file which includes the original illustrations4 ,see #cfehj-;h4htm or #cfehj-;h4zip3 7https3_/_/www4gutenberg4org_/cache_/epu b_/#cfehj_/pg#cfehj-;images4html7 or 7https3_/_/www4gutenberg4org_/files_/#cf ehj_/cfehj-;h4zip7 ,transcriber's note3 ,a letter following a carat character is in superscript 7example3 wd74 ,,dramatic ,,technique by ,,george ,,pierce ,,baker ,professor of ,history and ,technique of the ,drama in ,yale ,university ,a good play is certainly the most rational and the highest ,entertainment that ,human ,invention can produce4 ,,colley ,,cibber ,illustration ,houghton ,mifflin ,company ,boston 4 ,new ,york 4 ,chicago 4 ,dallas 4 ,san ,francisco ,the ,riverside ,press ,cambridge ,copyright1 #aiai1 by ,george ,pierce ,baker ,all ,rights ,reserved ,the author acknowledges courteous permission to quote passages from copyright plays as credited to various authors and publishers in the footnotes4 ,the ,riverside ,press ,cambridge 4 ,massachusetts ,printed in the ,u4,s4,a4 ,,preface ,the dramatist is born1 not made4 ,this common saying grants the dramatist at least one experience of other artists1 namely1 birth1 but seeks to deny him the instruction in art granted the architect1 the painter1 the sculptor1 and the musician4 ,play-readers and producers1 however1 seem not so sure of this distinction1 for they are often heard saying3 ,the plays we receive divide into two classes3 those competently written1 but trite in subject and treatment2 those in some way fresh and interesting1 but so badly written that they cannot be produced4 ,some years ago1 ,mr4 ,savage1 the manager1 writing in ,the ,bookman on ,the ,united ,states of ,playwrights1 said3 ,in answer to the question1 ',do the great majority of these persons know anything at all of even the fundamentals of dramatic construction8' the managers and agents who read the manuscripts unanimously agree in the negative4 ,only in rare instances does a play arrive in the daily mails that carries within it a vestige of the knowledge of the science of drama-making4 ,almost all the plays1 furthermore1 are extremely artificial and utterly devoid of the quality known as human interest4 ,all this testimony of managers and play-readers shows that there is something which the dramatist has not as a birthright1 but must learn4 ,where8 ,usually he is told1 ,in the ,school of ,hard ,experience4 ,when the young playwright whose manuscript has been returned to him but with favorable comment1 asks what he is to do to get rid of the faults in his work1 both evident to him and not evident1 he is told to read widely in the drama2 to watch plays of all kinds2 to write with endless patience and the resolution never to be discouraged4 ,he is to keep submitting his plays till1 by this somewhat indefinite method of training1 he at last acquires the ability to write so well that a manuscript is accepted4 ,this is ,the ,school of ,experience4 ,though a long and painful method of training1 it has had1 undeniably1 many distinguished graduates4 ,why1 however1 is it impossible that some time should be saved a would-be dramatist by placing before him1 not mere theories of play-writing1 but the practice of the dramatists of the past1 so that what they have shared in common1 and where their practice has differed1 may be clear to him8 ,that is all this book attempts4 ,to create a dramatist would be a modern miracle4 ,to develop theories of the drama apart from the practice of recent and remoter dramatists of different countries would be visionary4 ,this book tries in the light of historical practice merely to distinguish the permanent from the impermanent in technique4 ,it endeavors1 by showing the inexperienced dramatist how experienced dramatists have solved problems similar to his own1 to shorten a little his time of apprenticeship4 ,the limitations of any such attempt ,i fully recognize4 ,this book is the result of almost daily discussion for some years with classes of the ideas contained in it1 but in that discussion there was a chance to treat with each individual the many exceptions1 apparent or real1 which he could raise to any principle enunciated4 ,such full discussion is impossible in a book the size of this one4 ,therefore ,i must seem to favor an instruction far more dogmatic than my pupils know from me4 ,no textbook can do away with the value of proper classroom work4 ,the practice of the past provides satisfactory principles for students of ordinary endowment4 ,a person of long experience or unusually endowed1 however1 after grasping these principles1 must at times break from them if he is to do his best work4 ,the classroom permits a teacher such adaptations of existing usage4 ,such special needs no textbook can forestall4 ,this book1 then1 is meant1 not to replace wise classroom instruction1 but to supplement it or to offer what it can when such instruction is impossible4 ,the contents of this book were originally brought together from notes for the classroom as eight lectures delivered before the ,lowell ,institute1 ,boston1 in the winter of #aiac4 ,they were carefully reworked for later lectures before audiences in ,brooklyn and ,philadelphia4 ,indeed1 both in and out of the classroom they have been slowly revised in the intervening five years4 ,detailed consideration of the one-act play has been reserved for later special treatment4 ,otherwise the book attempts to treat helpfully the many problems which the would-be dramatist must face in learning the fundamentals of a very difficult but fascinating art4 ,i have written for the person who cannot be content except when writing plays4 ,i wish it distinctly understood that ,i have not written for the person seeking methods of conducting a course in dramatic technique4 ,i view with some alarm the recent mushroom growth of such courses throughout the country4 ,i gravely doubt the advisability of such courses for undergraduates4 ,dramatic technique is the means of expressing1 for the stage1 one's ideas and emotions4 ,except in rare instances1 undergraduates are better employed in filling their minds with general knowledge than in trying to phrase for the stage thoughts or emotions not yet mature4 ,in the main ,i believe instruction in the writing of plays should be for graduate students4 ,nor do ,i believe that it should be given except by persons who have had experience in acting1 producing1 and even writing plays1 and who have read and seen the drama of different countries and times4 ,mere lectures1 no matter how good1 will not make the students productive4 ,the teacher who is not widely eclectic in his tastes will at best produce writers with an easily recognizable stamp4 ,in all creative courses the problem is not1 ,what can we make these students take from us1 the teachers8 but1 ,which of these students has any creative power that is individual8 ,just what is it8 ,how may it be given its quickest and fullest development8 ,complete freedom of choice in subject and complete freedom in treatment so that the individuality of the artist may have its best expression are indispensable in the development of great art4 ,at first untrained and groping blindly for the means to his ends1 he moves to a technique based on study of successful dramatists who have preceded him4 ,from that he should move to a technique that is his own1 a mingling of much out of the past and an adaptation of past practice to his own needs4 ,this book will help the development from blind groping to the acquirement of a technique based on the practice of others4 ,it can do something1 but only a little1 to develop the technique that is highly individual4 ,the instruction which most helps to that must be done1 not by books1 not by lectures1 but in frequent consultation of pupil and teacher4 ,the man who grows from a technique which permits him to write a good play because it accords with historical practice to the technique which makes possible for him a play which no one else could have written1 must work under three great ,masters3 ,constant ,practice1 ,exacting ,scrutiny of the ,work1 and1 above all1 ,time4 ,only when he has stood the tests of these ,masters is he the matured artist4 ,,geo4 ,p4 ,,baker ,,contents ,i4 ,,technique ,,in ,,drama3 ,,what ,,it ,,is4 ,,the ,,drama ,,as ,,an ,,independent ,,art #a ,,ii4 ,,the ,,essentials ,,of ,,drama3 ,,action ,,and ,,emotion #af ,,iii4 ,,from ,,subject ,,to ,,plot4 ,,clearing ,,the ,,way #dg ,,iv4 ,,from ,,subject ,,through ,,story ,,to ,,plot4 ,,clearness ,,through ,,wise ,,selection #gc ,v4 ,,from ,,subject ,,to ,,plot3 ,,proportioning ,,the ,,material3 ,,number ,,and ,,length ,,of ,,acts #aag ,,vi4 ,,from ,,subject ,,to ,,plot3 ,,arrangement ,,for ,,clearness1 ,,emphasis1 ,,movement #aed ,,vii4 ,,characterization #bcd ,,viii4 ,,dialogue #cji ,,ix4 ,,making ,a ,,scenario #dbj ,x4 ,,the ,,dramatist ,,and ,,his ,,public #eji ,,index #ebc ,,dramatic ,,technique ,,chapter ,i ,,technique ,,in ,,drama3 ,,what ,,it ,,is4 ,,the ,,drama ,,as ,,an ,,independent ,,art ,this book treats drama which has been tested before the public or which was written to be so tested4 ,it does not concern itself with plays1 past or present1 intended primarily to be read--closet drama4 ,it does not deal with theories of what the drama1 present or future1 might or should be4 ,it aims to show what successful drama has been in different countries1 at different periods1 as written by men of highly individual gifts4 ,the technique of any dramatist may be defined1 roughly1 as his ways1 methods1 and devices for getting his desired ends4 ,no dramatist has this technique as a gift at birth1 nor does he acquire it merely by writing plays4 ,he reads and sees past and present plays1 probably in large numbers4 ,if he is like most young dramatists1 for example ,shakespeare on the one hand and ,ibsen on the other1 he works imitatively at first4 ,he1 too1 has his ,love's ,labor's ,lost1 or ,feast at ,solhaug4 ,even if his choice of topic be fresh1 the young dramatist inevitably studies the dramatic practice just preceding his time1 or that of some remoter period which attracts him1 for models on which to shape the play he has in mind4 ,often1 in whole-hearted admiration1 he gives himself to close imitation of ,shakespeare1 one of the great ,greek dramatists1 ,ibsen1 ,shaw1 or ,brieux4 ,for the moment the better the imitation1 the better he is satisfied2 but shortly he discovers that somehow the managers or the public1 if his play gets by the managers1 seem to have very little taste for great dramatists at second hand4 ,yet the history of the drama has shown again and again that a dramatist may owe something to the plays of a preceding period and achieve success4 ,the influence of the ,greek drama on ,the ,servant in the ,house is unmistakable4 ,kismet1 ,mr4 ,knobloch frankly states1 was modeled on the loosely constructed ,elizabethan plays intended primarily to tell a story of varied and exciting incident4 ,where lies the difficulty8 ,just here4 ,too many people do not recognize that dramatic technique--methods and devices for gaining in the theatre a dramatist's desired ends--is historically of three kinds3 universal1 special1 and individual4 ,first there are certain essentials which all good plays1 from ,aeschylus to ,lord ,dunsany1 share at least in part4 ,they are the qualities which make a play a play4 ,these the tyro must study and may copy4 ,to the discussion and illustration of them the larger part of this book is devoted4 ,secondly1 there is the special technique of a period1 such as the ,elizabethan1 the ,restoration1 the period of ,scribe and his influence1 etc4 ,a good illustration of this kind of technique is the difference in treatment of the ,antony and ,cleopatra story by ,shakespeare in his play of that name1 and by ,john ,dryden in ,all ,for ,love4 ,each dramatist worked sincerely1 believing the technique that he used would give him best1 with the public he had in mind1 his desired effects4 ,the public of ,shakespeare would not have cared for ,dryden's treatment3 the ,restoration found ,shakespeare barbaric until reshaped by dramatists whose touch today often seems that of a vandal facing work the real beauty of which he does not understand4 ,the technique of the plays of ,corneille and ,racine1 even though they base their dramatic theory on classical practice1 differs from the ,greek and from ,seneca4 ,in turn the drama which aimed to copy them1 the so-called ,heroic ,plays of ,england from #affj to #agjj1 differed4 ,that is1 a story dramatized before when re-presented to the stage must share with the drama of the past certain characteristics if it is to be a play at all1 but to some extent it must be presented differently4 ,why8 ,because1 first1 the dramatist is using a stage different from that of his forebears1 and1 secondly1 because he is writing for a public of different standards in morals and art4 ,comparison for a moment of the stage of the ,greeks with the stage of the ,elizabethans1 the ,restoration1 or of today shows the truth of the first statement4 ,comparison of the religious and social ideals of the ,greeks with those of ,shakespeare's audience1 ,congreve's public1 ,tom ,robertson's1 or the public of today shows the truth of the second4 ,that is1 the drama of any past time1 if studied carefully1 must reveal the essentials of the drama throughout time4 ,it must reveal1 too1 methods and devices effective for the public of its time1 but not effective at present4 ,it is doubtless true that usually a young dramatist may gain most light as to the technique of the period on which he is entering from the practice of the playwrights just preceding him1 but this does not always follow4 ,witness the sharp revolt1 particularly in ,france and ,germany1 in the early nineteenth century1 from ,classicism to ,romanticism4 ,witness1 too1 the change late in that century from the widespread influence of ,scribe to the almost equally widespread influence of ,ibsen4 ,the chief gift of the drama of the past to the young playwright1 then1 is illustration of what is essential in drama4 ,this he safely copies4 ,study of the technique of a special period1 if the temper of his public closely resembles the interests1 prejudices1 and ideals of the period he studies1 may give him even larger results4 ,such close resemblance1 however1 is rare4 ,each period demands in part its own technique4 ,what in that technique is added to the basal practice of the past may even be to some extent the contribution of the young dramatist in question4 ,resting on what he knows of the elements common to all good drama1 alert to the significance of the hints which the special practice of any period may give him1 he thinks his way to new methods and devices for getting with his public his desired effects4 ,many or most of these the other dramatists of his day discover with him4 ,these1 which make the special usage of his time1 become the technique of his period4 ,perhaps1 however1 he has added something in technique particularly his own1 to be found in the plays of no other man4 ,this1 the third sort of technique1 is to be seen specially in the work of the great dramatists4 ,usually1 it is peculiarly inimitable and elusive because the result of a particular temperament working on problems of the drama peculiar to a special time4 ,imitation of this individual technique in most instances results1 like wearing the tailor-made clothes of a friend1 in a palpable misfit4 ,it is just because the enthusiast copies1 not simply what is of universal significance in the practice of some past period1 but with equal closeness what is special to the time and individual to the dramatist1 that his play fails4 ,he has produced something stamped as not of his time nor by him1 but as at best a successful literary exercise in imitation4 ,of the three kinds of technique1 then1--universal1 special1 and individual1--a would-be dramatist should know the first thoroughly4 ,recognizing the limitations of the second and third1 he should study them for suggestions rather than for models4 ,when he has mastered the first technique1 and from the second has made his own what he finds useful in it1 he is likely to pass to the third1 his individual additions4 ,why1 however1 should men or women who have already written stories long or short declared by competent people to be dramatic1 make any special study of the technique of plays8 ,like the dramatist1 they must understand characterization and dialogue or they could not have written successful stories4 ,evidently1 too1 they must know something about structure4 ,above all1 they must have shown ability so to represent people in emotion as to arouse emotional response in their readers1 or their work would not be called dramatic4 ,why1 then1 should they not write at will either in the form of stories or of plays8 ,it is certainly undeniable that many novels seem in material and at moments in treatment1 as dramatic as plays on similar subjects4 ,in each1 something is said or done which moves the reader or hearer as the author wishes4 ,these facts account for the widespread and deeply-rooted belief that any novelist or writer of short stories should write successful plays if he wishes1 particularly if adapting his own work for the stage4 ,the facts account1 too1 for the repeated efforts in the past to put popular novels on the stage as little changed as possible4 ,is it not odd that most adaptations of successful stories and most novelizations of successful plays are failures8 ,the fact that the drama had had for centuries in ,england and elsewhere a fecund history before the novel as a form took shape at all would intimate that the drama is a different and independent art from that of the novel or the short story4 ,when novelists and would-be playwrights recognize that it is1 has been1 and ought to be an independent art1 we shall be spared many bad plays4 ,it is undeniable that the novelist and the dramatist start with common elements--the story1 the characters1 and the dialogue4 ,if their common ability to discern in their story or characters possible emotional interests for other people1 their so-called dramatic sense1 is to achieve success on the stage it must be developed into theatrical talent by hard study and generally by long practice4 ,for theatrical talent consists in the power of making your characters not only tell a story by means of dialogue but tell it in such skilfully devised form and order as shall1 within the limits of an ordinary theatrical representation1 give rise to the greatest possible amount of that peculiar kind of emotional effect1 the production of which is the one great function of the theatre4#a ,certain underlying differences between the relation of the novelist to his reader and that of the dramatist to his audience reveal why the art of each must be different4 ,the relative space granted novelist and dramatist is the first condition which differentiates their technique4 ,a play of three acts1 say forty pages each of ordinary typewriter paper1 will take in action approximately a hundred and fifty minutes1 or two hours and a half4 ,when allowance is made for waits between the acts1 the manuscript should probably be somewhat shorter4 ,a novel runs from two hundred and fifty to six hundred pages4 ,obviously such difference between the length of play and novel means different methods of handling material4 ,the dramatist1 if he tries for the same results as the novelist1 must work more concisely4 ,this demands very skilful selection among his materials to gain his desired effects in the quickest possible ways4 ,a novel we read at one or a half-dozen sittings1 as we please4 ,when we so wish1 we can pause to consider what we have just read1 or can re-read it4 ,in the theatre1 a play must be seen as a whole and at once4 ,listening to it1 we cannot turn back1 we cannot pause to reflect1 for the play pushes steadily on to the close of each act4 ,evidently1 then1 here is another reason why a play must make its effects more swiftly than a novel4 ,this needed swiftness requires methods of making effects more obviously and more emphatically than in the novel4 ,in a play1 then1 while moving much more swiftly than in a novel1 we must at any given moment be even clearer than in the novel4 ,what the dramatist selects for presentation must be more productive of immediate effect than is the case with the novelist1 for one swingeing blow must1 with him1 replace repeated strokes by the novelist4 ,in most novels1 the reader is1 so to speak1 personally conducted1 the author is our guide4 ,in the drama1 so far as the dramatist is concerned1 we must travel alone4 ,in the novel1 the author describes1 narrates1 analyzes1 and makes his personal comment on circumstance and character4 ,we rather expect a novelist to reveal himself in his work4 ,on the other hand1 the greatest dramatists1 such as ,shakespeare and ,moliere1 in their plays reveal singularly little of themselves4 ,it is the poorer dramatists--,dryden1 ,jonson1 ,chapman--who1 using their characters as mouthpieces1 reveal their own personalities4 ,now that soliloquy and the aside have nearly gone out of use1 the dramatist1 when compared with the novelist1 seems1 at first thought1 greatly hampered in his expression4 ,he never can use description1 narration1 analysis1 and personal comment as his own4 ,he may use them only in the comparatively rare instances when they befit the character speaking4 ,his mainstay is illustrative action appropriate to his characters1 real or fictitious4 ,surely so great a difference will affect the technique of his art4 ,the novel1 then1 may be1 and often is1 highly personal2 the best drama is impersonal4 ,the theatre in which the play is presented also produces differences between the practice of the dramatist and that of the novelist4 ,no matter how small the theatre or its stage1 it cannot permit the intimacy of relation which exists between reader and book4 ,a person reads a book to himself or to a small group4 ,in most cases1 he may choose the conditions under which he will read it1 indoors or out1 alone or with people about him1 etc4 ,in the theatre1 according to the size of the auditorium1 from one hundred to two thousand people watch the play1 and under given conditions of light1 heat1 and ventilation4 ,they are at a distance1 in most cases1 from the stage4 ,it is shut off from them more than once in the performance by the fall of the curtain4 ,the novel appeals to the mind and the emotions through the eye4 ,the stage appeals to both eye and ear4 ,scenery1 lighting1 and costuming render unnecessary many descriptions absolutely required in the novel4 ,the human voice quickens the imagination as the mere printed page cannot in most cases4 ,these unlike conditions are bound to create differences in the presentation of the same material4 ,it is just this greater concreteness and consequent greater vividness of the staged play which makes us object to seeing and hearing in the theatre that of which we have read with comparative calmness in the newspaper1 the magazine1 or the novel4 ,daily we read in the newspapers with unquickened pulse of horror after horror4 ,merely to see a fatal runaway or automobile accident sends us home sickened or unnerved4 ,we read to the end1 though horrified1 the ,red ,laugh of ,andreiev4 ,reproduce accurately on the stage the terrors of the book and some persons in the audience would probably go as mad as did people in the story4 ,this difference applies in our attitude toward moral questions as treated in books or on the stage4 ,let us instance the ,matron of ,ephesus4 ,this acrid fable is well known2 it is unquestionably the bitterest satire that was ever made on female frivolity4 ,it has been recounted a thousand times after ,petronius1 and since it pleased even in the worst copy1 it was thought that the subject must be an equally happy one for the stage4444 ,the character of the matron in the story provokes a not unpleasant sarcastic smile at the audacity of wedded love2 in the drama this becomes repulsive1 horrible4 ,in the drama1 the soldier's persuasions do not seem nearly so subtle1 importunate1 triumphant1 as in the story4 ,in the story we picture to ourselves a sensitive little woman who is really in earnest in her grief1 but succumbs to temptation and to her temperament1 her weakness seems the weakness of her sex1 we therefore conceive no especial hatred towards her1 we deem that what she does nearly every woman would have done4 ,even her suggestion to save her living lover by means of her dead husband we think we can forgive her because of its ingenuity and presence of mind2 or rather its very ingenuity leads us to imagine that this suggestion may have been appended by the malicious narrator who desired to end his tale with some right poisonous sting4 ,now in the drama we cannot harbour this suggestion2 what we hear has happened in the story1 we see really occur2 what we would doubt of in the story1 in the drama the evidence of our own eyes settles incontrovertibly4 ,the mere possibility of such an action diverted us2 its reality shows it in all its atrocity2 the suggestion amused our fancy1 the execution revolts our feelings1 we turn our backs to the stage and say with the ,lykas of ,petronius1 without being in ,lykas's peculiar position3 ',had the emperor been just1 he would have restored the body of the father to its tomb and crucified the woman4' ,and she seems to us the more to deserve this punishment1 the less art the poet has expended on her seduction1 for we do not then condemn in her weak woman in general1 but an especially volatile1 worthless female in particular4#b ,as ,lessing points out1 in the printed page we can stand a free treatment of social question after social question which on the stage we should find revolting4 ,imagine the horror and outcry if we were to put upon the stage a dramatized newspaper or popular magazine4 ,just in this intense vividness1 this great reality of effect1 lies a large part of the power of the stage4 ,on the other hand1 this very vividness may create difficulties4 ,for instance1 the novelist can say1 ,so1 in a silence1 almost unbroken1 the long hours passed4 ,but we watching1 on the stage1 the scene described in the novel1 know perfectly that only a few minutes have elapsed4 ,from this difficulty have arisen1 to create a sense of time1 the ,elizabethan use of the ,chorus1 our entr'acte pauses1 interpolated scenes which draw off our attention from the main story1 and many other devices4 ,but even with all the devices of the past1 it is well-nigh impossible in a one-act play or in an act of one setting to create the feeling that much time has passed4 ,many an attempt has been made to dramatize in one act ,stevenson's delightful story1 ,the ,sire de ,maletroit's ,door1 but all have come to grief because the greater vividness of the stage makes the necessary lapse of considerable time too apparent4 ,it is not difficult for the story-teller to make us believe that1 between a time late one evening and early the next morning1 ,blanche de ,maletroit lost completely her liking for one man and became more than ready to marry ,denis de ,beaulieu1 who entered the house for the first time on this same evening4 ,on the stage1 motivation and dialogue must be such as to make so swift a change entirely convincing even though it occur merely in the time of the acting4 ,the motivation that was easy for the novelist as he explained how profoundly ,blanche was moved by winning words or persuasive action of ,denis1 becomes almost impossible unless the words and action when seen and heard are for us equally winning and persuasive4 ,the time difficulty in this story has led to all sorts of amusing expedients to account for ,blanche's complete change of feeling4 ,one young author went so far as to make the first lover of ,blanche flirt so desperately with a maid-servant off stage that the report of his conduct by a jealous man-servant was the last straw to bring about the change in ,blanche's feelings4 ,though aiming at a real difficulty1 this device missed because it so vulgarized the original4 ,when all is said and done1 this time difficulty caused by the greater vividness of stage presentation remains the chief obstacle in the way of the dramatist who would write of a sequence of historical events or of evolution or devolution in character4 ,again we foresee probable differences in technique1 this time caused by the theatre1 the stage1 and the intense vividness of the latter4 ,the novel is1 so to speak1 the work of an individual2 a play is a cooperative effort--of author1 actor1 producer1 and even audience4 ,though the author writes the play1 it cannot be properly judged till the producer stages it1 the players act it1 and the audience approves or disapproves of it4 ,undeniably the dialogue of a play must be very different from that of a novel because the gesture1 facial expression1 intonation1 and general movement of the actor may in large part replace description1 narration1 and even parts of the dialogue of a novel4 ,we have good dialogue for a novel when ,cleopatra says1 ,i'll seem the thing ,i am not2 ,antony will be himself4 ,the fact and the characterization are what count here4 ,in the same scene1 ,antony1 absorbed in adoration of ,cleopatra1 cries1 when interrupted by a messenger from ,rome1 ,grates me2 the sum4 ,here we need the action of the speaker1 his intonation1 and his facial expression1 if the speech is to have its full value4 ,in its context1 however1 it is as dramatic dialogue perfect4 ,in a story or novel1 mere clearness would demand more because the author could not be sure that the reader would hit the right intonation or feel the gesture which must accompany the words4 ,it is in large part just because dramatic dialogue is a kind of shorthand written by the dramatist for the actor to fill out that most persons find plays more difficult reading than novels4 ,few untrained imaginations respond quickly enough to feel the full significance of the printed page of the play4 ,on the other hand1 any one accustomed to read plays often finds novels irritating because they tell so much more than is necessary for him who responds quickly to emotionalized speech properly recorded4 ,just as dialogue for the stage is incomplete without the actor1 so1 too1 the stage direction needs filling out4 ,made as concise as possible by the dramatist1 it is meant to be packed with meaning1 not only for the actor1 but for the producer4 ,the latter is trusted to fill out1 in as full detail as his means or his desires permit1 the hints of stage directions as to setting and atmosphere4 ,on the producer depends wholly the scenery1 lighting1 and properties used4 ,all of this the novelist supplies in full detail for himself4 ,an intelligent producer who reads the play with comprehension but follows only the letter of the stage directions gives a production no more than adequate at best4 ,an uncomprehending and self-willed producer may easily so confuse the values of a well-written play as to ruin its chances4 ,a thoroughly sympathetic and finely imaginative producer may1 like an equally endowed actor1 reveal genuine values in the play unsuspected even by the dramatist himself4 ,surely writing stage directions will differ from the narration and description of a novel4 ,the novelist1 as has been pointed out1 deals with the individual reader1 or through one reader with a small group4 ,what has just been said makes obvious that the dramatist never works directly1 but through intermediaries1 the actors and the producer4 ,more than that1 he seeks to stir the individual1 not for his own sake as does the novelist1 but because he is a unit in the large group filling the theatre4 ,the novelist--to make a rough generalization--works through the individual1 the dramatist through the group4 ,this is not the place to discuss in detail the relation of a dramatist to his audience1 but it is undeniable that the psychology of the crowd in a theatre is not exactly the same thing as the sum total of the emotional responses of each individual in it to some given dramatic incident4 ,the psychology of the individual and the psychology of the crowd are not one and the same4 ,the reputation of the novelist rests very largely on the verdict of his individual readers4 ,the dramatist must move1 not a considerable number of individuals1 but at least the great majority of his audience4 ,he must move his audience1 too1 not by emotions individual to a considerable number1 but by emotions they naturally share in common or by his art can be made to share4 ,the dramatist who understands only the psychology of the individual or the small group may write a play well characterized1 but he cannot write a successful play till he has studied deeply the psychology of the crowd and has thus learned so to present his chosen subject as to gain from the group which makes the theatrical public the emotional response he desires4 ,obviously1 then1 from many different