 Item number SCP-701 Object Class Euclid Special Containment Procedures All materials relating to SCP-701 are to be kept in the triple locked archive at storage site. These items currently consist of the two currently extant copies of the 1640 quarto, 27 copies of the 1965 trade paperback edition, 10 copies of a 1971 hardcover printing, 21 floppy disquets consisting of data seized from raids on expunged, one SVHS videocassette tape designated SCP-701-19-A, and one steel knife of unknown origin designated SCP-701-19-B. At no time are any of these items to be removed from the room. Access to the area is to be heavily monitored. Absolutely no personnel whatsoever is to be granted access to the archive without the express, in-person permissions of Drs. L, R, and J. Description SCP-701, The Hanged King's Tragedy, is a Caroline-era revenge tragedy in five acts. Performances of the play are associated with sudden psychotic and suicidal behavior among both observers and participants, as well as the manifestation of a mysterious figure, classified as SCP-701-1. Historical estimates place the number of lives claimed by the play at between and over the past 300 years. Performances of The Hanged King's Tragedy do not always end with an outbreak. Recorded performances, only 36.78% have ended in SCP-701 events. According to historical records and investigations, these outbreaks generally follow the same pattern. One to two weeks, or seven to fourteen days prior to event. During the dress rehearsal period, cast members will begin to spontaneously deviate from the published text of the play, rather than improvisation or gaffes associated with going off script. Said deviations will be both orderly and consistent, as if the actors were working off a new version of the script. The cast and production crew will seem unaware of any change, and, if it is brought to their attention, will state that the play has run that way from the beginning. Two to three hours prior to event. The outbreak generally occurs during opening night, or else at the production with the greatest planned attendance, generally falling within the first week after the play's opening. One to two hours before event. SCP-701-1 begins to appear on stage in the final scene of Act 1, generally in the background, or to the side of the main action. It may seem to enter or exit the stage area, but does not appear to ever enter the backstage or off stage area. It simply disappears when not on stage. The cast does not appear to notice or comment on SCP-701-1, at least at first. The event. SCP-701-1 appears fully on stage, during the banquet scene in Act 5. Here, it will be incorporated into the action of the play, as the Hanged King. The cast will either murder each other or commit suicide, sometimes using items that seem to appear spontaneously on stage. Rioting breaks out in the audience, with viewers randomly attacking anyone in front of them, regardless of prior relationship. Following the event. If any of the audience members survive the initial outbreak, they may exit the performance space, in which case they will continue to engage in random or opportunistic violence. Victims will generally require sedation or restraint in this scenario. Normal personality will begin to return roughly 24 hours after the event. Surviving victims will generally exhibit signs consistent with a traumatic experience. Some will have no recollection of the event. Others may be rendered permanently comatose, or psychotic. For a typical case study of an outbreak, see Incident Report SCP-701-19-1, an analysis of the events leading up to the last uncontained SCP-701 event. In 19... During a high school drama performance in... For more information on the play's published text, see Document SCP-701-1640-B-1. In short, SCP-701 is a self-evolving memetic virus, transmitted through unknown means through the text of the play. Dr. L has theorized that SCP-701 events may involve expunged. This hypothesis is consistent with a spike in world levels detected via satellite in the vicinity of the 19 world incident, indicating expunged. Foundation agents are understanding orders to suppress any performance or publication of SCP-701 whenever found or detected. Despite our best efforts to the contrary, however, the play remains freely available online, sometimes under different titles. All attempts to detect or isolate the origin of these copies have failed. Suppression of the play's publication has generally been successful, with most copies of a 1971 scholarly edition destroyed before distribution. Nonetheless, copies of the 1965 trade paperback turn up with some regularity in both college and high school libraries. Agents are to obtain or otherwise destroy these items whenever possible. History. The first known publication of the Hanged King's Tragedy was as a quarto, dated 1640. The play's author is not listed. The publisher, one William Cook, disappeared from the historical records soon