The Mandrake (Italian: La Mandragola; written in 1518 and first printed in 1524) is a satirical play by Italian Renaissance writer Niccolò Machiavelli. Its tale of the corruption of Italian society was written while Machiavelli was in exile, allegedly having plotted against the Medici. The play was written between 1504 and 1518 and first performed in 1518.

Synopsis[link]

The play takes place in a 24-hour period. The protagonist, Callimaco, desires to sleep with Lucrezia, the young and beautiful wife of an elderly fool, Nicia. Nicia above all else desires a son and heir, but still has none. Callimaco, conspiring with a rascally marriage broker and a priest, masquerades as a doctor. He convinces Nicia to drug Lucrezia with mandrake, claiming it will increase her fertility. He adds, however, the dire warning that the mandrake will undoubtedly kill the first man to have intercourse with her. Callimaco helpfully suggests to Nicia that an unwitting fool be found for this purpose. A reluctant Lucrezia is eventually convinced by her mother and the priest to comply with her husband's wishes. She allows a disguised Callimaco into her bed and, believing that the events which caused her to break her marriage vows were due to divine providence, thereafter accepts him as her lover on a more permanent basis.

The plot and importance of the play is mentioned in the 16th Letter of Amabed in Voltaire's Les Lettres d'Amabed (1769) stating that "the piece mocks the religion which Europe preaches, of which Rome is the centre, and the throne of which is Papal See".^[1]

20th century revivals and adaptations[link]

Machiavelli's play has enjoyed many contemporary revivals. The Riverside Shakespeare Company performed The Mandrake at the Casa Italiana in New York City in 1979, starring Tom Hanks as Callimaco in his only New York stage performance. This run was directed by Dan Southern, with an original jazz score by pianist Michael Wolff, and Italian Renaissance sets by Gerard Bourcier.^[2]

In 1984 The Mandrake was produced at London's National Theatre in a translation by Wallace Shawn.,^[3] after having premiered in 1977 at the Public Theatre, New York.^[4]

The Long Beach Shakespeare Company mounted a production of The Mandragola in the Spring of 2011, directed by Helen Borgers.^{[5] [6]}

Musical adaptations include La Mandragola, an opera by the composer Ignatz Waghalter. The opera, richly melodic and deeply sympathetic in its treatment of human foibles, features a libretto by Paul Eger and was premiered at the Deutsches Opernhaus in Berlin in January 1914. It was warmly received by the critics, and was booked for a European tour that was aborted due to the outbreak of the First World War.^[7]

"Mandragola", an opera in Serbian by composer Ivan Jevtic was given its world premiere in Belgrade at the Madlenianum Theatre on 16 December 2009.

Michael Alfreds and Anthony Bowles wrote a 1968 musical adaptation, Mandrake, which has been performed in Edinburgh, London, New York, and elsewhere.^[8]

Another musical adaptation, Mandragola, composed by Doug Riley with libretto by Alan Gordon, made its debut in Canada over CBC Radio in October 1977, and was later issued as an LP record on the CBC label.

In 1965 an Italian film version was made by writer/director A. Lattuada. ^[9]A 2008 film version was made, The Mandrake Root. Adapted and directed by Malachi Bogdanov, it was shot in HD in Sassari, Sardinia. Produced by European Drama Network,^[10] it was made in English with limited Italian sections, and it remains close to the original story. It was nominated for Best Drama of 2008 by the Royal Television Society Awards Midlands.^[11]

See also[link]

• Machiavelli as a dramatist
• Maria Alice Vergueiro

References[link]

External links[link]

• Detailed summary and analysis of the play
• Full Text of La Mandragola in Italian, Bibliotheca Philosophica

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Mercyful Fate
Mercyful Fate Frontman King Diamond
Background information
Origin	Copenhagen, Denmark
Genres	Heavy metal, black metal[1][2]
Years active	1981–1985, 1992–1999 (hiatus)
Labels	Combat, Roadrunner, Metal Blade, Rave On
Associated acts	Fate, Black Rose, King Diamond, Brats, Force of Evil, Memento Mori, Arch Enemy, Spiritual Beggars, Metallica
Website	www.covenworldwide.org
Members
King Diamond Hank Shermann Sharlee D'Angelo Bjarne T. Holm Mike Wead
Past members
Michael Denner Timi Hansen Kim Ruzz Snowy Shaw

Mercyful Fate was a Danish heavy metal band from Copenhagen. Initially active from 1981 to 1985, they reunited in 1992. The band went on hiatus again in 2000, when frontman King Diamond decided to continue his solo career. They are cited as major influences by many artists in the black metal, thrash metal, power metal, and progressive metal genres.