points of view1 the great art of the novelist and the equally great art of the dramatist are not the same4 ,it is the unwise holding of an opposite opinion which has led many a successful novelist into disastrous play-writing4 ,it is the attempt to reproduce exactly on the stage the most popular parts of successful novels which has made many an adaptation a failure surprising to author and adapter4 ,the whole situation is admirably summed up in a letter of ,edward ,knobloch1 author of ,kismet4 ,i have found it very useful1 when asked to dramatize a novel1 not to read it myself1 but to get some one else to read it and tell me about it4 ,at once1 all the stuffing drops away1 and the vital active part1 the verb of the novel comes to the fore4 ,if the story of a novel cannot be told by some one in a hundred words or so1 there is apt to be no drama in it4 ,if ,i were to write a play on ,hamilton1 ,i would look up an article in an encyclopaedia2 then make a scenario2 then read detailed biographies4 ,too much knowledge hampers4 ,it is just for that reason that short stories are easier dramatized than long novels4 ,the stories that ,shakespeare chose for his plays are practically summaries4 ,as long as they stirred his imagination1 that was all he asked of them4 ,then he added his magic4 ,once the novel has been told1 make the scenario4 ,then read the novel after4 ,there will be very little to alter and only a certain amount of touches to add4 ,if1 in accordance with this suggestion1 an adapter would plan out in scenario the mere story of the novel he wishes to adapt for the stage1 would then transfer to his scenario only so much of the novel as perfectly fits the needs of the stage2 and finally with the aid of the original author1 would rewrite the portions which can be used only in part1 and with him compose certain parts entirely anew1 we should have a much larger proportion of permanently successful adaptations4 ,though it is true1 then1 that the novelist and the dramatist work with common elements of story1 characterization and dialogue1 the differing conditions under which they work affect their story-telling1 their characterization1 and their dialogue4 ,the differences brought about by the greater speed1 greater compactness1 and greater vividness of the drama1 with its impersonality1 its cooperative nature1 its appeal to the group rather than to the individual1 create the fundamental technique which distinguishes the drama from the novel4 ,this is the technique possessed in common by the dramatists of all periods4 ,the art of the playwright is not1 then1 the art of the novelist4 ,throughout the centuries a very different technique has distinguished them4 ,but1 it may be urged1 all that has been said of the differences between the play and the novel shows that the play cramps truthful presentation of life4 ,is not play-writing an art of falsification rather than truth8 ,a living ,french novelist once exclaimed1 ,i have written novels for many years1 with some returns in reputation but little return in money4 ,now1 when a young actor helps me1 ,i adapt one of my novels to the stage and this bastard art immediately makes it possible for me to buy automobiles4 ,robert ,louis ,stevenson wrote1 toward the end of his life1 to ,mr4 ,sidney ,colvin1 ,no1 ,i will not write a play for ,irving nor for the devil4 ,can you not see that the work of falsification1 which a play demands is1 of all tasks1 the most ungrateful8 ,and ,i have done it a long while1--and nothing ever came of it4#c ,the trouble with both these critics of the drama was that they held a view of the stage which makes it necessary to shape1 to twist1 and to contort life when represented on it4 ,while it is true that selection and compression underlie all dramatic art1 as they underlie all of the pictorial arts1 it is no longer true1 as it was in the mid-nineteenth century1 that dramatists believe that we should shape life to fit hampering conditions of the stage1 accepted as inevitably rigid4 ,today we regard the stage1 as we should1 as plastic4 ,if the stage of the moment forbids in any way the just representation of life1 so much the worse for that stage2 it must yield4 ,the ingenuity of author1 producer1 scenic artist1 and stage mechanician must labor until the stage is fitted to represent life as the author sees it4 ,for many years now1 the cry of the dramatist has been1 not ,let us adapt life to the stage1 but rather3 ,let us adapt the stage1 at any cost for it1 at any cost of imaginative effort or mechanical labor1 to adequate and truthful representation of life4 ,the art of the playwright may be the art of fantasy or of realism1 but for him who understands it rightly1 not mistaking it for another art1 and laboring till he grasps and understands its seeming mysteries1 it can never be an art of falsification4 ,instead1 it is the art that1 drawing to its aid all its sister fine arts1 in splendid cooperation1 moves the masses of men as does no other art4 ,as ,sir ,arthur ,pinero has said1 ,the art--the great and fascinating and most difficult art--of the modern dramatist is nothing else than to achieve that compression of life which the stage undoubtedly demands1 without falsification4#d ,,footnotes3 #a ,robert ,louis ,stevenson3 ,the ,dramatist1 p4 #g4 ,sir ,a4 ,pinero4 ,chiswick ,press1 ,london4 #b ,hamburg ,dramaturgy1 pp4 #cbi-ccj4 ,leasing4 ,bohn ed4 #c ,robert ,louis ,stevenson3 the ,dramatist1 p4 #cj4 ,sir ,a4 ,pinero4 ,chiswick ,press1 ,london4 #d ,idem4 ,,chapter ,,ii ,,the ,,essentials ,,of ,,drama3 ,,action ,,and ,,emotion ,what is the common aim of all dramatists8 ,twofold3 first1 as promptly as possible to win the attention of the audience2 secondly1 to hold that interest steady or1 better1 to increase it till the final curtain falls4 ,it is the time limit to which all dramatists are subject which makes the immediate winning of attention necessary4 ,the dramatist has no time to waste4 ,how is he to win this attention8 ,by what is done in the play2 by characterization2 by the language the people of his play speak2 or by a combination of two or more of these4 ,today we hear much discussion whether it is what is done1 i4e4 action1 or characterization1 or dialogue which most interests a public4 ,which is the chief essential in good drama8 ,history shows indisputably that the drama in its beginnings1 no matter where we look1 depended most on action4 ,the earliest extant specimen of drama in ,england1 circa #ifg1 shows clearly the essential relations of action1 characterization1 and dialogue in drama at its outset4 ,the italics in the following show the action2 the roman type the dialogue4 ,while the third lesson is being chanted1 let four brothers vest themselves1 one of whom1 vested in an alb1 enters as if to do something1 and1 in an inconspicuous way1 approaches the place where the sepulchre is1 and there holding a palm in his hand1 sits quiet4 ,while the third respond is chanted1 let the three others approach1 all alike vested in copes1 bearing thuribles 7censers7 with incense in their hands1 and1 with hesitating steps1 in the semblance of persons seeking something1 let them come before the place of the sepulchre4 ,these things are done1 indeed1 in representation of the angel sitting within the tomb and of the women who came with spices to anoint the body of ,jesus4 ,when1 therefore1 he who is seated sees the three approaching as if wandering about and seeking something1 let him begin to sing melodiously and in a voice moderately loud ,whom seek you at the sepulchre1 ,o ,christians8 ,when this has been sung to the end1 let the three respond in unison1 ,jesus of ,nazareth1 the crucified1 ,o heavenly one4 ,then he1 ,he is not here2 he has risen1 as was foretold4 ,go ye1 announcing that he has risen from the dead4 ,upon the utterance of this command1 let the three turn to the choir and say1 ,alleluia6 the ,lord is risen4 ,this said1 let him1 still remaining seated1 say1 as if calling them back1 the antiphon1 ,come1 and see the place where the ,lord lay4 ,alleluia1 ,alleluia6 ,having said this1 however1 let him rise and lift the veil1 and show them the place empty of the cross1 but the clothes1 only1 laid there with which the cross was wrapped4 ,when they see this1 let them set down the thuribles that they have carried within that same sepulchre1 and take up the cloth and hold it up before the clergy1 and1 as if in testimony that the ,lord has risen and is not now wrapped therein1 let them sing this antiphon3 ,the ,lord has risen from the tomb1 ,who for us was crucified1 and let them lay the cloth upon the altar4 ,the antiphon finished1 let the prior1 rejoicing with them in the triumph of our ,king1 in that1 death vanquished1 he has risen1 begin the hymn1 ,we praise thee1 ,o ,lord4 ,this begun1 all the bells are rung together1 at the end of which let the priest say the verse1 ,in thy resurrection1 ,o ,christ1 as far as this word1 and let him begin ,matins1 saying1 ,o ,lord1 hasten to my aid6#a ,obviously in this little play the directions for imitative movement fill three quarters of the space2 dialogue fills one quarter2 characterization1 except as the accompanying music may very faintly have suggested it1 there is none4 ,historically studied1 the ,english drama shows that characterization appeared as an added interest when the interest of action was already well established4 ,the value of dialogue for its own sake was recognized even later4 ,what is true of the ,english drama is of course equally true of all ,continental drama which1 like the ,english drama1 had its origin in the ,trope and the ,miracle ,play4 ,even1 however1 if we go farther back1 to the origin of ,greek ,drama in the ,ballad ,dance we shall find the same results4 ,the ,ballad ,dance consisted in the combination of speech1 music1 and that imitative gesture which1 for lack of a better word1 we are obliged to call dancing4 ,it is very important1 however1 to guard against modern associations with this term4 ,dances in which men and women joined are almost unknown to ,greek antiquity1 and to say of a guest at a banquet that he danced would suggest intoxication4 ,the real dancing of the ,greeks is a lost art1 of which the modern ballet is a corruption1 and the orator's action a faint survival4 ,it was an art which used bodily motion to convey thought3 as in speech the tongue articulated words1 so in dancing the body swayed and gesticulated into meaning4444 ,in epic poetry1 where thought takes the form of simple narrative1 the speech 7,greek epos7 of the ,ballad ,dance triumphs over the other two elements4 ,lyric poetry consists in meditation or highly wrought description taking such forms as odes1 sonnets1 hymns1--poetry that lends itself to elaborate rhythms and other devices of musical art3 here the music is the element of the ,ballad ,dance which has come to the front4 ,and the imitative gesture has triumphed over the speech and the music in the case of the third branch of poetry2 drama is thought expressed in action4#b ,imitative movement is the drama of the savage4 ,an ,aleut1 who was armed with a bow1 represented a hunter1 another a bird4 ,the former expressed by gestures how very glad he was he had found so fine a bird2 nevertheless he would not kill it4 ,the other imitated the motions of a bird seeking to escape the hunter4 ,he at last1 after a long delay1 pulled his bow and shot3 the bird reeled1 fell1 and died4 ,the hunter danced for joy2 but finally he became troubled1 repented having killed so fine a bird1 and lamented it4 ,suddenly the dead bird rose1 turned into a beautiful woman1 and fell into the hunter's arms4#c ,look where we will1 then1--at the beginnings of drama in ,greece1 in ,england centuries later1 or among savage peoples today--the chief essential in winning and holding the attention of the spectator was imitative movement by the actors1 that is1 physical action4 ,nor1 as the drama develops1 does physical action cease to be central4 ,the most elaborate of the ,miracle ,plays1 the ,towneley ,second ,shepherds' ,play and the ,brome ,abraham and ,isaac#d prove this4 ,in the former we are of course interested in the characterization of the ,shepherds and ,mak1 but would this hold us without the stealing of the sheep and the varied action attending its concealment and discovery in the house of ,mak8 ,undoubtedly in the ,abraham and ,isaac characterization counts for more1 but we have the journey to the ,mount1 the preparations for the sacrifice1 the binding of the boy's eyes1 the repeatedly upraised sword1 the farewell embracings1 the very dramatic coming of the ,angel1 and the joyful sacrifice of the sheep when the child is released4 ,without all this central action1 the fine characterization of the play would lose its significance4 ,in ,shakespeare's day1 audiences again and again1 as they watched plays of ,dekker1 ,heywood1 and many another dramatist1 willingly accepted inadequate characterization and weak dialogue so long as the action was absorbing4 ,just this interest in1 for instance1 ,the ,four ,prentices1 or the various ,ages#e of ,thomas ,heywood1 was burlesqued by ,francis ,beaumont in ,the ,knight of the ,burning ,pestle4 ,it may be urged that the plays of ,racine and ,corneille1 as well as the ,restoration ,comedy in ,england1 show characterization and dialogue predominant4 ,it should be remembered1 however1 that ,corneille and ,racine1 as well as the ,restoration writers of comedy wrote primarily for the ,court group and not for the public at large4 ,theirs was the cultivated audience of the time1 proud of its special literary and dramatic standards4 ,around and about these dramatists were the writers of popular entertainment1 which depended on action4 ,in ,england1 we must remember that ,wycherley and ,vanbrugh1 who are by no means without action in their plays1 belong to ,restoration ,comedy as much as ,etherege or ,congreve1 and that the ,heroic ,drama1 in which action was absolutely central1 divided the favor of even the ,court public with the ,comedy of ,manners4 ,the fact is1 the history of the ,drama shows that only rarely does even a group of people for a brief time care more for plays of characterization and dialogue than for plays of action4 ,throughout the ages1 the great public1 cultivated as well as uncultivated1 have cared for action first1 then1 as aids to a better understanding of the action of the story1 for characterization and dialogue4 ,now1 for more than a century1 the play of mere action has been so popular that it has been recognized as a special form1 namely1 melodrama4 ,this type of play1 in which characterization and dialogue have usually been entirely subordinated to action1 has been the most widely attended4 ,today the motion picture show has driven mere melodrama from our theatres1 yet who will deny that the movie in its present form subordinates everything to action8 ,even the most ambitious specimens1 such as ,cabiria and ,the ,birth of a ,nation1 finding their audiences restless under frequent use of the explanatory titles which make clear what cannot be clearly shown in action1 hasten to depict some man hunt1 some daring leap from a high cliff into the sea1 or a wild onrush of galloping white-clad figures of the ,ku ,klux ,klan4 ,from the practice of centuries the feeling that action is really central in drama has become instinctive with most persons who write plays without preconceived theories4 ,watch a child making his first attempt at play-writing4 ,in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred1 the play will contain little except action4 ,there will be slight characterization1 if any1 and the dialogue will be mediocre at best4 ,the young writer has depended almost entirely upon action because instinctively1 when he thinks of drama1 he thinks of action4 ,nor1 if we paused to consider1 is this dependence of drama upon action surprising4 ,from emotions to emotions is the formula for any good play4 ,to paraphrase a principle of geometry1 ,a play is the shortest distance from emotions to emotions4 ,the emotions to be reached are those of the audience4 ,the emotions conveyed are those of the people on the stage or of the dramatist as he has watched the people represented4 ,just herein lies the importance of action for the dramatist3 it is his quickest means of arousing emotion in an audience4 ,which is more popular with the masses1 the man of action or the thinker8 ,the world at large believes1 and rightly that1 as a rule1 ,actions speak louder than words4 ,the dramatist knows that not what a man thinks he thinks1 but what at a crisis he does1 instinctively1 spontaneously1 best shows his character4 ,the dramatist knows1 too1 that though we may think1 when discussing patriotism in the abstract1 that we have firm ideas about it1 what reveals our real beliefs is our action at a crisis in the history of our country4 ,many believed from the talk of ,german ,socialists that they would not support their ,government in the case of war4 ,their actions have shown far more clearly than their words their real beliefs4 ,ulster sounded as hostile as possible to ,england not long ago1 but when the call upon her loyalty came she did not prove false4 ,is it any wonder1 then1 that popular vote has declared action the best revealer of feeling and1 therefore1 that the dramatist1 in writing his plays1 depends first of all upon action8 ,if any one is disposed to cavil at action as popular merely with the masses and the less cultivated1 let him ask himself1 ,what1 primarily in other people interests me--what these people do or why they do it8 ,even if he belong to the group1 relatively very small in the mass of humanity1 most interested by ,why did these people do this8 he must admit that till he knows clearly what the people did1 he cannot take up the question which more interests him4 ,for the majority of auditors1 action is of first importance in drama3 even for the group which cares far more for characterization and dialogue it is necessary as preparing the way for that characterization and dialogue on which they insist4 ,consider for a moment the nature of the attention which a dramatist may arouse4 ,of course it may be only of the same sort which an audience gives a lecturer on a historical or scientific subject1--a readiness to hear and to try to understand what he has to present1--close but unemotional attention4 ,comparatively few people1 however1 are capable of sustained attention when their emotions are not called upon4 ,how many lectures last over an hour8 ,is not the popular lecturer popular largely because he works into his lecture many anecdotes and dramatic illustrations in order to avoid or to lighten the strain of close1 sustained attention8 ,there is1 undoubtedly1 a public which can listen to ideas with the same keen enjoyment which most auditors feel when listening to something which stirs them emotionally1 but as compared with the general public it is infinitesimal4 ,understanding this1 the dramatist stirs the emotions of his hearers by the most concrete means at his command1 his quickest communication from brain to brain1--action just for itself or illustrating character4 ,the inferiority to action of mere exposition as a creator of interest the two following extracts show4 ,,act ,i4 ,,scene #a4 ,britain4 ,the garden of ,cymbeline's palace ,enter two gentlemen #a4 ,gent4 ,you do not meet a man but frowns4 ,our bloods ,no more obey the heavens than our courtiers ,still seem as does the ,king4 #b4 ,gent4 ,but what's the matter8 #a4 ,gent4 ,his daughter1 and the heir of's kingdom1 whom ,he purpos'd to his wife's sole son--a widow ,that late he married--hath referred herself ,unto a poor but worthy gentleman4 ,she's wedded1 ,her husband banish'd1 she imprison'd2 all ,is outward sorrow2 though ,i think the ,king ,be touched at very heart4 #b4 ,gent4 ,none but the ,king8 #a4 ,gent4 ,he that hath lost her too2 so is the ,queen1 ,that most desir'd the match3 but not a courtier1 ,although they wear their faces to the bent ,of the ,king's look1 hath a heart that is not ,glad at the thing they scowl at4 #b4 ,gent4 ,and why so8 #a4 ,gent4 ,he that hath miss'd the ,princess is a thing ,too bad for bad report2 and he that hath her-- ,i mean1 that married her1 alack1 good man6 ,and therefore banish'd--is a creature such ,as1 to seek through the regions of the earth ,for one his like1 there would be something failing ,in him that should compare4 ,i do not think ,so fair an outward1 and such stuff within ,endows a man but he4 #b4 ,gent4 ,you speak him far4 #a4 ,gent4 ,i do extend him1 sir1 within himself1 ,crush him together rather than unfold ,his measure duly4 #b4 ,gent4 ,what's his name and birth8 #a4 ,gent4 ,i cannot delve him to the root4 ,his father ,was call'd ,sicilius1 who did gain his honour ,against the ,romans with ,cassibelan1 ,but had his titles by ,tenantius whom ,he serv'd with glory and admir'd success1 ,so gain'd the sur-addition ,leonatus2 ,and hath1 besides this gentleman in question1 ,two other sons1 who in the wars o' the time ,died with their swords in hand2 for which their father ,then old and fond of issue1 took such sorrow ,that he quit being1 and his gentle lady1 ,big of this gentleman our theme1 deceas'd ,as he was born4 ,the ,king he takes the babe ,to his protection1 calls him ,posthumus ,leonatus1 ,breeds him and makes him of his bed chamber1 ,puts to him all the learnings that his time ,could make him the receiver of2 which he took1 ,as we do air1 fast as 'twas minist'red1 ,and in's spring became a harvest2 liv'd in court-- ,which rare it is to do--most prais'd1 most lov'd1 ,a sample to the youngest1 to the more mature ,a glass that feated them1 and to the graver ,a child that guided dotards2 to his mistress1 ,for whom he is now banish'd1--her own price ,proclaims how she esteem'd him and his virtue2 ,by her election may be truly read ,what kind of man he is4 #b4 ,gent4 ,i honour him ,even out of your report4 ,but1 pray you1 tell me ,is she sole child to the ,king8 #a4 ,gent4 ,his only child4 ,he had two sons1--if this be worth your hearing1 ,mark it--the eldest of them at three years old1 ,i' the swathing-clothes the other1 from their nursery ,were stolen1 and to this hour no guess in knowledge ,which way they went4 #b4 ,gent4 ,how long is this ago8 #a4 ,gent4 ,some twenty years4 #b4 ,gent4 ,that a ,king's children should be so convey'd1 ,so slackly guarded and the search so slow1 ,that could not trace them6 #a4 ,gent4 ,howso'er 'tis strange1 ,or that the negligence may well be laughed at1 ,yet it is true1 sir4 #b4 ,gent4 ,i do well believe you4 #a4 ,gent4 ,we must forbear2 here comes the gentleman1 ,the ,queen and ,princess4 7,exeunt47#f ,here ,shakespeare trusts mere exposition to rouse interest4 ,his speakers merely question and answer1 showing little characterization and practically no emotion4 ,is this extract as interesting as the following8 ,fits ,urse4 7,catches hold of the last flying monk47 ,where is the traitor ,becket8 ,becket4 ,here4 ,no traitor to the ,king1 but ,priest of ,god1 ,primate of ,england4 7,descending into the transept47 ,i am he ye seek4 ,what would ye have of me8 ,fits ,urse4 ,your life4 ,de ,tracy4 ,your life4 ,de ,morville4 ,save that you will absolve the bishops4 ,becket4 ,never1-- ,except they make submission to the ,church4 ,you had my answer to that cry before4 ,de ,morville4 ,why1 then you are a dead man2 flee6 ,becket4 ,i will not4 ,i am readier to be slain than thou to slay4 ,hugh1 ,i know well that thou hast but half a heart ,to bathe this sacred pavement with my blood4 ,god pardon thee and these1 but ,god's full curse ,shatter you all to pieces if ye harm ,one of my flock6 ,fitz ,urse4 ,seize him and carry him6 ,come with us--nay--thou art our prisoner--come6 7,fitz ,urse lays hold of ,archbishop's pall47 ,becket4 ,down6 7,throws him headlong47 ,de ,morville4 ,ay1 make him prisoner1 do not harm the man4 ,fitz ,urse4 7,advances with drawn sword47 ,i told thee that ,i should remember thee6 ,becket4 ,profligate pander6 ,fitz ,urse4 ,do you hear that8 ,strike1 strike4 7,strikes the ,archbishop and wounds him in the forehead47 ,becket4 7,covers his eyes with his hand47 ,i do commend my cause to ,god4 ,fitz ,urse44 ,strike him1 ,tracy6 ,rosamund4 7,rushing down the steps from the choir47 ,no1 no1 no1 no4 ,mercy1 ,mercy1 ,as you would hope for mercy4 ,fitz ,urse4 ,strike1 ,i say4 ,grim4 ,o1 ,god1 ,o1 noble knight1 ,o1 sacrilege6 ,fitz ,urse4 ,strike6 ,i say4 ,de ,tracy4 ,there is my answer then4 7,sword falls on ,grim's arm1 and glances from it1 wounding ,becket47 ,this last to rid thee of a world of brawls6 ,becket4 7,falling on his knees47 ,into thy hands1 ,o ,lord--into thy hands--6 7,sinks prone47 ,de ,brito4 ,the traitor's dead1 and will arise no more4 7,de ,brito1 ,de ,tracy1 ,fitz ,urse rush out1 crying ,king's men6 ,de ,morville follows slowly4 ,flashes of lightning through the ,cathedral4 ,rosamund seen kneeling at the body of ,becket47#g ,the physical action of this extract instantly grips attention4 ,interested at once by this action1 shortly we rush on unthinking1 but feeling more and more intensely4 ,in this extract action is everywhere4 ,the actionless ,cymbeline is undramatic4 ,this extract is intensely dramatic4 ,just what1 however1 is this action which in drama is so essential8 ,to most people it means physical or bodily action which rouses sympathy or dislike in an audience4 ,the action of melodrama certainly exists largely for itself4 ,we expect and get little but physical action for its own sake when a play is announced as was the well-known melodrama1 ,a ,race for ,life4 ,as ,melodramatically and ,masterfully ,stirring1 ,striking and ,sensational as ,phil ,sheridan's ,famous ,ride4 ,superb1 ,stupendous ,scenes in ,sunset ,regions4 ,wilderness ,wooings ,where ,wild ,roses ,grow4 ,the ,lights and ,shades of ,rugged ,border ,life4 ,chinese ,comedy to ,make ,confucius ,chuckle4 ,the ,realism of the ,ranch and ,race ,track4 ,the ,hero ,horse ,that ,won a ,human ,life4 ,an ,equine ,beauty ,foils a ,murderous ,beast4 ,commingled ,gleams of ,gladness1 ,grief1 and ,guilt4 ,dope1 ,dynamite and ,devilish ,treachery ,distanced4 ,continuous ,climaxes ,that ,come ,like ,cloudbursts4 ,some plays depend almost wholly upon mere bustle and rapidly shifting movement1 much of it wholly unnecessary to the plot4 ,large portions of many recent musical comedies illustrate this4 ,such unnecessary but crudely effective movement ,stevenson burlesqued more than once in the stage directions of his ,macaire4 ,,act ,i4 ,,scene ,i ,aline and maids2 to whom ,fiddlers2 afterwards ,dumont and ,charles4 ,as the curtain rises1 the sound of the violin is heard approaching4 ,aline and the inn servants1 who are discovered laying the table1 dance up to door ,l4,c41 to meet the ,fiddlers1 who enter likewise dancing to their own music4 ,air3 ,haste to the ,wedding4 ,the ,fiddlers exeunt playing into house1 ,r4,u4,e4 ,aline and ,maids dance back to table1 which they proceed to arrange4 ,aline4 ,well1 give me fiddles3 fiddles and a wedding feast4 ,it tickles your heart till your heels make a runaway match of it4 ,i don't mind extra work1 ,i don't1 so long as there's fun about it4 ,hand me up that pile of plates4 ,the quinces there1 before the bride4 ,stick a pink in the ,notary's glass3 that's the girl he's courting4 ,dumont4 7,entering with ,charles47 ,good girls1 good girls6 ,charles1 in ten minutes from now what happy faces will smile around that board6 ,,act ,,ii4 ,,scene #b ,to these all the former characters1 less the ,notary4 ,the fiddlers are heard without1 playing dolefully4 ,air3 ,o1 dear1 what can the matter be8 in time to which the procession enters4 ,macaire4 ,well1 friends1 what cheer8 ,aline4 ,no wedding1 no wedding6 ,together ,goriot4 ,i told 'ee he can't1 and he can't6 _/ ,dumont4 ,dear1 dear me4 ,ernestine4 ,they won't let us marry4 ,together ,charles4 ,no wife1 no father1 no nothing4 _/ ,curate4 ,the facts have justified the worst anticipations of our absent friend1 the ,notary4 ,macaire4 ,i perceive ,i must reveal myself4#h ,if physical action in and of itself is so often dramatic1 is all physical action dramatic8 ,that is1 does it always create emotion in an onlooker8 ,no4 ,it goes for naught unless it rouses his interest4 ,of itself1 or because of the presentation given it by the dramatist1 it must rouse in the onlooker an emotional response4 ,a boy seeing ,crazy ,mary stalking the street in bedizened finery and bowing right and left1 may see nothing interesting in her4 ,more probably her actions will move him to jeer and jibe at her4 ,let some spectator1 however1 tell the boy of the tragedy in ,crazy ,mary's younger life which left her unbalanced1 and1 if he has any right feeling1 the boy's attitude will begin to change4 ,he may even give over the jeering he has begun4 ,reveal to him exactly what is passing in the crazed mind of the woman1 and his mere interest will probably turn to sympathy4 ,characterization1 preceding and accompanying action1 creates sympathy or repulsion for the figure or figures involved4 ,this sympathy or repulsion in turn converts mere interest into emotional response of the keenest kind4 ,though physical action is undoubtedly fundamental in drama1 no higher form than crude melodrama or crude farce can develop till characterization appears to explain and interpret action4 ,the following extracts from ,robertson's ,home show physical action1 silly it is true1 yet developing characterization by illustrative action4 ,the first1 even as it amuses1 characterizes the timid ,bertie1 and the second shows the mild mentality and extreme confusion of the two central figures4 ,mr4 ,dorrison4 ,will you give ,mrs4 ,pinchbeck your arm1 ,colonel8 ,dora1 my dear4 7,taking ,dora's47 ,lucy1 ,captain ,mountraffe will--7,sees him asleep47 ,ah1 ,lucy1 you must follow by yourself4 7,colonel takes off ,mrs4 ,pinchbeck2 ,dorrison1 ,dora4 ,at that moment1 ,bertie enters window1 ,r41 and runs to ,lucy1 kneels at her feet1 and is about to kiss her hand4 ,mountraffe yawns1 which frightens ,bertie4 ,he is running off as the drop falls quickly47 ,end of ,act ,i ,colonel4 ,i'd always give my eyes to be alone with this girl for five minutes1 and whenever ,i am alone with her1 ,i haven't a word to say for myself4 7,aloud47 ,that music1 ,miss ,thornhaugh8 ,dora4 7,at piano47 ,yes4 ,col4 7,aside47 ,as if it could be anything else4 ,how stupid of me4 7,aloud47 ,new music8 ,dora4 ,yes4 ,col4 ,new laid--,i mean1 fresh from the country--fresh from ,london1 or--yes--,i--7,dora sits on music stool at piano4 ,this scene is played with great constraint on both sides4 ,colonel bends over ,dora at piano47 ,going to play any of it now8 ,dora4 ,no4 ,i must practise it first4 ,i can't play at sight4 ,col4 ,can't you really8 ,don't you believe in--music--at first sight8 7,dora drops a music book4 ,colonel picks it up4 ,dora tries to pick it up4 ,they knock their heads together2 mutual confusion4 ,as they rise1 each has hold of the book47 ,dora4 ,i beg your pardon4 7,both trembling47 ,col4 _/ ,dora4 ,it's nothing4 ,col4 ,nothing1 quite so4 7,dora sits on music stool4 ,as she does so1 both leave hold of the book and it falls again47 ,dora4 ,i thought you had the book4 ,col4 7,picking it up47 ,and ,i thought you had it1 and it appears that neither of us had it4 ,ha6 ha6 7,aside47 ,fool that ,i am6 7,dora sits thoughtfully1 ,colonel bending over her2 a pause47 ,won't you play something8 ,dora4 ,i don't know how to play4 ,col4 ,oh1 well1 play the other one4 7,they resume their attitudes2 a pause47 ,the weather has been very warm today1 has it not8 ,dora4 ,very4 ,col4 ,looks like thunder to me4 ,dora4 ,does it8 ,col4 ,are you fond of thunder--,i mean fond of music8 ,i should say are you fond of lightning8 7,dora touches keys of piano mechanically47 ,do play something4 ,dora4 ,no1 ,i--,i didn't think of what ,i was doing4 ,what were you talking about8 ,col4 ,about8 ,you--me--no6 ,about thunder--music--,i mean lightning4 ,dora4 ,i'm afraid of lightning4 7,act ,,ii47#i ,the first scene of ,act ,i of ,romeo and ,juliet is full of interesting physical action--quarrels1 fighting1 and the halting of the fight by the angry ,prince4 ,the physical action1 however1 characterizes in every instance1 from the servants of the two factions to ,tybalt1 ,benvolio1 the ,capulets1 the ,montagues1 and the ,prince4 ,moreover1 this interesting physical action1 which is all the more interesting because it characterizes1 is interesting in the third place because in every instance it helps to an understanding of the story4 ,it shows so intense an enmity between the two houses that even the servants cannot meet in the streets without quarreling4 ,by its characterization it prepares for the parts ,benvolio and ,tybalt are to play in later scenes4 ,it motivates the edict of banishment which is essential if the tragedy of the play is to occur4 ,,scene #a4 ,verona4 ,a public place ,enter ,sampson and ,gregory1 of the