Darren's Character Profile
Back to... Week Eleven - Week Twelve
Caballus – The Goblin King
Caballus is the bad guy. He’s not a bad guy, he’s the bad guy. The head honcho. All the other bad guys report to him. In the evil universe, his word is law. I have never played the leader of the bad guys before, so this should be an interesting endeavour. I think first of a quote that was made during the special features of the movie Batman. The quote was made by Jack Nicholson – a master actor if ever there was one – who played the Joker (The bad guy of the film). He says: “When playing evil, you have to go the whole way. Don’t be sort of bad, kids will be insulted. The nastier you are the more they will love to hate you. They want you to be bad, so give it to them.” I also think of a previous Children’s Theatre play I did where I was a bad guy while Scott Simpson played the bad guy – Duke Grimeo. He was a nasty, bloodthirsty no-nonsense fucker! This is what I need to aim for. I mustn’t fall back to my natural ‘comic’ moment – it won’t work. Side kicks can be funny, bad guys MUST be scary. My aim – make kids cry! If someone cries that’s a great indication that I’m in the right zone. Also, I want boos. Boos, are my cheers. If the audience boo me, that’s another indication that Caballus is where he is supposed to be.
But, who is Caballus? Who is this nasty mo-fo that I’m about to immerse myself in? What makes him tick? At this stage, I think he is a mentally unstable socio/psychopath with delusions of grandeur. He honestly believes he can take over the fairy realm. He is somewhat short-sighted as he doesn’t seem to face the reality of the situation – if he looses the support of Oberon, it’s all over. He has supreme faith in himself and in the support of those who follow him. The concept that anyone (for example, his queen) might betray him simply does not occur to him. It’s as if he has blinkers on to reality. He lives in a world that his mind has created where everything will go his way. It’s an interesting position. I think Caballus as a person would offer a great case-study for a psychologist. His created world is very real to him. But what forced his mind to crack and create this make-believe world? What horrendous moment in his past caused his mind to develop this defence mechanism?
At this stage, let’s write a history of the Goblin King. Find out a little bit about him…
Caballus emerged from the primordial ooze of magical creation somewhere around the beginning of time – possibly just before, because as all creatures of magic know, the Goblin King has always been. It is said that as his eyes opened, the sun – in indignation at the sight of him – shone down directly into his face in an attempt to scare him off. Whether this is true or not, something keeps Caballus hidden away in his underground lair known only as ‘the dungeon’. For all time, Caballus has dwelt in his subterranean realm, master of all those that share his domicile. But twice, he has pooled his macabre powers and attempted to conquer the overworld.
As master of the dungeon, Caballus maintains a firm grip on the throats of all those that follow him. In times gone past, this referred to all those of the goblin tribe, including the now separated Circus goblins, and the Snottygobbles. Each of his two ill-fated forays into the overworld has resulted in him losing the support of one faction of the goblin tribe, which has now left him in the somewhat precarious position he occupies. His forces are reduced, and as long as those of the overworld remain united against him, he will forever be confined to his underworld of dank darkness.
Caballus marks an imposing figure. He is a large being, with an awful presence. The smile that sometimes crosses his face is always one of malign enjoyment at the suffering of others; a twisted mockery of the enjoyment that a smile represents. He wears red and black at all times, and finishes his attire with a bilious garment known as the cloak of blood and shadows. It is said that this cloak allows Caballus to go abroad in the overworld without succumbing to the hatred of the sun. Perhaps most startling about Caballus’ appearance though, are his eyes. After contact with the sun as his malignant form was birthed unto the world, his eyes have become a piercing red colour. Like twin embers they burn with resentment towards the world that rejected him. If the eyes are a window into the soul, Caballus’ reflect the hell that consumes him!
No-one knows the Goblin King’s true motivation, not even his partner in evil, the hideous Goblin Queen Gudrun. But, it can be said that Caballus hates light. Both of his attacks against the overworld have focussed on dimming the light of the world. Perhaps this is his goal; to permanently eclipse the sun and plunge the world into eternal night. Those that have been sent as envoys to his decayed world remember nothing but fear. All but one being; the mad fairy Saranaxm who dwells deep in the Enchanted Wood, far from all other inhabitants. It is said that on dark nights she can be seen atop her house calling madly “Xi mishrak ctholl. Xi gobe marche vocers xi Apol. Ka visch doom et ufy!” Those who hear know only that it is the old tongue. But if one were to translate it, one would hear “The darkness comes. The Goblin King covers the Sun. He will doom us all!”
What will become of this evil being? Will he come forth from his realm of darkness to entomb us all in endless night? We must believe that the forces of light will remain strong and that the Goblin King’s plans will never come to fruition.