Biography[link]

Formation (1981-1982)[link]

Mercyful Fate was founded in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1981^{[citation needed]} from the remaining members of Hank Shermann's band Brats and King Diamond's band Black Rose. In early 1981 they helped out Michael Denner with demos for his band Danger Zone. Soon, Shermann, Denner, Diamond, and Denner's bass player Timi "Grabber" Hansen realized their potential as a unit and started performing as Mercyful Fate. The band experienced the usual member changes for a new band, as Denner left (and later returned). In addition, the drummer position was a revolving door, but Kim Ruzz finally established himself as the drummer.

Main career and disbandment (1982-1985)[link]

In early 1982, Mercyful Fate contributed to the Ebony Records sampler Metallic Storm. Later on in the year, the band recorded their first material, The Mercyful Fate EP, on vinyl for the Dutch label Rave On. The EP was released in 1982 and included material that would later inspire the black metal genre.

Continuing the EP, the band released their debut studio album, Melissa, in 1983 and their follow-up album, Don't Break the Oath, in 1984. Both are now considered by many to be classics in both the heavy metal, power metal, and first wave black metal genres. Following the tour in support of Don't Break the Oath, which saw them play in the United States for the first time, King Diamond split ways with the band in April 1985 as a result of frustration over creative differences with Hank Shermann. With him, Diamond brought band mates Hansen and Denner to found a new band under his own name. Mercyful Fate disbanded shortly after. Diamond's new venture continued the tradition of Mercyful Fate, but with a more progressive, conceptual twist to it. In response, Shermann formed the band Fate, which pursued a more melodic rock direction.

Reunion (1992-1999)[link]

Mercyful Fate reformed in July 1992 and signed a contract with Brian Slagel's Metal Blade Records. All the original members without Kim Ruzz (replaced by Morten Nielsen) reformed and released their third studio album, In the Shadows, in 1993.^[3] The album featured a re-recording of "Return of the Vampire", with Metallica drummer, Mercyful Fate enthusiast and fellow Dane Lars Ulrich playing on the track. In the years since, the band has released four other studio albums, with the last being 9. Similar to the band's first run, members have left and been replaced; Michael Denner left and was replaced by Mike Wead, Nielsen was later replaced by Snowy Shaw who was then replaced by Bjarne Holm, Timi Hansen left quickly and was replaced by Sharlee D'Angelo. The lineup remained the same for Time and The Bell Witch EP.

Unfortunately, Michael Denner had also parted ways with the band at this point, to stay with his wife and family. His replacement was Mike Wead, who recorded with the band on Dead Again and 9, and has proven to be a sufficient replacement for Denner.

Hiatus (2000-present)[link]

Following the release of 9, King Diamond put Mercyful Fate on hold and continued his solo career. Shermann, Denner, Holm and (King Diamond Bass player) Hal Patino formed Force of Evil, which incorporates many of the themes of the original Mercyful Fate. In a March 2008 interview, King Diamond stated that Mercyful Fate is currently "hibernating", but had never split up. Though he does not know when the band will become active again, he stated "It's definitely not finished, at least in my book."^[4]

In 2008, King Diamond was approached for the use of Mercyful Fate's songs (and his own image) on the musical Guitar Hero: Metallica (as Metallica themselves cite the band as an influence and even recorded a medley of their songs simply titled "Mercyful Fate" on their cover album Garage Inc.). After King agreed, he later found out that the original master recordings of the chosen songs in question ("Evil" "Curse of the Pharaohs" and "Into the Coven") were lost. So instead of searching on the unlikeliest places, King decided to bring the almost-original lineup back together (Hank Shermann, Michael Denner and Timi Hansen with Bjarne T. Holm sitting in on drums) and they re-recorded the songs specifically for the game (though "Curse of the Pharaohs" was cut from the final game due to gameplay reasons). Around the release date of the game, a promotional single featuring both re-recordings was released by their label Metal Blade.