house of ,capulet1 with swords and bucklers ,sampson4 ,gregory1 on my word1 we'll not carry coals4 ,gregory4 ,no1 for then we should be colliers4 ,sam4 ,i mean1 an we be in choler1 we'll draw4 ,gre4 ,ay1 while you live1 draw your neck out o' the collar4 ,sam4 ,i strike quickly1 being mov'd4 ,gre4 ,but thou art not quickly mov'd to strike4 ,sam4 ,a dog of the house of ,montague moves me4 99 99 99 99 99 ,draw thy tool2 here comes two of the house of ,montague4 ,enter two other serving-men4 7,abraham and ,balthasar47 ,sam4 ,my naked weapon is out4 ,quarrel1 ,i will back thee4 ,gre4 ,how6 turn thy back and run8 ,sam4 ,fear me not4 ,gre4 ,no1 marry2 ,i fear thee6 ,sam4 ,let us take the law of our sides2 let them begin4 ,gre4 ,i will frown as ,i pass by1 and let them take it as they list4 ,sam4 ,nay1 as they dare4 ,i will bite my thumb at them2 which is disgrace to them if they bare it4 ,abraham4 ,do you bite your thumb at us1 sir8 ,sam4 ,i do bite my thumb1 sir4 ,abr4 ,do you bite your thumb at us1 sir8 ,sam4 7,aside to ,gre47 ,is the law of our side1 if ,i say ay8 ,gre4 ,no4 ,sam4 ,no1 sir1 ,i do not bite my thumb at you1 sir2 but ,i bite my thumb1 sir4 ,gre4 ,do you quarrel1 sir8 ,abr4 ,quarrel1 sir8 ,no1 sir4 ,sam4 ,but if you do1 sir1 ,i am for you4 ,i serve as good a man as you4 ,abr4 ,no better4 ,sam4 ,well1 sir4 ,enter ,benvolio4 ,gre4 ,say better2 here comes one of my master's kinsmen4 ,sam4 ,yes1 better1 sir4 ,abr4 ,you lie4 ,sam4 ,draw1 if you be men4 ,gregory1 remember thy swashing blow4 7,they fight47 ,benvolio4 ,part1 fools6 ,put up your swords2 you know not what you do4 7,beats down their swords47 ,enter ,tybalt ,tybalt4 ,what1 art thou drawn among these heartless hinds8 ,turn thee1 ,benvolio1 look upon thy death4 ,ben4 ,i do but keep the peace4 ,put up thy sword1 ,or manage it to part these men with me4 ,tyb4 ,what1 drawn1 and talk of peace6 ,i hate the word ,as ,i hate hell1 all ,montagues1 and thee4 ,have at thee1 coward6 7,they fight47 ,enter three or four citizens1 and officers1 with clubs or partisans ,officer4 ,clubs1 bills1 and partisans6 ,strike6 ,beat them down6 ,down with the ,capulets6 down with the ,montagues6 ,enter ,capulet in his gown and ,lady ,capulet ,capulet4 ,what noise is this8 ,give me my long sword1 ho6 ,lady ,capulet4 ,a crutch1 a crutch6 ,why call you for a sword8 ,cap4 ,my sword1 ,i say6 ,old ,montague is come1 ,and flourishes his blade in spite of me4 ,enter ,montague and ,lady ,montague ,montague4 ,thou villain1 ,capulet1--,hold me not1 let me go4 ,lady ,montague4 ,thou shalt not stir one foot to seek a foe4 ,enter ,prince1 with his train ,prince4 ,rebellious subjects1 enemies to peace1 ,profaners of this neighbour-stained steel1-- ,will they not hear8--,what1 ho6 you men1 you beasts1 ,that quench the fire of your pernicious rage ,with purple fountains issuing from your veins1 ,on pain of torture1 from those bloody hands ,throw your mistemper'd weapons to the ground1 ,and hear the sentence of your moved prince4 ,three civil brawls1 bred of an airy word1 ,by thee1 old ,capulet1 and ,montague1 ,have thrice disturb'd the quiet of our streets1 ,and made ,verona's ancient citizens ,cast by their grave beseeming ornaments1 ,to wield old partisans1 in hands as old1 ,cank'red with peace1 to part your cank'red hate2 ,if ever you disturb our streets again ,your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace4 ,for this time1 all the rest depart away4 ,you1 ,capulet1 shall go along with me2 ,and ,montague1 come you this afternoon1 ,to know our farther pleasure in this case1 ,to old ,free-town1 our common judgement place1 ,once more1 on pain of death1 all men depart4 7,exeunt all but ,montague1 ,lady ,montague1 and ,benvolio47 ,even physical action1 then1 may interest for itself1 or because it characterizes1 or because it helps on the story1 or for two or more of these reasons4 ,if we examine other extracts from famous plays we shall1 however1 find ourselves wondering whether action in drama must not mean something besides mere physical action4 ,in the opening scene of ,la ,princesse ,georges1 by ,dumas fils1 the physical action is neither large in amount nor varied1 but the scene is undeniably dramatic1 for emotions represented create prompt emotional response in us4 ,,act ,i4 ,,scene #a ,a ,drawing ,room ,severine1 watching near the window1 with the curtain drawn a little aside1 then ,rosalie ,severine4 ,rosalie6 ,at last6 ,what a night ,i have gone through6 ,sixteen hours of waiting6 7,to ,rosalie1 who enters47 ,well8 ,rosalie4 ,madame1 the ,princess must be calm4 ,severine4 ,don't call me ,princess4 ,that's wasting time4 ,rosalie4 ,madame has not slept8 ,severine4 ,no4 ,rosalie4 ,i suspected as much4 ,severine4 ,tell me1 is it true8 ,rosalie4 ,yes4 ,severine4 ,the details1 then4 ,rosalie4 ,well1 then1 last evening ,i followed the ,prince1 who went to the ,western ,railway1 as he had told ,madame that he would do1 to take the train at half past nine2 only1 instead of buying a ticket for ,versailles1 he took one for ,rouen4 ,severine4 ,but he was alone8 ,rosalie4 ,yes4 ,but five minutes after he arrived1 she came4 ,severine4 ,who was the woman8 ,rosalie4 ,alas1 ,madame knows her better than ,i6 ,severine4 ,it is some one whom ,i know8 ,rosalie4 ,yes4 ,severine4 ,not one of those women8-- ,rosalie4 ,it is one of your intimate friends1 of the best social position4 ,severine4 ,valentine8 ,bertha8 ,no4--,the ,baroness8 ,rosalie4 ,the ,countess ,sylvanie4 ,severine4 ,she8 ,impossible6 ,she stayed here1 with me1 until at least nine o'clock4 ,we dined alone together4 ,rosalie4 ,she was making sure that you didn't suspect anything4 ,severine4 ,indeed1 nothing4 ,and she came to the train at what hour8 ,rosalie4 ,at twenty-five minutes past nine4 ,severine4 ,so1 in twenty-five minutes-- ,rosalie4 ,she went home2 she changed her dress 7she arrived all in black72 she went to the ,st4 ,lazare ,station4 ,it is true that only your garden and hers separate her house from yours2 that she has the best horses in ,paris2 and that she is accustomed to doing this sort of thing1 if ,i may believe what ,i have heard4 ,severine4 ,to what a pass we have come6 ,my most intimate friend6 ,did they speak to each other8#aj ,this scene wins our attention because it reveals in ,severine a mental state which in itself interests and moves us far more than the mere physical action4 ,what has been said of ,la ,princesse ,georges is even more true of the ending of ,marlowe's ,faustus4 ,faustus4 ,ah1 ,faustus3 ,now hast thou but one bare hour to live1 ,and then thou must be damn'd perpetually6 ,stand still1 you ever-moving spheres of heaven1 ,that time may cease1 and midnight never come2 ,fair ,nature's eye1 rise1 rise again and make ,perpetual day2 or let this hour be but ,a year1 a month1 a week1 a natural day1 ,that ,faustus may repent and save his soul6 ,o lente1 lente currite1 noctis equi6 ,the stars move still1 time runs1 the clock will strike1 ,the devil will come1 and ,faustus will be damn'd4 4444444444,all beasts are happy1 ,for when they die1 ,their souls are soon dissolv'd in elements2 ,but mine must live still to be plagu'd in hell4 ,curs'd be the parents that engender'd me6 ,no1 ,faustus1 curse thyself1 curse ,lucifer ,that hath deprived thee of the joys of heaven4 7,the clock strikes twelve47 ,o1 it strikes1 it strikes6 ,now body1 turn to air1 ,or ,lucifer will bear thee quick to hell6 7,thunder and lightning47 ,o1 soul1 be chang'd into little water-drops1 ,and fall into the ocean1 ne'er be found6 ,enter ,devils ,my ,god1 my ,god1 look not so fierce on me6 ,adders and serpents1 let me breathe a while6 ,ugly hell1 gape not6 come not1 ,lucifer6 ,i'll burn my books6--,ah1 ,mephistophilis6 7,exeunt ,devils with ,faustus47#aa ,though this scene doubtless requires physical action as the tortured ,faustus flings himself about the stage1 would that action be clear enough to move us greatly were it not for the characterization of the preceding scenes and the masterly phrasing which exactly reveals the tortured soul8 ,is it not a mental state rather than physical action which moves us here8 ,surely4 ,the fact is1 the greatest drama of all time1 and the larger part of the drama of the past twenty years1 uses action much less for its own sake than to reveal mental states which are to rouse sympathy or repulsion in an audience4 ,in brief1 marked mental activity may be quite as dramatic as mere physical action4 ,hamlet may sit quietly by his fire as he speaks the soliloquy ,to be1 or not to be1 yet by what we already know of him and what the lines reveal we are moved to the deepest sympathy for his tortured state4 ,there is almost no physical movement as ,percinet reads to ,sylvette from ,romeo and ,juliet in the opening pages of ,rostand's ,romancers1 yet we are amused and pleased by their excited delight4 ,,act ,i ,the stage is cut in two by an old wall1 mossy and garlanded by luxurious vines4 ,to the right1 a corner of ,bergamin's park2 to the left a corner of ,pasquinot's4 ,on each side1 against the wall1 a bench4 ,,scene #a4 ,sylvette4 ,percinet4 ,when the curtain rises1 ,percinet is seated on the wall1 with a book on his knees1 from which he is reading to ,sylvette4 ,she stands on the bench in her father's park1 her chin in her hands1 her elbows against the wall1 listening attentively4 ,sylvette4 ,o ,monsieur ,percinet1 how beautiful it is6 ,percinet4 ,isn't it8 ,hear ,romeo's reply6 7,he reads47 ,it was the lark1 the herald of the morn1 ,no nightingale2 look1 love1 what envious streaks ,do lace the severing clouds in yonder east3 ,night's candles are burnt out and jocund day ,stands tiptoe on the misty mountain tops3 ,i must be gone4444 ,sylvette4 7,alert1 with animation47 ,sh6 ,percinet4 7,listens a moment1 then7 ,no one6 ,so1 mademoiselle1 don't have the air of an affrighted birdling on a branch1 ready to spread wing at the slightest sound4 ,hear the immortal lovers talking3 ,she4 ,yon light is not day-light1 ,i know it1 ,i3 ,it is some meteor that the sun exhales1 ,to be to thee this night a torch bearer4 ,he4 ,let me be ta'en1 let me be put to death2 ,i am content1 so thou wilt have it so4 ,i'll say yon gray is not the morning's eye2 ',tis but the pale reflex of ,cynthia's brow2 ,nor that is not the lark1 whose notes do beat ,the vaulty heaven so high above our heads2 ,i have more care to stay than will to go3 ,come1 death1 and welcome6 ,juliet wills it so4 ,sylvette4 ,oh1 no6 ,i won't have him talk of that2 if he does1 ,i shall cry4 ,percinet4 ,then we'll shut our book till tomorrow1 and1 since you wish it1 let sweet ,romeo live4 7,he closes the book and looks about him47 ,what an adorable spot6 ,it seems made for lulling one's self with the lines of the great ,william4#ab ,here is great activity1 but it is mental rather than physical action4 ,to make it rouse us to the desired emotional response1 good characterization and wisely chosen words are necessary4 ,examine also the opening scene of ,maeterlinck's ,the ,blind4 ,a group of sightless people have been deserted in a wood by their guide1 and consequently are so bewildered and timorous that they hardly dare move4 ,yet all their trepidation1 doubt1 and awe are clearly conveyed to us1 with a very small amount of physical action1 through skilful characterization1 and words specially chosen and ordered to create and intensify emotion in us4 ,an ancient ,norland forest1 with an eternal look1 under a sky of deep stars4 ,in the centre and in the deep of the night1 a very old priest is sitting1 wrapped in a great black cloak4 ,the chest and the head1 gently upturned and deathly motionless1 rest against the trunk of a giant hollow oak4 ,the face is fearsome pale and of an immovable waxen lividness1 in which the purple lips fall slightly apart4 ,the dumb1 fixed eyes no longer look out from the visible side of ,eternity and seem to bleed with immemorial sorrows and with tears4 ,the hair1 of a solemn whiteness1 falls in stringy locks1 stiff and few1 over a face more illuminated and more weary than all that surrounds it in the watchful stillness of that melancholy wood4 ,the hands1 pitifully thin1 are clasped rigidly over the thighs4 ,on the right1 six old men1 all blind1 are sitting on stones1 stumps1 and dead leaves4 ,on the left1 separated from them by an uprooted tree and fragments of rock1 six women1 also blind1 are sitting opposite the old men4 ,three among them pray and mourn without ceasing1 in a muffled voice4 ,another is old in the extreme4 ,the fifth1 in an attitude of mute insanity1 holds on her knees a little sleeping child4 ,the sixth is strangely young and her whole body is drenched with her beautiful hair4 ,they1 as well as the old men1 are all clad in the same ample and sombre garments4 ,most of them are waiting1 with their elbows on their knees and their faces in their hands2 and all seem to have lost the habit of ineffectual gesture and no longer turn their heads at the stifled and uneasy noises of the ,island4 ,tall funereal trees1--yews1 weeping-willows1 cypresses1--cover them with their faithful shadows4 ,a cluster of long1 sickly asphodels is in bloom1 not far from the priest1 in the night4 ,it is unusually oppressive1 despite the moonlight that here and there struggles to pierce for an instant the glooms of the foliage4 ,first ,blind ,man4 7,who was born blind47 ,he hasn't come back yet8 ,second ,blind ,man4 7,who also was born blind47 ,you have awakened me4 ,first ,blind ,man4 ,i was sleeping1 too4 ,third ,blind ,man4 7,also born blind47 ,i was sleeping1 too4 ,first ,blind ,man4 ,he hasn't come yet8 ,second ,blind ,man4 ,i hear something coming4 ,third ,blind ,man4 ,it is time to go back to the ,asylum4 ,first ,blind ,man4 ,we ought to find out where we are4 ,second ,blind ,man4 ,it has grown cold since he left4 ,first ,blind ,man4 ,we ought to find out where we are6 ,the ,very ,old ,blind ,man4 ,does any one know where we are8 ,the ,very ,old ,blind ,woman4 ,we were walking a very long while2 we must be a long way from the ,asylum4 ,first ,blind ,man4 ,oh6 the women are opposite us8 ,the ,very ,old ,blind ,woman4 ,we are sitting opposite you4 ,first ,blind ,man4 ,wait1 ,i am coming over where you are4 7,he rises and gropes in the dark47 ,where are you8--,speak6 let me hear where you are6 ,the ,very ,old ,blind ,woman4 ,here2 we are sitting on stones4 ,first ,blind ,man4 7,advances and stumbles against the fallen tree and the rocks47 ,there is something between us4 ,second ,blind ,man4 ,we had better keep our places4 ,third ,blind ,man4 ,where are you sitting8--,will you come over by us8 ,the ,very ,old ,blind ,woman4 ,we dare not rise6 ,third ,blind ,man4 ,why did he separate us8 ,first ,blind ,man4 ,i hear praying on the women's side4 ,second ,blind ,man4 ,yes2 the three old women are praying4 ,first ,blind ,man4 ,this is no time for prayer6 ,second ,blind ,man4 ,you will pray soon enough1 in the dormitory6 7,the three old women continue their prayers47 ,third ,blind ,man4 ,i should like to know who it is ,i am sitting by4 ,second ,blind ,man4 ,i think ,i am next to you4 7,they feel about them47 ,third ,blind ,man4 ,we can't reach each other4 ,first ,blind ,man4 ,nevertheless1 we are not far apart4 7,he feels about him and strikes with his staff the fifth blind man1 who utters a muffled groan47 ,the one who cannot hear is beside us4 ,second ,blind ,man4 ,i don't hear anybody2 we were six just now4 ,first ,blind ,man4 ,i am going to count4 ,let us question the women1 too2 we must know what to depend upon4 ,i hear the three old women praying all the time2 are they together8 ,the ,very ,old ,blind ,woman4 ,they are sitting beside me1 on a rock4 ,first ,blind ,man4 ,i am sitting on dead leaves4 ,third ,blind ,man4 ,and the beautiful blind girl1 where is she8 ,the ,very ,old ,blind ,woman4 ,she is near them that pray4 ,second ,blind ,man4 ,where is the mad woman1 and her child8 ,the ,young ,blind ,girl4 ,he sleeps2 do not awaken him6 ,first ,blind ,man4 ,oh6 ,how far away you are from us6 ,i thought you were opposite me6 ,third ,blind ,man4 ,we know--nearly--all we need to know4 ,let us chat a little1 while we wait for the priest to come back4#ac ,many an inexperienced dramatist fails to see the force of these words of ,maeterlinck3 ,an old man1 seated in his armchair1 waiting patiently1 with his lamp beside him--submitting with bent head to the presence of his soul and his destiny--motionless as he is does yet live in reality a deeper1 more human1 and more universal life than the lover who strangles his mistress1 the captain who conquers in battle1 or the husband who 'avenges his honor4' ,if an audience can be made to feel and understand the strong but contained emotion of this motionless figure1 he is rich dramatic material4 ,in the extracts from ,la ,princesse ,georges1 ,faustus1 ,the ,romancers1 ,the ,blind1 in the soliloquy of ,hamlet referred to1 and the illustration quoted from ,maeterlinck1 it is not physical outward expression but the vivid picture we get of a state of mind which stirs us4 ,surely all these cases prove that we must include mental as well as physical activity in any definition of the word dramatic4 ,provided a writer can convey to his audience the excited mental state of one or more of his characters1 then this mental activity is thoroughly dramatic4 ,that is1 neither physical nor mental activity is in itself dramatic2 all depends on whether it naturally arouses1 or can be made by the author to arouse1 emotion in an audience4 ,just as we had to add to physical action which arouses emotional response of itself1 physical action which is made to arouse response because it develops the story or illustrates character1 we must now add action which is not physical1 but mental4 ,there is even another chance for confusion4 ,a figure sitting motionless not because he is thinking hard but because blank in mind may yet be dramatic4 ,utter inaction1 both physical and mental1 of a figure represented on the stage does not mean that it is necessarily undramatic4 ,if the dramatist can make an audience feel the terrible tragedy of the contrast between what might have been and what is for this perfectly quiet unthinking figure1 he rouses emotion in his hearers1 and in so doing makes his material dramatic4 ,suppose1 too1 that the expressionless figure is an aged father or mother very dear to some one in the play who has strongly won the sympathy of the audience4 ,the house takes fire4 ,the flames draw nearer and nearer the unconscious figure4 ,we are made to look at the situation through the eyes of the character--some child or relative--to whom the scene1 were he present1 would mean torture4 ,instantly the figure1 because of the way in which it is represented1 becomes dramatic4 ,here again1 however1 the emotion of the audience could hardly be aroused except through characterization of the figure as it was or might have been1 or of the child or relative who has won our sympathy4 ,again1 too1 characterization so successful must depend a good deal on well-chosen words4 ,this somewhat elaborate analysis should have made three points clear4 ,first1 we may arouse emotion in an audience by mere physical action2 by physical action which also develops the story1 or illustrates character1 or does both2 by mental rather than physical action1 if clearly and accurately conveyed to the audience2 and even by inaction1 if characterization and dialogue by means of other figures are of high order4 ,secondly1 as the various illustrations have been examined1 it must have become steadily more clear that while action is popularly held to be central in drama1 emotion is really the essential4 ,because it is the easiest expression of emotion to understand1 physical action1 which without illuminating characterization and dialogue can express only a part of the world of emotion1 has been too often accepted as expressing all the emotion the stage can present4 ,thirdly1 it should be clear that a statement one meets too frequently in books on the drama1 that certain stories or characters1 above all certain well-known books1 are essentially undramatic material is at least dubious4 ,the belief arises from the fact that the story1 character1 or idea1 as usually presented1 seems to demand much analysis and description1 and almost to preclude illustrative action4 ,in the past few years1 however1 the drama of mental states and the drama which has revealed emotional significance in seeming or real inaction1 has been proving that nothing human is foreign to the drama4 ,a dramatist may see in the so-called undramatic material emotional values4 ,if so1 he will develop a technique which will create in his public a satisfaction equal to that which the so-called undramatic story1 character1 or idea could give in story form4 ,of course he will treat it differently in many respects because he is writing not to be read but to be heard1 and to affect the emotions1 not of the individual1 but of a large group taken as a group4 ,he will prove that till careful analysis has shown in a given story1 character1 or idea1 no possibility of arousing the same or dissimilar emotions in an audience1 we cannot say that this or that is dramatic or undramatic1 but only3 ,this material will require totally different presentation if it is to be dramatic on the stage1 and only a person of acumen1 experience with audiences1 and inventive technique can present it effectively4 ,the misapprehension just analyzed rests not only on the misconception that action rather than emotion is the essential in drama1 but also largely on a careless use of the word dramatic4 ,in popular use this word means material for drama1 or creative of emotional response1 or perfectly fitted for production under the conditions of the theatre4 ,if we examine a little1 in the light of this chapter1 the nature and purpose of a play1 we shall see that dramatic should stand only for the first two definitions1 and that theatric must be used for the third4 ,avoiding the vague definition material for drama1 use dramatic only as creative of emotional response and the confusion will disappear4 ,a play exists to create emotional response in an audience4 ,the response may be to the emotions of the people in the play or the emotions of the author as he watches these people4 ,where would satirical comedy be if1 instead of sharing the amusement1 disdain1 contempt or moral anger of the dramatist caused by his figures1 we responded exactly to their follies or evil moods8 ,all ethical drama gets its force by creating in an audience the feelings toward the people in the play held by the author4 ,dumas fils1 ,ibsen1 ,brieux prove the truth of this statement4 ,the writer of the satirical or the ethical play1 obtruding his own personality as in the case of ,ben ,jonson1 or with fine impersonality as in the case of ,congreve or ,moliere1 makes his feelings ours4 ,it is an obvious corollary of this statement that the emotions aroused in an audience need not be the same as those felt by the people on the stage4 ,they may be in the sharpest contrast4 ,any one experienced in drama knows that the most intensely comic effects often come from people acting very seriously4 ,in ,le ,bourgeois ,gentilhomme 7,act ,i1 ,scene #b71 the morning reception of ,m4 ,jourdain affords an instance of this in his trying on of costumes1 fencing1 and lessons in dancing and language4 ,serious entirely for ,m4 ,jourdain they are as presented by ,moliere1 exquisitely comic for us4 ,in brief1 the dramatic may rouse the same1 allied1 or even contrasting emotions in an onlooker4 ,nor need the emotion roused in an audience by actor or author be exactly the same in amount4 ,the actress who abandons herself to the emotions of the part she is playing soon exhausts her nervous vitality4 ,it would be the same if audiences listening to the tragic were permitted to feel the scenes as keenly as the figures of the story4 ,on the other hand1 in some cases1 if the comic figure on the stage felt his comicality as strongly as the audience which is speechless with laughter1 he could not go on1 and the scene would fail4 ,evidently1 an audience may be made1 as the dramatist wills1 to feel more or less emotion than the characters of the play4 ,that it is duplication of emotion to the same1 a less1 or a greater extent or the creation of contrasting emotion which underlies all drama1 from melodrama1 riotous farce and even burlesque to high-comedy and tragedy1 must be firmly grasped if a would-be dramatist is to steer his way clearly through the many existing and confusing definitions of dramatic4 ,for instance1 ,brunetiere said1 ,drama is the representation of the will of man in contrast to the mysterious powers of natural forces which limit and belittle us2 it is one of us thrown living upon the stage1 there to struggle against fatality1 against social law1 against one of his fellow mortals1 against himself1 if need be1 against the emotions1 the interests1 the prejudices1 the folly1 the malevolence of those around him4#ad ,that is1 by this definition1 conflict is central in drama4 ,but we know that in recent drama particularly1 the moral drifter has many a time aroused our sympathy4 ,surely inertness1 supineness1 stupidity1 and even torpor may be made to excite emotion in an audience4 ,conflict covers a large part of drama but not all of it4 ,mr4 ,william ,archer1 in his ,play-,making1 declares that a crisis is the central matter in drama1 but one immediately wishes to know what constitutes a crisis1 and we have defined without defining4 ,when he says elsewhere that that is dramatic which by representation of imaginary personages is capable of interesting an average audience assembled in a theatre1#ae he almost hits the truth4 ,if we rephrase this definition3 ,that is dramatic which by representation of imaginary personages interests1 through its emotions1 an average audience assembled in a theatre1 we have a definition which will better stand testing4 ,is all dramatic material1 theatric8 ,no1 for theatric does not necessarily mean sensational1 melodramatic1 artificial4 ,it should mean1 and it will be so used in this book1 adapted for the purpose of the theatre4 ,certainly all dramatic material1 that is1 material which arouses or may be made to arouse emotion1 is not fitted for use in the theatre when first it comes to the hand of the dramatist4 ,undeniably1 the famous revivalists1 ,moody1 ,j4,b4 ,gough1 ,billy ,sunday1 have worked from emotions to emotions2 that is1 they have been dramatic4 ,intentionally1 feeling themselves justified by the ends obtained1 they have1 too1 been theatric in the poor and popular sense of the word1 namely1 exaggerated1 melodramatic1 sensational4 ,yet theatric in the best sense of the word these highly emotional speakers1 who have swept audiences out of all self-control1 have not been4 ,they worked as speakers1 not as playwrights4 ,though they sometimes acted admirably1 what they presented was in no sense a play4 ,to accomplish in play form what they accomplished as speakers1 that is1 to make the material properly theatric1 would have required an entire reworking4 ,from all this it follows that even material so emotional in its nature as to be genuinely dramatic may need careful reworking if it is to succeed as a play1 that is1 if it is to become properly theatric4 ,drama1 then1 is presentation of an individual or group of individuals so as to move an audience to responsive emotion of the kind desired by the dramatist and to the amount required4 ,this response must be gained under the conditions which a dramatist finds or develops in a theatre2 that is1 dramatic material must be made theatric in the right sense of the word before it can become drama4 ,to summarize3 accurately conveyed emotion is the great fundamental in all good drama4 ,it is conveyed by action1 characterization1 and dialogue4 ,it must be conveyed in a space of time1 usually not exceeding two hours and a half1 and under the existing physical conditions of the stage1 or with such changes as the dramatist may bring about in them4 ,it must be conveyed1 not directly through the author1 but indirectly through the actors4 ,in order that the dramatic may become theatric in the right sense of the word1 the dramatic must be made to meet all these conditions successfully4 ,these conditions affect action1 characterization1 and dialogue4 ,a dramatist must study the ways in which the dramatic has been and may be made theatric3 that is what technique means4 ,,footnotes3 #a ,early ,plays1 pp4 #e-f4 ,riverside ,literature ,series4 ,c4 ,g4 ,child4 ,houghton ,mifflin ,co41 ,boston4 #b ,the ,ancient ,classical ,drama1 pp4 #c-d4 ,r4 ,g4 ,moulton4 ,clarendon ,press1 ,oxford4 #c ,quoted in ,the ,development of the ,drama1 pp4 #aj-aa4 ,copyright1 #aijc1 by ,brander ,matthews4 ,chas4 ,scribner's ,sons1 ,new ,york4 #d ,for these two plays see ,early ,plays4 ,riverside ,literature ,series4 ,c4 ,g4 ,child4 ,houghton ,mifflin ,co41 ,boston4 #e ,works4 #f vols4 ,pearson1 ,london4 #f ,cymbeline1 ,act ,i1 ,scene #a4 #g ,becket3 ,a ,tragedy4 ,lord ,tennyson4 ,arranged for the stage by ,henry ,irving4 ,macmillan ,co41 ,london and ,new ,york4 #h ,macaire4 ,by ,r4 ,l4 ,stevenson and ,w4 ,e4 ,henley4 ,chas4 ,scribner's ,sons1 ,new ,york4 ,copyright1 #ahie1 by ,stone ,kimball1 ,chicago4 #i ,r4 ,m4 ,de,witt1 ,new ,york ,city4 #aj ,theatre ,complet1 vol4 v4 ,dumas fils4 ,calmann ,levy1 ,paris4 #aa ,marlowe's ,faustus1 ,act v4 ,mermaid ,series or ,everyman's ,library4 #ab ,the ,romancers4 ,translated by ,mary ,hendee4 ,doubleday ,mc,clure ,co41 ,new ,york4 #ac ,the ,blind4 ,translated by ,richard ,hovey4 ,copyright1 #ahid and #ahif1 by ,stone ,kimball1 ,chicago4 #ad ,etudes ,critiques vol4 ,,vii1 p4 #bjg4 #ae ,play-,making1 p4 #dh4 ,william ,archer4 ,small1 ,maynard ,co41 ,boston4 ,,chapter ,,iii ,,from ,,subject ,,to ,,plot4 ,,clearing ,,the ,,way ,a play may start from almost anything3 a detached thought that flashes through the mind2 a theory of conduct or of art which one firmly believes or wishes only to examine2 a bit of dialogue overheard or imagined2 a setting1 real or imagined1 which creates emotion in the observer2 a perfectly detached scene1 the antecedents and consequences of which are as yet unknown2 a figure glimpsed in a crowd which for some reason arrests the attention of the dramatist1 or a figure closely studied2 a contrast or similarity between two people or conditions of life2 a mere incident--noted in a newspaper or book1 heard in idle talk1 or observed2 or a story1 told only in the barest outlines or with the utmost detail4 ,how do the ideas underlying plays come into being8 ,under the most varying conditions4 ,most often you cannot tell exactly how4 ,at the outset you waste much time hunting for a subject1 then suddenly one day1 when you are in your study or even in the street1 you bring up with a start1 for you have found something4 ,the piece is in sight4 ,at first there is only an impression1 an image of the brain that wholly defies words4 ,if you were to write out exactly what you feel at the moment--provided that were at all possible--it would be exceedingly difficult to indicate its attractiveness4 ,the situation is similar to that when you dream that you have discovered an idea of profound significance2 on awaking you write it down2 and on rereading perceive that it is commonplace or stale4 ,then you follow up the idea2 it tries to escape1 and when captured at last1 still resists1 ceaselessly changing form4 ,you wish to write a comedy2 the idea cries1 ',make a tragedy of me1 or a story-play4' ,at last1 after a struggle you master the idea4#a ,back of ,la ,haine of ,sardou was the detached thought or query3 ,under what circumstances will the profound charity of woman show itself in the most striking manner8 ,in the preface to ,la ,haine1 ,sardou has told how his plays revealed themselves to him4 ',the problem is invariable4 ,it appears as a kind of equation from which the unknown quantity must be found4 ,the problem gives me no peace till ,i have found the answer4'#b ,maeterlinck wrote several of his earlier plays1 ,the ,intruder1 ,princess ,maleine1 ,the ,blind1 to demonstrate the truth of two artistic theories of his3 that what would seem to most theatre-goers of the time inaction might be made highly dramatic1 and that partial or complete repetition of a phrase may have great emotional effect4 ,magda 7,heimat7 of ,sudermann was written to illustrate the possible inherent tragedy of ,magda's words3 ,show them people thoroughly sincere and honest but limited in experience and outlook that beyond their narrow virtues there may be something true and good4 ,in ,le ,fils ,naturel of ,dumas the younger1 the illegitimate son1 till late in the play1 believes his father to be his uncle4 ,the logical development would seem to be obvious3 father and son falling into each other's arms4 ,dumas1 on the contrary1 arranged that the son should not take the family name1 and that the play should end with the following dialogue3 ,the ,father4 ,you will surely permit me1 when we are alone together1 to call you my son4 ,the ,son4 ,yes1 uncle4 ,it seems that ,montigny1 ,director of the ,gymnase ,theatre1 was shocked by the frigidity of this denouement4 ,he said to ,dumas1 ',make them embrace each other2 the play1 in that case1 will have at least thirty additional performances4' ,dumas answered1 ',i can't suppress the last word4 ,it is for that ,i wrote the piece4'#c ,one suspects that ,lord ,dunsany feels the same about the last words of his ,king ,argimenes4 ,the whole play apparently illustrates the almost irresistible effect of habit and environment4 ,at the opening of the play1 ,king ,argimenes is the hungry1 overworked slave of the captors who deprived him of his kingship4 ,he talks eagerly with his fellow slaves of the ,king's sick dog1 who will make a rich feast for them if he dies4 ,at the end1 ,argimenes1 completely successful in his revolt1 is lord of all he surveys4 ,surprised by the news of the incoming messenger1 he suddenly reverts to a powerful desire of his slavehood1 speaking instinctively as did ,le fils of ,dumas4 ,enter running1 a ,man of the household of ,king ,darniak4 ,he starts and stares aghast on seeing ,king ,argimenes ,king ,argimenes4 ,who are you8 ,man4 ,i am the servant of the ,king's dog4 ,king ,argimenes4 ,why do you come here8 ,man4 ,the ,king's dog is dead4 ,king ,argimenes and ,his ,men4 7,savagely and hungrily47 ,bones6 ,king ,argimenes4 7,remembering suddenly what has happened and where he is47 ,let him be buried with the late ,king4 ,zarb4 7,in a voice of protest47 ,majesty6 ,curtain4#d ,john ,g4 ,whittier's poem1 ,barbara ,frietchie1 provided the picture or incident which started ,clyde ,fitch on his play of the same name4 ,in ,cyrano de ,bergerac2 in the numerous adaptations of ,vanity ,fair usually known as ,becky ,sharp2 in ,peg ,o' ,my ,heart1 ,rip ,van ,winkle1 and ,louis ,,xi1 it is characterization of a central figure which was probably the point of departure for the play4 ,whether the source was an observed or an imagined figure1 a character from history or fiction1 the problem of the dramatist was like that of ,sardou in ,rabagas1--to find the story which will best illustrate the facets of character of the leading figure4 ,sometimes1 as in ,nos ,bons ,villageois1 by the same author1 the point of departure is a group of country people whose manners and customs must be portrayed1--in this case to illustrate the reception these rapacious peasants give pleasure-seeking ,parisians1 whom they detest and seek to turn to monetary advantage4#e ,mr4 ,william ,archer points out that ,strife arose in ,mr4 ,galsworthy's mind from his actually having seen in conflict the two men who were the prototypes of ,anthony and ,roberts1 and thus noted the waste and inefficacy arising from the clash of strong characters unaccompanied by balance4 ,it was accident that led him to place the two men in an environment of capital and labour4 ,in reality1 both of them were1 if not capitalists1 at any rate1 on the side of capital4 #f ,in ,theodora1 ,sardou tried to reconstitute an historical epoch which interested him4#g ,still another source is this3 ,the point of departure of the plays of ,m4 de ,curel is psychological4 ,what allures him is a curious situation which raises some problem4 ,he asks himself1 ',what1 under such circumstances1 can have been going on in our minds8' ,this was the case with ,l',envers d'une ,sainte4 ,m4 de ,curel was thinking of this3 ,a woman was arrested for murder2 thanks to protection in high places1 the action of the courts was held up4 ,the woman was represented to be insane and shut up in an asylum4 ,years pass by2 the woman succeeds in escaping1 and returning home secretly1 suddenly opens the door of the room where her children are playing4 ,it is in this picture-like form that the idea of the piece came to him1 a picture so detailed and concrete that in imagination he saw the astonishment of the children1 the terror of the nurse calling for aid1 and the husband hurrying to prevent his wife from stepping into the room4#h ,the origin of ,a ,doll's ,house1 of ,ibsen1 we have in these1 his first1 ,notes for the ,modern ,tragedy3 ,rome1 #ai4aj1 #gh4 ,there are two kinds of spiritual law1 two kinds of conscience1 one in man1 and another1 altogether different1 in woman4 ,they do not understand each1 other2 but in practical life the woman is judged by man's law1 as though she were not a woman but a man4 ,the wife in the play ends by having no idea of what is right or wrong2 natural feeling on the one hand and belief in authority on the other have altogether bewildered her4 ,a woman cannot be herself in the society of the present day1 which is an exclusively masculine society1 with laws framed by men and with a judicial system that judges feminine conduct from a masculine point of view4 ,she has committed forgery and she is proud of it2 for she did it out of love for her husband1 to save his life4 ,but this husband with his commonplace principles of honour is on the side of the law and regards the question with masculine eyes4 ,spiritual conflicts4 ,oppressed and bewildered by the belief in authority1 she loses faith in her moral right and ability to bring up her children4 ,bitterness4 ,a mother in modern society1 like certain insects who go away and die when she has done her duty in the propagation of the race4 ,love of life1 of husband and children and family4 ,here and there a womanly shaking off of her thoughts4 ,sudden return of anxiety and terror4 ,she must bear it all alone4 ,the catastrophe approaches1 inexorably1 inevitably4 ,despair1 conflict1 and destruction4 7,krogstad has acted dishonourably and thereby become well-to-do2 now his prosperity does not help him1 he cannot recover his honour47#i ,it is a truism1 first1 that ,shakespeare wrote story plays1 and secondly that he did not endeavor to imagine a new story4 ,instead1 he made over plays grown out of date in his time1 or adapted to the stage what today we should call novelettes which came to him in the original or translation from ,italy1 ,spain1 or ,france4 ,never did he find a story which seemed to him fully shaped and ready for the stage4#aj ,the tales may be verbose and redundant2 they may be mere bare outlines of the action1 little if at all characterized1 with unreal dialogue2 or they may provide ,shakespeare with only a part of the story he uses1 the rest coming from other tales or from his own imagination4 ,widely different as they are1 however1 one and all they were points of departure for ,shakespeare's plays4 ,no matter which one of the numerous starting points noted may be that of the dramatist1 he must end in story even if he does not begin with it4 ,suppose that he starts with a character4 ,he cannot merely talk about the figure4 ,this might produce a kind of history2 it cannot produce drama4 ,inevitably1 he will try to illustrate1 by means of action1 some one dominant characteristic1 or group of characteristics1 or to the full1 the many-sided nature of the man4 ,very nearly the same thing may be said of any attempt to dramatize an historical epoch4 ,its chief characteristic or characteristics must be illustrated in action4 ,some story is inevitable4 ,suppose1 for the moment1 that as in ,morose of ,ben ,jonson's ,silent ,woman1#aa the dramatist is stressing one characteristic1 in this instance morbid sensitiveness to noise of any kind4 ,it is well known that ,jonson cared more for character and less for story than most dramatists of his day4 ,yet even in this play we find the story of the tricking of ,morose by his nephew1 ,dauphine1 resulting in the marriage of ,morose to ,dauphine's page4 ,the reason why the three parts of ,henry ,,vi of ,shakespeare are little read and very rarely acted is not merely that they are somewhat crude early work1 but that crowding incident of all kinds lacks the massing needed to give it clearness of total effect to round it out into a well-told story4 ,illustrative incidents1 unrelated except that historically they happen to the same person1 and that historically they are given in proper sequence1 are likely to be confusing4 ,we need the ,baedeker of a biographer or an historian to emphasize the incidents so that the meaning they have for him may be clear to us4 ,the first part of ,marlowe's ,tamburlaine1#ab when quickly read1 seems but a succession of conquests1 not greatly unlike1 leading to his control of the world of his day4 ,he who sees no deeper into the play than this praises certain scenes or passages1 but finds the whole repetitious and confusing4 ,closer examination shows1 however1 that behind these many incidents of war and slaughter is an interest of ,marlowe's own creation which keeps us waiting for1 anticipating the final scene--the desire of ,zenocrate1 at first captive of ,tamburlaine1 and later his devoted wife1 to reconcile her father1 the ,soldan1 and her husband4 ,the satisfaction of her desire makes the spectacular ending of ,part ,i4 ,this thread of interest gives a certain unity to the material presented1 creates a slight story in the mass of incident1--that is1 something with a beginning1 a middle1 and an end4 ,what gives unity to the ,second ,part of ,tamburlaine is the idea that1 even as ,tamburlaine declares himself all-conquering1 he faces unseen forces against which he cannot stand--the physical cowardice of his son1 so incomprehensible to him that he kills the boy2 the illness and death of his beloved ,zenocrate1 though he spares nothing to save her2 his own growing physical weakness1 his breakdown and death even as the generals he has never called on in vain before prove unable to aid him4 ,again we find an element of story to unify the material4 ,a moment's thought will show that if1 beginning with character we must ultimately reach some story1 however slight1 this is just as true of a play which begins with an idea1 a bit of dialogue1 a detached scene1 or a mere setting4 ,the setting must be the background of some incident4 ,this1 in turn1 must be part of a story or we shall have the episodic form already found undesirable4 ,similarly1 a detached scene must become part of a series of scenes4 ,get rid of the effect of episodic scenes1 that is1 give them unity1 and lo1 we have story of some sort4 ,the bit of dialogue must become part of a larger dialogue belonging to characters of the play2 and characterization1 as we have seen1 results in some story4 ,the artistic or moral idea of the dramatist can be made clear only by human figures1 the pawns with which he makes his emotional moves4 ,at once we are on the way to story4 ,the ,red ,robe#ac of ,brieux aims to illustrate the idea that in ,france the administration of justice has been confused by personal ambition and personal intrigue4 ,is it without story8 ,surely we have the story of ,mouzon1--his hopes1 his consequent intrigues for advancement1 and his resulting death4 ,here is a group of incidents developing something from a beginning to an end1 that is1 providing story4 ,the play contains1 too1 the story of ,yanetta and ,etchepare4 ,may we not say that the ,vagret family provides a third story8 ,a play1 then1 may begin in almost anything seen or thought4 ,speaking broadly1 there is no reason why one source is better than another4 ,the important point is that something seen or thought should so stir the emotions of the dramatist that the desire to convey his own emotion or the emotions of characters who become connected with what he has seen or thought1 forces him to write till he has worked out his purpose4 ,undoubtedly1 however1 he who begins with a story is nearer his goal than he who begins with an idea or a character4 ,disconnected episodes1 then1 may possibly make a vaudeville sketch or the libretto of a lower order of musical comedy4 ,unless unified in story1 even though it be very slight1 they cannot make a play4 ,this point needs emphasis for two reasons3 because lately there has been some attempt to maintain that a newer type of play has no story1 and because many a beginner in dramatic writing seems to agree with ,bayes in ,the ,rehearsal4 ,what the devil's a plot except to stuff in fine things8 ,in good play-writing it is not a question of bringing together as many incidents or as many illustrations of character as you can crowd together in a given number of acts1 but of selecting the illustrative incidents1 which1 when properly developed will produce in an audience the largest amount of the emotional response desired4 ,later this error will be considered in detail4 ,nor will the recent attempt to maintain that there is a new type of play with absolutely no story in it stand close analysis4 ,the story may be very slight1 but story is present in all such plays4 ,take two cases4 ,mr4 ,william ,archer1 in his excellent book on ,play-,making1#ad sums up ,miss ,elizabeth ,baker's ,chains#ae as follows3 ,a city clerk1 oppressed by the deadly monotony of his life1 thinks of going to ,australia--and doesn't go3 that is the sum and substance of the action4 ,also1 by way of underplot1 a shopgirl1 oppressed by the deadly monotony and narrowness of her life1 thinks of escaping from it by marrying a middle-aged widower--and doesn't do it4 ,he then declares that the play has absolutely no story4 ,does any reader believe that this play could have succeeded1 as it has1 if the audience had been left in any doubt as to why the city clerk and the shopgirl did not do what they had planned8 ,yet surely1 if this play makes clear1 as it does1 why these two people changed their minds1 it must have story1 for it shows us people thinking of escaping from conditions they find irksome1 and explains why they give up the idea4 ,if that isn't story1 what is it8 ,the ,weavers of ,hauptmann1#af giving us somewhat loosely connected pictures of social conditions among the weavers of ,germany in the forties of the nineteenth century1 is said to be another specimen of these plays without story4 ,now such plays as ,the ,weavers have one of two results3 they rouse us to thought on the social conditions represented1 or they do not4 ,to succeed they must rouse us2 but if our stirred feelings are to lead anywhere1 we must be not only stirred but clear as to the meaning of the play4 ,there have been many who have thought that ,the ,weavers1 though it stirs us to sympathy1 leaves us nowhere because not clear4 ,be this as it may1 even ,the ,weavers has some story1 for it tells us of the rise and development of a revolt of the weavers against their employers4 ,confusion as to story results from two causes4 ,first1 story in drama is often taken to imply only complicated story4 ,to say that every play must have complicated story is absurd4 ,to say that every play must have some story1 though it may be very slight1 is undeniable4 ,secondly1 story is frequently used to mean plot1 and plot of the older type1 namely a play of skilfully arranged suspense and climax in a story of complicated and extreme emotion4 ,it is the second cause which underlies ,mr4 ,archer's curious statement about ,chains4 ,he says that the play has no emotional tension worth speaking of1 and assumes that where there is no emotional tension there cannot be story4 ,tension in the sense of suspense the play has little1 but ,mr4 ,archer states that it held an audience absorbed through four acts and stirred them to real enthusiasm4 ,in these words he grants the emotional response of the audience4 ,miss ,baker substitutes sympathy for the characters and deft dealing with ironic values 7see the ends of ,act ,,ii and ,act ,,iii7 for complicated plot and dependence on suspense4 ,one kind of play1 however1 no more precludes story than another4 ,what1 then1 is the difference between story and plot8 ,in treating drama1 what should be meant by story is what a play boils down to when you try to tell a friend as briefly as possible what it is about--what ,mr4 ,knobloch calls the vital active part1 the verb of the play4 ,here is the story of the play1 ,barbara ,frietchie1 as it re-shaped itself in ,clyde ,fitch's mind from ,whittier's poem3#ag ,a ,northern man loves a ,southern girl4 ,she defies her father and runs away to marry him4 ,by a sudden battle the ceremony is prevented4 ,the minister's house is seized by the rebels1 and soldiers stationed there4 ,barbara1 who has remained1 seeing a ,confederate sharpshooter about to fire on her lover passing with his regiment1 drops on her knees1 slowly levels a gun she has seized1 and shoots the ,southerner4 ,her lover is wounded and she struggles to protect him from her father1 brother1 and rebel suitor1 and from every little noise which might cost his life4 ,he dies1 and she1 now wholly wedded to the ,northern cause1 waves the flag1 as does the old woman in ,whittier's poem1 in defiance of the ,southern army1 and is shot by her crazy rebel lover4#ah ,note that this summary1 though it makes the story clear1 in no way presents the scenes of the play as to order1 suspense1 or climax4 ,this is the story1 not the plot of ,barbara ,frietchie4 ,plot1 dramatically speaking1 is the story so moulded by the dramatist as to gain for him in the theatre the emotional response he desires4 ,in order to create and maintain interest1 he gives his story1 as seems to him wise1 simple or complex structure2 and discerning elements in it of suspense1 surprise1 and climax1 he reveals them to just the extent necessary for his purposes4 ,plot is story proportioned and emphasized so as to accomplish1 under the conditions of the theatre1 the purposes of the dramatist4 ,compare the plot of ,barbara ,frietchie with its story4 ,act ,i4 ,the ,frietchies' front stoop facing on a street in the town of ,frederick1 which is in the hands of the hated ,yankees4 ,by the sentimental talk of the ,southern girls sitting on the steps we learn that ,barbara ,frietchie is carrying on a flirtation with ,captain ,trumbull1 a ,union officer1 under the noses of her outraged family1 friends1 and lover1 ,jack ,negly4 ,after a short scene1 ,barbara sends him off rebuffed and incensed4 ,she is then left alone in the dusk4 ,her brother1 ,arthur ,frietchie1 steals round the corner of the house1 wounded4 ,barbara takes him in and they are not yet out of earshot when ,captain ,trumbull appears to call on ,barbara much to the wrath of the ,frietchies' next-door neighbor1 ,colonel ,negly4 ,the ,yankee lover summons ,barbara1 and dismisses a ,union searching party1 swearing on his honor that there are no rebels in the ,frietchie home4 ,her gratitude for this leads them into a love scene1 turbulent from the clash of sectional sympathies1 terminating in her promise to become his wife4 ,no sooner has the betrothal been spoken than ,barbara's father1 incensed to it by old ,colonel ,negly1 forbids the ,union man his house and his daughter4 ,to complete their separation1 an ,orderly rushes on1 announcing the departure of ,captain ,trumbull's ,company for ,hagerstown in the early morning4 ,leaning over the second-floor balcony1 ,barbara tells her lover that she will be at the minister's house at ,hagerstown the next day at noon4 ,act ,,ii4 ,the ,lutheran minister's house at ,hagerstown4 ,barbara and her friend1 ,sue ,royce1 appear all aflutter and1 with the minister's wife1 ,mrs4 ,hunter1 await the arrival of the bridegroom and the divine4 ,news comes that the ,confederates are swooping into the town1 and ,captain ,trumbull bursts into the room4 ,an impassioned love scene follows in which we learn that ,barbara's sympathies are changing1 so much so that she presents her lover with an old ,union flag to wear next his heart4 ,orders for the soldier to join his ,company part ,barbara and ,trumbull4 ,the ,confederates are heard coming down the street as he leaves the house4 ,barbara's brother ,arthur breaks into the house and stations two sharpshooters1 angered deserters from ,captain ,trumbull's ,company1 at the windows1 ,barbara protesting4 ,arthur goes about his business and she learns that ,gelwex1 the deserter with the greatest grudge against her lover1 is to have the honor of picking him off as he comes down the street4 ,she gets a gun for herself4 ,captain ,trumbull's excited voice is heard outside the window4 ,the deserter takes careful aim1 puts his finger to the trigger1 and is shot from behind by ,barbara4 ,act ,,iii4 ,two days later4 ,the front hallway of the ,frietchie house4 ,the ,confederates have re-taken the town4 ,barbara is in despair1 her father exultant1 not speaking to her until she tells him that she is not married to the ,union officer4 ,she pleads for news of her beloved1 but her father gives her little satisfaction4 ,he has just gone upstairs when ,arthur comes in1 supporting a wounded and fever-stricken man whom he has shot4 ,it is ,captain ,trumbull4 ,barbara takes him to her room1 and when her father1 hearing who the wounded man is1 orders him thrown into the street1 she pleads with all her strength to be allowed to keep him with her4 ,the old man yields1 and when the ,confederate searching party invades the house1 gives his word for its loyalty4 ,barbara has placed herself at the foot of the stairs1 determined to hold the fort against the enemies of her lover4 ,the doctor has insisted on absolute quiet for him2 noise may kill him4 ,when the searching party has been turned back1 she summons new strength to quiet crazy ,jack ,negly1 who has entered howling his victory4 ,he insists that she shall marry him1 and tries1 pistol in hand1 to force his way past ,barbara to the bedside of his enemy in love and war4 ,by sheer force of will she conquers ,negly and rushes past him to the door of the room where her lover lies4 ,act ,,iv4 ,scene #a4 ,the next morning4 ,barbara's room4 ,captain ,trumbull lies peacefully on the bed4 ,mammy ,lu1 the colored nurse1 is dozing as ,barbara enters4 ,they listen for the invalid's breathing1 hear none1 and find that he is dead4 ,half crazed1 ,barbara snatches the bloody flag from his bosom4 ,the scene changes4 ,scene #b4 ,the balconied stoop in front of the house4 ,the ,confederate soldiers1 headed by ,stonewall ,jackson1 are heralded by a large crowd6 ,barbara1 hanging the ,union flag out on the balcony1 is discovered by the mob1 who begin to stone her1 urging somebody to shoot4 ,the lines of ,whittier's poem1 to fit the circumstances which ,clyde ,fitch has made1 now become3 ,shoot6 ,you've taken a life already dearer to me than my own4 ,shoot1 and ,i'll thank you6 but spare your flag6#ai ,general ,jackson orders that no shot be fired on penalty of death4 ,her crazed lover1 ,negly1 shoots her down from the street1 and his own father orders the execution of the penalty4 ,in many cases1 no doubt1 it is the plain and literal fact that the impulse to write some play--any play--exists1 so to speak1 in the abstract1 unassociated with any particular subject1 and that the would-be playwright proceeds1 as he thinks1 to set his imagination to work and invent a story4 ,but this frame of mind is to be regarded with suspicion4 ,few plays of much value1 one may guess1 have resulted from such an abstract impulse4 ,invention in these cases is apt to be nothing but recollection in disguise1 the shaking of a kaleidoscope formed of fragmentary reminiscences4 ,i remember once in some momentary access of ambition1 trying to invent a play4 ,i occupied several hours of a long country walk1 in1 as ,i believed1 creating out of nothing at all a dramatic story4 ,when at last ,i had modelled it into some sort of coherency1 ,i stepped back from it in my mind as it were1 and contemplated it as a whole4 ,no sooner had ,i done so than it began to seem vaguely familiar4 ',where have ,i seen this story before8' ,i asked myself2 and it was only after cudgelling my brains for several minutes that ,i found ,i had re-invented ,ibsen's ,hedda ,gabler4 ,thus1 when we think we are choosing a plot out of the void1 we are very apt to be1 in fact1 ransacking the storehouse of memory4#bj ,there is1 of course1 another group of would-be playwrights who care nothing for freshness of subject but are perfectly content to imitate the latest success1 hoping thereby to win immediate notoriety1 or what interests them even more1 immediate money return4 ,undoubtedly a man may take a subject just presented in a successful play and so re-shape it by the force of his own personality as to make it an original work of power4 ,ordinarily1 however1 these imitators should remember the old adage about the crock which goes so often to the well that at last it comes back broken4 ,he who merely imitates may have some temporary vogue1 and dramatic technique may help him to win it1 but whatever is very popular soon gives way to something else1 for the fundamental law of art1 as of life1 is change4 ,he who is content merely to imitate must be content with impermanency4 ,it is the creator and perfecter whom we most remember4 ,even the creator or the perfecter we remember4 ,the mere imitators have their brief day and pass4 ,today we still read the work of the initiators1 ,lyly1 ,greene1 ,kyd4 ,with pleasure we turn the pages of ,marlowe1 ,jonson1 and ,fletcher1 not to mention ,shakespeare4 ,the dozens of mere imitators who had their little day are known only as names4 ,the ambitious but inexperienced writer of plays worries himself much in hunting a novel subject1--and in vain4 ,far afield he goes1 seeking the sensational1 the bizarre1 the occult1 for new emotions and situations1 failing to recognize that the emotional life of yesterday1 today1 and tomorrow can differ little fundamentally4 ,civilization refines or deteriorates1 kingdoms rise and fall1 languages develop and pass1 but love of man and woman1 of friend for friend1 ambition1 jealousy1 envy1 selfishness1--these emotions abide4 ,a book has been published to show that there are but thirty-six possible dramatic situations4 ,it is based on the dictum of the ,italian dramatist1 ,gozzi1 that there could be only thirty-six tragic situations4 ,schiller gave himself much trouble to find more1 but was unable to find as many4#ba ,the very chapter headings of the book mentioned prove that the number of possible dramatic situations is a mere matter of subdivision3 ,vengeance ,pursuing ,crime2 ,madness2 ,fatal ,imprudence2 ,loss of ,property 2 ,ambition4 ,obviously1 there are many different kinds of vengeance1 as the person pursuing the crime is a hired detective1 a wronged person1 an officer of state1 etc4 ,moreover1 differing conditions surrounding the crime1 as well as the character of the avenger1 would make the vengeance sought different4 ,the same may be said of the other chapter-headings4 ,it may be possible to agree on the smallest number of dramatic situations possible1 but disagreement surely lies beyond that1 for1 according to our natures1 we shall wish to subdivide and increase the number4 ,just what that smallest number is1 here is unimportant4 ,the important fact is3 keen thinkers about the drama agree that the stuff from which it is made may be put into a small number of categories4 ,this rests on the belief that the emotions we feel today are the same old emotions1 though we may feel them in greater or less degree because of differences in climate1 civilization or ideals4 ,modern invention1 of course1 affects our emotional life4 ,it is now a commonplace that invention has quite changed the heroism of warfare from what it was even a generation ago4 ,it is still heroism1 but under conditions so different that it needs wholly different treatment dramatically4 ,in ,restoration ,comedy the rake was the hero4 ,the audience1 viewing life through his eyes saw the victims of his selfishness as fools or as people who1 in any combat of wits with the hero1 deservedly came off defeated4 ,interest in one's fellow man1 a more just sense of life had developed in the early years of the eighteenth century4 ,this wholly changed the emphasis1 and gave birth to the ,sentimental ,comedy4 ,the characters1 even the story1 of this newer comedy are almost identical with the ,restoration ,comedy1 but the material is so treated that our sympathies go to the unfortunate wife of ,the ,careless ,husband1 not to the man himself1 as they would have a generation before4 ,in ,the ,provoked ,husband#bb it is the point of view of that husband as to ,lady ,townley1 though she is presented in all her charm and gaiety1 with which we are left4 ,the sentimentality of the present day is not the sentimentality of #ahej to #ahgj4 ,the higher education of women1 the growth of suffrage1 the prevailing wide discussion of scientific matters have not taken sentimentality from us1 but have changed its look4 ,because of changes in costume and custom it even appears more different than it really is4 ,a perfect illustration of the point is ,milestones1#bc of ,mr4 ,edward ,knobloch4 ,three generations live before our eyes the same story1 but how differently because of changed costumes1 ideas1 and immediate surroundings4 ,in ,french drama1 the wet-nurse is no new figure as one employee in a household where we are watching the comedy or the tragedy of the employers4 ,brieux was the first1 however1 to study the emotions of such a household through the nurse1 making her feelings of prime consequence4 ,hence1 ,les ,remplacantes4#bd ,the whole situation is summed up by ,william ,sharp 7,fiona ,macleod7 in his ,introduction to ,the ,house of ,usna3 ,the tradition of accursed families is not the fantasy of one dramatist1 or of one country or of one time4444 ,whether the poet turn to the tragedy of the ,theban dynasty1 or to the tragedy of the ,achaian dynasty1 or to the tragedy of ,lear1 or to the ,celtic tragedy of the ,house of ,fionn1 or to the other and less familiar ,gaelic tragedy of the ,house of ,usna--whether one turn to these or to the doom of the ,house of ,malatesta1 or to the doom of the ,house of ,macbeth1 or to the doom of the ,house of ,ravenswood1 one turns in vain if he be blind and deaf to the same elemental forces as they move in their eternal ichor through the blood that has today's warmth in it1 that are the same powers though they be known of the obscure and the silent1 and are committed like wandering flame to the torch of a ballad as well as to the starry march of the compelling words of genius2 are of the same dominion1 though that be in the shaken hearts of islesfolk and mountaineers1 and not with kings in ,mykenai1 or by the thrones of ,tamburlaine and ,aurungzebe1 or with great lords and broken nobles and thanes4444 444 ,i know one who can evoke modern dramatic scenes by the mere iterance of the great musical names of the imagination4 ,menelaos1 ,helen1 ,klytemaistra1 ,andromache1 ,kassandra1 ,orestes1 ,blind ,oidipus1 ,elektra1 ,kreusa1 and the like4 ,this is not because these names are in themselves esoteric symbols4 ,my friend has not seen any representation of the ,agamemnon or the ,choephoroi1 of ,aias or ,oidipus at ,kolonos1 of ,elektra or ,ion1 or indeed of any ,greek play4 ,but he knows the story of every name mentioned in each of the dramas of the three kings of ,greek ,tragedy4444 ,and here1 he says1 is his delight4 ,for ,i do not live only in the past but in the present1 in these dramas of the mind4 ,the names stand for the elemental passions1 and ,i can come to them through my own gates of today as well as through the ancient portals of ,aischylos or ,sophocles or ,euripides4 444 ,it is no doubt in this attitude that ,racine1 so ,french in the accent of his classical genius1 looked at the old drama which was his inspiration3 that ,mr4 ,swinburne and ,mr4 ,bridges1 so ,english in the accent of their genius1 have looked at it2 that ,echegaray in ,spain1 looked at it before he produced his troubled modern ,elektra which is so remote in shapen thought and coloured semblance from the colour and idea of its prototype2 that ,gabriele ,d',annunzio looked at it before he became obsessed with the old terrible idea of the tangled feet of ,destiny1 so that a tuft of grass might withhold or a breath from stirred dust empoison1 and wrote that most perturbing of all modern dramas1 ,la ,citta ,morta4#be ,the drama must1 then1 go on treating over and over emotions the same in kind4 ,real novelty comes in presenting them as they affect men and women who are in ideas1 habits1 costume1 speech1 and environment distinctly of their time4 ,their expression of the old elemental emotions brings genuine novelty4 ,usually it is not through an incident or an episode1 obviously dramatic1 but through the characters involved that one understands and presents what is novel in the dramatic4 ,feeling this strongly1 ,mr4 ,galsworthy asserts ,character is plot4#bf ,so long as characters1 ideas1 and treatment seem to the public fresh1 they even have a weakness for a story they have heard before4 ,recall the drama of ,aeschylus1 ,sophocles1 and ,euripides in which the dramatists shared with their audiences a knowledge of the stories of the gods which was theirs by education and from repeated treatment by the dramatists of