Execution of John Ball
John Ball, a radical preacher and leader of the Peasants' Revolt, is publicly executed in St Albans as a warning against rebellion. The authorities seek to crush dissent, while the crowd watches in a
Setting
A public square in St Albans, surrounded by timber-framed buildings with thatched roofs. The execution platform is a simple wooden scaffold erected in the center, with a gallows and a chopping block. The ground is trampled dirt, scattered with straw and occasional cobblestones.
Characters
John Ball
primary
A radical priest and leader of the Peasants' Revolt, about to be executed.
Sheriff
primary
A middle-aged man of sturdy build, with a weathered face marked by deep-set eyes and a prominent nose. His short, greying beard is neatly trimmed, and his hands are calloused from years of wielding authority. His posture exudes command, with broad shoulders that seem perpetually squared.
Executioner
secondary
A tall, broad-shouldered man with a muscular build, his face obscured by a black hood with only eye slits revealing a pair of cold, unfeeling eyes. His hands are large and calloused, gripping the executioner's axe with practiced ease. His stance is imposing, exuding an air of silent menace.
Angry Peasant
secondary
A gaunt man in his late 30s with sunken cheeks and a wiry frame, his skin weathered by years of outdoor labor. His dark brown hair is matted with sweat and streaked with premature gray. One eye is slightly swollen from a recent beating, and his calloused hands grip a rusted scythe like a staff.
Town Crier
background
A wiry man of middling years with a weathered face, deep-set eyes, and a prominent nose. His thin, greying hair is cropped short beneath a simple cap. His hands are calloused from gripping the proclamation scrolls, and his posture suggests years of public announcements.
Dialog
Sheriff
Mark me well—this scaffold bears justice for traitors! Let none question the King's mercy or the penalty for rebellion.
Angry Peasant
No, no, no! Is sword and noose all ye nobles ken? By Saint Peter's bloody plowshare, we break our backs while ye break our necks!
Sheriff
Silence that cur or he’ll swing with Ball—hangin’s cheaper than bread these days.
John Ball
When Adam delved and Eve span, who was then the gentleman? So ends the lesson, friends—pray remember it.
Angry Peasant
They’ll pay for this, Father—I swear on my scythe’s edge they’ll pay!
Sheriff
Executioner—do your duty before this rabble forgets their place.