Asked in June 2010 what are upcoming plans for Mercyful Fate, guitarist Hank Shermann replied, "We have a DVD coming out with the early years, likely sometimes in early 2011! Should be interesting with a lot of never-before-seen footage and how it all started. I'm sure we'll record a new Mercyful Fate album in the future; we just need to get the timeframe framed and then some patience."^[5]

Semi-reunion[link]

On December 7, 2011, the original members of Mercyful Fate (King Diamond, Hank Shermann, Michael Denner, and Timi Hansen) reunited on stage at Metallica's 30th Anniversary performance at the Fillmore in San Francisco, California, where they performed a medley of their songs.^[6][7]

Melissa[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2011)

"Melissa" is the name of a skull King Diamond used to carry on stage, and also a fictional deceased witch that appears in three songs. Before the recordings of the album Melissa, King Diamond had acquired a human skeleton that he named "Melissa". He used the femur bones to make his trademark microphone handle. The skull was apparently stolen during a show in the Netherlands in the mid-1980s. In August 2006, it was rumored that the skull had been returned, but these rumours were false.^[8]

The skull was inspiration behind the album Melissa, and the title track of the album is very different from the rest of the album, as it is much slower than the other songs (which are speedier and more aggressive). The lyrics tell of a male protagonist (usually identified as King Diamond himself by fans) who lost the love of his life, who was a witch who was burnt at the stake by a Catholic priest. The story builds itself up around the emotions of the protagonist, who first feels sadness and uncertainty, hope for her to still be alive, and then rage over his loss. He swears revenge on the priest who burnt her, proclaiming he must die in the name of hell. The song ends with a whisper that hints Melissa's spirit is still with the protagonist. The other songs contain themes and events that hint and relate to Melissa's burning, in effect gathering every song in a loose concept & overall context.

The second song Melissa appears on the album Don't Break the Oath in the song "Come to the Sabbath", once again at the climax of the album. The lyrics tell about a Satanic coven holding a sabbath, in which the protagonist emerges to perform a ritual to "put an evil curse on the priest who took the life of Melissa". Though she is not the focus of the lyrics this time, because of her mention the song is known as a "Melissa song". Additionally, one of the main characters on the King Diamond album "Them" was named "Missy", which is a common diminutive of Melissa.

The final song Melissa appears in is on Mercyful Fate's reunion album In the Shadows on the song "Is That You, Melissa?". The lyrics tell of the protagonist once again in sorrow about the loss of his love. He begins to hear her voice and goes to the coven to have them perform a ritual to speak with her ghost. The coven objects, saying it is against the rules. The protagonist is visited by Melissa's spirit who shares a kiss with the protagonist. The subject of the song is argued by some; one side says the lyrics are not a continuation of the Melissa story but a tribute by the band to their past, while the other side sees it as the end of the Melissa story. She is the girl on the album cover of "In the Shadows" facing the old oak tree. After In the Shadows, Melissa has not been mentioned any more in both lyrics and artwork.

Members[link]

Current members[link]

• King Diamond - vocals, keyboard (1981–1985, 1992–present)
• Hank Shermann - guitar (1981–1985, 1992–present)
• Sharlee D'Angelo - bass (1993–present)
• Bjarne T. Holm - drums (1994–present)
• Mike Wead - guitar (1996–present)

Former members[link]

• Michael Denner - guitar (1981, 1982–1985, 1992–1996, 2008)
• Timi Hansen - bass (1981–1985, 1992–1993, 2008)
• Kim Ruzz - drums (1981–1985)
• Tommie "Snowy Shaw" Helgesson - drums (1993–1994)

Session members[link]

• Old Nick - drums (1981)
• Lars Ulrich - drums (1993)
• Morten Nielson - drums (1993)