the day4 ,that public asked1 not new stories1 but newness of effect because old stories which were almost fixed subjects for their dramatists were given individuality of treatment4 ,in a modified sense this was true of the ,elizabethan public4 ,romeo and ,juliet1 ,lear1 probably ,titus ,andronicus1 and possibly ,julius ,caesar ,londoners had known as plays just passing from popularity when ,shakespeare made them over4 ,here again1 it was freshness of treatment through better characterization1 richer poetry1 and finer technique1 not creative story1 which won the public to ,shakespeare4 ,nor is this attitude a thing of the past4 ,think of the delight with which the public today watches the rejuggling of old elements of plot in the rapid succession of popular musical comedies1 grateful for whatever element of freshness they may find in the total product4 ,was it the story1 or the characterization and setting1 indeed all that went with the treatment of the story1 which in ,peg o' ,my ,heart and ,bunty ,pulls the ,strings won these plays popularity8 ,seek for novelty1 then1 not by trying to invent some new story1 but in an idea1 the setting of the play1 the technical treatment given it1 above all the characters4 ,the last1 when studied1 are likely so to reshape the story which first presents itself to the imagination as to make it really novel4 ,does the freshness of the story of the ,duke1 ,olivia1 and ,viola in ,twelfth ,night rest on the story as ,shakespeare found it in ,barnabe ,riche's book1#bg or on the characterization ,shakespeare gave these suggested figures and the effect of their developed characters on the story as he found it8 ,surely the latter4 ,another common fallacy of young dramatists is that what has happened is better dramatic material than what is imagined4 ,among the trite maxims a dramatist should remember1 however1 is3 ,truth is often stranger than fiction4 ,the test for a would-be writer of plays1 choosing among several starting points1 should be1 not1 ,is this true8 but ,will my audience believe it true on sight or because of the treatment ,i can give it8 ,aristotle long ago decided how far the tragic poet need regard historical accuracy4 ,he does not make use of an event because it really happened1 but because it happened so convincingly that for his present purpose he cannot invent conditions more convincing4#bh ,any reader of manuscript plays knows that again and again1 when he has objected to something as entirely improbable1 he has been told indignantly3 ,why1 you must accept that1 for it happened exactly like that to my friend1 ,smith4 ,on the other hand1 who refuses to see ,the ,merchant of ,venice because of the inherent improbability of the exaction of the pound of flesh by ,shylock8 ,highly improbable it is1 but ,shakespeare makes this demand come from a figure so human in all other respects that we accept it4 ,a subject is not to be rejected because true or false4 ,every dramatic subject must be presented with the probable human experience1 the ethical ideas1 and the imaginativeness of the public in mind4 ,to a dramatist all subjects are possible till1 after long wrestling with the subject chosen1 he is forced to admit that1 whether originally true or false1 he cannot make it seem probable to an audience4 ,facts are1 of course1 of very great value in drama1 but if they are to convince a theatrical public1 the dramatist must so present them that they shall not run completely counter to what an audience thinks it knows about life4 ,nor should a person who knows absolutely nothing of the theatre attempt to write plays4 ,he should go to see plays enough to know how long a performance usually lasts1 waits between the acts included1 say two hours and a half to two hours and three quarters2 to know about how long an act usually takes in playing2 to gain some idea of the relation in time between the written or printed page and the time in acting2 to understand that1 in general1 a small cast is preferable to a large one2 to know that the limited space of the stage makes some effects so difficult as to be undesirable4 ,this is to have ordinary common sense about the theatre4 ,otherwise1 what he puts on paper will be practically sure of immediate rejection because the manuscript proves that the writer has either not been in the theatre1 or being there1 has been wholly unobservant4 ,the following quotation seems almost fantastic1 but the experience of the writer in reading dramatic manuscripts fully bears it out3 ,many of the manuscripts that are sent to the ,new ,york managers are such impossible oddities that few readers would regard a description of them as really accurate4 ,it was the privilege of the writer to look over a collection of plays that have been mailed recently to several of the theatrical offices1 and1 among the number1 he came across a dozen that were each about fifteen to twenty pages in length4 ,this included the scenic descriptions and stage directions4 ,such plays1 if enacted1 would be of about ten to eleven minutes' duration instead of two and a quarter hours4 ,three manuscripts called for from ninety to one hundred characters1 and from nine to fourteen different scenes4 ,eight manuscripts were divided into nine acts each and1 judging from their thickness1 would have run on for days1 after the fashion of a ,chinese drama4 ,one play was laid in the year #bbjj ,a4,d41 and called for twelve actors to portray the new race of men--each man to be at least seven feet tall4 ,these characters were to make all their entrances and exits in airships4 ,several manuscripts that the writer examined would have required professional strong men in their enactment1 so difficult were the physical feats outlined for some of the actors4 ,a great number of modern dramas included a ream of colloquialisms and anachronisms intermixed with ,louis ,,xv situations4 ,and one manuscript1 entitled ,love in ,all ,ages called for twelve different acts with a new group of nine differently built actors in each4#bi ,a stage direction which ran something like this is the most naive in the experience of the writer4 ,germs of a locomotive1 a cathedral1 etc41 detach themselves in an unknown manner from the walls and float airily1 merrily about the room4 ,impossible8 ,possibly not for a genius of a stage manager4 ,likely to recommend the play to a manager trying to judge from a manuscript the dramatic sense of its unknown author8 ,hardly4 ,granted then that a would-be playwright has acquired ordinary common sense about the theatre and has some point of departure1 how does he move from it to plot8 ,first1 by taking time enough1 by avoiding hurry4 ,let any would-be dramatist get rid promptly of the idea that good plays are written in a rush4 ,it is perfectly true that the mere writing out of a play has often been done in what seems an amazingly short time1--a few weeks1 days1 or even hours4 ,however1 in every case of rapid composition1 as for instance ,sheridan's ,rivals1 which was put on paper in very brief time1 the author has either mulled his material for a long time or was so thoroughly conversant with it that it required no careful thinking out at the moment of composition4 ,in ,the ,rivals ,sheridan drew upon his intimate knowledge for many years of the people and the gossip of the ,pump ,room at ,bath4 ,mr4 ,h4 ,a4 ,jones has more than once testified1 ,i mull long on my plot1 sometimes a year1 but when ,i have it1 the rest 7the mere writing out7 is easy4 ,sardou turned out a very large number of plays4 ,nor are his plays1 seemingly1 such as to demand the careful preparation required for the drama of ideas or the drama more dependent on characterization than incident4 ,yet he worked very carefully at all stages1 from point of departure to final draft4 ,whenever an idea occurred to ,sardou1 he immediately made a memorandum of it4 ,these notes he classified and filed4 ,for example1 years before the production of ,thermidor he had the thought of one day writing such a play4 ,gradually the character of ,fabienne shaped itself2 ,labussiere was devised later to fit ,coquelin4 ,everything that he read about that epoch of the ,french ,revolution1 and the ideas which his reading inspired1 he wrote down in the form of rough notes4 ,engravings1 maps1 prints1 and other documents of the time he carefully collected4 ,memoirs and histories he annotated and indexed1 filing away the index references in his file cases1 or dossiers4 ,at the time of his death1 ,sardou had many hundreds of these dossiers1 old and new4 ,some of the older ones had been worked up into plays1 while the newer ones were merely raw material for future dramas4 ,when the idea of a play had measurably shaped itself in his mind he wrote out a skeleton plot which he placed in its dossier4 ,there it might lie indefinitely4 ,in this shape ,thermidor remained for nearly twenty years1 and ,theodora for ten4 ,when he considered that the time was ripe for one of his embryonic plays1 ,sardou would take out that particular dossier1 read over the material1 and lay it aside again4 ,after it had fermented in his brain for a time1 he would1 if the inspiration seized him1 write out a scenario4 ,after this1 he began the actual writing of the play4#cj ,late in the seventeenth century1 one of the most prolific of ,english playwrights1 ,john ,dryden1 contracted to turn out four plays a year4 ,he failed completely to carry out his promise4 ,some dramatists of a much more recent day should attribute to the speed with which they have turned out plays their repeated failures1 or1 after early successes1 their waning hold on the public4 ,every dramatist should keep steadily in mind the words of the old ,french adage3 ,time spares not that on which time hath been spared4 ,time1 again time1 and yet again time is the chief element in successful writing of plays4 ,a wandering1 erratic career is forbidden the dramatist4 ,back in the eighteenth century ,diderot stated admirably the qualities a dramatist must have if he is to plot well4 ,he must get at the heart of his material4 ,he must consider order and unity4 ,he must discern clearly the moment at which the action should begin4 ,he must recognize the situations which will help his audience1 and know what it is expedient to leave unsaid4 ,he must not be rebuffed by difficult scenes or long labor4 ,throughout he must have the aid of a rich imagination4#ca ,selection1 ,proportion1 ,emphasis1 ,movement1--all making for clearness1--these as the words of ,diderot suggest1 are what the dramatist studies in developing his play from ,subject1 through ,story1 to ,plot4 ,,footnotes3 #a ,auteurs ,dramatiques1 ,pailleron4 ,a4 ,binet and ,j4 ,passey4 ,l',annee ,psychologique1 #ahid1 pp4 #ih-ii4 #b ,sardou and the ,sardou ,plays1 p4 #abg4 ,jerome ,a4 ,hart4 ,j4 ,b4 ,lippincott ,co41 ,philadelphia4 #c ,auteurs ,dramatiques1 ,dumas fils1 p4 #gg4 #d ,five ,plays1 p4 #hf4 ,lord ,dunsany4 ,mitchell ,kennerley1 ,new ,york4 #e ,auteurs ,dramatiques1 ,sardou1 ,l',annee ,psychologique1 #ahid1 p4 #ff4 #f ,play-,making1 pp4 #ah-ai1 note4 ,william ,archer4 ,small1 ,maynard ,co41 ,boston4 #g ,auteurs ,dramatiques1 ,sardou1 p4 #ff4 #h ,auteurs ,dramatiques1 ,m4 de ,curel1 p4 #aba4 #i ,from ,ibsen's ,workshop4 ,works1 vol4 x1 pp4 #ia-ib4 ,chas4 ,scribner's ,sons1 ,new ,york4 #aj ,consult the pages of ,w4 ,c4 ,hazlitt's ,shakespeare ,library1 a source book of his plays for proof of this4 #aa ,belles-,lettres ,series4 ,f4 ,e4 ,schelling1 ed4 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath ,co41 ,boston and ,new ,york4 #ab ,mermaid ,series or ,everyman's ,library4 #ac ,published in translation by ,brentano2 also in ,chief ,contemporary ,dramatists4 ,thomas ,h4 ,dickinson4 ,houghton ,mifflin ,co41 ,boston4 #ad ,note1 p4 #di4 #ae ,j4 ,w4 ,luce ,co41 ,boston2 ,sidgwick ,jackson1 ,ltd41 ,london4 #af ,dramatic ,works1 vol4 ,i4 ,ed4 ,ludwig ,lewisohn4 ,b4 ,huebach41 ,new ,york4 #ag ,for purposes of useful comparison the lines of ,whittier which suggested the subject to ,mr4 ,fitch are appended4 ,on that pleasant morn of the early fall ,when ,lee marched over the mountain wall2 ,over the mountains winding down1 ,horse and foot1 into ,frederick town4 ,forty flags with their silver stars1 ,forty flags with their crimson bars1 ,flapped in the morning wind3 the sun ,of noon looked down and saw not one4 ,up rose old ,barbara ,frietchie then1 ,bowed with her fourscore years and ten2 ,bravest of all in ,frederick town1 ,she took up the flag the men hauled down ,in her attic window the staff she set1 ,to show that one heart was loyal yet4 ,up the street came the rebel tread1 ,stonewall ,jackson riding ahead4 ,under his slouched hat left and right ,he glanced2 the old flag met his sight4 ,halt6--the dust-brown ranks stood fast ,fire6--out blazed the rifle-blast4 ,it shivered the window1 pane and sash2 ,it rent the banner with seam and gash4 ,quick1 as it fell from the broken staff ,dame ,barbara snatched the silken scarf4 ,she leaned far out on the window-sill1 ,and shook it forth with a royal will4 ,shoot1 if you must1 this old gray head1 ,but spare your country's flag1 she said4 ,a shade of sadness1 a blush of shame1 ,over the face of the leader came2 ,the nobler nature within him stirred ,to life at that woman's deed and word3 ,who touches a hair of yon gray head ,dies like a dog6 ,march on6 he said4 ,all day long through ,frederick street ,sounded the tread of marching feet2 ,all day long that free flag tost ,over the heads of the rebel host4 #ah ,the ,stage in ,america1 p4 #ij4 ,norman ,hapgood4 ,the ,macmillan ,co41 ,new ,york4 #ai ,barbara ,frietchie1 p4 #abf4 ,clyde ,fitch4 ,life ,publishing ,co41 ,new ,york4 #bj ,play-,making1 pp4 #bd-be4 ,william ,archer4 ,small1 ,maynard ,co41 ,boston4 #ba ,les #cf ,situations ,dramatiques4 ,georges ,polti4 ,edition du ,mercure de ,france1 #ahie1 p4 #a4 #bb ,for texts of ,the ,careless ,husband and ,the ,provoked ,husband1 both plays by ,colley ,cibber1 see ,works1 vols4 ,,ii and ,,iv1 #aggg4 #bc ,methuen ,co41 ,ltd41 ,london4 #bd ,not translated4 ,edition in ,french1 ,p4 ,v4 ,stock1 ,paris4 #be ,foreword to ,the ,house of ,usna4 ,fiona ,macleod4 ,published by ,thomas ,b4 ,mosher1 ,portland1 ,maine1 #aijc4 #bf ,some ,platitudes ,concerning ,drama4 ,john ,galsworthy4 ,atlantic ,monthly1 ,december1 #aiji4 #bg ,shakespeare ,library1 vol4 ,i1 pp4 #chg-dab4 ,ed4 ,w4 ,c4 ,hazlitt4 #bh ,hamburg ,dramaturgy1 p4 #bgi4 ,lessing4 ,bohn ed4 #bi ,the ,united ,states of ,playwrights1 ,henry ,savage4 ,the ,bookman1 ,september1 #aiji4 #cj ,de la ,poesie ,dramatique4 ,diderot4 ,oeuvres1 vol4 ,,vii1 p4 #cba4 ,garnier ,freres1 ,paris4 #ca ,sardou and the ,sardou ,plays1 p4 #abe4 ,j4 ,a4 ,hart4 ,j4 ,b4 ,lippincott ,co41 ,philadelphia4 ,,chapter ,,iv ,,from ,,subject ,,through ,,story ,,to ,,plot4 ,,clearness ,,through ,,wise ,,selection ,dumas the younger1 at twenty1 wishing to write his first play1 asked his father for the secret of a successful play4 ,that man of many successful novels and plays replied3 ,it's very simple3 ,first ,act1 clear2 ,third ,act1 short2 and everywhere1 interest4 ,though play-writing is not always so easy a matter as when a man of genius like ,dumas the elder wrote the relatively simple romantic dramas of his day1 he emphasized one of the fundamentals of drama when he called for clearness in the first act4 ,he might well have called for it everywhere4 ,first of all1 a dramatist who has found his point of departure must know just what it means to him1 what he wants to do with it4 ,is he merely telling a story for its own sake1 satisfied if the incidents be increasingly interesting till the final curtain falls8 ,is he writing his play1 above all1 for one special scene in it1 as was ,mr4 ,h4 ,a4 ,jones1 in ,mrs4 ,dane's ,defence1#a in its third act8 ,does he merely wish to set people thinking about conditions of today1 to write a drama of ideas1 like ,mr4 ,galsworthy in ,the ,pigeon1#b or ,m4 ,paul ,loyson1 in ,the ,apostle8#c ,has he1 like ,brieux in ,damaged ,goods#d or ,the ,cradle1#e an idea he wishes to convey1 and so must write a problem play8 ,is his setting significant for one scene only or has it symbolic values for the whole play8 ,as ,dumas the younger well said1 ,how can you tell what road to take unless you know where you are going8#f ,the trouble with most would-be dramatists is that they make too much of the mere act of writing1 too little of the thinking preliminary to composition and accompanying it4 ,with the point of departure clearly in mind1 seeing some characters who immediately connect themselves with the subject1 forecasting some scenes and a few bits of dialogue1 they rush to their desks before they see with equal clearness1 we will not say the plot but even the story necessary for the proposed play4 ,what is the result8 ,they have a general view of their subject1 they know approximately the situations1 they have sketched out the characters1 and when they have said to themselves1 ',this mother will be a coquette1 this father will be stern1 this lover a libertine1 this young girl impressionable and tender1' the fury of making their scenes seizes them4 ,they write1 they write1 they come upon ideas1 fine1 delicate1 and even strong2 they have charming details ready to hand3 but when they have worked much and come to plotting1 for always one must come to that1 they try to find a place for this charming bit2 they can never make up their minds to put aside this delicate or strong idea1 and they will do exactly the opposite of what they should1--make the plot for the sake of the scenes when the scenes should grow out of the plot4 ,consequently the dialogue will be constrained in movement and much trouble and time will be lost4#g ,a modern play recently submitted to the writer in manuscript showed just this trouble4 ,act ,i was in itself good4 ,act ,,ii was good in one scene1 bad in the other4 ,act ,,iii was in itself right4 ,yet at the end of the play one queried3 ,what is the meaning of it all8 ,nothing bound the parts together4 ,there was no clear emphasis on some central purpose4 ,the author1 when questioned1 admitted that with certain characters in mind1 he had written the scenes as they came to him4 ,when pressed to state his exact subject1 he advanced first one1 then another1 at last admitting candidly3 ,i guess ,i never have been able to get far enough away from the play to see quite what all of it does mean4 ,asked whether there was not underlying all his scenes irony of fate1 in that a man trying his best to do what the world holds commendable is bound in such relationship to two or three people that always they give his career a tragic turn1 he said1 after consideration1 ,yes4 ,what if ,i call my play ,the ,irony of ,life8 ,with the purpose of making that his meaning he reworked his material4 ,quickly the parts fell into line1 with a clear and interesting play as the result4 ,many and many a play containing good characterization1 good dialogue and some real individuality of treatment has gone to pieces in this way4 ,a recent play opened with a well-written picture of the life of a group of architects' draughtsmen4 ,apparently we were started on a story of their common or conflicting interests4 ,after that first act1 however1 the play turned into a story of the way in which one of these young draughtsmen1 a kind of mixture of ,get-,rich-,quick ,wallingford and ,d',artagnan1 forced his way to professional and social success4 ,once or twice1 scenes seemed intentional satire on our social classes4 ,the fact is1 the author had in the back of his mind social satire1 characterization of the central figure1 and a picture of the life of young draughtsmen4 ,as material for any one of these came to him when he was writing1 he gave his attention wholly to it4 ,though this might do for a rough draft1 it must be rewritten to make the chief interest stand out as most important1 and to give the other interests clearly their exact part in a perfectly clear whole4 ,left as written1 the play seemed to have a first act somewhat off the question1 and a later development going off now and then at a tangent4 ,its total effect1 in spite of some admirable characterization1 considerable truth to life1 and real cleverness1 was confusion for the audience and consequent dissatisfaction4 ,another play1 often extremely well characterized1 had1 as an apparent central purpose1 study of a mother who has been trying to give her son such surroundings that he cannot go the way of his father who1 many years since1 had embezzled4 ,yet almost as frequently the purpose seemed to be a very close study of the son1 who1 although the mother1 blinded by her affection1 does not see it1 is mentally and morally almost the duplicate of his father4 ,moved with sympathy1 now for one and now for the other1 just as the interest of the writer led him1 the audience came away confused and dissatisfied4 ,how can an audience be expected to know what a dramatist has not settled for himself1 the chief of his interests among several8 ,when ,m4 de ,curel1 with his original idea or picture for ,l',envers d'une ,sainte sat down to reflect1 he noticed that the interest in the subject lies in the feelings a woman must experience when she returns after a long absence to a place full of memories1 and finds herself face to face with her past life4 ,there was the psychological idea which seemed to him alluring1--to paint a special phase of emotion4#h ,there1 for him1 lay the heart of his subject4 ,bulwer-,lytton1 writing to ,macready in ,september1 #ahch1 of a proposed play on the life of the ,chevalier de ,marillac1 in which ,cardinal ,richelieu must also be an important figure1 said3 ,now look well at this story1 you will see that incident and position are good4 ,but then there is one great objection4 ,who is to do ,richelieu8 ,marillac has the principal part and requires you2 but a bad ,richelieu would spoil all4 ,on the other hand1 if you took ,richelieu1 there would be two great acts without you1 which will never do2 and the main interest of the plot would not fall on you4 ,tell me what you propose4 ,must we give up this idea8#i ,bulwer-,lytton had not yet found the dramatic centre in his material4 ,at first the story and character of ,marillac blinded him to the fact that the material was best fitted for a dramatic study of the great ,cardinal4 ,when1 shortly after his letter1 he came to see that the dramatic centre lay in ,richelieu1 his famous play began developing4 ,with that magnet in hand1 he quickly drew to him the right filaments of incident to make a unified and interesting story4 ,any dramatist has the right to decide first1 what is the real importance of his subject to him1 but before he finishes he may find that he will discard what originally seemed to him important1 either because something interests him more as he reflects or because he comes to see in his subject an interest other than his own which will be stronger for the audience4 ,m4 de ,curel1 thinking over his proposed play1 abandoned his first idea because in ten minutes space it transformed itself4 ,he abandoned his first idea in order to try to paint the slightly analogous feelings of a nun4 ,he imagined a young girl who1 at a former time1 in a moment of madness1 had wished to kill the wife of the man with whom she was infatuated4 ,to expiate her crime1 she entered a convent1 took the vows1 and lived in retirement for twenty years4 ,then she learned that the man whom she loved had just died4 ,whereupon1 perhaps from desire for freedom1 perhaps from curiosity1 she comes out of her exile1 returns to her family and finds herself in the presence of the widow and her child4 ,here was the beginning1 not of ,l',envers d'une ,sainte1#aj but of another play1 ,l',invitee4 ,it may happen--something certainly surprising--that the idea which allured the author into writing the piece makes no part of the piece itself4 ,it is excluded from it2 no trace of it remains4 ,note that the point of departure of ,l',invitee is an idea of a woman capable of murder who is passed off as insane4 ,of the murder nothing remains1 and as to the mother's madness it is reduced to almost nothing3 it is no more than a rumor that has been going about1 and the mother has not been really insane4#aa ,not to yield to such a compelling new aspect of the subject is to find one's way blocked4 ,the resulting tragedy1 or comedy1 for the unyielding playwright1 ,mr4 ,archer states amusingly4 ',here1' says a well-known playwright1 'is a common experience4 ,you are struck with an idea with which you fall in love4 ,ha6 you say4 ,what a superb scene where the man shall find the will under the sofa6 ,if that doesn't make them sit up1 what will8 ,you begin the play4 ,the first act goes all right1 and the second act goes all right4 ,you come to the third act and somehow it won't go at all4 ,you battle with it for weeks in vain2 and then it suddenly occurs to you1 ,why1 ,i see what's wrong6 ,it's that confounded scene where the man finds the will under the sofa4 ,out it must come6 ,you cut it out and at once all goes smooth again4 ,but you have thrown overboard the great effect that first tempted you4'#ab ,the point is not that when a dramatist first begins to think over his subject1 he must decide exactly what is for him the heart of it4 ,he may shift1 reject1 and change his own interest again and again1 as attractive aspects of his subject suggest themselves4 ,the point is that this shifting of interest should take place before he begins to put his play on paper4 ,not to be perfectly clear with one's self which of three or four possible interests offered by a subject is the one really interesting is to waste time4 ,as the play develops1 a writer wobbles from one subject to another and so leaves no clear final impression4 ,or he is obliged to rewrite the play1 placing the emphasis properly for clearness4 ,in one case he fails4 ,in the other he does his work twice4 ,the present writer has seen many a manuscript1 after a year or more of juggling with shifting interests1 given up in despair and thrown into the waste basket4 ,probably it is best to leave till revision the question whether the interest presented will appeal to the general audience just as it does to the writer4 ,it certainly can do no harm1 however1 and may save labor1 when an author knows just what he wants to treat and how he wishes to treat it1 for him to consider whether this interest is likely to be as important for his public as for him4 ,many years ago1 ,mr4 ,a4,m4 ,palmer produced ,the ,parisian ,romance1 a play so trite in subject and treatment that1 as written1 it might easily have failed4 ,a young actor1 seeing in a minor role the opportunities for a popular success built up a fine piece of characterization in the part of ,baron ,chevrial4 ,that gave ,richard ,mansfield his first real start4 ,the play was remodeled so that this element of novelty1 this fresh piece of characterization1 became central4 ,thus re-emphasized the play became known all over the country4#ac ,not long since a play written by its author to be wholly amusing1 proved so hilarious in the second act that the actors rehearsed it with difficulty4 ,when produced1 however1 the audience was so won by the hero in ,act ,i that they took his mishaps in the second act with sympathetic seriousness4 ,the play had to be rewritten4 ,it is at careful planning or plotting that the inexperienced dramatist balks4 ,scenarios1 the outlines which will show any intelligent reader what plot the dramatist has in mind and its exact development1 are none too popular4 ,they are1 however1 the very best means by which a dramatist may force himself to find what for him is the heart of his subject4#ad ,the moment that is clear to him1 it is the open sesame to whatever story his play will demand4 ,it is1 too1 the magnet which draws to him the bits of thought1 character1 action and dialogue which he shapes into plot4 ,with his purpose clearly in mind1 the dramatist1 as he passes from point of departure through story to plot1 selects1 and selects1 and selects4 ,among all the possible people who might be the main figure in accomplishing his purpose1 he picks the one most interesting him1 or which he believes will most interest his public4 ,from all the people who might surround his central figure he chooses the few who will best accomplish his purpose4 ,if his people first appear to him as types1 as in the case of ,the ,country ,boy to be cited in a moment1 selectively he moves from type to individuals4 ,sooner or later he must determine how many of the possible characteristics of his figures he cares to present4 ,as he writes1 he selects from all that his people might say1 and from all they might do in the way of illustrative action1 only what seems to him necessary for his purpose4 ,no dramatist uses all that occurs to him in the way of dramatic incident1 characters1 or dialogue4 ,as he shapes his story2 as he reshapes his story into plot2 in many cases before he touches pen to paper1 he has rejected much1 always selecting what he uses by the touchstone of the definite purpose which knowing the heart of his subject has given him4 ,doubtless some writers see situation first1 and others character1 but sooner or later all must come to some story4 ,now as story is only incident so unified that it has interesting movement from a beginning to an end1 ultimately the task of all dramatists is to find illustrative action which as clearly and quickly as possible will present the characters of the story or make clear the purpose of the dramatist4 ,here is the selective process by which ,mr4 ,selwyn got at the story of his ,country ,boy3 ,it happened to be just before ,christmas of last year4 ,the season some way impressed itself on me1 and ,i began to think what a desolate place ,new ,york must be for a lot of fellows who had come here from small towns and who were thinking of the homes they had left there1 and longing to go back to them for the ,christmas season4 ,doubtless there are hundreds of them here who came here years ago vowing that they would never go back till they had made good1 with the result that they have never since spent ,christmas in the old home4 ,the initial idea4 ,there is always somebody to whom we are always successful1 and some one to whom we are never successful1 and many times1 if these fellows would go back to their old homes1 among the people who really care for them1 they would be regarded as successes1 whereas in the great city they are looked upon as failures4 ,type character4 ,it seemed to me that a character of that kind would make a good subject for a play1 and then ,i began to look around for some one tangible to work from4 ,suddenly ,i thought of a newspaper man ,i used to know when ,i lived at a boarding house on #east ,street1 here in ,new ,york4 ,he was a free lance1 and a grouchy1 rheumatic1 envious1 bitter fellow1 who had all the dope on life--was a philosopher and could tell every one else how to live1 but didn't seem to be able to apply any of his knowledge to himself4 ,he wouldn't even speak to any one in the boarding house but me1 and why he singled me out for the honor ,i don't know4 ,but anyway he did1 and he used to tell me all of his troubles--how he had come from a little town with great ambitions1 and had vowed never to go back till he had attained all that he had set out to get4 ,and yet he had never been back4 ,he was a failure2 dressed shabbily and had given up hope for himself--and still1 as ,i say1 he could tell everybody else just what to do to succeed4 ,when ,i lived there in the boarding house and used to see him1 ,i thought he was the only one of his kind in town1 but since then ,i have found that there are many others just like him4 ,individual character4 ,so it occurred to me that he would be a good subject for ,the ,country ,boy1 and ,i worked out his life as it had actually been lived here in ,new ,york4 ,though the character was good ,i presently discovered that it would not do for my central figure1 for the reason that he had been here too long4 ,he had gone through the mill and knew all about it1 and what ,i really needed was a boy who could be shown to come from the country1 and who could be taken through the temptations and discouragements that a boy of that sort would have to endure4 ,so ,i just drew this younger character from my imagination4 ,selection of special figure4 ,i had to have this chap a bumptious1 conceited sort of youth so as to have the contrast stronger when he met the hard knocks that were to come to him in the city4 ,there are many boys of that sort in small towns4 ,they do not see the opportunities around them but imagine nothing short of a big city has space enough for them to develop in4 ,purpose determining characterization4#ae ,from idea through type-character to the individual ,mr4 ,selwyn worked to the life in ,new ,york of the older man1 and the story of the temptations and discouragements of the boy4 ,when he had reached these1 ,mr4 ,selwyn