Theseus and the Minotaur: Readers’ Theatre
Narrator 1: This is the story of Theseus and the Minotaur.
King Minos: I am King Minos, the king of the island of Crete where the Minoan
people live.
Minotaur: I am the Minotaur. I am a beast with the body of a human and the
head of a bull. My mother is Pasiphae, the wife of King Minos of Crete, and my
father is a bull.
King Minos: Since I do not want to kill the Minotaur… I will hide it in the Labyrinth
in my palace, the Minoan Palace of Knossos.
Narrator 1: King Minos imprisoned his enemies in the Labyrinth so that the
Minotaur could eat them. The labyrinth was such a complicated construction that
no one could ever find the way out alive.
King Minos: King Aegeus, king of Athens, you must send seven men and women
every year to Crete to feed the Minotaur!
King Aegeus: We must do as he says, otherwise he will attack Athens – and he
is very powerful.
-------Narrator 2: The third year, Prince Theseus, the son of Aegeus, became curious.
Theseus: Father, why is it that we keep sending 7 men and 7 women to Crete
every year and why is it that they never return?
Narrator 2: Aegeus told his son about his agreement with the powerful King
Minos and about the terrible monster the Minotaur.
Theseus: This year, I will go as one of the seven young men heading to Crete. I
will kill the Minotaur and end the human sacrifices to the monster.
King Aegeus: Please don’t go! The monster is too big and powerful, you will not
return to me alive.
Narrator 2: King Aegeus tried to change his mind, but Theseus was determined
to slay the Minotaur.
Theseus: Father, I promise to put up white sails as I come back from Crete, that
way you will know in advance that I am coming back alive. If I fail, the boat will
return with the black sails.
--------------Narrator 1: When the 7 Athenian men and women arrived on the island of Crete,
King Minos’s daughter, Princess Ariadne, met Theseus and fell madly in love
with him. She slipped him a letter telling him to meet her in a secret hallway near
the Labyrinth later that evening.
Princess Ariadne: Theseus, you will certainly be killed by the Minotaur and be
lost forever in the labyrinth. But I can help you. If you promise to take me with
you when you leave this island, I will tell you a secret and help you survive!
Theseus: Well, all right. What choice do I have? I do not want to die!
Princess Ariadne: Perfect! Now, take this thread and tie one end by the entrance
of the labyrinth. Then unravel it as you go deeper and deeper into the Labyrinth
so that you will be able to find your way out after you have killed the monster. I
will hide this roll of string and this sword just inside the door of the Labyrinth for
you to find tomorrow.
Narrator 1: The next day, Theseus and the other boys and girls were thrown into
the Labyrinth. Theseus told the others to stay by the door and then he followed
the Princess’s suggestions. He managed to kill the Minotaur and save the
Athenians, and with Ariadne’s thread he managed to retrace his way out.
--------Narrator 2: He took Princess Ariadne with him and left Crete sailing happily back
to Athens. Theseus’ boat made a stop along the way back home. The
Athenians had a long celebration dedicated to Theseus and Ariadne. After long
hours of feasting and drinking, Ariadne fell asleep on the shore. She didn’t enter
the boat before it sailed off to Athens.
Theseus: Oh no! We forgot my beautiful Ariadne!
Narrator 2: When he realized, it was too late to go back. Theseus was so upset
that he forgot the promise made to his father and did not change the sails. King
Aegeus was waiting to see the sails of the boat.
King Aegeus: Oh no! Black sails! My son is dead. I cannot go on!
Narrator 2: King Aegeus dropped himself to the waters to die. Since then, this
sea is called the Aegean Sea.