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

• Melissa (1983)
• Don't Break the Oath (1984)
• In the Shadows (1993)
• Time (1994)
• Into the Unknown (1996)
• Dead Again (1998)
• 9 (1999)

Compilation albums[link]

• The Beginning (1987)
• Return of the Vampire (1992)
• A Dangerous Meeting (1992)
• The Best of Mercyful Fate (2003)

Extended plays[link]

• The Mercyful Fate EP (1982)
• The Bell Witch (1994)

References[link]

Wallace Shawn
Shawn in 2005
Birth name	Wallace Michael Shawn
Born	(1943-11-12) November 12, 1943 (age 68) New York City, New York, U.S.
Medium	Film, television, stand-up
Nationality	American
Years active	1970-present
Genres	Comedy

Wallace Michael Shawn^[1] (born November 12, 1943), sometimes credited as Wally Shawn, is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, author, voice artist, and intellectual. His best-known film roles include Wally Shawn in My Dinner with Andre (1981), Vizzini in The Princess Bride (1987), and debate teacher Mr. Hall in Clueless (1995).

On television he played Grand Nagus Zek in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

Shawn is well known for his distinctive and high pitched voice. In the animated Toy Story films he provided the voice of Rex, an insecure toy Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Shawn has pursued a parallel career as a playwright whose work is often dark, politically charged and controversial.

He most recently starred as the voice of Taotie in Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness.

Early life[link]

Shawn was born into a prominent Jewish family in New York City, where he continues to reside. He is the son of William Shawn, the longtime editor of The New Yorker, and journalist Cecille Shawn (née Lyon); his brother, Allen, is a composer.^[2] Shawn attended The Putney School, a private liberal arts high school in Putney, Vermont, and graduated with an A.B. in history from Harvard College. He studied economics and philosophy at Oxford, originally intending to become a diplomat; he also traveled to India as an English teacher, on a Fulbright program. Since 1979, Shawn has made a living primarily as an actor.

Career[link]

Playwright[link]

Shawn at the Miami Book Fair International in 1991

Shawn's early plays, such as Marie and Bruce (1978), portrayed emotional and sexual conflicts in an absurdist style, with language that was both lyrical and violent. In a conversation with Andre Gregory, parts of which were used to create My Dinner with Andre, Shawn referred to these plays as depicting "my interior life as a raging beast". Critical response was extremely polarized: some critics hailed Shawn as a major writer, while John Simon called Marie and Bruce "garbage" and described Shawn as "one of the unsightliest actors in this city".^[3] His play A Thought in Three Parts caused a minor uproar in London in 1977 when the production was investigated by a vice squad and attacked in Parliament due to allegedly pornographic content.^[4]

His later plays became more overtly political, drawing parallels between the psychology of his characters and the behavior of governments and social classes. Among the best-known of these are Aunt Dan and Lemon (1985) and The Designated Mourner (1997). Shawn's political work has invited controversy, as he often presents the audience with several contradictory points of view, such as Aunt Dan and Lemon, which Shawn described as a cautionary tale against fascism. The monologue The Fever, originally created by Shawn to be performed for small audiences in apartments, describes a person who becomes sick while struggling to find a morally consistent way to live when faced with injustice, and harshly criticizes the record of the U.S. in supporting oppressive anti-communist regimes. In 1997 Shawn discussed the political nature of Aunt Dan and Lemon, The Fever, and The Designated Mourner in an interview. In this interview Shawn talked extensively with Patrick Mcgrath about the thematic developments between the three plays, as well as his own views on Marxist, communist and socialist politics, their relevance to American liberalism, and how government and individual responsibilities for finding solutions to the dichotomy between rich and poor in the world take hold in the characters presented in his plays.^[5]

Four of Shawn's plays have been adapted into films: The Designated Mourner (basically a film version of David Hare's stage production), Marie and Bruce, My Dinner With Andre, and The Fever. Oscar winner Vanessa Redgrave stars in The Fever (2004),^[6] which first aired on HBO on June 13, 2007.