saw that the best story for his purpose would be a mingling of the two4 ,the boy worked1 in very well with the character of the old newspaper man1 because it allowed him to give the youngster the benefit of his experience1 and to succeed eventually by taking advantage of it4 ,that brought a happy ending for both of them4#af ,any one of these stories as it lay in the mind of ,mr4 ,selwyn before he turned it into plot1 was a sequence of incidents1 actions illustrative of one or both of the two characters1 and1 through them1 of the original idea4 ,just what is meant by this illustrative action so often mentioned8 ,in ,les ,oberle1 by ,rene ,bazin1 is a charming chapter describing the ,alsatian vintage festival4 ,at their work the women sing the song of the ,black ,bow of ,alsace--in the novel but one detail of an interesting description4 ,the account comes about midway in the book4 ,when the novel was dramatized it became necessary to make the audience understand1 even before the hero1 ,jean1 enters in ,act ,i1 that absorbed in his studies in ,germany1 he has been unaware of the constant friction in the home land between the governing ,germans and the ,alsatians4 ,here is the way the dramatist1 emotionalizing the description of the novel1 turned it into dramatic illustration of ,jean's ignorance of the condition of the country4 ,uncle ,ulrich1 ,bastian1 a neighbor1 and his daughter1 ,odile1 at sunset are waiting in a wood road for ,jean1 just arrived from ,germany and walking home from the station4 7,outside a voice sings as it approaches in the distance47 ,the ,black ,bow of the daughters of ,alsace ,is like a bird with spreading wings4 ,ulrich4 ,ah1 look there6 ,who can be so imprudent as to sing that air of ,alsace8 ,the ,voice4 ,it can overpass the mountains4 ,bastian4 ,if it should be he6 ,the ,voice4 ,and watch what goes on there4 ,odile4 ,i am sure it is ,jean's voice4 ,ulrich4 ,foolhardy6 ,they will hear him6 ,the ,voice4 7,nearer47 ,the ,black ,bow of the daughters of ,alsace-- ,ulrich4 ,again1 and louder than ever6 ,the ,voice4 ,is like a cross we carry ,in memory of those men and women ,whose souls were like our own4 ,ulrich4 ,jean6 ,upon my word that young lawyer cannot know the laws4 ,jean6#ag ,just at the end of the same act it is necessary to illustrate the constant presence1 the activity and alertness of the ,german forces and the irritation all this means to the ,alsatians4 ,in a story much of this would be described by the author4 ,in the play we feel with each of the speakers the irritating presence of the troops1 and so have perfect dramatic illustrative action4 7,they are just starting off when ,bastian stops them47 ,bastian4 ,chut6 ,jean4 ,what8 ,bastian4 7,softly47 ,listen6 ,jean4 7,softly47 ,a rolling stone in the ravine4 ,ulrich4 ,another6 ,jean4 ,steps6 ,ulrich4 ,of horses4 ,jean4 ,well8 ,ulrich4 ,a patrol6 ,jean4 7,moved47 ,ah6 ,bastian4 ,the ,hussars6 ,jean4 ,what are they doing8 ,ulrich4 ,they are keeping watch4 ,bastian4 ,they are drilling4 ,ulrich4 ,always6 ,jean4 ,ah6 ,bastian4 ,day and night4 ,ulrich4 ,never resting4 ,bastian4 ,perhaps they are trailing some deserter4 ,jean4 ,ah6 ,there are deserters8 ,bastian4 ,they won't tell you so in the town4 ,odile4 ,but we on the frontiers see them4 ,jean4 ,ah6 ,bastian4 ,they who go out by the ,grand' fontaine pass this way4 ,odile4 7,softly47 ,near our farm4 ,from our house one can see them passing4 ,jean4 ,ah6 ,ulrich4 ,chut6 ,jean4 ,i hear the breathing of their horses4 ,ulrich4 ,be still4 ,jean4 ,we are doing nothing wrong4 ,bastian4 ,wait4 ,ulrich4 ,down there--wait--lean over4 ,jean4 ,i see-- ,ulrich4 ,they are coming up4 ,bastian4 ,they are going by4 ,jean4 ,they have crossed the road4 ,ulrich4 ,we can go down for the moment4 ,bastian4 ,ouf6 ,jean4 ,it is strange--twenty times1 a hundred times in ,germany ,i have met the patrols of dragoons1 or hussars1 and admired their fine form4 ,here-- ,ulrich4 ,here8 ,jean4 ,only to see them gives me a queer feeling at the heart4 ,ulrich4 ,don't you understand1 my dear ,jean8 ,there they were in their own country1 here they are in ours4#ah ,early in the first scene of ,the ,changeling1 by ,thomas ,middleton1 ,beatrice states clearly1 and more than once1 the physical repulsion ,de ,flores causes her4 ,knowing full well1 however1 the dramatic value of illustrative action1 ,middleton handled the ending of the scene in this way4 ,beatrice turning to leave the room1 starts as she finds ,de ,flores close at hand4 ,beatrice4 7,aside47 ,not this serpent gone yet8 7,drops a glove47 ,vermandero4 ,look1 girl1 thy glove's fallen1 ,stay1 stay6 ,de ,flores1 help a little4 7,exeunt ,vermandero1 ,alsemero and ,servant47 ,de ,flores4 ,here1 lady4 7,offers her glove47 ,beatrice4 ,mischief on your officious forwardness6 ,who bade you stoop8 they touch my hand no more3 ,there6 for the other's sake ,i part with this2 7,takes off and throws down the other glove47 ,take 'em1 and draw thine own skin off with 'em4 7,exit with ,diaphanta and ,servants47 ,de ,flores4 ,here's a favour with a mischief now6 ,i know ,she had rather wear my pelt tanned in a pair ,of dancing pumps1 than ,i should thrust my fingers ,into her sockets here4#ai ,here the dramatist makes repulsion clear by illustrative action so emotional that it moves us to keenest sympathy or dislike for the woman herself4 ,dramatically speaking1 then1 illustrative action is not merely something which illustrates an idea or character1 but it must be an illustration mirroring emotion of the persons in the play or creating it in the observer4 ,what is the relation of illustrative action to dramatic situation8 ,the first is the essence of the second4 ,a dramatic episode presents an individual or group of individuals so moved as to stir an audience to responsive emotion4 ,illustrative action by each person in the group or by the group as a whole is basal4 ,the glove incident in ,the ,changeling concerns both ,beatrice and ,de ,flores4 ,hers is illustrative action when she shrinks from the glove his hand has touched4 ,he shows it when kissing and amorously fondling the glove she has refused4 ,their illustrative actions make together the dramatic episode of the glove1--which is in turn a part of ,scene #a of the first act of the play4 ,there are the divisions3 play1 act1 scene1 episode1 and illustrative action4 ,just as sometimes the development of a single episode may make a scene1 or there may be but one scene to an act1 there are cases when an illustrative action is a dramatic episode4 ,the ending of ,act ,,ii of ,ostrovsky's ,storm illustrates this4 ,varvara1 who has just gone out1 has put into the hands of ,catherine the key to a gate in the garden hedge4 ,this ,varvara has taken without the knowledge of her mother1 who is the mother-in-law of ,catherine4 ,just as ,varvara goes1 she has said that if she meets ,catherine's lover1 ,boris1 she will tell him to come to the gate4 ,catherine1 terrified1 at first tries to refuse the key1 but ,varvara insists on leaving it with her4 ,catherine4 7,alone1 the key in her hand47 ,oh1 what is she doing8 ,what hasn't she courage for8 ,ah1 she is crazy--yes1 crazy4 ,here is what will ruin me4 ,that's the truth6 ,i must throw this key away1 throw it far away1 into the river1 so that it may never be found again4 ,it burns my hand like a hot coal4 7,dreamily47 ,this is how we are ruined1 people like me6 ,slavery1 that isn't a gay business for any one4 ,how many ideas it puts into our heads4 ,another would be enchanted with what has happened to me1 and would rush on full tilt4 ,how can one act in that way without reflection1 without reason8 ,misfortune comes so quickly1 and afterward there is all the rest of one's life in which to weep and torment oneself1 and the slavery will be still more bitter4 7,silence47 ,and how bitter it is1 slavery6 ,oh1 how bitter it is6 ,who would not suffer from it8 ,and we other women suffer more than all the rest4 ,here am ,i at this moment battling with myself in vain1 not seeing a ray of light1 and ,i shan't see one4 ,the further ,i go1 the worse it is4 ,and here is this additional sin that ,i am going to take on my conscience4 7,she dreams a moment47 ,were not my mother-in-law--she has broken me3 it is she who has made me come to hate this house4 ,i hate its very walls4 7,she looks pensively at the key47 ,ought ,i to throw it away8 ,of course ,i ought4 ,how did it get into my hands8 ,to seduce me to my ruin4 7,listening47 ,some one is coming6 ,my heart fails me4 7,she puts the key into her pocket47 ,no6--no one4 ,why was ,i so frightened8 ,and ,i hid the key--,very well1 that's the way it is to be4 ,it is clear that fate wills it4 ,and after all1 where is the sin in seeing him just once1 if at a distance8 ,and if ,i were even to talk with him a little1 where would the harm be8--,but my husband--,very well1 it was he himself who didn't forbid it6 ,perhaps ,i shall never have such another chance in all my life4 ,then ,i shall weep and say to myself1 ,you had a chance to see him and didn't know how to take advantage of it4 ,what am ,i saying8 ,why lie to myself8 ,i will die for it if necessary1 but see him ,i will4 ,whom do ,i want to deceive here8 ,throw away the key8 ,no1 not for anything in the world4 ,i keep it4 ,come what will1 ,i will see ,boris4 ,ah1 if the night would only come more quickly6 ,curtain4#bj ,sometimes1 even a playwright of considerable experience1 though his mind is full of dramatic material1 finds his plotting at a standstill4 ,the trouble is that he has not sifted his material by means of the purpose he has in mind4 ,when he does1 details of setting1 bits of characterization or even characters as wholes1 parts or all of a scene and many ideas good in themselves but not necessarily connected with his real subject1 will drop out4 ,many plays of modern realism have been overloaded with details of setting1 with figures1 or even scenes really unessential4 ,in a recent play of ,breton life a prominent detail in the setting of a cave was the figurehead of a ship4 ,even if one missed noticing this striking detail1 its presence was emphasized by the text4 ,it turned out1 however1 that the figurehead had nothing to do with the story or its development1 nor was it really needed for any special color it gave4 ,it should1 therefore1 have been omitted4 ,no fault is more common than the use of unnecessary figures4 ,when ,lady ,gregory wrote her version of ,the ,workhouse ,ward1 she wisely cut out the matron1 the doorkeeper1 and all the inmates except two4 ,with three figures her play is a masterpiece4 ,with five actors and voices from off stage1 ,dr4 ,hyde's ,gaelic version is not4 ,a one-act play adapted from the ,spanish showed some dozen or more individual parts and a mob of at least forty4 ,ultimately1 on a small stage1 the plot was done full justice with half that number of individual parts and the crowd reduced to twenty or less4 ,an amusing play of mistaken identity had a delightful scene in which an aunt of the heroine is proposed to by a friend of her youth4 ,in it1 the dramatist1 with admirable characterization1 set forth the views on matrimony of many middle-aged women4 ,yet the whole scene had nothing whatever to do with the story of the heroine4 ,consequently it was ultimately dropped out4 ,that dramatic ideas must be sifted was shown on page #ge in the play seemingly about architects' draughtsmen4 ,not even when a scene1 a bit of dialogue or some other detail1 is entirely in character may it always keep its position4 ,though a detail or episode must be in character before it is admitted1 it can hold its position only if it is necessary for the purpose of the play4 ,time limits everything for the dramatist4 ,the final curtain impending inevitably at the end of two hours and a half is the dramatist's sword of ,damocles4 ,it reminds him that in a play1 whatever goes for nothing1 goes for less than nothing because it shuts out something which1 in its place1 might be effective4 ,in ,tennyson's ,becket is a fine scene1 the washing of the beggars' feet by the ,archbishop4#ba ,it illustrates both customs of the time and a side of ,becket's character1 yet it contained nothing absolutely necessary to the central purpose of the play4 ,consequently1 as the play must be condensed for acting purposes1 ,sir ,henry ,irving cut out the whole scene4 ,this time limit forces the dramatist1 when choosing between two episodes of equal value otherwise1 to select that which does more in less space1 or to combine desirable parts of the two episodes when possible4 ,in ,tennyson's ,becket1 ,scene #a of ,act ,,ii and ,scene #a of ,act ,,iii take place in ,rosamund's ,bower4 ,henry and ,rosamund are the principal speakers in both4 ,there is1 too1 no marked lapse of time between the scenes1 though ,tennyson chose to separate them by the ,meeting of the ,kings at ,montmirail4 ,very naturally1 therefore1 when condensation was necessary1 ,irving by severe cutting brought these two scenes together as ,act ,,ii of his version4 ,he not only saved time2 he gained in unity of effect4 ,similarly1 ,irving brings together the essential parts of ,scene #b1 ,act ,,ii1 the ,meeting of the ,kings1 and ,scene #c1 ,act ,,iii1 ,traitor's ,meadow at ,freteval1 making them the first scene of the third act in his version4 ,a cluttered play is always a bad play4 ,such clutter usually comes from including details of setting1 characterization or idea1 and even whole characters or scenes1 not really necessary4 ,selection with one's purpose clearly in mind is the remedy for such clutter4 ,even1 however1 when a writer has so carefully selected his dramatic episodes that each is one or more bits of illustrative action bearing on the main idea and entirely in character1 he may still be short of story4 ,he cannot rouse and maintain interest moving at haphazard4 ,his central idea must appear in dramatic episodes so ordered as to have sequence1--a beginning1 a middle1 and an end1--and so emphasized as to have the increasing interest which means movement4 ,he cannot have good story till it has unity of action4 ,when ,bulwer-,lytton wrote ,macready that he had discovered the heart of his proposed play on ,marillac to be ,richelieu1 note that he speaks of the simplification and the unity resulting3 ,you will be pleased to hear that ,i have completed the rough ,sketch of the ,play in #e acts-- ,i hope you will like it4 ,i have taken the subject of ,richelieu4 ,not being able to find any other so original effective1 have employed somewhat of the story ,i before communicated to you1 but simplified and connected4--,you are ,richelieu1 ,richelieu is brought out1 accordingly1 as the prominent light round which the other satellites move4 ,it is written on the plan of a great ,historical ,comedy1 ,i have endeavoured to concentrate a striking picture of the passions events--the intrigue ambition of that era--in a familiar point of view4#bb ,thomas ,dekker found the source of his ,shoemakers' ,holiday#bc in a pamphlet by ,thomas ,deloney1 ,the ,pleasant and ,princely ,history of the ,gentle-,craft4#bd ,this loosely written pamphlet tries to tell three stories supposed to redound to the credit of the shoemakers3 that of ,prince ,hugh and his love for ,winifred2 that of ,crispin and ,crispinianus and the brave deeds of the latter in the wars in ,france2 and1 finally1 that of ,simon ,eyre1 the master shoemaker who rose to be ,lord ,mayor of ,london1 his wife and his apprentices4 ,what obviously attracted ,dekker in the pamphlet was the third story1 to which he saw he could give much realism from his knowledge of the shoemakers about ,leadenhall4 ,unfortunately1 the story of ,simon ,eyre1 though it provided him with delightful characters1 gave him little variety of incident4 ,perhaps today a dramatist might make such a play carry almost wholly on the characterization of the shoemaker group4 ,the ,elizabethans1 however1 wanted a complicated story of varied action4 ,dekker1 though he had first-rate romantic material in the story of ,crispin and ,crispinianus1 could hardly weave this in with the story of ,eyre1 a relatively recent historical figure1 for one material called for romantic and the other for realistic treatment4 ,there seemed the deadlock4 ,but ,dekker1 thinking of this ,crispin in love with a princess1 who disguised himself as a shoemaker in order to win her hand1 remembered the wars of #aehh and ,english sympathy for the ,huguenots involved therein4 ,therefore he turned ,crispin into ,lacy1 a youth of that period4 ,lacy is not a prince1 but a relative of the ,earl of ,lincoln1 and something of a ne'er-do-well1 in love with the ,lord ,mayor's daughter1 ,rose4 ,he fears that if he goes to the wars in ,france1 his duty as chief colonel of the ,london ,companies1 he will lose her4 ,therefore he sends ,askew in his stead and stays in ,london disguised as one of ,eyre's shoemaker apprentices4 ,the purpose of ,dekker to write a realistic play of complicated plot has helped him to reshape his material till two stories1 as in the case of ,the ,country ,boy1 have become one4 ,unity appears in materials seemingly as irreconcilable as romance and realism4 ,there are1 however1 two weaknesses in this story as now developed3 ,rose and ,lacy1 though they appear against the background of the wars1 do not connect the apprentices with the enlistment1 nor do they afford many scenes of marked dramatic force4 ,wishing one or two scenes of stronger emotion which at the same time would bring the apprentices into closer connection with the wars1 ,dekker creates ,ralph1 ,jane1 and ,hammon4 ,ralph is one of the shoemakers who1 pressed to the war1 is torn from his protesting wife and fellow apprentices4 ,in his absence1 the citizen ,hammon falls in love with ,jane4 ,trying to make her believe that ,ralph is dead1 he wishes to marry her4 ,ralph1 returning from the war to his former work with ,eyre1 can find no trace of ,jane1 for after a slight difference with ,margery ,eyre1 she has disappeared4 ,one day a servant brings ,ralph a pair of shoes to be duplicated for a wedding gift4 ,the pair to be copied ,ralph recognizes as his parting gift to ,jane4 ,summoning his fellow apprentices to aid him1 he goes to the place proposed for the wedding and rescues ,jane4 ,thus some scenes of fine if homely emotion are provided4 ,wedded love is contrasted with that of ,rose and ,lacy and with ,hammon's courtship1 and through ,ralph the apprentices are brought closely into connection with the wars4 ,many a would-be dramatist suffers1 however1 not from a superabundance of material bearing on his subject but a dearth of it4 ,again and again one hears the complaint3 ,i know who my characters are to be1 and ,i have dramatic situation1 but ,i cannot find my story4 ,i haven't enough dramatic situation to round it out4 ,just this difficulty troubled ,bulwer-,lytton when he was preparing for ,richelieu4 ,he wrote to ,macready3 ,many thanks for your letter4 ,you are right about the ,plot--it is too crowded the interest too divided4--,but ,richelieu would be a splendid fellow for the ,stage1 if we could hit on a good plot to bring him out--connected with some domestic interest4 ,his wit--his lightness--his address--relieve so admirably his profound sagacity--his ,churchman's pride--his relentless vindictiveness and the sublime passion for the glory of ,france that elevated all4 ,he would be a new addition to the ,historical portraits of the ,stage2 but then he must be connected with a plot in which he would have all the stage to himself1 in which some ,home interest might link itself with the ,historical4 ,alas1 ,i've no such story yet he must stand over1 tho' ,i will not wholly give him up4444 444 ,depend on it1 ,i don't cease racking my brains1 something must come at last4#be ,such difficulty means that a writer forgets or is ignorant of one of the first principles of dramatic composition4 ,when he has three or four good situations which are in character1 he should not hunt new situations till he is sure he knows the full emotional possibilities of the situations he already has4 ,to decide after the closest scrutiny of the situations in hand1 that others are needed is one thing4 ,on the other hand1 the inexperienced workman presents as quickly as possible the climactic moment of the scene he has in mind1 and gets away as rapidly as possible to another intense climax4 ,finding himself1 as a result1 badly in need of additional dramatic moments1 he hunts for situations as situations4 ,returning triumphantly with some strong emotional effect1 he must perforce put the characters of the earlier scenes into these4 ,usually1 as they have no real part in these later scenes1 they prove troublesome4 ,sometimes the new scenes may be so reshaped as to fit the original characters1 but usually the result of this method is that the scenes are foisted on the original characters1 becoming obvious misfits1 or that the original characters are so modified as to fit them4 ,when modified1 however1 the original characters no longer perfectly fit the original scenes4 ,driven backward and forward between character and story1 the dramatist pursuing this method often gives up the attempt1 saying despairingly3 ,it is no use4 ,my characters will not give me a plot4 ,the trouble here is that the inexperienced dramatist treats the situation as if its value lay in its most climactic moment4 ,often1 however1 there is as much pleasure for the public emotionally in working up to the climax as in the climax itself4 ,to hold a situation1 that is1 to get from it the full dramatic possibilities the characters involved offer1 a dramatist must study his characters in it till he has discovered the entire range of their emotion in the scene4 ,this will give him not only many and many a new situation within the original situation1 but the transitional scenes which will unify situations originally apparently unrelated except as the same figures appeared in them4 ,for example1 consider this4 ,a kindly woman in middle life comes in friendliest fashion to offer to take the daughter of a proud man in great financial straits into her own home4 ,as treated by an inexperienced writer1 there was a prompt1 clear statement of what the woman desired1 with an immediate passionate denial of the request by the jealously affectionate father4 ,in this treatment we lose the best of the scene4 ,really this worldly-wise woman1 talking to such a man1 would lead up tactfully to her proposal4 ,as she led up to it1 there would be many dramatic moments1 with much interesting revelation of her own and the man's character4 ,caring for the man as she does1 and loving the girl deeply1 she would not immediately accept a refusal4 ,after the man's first denial1 as she tried by turns to cajole1 convince or dominate him1 there would be strong dramatic conflict1 and1 once more1 interesting revelation of character4 ,given1 then1 some happening1 the nature of the human being involved in it will affect its look4 ,a second person involved will affect it even more4 ,two people1 influencing each other because affected by the same incident will give still a third look to the original situation4 ,when you have what seems a good situation1 don't rush into another at your earliest opportunity1 but instead study it till you know every permutation and combination it holds emotionally for every one involved1 both because the situation affects every character1 and because every character may affect all the others4 ,then you will know how to hold a situation4 ,said ,dumas the ,younger3 ,before every situation that a dramatist creates1 he should ask himself three questions4 ,in this situation1 what should ,i do8 ,what would other people do8 ,what ought to be done8 ,every author who does not feel disposed to make this analysis should renounce the theatre1 for he will never become a dramatist4#bf ,though every writer may not examine his material by means of such formal categories1 he must in some way gain the thorough information about it for which ,dumas calls4 ,then and then only he can select from the results of his thinking that which will best accomplish his purpose in the play4 ,a one-act play with a very good central situation came to nothing because its author had not grasped the principle just set forth4 ,a young man and a girl1 eloping1 come to the station of a small settlement4 ,they find no one about1 but the door of the ticket office ajar as if the person in charge had stepped out for a moment4 ,they fear that the father and mother of the girl and perhaps another admirer are on their trail4 ,partly from curiosity and partly from the desire not to be seen till the train comes1 they step into the office1 closing the door behind them4 ,then they discover that they are prisoners1 for the door can be opened even from their side only by a person with the right key4 ,just at this point1 the father and mother arrive1 amazed at finding no trace of the fugitives4 ,they too are puzzled by the absence of the ticket-seller4 ,just as they start out to find him he appears1 apologetic for his absence4 ,he is mildly interested in their story1 but as he has seen no young persons1 and as he expects the train shortly1 he starts to go into his office4 ,then he discovers the closed door and admits that he went out to look for his key1 which he must have dropped somewhere since he opened the station that morning4 ,here was of course a dramatic situation of large possibilities1 but in the play it was treated almost as just stated4 ,of course the sensations of the two young people cooped up in the ticket office1 expecting the parents1 the station agent1 and the train1 should have given us a comic scene before any one else appeared4 ,the effect of the discovery that they are prisoners upon the girl1 the effect upon the young man1 the way in which the resulting emotions of each affect the other1 all this must be given if the potential comedy of the situation inside the ticket office is to be fully used4 ,the arrival of the father and mother offers a chance not only for the individual emotions of each and their effect upon one another1 but for the emotion of the concealed elopers as they hear the familiar voices and understand how enraged the parents are4 ,there is opportunity for a good scene of some length here before the station master appears4 ,when he does enter1 he should be interesting1 not simply for himself1 but for the effect he has on father1 mother1 girl1 and young man1 and the new interplay of emotions he causes among them4 ,add the coming of the former admirer with evidence he has found that the elopers have been making for this station2 and as the new complications developed by his coming take shape1 let the train be heard far up the line4 ,surely here is a group of very promising situations4 ,in this play so crowded with dramatic opportunity1 its author found only the most dramatic moments1 rushing rapidly from one to the other4 ,result1 a failure4 ,any dramatic situation made up of a congeries of minor situations is like a great desk the pigeon holes of which are crowded with letters and personal documents4 ,the biographer sitting down before it first makes himself thoroughly conversant with all the data4 ,then he selects for use only what is of value for the biographical purpose he has in mind4 ,the people in a situation are1 for a dramatist1 the human data he must study till he so completely understands them that he can differentiate clearly in what they offer between what is useful for his purposes and what is not4 ,even ,shakespeare1 in his earliest work1 had not grasped the importance of holding a situation1 as a scene in the ,first ,part of ,henry ,,vi shows4 ,he knows how to inform his audience in ,scene #b of ,act ,,ii why it is that ,talbot visits the ,countess of ,auvergne2 in the ,whispers of the next to the last line of this scene he even prepares for the surprise ,talbot springs upon the ,countess in the next scene2 but ,scene #c itself he treats merely for the broad situation and a few bits of rhetoric4 ,a ,messenger come to the ,english camp has just asked which of the men before him is the famous ,talbot4 ,talbot4 ,here is the ,talbot2 who would speak with him8 ,messenger4 ,the virtuous lady1 ,countess of ,auvergne1 ,with modesty admiring thy renown1 ,by me entreats1 great lord1 thou wouldst vouchsafe ,to visit her poor castle where she lies1 ,that she may boast she hath beheld the man ,whose glory fills the world with loud report4 ,burgundy4 ,is it even so8 ,nay1 then1 ,i see our wars ,will turn unto a peaceful comic sport1 ,when ladies crave to be encount'red with4 ,you may not1 my lord1 despise her gentle suit4 ,tal4 ,ne'er trust me then2 for what a world of men ,could not prevail with all their oratory1 ,yet hath a woman's kindness over-rul'd2 ,and therefore tell her ,i return great thanks1 ,and in submission will attend on her4 ,will not your honours bear me company8 ,bedford4 ,no1 truly1 'tis more than manners will2 ,and ,i have heard it said1 unbidden guests ,are often welcomest when they are gone4 ,tal4 ,well1 then1 alone1 since there's no remedy1 ,i mean to prove this lady's courtesy4 ,come hither1 captain4 7,whispers47 ,you perceive my mind8 ,captain4 ,i do1 my lord1 and mean accordingly4 7,exeunt47 ,,scene #c4 ,the ,countess's castle ,enter the ,countess and her porter ,countess4 ,porter1 remember what ,i gave in charge2 ,and when you have done so1 bring the keys to me4 ,porter4 ,madam1 ,i will4 7,exit47 ,countess4 ,the plot is laid4 ,if all things fall out right ,i shall as famous be by this exploit ,as ,scythian ,tomyris by ,cyrus' death4 ,great is the rumour of this dreadful knight1 ,and his achievements of no less account2 ,fain would mine eyes be witness with mine ears1 ,to give their censure of these rare reports4 ,enter ,messenger and ,talbot ,messenger4 ,madam1 ,according as your ladyship desir'd1 ,by message crav'd1 so is ,lord ,talbot come4 ,countess4 ,and he is welcome4 ,what6 is this the man8 ,mess4 ,madam1 it is4 ,countess4 ,is this the scourge of ,france8 ,is this the ,talbot1 so much fear'd abroad ,that with his name the mothers still their babes8 ,i see report is fabulous and false4 ,i thought ,i should have seen some ,hercules1 ,a second ,hector1 for his grim aspect1 ,and large proportion of his strong-knit limbs4 ,alas1 this is a child1 a silly dwarf6 ,it cannot be this weak and writhled shrimp ,should strike such terror to his enemies4 ,tal4 ,madam1 ,i have been bold to trouble you2 ,but since your ladyship is not at leisure1 ,i'll sort some other time to visit you4 7,going47 ,countess4 ,what means he now8 ,go ask him whither he goes4 ,mess4 ,stay1 my ,lord ,talbot2 for my lady craves ,to know the cause of your abrupt departure4 ,tal4 ,marry1 for that she's in a wrong belief1 ,i go to certify her ,talbot's here4 ,reenter ,porter with keys ,countess4 ,if thou be he1 then art thou prisoner4 ,tal4 ,prisoner6 ,to whom6 ,countess4 ,to me1 blood-thirsty lord2 ,and for that cause ,i train'd thee to my house4 ,long time1 thy shadow hath been thrall to me1 ,for in my gallery thy picture hangs2 ,but now the substance shall endure the like1 ,and ,i will chain these legs and arms of thine1 ,that hast by tyranny these many years ,wasted our country1 slain our citizens1 ,and sent our sons and husbands captivate4 ,tal4 ,ha1 ha1 ha6 ,countess4 ,laughest thou1 wretch8 ,thy mirth shall turn to moan4 ,tal4 ,i laugh to see your ladyship so fond ,to think that you have aught but ,talbot's shadow ,whereon to practice your severity4 ,countess4 ,why1 art not thou the man8 ,tal4 ,i am indeed4 ,countess4 ,then have ,i substance too4 ,tal4 ,no1 no1 ,i am but shadow of myself4 ,you are deceiv'd1 my substance is not here4 ,for what you see is but the smallest part ,and least proportion of humanity4 ,i tell you1 madam1 were the whole frame here1 ,it is of such a spacious1 lofty pitch1 ,your roof were not sufficient to contain't4 ,countess4 ,this is a riddling merchant for the nonce2 ,he will be here1 and yet he is not here4 ,how can these contrarieties agree8 ,tal4 ,that will ,i show you presently4 7,winds his horn4 ,drums strike up3 a peal of ordnance4 ,the gates are forced47 ,enter ,soldiers ,how say you1 madam8 ,are you now persuaded ,that ,talbot is but shadow of himself8 ,these are his substance1 sinews1 arms1 and strength1 ,with which he yoketh your rebellious necks1 ,razeth your cities and subverts your towns ,and in a moment makes you desolate4 ,countess4 ,victorious ,talbot6 pardon my abuse4 ,i find thou art no less than fame hath bruited ,and more than may be gathered by the shape4 ,let my presumption not provoke thy wrath2 ,for ,i am sorry that with reverence ,i did not entertain thee as thou art4 ,tal4 ,be not dismay'd1 fair lady2 nor misconstrue ,the mind of ,talbot1 as you did mistake ,the outward composition of his body4 ,what you have done hath not offended me2 ,nor other satisfaction do ,i crave1 ,but only with your patience1 that we may ,taste of your wine and