So, now I have a bit of an idea of where Caballus comes from. But I need to go deeper. It’s all well and good to know his history, but who is he now? What are his motivations? We can only discover that by exploring the inner working of his mind, by getting inside him. It’s time for me to write as Caballus…
All hail me! The Goblin King! Master of the earth and sky! I am Caballus, remember my name. I have always been and will always be. My power is greater than any other you will see. My past is simply that, passed! I rule the underworld from my realm – the dungeon. But soon, all will see the power that is Caballus and his Goblin tribe. The Snottygobbles will shake with fear and return to my side, the infidels (the circus goblins) will feel my wrath. The sun will retreat from my glory. The world will be mine, and those pathetic fairies will serve me in chains. Once I have broken Titania through the help of that overgrown windbag Oberon, he too will fall to my power. The enchanted garden will wilt, the faeries will bow and endless night shall reign. Xi mishrak visch ctholl! All shall be my slaves, even the fools that follow me. Gudrun alone shall remain free, but she will serve me also. All will bow down before me. I WILL RULE!
Alright, now I’m starting to get a hold of this guy. He’s evil distilled and personified. This should be fun. A few other details to look at. The origins of the word Caballus. I googled the name, and found out that Caballus is part of the technical name for both horses (Equus Caballus) and a species of fish (Caranx Caballus). From this, I choose to draw a horse’s strength and stamina and a fish’s slipperiness. Caballus is a strong figure, and he has endured for a loooong time. But he is slippery. He has evaded death twice now after attempting to take over the overworld. In his dialogue he makes reference to the fact that he is cunning and manipulative – this I think all comes from the fish side of his nature.
As far as elements go, Caballus is definitely rooted in earth. He is heavy footed (and handed) and clearly very patient as he has managed to go this long without things going his way. He also has water in his personality which is shown by the way he manages to weasel out of things and change his plans according to current climate. And finally, his insane temper is fuelled by fire. His personality is somewhat akin to dry tinder. He could go up in flames at any moment. I find it interesting to note that unlike the fairies, who all have air in their nature, Caballus has none at all. Perhaps this is the fundamental difference between a goblin and a fairy…
One last thing I need to explore is Caballus’ fear of Soap and Water. What is that all about? Well, firstly we know, that within the goblin tribe there are three sub-tribes; the True goblins, the Circus goblins and the Snottygobbles. From the script I know that Caballus is, in actual fact, a Snottygobble, and that all Snottygobbles are afraid of soap and water. So let’s take a look at why the Snottygobbles are afraid of soap and water.
A secret Snottygobble document found after the recent war. The secret is now revealed!
It was many hundreds of years ago that Caballus and his cohort of dastardly goblins made their first incursion into the overworld. In those times the goblins were all one tribe. There were thousands of them as they poured forth from the dungeon into the overworld. It was only the combined power of the fairies from all over the world that managed to turn them back. But it was the Naiads (water spirits) that truly saved the day. It was their task, along with their allies from Titania’s court to hold back the Snottygobbles during the Great Battle. Kept at bay by their opposition, the Snottygobbles continued their somewhat disgusting habits and wallowed in their own filth. The fairies and the Naiads were affronted by their grime. They hatched a plan. The Naiads would hold the Snottygobbles in place while the fairies fetched all the soap they could. When the fairies returned the Naiads let their power flow forth in brilliant cascades of water. The fairies used their magic to add soap to the water so that the Snottygobbles would be cleansed by the process. What nobody realised was that a Snottygobble who is clean loses all of its power. The now powerless Snottygobbles deserted from Caballus’ army and fled to the far reaches of the world. With numbers now on their side, the fairies and other good creatures forced Caballus back into his underground lair.
Well, there you have it, now we know. Caballus fears Soap and Water because it will strip him of his power. Who would have guessed that a Snottygobble derives his power from the grime and stench that clings to him! Well, I guess that’s it, all I can do now is start the actual work and hope that my character study has given me the right base to work from!
Back to... Week Eleven - Week Twelve
View other 'Snottygobble' production extras... Julian's Drawings One Julian's Drawings Two
Circus Skills Photo Gallery Mel's Acting CV Geoff Glencross Theatre History
First Draft Second Draft Final Script - Act One Final Script - Act Two
Samantha's Costume One Samantha's Costume Two Paul's Unbanned Suicide Run Costume Fitting
Dance Workshop Darren's Character Profile First Dress Rehearsal One First Dress Rehearsal Two
First Dress Rehearsal Three First Dress Rehearsal Four Jamie at the Final Dress Rehearsal
Final Dress Rehearsal One Final Dress Rehearsal Two Final Dress Rehearsal Three
Final Dress Rehearsal Four Pre-show Make-up Wrap-up
...or view other 2006 'Notice Board' entries... Week One - Week Two Week Three - Week Four
Study Break One - Week Five Week Six - Week Seven Study Break Two - Week Eight
Week Nine - Week Ten Week Eleven - Week Twelve Week Thirteen Week Fourteen
...or view other Notice Board entries... 2005 Children's Theatre Notice Board
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Contact Andrew @ thechaseison@optusnet.com.au
This page last updated: 30th June 2006