Cast
The New Sultan · The First Student · Napoleon
(The lake-view classroom. The New Sultan stands at the front, near the end of his lesson. The students sit, the instructor and Napoleon among them.)
The New SultanSo, to summarize. Life is sometimes counterintuitive. Prison can work for you. A coup against you can work for you. These can be gifts in disguise. You just have to accept them. It's all in the craft, and in the will. I could have given up. I could have fled. I didn't. Instead, I went on the attack.
(A beat.)
The New SultanAnd look at where I am now. I can think about my succession at leisure. Will it be my daughter? Will it be my son-in-law? The world is guessing while I enjoy the splendors of my palace.
The First StudentBut you ruined your currency on the way.
The New SultanBy design, my boy. By design. Think about what it did. It wiped out the debt. There are many, many who thank me for it every day.
The First StudentThere are others who struggle to feed themselves.
The New SultanI gave them a new mosque. The greatest mosque of all.
The First StudentDo you feed them there?
The New SultanYes, I do, my boy. I feed their spirit and their soul.
(A beat.)
NapoleonAre you never afraid?
The New SultanI am in the best hands, the hands of God. But of course, I also have a food taster.