Free Man of La Mancha by Dale Wasserman

wild winds of fortune shall carry us onward
    Oh, whithersoever …
(DON QUIXOTE
falters
)
    ALDONZA (
A cry of apprehension
) My lord—!
    SANCHO Master—!
    DON QUIXOTE (
Reassuring them, sings on
)
    Whithersoever they blow,
    Onward to glory—
(
A sudden cry. A whisper
)
     … I … go …
(
He crumples to the floor
)
    ANTONIA Uncle!
    (DR. CARRASCO
pushes
ALDONZA
aside and kneels to
DON QUIXOTE’
s left. He bends over and places his ear to
QUIXOTE’
s heart, then rises and goes to
ANTONIA ,
who is weeping softly. The
PADRE
comes to
QUIXOTE
and kneels. He crosses himself and chants in Latin
)
    PADRE
    De profundis clamo ad te
    Domine, Domine,
(ALDONZA
goes slowly to
SANCHO )
    Audi vocem meam
    Fiant aures tuae intentae
    Ad vacem obse creationis meae
    Si delictarum
    Memoriam
    Serva neris …
    SANCHO (
Stunned, pathetically
) He is dead. My master is dead.
    ALDONZA (
Quietly
) A man died. He seemed a good man, but I did not know him.
    SANCHO But—
    ALDONZA Don Quixote is not dead. Believe, Sancho. Believe.
    SANCHO (
In confused hope
) Aldonza …?
    ALDONZA (
Gently
) My name is Dulcinea.
    (
The
PADRE’S
hymn concludes as the lights dim out. In the darkness comes the snarling roll of the drums of the Inquisition; it gives way to chanting as lights fade in on the prison. The
CAPTAIN
enters at the head of the
MEN OF THE INQUISITION .
They descend to the vault.
CERVANTES ,
kneeling, is removing the
DON QUIXOTE
beard and makeup
)
    CAPTAIN (
Unrolling a scroll
) Under authority of the Holy Office of the Inquisition! (
Reading
) “By reason of certain offenses committed against His Majesty’s Most Catholic Church, the following is summoned to give answer and submit his person for purification if it be so ordered: Don Miguel de Cervantes.”
    CERVANTES (
With wry bravado
) How popular a defendant I am. Summoned by one court before I’ve quite finished with another. Well? How says the Judge?
    THE GOVERNOR (
Musingly, weighing the package now held in his hands
) I think I know what this contains. The history of your mad knight? ( CERVANTES
nods assent. Handing him the package
) Plead as well there as you did here and you may not burn.
    CERVANTES I’ve no intention of burning. (
To his
MANSERVANT ,
buoyantly
) Well, old friend? Shall we go? (
He sees that the
SERVANT
is rigid with fear; comes toput a reassuring arm about his shoulder
) Courage!
    (
He leads him toward the stairs
)
    THE GOVERNOR Cervantes, ( CERVANTES
pauses
) I think Don Quixote is brother to Don Miguel.
    CERVANTES (
Smiling
) God help us—we are both men of La Mancha.
    (
The
CAPTAIN
and the
HOODED MEN
about-face as the “Inquisition Theme” resumes. The cortège forms toward an exit, starts ascending the stairs.
    The
PRISONER
playing
ALDONZA
is standing apart from the other prisoners as she always does
)
    PRISONER (ALDONZA ) (
Singing, softly at first
)
    To dream the impossible dream,
To fight the unbeatable foe,
    (
The other
PRISONERS
join in one by one, their eyes following
CERVANTES )
    To bear with unbearable sorrow,
To run where the brave dare not go …
    To run where the brave dare not go,
Though the goal be forever too far,
To try, though you’re wayworn and weary,
To reach the unreachable star …
    (
And now the song, swelling in full chorus, overwhelms the “Inquisition Theme”
)
    To reach the unreachable star,
Though you know it’s impossibly high,
To live with your heart striving upward
To a far, unattainable sky!
    The lights fade out and
the play ends