The game is called me–ta–phy–sics. But about religion, surely you are in the secret? I am sure Plato is, for all his priggish talk.

SOCRATES

Stop playing about, my dear, talk clearly, or we’ll declare you drunk and throw you out!

ALCIBIADES

My angel, your slave –

ANTAGORAS

Oh shut up, get on with it.

ALCIBIADES

Religion is knowledge, as Plato said. It’s the knowledge of good and evil. There!

PLATO

It’s the fight between good and evil –

ALCIBIADES

Oh, no –

SOCRATES

What about power?

ALCIBIADES solemn and sonorous

Knowledge is power, as we all know. Power is the knowledge that good and evil are not enemies, they are friends. The human soul is the seat of their harmony. The great chamber of the perfect soul enshrines the secret love of good for evil and evil for good. That union is what is absolute, and beautiful, and real. We cannot overcome the darkness within, it’s fundamental and indestructible, we must cherish it, we must understand it and love it. Good needs evil, it can only exist by contrast, wise Heraclitus told us that, the struggle between the dark and the light is a kind of life–giving play, a game played by lovers. So evil isn’t really evil, good isn’t really good, we pass beyond the ordinary childish abstract notions of good and evil, and enter into the unity of the world! Then we are kings, then we are gods, the unified soul is the lord of reality. That’s religion, that’s the mystery which the initiated know, and now is the new era when at last it will be made plain.

PLATO furious

That’s a damned lie, the worst lie of all, Good must never make peace with evil, never, never! It must kill evil!

ALCIBIADES

You are bloodthirsty! Don’t you want harmony, don’t you want to make something creative out of all that warfare that’s going on inside you ? Why be always tearing yourself to pieces? Don’t you want human life to work, to function ?

PLATO incoherent

That’s perfect muck ! Good must be pure and separate and – absolute – and – only what’s completely good can – save us –

ALCIBIADES

But your perfectly pure good thing does not exist, that’s the trouble, dear, all the world proves that !

PLATO

It does, it must – it’s more real – I can’t explain –

ALCIBIADES

My dear little one, I can see that you can’t!

Plato hurls himself at Alcibiades. They fight. Alcibiades is stronger, twists Plato’s arm.

ACASTOS

Don’t hurt him!

ANTAGORAS amused

Sexual jealousy, I’m afraid!

Socrates is amused for a moment, then annoyed.

SOCRATES

Stop it, stop if!

He interferes, they separate. Socrates slaps Plato.

ALCIBIADES laughing

Creative strife! Homage to Heraclitus!

PLATO

I hate your ideas, I’d like to kill them!

SOCRATES

You can’t kill ideas, you must learn to think.

ALCIBIADES