Nunc Licet... synopsis

Synopsis of Story

Originally composed in 1997,

this Synopsis is updated,
with commentary added;

Nunc Licet...    

        a stage play

                   by Arthur Greisiger

The heart of the play is in the title. 

 It is taken from the writings of

Emanuel Swedenborg.  

It is Latin for- now it is permitted, 

referring to the permission given 

by the Lord God, 

for mankind to enter intellectually

into the secrets of faith, 

which He has hidden within the Bible.

• Swedenborg, an eighteenth century scientist, nobleman, and eventual mystic seer,  claimed to have been the messenger of a system of “correspondences”, whereby an internal message could be deciphered from the Word of God, which when understood, provides a clear view of the Divine operation as it pertains to mankind’s eternal destiny.  

• In addition to other quite astounding proclamations, Swedenborg claimed to have visited the World of Spirits, Heaven & Hell and to have spoken with spirits who were newly arrived from Earth, angels from Heaven & demons from Hell, while he yet lived in this natural world.  He claimed to have had this ability for 27 years and to have done so daily during that time.  He has stated that he was given permission to do this, so that he might convey these truths by means of the printing press.

• The play is set in 1771, when Swedenborg was 83 years old, (but in subsequent productions, it is also quite possible for it to be presented in a contemporary format).  

• The action of the play takes place at a social gathering,  held by an excited host to discuss the latest trends in philosophical thought and to introduce Emanuel Swedenborg to some of his friends 

• Conflicts arise as the religious fervor of the host is pitted against the disdain of his long-time friend and the confusion of another non-committal friend who is caught in the middle. There are a wide array of character types who are likewise drawn into this debate. This adds diversity to the perspectives conveyed and adds a more casual conversational element to the atmosphere, allowing for greater exchange and revelation of interpersonal aspects of the characters.

• Because this is a very philosophical piece which addresses a number of religious questions; a variety of representative characters have been devised to bring diversity to the perspectives presented and to give the audience a good selection of characters with whom they might relate.  Many of the more significant parallels between the audience and the characters take place in the subplot, as a means of providing the audience with sufficient diversion from the philosophical and intellectual challenges which may be uncomfortable for them in the primary thread of the dialogue. This array of secondary characters and the issues that surround them creates a theatrical environment which is rich in material for an audience to focus on during the play, in the event that they may struggle with the primary thread. 

• In the first act - as the gathering progresses and the characters are introduced,  the subject progresses from how creation came about, to whether God exists or not and if he does how He interacts with man. These and many more such questions are debated. They are presented within the context of revealing the essential nature, quality and attitudes of the characters who appear in the play and in the light of Emanuel Swedenborg's rather shocking claims.

• Romantic circumstances exist within the play which add dimension and provide diversion from the intellectualism and religious nature of the piece.  Additional relief is provided by  music in both instrumental & vocal form and in the period nature of the piece in terms of costuming. 

• Reference to Emanuel Swedenborg stirs discussion about rumors of the man and his claim of having visited Heaven & hell.   He makes his entrance  at the end of the first act just before the intermission. 

• The second act - deals more directly with the personalities of the characters while using their reaction to Swedenborg and each other as a catalyst for probing numerous ideas put forth by Swedenborg.   

• Numerous subplots are developed which underlie the text and serve to contrast and highlight the subject matter.  One very important purpose of these subplots, is to offer sufficient diversity to allow the audience to select a plot line or character which is most comfortable for them to focus their attention on, or relate to.   In this way, the subject matter, being of religious nature, is less predominate for persons who do not care to align themselves with that aspect of the play and yet find numerous other points of interest in which they may enjoy the play.

• Although the structure of the script is quite specific and the successful delivery of the subject matter is very dependent upon that structure, the latitude & dimension of the play as a whole, is very dependent upon full characterization by the players and so there is sufficient room for interpretive and improvisational characterization and possibly even variation on the dialogue. This is particularly true in the second act. Stage presence and action is often necessary strictly for aesthetics and contrast. Characters often say more with their actions then their words.  

• One element present in the script, but not easily understood, is a layering of delivery and correlative action.  In the written script, this tends to flatten out and make reading somewhat laborious, because it is not easy to comprehend the movement of the characters and to remember their relationship to each other. 

• There are many places in which the secondary characters, non-speaking presence, on the stage is equally as important as the dialogue that is delivered, and without that presence, the dialogue seems burdensome.  This is the difficulty with reading a script as opposed to a novel. I find that many people do not understand this. 

• The play climaxes as tension is built, mostly by the primarily antagonist. He becomes increasingly isolated from the other characters and is unable to accept many of the propositions presented. His reaction is to cause distress to the other characters.   

• In addition to this conflict, the other characters are dealing with their own issues which are also heightened by the addition of Swedenborg's perspectives as a factor of consideration. Many hidden conflicts and issues are brought out in each of the characters subtext.  

• About one third of the characters fluctuate between the protagonist & antagonist roles in varying degrees.  Some of the characters are mostly non-committal, decorum, or occupied with actions created for diversion from the primary subject matter.  This is necessary in order to justify the impression of a large social gathering but there is a shifting of attention across the full range of characters throughout the play.

• The conclusion of the second act is brought about by the primary antagonist  who, thru his frustration and distress, assaults one of the other characters.  This leads to a brief, but violent, brawl which results in the heart failure and death of that character. 

• The third act is relatively brief and opens after a series of transition sound effects in the dark.  As the lights come up, the assaulted character is found lying on the couch in the sitting room.  It is soon discovered that he is now in the spiritual world where he is first attended by two celestial angels, then by two spiritual angels before he awakens. 

• When he does awaken, he soon greeted by an angel who provides him with further information about his new state of being.  Somewhat stunned, the character is left alone. After some time, his wife, whom he loved dearly and who had died many years before, appears.  Their coming together again provides an uplifting conclusion to the play.   The essence of the third act is based upon the information provided by Swedenborg throughout the play.

• There are 18 characters and 3 or 4 musicians in the play, designed to convey a wide diversity of personality types,  foster the impression of a large gathering, and  creating a multitude of dramatic circumstances.  

•  Emanuel Swedenborg is the primary focus of the play,  however intellectual tension is combined with romance to give the play added dimension.  The “period” nature of the play, adds a theatricality to the piece that is a great advantage, in making attendance a special experience that will counteract any trepidation one may have over the religious nature of the play.

• For further discussions  refer to the Production Approach Summary

• The script is available for purchase directly thru Image of the Mind Studios.  

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Older Synopsis Information
(including excepts from Swedenborg's writings)