Forget Herostratus! (play). Book: Forget Herostratus

... In the fourth century BC, the temple of Artemis was burned in the Greek city of Ephesus. One hundred and twenty years its masters built it. According to legend, the goddess herself helped the architects. The temple was so magnificent that it was included among the seven wonders of the world. Crowds of people from all over the world flocked to its foot to bow to the goddess and marvel at the greatness of human deeds. The temple stood for a hundred years. It could stand for millennia, but it stood for only a hundred years. On the fateful night of the year 356, a resident of Ephesus, a bazaar merchant named Herostratus, burned down the temple of Artemis...

Who sent bullets at President John F. Kennedy? Lee Harvey Oswald.
And who took out these bullets?.. I'm straining my memory.
What are the names of the surgeons who fought for the life of the president? After all, newspapers also wrote about them then. Their faces also appeared on TV screens ...
I do not remember! I do not remember!....

Such is the paradox of memory: all its attention is directed to the one who shed blood, and not to the one who transfused it. The man who committed the atrocity, covered himself with "Herostratic glory", remained forever in history, tens and hundreds of people who committed noble deeds melted into obscurity...
So for the first time in those distant days of the Dallas tragedy, I thought about a man named Herostratus, about a small merchant from the ancient city of Ephesus. Who is he? What did it look like? How and why did a hand with a torch rise to burn one of the most amazing creations of human culture - the temple of the goddess Artemis?
I turned to historical chronicles, memoirs, documents. And then suddenly, with surprise, I discovered that almost nothing was written about Herostratus. Historians and chroniclers diligently bypassed the personality of the villain, mentioning him in passing, or not mentioning him at all ... Some kind of subconscious protest of conscience: did you dream of glory? Will not work!
Planes have been hijacked! They shot at deputies, senators, priests! And every time the killer not only did not seek to hide in the darkness of obscurity, but on the contrary, he looked at me from the TV screens or a newspaper picture, as soon as a bomb planted by "unknown" exploded somewhere, several extremist organizations at once called the newspaper editorial offices with a demand put this crime on their account...
Evil became more attractive than good, destruction and annihilation was done with inspiration, it was spoken of as a creative process...
And against my will, I began to mentally return to the sinister figure of a small merchant from the city of Ephesus. Why fool yourself, I thought. There is no oblivion, there is humility. There is an addiction to evil and violence. Forgive me, historians and chroniclers. I am not a strikebreaker, but I am not an accomplice to nonsense either. It is impossible not to pay attention to a disease that destroys the body, regardless of whether the patient thinks about it or pretends that he is healthy and feels great.
I started a dialogue with Herostratus, I tried to argue with him, sometimes I tried to understand him, sometimes I applauded him, admiring his dexterity and resourcefulness, but at the end of the dialogue I could not stand it and grabbed a knife in my hands ...
Our dialogue is not over, despite the fact that the play has long been written and staged...
Herostratus achieved what he wanted - they remember him. But in this victory lies his defeat and his death. To forget about him means to forgive him everything. To remember him means not to put up with him, not to forgive him anything and never ...

(From the preface by Grigory Gorin to the play "Forget Herostratus")

What do you think, friends?
Do you agree that "Gerostrat's glory" is also glory?
How do you see the manifestations of the "glory of Herostratus" in modern life?
And most importantly: what would be more correct - to forget Herostratus or to remember him?

Characters [ | ]

• theater man
• Tissaphernes - lord of Ephesus, satrap of the Persian king.
• Clementine is his wife.
• Cleon - archon-basile of Ephesus.
• Herostratus - Bazaar Merchant
• Crisippus is a usurer.
• Erita - Priestess of the Temple of Artemis
• Jailer
• First Citizen
• Second Citizen
• Third Citizen

Place and time of action[ | ]

Plot [ | ]

theater man of our time is trying to understand "the origins of the disease, which subsequently brought grief to mankind" . To do this, he observes the events of more than two thousand years ago. He can only observe, but not interfere .

Eritha, the priestess of the temple of Artemis, comes to Tissaphernes. She weeps, cursing Herostratus, and the Ephesians, and all of humanity. Cleon appoints a trial for the next day, and he does not want to make a spectacle out of the execution, so as not to flatter the ambition of the criminal. But Eritha unexpectedly announces that she is against the punishment of Herostratus by people, and Artemis should punish him. In order to find out if this is really so, she sent a messenger to the Delphic oracle. Erita asks to postpone the decision for a month until the messenger returns. Cleon vs. Tissaphernes, not knowing what to do, decides to resort to voting. For the immediate execution of Cleon and Clementine, for the reprieve - Erita. But the situation changes when Clementine finds out that Herostratus is young and handsome. She also votes for the postponement. There is a dispute. Tissaphernes cannot decide.

