It is I, Cleopatra

While in our mask unit, our teacher assigned us the task of choosing one of the multiple masks displayed in her classrooms to create a monologue for ourselves around. After a thorough search, I finally settled upon one that seemed almost of Egyptian descent. For that reason, I set my monologue in an Egyptian court where my character, Rafe, served as a handmaiden to the great Cleopatra herself. Tired of her subservient station in life, Rafe steals Cleopatra's face, or more specifically her mask, to see how the other half lives. As the monologue begins, Rafe runs into an alley in her attempt to elude the police who are searching for an impostor. Through comedy and personal conflict, Rafe reveals to audience members her history and personality. By the end of the scene, Rafe realizes that the life of the great Cleopatra does not suit her at all and instead prefers her own meager existence. Her plans to secretly return everything to its place, however, are foiled when Cleopatra's husband mistakenly takes her for Cleopatra and drags her back to the palace for a "surprise". After receiving feedback from the rest of the class, I now realize that I need to not only de-modernize my monologue a bit while transforming the Cleopatra character to someone more believable, perhaps simply a wealthy woman. Not bad I would say for a bit of impromptu work.