SKETCHES AND PLAYS
классный час по английскому языку (6 класс) по теме

THE KING WHO LOVED STORIES

SCENE   I PERSONS

STORY - TELLER.

HERALD.

THREE PEASANTS.  

JOHN.

PLACE:  Outside the palace.

[A group of PEASANTS are gossiping. One of them is a young man named JOHN.]

STORY-TELLER: Once upon a time there lived a king who loved stories. He could not read, but he would listen for hours while his courtiers told him stories, and he was always sad when the stories came to an end. One day he issued a proclamation.

[Enters HERALD.]

HERALD (reading): A proclamation from His Majesty the King! If any man can tell His Majesty a story that will last for ever he shall have half the kingdom and the hand of the King's daughter in marriage. (He blows his trumpet again and goes out.)

FIRST PEASANT: I wish I knew a story that would last for ever I

SECOND PEASANT: So do I. I should like to have half the kingdom.

THIRD PEASANT: And I should like to marry the Princess. She is very beautiful, and people say that she is as kind as she is lovely.

JOHN: I think I know a story that will last for ever. Perhaps I shall be the lucky one who marries the Princess.

                                                          SCENE   II

                                                                                PERSONS

STORY - TELLER.

KING.

JOHN.

PRINCESS.

PLACE:  Inside the palace.

[The KING is sitting on his throne, and the PRINCESS is sitting beside him on the floor]

STORY-TELLER: Princes came from far and wide, and each told the King a story. But sooner or later the story always came to an end, and then the King would shout:

KING:  Off with his head!

STORY-TELLER: One day, however, a poor peasant came to the palace.

[Enters JOHN.]

JOHN (bowing to the King): Your Majesty, I have a story to tell that has no ending.

KING: Tell me your story, fellow.

JOHN: Once there lived a king who built a great barn. It was the biggest barn in the world. The king filled the barn with corn, right up to the very top. Then he locked all the doors of the barn, so that no one could enter and steal the corn. But neither the king nor his servants noticed a tiny hole in one corner of the barn. It was just big enough for a mouse to go through.

KING:  What happened next?

JOHN: Well, a little mouse did go through the hole, and it carried off a grain of corn. Then another mouse went through the Role and carried off a grain of corn. Then another mouse went through the hole and carried off a grain of corn. Then another mouse went through the hole and carried off a grain of corn. Then another mouse...

KING (becoming angry): Stopl Don't tell me any more about those mice! Tell me the rest of the story, after the mice had eaten the corn.

JOHN: I cannot do that, Your Majesty. You must hear the whole story, the first part first and the last part last. Then another mouse went through the hole and carried off a grain of corn. -Then another mouse went through the hole and

carried off a grain of corn. Then another mouse went through the hole and carried off a grain of corn. Then another mouse...

KING (beating heavily the arms of his throne in rage): I am tired of all those mice. I want to hear what happened when the barn was empty.

JOHN: But the barn was not empty, Your Majesty. It was still almost full of corn. Then another mouse went through the hole and carried off a grain of corn. Then another mouse went through the hole and carried off a grain of corn. Then another mouse...

KING (shaking with anger): Get on, fellow, get on! What happened in the end?

JOHN: Patience, Your Majesty. I have hardly begun the story yet. Then another mouse went through the hole and carried off a grain of corn. Then another mouse went through the hole and carried off a grain of corn. Then another mouse went through the hole and carried off a grain of corn. Then another mouse...

KING (jumping up and covering his ears with his hands): Enough! I cannot bear to hear anything more about those horrible mice. I will give you half my kingdom, I will give you my daughter's hand in marriage, I will even make you a Prince, if you promise never, never to mention mice to me again!

JOHN(bowing): Thank you,  Your Majesty.

[The PRINCESS gets up and takes JOHN by the hand. ]

PRINCESS: What a wonderful story!

STORY-TELLER: So John became a Prince and married the Princess. And the King learnt to read, so that he could read stories for himself.