The Tragedy of the Three Kings

The *Tragedy of the Three Kings* (Ialini *Tevilei Nitei Koozita*) is a traditional three-act Ialini stage play composed by famed Ialini playwright Buroovatoo and was first performed in Buroovasha in 1163 NE. The play is considered the greatest work of Ialini theatre by most Ialini sources and is well regarded in many other parts of the world as well. It is considered taboo in some parts of the world, however, due to its prominent and positive portrayal of a homosexual romantic relationship. The play is set in the 4th century and centers on the fictional interactions of three historical kings, Buretoo II of Buroovasha, Viaeboo III of Loushiraziae, and Miaburomei I of Biroreida. The kings are initially friends and Buretoo and Viaeboo become lovers in the first act. Ambition drives them apart, with the Chai/Peburi trickster god Chileivo appearing to voice their greedy and ambitious desires, goading them into seeking power at the expense of their relationships. Viaeboo kills Miaburomei in the second act, Buretoo kills Viaeboo in the third act, and Buretoo kills himself at the end of the closing monologue.

## Plot

The first act takes place in Biroreida where both Viaeboo and Buretoo are princes separately studying naval warfare for the sake of their respective kingdoms. Both are bored and choose to sneak away from their retainers in disguise to attend the spring festival, a traditional Peburi celebration of the spring equinox that includes drinking, music, and dancing. The portrayal of the festival, like many elements of the play is anachronistic and reflects 12th century traditions rather than 4th century ones. One of the anachronistic elements is the use of masks at the dance, which enables to characters to remain unrecognized. They meet at the festival without knowing who each other are and dance and become friends. They subsequently learn each other's identities but continue to grow close, despite the fact that their kingdoms are at war. Their relationship is strongly implied to become romantic.

Miaburomei is a mentor to both princes and acts as a father figure to both in separate scenes. After he accidentally spies the two together in a secret liaison, he becomes conflicted about what to do. The Chai god of tricks, Chileivo, appears and lurks behind him, whispering in his ear that an alliance between Viaeboo's Kingdom of Loushiraziae and Buretoo's Kingdom of Buroovasha would be place Biroreida's independence in jeopardy but that a war between the two would be to his benefit instead. He sends a message to Loushiraziae saying that Buretoo has seduced Viaeboo for the purpose of making him betray Loushiraziae, and sends a message to Buroovasha saying the reverse. He then publicly exposes to two during one of their liaisons and, falsely accusing them of a treasonous conspiracy, banishes them.

The second act occurs five years later. We learn that Miaburomei's message to Buroovasha was intercepted by Buretoo and that King Oubiriccou of Loushiraziae received the message but didn't believe it and was outraged that Miaburomei defamed his son. Viaeboo is leading a force outside the walls of Biroreida, sent to regain his honor and avenge himself upon Miaburomei. Buretoo, now king, is present as well, leading a delegation from Buroovasha hoping to broker a peace between Biroreida and Loushiraziae.

Buretoo and Viaeboo meet in secret but their relationship has clearly been cooled by the passage of time. Buretoo seeks to rekindle their love and implores Viaeboo to make peace with Biroreida and forget his revenge. He tells Viaeboo that his kingdom cannot tolerate Loushiraziae expansion and that the conquest of Biroreida will surely make war between their kingdoms inevitable.

Viaeboo considers but is then approached by Chileivo who reminds him of the wrong he has suffered and the damage his reputation has taken. He tells him that the only way to restore his honor is to defeat Miaburomei. He tells him not to fear Buroovasha because the combined might of Loushiraziae and Biroreida would surely be great enough to withstand any assault, and implores him not to let his sentimental feelings get in the way of glory. Viaeboo decides to attacks Biroreida.

The final scene of the act takes place after the walls are breached and the city is falling. Viaeboo finds Miaburomei and the two argue and fight. Viaeboo strikes Miaburomei down and Miaburomei begs for mercy reminding him of their former friendship and familial relationship. Viaeboo stabs him through, killing him while he lays on the ground.

The third act takes place 12 years later along Zitobiriae ridge, the border between Loushiraziae and Buroovasha territories. Viaeboo and Buretoo are now both kings and Buretoo is married to Viaeboo's daughter, Reibidi. Conflict over Biroreida has, as Buretoo predicted, led the kingdoms to war and their forces are standing off in the hills. The two communicate through messengers but Buretoo begs his former friend to meet him in person, saying he has a message he cannot trust to messengers.

