King Midas and the Golden Touch PDF

Here is the text from the images converted into a structured markdown format. ### King Midas and the Golden Touch **Genre**: Drama/Myth **Characters**: * Storyteller * King Midas * Princess Marigold, King Midas's daughter * Nikolas, King Midas's servant * Rosie, a gardener's daughter *...

Here is the text from the images converted into a structured markdown format. ### King Midas and the Golden Touch **Genre**: Drama/Myth **Characters**: * Storyteller * King Midas * Princess Marigold, King Midas's daughter * Nikolas, King Midas's servant * Rosie, a gardener's daughter * Rex, King Midas's horse * Mysterious Traveler **Essential Question**: How do you decide what is important? Read about how King Midas discovers what he values most. **Scene 1** *In the palace. Early morning.* **Storyteller**: The story of King Midas takes place long ago and far away, in the country of Greece. King Midas possessed more gold than anyone in the world. One morning, he is counting his gold in his treasure chamber. **King Midas** (tying the last bag of gold): So much gold. So much wealth. I love it! **Marigold** (calling from off stage): Papa! Where are you? **King Midas** (calling): Here, Marigold. *(Marigold enters.)* **Marigold**: Counting your gold again? You spend more time with your gold than with me. **King Midas**: I'm locking it up because I'm leaving on a journey. **Marigold**: l'll miss you, Papa. **King Midas**: I'll miss you too, Marigold. **Marigold**: More than your gold? **King Midas**: (laughing) Of course! I have a roomful of gold but only one Marigold! (He looks out the window)I see your friend Rosie is playing in the garden. Run along now. I'll say goodbye before I leave. *(Marigold exits.)* **King Midas**: (calling) Nikolas! *(Nikolas enters.)* **Nikolas**: Yes, your Majesty? **King Midas**: Saddle my horse. **Nikolas**: As you wish. *(Nikolas exits. King Midas puts the bags of gold into the trunk and locks it. He exits.)* **Scene 2** *A few minutes later, in the palace rose garden, Rosie is jumping rope.* **Rosie** (chanting in rhythm to her jumping): Roses are red, Violets are blue, Sugar is sweet, And I AM TOO! Roses are red, Violets are blue, Sugar is sweet, And *(Marigold runs in, twirling her jump rope.)* **Marigold and Rosie**: I AM TOO! *(They stop jumping and Marigold stoops down.)* **Rosie**: What are you doing? **Marigold**: Hunting for a stone to give Papa. **Rosie** (picking up a stone): How about this one? **Marigold**: I want to find one that looks like a heart. *(Marigold picks up several stones and tosses them down again, then picks up a heart shaped stone and shows it to Rosie.)* **Marigold**: I found one! *(King Midas enters. Marigold runs to him and gives him the stone.)* **Marigold**: Here, Papa. A heart, to remind you that I love you. *(King Midas puts the stone in his pocket.)* **King Midas**: Thank you, my darling. **Scene 3** *(Nikolas enters.)* **Nikolas**: Rex is saddled, Your Majesty. **King Midas**: (to Marigold) I must go now. **Marigold**: Is it really necessary? **King Midas**: Yes. (He picks a rose and gives it to Marigold.) But here is a gift for you. I will return in seven days, before it wilts. **Marigold**: (smelling the rose) Mmmmm. I love the smell, almost as much as I love you. **King Midas**: Farewell, my daughter. **Marigold**: Farewell, Papa. *(King Midas and Nikolas exit.)* **Marigold**: (to Rosie) I'Il put this rose in a vase by my bed. Come with me. *(Marigold and Rosie exit.)* One week later, early in the morning, King Midas rides Rex through a forest. He is returning home from his journey. *(Traveler moans offstage.)* **King Midas**: Hark! Someone is hurt *(Traveler moans again.)* **King Midas**: (stops and looks around.) Am I dreaming? *(Traveler moans louder.)* **Rex**: (Neighs) **King Midas**: (patting Rex) Calm down, Rex. Don't be alarmed. *(Traveler enters limping and falls to the ground.)