage of mine.  KEPLER My goal has always been to uncover the divine order of the universe. Do we not share that goal?  TYCHO Where’s the divine order in an Earth that whirls around the sun like the lights in the sky? The Earth is solid and sluggish and—  KEPLER I understand your desire to keep a fixed Earth. I wanted so desperately to prove the perfection in God’s creation. I once thought he built the universe based on shapes, and for a time I thought he built it using music, as if the planets themselves were a chord struck to sing his praise. But I have found we cannot even keep our heavenly circles.  TYCHO I am aware. You settled on ellipses.  KEPLER Yes! It is not the craftmanship I expected from God, but it is beautiful craftmanship nonetheless.  TYCHO How is it beautiful if it suggests, against all common sense, an Earth that moves? KEPLER Because it is true.  TYCHO And you think people will remember you for these ellipses?  KEPLER If they remember the ellipses, they are free to forget me.  TYCHO Either way, they will forget me!  KEPLER The only entity the heavens should glorify is God.  TYCHO Am I wrong to want some legacy for my decades of work?  KEPLER You sound like Ursus. All he cared about was fame.  TYCHO You cannot compare us! He was a thief; I was an innovator. My model was beautiful.  KEPLER But it was not true.  This stings TYCHO. He rips the page he stole from KEPLER.  I worked hard on that!  TYCHO So did I. Yet you have dismissed me with ease.  TYCHO begins to gather papers off KEPLER’s desk. KEPLER notices and begins to gather papers as well to salvage them. They continue to speak as each tries to claim the majority of the work.  KEPLER I depend on you! Your tables are the scales on which I weigh the universe against my models.  TYCHO And so your work rises to the top.  KEPLER But only once it has bowed to yours. TYCHO and KEPLER now each have half of the pages.  TYCHO What would you do if I destroyed all of this?  KEPLER I would write it again.  TYCHO All of it?  KEPLER Yes. It would give me a chance to check the math.  TYCHO moves as if to rip the pages. KEPLER jumps forward to stop him.  TYCHO I knew you were bluffing.  KEPLER I will rewrite it! I would just rather not. I hope you are bluffing.  TYCHO You are going to run this New Astronomy book by Tengnagel, yes?  KEPLER Yes. I will have to include a preface by him in my book warning readers not to trust my model.  TYCHO Good! Then somebody will look ridiculous to future generations.  KEPLER Yes, somebody will.  TYCHO considers. He turns towards GUILLAUME and HYPATIA, who are still unseen by KEPLER.  TYCHO The world never embraces the Tychonic model.  HYPATIA No.  TYCHO My life’s work, forgotten.  KEPLER No, Tycho. Your life’s work, immortalized.  TYCHO regards KEPLER.  TYCHO You asked me once to stop fighting dead men’s battles.  TYCHO moves to KEPLER’s desk.  Consider this my surrender.  GUILLAUME (To HYPATIA) Is he going to give Kepler his nose?  HYPATIA What?  TYCHO returns KEPLER’s papers to his desk.  GUILLAUME Oh, I get it.  KEPLER Thank you.  TYCHO Thank you. I suppose you only get to be right if you can admit when you are wrong.  TYCHO returns to the narrators as KEPLER returns to his work. HYPATIA nudges GUILLAUME, who addresses the audience.  GUILLAUME Kepler’s laws of planetary motion would prove indispensable.  HYPATIA They were used by Isaac Newton to develop a theory of gravity.  GUILLAUME They were used by NASA to send spacecraft to every planet.  TYCHO And they will be used by future generations in ways we never thought of.   HYPATIA (To TYCHO) Are you on the team now?  TYCHO I think we have a story worth telling.  HYPATIA (To audience) Goodnight, everyone.   GUILLAUME May you have clear skies…  TYCHO And clear consciences.  The lights fade except on KEPLER. Then, blackout.   

Good Heavens! A play in two acts

https://cedar.wwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1404&context=wwu_honors

Good Heavens! A play in two acts

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