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The Opium Dream
From a Collection of Crowley's Plays and Scenarios
Never mind the excuses for the presentation.
The story.
A girl is dragged on to the stage, half unwillingly, by a page. We understand that she is the captive in one set of circumstances or another, of a Chinese Bonze.
She expresses abandonment.
The page tries to reassure her.
She sinks into deeper apathy, but gradually becomes interested enough to express timidity. She is told that Bonze will visit her in a moment or two.
Presently she shows impatience, while the page disappears.
Scene 2. The Bonze comes in, and soothes her in a kind of fatherly way, until she registers resignation.
He tells her of all the beautiful things he will give her, and she shows anticipation.
He then goes off, and she shows contentment and tranquility.
Scene 3. The page comes back, and proceeds to undress her. She has very beautiful clothes and lingerie. This undressing is carried until almost the last point, but the final act is concealed from the audience by manipulation of the Chinese robes which are put on her. The page makes her move around to display her new costume, and get accustomed to it, so that she registers vanity.
The page runs off to tell her master.
Scene 4. The Bonze comes in, and starts to woo her. She expresses coquetry, and other suitable feminine imbecilities, eluding him with great skill, but she gradually flutters down to the lure; and there is a certain contest which develops to a high point.
She is quite satisfied with her situation, and abandons herself to his embraces.
At this moment the page rushes in in disorder.
Scene 5. The page explains that the head wife is at hand, on the war path.
The girl does not understand what is wrong, but judges from the behaviours of the others that some danger is at hand, and registers alarm.
The Bonze tries to quiet her, telling her that by his wizardry he will remain master of the situation; but tells her to conceal herself.
She does a fade-away behind the second set of curtains, which conceal the cage. The cage terrifies her, but ultimately she opens the door, and goes in.
The Bonze assumes an attitude of indifference.
Scene 6. The head wife comes in, and makes a violent scene. The Bonze tries to reassure her in vain. She will not be pacified. He loses his temper, and after ill-treating her savagely, finally stabs her.
During this time the girl has been peeping through the curtain, her white face lit by a shaft of moonlight against the blackness of the background. She expresses horror.
The page comes in to remove the body, and the Bonze manifests triumphant satisfaction.
When this is done he calls the girl from the cage. She resists, and registers abhorrence.
He drags her into the room, she wrenches herself free, and exhibits denunciation and defiance.
He chases her, finally becoming angry, and threatens her. She becomes cowed and shivers, crouching in a corner of the divan. He tears off her outer robe.
Scene 7. He now threatens her with various tortures, and proceeds to apply them. She resists them, rising from height to height of rage.
Finally, he threatens to imprison her in the Cage of Thunder. After a violent struggle, in which all her clothes are torn off, he thrusts her in, pulls back the curtain, and turns on the lightening.
This has the effect of driving her insane, and she leaps and shrieks furiously.
The Bonze is amazed that she is not killed, and attributes this to the magic of her race.
He in his turn begins to be afraid, and withdraws to the front of the stage; whereat she bursts open her cage, and rushes forward.
Grappling with him, she throws him to the ground, and strangles him.
Curtain.
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