The drunken jailer returned to Herostratus and said that the drunkards of Ephesus were outraged by the act of Herostratus. But, having argued what to do with the money (Drown in the closet? Or drink it all the same?), They decide to drink it away. Having fulfilled their plan, they decide that Herostratus is a bastard, of which there are few, but still there is something human in him.

The jailer also reports that several people are waiting for a meeting with Herostratus, including some woman who covered her face. Herostratus orders the woman to be brought first and, having paid the jailer, demands that they be left alone. This woman is Clementine. She decided to test her version that Herostrat had burned the temple out of love, and was very upset when she found out that Herostrat's motive had nothing to do with her ideal. Herostratus understands the reason for her anger and says that he loves her. Yes, he does not hide that this is not true, but who cares about the truth? He immediately creates a legend according to which he burned the temple precisely because of his love for Clementine. And he will publicly announce this during the execution. For this, he demands the love of Clementine. The man of the theater, despite his rules of non-intervention, tries to stop Clementine, to which Herostratus threatens to name another woman. The jailer, who suddenly came, Clementine is intimidated, after which Clementine and Herostratus are removed.

Theater man "forced to announce intermission"

Twenty days have passed since Herostratus burned down the temple. And Herostratus is still alive and well.

Court. Two townspeople drag a third. These are the same townspeople who tried to kill Herostratus twenty days ago. Now the situation has changed. The third citizen wanted to set fire to the city theater, and the first two seized him. The court is scheduled for the next day, but the third citizen, hysterically admiring the "son of the gods" Herostratus and his "feat", threatens Cleon with a new order and refuses to believe in the possibility of justice. After he was taken away, the second citizen told Cleon about the emerging cult of Herostratus, that in the tavern of Dionysius every day the drunkards of Ephesus drink on the money of Herostratus and glorify him. The second citizen asks Cleon to let him go to prison in order to kill Herostratus without waiting for the trial. Cleon refuses, arguing that then the second citizen will be executed as a murderer, but the second citizen is ready to make this sacrifice in order to save his city. Cleon still insists that everything be according to the law.

Cleon shares his observations with the theater man. He claims that Herostratus is not a philosopher, and his whole program consists in mediocre words: “Do what you want, without fear of the gods and without regard for people! By this you will get glory and humility for yourself! The man of the theater warns Cleon about the dangers of such ideas.

Meanwhile, a jailer was brought to Cleon. Unable to withstand the threats of torture, the jailer told Cleon that Chrysippus and another man had come to Herostratus. At that moment, Clementine comes to court, and the jailer, wanting to show her that he did not name her, betrays her. Cleon chases the jailer away and begins interrogating Clementine. Clementine says that Herostrat really burned the temple out of love, and for her. Cleon, on the other hand, understands that Herostratus could not invent such a legend, that it was invented at the prompting of Clementine herself. And Cleon demands from Clementine to name the price she paid Herostratus for accepting the legend. Clementine refuses to answer. Then Cleon arrests Clementine and informs her that he will learn the truth from the jailer.

Crisippus, summoned to court, arrives. He is accused of illegally selling the writings of Herostratus, but Crisippus claims that he sold these scrolls only before the law was issued, and then destroyed all the remnants. Cleon threatens to search him. Chrysippus calmly gives Cleon the keys to the warehouses. Cleon realizes that the scrolls are hidden elsewhere. Pressing on Chrysippus, Cleon realizes that the scrolls are hidden in the gynaecium. In response, Crisippus declares that he wants to make a frank confession and tells that a certain noble person ordered fifteen papyri from him. Cleon insists that Crisippus give the name of the customer. At this moment, Tissaphernes enters the hall, and Chrysippus points to him. Cleon chases Crisippus away.

