Scenes V - VI Summary

Scene V: Now at the Papal College in Rome, Galileo is outside waiting upon the judgment of the most trusted astronomer Christopher Clavius. He must suffer through various monks, prelates, and scholars making fun of his theory. They chide "Mother Earth" for drinking too much and physically act out what they imagine life would be like on a moving Earth.

An "Old Cardinal" emerges and, dispensing with the frivolity of the lower church members, calls Galileo a "slave of a multiplication table" and an "enemy of mankind" for his heliocentric model. When introduced to Galileo, the Old Cardinal ominously sees a resemblance in Galileo to Bruno, the man burned at the stake. The Old Cardinal then launches into a diatribe, stating he simply won't tolerate Galileo's theory and that the one and true God places Man at...