thereafter. Strangely, the text does not appear in the stationer's register. The first known SCP-701 event on record occurred in 18... during a performance of the play in... the USA. Other significant incidents include the 19... performance at a small theater in... the 1964 performance at the University of... the 19... performance at... University. The first SCP-701 event successfully suppressed by the foundation, the 19... performance by a student group in... California. The television adaptation by the... broadcast incorporation. Production successfully shut down by the foundation before broadcast. And the 19... incident in... Ohio. USA. Designated. SCP-701 19... one. Publication history. Original 1640 quarto. All known copies in foundation custody. 1733 folio edition. Republished 1790. 1813 Cambridge University Press edition. 1965 trade paperback edition. 1971 hardcover edition. Agents should note that copies of the play have often been... mis-filed under different titles or spellings of the title. Furthermore, photocopies of the 1965 text have been found in... circulation throughout college theater departments. In the continental United States. And in the United Kingdom. Incident report. SCP-701 19... one. SCP involved. SCP-701. Date. 19... location. Expunged. Report prepared by doctors R and J on the content of SCP-701 19... a. SCP-701 19... a. is a 187 millimeter by 103 millimeter by 25 millimeter... SVHS video cassette tape. Recovered by investigators from the scene of the incident. A performance of SCP-701 at... high school and... tape was found in a destroyed consumer grade camcorder. Which was apparently recording the performance from a vantage point within the audience. It is the only surviving record of the event. Zero hours. Zero minutes. And zero seconds. Tape begins. Three minutes ten seconds. House lights go down. Five minutes twelve seconds. Curtain rises. The play begins as published... with Gonzalo's coronation speech. Ten minutes twenty-one seconds. A possible sighting of SCP-701 one during Isabella's ravings. An anomalous shadow. Belonging to one of the cast members. Shows up along the back wall of the set. Ten minutes twenty-four seconds. Shadow disappears. Twenty-three minutes fifteen seconds. First deviation from the text. Rather than the dialogue between Francisco and the courtesan. The curtain drops and comes back up on a bare stage. Antonio enters from stage right. Twenty-three minutes and twenty-four seconds. First indirect sighting of SCP-701 one. The shadow of a figure seems to appear on the back wall. From stage right. Antonio stops in place and acts surprised. The shadow disappears. Antonio begins a long soliloquy. Confirming that he now believes Isabella's story. Dr. J notes that while the soliloquy is in the style of the rest of the play. And seems to be accurate Caroline era dialogue. Antonio's speech in this scene does not exist in the original text. Twenty-four minutes twelve seconds. Curtain drops. Twenty-four minutes fifty-one seconds. Curtain rises on Francisco and the courtesan. Antonio returns. The play continues as scripted. Thirty-one minutes fourteen seconds. First direct sighting of SCP-701 one. It enters and stands at the edge of stage left towards the end of act two, scene one. Thirty-two minutes seventeen seconds. Gonzalo's dialogue concludes as scripted with the mention of an appointment with the ambassador from Alagata. He exits stage left. SCP-701 one seems to turn and follow him as the lights go down. Thirty-eight minutes thirteen seconds. Second sighting of SCP-701 one during act three, scene one. It appears on the edge of stage right as Gonzalo and Petruccio murder Sortino. The scene concludes with Gonzalo ordering his cooks to prepare the corpse as a stew. Scripts recovered from the scene indicate that this section had been cut in rehearsal. Fifty-one minutes eleven seconds. Third sighting of SCP-701 one. Appears close to stage left as Antonio kills Isabella. One hour, nine minutes and twelve seconds. Fourth sighting, SCP-701 one enters with Gonzalo at the beginning of act four, scene one. And follows him throughout the scene. The scene also contains two key moments. First, Gonzalo seems to nod to SCP-701 one when he mentions the ambassador of Alagata. This is the first time a cast member has seemed to indicate SCP-701 one's presence. Second, the scene ends with a deviation from the text. Whereas the scripted speech at the end of act four, scene one, ends with Gonzalo considering his own moral inequity. Gonzalo here seems to be more concerned that his tribute will be sufficient for the ambassador. The lights go down. One hour, twenty-one minutes fifteen seconds. Fifth sighting, SCP-701 one enters stage left at the end of act four, scene two. As Antonio leaves to secure a blade for his coup. Rather than exiting, Antonio stops in front of SCP-701 one, who hands him a long dagger. This is believed to be the first appearance of the item