* **King Midas**: What ails you, Traveler? **Traveler**: My leg. I fell off my horse. **King Midas**: You need help. My palace is just over the hill. **Traveler**: My horse ran away. **King Midas**: Then ride with me. *(King Midas and Traveler ride Rex together.)* **Rex**: (Neighs.) **King Midas**: Good boy, Rex. We're almost home. *(They exit.)* **Scene 4** **Storyteller**: Soon they arrive back at the rose garden. *(King Midas and Traveler dismount.)* **King Midas**: Here we are. I'll call my servant. **Traveler**: Wait. As a reward for your kindness to a poor Traveler, I will grant you a wish. **King Midas**: You grant wishes? **Traveler**: Make a wish, and see if it comes true. **King Midas**: Well, I love gold! So I wish that everything I touch turns to gold! **Traveler**: Your wish is granted. **King Midas**: Really? I'll try it on the stone Marigold gave me! (He takes the heart stone out of his pocket. It turns to gold.) Incredible! This stone has turned to gold! (He picks a rose. It turns to gold.) Fantastic! This is gold too! What a perfect gift for Marigold! **Marigold** (offstage): Papa will be home today, Rosie. We can watch for him over the garden wall (Marigold and Rosie enter. King Midas holds the rose out to Marigold.) **King Midas**: Look, my daughter. A gold rose for you! (Marigold's happy smile turns to shocked surprise.) **Marigold**: Oh Papa, how terrible. (She smells it.) It doesn't smell sweet. **King Midas**: Terrible? No, it is WONDERFUL! can turn everything to gold! *(He reaches out to take her hand, She freezes in place as if turned to gold.)* Oh no! My precious daughter has turned to gold! **Traveler**: As you wished. You said, "I wish EVERYTHING I touch will turn to gold." **King Midas**: But- **Traveler**: No buts. You wished, and your wish came true. You were so obsessed with gold that all you wanted was more. King Midas: (He gives an anguished cry.) But now all I want is Marigold, alive again. I wish I could undo my foolish wish. **Traveler**: I can see by your anguish that now you realize true wealth is not gold, but life. So I will grant you one more wish. **King Midas**: I wish that everything I have turned to gold becomes real again **Traveler**: Your wish is granted. Fill that watering can with water from the pond. Pour it on all you wish to be real again. *(King Midas fills the watering can and pours water over Marigold. She comes back to life.)* **King Midas**: Oh how wonderful! You're alive again! *(King Midas takes her hands and joyfully swings her around.)* **Marigold**: What happened, Papa? Did I fall in the pond? **King Midas**: *(laughing)* Oh no, my treasure. Come inside and dry off, and I will tell you the story. **Marigold**: What story, Papa? **King Midas**: The story of how I learned that my obsession with gold almost cost me what is truly precious. *(He takes the heart stone out of his pocket and pours water over it.)* I never noticed before how beautiful a real stone is. *(He pours water over the gold rose and smells it.)* I never appreciated how sweet a rose smells. *(Nikolas enters.)* **Nikolas**: Breakfast is ready, Your Majesty **King Midas**: (to Traveler) Come, join us at breakfast. **Traveler**: Thank you, but I must be on my way. My leg is better and I have other wishes to grant. Farewell. *(He exits.)* **King Midas**: *(calling after him)* Farewell, and thank you! **Marigold**: "Thank you?" For what, Papa? **King Midas**: For showing me what is more valuable than gold. At breakfast I will tell you the story of my foolish wish, and how you got wet without falling into the pond! *(King Midas takes Marigold's hand, and Marigold takes Rosie's hand.)* **Marigold**: Rosie, come with me to hear Papa's story. **Storyteller**: So ends the story of King Midas and the Golden Touch. *(All exit.)*