see what cates you have2 ,for soldiers' stomachs always serve them well4 ,countess4 ,with all my heart1 and think me honoured ,to feast so great a warrior in my house4 7,exeunt47 ,except for a few lines of rhetoric1 could the account in ,scene #c be shortened8 ,the ,countess awaits ,talbot2 he comes2 she reviles him in a few lines2 he turns to go2 she declares him a prisoner2 he laughs at her2 and as she stands amazed1 calls in his forces brought in secret to the castle4 ,when ,talbot invites himself and his men to feast at her expense1 the ,countess immediately agrees4 ,reading the scene1 one recalls the words of ,dumas fils3 ,any one can relate a dramatic situation3 the art lies in preparing it1 getting it accepted1 making it plausible1 especially in untying the knot4#bg ,here ,shakespeare does not untie the knot2 the ,countess merely yields4 ,what she feels1 what happened thereafter1--all these are omitted4 ,it is merely the situation which counts4 ,before ,talbot comes in1 the scene could easily be made to reveal much more of the character of the ,countess4 ,when he does enter1 the play of wits between them1 even as it disclosed character1 might provide interesting dramatic conflict4 ,surely the moment when the ,countess thinks ,talbot trapped and he coolly jeers at her1 is worth more development4 ,here it is treated so quickly that the surprise in the entrance of the soldiers hardly gets its full effect4 ,all this is the work of a tyro1 even if he be ,shakespeare4 ,in ,richard ,,ii1 there is a scene1 not as long as that just quoted1 in which the central situation might seem to many people less dramatic than that of ,talbot and the ,countess1 yet note to what a clear and convincing conclusion ,shakespeare brings it1 how plausible he makes the scene1 how thoroughly he prepares it for the largest emotional effect by entering thoroughly into the characters involved4 ,enter ,aumerle ,duchess4 ,here comes my son ,aumerle4 ,york4 ,aumerle that was2 ,but that is lost for being ,richard's friend1 ,and1 madam1 you must call him ,rutland now4 ,i am in ,parliament pledge for his truth ,and lasting fealty to the new made king4 ,duch4 ,welcome1 my son4 ,who are the violets now ,that strew the green lap of the new come spring8 ,aum4 ,madam1 ,i know not1 nor ,i greatly care not ,god knows ,i had as lief be none as one4 ,york4 ,well1 bear you well in this new spring of time1 ,lest you be cropp'd before you come to prime4 ,what news from ,oxford8 ,do these jousts and triumphs hold8 ,aum4 ,for aught ,i know1 my lord1 they do4 ,york4 ,you will be there1 ,i know4 ,aum4 ,if ,god prevent not1 ,i purpose so4 ,york4 ,what seal is that1 that hangs without thy bosom8 ,yea1 look'st thou pale8 ,let me see the writing4 ,aum4 ,my lord1 'tis nothing4 ,york4 ,no matter1 then1 who see it4 ,i will be satisfied3 let me see the writing4 ,aum4 ,i do beseech your grace to pardon me4 ,it is a matter of small consequence1 ,which for some reasons ,i would not have seen4 ,york4 ,which for some reasons1 sir1 ,i mean to see4 ,i fear1 ,i fear1-- ,duch4 ,what should you fear8 ',tis nothing but some hand1 which he has ent'red into ,for gay apparel 'gainst the triumph day4 ,york4 ,bound to himself6 ,what doth he with a bond ,that he is bound to8 ,wife1 thou art a fool4 ,boy1 let me see the writing4 ,aum4 ,i do beseech you1 pardon me4 ,i may not show it4 ,york4 ,i will be satisfied2 let me see it1 ,i say4 7,he plucks it out of his bosom and reads it47 ,treason6 foul treason6 ,villain6 traitor6 slave6 ,duch4 ,what is the matter1 my lord8 ,york4 ,ho6 who is within there8 ,enter a ,servant ,saddle my horse4 ,god for his mercy1 what treachery is here6 ,duch4 ,why1 what is it1 my lord8 ,york4 ,give me my boots1 ,i say2 saddle my horse4 7,exit ,servant47 ,now1 by mine honour1 by my life1 by my troth1 ,i will appeach the villain4 ,duch4 ,what is the matter8 ,york4 ,peace1 foolish woman4 ,duch4 ,i will not peace4 ,what is the matter1 ,aumerle8 ,aum4 ,good mother1 have content2 it is no more ,than my poor life must answer4 ,duch4 ,thy life answer6 ,york4 ,bring me my boots2 ,i will unto the ,king4 ,reenter ,servant with boots ,duch4 ,strike him1 ,aumerle4 ,poor boy1 thou art amaz'd4 --,hence villain6 never more come in my sight4 ,york4 ,give me my boots1 ,i say4 ,duch4 ,why1 ,york1 what wilt thou do8 ,wilt thou not hide the trespass of thine own8 ,have we more sons8 ,or are we like to have8 ,is not my teeming date drunk up with time8 ,and wilt thou pluck my fair son from mine age1 ,and rob me of a happy mother's name8 ,is he not like thee8 ,is he not thine own8 ,york4 ,thou fond mad woman4 ,wilt thou conceal this dark conspiracy8 ,a dozen of them here have ta'en the sacrament1 ,and interchangeably set down their hands1 ,to kill the ,king at ,oxford4 ,duch4 ,he shall be none2 ,we'll keep him here2 then what is that to him8 ,york4 ,away1 fond woman6 ,were he twenty times my son1 ,i would appeach him4 ,duch4 ,hadst thou groan'd for him ,as ,i have done1 thou wouldst be more pitiful4 ,but now ,i know thy mind2 thou dost suspect ,that ,i have been disloyal to thy bed1 ,and that he is a bastard1 not thy son4 ,sweet ,york1 sweet husband1 be not of that mind4 ,he is as like thee as a man may be1 ,not like to me or any of my kin1 ,and yet ,i love him4 ,york4 ,make way1 unruly woman6 7,exit47 ,duch4 ,after1 ,aumerle6 ,mount thee upon his horse2 ,spur post and get before him to the ,king1 ,and beg thy pardon ere he do accuse thee4 ,i'll not be long behind2 though ,i be old1 ,i doubt not but to ride as fast as ,york4 ,and never will ,i rise up from the ground ,till ,bolingbroke have pardon'd thee4 ,away1 be gone6 7,exeunt47 ,so far as the situation is concerned we might go directly from ,york's fealty to the new made ,king to his ,what seal is that8 omitting some ten lines4 ,we should lose1 however1 the deft touches which make the discovery all the more dramatic1--the words of ,york which show that he has no idea that his son is really involved in any disloyalty2 the affectionate effort of the mother to draw the talk from unpleasant subjects2 and the distrait mood of ,aumerle4 ,again1 the discovery of the contents of the seal might be made at once1 but the fifteen intervening lines before ,york cries ,treason6 foul treason6 increase our suspense by their clear presentation of the emotions of father1 mother1 and son4 ,once more the situation is held when ,york does not declare at once the nature of the treason and the frantic mother demands again and again the contents of the paper before ,aumerle says bitterly1 and in perfect character with his first speeches of the scene1 it is no more ,than my poor life must answer4 ,still again we should have the necessary action of the scene perfectly if ,york1 as soon as he has his boots1 flung out of the room1 to be followed immediately by the ,duchess1 crying that she will follow him to the ,king and ask the boy's pardon4 ,however1 had ,shakespeare's treatment here been that he used in the scene of ,talbot and the ,countess we should have lacked the perfect portrayal of the mother who loses all sense of right and wrong in fear that her loved child may die4 ,finally1 do we not gain greatly by the characterization of the ,duchess in the last lines of the scene8 ,five times1 then1 ,shakespeare1 by entering into his characters1 holds the situation4 ,the second act of ,the ,magistrate1#bh by ,sir ,arthur ,pinero1 is in central situation broadly this4 ,cis ,farringdon1 represented by his mother to his stepfather1 ,mr4 ,posket1 as fourteen1 because she does not like to admit her own age1 is really nineteen and precocious at that4 ,he has brought ,mr4 ,posket to one of his haunts1 a supper room in the ,hotel des ,princes1 ,meek ,street1 ,london1 where they are to sup together4 ,as ,mr4 ,posket is a police justice1 he has been induced to figure for the evening as ,skinner of the stock exchange4 ,shortly after the arrival of the two comes word that a frequenter of the restaurant twenty years ago1 now returned to ,london1 wants to sup in their chosen room for the sake of old times4 ,therefore ,mr4 ,posket and ,cis are put into an adjoining room4 ,colonel ,lukyn1 the returned stranger1 and a friend1 ,captain ,vale1 enter4 ,just as they are ordering supper1 a note comes to the effect that ,mrs4 ,posket1 with a woman friend1 is below1 begging to speak with her old acquaintance1 ,colonel ,lukyn4 ,as ,mrs4 ,posket asks a private interview1 ,captain ,vale is put out on the balcony4 ,with ,mrs4 ,posket comes her sister ,charlotte4 ,we have already learned from ,vale that he is deeply depressed because he thinks ,charlotte no longer cares for him4 ,mrs4 ,posket has come to beg ,colonel ,lukyn1 who knew her before she became a widow1 not to reveal the truth about her age4 ,watch now the permutations and combinations the author develops from this general situation4 ,cis is hardly in the room before ,isadore presents his bill for past meals4 ,cis sees the chance1 by borrowing from his stepfather1 to settle a long postponed account4 ,three figures1 moved in turn by shrewdness1 trickiness1 and gullibility1 stir us to amusement1 giving us ,situation ,i4 ,even as the bill is paid1 ,cis asks ,isadore to show ,mr4 ,skinner the trick of putting the silver to bed4 ,three people amused or interested by a trick1 amuse us--,situation ,,ii4 ,with the coming of the note from ,alexander ,lukyn1 and the assignment of the room adjoining to ,cis and ,mr4 ,skinner-,posket1 there is a hint of future complication which amuses us--,situation ,,iii4 ,lukyn and ,vale entering1 the former sentimental over his memories of the place1 and the latter comically depressed over what he thinks to be the faithlessness of ,charlotte ,verrinder1 give us ,situation ,,iv4 ,the note saying ,mrs4 ,posket is below with a friend1 asking a private interview1 produces ,situation ,v1 for it amuses us to think what may happen with ,mr4 ,posket and ,cis just on the other side of the door4 ,placing ,vale on the balcony leads to ,situation ,,vi1 for he goes with amusing regret for the delayed supper4 ,up to this point the situations may be declared parts of the main situation1 which must now itself be developed4 ,just after ,blond1 the proprietor1 ushers in the ladies1 the pattering of rain outside is heard4 ,lukyn4 ,good gracious1 ,blond6 ,what's that8 ,blond4 ,the rain outside4 ,it is cats and dogs4 ,lukyn4 7,horrified47 ,by ,george1 is it8 7,to himself1 looking towards window47 ,poor devil6 7,to ,blond47 ,there isn't any method of getting off that balcony is there8 ,blond4 ,no--unless by getting on to it4 ,lukyn4 ,what do you mean8 ,blond4 ,it is not at all safe4 ,don't use it4 7,lukyn stands horror-stricken4 ,blond goes out4 ,heavy rain is heard47--,situation ,,vii4 ,as ,mrs4 ,posket reveals to ,lukyn the complications in which her lie is involving her1 voices from the next room1 not clearly distinguished by those on the stage1 but known to us as the voices of ,cis and ,mr4 ,skinner-,posket1 are heard--,situation ,,viii4 ,just when ,lukyn is straining every nerve to get the ladies away so that he may release ,vale1 ,charlotte1 overwhelmed by hunger1 invites herself to supper--,situation ,,ix4 ,as the two women eat1 ,lukyn sits in anxious despair1 at times forgetful of his guests4 ,this brings ,situation ,x1 when ,vale reaches out from behind the curtains of the balcony and passes to the absent-minded ,lukyn from the buffet the dishes ,charlotte desires4 ,when ,charlotte1 turning suddenly1 sees the outstretched arm1 we have ,situation ,,xi4 ,when ,vale reenters1 thoroughly irritated and quarrels with ,lukyn1 we have ,situation ,,xii4 ,the reunion of ,charlotte and ,vale makes the thirteenth4 ,that is1 if six initial situations produced the situation when all the characters were upon the stage1 ,sir ,arthur has developed seven new situations from the sixth4 ,now by adding a fresh complication through some new figures1 he develops six more situations4 ,just as ,lukyn1 ,mrs4 ,posket1 ,charlotte1 and ,vale are about to leave amicably1 ,blond rushes in to say that the police are below because the prescribed hour for closing has passed4 ,the names and addresses of all persons found on the premises will be taken--,situation ,,xiv4 ,lukyn1 ,vale1 ,mrs4 ,posket and ,charlotte hide themselves in different parts of the room1 putting out the lights4 ,situation ,,xv is the entrance in the darkness of ,blond leading ,cis and ,mr4 ,skinner-,posket1 in order that the other room may be searched safely4 ,at last1 the room where all are hidden is examined by the police4 ,all try to hold their breath1 but in vain4 ,the police detect some one breathing--,situation ,,xvi4 ,in the resulting confusion1 ,cis escapes1 dragging his stepfather with him--,situation ,,xvii4 ,the other four when caught1 foolishly give false names4 ,lukyn1 thoroughly irritated by the officers1 flings one of them aside and attempts to force his way out1 when he and his party are promptly arrested for assault--,situation ,,xviii4 ,lukyn4 ,you'll dare to lock us up all night8 ,messiter4 ,it's one o'clock now1 ,colonel--you'll come on first thing in the morning4 ,lukyn4 ,come on8 ,at what court8 ,messiter4 ,mulberry ,street4 ,agatha ,posket4 ,ah6 ,the ,magistrate8 ,messiter4 ,mr4 ,posket1 ,mum4 7,agatha ,posket sinks into a chair1 ,charlotte at her feet2 ,lukyn1 overcome1 falls on ,vale's shoulders47--,situation ,,xix4 ,five situations of nineteen lead up to the sixth4 ,seven are developed from that sixth by means of four people4 ,the new complication1 the search of the restaurant by the police and the bringing into one room of all the figures1 gives us six more situations4 ,certainly ,sir ,arthur knows how to hold a situation4 ,act ,,iii of ,mrs4 ,dane's ,defence#bi is just equally divided between preparatory material and the great scene which ebbs and flows about the following situation4 ,mrs4 ,dane1 in love with ,lionel1 the adopted son of ,sir ,daniel ,carteret1 at the opening of the scene has lied so successfully about her past that ,sir ,daniel1 who has been suspicious of her1 has been entirely convinced of her innocence4 ,eager to help her set herself right1 he asks in the kindest way for information which may aid him4 ,trying not to commit herself1 ,mrs4 ,dane slips once or twice and all the old suspicions of ,sir ,daniel are rearoused4 ,he cross-examines her so rigidly that ultimately she breaks down and confesses4 ,handled by the inexperienced that situation might have been good for four or five pages4 ,as treated by ,mr4 ,h4,a4 ,jones1 it makes a scene of twenty pages of finest suspense and climax4 ,the situation is well held because every reaction upon it by the two characters has been worked out4 ,one would hardly think two quarrelsome inmates of a poorhouse1 visited by a relative of one of them who wishes to take him away to manage her place1 likely to produce a masterpiece of comic drama4 ,yet it does with ,lady ,gregory in ,the ,workhouse ,ward1#cj for she knows ,irish character and speech so intimately that minor situation after minor situation develops1 through the characters1 from the original situation4 ,indeed1 much of our so-called new drama is but a prolonged holding of a situation stated as the play opens1 or clearly before us at the end of ,act ,i4 ,chains#ca of ,miss ,elizabeth ,baker in ,act ,i puts this double situation before us4 ,a young married man without children1 though happy enough in his marriage1 is so weary of the sordidness of his small means and limited opportunities that he longs to break away1 go out to ,australia1 and when he has made a career for himself1 send for his wife4 ,his sister-in-law1 a shop girl1 equally weary of her life1 is weakly thinking of marrying a man she does not love1 but who really loves her1 in order to escape the grayness of her life4 ,at the end of the play these two are accepting the situations in which we found them4 ,yet the three acts of the play are full of varied interest for an audience1 so admirably does the writer discern the situations which her characters will develop from the original situation4 ,hindle ,wakes1#cb the best play of ,stanley ,houghton1 is really a study of the way in which a situation which took place before the play began affects three families4 ,surely it must now be evident that if a dramatist should in the first place understand perfectly that illustrative action is the core of drama1 and must be carefully selected2 and secondly that he must1 among possible illustrative actions1 select those which quickest will produce the largest emotional results2 he must also recognize that till he has searched and probed his situations by means of the characters1 in the first place he cannot know which are his strongest1 and in the second place cannot hope to hold the situations chosen4 ,another complaint from the inexperienced dramatist when shaping up his story is that though he sees the big moments in his play1 he does not see his way from one to another4 ,that is1 transitional scenes are lacking4 ,they will not worry him long1 however1 if he follows the methods just stated for holding a situation4 ,let him watch the people who have come into his imagination1 first simply as people4 ,who and what are they8 ,secondly1 what are they feeling and thinking in the situations which have occurred to him8 ,he can't long consider this without deciding what people they must have been in order to be in the situations in question4 ,hard upon this comes the question3 ,what will people who have been like these and have passed through this experience do immediately1 and thereafter8 ,in the answer to the question1 ,what have they been8 he finds the transitional scenes which take him back into an earlier episode2 in the answer to ,what will they become8 the transitional scenes that carry him forward4 ,in the scene cited from ,richard ,,ii the main moments are the home-coming1 the discovery of the traitorous paper1 and the departure of the ,duke and ,duchess of ,york4 ,how is the transition from one to the other to be gained8 ,through knowledge of the characters1 as the analysis showed4 ,what applies here to transition within a scene from dramatic moment to dramatic moment applies equally in transition from scene to scene4 ,suppose that ,sir ,arthur ,pinero had as the starting-point of the third act of ,the ,magistrate the idea that ,mrs4 ,posket should be arrested under such conditions that she must appear in the court of her husband when he is as guilty as she4 ,sir ,arthur has decided that they must be in some place like the ,hotel des ,princes when it is raided4 ,he has in mind episodes which will bring them all together at that place4 ,he already sees clearly the scene of the raid and the arrest4 ,but the place cannot be raided till late in the evening1 and ,agatha ,posket is too jealous of her reputation thoughtlessly to stay late in such a place4 ,what are to be the transitional scenes which1 in the first place1 shall make us feel that considerable time has passed since ,mrs4 ,posket came to the hotel1 and secondly shall keep us amused8 ,sir ,arthur finds them through the characters4 ,it is the hunger of self-indulgent ,charlotte which motivates the staying and gives us the supper scene4 ,it is the character of ,vale which gives us his quarrel with ,lukyn4 ,the love making of ,charlotte and ,vale provides another transitional scene4 ,in other words1 whether one is looking for more episodes or for transitions from one chosen episode to another1 one should not go far afield hunting episodes as episodes1 but should become acquainted with the characters as closely as possible4 ,they will solve the difficulties4 ,all this lengthy consideration of selection makes for unity of action in the story resulting4 ,some unity of action1 whether the story be slight or complicated1 there must be4 ,of the three great unities over which there has been endless discussion1 ,action1 ,place1 and ,time1 the modern dramatists1 as we shall see1 treat ,place with the greatest freedom1 and are constantly inventing devices to avoid the ,time difficulty4 ,with the dramatists of the present1 as with the dramatists of the past1 however1 what they write must be a whole1 a unit4 ,some central idea1 plan1 purpose1 whatever we choose to call it1 must give the play organic structure4 ,story is the first step to this4 ,which gives most pleasure1--a string of disconnected anecdotes and jests2 or a series of them given some unity because they concern some man of note1 for instance1 ,abraham ,lincoln2 or the same series edited till1 taken all together1 they make ,abraham ,lincoln1 in one or more of his characteristics1 clearer than ever before8 ,does not a large part of our pleasure in biography come from the way in which it co-ordinates and interprets episodes and incidents hitherto not properly inter-related in our minds8 ,unity of action is1 then1 of first importance in story4 ,there is1 however1 another kind of unity which has not been enough considered1--what may1 perhaps1 be called artistic unity4 ,why is it that a play which begins seriously and for most of its course so develops1 only to end farcically1 or which begins lightly only to become tragic1 leaves us dissatisfied8 ,because the audience finds it difficult to readjust its mood as swiftly as does the author4 ,the ,climbers#cc and ,the ,girl ,with the ,green ,eyes#cd of ,clyde ,fitch are examples in point4 ,the first begins with such dignity and mysteriousness that its lighter moods1 after ,act ,i1 seem almost trivial4 ,in the second play the very tragic scene of the attempted suicide1 after the light comedy touch of the preceding parts1 is distinctly jarring4 ,a recent play which for two acts or more seemingly had been dealing with but slightly disguised figures of the political world had a late scene in which one of these politicians1 like ,manson in ,the ,servant in the ,house1#ce or ,the ,stranger in ,the ,passing of the ,third ,floor ,back1#cf shadowed the figure of ,christ himself4 ,the effect was jarring1 unpleasant1 and confusing1 mainly because of its suddenness4 ,it will be noted that in both the plays mentioned1 ,manson and ,the ,stranger carry their suggestion from the start4 ,should we know how to take ,percinet and ,sylvette in ,the ,romancers#cg of ,rostand did not that opening scene1 when these two1 in love with being in love1 read ,romeo and ,juliet together1 prepare us for all the later fantasy8 ,a dramatist will do well1 then1 to know clearly before he begins to write whether he wishes his story to be melodrama1 tragedy1 farce1 or comedy of character or intrigue4 ,unless he does and in consequence selects his illustrative material so that he may give it artistic unity1 he is likely to produce a play of so mixed a genre as to be confusing4 ,just what is tragi-comedy1 then8 a reader may ask4 ,the ,elizabethan dramatist frequently offered one serious and one comic plot1 running parallel except when brought together in the last scene of the play4 ,technically1 however1 tragi-comedy is a form which1 although it may contain tragic elements1 is throughout given a general emphasis as comedy and ends in comedy4 ,we do not have good tragi-comedy when most of the play is comedy or tragedy1 and one scene or act is distinctly the opposite4 ,therefore not only unity of action but artistic unity1 unity of genre1 should be sought by the dramatist shaping up his story4 ,how much story does a play require8 ,this is a difficult point to settle1 but first of all let us clearly understand that there are great differences in audiences as far as plotting is concerned4 ,some periods require more plot than others4 ,today we do not demand1 as did the audience of ,shakespeare's time1 plays containing two or more stories1 sometimes scarcely at all connected1 sometimes neatly interwoven4 ,middleton's ,the ,changeling#ch contains two almost independent stories4 ,this is nearly as true of ,the ,coxcomb#ci by ,beaumont and ,fletcher4 ,on the other hand1 in ,much ,ado ,about ,nothing the ,hero-,claudio story1 the ,beatrice-,benedict story1 and the ,dogberry-,verges story are so deftly interwoven that they are1 to all appearances1 a unit4 ,even as late as thirty years ago one found in many plays a group of characters for the serious interest and another for the comic values4 ,gradually1 however1 dramatists have come to get their comic values from people essential to the serious story1 or from a comic emphasis they place on certain aspects of the serious figures of the play4 ,today is the time of the single story rather than the interwoven story4 ,yet even now1 so far as the public of the ,united ,states is concerned1 a writer may easily go too far in simplicity1 or rather scantiness of story1 trusting too much to admirable characterization4 ,that is why that delightful play1 ,the ,mollusc1#dj failed in this country4 ,many people1 among them the intelligent1 declared the play too thin to give them pleasure4 ,that is1 apparently we of the ,united ,states care more in our plays for elaborate stories than do our ,english cousins4 ,indeed1 national taste differs as to the amount of plot desirable4 ,both ,americans and ,english care more for plot than do most of the ,continental nations1 which are often satisfied with plays of slight story-value but admirable characterization4 ,nor is the difference a new one4 ,writing of ,wycherley's arrangement of ,moliere's ,misanthrope in his ,plain ,dealer1 ,voltaire said1 ,the ,english author has corrected the only fault of ,moliere's piece1 lack of plot4#da ,in the same ,letter on ,comedy1 ,voltaire brings out clearly what any student of ,english drama knows1 that all through its greatest period it depended far more on complicated story than did the drama of the ,continent4 ,lessing in his ,hamburg ,dramaturgy1 speaking of ,colman's ,the ,english ,merchant1 says it has not action enough for the ,english critics4 ,curiosity is not sufficiently fostered1 the whole complication is visible in the first act4 ,we ,germans are well content that the action is not richer and more complex4 ,the ,english taste on this point distracts and fatigues us1 we love a simple plot that can be grasped at once4 ,the ,english are forced to insert episodes into ,french plays if they are to please on their stage4 ,in like manner we have to weed episodes out of the ,english plays if we want to introduce them to our stage4 ,the best comedies of ,congreve and ,wycherley would seem intolerable to us without this excision4 ,we manage better with their tragedies4 ,in part these are not so complex and many of them have succeeded well amongst us without the least alteration1 which is more than ,i could say for any of their comedies4#db ,about all the generalization one may permit one's self here is3 ,for the public of the ,united ,states one can at present feel sure that story increases its interest in characterization1 however fine4 ,as we shall see in dealing with character1 the latter should never be sacrificed to story1 but story often ferries a play from the shore of unsuccess to the shore of success4 ,even today it is not the great poetry1 the subtle characterization nor the fine thinking of ,hamlet which give it large audiences3 it is the varied story1 full of surprises and suspense4 ,in another way1 ,hamlet is a case in point4 ,it shows the impossibility of laying down any golden rule as to the amount of story a play should have4 ,only speaking broadly is it true that different kinds of plays seem to call for different amounts of story4 ,melodrama obviously does depend on story-happenings often unmotivated and forced on the characters by the will of the dramatist4 ,romance is almost synonymous with action and we associate with it a large amount of story4 ,the word ,intrigue in the title ,comedy of ,intrigue at once suggests story4 ,tragedy and ,high ,comedy1 on the other hand1 depend for their values on subtle characterization4 ,in these last two forms it would seem that the increasing characterization must1 because of the time limit1 mean decrease in the amount of story2 then ,hamlet1 with its complicated story1 occurs to us as by no means a single instance of a play of subtle characterization in complicated story4 ,farce may be either of character or of situation1 but there are also farces in which both situation and character have the exaggerations which distinguish this form from comedy4 ,comedy of ,manners must obviously use much characterization1 but it does not preclude a complicated story4 ,melodrama1 then1 does call above all else for story4 ,with all the other forms it is in the last analysis the common sense of the dramatist which must tell him how much story to use4 ,he will employ the amount the time limits permit him if he is at the same time to do justice to his characters and to the idea1 if any1 he may wish to convey4 ,that is1 story as we have been watching it develop from the point of departure is1 for the dramatist1 story in the rough4 ,it is only when it has been proportioned and emphasized so that upon the stage it will produce in an audience the exact emotional effects desired by the dramatist that it becomes plot4 ,just as the point of departure for a play comes to a writer as a kind of unconscious selection from among all possible subjects1 so we have seen that story takes shape by a similar process of conscious or unconscious selection till it is something with a beginning1 a middle1 and an end1 and clear4 ,nor does selection stop here4 ,the very necessary proportioning and emphasizing mean1 as we shall see1 that the dramatist selects1 and again selects4 ,,footnotes3 #a ,samuel ,french1 ,new ,york4 #b ,chas4 ,scribner's ,sons1 ,new ,york4 #c ,drama ,league ,series1 ,doubleday1 ,page ,co41 ,new ,york4 #d ,brentano1 ,new ,york4 #e ,le ,berceau4 ,p4 ,v4 ,stock1 ,paris4 #f ,preface1 ,au ,public1 to ,la ,princesse ,georges4 ,a4 ,dumas fils4 ,oeuevres1 vol4 ,v1 p4 #gi4 ,calmann ,levy1 ,paris4 #g ,de la ,poesie ,dramatique4 ,diderot4 ,oeuvres1 vol4 ,,vii1 pp4 #cba-cbb4 ,garnier ,freres1 ,paris4 #h ,auteurs ,dramatiques4 ,f4 de ,curel4 ,l',annee ,psychologique1 #ahgd1 p4 #aba4 #i ,letters of ,bulwer-,lytton to ,macready1 p4 #ce4 ,introduction by ,brander ,matthews4 ,privately printed4 ,the ,carteret ,book ,club1 ,newark1 ,n4,j41 #aiaa4 #aj ,a ,false ,saint4 ,f4 de ,curel4 ,translated by ,b4 ,h4 ,clark4 ,drama ,league ,series4 ,doubleday1 ,page ,co41 ,new ,york4 #aa ,auteurs ,dramatiques4 ,f4 de ,curel4 ,l',annee ,psychologique1 #ahid1 pp4 #aba-abc4 #ab ,play-,making1 pp4 #eh-ei1 note4 ,william ,archer4 ,small1 ,maynard ,co41 ,boston4 #ac ,see chapter ,x1 ,the ,dramatist and ,his ,public4 #ad ,see chapter ,,ix4 #ae ,my ,best ,play4 ,edgar ,selwyn4 ,the ,green ,book ,magazine1 ,march1 #aiaa1 pp4 #ecf-ecg4 #af ,idem4 #ag ,les ,oberle4 ,edmond ,haraucourt4 ,l',illustration ,theatrale1 ,dec4 #i1 #aije1 p4 #e4 #ah ,les ,oberle1 p4 #g4 #ai ,plays of ,thomas ,middleton4 ,mermaid ,series4 ,chas4 ,scribner's ,sons1 ,new ,york4 #bj ,chefs-d',oeuvres ,dramatiques de ,a4 ,n4 ,ostrovsky4 ,e4 ,durand-,greville4 ,e4 ,plon ,nourrit et ,cie1 ,paris4 #ba ,becket1 ,act ,i1 ,scene #d4 ,alfred ,lord ,tennyson4 ,the ,macmillan ,co41 ,new ,york4 #bb ,letters of ,bulwer-,lytton1 p4 #ch4 ,brander ,matthews1 ed4 #bc ,plays of ,thomas ,dekker4 ,mermaid ,series4 ,chas4 ,scribner's ,sons1 ,new ,york4 #bd ,a4 ,f4 ,lange1 ed4 ,mayer ,mueller1 ,berlin4 #be ,letters of ,bulwer-,lytton1 pp4 #cf-cg4 ,brander ,matthews1 ed4 #bf ,preface1 ,au ,public1 to ,la ,princesse ,georges4 ,oeuvres1 vol4 ,v4 p4 #gh4 ,calmann ,levy1 ,paris4 #bg ,preface to ,le ,supplice d'une ,femme4 ,oeuvres1 vol4 ,v4 ,calmann ,levy1 ,paris4 #bh ,walter ,h4 ,baker ,co41 ,boston2 ,w4 ,heinemann1 ,london4 #bi ,the ,macmillan ,co41 ,new ,york4 #cj ,seven ,short ,plays4 ,maunsel ,co41 ,dublin4 #ca ,j4 ,w4 ,luce ,co41 ,boston2 ,sidgwick ,jackson1 ,ltd41 ,london4 #cb ,j4 ,w4 ,luce ,co41 ,boston2 ,sidgwick ,jackson1 ,ltd41 ,london4 #cc ,harper ,bros41 ,new ,york4 #cd ,hurst ,blackett1 ,ltd41 ,london4 #ce ,doubleday ,mc,clure ,co41 ,new ,york4 #cf ,the ,macmillan ,co41 ,new ,york4 #cg ,the ,macmillan ,co41 ,new ,york4 #ch ,plays of ,thomas ,middleton4 ,mermaid ,series4 ,chas4 ,scribner's ,sons1 ,new ,york4 #ci ,works of ,beaumont and ,fletcher1 vol4 ,,iv4 ,whalley ,colman1 eds4 #ahaa4 #dj ,the ,mollusc4 ,h4 ,h4 ,davies4 ,walter ,h4 ,baker ,co41 ,boston2 ,w4 ,heinemann1 ,london4 #da ,lettres sur les ,anglais1 ,lettre ,,xix1 ,sur la ,comedie1 p4 #agj4 ,a4 ,basle1 #agcd4 #db ,hamburg ,dramaturgy1 p4 #bfe4 ,bohn ed4 ,,chapter ,v ,,from ,,subject ,,to ,,plot3 ,,proportioning ,,the ,,material3 ,,number ,,and ,,length ,,of ,,acts ,a dramatist1 proportioning his rough story for performance in the limited space of time the stage permits1 faces at once the question3 ,how many acts8 ,if inexperienced1 noting the number of changes of set his story seems to demand he finds himself in a dilemma3 to give an act to each change of scene is to break the play into many scrappy acts of a few minutes each2 to crowd all his needed scenes