Shawn has also written political commentary for The Nation, and in 2004 he published the one-issue-only progressive political magazine Final Edition, which features interviews with and articles by Jonathan Schell, Noam Chomsky, Mark Strand, and Deborah Eisenberg.

Shawn is credited as translator of Bertolt Brecht's The Threepenny Opera, which opened at Studio 54 in Manhattan on March 25, 2006. He appears briefly in voiceover during "Song about the Futility of Human Endeavor."

He published his first non-fiction work, Essays, on September 1, 2009. It is a collection of essays that expresses his perceptions of politics and other subjects that reflect an aspect of his life.

Acting[link]

Shawn's involvement with theater began in 1970 when he met Andre Gregory, who has since directed several of his plays. As a stage actor, he has appeared mostly in his own plays and other projects with Gregory.

He made his film debut in 1979, playing Diane Keaton's ex-husband in Woody Allen's Manhattan and an insurance agent in Bob Fosse's All That Jazz. His best-known film roles include Earl in Strange Invaders (1983) and Mr. Hall in Clueless (1995). After seeing his performance in My Dinner With Andre (1981), casting director Janet Hirshenson was so fond of his delivery of the word 'inconceivable' that she cast him as the evil Vizzini in The Princess Bride (1987). Other recent roles include Baron Von Westphalen on the 2005 film Southland Tales, in Gossip Girl as Cyrus Rose, and in The Haunted Mansion as Ezra.

His rare non-comic film roles include two collaborations with Andre Gregory and Louis Malle: the semi-autobiographical dialogue My Dinner with Andre, and a combined production-and-backstage-drama of Uncle Vanya titled Vanya on 42nd Street.

Shawn quite often appears on television, where he has appeared in many genres and series. He has had recurring roles as the Grand Nagus Zek on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Stuart Best on Murphy Brown, Jeffrey "Jeff" Engels on The Cosby Show, Dr. Howard Stiles on Crossing Jordan, Arnie Ross on Taxi, and a reprisal of his role as Mr. Hall in the television series Clueless, based on the film. He appeared in the 1985 music video for Chaka Khan's "This is My Night." On February 4, 2010, he appeared as Dr. Alan Rubin in The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

Voice acting[link]

Shawn is also a voice actor for animated films and animated TV series, including the role of the timid Rex in Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Toy Story 3, Hawaiian Vacation and Monsters, Inc. (cameo appearance in the outtakes as Rex the Green Dinosaur), Mr. Incredible's diminutive boss Gilbert Huph in The Incredibles, Stewie Griffin's evil half-brother Bertram in Family Guy, and Munk in Happily N'Ever After.

Shawn also cameoed as the voice of Principal Fetchit in Chicken Little.

In The Fox and the Hound, he provided the voice of Boomer, but he was soon replaced by the late Paul Winchell.

Shawn also replaced Jon Lovitz as the voice of the elderly Calico in Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore, the 2010 sequel to the 2001 film Cats & Dogs. Coincidentally, Lovitz and Shawn both appeared in the 2007 film I Could Never Be Your Woman.

Personal life[link]

Shawn is the son of William Shawn, the longtime editor of The New Yorker, and journalist Cecille Shawn (née Lyon). His brother, Allen, is a composer.^[7]

His longtime companion is writer Deborah Eisenberg.

Filmography[link]

Television work[link]

Video games[link]

As a writer[link]

As himself[link]

Plays[link]

Further reading[link]

• King, W.D. (1997). Writing Wrongs: The Work of Wallace Shawn. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. ISBN 1-56639-517-8

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wallace-shawn/why-i-call-myself-a-socia_b_818061.html

References[link]

External links[link]

• Wallace Shawn at Memory Alpha (a Star Trek wiki)
• Wallace Shawn at the Internet Movie Database
• Wallace Shawn at the Internet Broadway Database
• Wallace Shawn at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
• Works by or about Wallace Shawn in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
• Yahoo! author index
• An Innocent Man in Guantanamo with readings by Wallace Shawn at LIVE from the New York Public Library, April 4, 2008
• Lannan Foundation: Wallace Shawn reading of The Fever