Tissaphernes does not particularly hide the fact that he ordered papyri for himself and several other rulers and "respected people." He does not believe that he violated the law, since he himself issued this law. And there is no bad example in this, because everything happens in secret. Cleon informs Tissaphernes of Clementine's arrest on charges of conspiring with Herostratus. Cleon assures Tissaphernes that Clementine did not deny the fact of visiting Herostratus. In addition, there is the jailer of Herostratus, who can confirm her words. Bring in Clementine. She refuses her words, claiming that she has never been to Herostratus. Tissaphernes is extremely annoyed and upset that either his wife or his friend is lying to him. The name of the jailer, but it turns out that he was killed. Cleon suspects Clementine or Tissaphernes. Clementine blames Cleon for this and leaves with Tissaphernes. Left alone, Cleon asks the man of the theater to return the knife to him.

Cleon appoints himself as the jailer of Herostratus, which causes the delight of the latter and confirms the correctness of his calculations. Tissaphernes visits Herostratus in prison to find out the truth about the relationship between his wife and the criminal. Herostratus declares that Clementine has fallen in love with him, and offers Tissaphernes a deal: the ruler will release and bring Herostratus closer to him, and he will restore order in the city and stop all rumors about his relationship with Clementine. Tissaphernes indirectly confesses to killing the jailer and gives Herostratus a dagger to kill Cleon.

Tissaphernes leaves, and Cleon tries to find out from Herostratus what the conversation was about. But Herostratus refuses to say anything, and Cleon addresses his question to the Man of the Theater. At this moment, Herostratus tries to deliver a fatal blow to Cleon from behind, but the Theater Man warns the archon and gives him the dagger.

In the fight, Cleon kills Herostratus. The song of the masons is heard, who are restoring the temple of Artemis. The theater man asks to remember the names of the builders, but Cleon does not remember any.

Productions [ | ]

• - Academic Drama Theater named after V. F. Komissarzhevskaya (Leningrad)
• - Satirical Theater DK UPI (Now the theater "Old House") (Yekaterinburg), staged by Nikolai Stulikov.
• - Norilsk Polar Drama Theater named after Vl. Mayakovsky (Norilsk), director - People's Artist of Russia Alexander Zykov
• - Theater of the Rains of Natalia Nikitina
• - Youth Theater on the Fontanka (St. Petersburg), production

"Who is Artemis? hard-hearted
goddess of the hunt. She rushes through the forests with a retinue of her animals,
shoots from a bow and hides from the human eye.
She doesn't even know how to love, poor thing!
Why are churches built for her?
Why are they sacrificing to her?

(G. Gorin "Forget Herostratus")

"I burned down the Temple of Artemis!"- Herostratus says in a breathless voice full of voluptuous pleasure. And it is impossible not to believe in the sincere happiness of the one who intends to enter into a fight with people. Not with the gods, but with mere mortals. It's always harder with them. But if people have been manipulating gods and idols for so many centuries, why shouldn't a person who believes in gods try to manipulate people? What a malleable material for some craftsmen.
People rightly accused Herostratus of unbelief and vanity. And he managed to prove to them that they are no less vain, deceitful and corrupt. A prudent, impudent, not devoid of charm, a man wanted to prove that he knows people better than they know themselves. An impostor psychologist, a former merchant, an unsuccessful entrepreneur from the Greek city of Ephesus, has ensured that his name remains in history. Destroyers are rarely forgotten. After all, we do not know the names of those who built in the 4th century BC one of the seven wonders of the world - the Temple of Artemis. But we remember the name of Herostratus very well.

The mockery of the past in the modern play by Grigory Gorin has acquired new details and tempting assumptions. Many of them are on the verge of the irrepressible fantasy of the author and his psychological diving into the depths of the human subconscious, its dark and light sides. But the personality structure of Herostratus is so mixed with poisons and antidotes that it is difficult to sympathize or hate him. A cross between a self-taught anti-hero who managed to achieve everything: fame, money, admiration and even love. Throughout the play, Herostratus proves to himself and to people that not only money can buy everything, although gold coins will play an important role in the fate of the destroyer hero. A little later, human curiosity, stupidity, greed, lust and the thirst for immortality will come into play. Herostratus will easily prove that love can be vain and is often sold for the sake of fame. But who is surprised by this now?!?