Viaeboo reluctantly agrees and the two meet in person once more. Buretoo informs Viaeboo that his wife Reibidi, Viaeboo's daughter, is pregnant, and that the child will be heir to both of their thrones as Viaeboo is otherwise childless. He tells Viaeboo that they can make peace, be friends and lovers once more, and that their kingdoms can be united peacefully under the banner of their shared heir. Viaeboo departs to consider.

Viaeboo is visited by Chileivo once more, who again mocks his sentimentality and tells him that Buretoo's plan will surrender his kingdom to Buroovasha. He suggests to Viaeboo that he can rule all of Ializa if Buretoo is killed and he rules over his grandson as a regent. Viaeboo commits to a surprise attack on Buretoo's forces.

The last scene of the third act takes place in the battle, as Buretoo and Viaeboo find each other on the field and fight, arguing as they do. Buretoo strikes down Viaeboo and Viaeboo begs for mercy in much the same way Miaburomei did in the second act. The rest of the action pauses as Buretoo is approached by Chileivo, who tells him that his kingdom and his reign will never be safe if Viaeboo lives and tells him he can rule all of Ializa if he kills Viaeboo. Chileivo departs as the action resumes and Buretoo kills Viaeboo.

The play ends, as other traditional Ialini plays, with a closing monologue where a major character or god delivers final remarks on the play and its lessons. The closing monologue for The *Tragedy of the Three Kings* is performed by Buretoo sitting alone atop a throne. The monologue is a bitter recounting of Buretoo's lonely life as king and sarcastically extolls the "joys" of ambition and power. It ends with Buretoo dramatically drinking a vial of poison and dying on the throne, which was surprising to audiences as no action of note usually occurred during these monologues.

## Historical accuracy

Buroovatoo was an avid student of history and all of the characters and most of the major events had legitimate historical basis. Nearly none of the details of the narrative were factual, however. Buretoo and Viaeboo were contemporaries and likely met several times but there is no evidence that they were friendly, let alone romantically involved. The only time they were reliably recorded as being in the same place at the same time was at Buretoo's wedding, which is not depicted in the play. All three of meetings in the play, however, can be reliably shown to have never occurred. Both men studied naval warfare briefly in Biroreida as princes but Buretoo was 12 years Viaeboo's junior (a fact the play conspicuously ignores) and the two never overlapped there. Similarly, neither was in Biroreida when the city fell to Loushiraziae's forces, and Buretoo was leading a force near the mouth of the Meroureida River when Viaeboo was killed on Zitobiriae Ridge.

The suicide of Buretoo, while not provably false, is at best historical conjecture and not supported by evidence. Buretoo in fact died suddenly and unexpectedly from an unexplained illness and there was some controversy at the time about the timing of his death and the way it was subsequently reported to the kingdom. Poison has been suggested as a possible cause but most proponents of this theory suggest he was assassinated, either by Reibidi (who took control of the kingdom as queen regent upon his death) or someone else close to him.

## Controversy

The most significant controversy among Peburi audiences was the ending, as Buretoo was an important historical figure and revered as the founding monarch of the Ializa kingdom. The suicide, while not directly contradicted by any historical evidence, was a shocking invention by Buroovatoo that risked the ire of royal censors. The play was not censored, however, and the popularity of the play led later historians to consider suicide as a viable explanation for Buretoo's mysterious death, despite the otherwise ahistorical nature of the play.

Outside of Ializa, the depiction of a homosexual romantic relationship was considered controversial by many. Such relationships are common in Rigini cultures such as the Peburi culture of Ializa and the Imariani culture, so this element was not considered controversial to the play's author or its main intended audiences. It had at least some historical basis as well, as Viaeboo was known to have had a male concubine while Buretoo had several close male friends who were rumored to be his lovers throughout his life. Most other cultures were more critical of this element, however. Noulaenic culture considered homosexuality immoral but was aware that it was common practice in the east and Noulaenic audiences considered its depiction in eastern works to be decadent but also part of these works exotic appeal. The play is performed somewhat frequently in many former Noulaenic lands, especially in Carasala, but generally not in the most reputable play houses. Northern and western cultures take a more hard line on the homosexuality and the play is considered too scandalous to perform in many of these regions.