classified SCP-701-19B. Note that there is no mention of the item in the prop list, or the other records maintained by the production. SCP-701 one and Antonio depart the stage together. One hour, thirty-two minutes forty-one seconds. Sixth sighting, SCP-701 one appears on stage left as Coronari and Lotovico exit. One hour, thirty-five minutes ten seconds. The lights come up. Act five, scene one. The banquet scene begins as scripted. One hour, forty minutes fifty-two seconds. Antonio enters, bearing a piece of parchment. Here the textual deviations begin in earnest. Rather than the parchment being Petruccio's confession as scripted, Antonio instead describes it as an invoice from the ambassador of Aligata, proving that Gonzalo owes more tribute than he intends to pay. One hour, forty-one minutes forty-two seconds. SCP-701 one enters at this point from stage right. The entire cast seems to perceive it. Gonzalo stands up, curses as an aside to the audience, and runs for stage left. The rest of the cast, including Alinda and Francisco, who enter from stage left, physically restrain Gonzalo and drag him back onto the stage. SCP-701 one meanwhile moves to the center of the stage, where it stands in front of Gonzalo's throne. One hour, forty-three minutes eight seconds. A noose is dropped onto the stage from above. The cast force Gonzalo into the noose as he begins to curse in Italian and in one place, possibly Latin. The noose is drawn taut and the cast drops Gonzalo. He begins to asphyxiate. One hour, forty-three minutes thirty-two seconds. Antonio speaks. With this, the tribute, in full, it is paid. The actor takes SCP-701-19B, the dagger, and draws it across Gonzalo's stomach, spilling his intestines across the stage. One hour, forty-four minutes four seconds. Alinda takes the dagger from Antonio. She speaks. With this, fools blood, it is the hanged kings. She cuts Antonio's throat. One hour, forty-five minutes thirty-one seconds. Ropes drop from the roof of the stage. A noose for each cast member. The cast assembles underneath them. Alinda takes position next to SCP-701-1. One hour, forty-six minutes twelve seconds. Alinda, with this, our blood, it is the hanged kings. The cast hang themselves. One hour, forty-seven minutes thirty-three seconds. SCP-701-1 moves through the hanging corpses and to front-center stage. One hour, forty-seven minutes forty-one seconds. The stage lights cut out. One hour, forty-seven minutes forty-six seconds. Sounds of screaming and physical violence around the camera. One hour, forty-eight minutes twenty-two seconds. Loud sound, most likely the camera being knocked over. One hour, forty-nine minutes one second. The camera is destroyed. Tape ends. Document SCP-701-1640B-1 The following is a summary of the published text of the hanged kings tragedy classified SCP-701 prepared by Dr. J from a copy of the 1640 quarto and foundation custody. Dramatis personae. Gonzalo, king of Trinculo. Isabella, queen of Trinculo. Formerly the wife of Sforza, the murdered king. Now married to Gonzalo. Antonio, a minor noble. Francisco, Antonio's servant. The Duke of Sortino. Alinda, daughter of the Duke. Petrucio, a noble lord, allied with Gonzalo. Ludovico, a servant of Gonzalo. Coronari, a priest. Beatrice, a servant of the queen. A courtesan. A palace guardsman. The ambassador of Milan. The ambassador of Florence. The ambassador of Alagata. Setting. The play is set in the kingdom of Trinculo, probably a misspelling of Trinocria, another name for Sicily, in the capital city of Cerco, another name for the city of Syracuse. As the play opens, Sforza, the king of Trinculo, has died, supposedly from natural causes, while on retreat from the court. The nobility of Trinculo gathers in the capital for the coronation of the new king, Sforza's younger brother, Gonzalo, who has also married Sforza's queen, Isabella. Despite the text's reference to contemporary Italian city-states, such as Florence and Milan, much of the play's setting is obviously pure fantasy. There are never any kings of Sicily comparable to Gonzalo and Sforza, and the capital of the historical kingdom of Sicily was Palermo, not Syracuse. The author may have chosen to move the play's events to Syracuse due to that city's historical association with tyranny. There is also no record of any country or place known by the name of Alagata, a mysterious but apparently powerful state that plays a significant role in the plot. It may be intended as a reference to one of the Muslim states or cities on the Mediterranean coast, such as Tunis or Algiers. Plot Summary The plot of the hanged king's tragedy bears a market resemblance to many earlier plays of the same genre, including Shakespeare's Hamlet and Titus Andronicus. In fact, past investigations into SCP-701 events have noted that the hanged king's tragedy was often chosen for production as a less violent alternative to the two plays mentioned. The two murders in the SCP-701 text can be