The dormant entrepreneurial veins of the former loser sparkled with all the colors of the rainbow. Only in this case, entrepreneurship resulted in a skillful and calculated to the smallest detail manipulation of human weaknesses. Curiosity prevented people from immediately killing the "villain", and this extended his life. The corrupt jailer agreed to carry out his orders for money. The greedy usurer Crisippus lent Herostratus money in prison for a non-existent manuscript about his life and arson. People gladly paid money for fiction and bluff. They were interested in reading the confession of a man who destroyed the temple of the goddess. And what is most curious, the gods did not punish the villain for blasphemy. A little later, a man will punish him.
Herostratus did not bother to write a single line for his false confession. He makes an ingenious offer to Chrysippus, so that he would independently compose a story about Herostratus and secretly sell it. The people of Ephesus preferred the self-made stories about the arsonist to the books of Homer. It was they who compared the former merchant with Prometheus and called him the son of Zeus. Just do not think that Herostratus is cunning and smart, no, these people turned out to be miserable and primitive, that they could make a hero out of a plebeian. Herostratus sowed confusion in the hearts of people and, in his skillfully woven traps, men and women came across. Clementine herself, the wife of the ruler of Ephesus, gave him her love. Of course, not for nothing, because the seductive mistress was a rather prudent person. In addition, everyone has long known the truth that the daughters of Eve are vain in their own way, and each deep down wants feats to be accomplished and bridges or temples burned for her sake ...
Events imperceptibly flow from one state to another, resembling a scale: who is for Herostratus and who is against him. The first bowl outweighed the second. You involuntarily begin to admire the dexterity and insight of this man. The plebeian intuitively felt the "Achilles' heel" not only of the simple, but also of the powerful. The spartan scenery of the prison in the performance adds a touch of iron, cold and hard to the action. The costumes of the main characters are by no means Greek and are close to the fashion of the 19th century. White frock coats, long-brimmed hats, fur coats. The real white guard, playing the Greek tragedy on the stage of the Youth Theatre. The flexible and direct play of the actors easily exposes the weaknesses and vices of their characters. Anecdotal situations from the history of the past cause laughter, sadness, anger and one more feeling - disappointment, but not in the gods ... I still believe in them, it’s worse to be disappointed in yourself ...

Theater man.

Tissaphernes- ruler of Ephesus, satrap of the Persian king.

Clementine- his wife.

Cleon- Archon Basil of Ephesus.

Herostrat.

Crisippus- moneylender.

Erita- Priestess of the Temple of Artemis.

Jailer.

First citizen.

Second citizen.

Third citizen.

The scene is the city of Ephesus. The time of action is 356 BC.

At first, there is noise, screams, groans, the roar of falling stones, and then immediately there is silence. An ominous silence. Just a few seconds of silence that people need to understand what happened and indulge in tears and despair ... At the forefront is a Theater Man.

Theater man. In the fourth century BC, the temple of Artemis was burned in the Greek city of Ephesus. One hundred and twenty years its masters built it. According to legend, the goddess herself helped the architects. The temple was so magnificent that it was included among the seven wonders of the world. Crowds of people from all over the world flocked to its foot to bow to the goddess and marvel at the greatness of human deeds. The temple stood for a hundred years. He could have stood for millennia, but he stood for only a hundred years. On the fateful night of the year 356, a resident of Ephesus, a bazaar merchant named Herostratus, burned the temple of Artemis.

The theater man lights a dim bronze lamp. The prison cell lights up.

Theater man. Ephesus prison. Stone bag. Dark basement. The ancient Greeks knew how to build beautiful palaces and temples, but not prisons. Prisons at all times were built primitively ... (Looking for a place to sit; not finding it, he goes to the edge of the stage.)

Behind the scenes, some fuss and abuse can be heard. The door opens, a hefty Jailer drags Herostratus into the cell. Herostratus has a rather shabby appearance: the chiton is torn, there are abrasions on his face and hands. Having dragged Herostratus into the cell, the Jailer unexpectedly gives him a strong slap in the face, which makes him fly to the floor.

Herostrat. Don't you dare hit me!

Jailer. Shut up, bastard! I'll beat you! Why did the warriors take you away from the crowd?! There, on the square, they could immediately finish off! So no, you have to follow the law, drag you to jail, get your hands dirty... Pah!

Herostratus (getting up from the floor). And yet you have no right to beat me. I'm not a slave - I'm a man!

Jailer. Shut up! What kind of person are you? Angry dog! Burn down the temple! What is this?! How can you decide on this? Well, nothing ... Tomorrow morning they will tie you with your feet to the chariot and your head will jump over the stones. I'll enjoy this spectacle, you can be sure.

Herostrat. Lay, bark, jailer. Today I heard words and stronger. (Moans.) Oh my shoulder! They almost broke my arm... Oh, how it hurts. Give me water!

Jailer. What more!

Herostrat. Give me water. My throat is dry, and I need to wash the wounds, otherwise they will start to fester.

