The Successor is a play. Due to its elements in the main sequence of events, which is the death of the king and the queen with Smith ascending the throne.
The play opens with Smith who is the king’s servant. He appears on stage and begins to address the audience of his life experience. In a jiffy, Michael and Bechtel, the kings sons, come on stage to hear his last words. This is seen in page 2.
BECHTEL: Did I hear you call yourself a hero?
In this context, Michael and Bechtel are only interested in living a voluptuary life at the pub, only for them to come back from the inn looking drunk, staggering as they both make a caricature of their parents.
Smith being a fraudster, he deceives the king, claiming to be a clairvoyant. Conversely, when the king reveals his dream to him, he visits William the fortune-teller to seek for an interpretation of his masters dreams. After a lengthy conversation between the fortune-teller, Smith gets back to the palace and convinces the king that he has finally arrived at the interpretation of the dream. He then narrates as in pg. 29 and 30.
SMITH: [Calmly, relaxed.] Space represents the throne, the drinking of the poisonous acid represents the strength of the palace, and your growing like a giant indicates that the kingdom will increase in wealth. The amethyst you consumed denotes the alluring powers of the crown you possess, while the white teeth signify that everybody in the palace shall live long and be prosperous.
