Gabriel Blackwell
Setting: A narrow, gas-lit, cobblestone alley. Shadows. Dusk or dawn, as you will. The late nineteenth century, perhaps earlier.
Dramatis Personae: Mark, Mark, Mark, Jean, Jean, and David.
Motivation: Each of the three Marks has pledged his troth to one of the two Jeans’ three sisters, oaths given in all solemnity and with all due expectation of consummation, but, alas, in acts of the most despicable gallantry, two of those three Marks have each impregnated one of the other, unpromised, Jean’s sisters before the wedding banns could even be announced. David acts in this scandalous commerce as second for a fourth, absent, Mark, who, because he shares the name (though never the inclinations) of the more infamous Marks, fears confusion may result among his fellow parishioners and therefore wants to clear his name of any possible association with the sordid, unseemly, immoral affairs of his namesakes, in whatever fashion proves most expedient and most discreet.
Handicaps: The two Jeans are closely allied to the much-esteemed family of David, and thus, by extension, to the fourth Mark—determined to escape taint in this matter through the utmost reserve while in company, indeed, cautious about being seen in public at all because of the associations that his name may bring up should it chance to be mentioned in the same breath as those two scoundrels, Mark and Mark—and therefore have no wish to tarnish that Mark’s good name or cause him any offense whatever through their actions or their words. However, as the Jeans well know, the three Marks are also closely allied to the family of David, though in a much more worldly manner than the Jeans, through the machinations of those ubiquitous snares, the length and breadth of man’s penance for his first and most serious betrayal, politics and trade. Appealing to his Christian mercy, the three betrothed Marks had endeavored to conspire with the absent, unattached Mark to engender confusion with respect to the guilty parties’ identities to save those Marks from almost certain death, but, with the revelation of the full extent of the Marks’ egregious conduct, that absent, cautious Mark now wishes to extricate himself from this deceitful tangle, or at least wishes to be seen to want to extricate himself. Or rather, he wishes not to be seen at all, certainly not to be seen as having anything to do with the nefarious actions of the Marks. None of the Marks or Jeans wishes the conflict to come to blows, but David, despite the fact that he is there to act out the will of the fourth Mark (who after all wishes only peace and anonymity, being a good Christian), seems dead-set on throwing down the gauntlet.
Odds: The Marks and David would have a decided numerical advantage—obviously—should the conflict, despite its participants’ particular reticence, come to the taking up of pistols or swords. However, two of the Marks are up in arms against each other, a result of their confusion as to the true paternity of a supposed filiation begat upon one of the Jeans’ sisters, Marie. Marie’s sister, Jeanne, intends to make her decision as to whether to come forward with certain uncertainties regarding the parentage of her own child based on the outcome of the present conflict, and, bearing that in mind, David⎯who has already been named the child’s godfather, owing to his position in the town⎯might then be placed in opposition to one of the Marks, as the man may well be forced to abandon his godchild’s mother, causing David great shame and, possibly, considerable expense, should his side fail in finding satisfaction. The force of the Jeans’ private armies is, of course, at the Jeans’ ready disposal, a combined force more than equal to the might of the Marks if so constituted. But each Jean is determined that the other should lose, as this will mean that his own sisters will be met at the altar by their rightful husbands, leaving the opposite Jean’s sisters unmarried, betrayed by all, still gravid.
[Nota bene: One of the betrothed Marks is left out, as not having been involved in the impregnation of either Jean’s sister, merely having inherited an unfortunate Christian name and a connubial situation with so much storm and quarrel attending it.]