Jailer. Uh, boy, you really are crazy! You will be executed tomorrow, and you are worried that your wounds will not fester ...

Herostratus (shouting). Give me water! You must bring water!

Jailer (approaches Herostratus and again gives him a slap in the face). Here's water, wine and everything else! (Goes to leave.)

Herostrat. Wait, I have something to do with you.

Jailer. I don't want to have anything to do with you!

Herostrat. Wait! Look what I have. (Pulls out a silver coin.) Athenian drachma! If you fulfill my request, you will receive it.

Jailer (grinning). And so I will. (Advances on Herostratus.)

Herostratus (retreating). So you won't get it!

Jailer (keeps moving forward). Are you thinking of fighting me, you wretch? Well?! (Holds out his hand.) Give it to me!

Herostrat. So you won't get it! So you won't get it! (Puts a coin in his mouth, choking, swallows it.) Now you have to wait for my death.

Jailer (taken aback). Oh you!.. (Looks at Herostratus for a second, wondering if there is some way to shake a coin out of him, then spits out of annoyance and turns to leave.)

Herostrat. Stop!

Jailer. What else?

Herostrat. I also have a coin. (Pulls out a new coin.)

The jailer immediately makes an attempt to approach Herostratus.

Leave! I swear it will lie in the stomach next to the first one! Will you listen or not? Well? Don't make me swallow that much silver on an empty stomach.

Jailer (giving up). What do you want?

Herostrat. Now this is a conversation ... Do you know the house of the usurer Crisippus?

Jailer. I know.

Herostrat. Go there and tell Crisippus that I ask him to come to me immediately.

Jailer. What did you think! A respected citizen will run to prison on a date with a bastard! ..

Herostrat. Will become! Tell him I have a case for him. Profitable business! Do you hear? Say it's a very good deal. It smells like a fortune, you understand? And when he comes, I will give you a drachma ... And the second! (Pulls out a coin.) These are real silver drachmas, not our Ephesian circles. Well? What are you thinking? Or did the jailers get a pay raise?

Jailer. Oh scoundrel! I have never seen such a bastard in my life. Okay, I'm off. But if you deceive me, then I swear to the gods, I will open your stomach and get everything that is due to me. (Exits.)

Herostratus, thinking, walks around the cell, rubbing his bruised shoulder. The theater man is watching him.

Herostrat. Why did you come to us, man?

Theater man. I want to understand what happened more than two thousand years ago in the city of Ephesus.

Herostrat. Silly idea. Why puzzle over something that was so long ago? Don't you have enough problems of your own?

Theater man. There are eternal problems that worry people. To understand them, it is not a sin to remember what happened yesterday, recently and quite a long time ago.

Herostrat. And yet it is tactless to interfere in events so distant.

Theater man. Unfortunately, I cannot intervene. I will only follow the logic of their development.

Herostrat. What are you interested in now?

Theater man. I want to understand: are you scared?

Herostratus (defiantly). Not at all!

Theater man. This is a replica for historians. How about really?

Herostrat. Scary. It's just not the fear it was. This is the fourth fear.

Theater man. Why fourth?

Herostrat. I have already experienced three fears. The first fear came when I conceived what I have now done. It was the fear of a bold thought. Not a very terrible fear, and I overcame it with dreams of glory. The second fear seized me there, in the temple, when I poured pitch on the walls and scattered tow. This fear was stronger than the first. His hands trembled and his mouth was so dry that his tongue stuck to his palate. But this was not the most terrible fear, I suppressed it with wine. A dozen or two sips! You don’t get drunk from this, but the fear passes ... The third fear was the most terrible. The temple was on fire, the ceilings were already falling, and one of the columns collapsed - it fell like a sawn oak, and its marble capital fell to pieces. And people were running from all sides. So many onlookers have never come to any holiday! Women, children, slaves, meteks, Persians... Riders, chariots, rich and poor citizens of the city - all ran to my fire. And they screamed, and cried, and tore their hair, and I ran up to the dais and shouted: “People! I burned this temple. My name is Herostratus!!!" They heard my scream, because it immediately became quiet, only the fire hissed, eating up the wooden beams. The crowd moved towards me. She moved silently. I still see their faces, their eyes, in which reflected flames shone. That's when the worst fear came. It was a fear of people, and I could not extinguish it with anything ... And now the fourth fear is the fear of death ... But it is the weakest of all, because I do not believe in death.