Brentwood Preparatory School Magazine

Shakespeare Workshop A Midsummer Night’s Dream A Fly on the Wall - Year Five Daedalus and Icarus In the midst of the island of Crete was a palace, in the palace lived King Midas and his prisoners Daedalus and Icarus. Daedalus was famous for making the labyrinth for the Minotaur. Nobody knew how it was made so Midas imprisoned him and his son Icarus. The prison was more luxurious than any other prison. They had the most delicious food in Crete and the most expensive clothing, you couldn’t ask for more. But when it was night their door was locked and guarded by a guard until morning. While the door was locked, Daedalus studied birds’ feathers and how they overlapped until he had an idea. Every day when the door was locked Daedalus begged every bird that came for a feather, determined this would be the thing that set them free. In the morning, Icarus was woken up by the cry of his father. “Son, son look what I made!” whisper-cried his father, trying to hold in his excitement. Icarus gazed at his father, in his hand were four folded wings. “Quick get some wax and let’s stick on the wings, yes I know it hurts but we’ll be as free as birds soon,” Daedalus cried excitedly, sticking the hot wax to his son’s shoulder. They walked off to the window, stood on the ledge and froze. The guards below were like ants, the trees looked like a green blanket and the sea was a shimmering mermaid tail. Daedalus nudged terror-struck Icarus. WHOOSH! He was closing his eyes he felt that he would be dead soon. Icarus opened his eyes he saw the sky smiling at him, his father at his side. “Icarus don’t fly too close to the sun!” warned Daedalus flying with ease. Icarus wasn’t listening he was focused at the sun. “Nobody has out flown the sun, I will!” he thought. Soaring higher and higher he got to the sun. He stopped next to the sun sneering and jeering, but Icarus didn’t notice the wax dripping. DRIP! DRIP! Then a feather fell. Then another and another. Icarus was in mid- air, his father’s words coming back to him. He started to fall lower, down, down, crying. Until there was silence. All that was left of Icarus was the waxy feathers floating in the sea. By Solari Robert-Tariah 61 Brentwood School Preparatory