This epilogue follows the events of The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare. At the beginning of the play, a passed out drunkard named Christopher Sly is found by a traveling lord, who carries him into his castle, and gets his servants in on a prank to make Sly believe he is a lord who has been gravely ill for 15 years. They go to a play, which is where the play itself begins. However, it is never explained what happened with Sly and his 'lordship'. It's all left to the imagination of the audience. However, I have put my imagination to work, and come up with a crazy interpretation of the events after the play. Enjoy!
It has been one month after Sly was introduced into the lord's castle. The prank went according to plan for a few days, with Sly buying every bit of the charade. However, the servants notice how much nicer Sly is to them than the lord. He allows them to go hunting with him, hang out at taverns and parties with him, and, most importantly, doesn't make them go along with any hare-brained schemes. The lord's real wife eventually replaces the servant as Sly's wife, unbeknownst to the lord. After a couple weeks pass, The lord tries to tell Sly the truth about his life, but they pretend to not know what he's talking about. Confused, he goes to his wife to tell Sly what's really happening, but she, too, pretends to not know who he is. The lord gets furious, and starts punching and screaming at her. The servants rush in and throw him out of the castle. Sly enters asking what all the commotion is about, and the lord reveals the plan himself. However, Sly doesn't believe him, claiming the lord is a "typical worthless drunkard." Homeless and upset, the lord writes a brief letter to Sly demanding he go back to the life of a destitute, and that the lord return to his rightful place. It says:
Dear Your Lordship,
Please listen, I realize that it's difficult to return to the life of a nobody after living the life of a king, but I would be most grateful if I could take back my gracious servants and loving wife. Do not worry, I will be sure to give you a complimentary breakfast as you leave.
Sincerely,
The Real Lordship
Not surprisingly, Sly rejected this offer, and thus told his servants to go out and warn the townspeople of an insane man looking to impersonate their lord. Meanwhile, the lord goes out into the town, attempting to find a house to stay at, but no one wants to host a crazy person in their home. Dejected, the lord resorts to drinking at the same tavern frequented by Sly.
Many years later, Sly has gotten even more comfortable in his role as lord. So much so, that he becomes abusive to his servants and wife. Partly, this is because of his continued habit of drinking, because the way it was made in those days, caused a brain disorder in which the drinker develops a tendency for poor decision making and stupid ideas. Meanwhile, the lord finally decided to give himself a name, which was Drol (real creative, right?), and finally found an abandoned shed to sleep in. The experience greatly humbled him, as he realized how he took his servants and wife for granted, praying that they could know how sorry he was. One day, however, he gets his wish and even more so when he stumbles out of the tavern very drunk, and passes out not far past the entrance. When Sly walks into the tavern with some friends, he sees the unconscious Drol, and is unable to recognize him. He does, however, convince his friends to carry him into his castle, and to convince him that he is a lord.
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