Expedient: All of the participants wish for their own particular resolution to the situation, resolutions which cannot be reconciled with each other. One of the Jeans will seek to play on this by renouncing his own favored resolution and offering to side with one of the other participants in hopes that, having made a promise of assured collaboration, he might hope for some favor to be thrown his way, a favor out of the scope of the present disagreement but with the salutary effect of rendering its resolution immaterial, for that Jean. This will no doubt enrage his sisters, as it will be against their interests (marriage, and the siring of a legitimate child). Therefore, the favor must place him out of harm’s (in this case, his sisters’) way. This Jean must determine which of the Marks is most capable of sparing him his sisters’ wrath by spiriting him away, or, through financial or diplomatic means, engendering such an escape. One of the Marks holds an important Ambassadorship, another is an Alderman, the third is President of a banking house, and the last, absent Mark, in addition to being a prominent member of the local Anglican church, is an extremely wealthy trustee to the third’s banking house. Of course, each of these positions also give some advantage to the Marks in their conflict with the Jeans.
Constraints: If the unattached Mark, that is, the one for whom David acts as proxy, has been confused with the Mark who has not impregnated Jean’s sister, the resolution is simple. Neither of these two Marks has any stake in the conflict, and wish only to have the confusion of their names sorted out. Therefore, with the help of David as proxy and the Jean who is satisfied that his sisters will be married as promised, they can bribe the second Jean and obtain their preferred resolution, forcing the other two Marks to marry, leaving the sisters of the bribed Jean unhappy and pregnant but unable to levy punishment on a brother who, disgraced by his actions and whose family is in turn disgraced by those actions, has fled the country with the aid of the combined Marks and other, satisfied, Jean. The object of the sisters’ anger must then become Jean’s sisters, not yet mothers and married to their proposed husbands, the Marks. As it was their stated intention not to marry the impregnated Jean’s sisters, the Marks can easily accede to this plan, as it requires no sacrifice from them, and any resultant public disapprobation can be quelled through judicious use of their personal and professional resources. However, this plan could just as easily fail if David⎯acting as Mark’s proxy⎯giving in to his combative nature, instead brings his wrath to bear on the Marks as a collective group. After all, leaving aside the innocence of one or another of the Marks, it is their collective actions that have brought this signifier, his standard, to shame. Now the action must revolve around the axis of this conflict, leading the Marks into battle amongst themselves, and leaving them vulnerable to the preying Jeans, each after his own interests. Either Jean may be bribed to accept his family’s dishonor, and it matters little to them which of their sisters finds a husband as no one will be entirely happy with the outcome and at least one of the Jeans’ sisters will always be married, regardless of which particular resolution the conflict comes to, unless the outcome is death for all Marks, which would certainly be a tragedy for all parties. Barring foul play or outright warfare, this outcome is, fortunately, extremely unlikely. In such a scenario, David joins forces with the Jeans against the Marks, where the equal numbers make any outcome as likely as any other. If the Jeans can be bribed into going against their own interests, the Marks may still prevail. On the other hand, this scenario is the most fraught with danger, because the internal conflict among the Marks is the most pronounced in such a case. The motivation of the two Marks goes against that of the other two Marks, as before, but with the incentive of defeating wholly the Jeans and an irresponsible and unrepresentative David, this can yet be overpowered, bringing all of the Marks together regardless of their particular disagreements. Conversely, if David accurately represents the wishes of his Mark, he will find himself on the side of the three Marks as against the Jeans. The Jeans being overpowered, they must yield to the wishes of the Marks, which must be for the one Jean’s sisters to be married while the other Jean is entirely disappointed. Having been defeated he can expect no help of any kind and great shame in consequence. As a result, this scenario is most likely to produce death, either of the disappointed and despairing Jean, or of one of his sisters. Realizing the potential for winning without having expended any real effort, the Jean whose sisters are to be married, caring little for his homonymous partner, is more likely to side with the Marks than with his fellow Jean, because the success of his hopes would be certain if they prevail. Which motive itself reveals the cause of the opposite Jean’s willingness to accept bribes as a way to obviate the shame that would inevitably accrue to him. His only hope is of turning David against the Marks and evening the odds by emphasizing the situation into which circumstance has drawn the innocent Mark. If this Mark then rejects his own brotherhood⎯that of his name⎯and lets himself be convinced of the irrationality of his inclusion in the guilt of the Marks, he must become a tool of the Jean whose sisters stand to give birth to bastards, as against the other Marks and the opposite Jean.
Enter: Marks, Jeans, David.
Begin.