construed as occurring offstage, and the implication of cannibalism in Act III can be easily cut from the script. Act I The play opens during Gonzalo's coronation. Gonzalo opens with a toast to the assembled nobility, then departs the stage. Drunk on wine, Isabella confesses to some of the courtiers left on stage that Sforza did not dine his sleep as reported. Instead, while on retreat in the countryside, Sforza was fed a sleeping potion by Isabella, then murdered by Gonzalo and his supporters. As a final show of disrespect, the conspirators hang the king like a common criminal from a tree. Isabella goes on to proclaim that Antonio, a minor noble visiting the king's court for the first time, is actually her and Sforza's son and the rightful heir to the throne. Isabella collapses and is taken offstage by her servants. Francisco asks Antonio if he believes the queen's story. Antonio makes light of the situation and they exit. Back in Antonio's rented lodgings, Francisco attempts to barter with a courtesan. Antonio enters the stage, clearly in shock. He reports that, while offstage, he saw the ghost of Sforza, who confirmed Antonio's parentage and the queen's description of his death. Act 2 Gonzalo, having learned of Isabella's confession, consults with his fellow conspirators. Loro Vico confirms that at least three people witnessed the queen's breakdown. The Duke of Sortino, his daughter Alinda, and a priest named Cornari. Gonzalo immediately begins to plan the murder or capture of the three in order to cover up the truth. He orders Isabella to be locked up in a convent, with the story put out that the queen is mad. Isabella, uncharacteristically, meekly accepts Gonzalo's judgment. The usurper then exits, having an appointment with the ambassador from Alagata. Back in their lodgings in the city, Francisco brings Antonio news of the queen's imprisonment. Together, they begin to plan their revenge. Act 3 Petruccio and Gonzalo invite Sortino to dinner. They kill him and order the palace cooks to prepare their corpse as a stew. Gonzalo orders Alinda, who witnessed the murder, to be locked up in the convent. Antonio fakes insanity in order to gain admittance to the convent. Warned of Antonio's coming, Isabella and her loyal servant, Beatrice, prepare to murder him using a drought of poison. Antonio sees through their plan and forces Isabella to drink the poison, killing her. Meanwhile, Francisco gets lost within the convent and winds up freeing Alinda from her cell by accident. Act 4 In the palace, Gonzalo reports to Lodovico that he has, in exchange for an unstated tribute, obtained a powerful and tasteless poison from the ambassador of Alagara. Gonzalo plans to poison the stew made from the Duke of Sortino's corpse and feed it to the court, thus ensuring the suppression of the truth. Lodovico leaves the stage to carry out the usurper's plan. Gonzalo then has a brief moment of conscience. In a soliloquy, he describes the regret he carries for his sins, but is nonetheless unable to deviate from the path he has set. Meanwhile, Francisco introduces Alinda to Antonio, all three having escaped the convent. Alinda describes her father's murder in grisly terms. Antonio promises to marry her and make her his queen as soon as his revenge is complete. He then leaves to obtain a blade, with which he plans to kill Gonzalo. There's a comedic interlude between a palace guard and coronary, a buffoonish priest. At the end of the scene, Lodovico enters and bids coronary to follow him. The priest is not seen on stage again. Act 5 The guests arrive at Gonzalo's banquet. Gonzalo once again offers a toast, this time to the ambassadors of the foreign nations who are present. The meal is served. However, before it can begin, Antonio enters, bearing a signed confession he obtained from Petrucio offstage, which includes the details of Sforza's murder and proof of Antonio's lineage. Gonzalo is deposed by the outraged courtiers. Rather than murder him, however, Antonio instead decides to spare the usurper and let him accept exile to a monastery. He then orders Francisco to start making plans for his marriage to Alinda. The play ends with a dance staged by the courtiers. End of entry. Additional notes Given the high probability of expunged in my mind, I again recommend that SCP-701 be upgraded to Ketter class. The SCP-701 memetic virus may very well be the forefront of an invasion scenario. Furthermore, expunged. Dr. L. 1237116060 Denied. None of the current information we have on SCP-701 indicates an XK class scenario. Until we have additional data, classification will remain at Euclid. Face facts, doctor. The cat's been long out of the bag on this one. And in this line of business, we consider ourselves lucky if we only lose a hundred or so people every ten years. 1237197060 Lesson complete. If you missed the previous orientation, go watch SCP-700, Graffiti Factory, right now. Or for the complete course, watch this playlist.