into five acts is to get scenes as scrappy as the eight which make the fifth act of ,shakespeare's ,macbeth or the ten in ,act ,,iv of ,henry ,,vi1 ,part ,,ii4 ,in either case1 if he gives his numerous scenes adequate treatment1 he is likely to find their combined length forces him beyond the time limit the theatre allows--about two hours and a half4 ,let him rid himself immediately of any feeling that custom or dramatic dignity calls for any preference among three1 four1 or five acts4 ,the ,elizabethan drama put such a spell upon the imagination of ,english-speaking peoples that until recently the idea was accepted3 ,five is dignity1 with a trailing robe1 whereas one1 two1 or three acts would be short skirts1 and degrading4#a ,today a dramatist may plan for a play of three1 four1 or five acts1 as seems to him best4 ,why1 if no change of scene be required1 is not a play of one long act desirable8 ,at first sight1 there would seem to be a gain in the unbroken movement4 ,the power of sustained attention in audiences is1 however1 distinctly limited4 ,any one who has seen a performance of ,the ,trojan ,women#b by ,euripides1 or von ,hofmannsthal's ,electra#c needs no further proof that though each makes a short evening's entertainment it is exhausting because of uninterrupted movement from start to finish4 ,to plays of one long act most audiences become unresponsive from sheer physical fatigue4 ,consequently1 use has confined one-act plays to subjects that may be treated in fifteen minutes to an hour1 with an average length of from twenty to forty-five minutes4 ,strindberg has stated well the problem which the play in one long act involves3 ,i have tried1 he wrote in his ,introduction to ,miss ,julia1 to abolish the division into acts4 ,and ,i have done so because ,i have come to fear that our decreasing capacity for illusion might be unfavorably affected by intermissions during which the spectator would have time to reflect and to get away from the suggestive influence of the author-hypnotist4 ,my play will probably last an hour and a half1 and as it is possible to listen that length of time1 or longer1 to a lecture1 a sermon1 or a debate1 ,i have imagined that a theatrical performance could not become fatiguing in the same time4 ,as early as #ahgb1 in one of my first dramatic experiments1 ,the ,outlaw1 ,i tried the same concentrated form1 but with scant success4 ,the play was written in five acts1 and wholly completed1 when ,i became aware of the restless1 scattered effect it produced4 ,then ,i burned it1 and out of the ashes rose a single1 well-built act1 covering fifty printed pages1 and taking an hour for its performance4 ,thus the form of the present play is not new1 but it seems to be my own1 and changing aesthetical conventions may possibly make it timely4 ,my hope is still for a public educated to a point where it can sit through a whole-evening performance in a single act4 ,but that point cannot be reached without a great deal of experimentation4#d ,the difficulty with a play of only two acts is similar4 ,if the piece is to fill an evening1 each act must last an hour or more4 ,the ,winter's ,tale is really a two-act play3 ,act ,i is the story of ,hermione and ,leontes1 ,act ,,ii the story of ,florizel and ,perdita1 with ,time as ,chorus separating the acts4 ,division of this play into five acts and use of modern scenery have given it the effect of breaking to pieces midway1 where ,time speaks4 ,when each of the two parts is played uninterruptedly1 as in ,mr4 ,granville ,barker's recent revival1 this effect disappears and it becomes clear that the original division is artistically right4 ,however1 so long is each of the two parts that ,the ,winter's ,tale1 when seen in this way1 badly strains the attention of a present-day audience4 ,contrastingly1 to use more than five acts in the space of two hours and a half is either to carry the performance over into a second day1 as with the two-part play of ,elizabeth's time--something we cannot now tolerate2 or to write such scrappy acts that the frequent shifting of scenery and dropping of the curtain spoil desired illusion4 ,if it be remembered that there is nothing essentially wrong in a play of one1 two1 six1 or even more acts1 and that changing tastes or the necessities of particular subjects may in very rare instances make any of these divisions desirable1 it can be said that three1 four1 or five acts are today the normal divisions for plays4 ,an objection to long plays of one or two acts is that when the piece lasts only an hour and a half1 as in the case of ,miss ,julia1 the evening must be filled out with something else4 ,in the first place1 it is by no means easy to arrange a mixed program in which each play shows to complete advantage4 ,nor are audiences usually fond of adjusting themselves to new characters and new plots two or three times in an evening4 ,on the professional stage1 ,barrie's short plays have done something to make the general public more ready to shift their interest to fresh subjects in the course of an evening1 but a mixed program of plays is rarely popular except in theatres of the so-called experimental class4 ,the advantage in three acts is that each allows a longer space than does the division into four or five acts in which characterization may develop before the eyes of the audience1 or a larger number of illustrative actions bearing on the central purpose of the act may be shown4 ,the offset is that three acts provide only two breaks by which the passing of time may be suggested4 ,neither four nor three acts have any essential superiority over each other1 or over five acts4 ,five acts1 in and of themselves1 have no superiority over four or three2 nor1 as some persons have seemed to think1 are they the only divisions in which a drama in verse may be written4 ,avoidance of awkward changes of scene within an act may compel use of four or five acts rather than three4 ,the more episodes in the story to be dramatized1 the more aspects of character to be shown by action1 the more acts or scenes the dramatist must use4 ,if long spaces of time must be allowed for because they are part of the story or marked changes of character demand them1 the dramatist will need more entr'acte space1 and1 consequently1 more acts4 ,it is1 then1 necessary change of place and passage of time which are the chief factors in determining choice among three1 four1 or five acts4 ,for centuries theoretical students of the drama have worried themselves about the two unities3 place and time4 ,practising dramatists1 however1 have usually found that generalizations in regard to them help little and that in each individual play they must work out the place and time problems for themselves4 ,practice as to shifting scenes has depended most1 and always will1 upon whether the physical conditions of the stage permit many real or imagined shifts4 ,the ,greek stage1 with its fixed background and its chorus nearly always present1 forced an attempt at unity of place1 though the ,greeks often broke through it4 ,unity of action was the first dramatic law of the ancients2 unity of time and place were mere consequences of the former which they would scarcely have observed more strictly than exigency required had not the combination with the chorus arisen4 ,for since their actions required the presence of a large body of people and this concourse always remained the same1 who could go no farther from their dwellings nor remain absent longer than it is customary to do from mere curiosity1 they were almost obliged to make the scene of the action one and the same spot and confine the time to one and the same day4 ,they submitted bona fide to this restriction2 but with a suppleness of understanding such that in seven cases out of nine they gained more than they lost thereby4 ,for they used this restriction as a reason of simplifying the action and to cut away all that was superfluous1 and thus1 reduced to essentials1 it became only the ideal of an action which was developed most felicitously in this form which required the least addition from circumstances of time and place4 ,the ,french1 on the contrary1 who found no charms in true unity of action1 who had been spoilt by the wild intrigues of the ,spanish school1 before they had learnt to know ,greek simplicity1 regarded the unity of time and place not as consequences of unity of action1 but as circumstances absolutely needful to the representation of an action1 to which they must therefore adapt their more complicated and richer actions with all the severity required in the use of chorus1 which1 however1 they had totally abolished4 ,when they found1 however1 how difficult1 nay at times impossible this was1 they made a truce with the tyrannical rules against which they had not the courage to rebel4 ,instead of a single place they introduced an uncertain place1 under which we could imagine now this now that spot2 enough if the places combined were not too far apart and none required special scenery1 so that the scenery could fit the one about as well as the other4 ,instead of the unity of a day1 they substituted unity of duration1 and a certain period during which no one spoke of sunrise or sunset1 or went to bed1 or at least did not go to bed more than once1 however much might occur in this space1 they allowed to pass as a day4#e ,the ,elizabethan author writing1 in his public performances1 for an audience accustomed to build imaginatively a setting from hints given by properties1 signs on the stage1 or descriptions in the text1 changed the scene at will4 ,recall the thirteen changes in ,act ,,iii of ,antony and ,cleopatra4 ,on the modern stage such frequent change is undesirable for three reasons3 the expense of constructing and painting so many scenes2 the time consumed in making the changes1 which may reduce decidedly the acting time of the play2 and the check in sustained interest on the part of the audience caused by these many changes4 ,the growth of the touring system also has led to reduction in the number of scenes1 for transportation of numerous and elaborate sets is too expensive4 ,moreover1 the interest in extreme realism has carried us more and more into such scenes of simple or sordid living as call for only one to three sets in a play4 ,at times it is easy1 or at least possible with ingenuity1 to have for a play1 whatever its length1 but one setting4 ,von ,hofmannsthal's ,electra is an illustration4 ,another is ,the ,servant in the ,house1 a play in five acts by ,rann ,kennedy4 ,the scene1 which remains unchanged throughout the play1 is a room in the vicarage4 ,jacobean in character1 its oak-panelling and beamed-ceiling1 together with some fine pieces of antique furniture1 lend it an air of historical interest1 whilst in all other respects it speaks of solid comfort1 refinement1 and unostentatious elegance4#f ,hervieu's ,connais-,toi1 a play of three acts1 is another instance of one setting throughout4#g ,not infrequently it is comparatively simple to confine a play to one set for each act1 or even less4 ,the ,great ,divide1 by ,william ,vaughn ,moody1 and ,the ,weavers1 by ,hauptmann1 show a new setting for each act4 ,in ,the ,truth1 by ,clyde ,fitch1 ,acts ,i and ,,ii have the same setting3 ,at ,mrs4 ,warder's4 ,an extremely attractive room in the best of taste2 ,acts ,,iii and ,,iv are in ,mr4 ,roland's rooms in ,mrs4 ,crespigny's flat in ,baltimore4 ,in the four acts of ,the ,witching ,hour1 by ,augustus ,thomas1 there is a change of set only for ,act ,,ii4#h ,such reducing of possible settings to two or three for a play of four or five acts requires practice1 and1 in some cases1 decided ingenuity4 ,in present-day use the safest principle is this3 a set to an act1 if really needed1 but no change of set within the act unless there be unavoidable reason for it4 ,what1 then1 is the would-be dramatist to do when faced by six or more settings to a five-act play1 or two or three settings within what he believes should be an act8 ,often what seems a necessary early scene is but clumsy exposition3 skilful handling would incorporate it with the scene immediately following4 ,scene #a1 ,act ,,iii1 of ,dryden's ,the ,spanish ,friar is in the street4 ,lorenzo1 in friar's habit1 meeting the real friar1 ,dominic1 bribes him to introduce him into the chamber of ,elvira4 ,the scene is merely the easiest way of making the audience understand why the two men enter together very early in the next scene4 ,,act ,,iii4 ,,scene #a4 ,the ,street ,enter ,lorenzo1 in ,friar's habit1 meeting ,dominic ,here follow some fifteen speeches in which the arrangements are made4 ,then3 ,,scene #b ,enter ,elvira1 in her chamber ,elvira4 ,he'll come1 that's certain2 young appetites are sharp1 and seldom need twice bidding to such a banquet2--well1 if ,i prove frail1--as ,i hope ,i shall not till ,i have compassed my design1--never woman had such a husband to provoke her1 such a lover to allure her1 or such a confessor to absolve her4 ,of what am ,i afraid1 then8 not my conscience that's safe enough2 my ghostly father has given it a dose of church opium to lull it2 well1 for soothing sin1 ,i'll say that for him1 he's a chaplain for any court in ,christendom4 ,enter ,lorenzo and ,dominic ,o father ,dominic1 what news8 ,how1 a companion with you6 ,what game have you on hand1 that you hunt in couples8 ,lorenzo4 7,lifting up his hood47 ,i'll show you that immediately4 ,elvira4 ,o my love6 ,lorenzo4 ,my life6 ,elvira4 ,my soul6 7,they embrace47 ,dominic4 ,i am taken on the sudden with a grievous swimming in my head and such a mist before my eyes that ,i can neither hear nor see4#i ,all the needed exposition given in ,scene #a could1 with very little difficulty1 be transferred to ,scene #b4 ,were the two men to enter1 not to ,elvira1 but by themselves1 they could quickly make their relationship clear4 ,the conduct and speech of ,elvira could be made to illustrate what she now states in soliloquy just before the two men enter4 ,in the original last act#aj of ,lillo's ,george ,barnwell1 the settings are3 ,a room in a prison1 ,a dungeon4 ,the whole act could easily have been arranged to take place in some room where prisoners could see friends4 ,today we should in many cases exchange a number of settings as used in eighteenth century plays for one setting4 ,scenes1 which in the original story occurred upstairs or downstairs1 inside or outside a house1 may often be easily interchanged or combined4 ,the ,clod1 by ,lewis ,beach1 a one-act success of the ,washington ,square ,players1 in its first draft showed a setting both upstairs and downstairs4 ,this unsightly arrangement was quickly changed so that all the action took place in a lower room4 ,at one time ,bulwer-,lytton thought seriously of changing what is now ,scene #a1 ,act ,i1 of his ,richelieu1 an interior1 to an exterior scene4 ,to ,macready he wrote3 ,let me know what you mean about omitting altogether the scene at ,marion de ,lorme's4 ,do you mean to have no substitute for it8 ,what think you of merely the outside of the ,house8 ,francois1 coming out with the packet and making brief use of ,huguet and ,mauprat who figure in the interior scene4 ,remember you wanted to have the packet absolutely given to ,francois4#aa ,greek plays1 because of the fixed backing1 provide many illustrations of interior scenes brought outdoors3 444,the dramatic action was necessarily laid in the open air--usually before a palace or temple4444 ,in general the dramatists displayed an amazing fertility of invention in this particular1 as a few illustrations will suffice to show4 ,in the ,alcestis ,apollo explains his leaving ,ametus' palace on the ground of the pollution which a corpse would bring upon all within the house 7,euripides' ,alcestis1 #bb f47 and ,alcestis herself1 though in a dying condition1 fares forth to look for the last time upon the sun in heaven 7ibid4 #bjf74 ,oedipus is so concerned in the afflictions of his subjects that he cannot endure making inquiries through a servant but comes forth to learn the situation in person 7,sophocles' ,oedipus ,rex1 #f f474 ,karion is driven out of doors by the smoke of sacrifice upon the domestic altar 7,aristophanes' ,plutus1 #hba f474 ,in ,plautus' ,mostellaria 7#a1 ff47 one slave is driven out of doors by another as the result of a quarrel4 ,agathon cannot compose his odes in the winter time1 unless he bask in the sunlight 7,aristophanes' ,thesmophoriazuae1 #fg f474 ,the love-lorn ,phaedra teases for light and air 7,euripides' ,hippolytus1 #aha74 ,and ,medea's nurse apologizes for her soliloquizing before the house with the excuse that the sorrows within have stifled her and caused her to seek relief by proclaiming them to earth and sky 7,euripides' ,medea1 #ef ff474#ab ,when it is not easy to see how a number of settings may be cut down1 a dramatist should carefully consider this3 ,may episodes happening to the same person or persons in the same settings1 but apparently demanding separate treatment because they occur at widely different times1 be brought together8 ,the dramatizer of a novel faces many opportunities for this telescoping of scenes4 ,any one adapting ,a ,tale of ,two ,cities1 if he uses ,jerry ,cruncher1 will probably combine the two scenes in his home4 ,to bring together incidents happening to the same person or persons at the same place1 but at different times1 is the easiest method of cutting down possible scenes4 ,it is1 of course1 possible to bring together circumstances which happened at different places at different times1 but to the same persons4 ,a notable instance is ,irving's compacting of two scenes in ,tennyson's ,becket3 he places at ,montmirail what is essential in both ,scene #b1 ,act ,,ii1 ,montmirail4 ,the ,meeting of the ,kings1 and ,scene #c1 ,act ,,iii1 ,traitor's ,meadow at ,freteval4 ,it is1 indeed1 often necessary to transfer a group of people from the exact setting in which an occurrence took place to another which makes possible other important action4 ,in ,haraucourt's adaptation of ,les ,oberle1 a dinner party at the ,brausigs' is transferred to the home of ,jean ,oberle1 with his father and mother as hosts4 ,this change permits the adapter to follow the dinner party with episodes which must take place in ,jean's home4 ,this group of changes concerns1 obviously1 bringing to one place events which happened to the same persons at another place1 and even at another time4 ,sometimes necessary condensation forces a dramatist to bring together at one place what really happened at the same time1 but to other people in another place4 ,for instance1 the heroine of the play is concealing in the house her ,jacobite brother1 supposed by the people who have seen him to be the ,pretender himself4 ,the ,whig soldiery come to search the house4 ,sitting at the spinet1 the girl makes her brother crouch between her and the wall1 folding her ample gown around and over him4 ,then1 as the officer and his men minutely search the room1 she plays1 apparently idly song after song of the day4 ,just at this time1 but at a distance1 her lover1 a young ,whig officer1 is eating his heart out with jealousy1 because he fears that she is concealing the ,pretender through love of him4 ,why waste time on a separate scene for the lover8 ,make him the officer in command of the searching troop3 then all that is vital in what was his scene can be brought out when what happened to the same people at the same time1 but at different places1 is made to happen at the same place4 ,similarly1 what happened to two people in the same place but at different times may sometimes1 with ingenuity1 be made to happen to one person1 and thus time saved4 ,finally1 what happened to another person at another time1 and at another place may at times be arranged so that it will happen to any desired figure4 ,about midway in the novel ,les ,oberle1 ,jean and his uncle ,ulrich hear the women at the autumn grape-picking sing the song of ,alsace4 ,in the play1 in the first scene1 ,jean sings it as he passes from the railway station to his house4#ac ,shakespeare1 in handling the original sources of ,macbeth1 also illustrates successful combination around one person of incidents or details historically associated with other persons1 times1 and even places4 ,most of the story is taken from ,holinshed's account in the ,historie of ,scotland of the reigns of ,duncan and ,macbeth 7,a4,d4 #ajcd-ajeg71 but certain details are drawn from other parts of the chronicle4 ,thus several points in the assassination of ,duncan1 like the drugging of the grooms by ,lady ,macbeth1 and the portents described in ,,ii1 iv41 are from the murder of ,duncan's ancestor ,duffe 7,a4,d4 #igb72 and the voice that called ,sleep no more6 seems to have been suggested by the troubled conscience of ,duffe's brother ,kenneth1 who had poisoned his own nephew4#ad ,marlowe1 in his ,edward ,,ii1--a dramatization of a part of ,holinshed's ,history1--proves that he perfectly understood all these devices for compacting his material4 ,the action covers a period of twenty years1 from #acjg1 when ,gaveston was recalled1 to the death of ,edward in #acbg4 ,marlowe's treatment of the story shows a selection and transposing of events in order to bring out the one essential fact of the ,king's utter incompetence and subjection to unworthy favorites4 ,gaveston was executed in #acab1 and the troubles in ,ireland 7,,ii1 ii47 and in ,scotland 7,,ii1 ii47 occurred after his death1 but ,marlowe shifts both forward in point of time in order to connect them with ,gaveston's baleful influence4 ,warwick died in his bed in #acae1 seven years before the battle of ,boroughbridge1 but ,marlowe keeps him alive to have him captured and ordered to execution in retaliation for his killing of ,gaveston4 ,at the time the play opens the ,earl of ,kent was six years old1 but ,marlowe1 needing a counsellor and supporter of the ,king1 used ,kent for the purpose4 ,in the play young ,spencer immediately succeeds ,gaveston as the ,king's favorite2 really the young ,hugh le ,despenser1 who had been an enemy of ,gaveston1 remained an opponent of ,edward's for some six years after ,gaveston's death4 ,historically the ,mortimers belong with the ,spencers1 i4e4 to the later part of the reign1 but in order to motivate the affair between the ,queen and young ,mortimer ,marlowe transfers them to the beginning of the play and makes them leaders in the barons' councils4#ae ,the essential point in all this compacting is3 when cumbered with more scenes than you wish to use1 determine first which scenes contain indispensable action1 and must be kept as settings2 then consider which of the other scenes may by ingenuity be combined with them4 ,evidently a dramatist must develop great ingenuity and skill in so re-working scenes originally conceived as occurring in widely separated places and times that they may be acted in a single set4 ,as has been said1 the audience of the public theatres in ,shakespeare's day imaginatively shifted the scene at any hint from text1 stage properties1 or even signs4 ,with the ,restoration came elaborate scenery1 a gift from earlier performances at the ,english court and from the continental theatres which the ,english nobility had attended in their exile4 ,by means of the drawn scene dramatists now changed rapidly from place to place4 ,in ,the ,spanish ,friar1 ,scene #a of ,act ,,ii is ,the ,queen's ante-chamber4 ,for ,scene #b1 ,the scene draws1 and shows the ,queen sitting in state2 ,bertram standing next her2 then ,teresa1 etc4 ,these drawn scenes held the stage until very recently4 ,painted on flats which could be pulled off stage from left and right1 these scenes could not be drawn without hurting theatrical illusion4 ,if moved in any light1 all illusion departed2 if changed in darkness1 but not instantaneously1 they interfered with illusion4 ,to overcome these objections there have been many inventions in recent years--,revolving1 ,wagon1 ,sinking ,stages4#af ,undoubtedly1 these make changes of scene within the act well-nigh unobjectionable4 ,the difficulty with them is that most are elaborate and expensive1 and therefore exist in only a few theatres4 ,it is1 consequently1 useless to stage a play with them in mind1 for on the road it will not find the conditions of production essential to its success4 ,occasionally1 as in ,on ,trial1 some simple1 easily portable device makes these very quick changes possible even on the road4 ,at present1 though invention tries steadily to make change of scene so swift as to be unobjectionable1 it is wiser to keep to one setting to an act1 unless the play will greatly suffer by so doing1 or the change is one which may be made almost instantaneously when the lights are lowered or the curtain dropped4 ,on the other hand1 recently dramatists have rather overdone reducing possible settings to the minimum4 ,while a change of setting within the act always demands justification1 forcing a play of three to five acts into one or two settings when1 at a trifling additional cost1 a pleasing variety to the eye and a change of place helpful to the dramatist might have been provided1 is undesirable4 ,lately there have been signs that our audiences are growing weary of plays of only one set1 especially when they suspect the play has been thus arranged by skill1 rather than necessity4 ,certainly1 the newer group of dramatists permit themselves changes of scene even within the act4 ,act ,,ii of ,the ,silver ,box1#ag by ,galsworthy1 shows as ,scene #a1 ,the ,jones's lodgings1 ,merthyr ,street2 as ,scene #b1 ,the ,barthwicks' dining-room4 ,in ,hindle ,wakes1#ah by ,stanley ,houghton1 ,scene #a1 ,act ,i1 is the ,kitchen of the ,hawthorns' house2 ,scene #b is the ,breakfast room of the ,jeffcotes' house4 ,to the preliminary statement of scenes the dramatist appended words which hint the underlying danger in all changes of setting1--disillusioning waits3 ,note4--,the scene for ,act ,i1 ,scene #a1 should be very small1 as a contrast to the room at the ,jeffcotes'4 ,it might well be set inside the other scene so as to facilitate the quick change between ,scenes #a and #b1 ,act ,i4 ,all things considered1 it is probably best to repeat the statement already made3 a change of scene within the act is desirable only when absolutely necessary2 a change of scene with each act is desirable1 except when truth to life1 expense1 or undue time required for setting it forbid4 ,what exactly does this constantly repeated word ,scene mean8 ,in ,english theatrical usage today1 and increasingly the world over1 it signifies3 a change of setting4 ,all that happens from one change of set to another change makes a scene4 ,french usage1 based on the ,latin1 till very recently always marked off a scene when any person more important than a servant or attendant entered or left the stage4 ,for instance1 in ,les ,petits ,oiseaux of ,labiche1 known in ,english as ,a ,pair of ,spectacles1 four consecutive scenes in ,act ,i1 which throughout has no change of setting read thus3 ,,scene #d4 ,blandinet1 ,henriette1 ,leonce1 then ,joseph a servant4 ,a scene of some fourteen brief speeches follows1 when3 7,they start to go out1 ,tiburce appears47 ,,scene #e4 ,the same persons1 ,tiburce ,after a scene of eleven short speeches1 7,blandinet goes over to left with ,leonce47 ,,scene #f4 ,henriette1 ,tiburce ,henriette1 who sat down after the entrance of ,tiburce1 and took up her work again1 rises immediately on the exit of ,blandinet1 folding her work4 ,tiburce4 7,approaching her hesitatingly47 ,you are not working any longer1 ,aunt4444 ,it's done already8 7,henriette bows to him frigidly and goes out at right47 ,,scene #g4 ,tiburce1 then ,francois#ai ,what this ,french use of the word scene leads to1 when logically carried out so that even servants entering or leaving the stage create a scene1 the following from ,act ,,iv of ,george ,barnwell1 will show3 ,,scene #e4 ,to them a ,servant ,thorowgood4 ,order the groom to saddle the swiftest horse1 and prepare himself to set out with speed6--,an affair of life and death demands his diligence4 7,exit ,servant47 ,,scene #f4 ,thorowgood1 ,trueman1 and ,lucy ,thorowgood4 ,for you1 whose behavior on this occasion ,i have no time to commend as it deserves1 ,i must ingage your farther assistance4 ,return and observe this ,millwood till ,i come4 ,i have your directions1 and will follow you as soon as possible4 7,exit ,lucy47 ,,scene #g4 ,thorowgood and ,trueman ,thorowgood4 ,trueman1 you ,i am sure would not be idle on this occasion4 7,exit47 ,,scene #h4 ,trueman4 ,he only who is a friend can judge of my distress4 7,exit47#bj ,this ,french division of scenes is1 of course1 made for the convenience of the dramatist as he composes and for the reader1 not for the actor or the audience4 ,though somewhat copied in the past by ,english authors1 it is now rejected by most stages4 ,even ,french dramatists are breaking away from it4 ,memory of this ,french usage1 however1 still affects popular speech3 when we speak of any part of an act in which two or more people are on stage1 we are very likely to call it their scene no matter whether they have come on in a changed setting or not4 ,obviously if scene is to correspond with setting1 we need another word for what in our practice is the same as the older ,french scene4 ,not only do necessary changes in setting make proportioning material into acts and within acts difficult1 but the time question also raises many problems4 ,it may be troublesome within the act1 between the acts1 and at the opening of the play4 ,in the final soliloquy of ,faustus 7p4 #ce71 an hour is supposed to elapse in some thirty lines4 ,though the ,elizabethan1 in a case like this1 was ready to assist the dramatist1 today we are so conscious of time spaces that practically all stage clocks are temporarily out of order1 lest they mark too distinctly the discrepancy between pretended and real time4#ba ,the novelist1 in a few lines1 tells us of many happenings in a considerable space of time1 or writes3 ,thus1 in idle talk1 a full hour passed1 and we do not query the supposed passage of time4 ,on the stage1 however1 when one gossip says to another3 ,i must be off4 ,i meant to stop a minute1 and ,i have gossiped an hour1 auditors who recognize perfectly that the two people have not talked ten minutes are likely to laugh derisively4 ,as has been pointed out1#bb this time difficulty has made it practically impossible to dramatize satisfactorily ,stevenson's ,the ,sire de ,maletroit's ,door4 ,the swiftly-moving simple story demands the one-act form1 but certain marked changes in feeling1 convincing enough when they are said to come after ten or twelve hours of strong emotion1 become1 when they are seen to occur after twenty minutes to an hour1 unconvincing4 ,the central situation may be used1 but for success on the stage the story must be so re-told that the marked changes in feeling are convincing even when seen4 ,a dilemma results3 lapses of time are handled more easily in three or four acts than in one act2 the moment ,the ,sire de ,maletroit's ,door is re-cast into three or four acts1 it needs so much padding as to lose nearly all its original values4 ,when a dramatist faces the need to represent on stage1 a passage of time which could not in real life be coincident with the action of the scene1 he must 7a7 hypnotize an audience by a long scene of complicated and absorbing emotion into thinking that the required time has passed2 or 7b7 must discover some motive sufficiently strong to account for a swift change in feeling2 7c7 or must get his person or persons off stage and write what is known as a ,cover ,scene4 ,an audience led through an intense emotional experience does not mark accurately the passage of time4 ,make the emotional experience protracted1 as well as absorbing1 and you may imply or even state that any reasonable length of time has passed4 ,the fearful agony of ,faustus so grips an audience that it loses track of the time necessary for the speech1 or would1 were it not for the unfortunate emphasis on the actual time3 ,ah1 half the hour is passed2 'twill all be passed anon2 ,the clock strikes twelve4 ,in ,hamlet1 the fourth act takes place during the absence of ,hamlet in ,england4 ,by its many intensely moving happenings1 it makes an auditor willing to believe that ,hamlet has been absent for a long time1 when in reality he has been on the stage within a half hour4 ,such time fillings may1 of course1 be a portion of a scene1 a whole scene1 or even a whole act4 ,in most cases1 it is quite impossible that the time really requisite and the time of action should coincide4 ,the business of the dramatist is to make the audience feel as if the time had passed--to create an illusion of time4 ,the second method of meeting the time difficulty1 finding motivation of some marked change in character or circumstances which permits it to be as swift as it is on the stage1 is best treated in the next chapter4 ,in ,the ,russian ,honeymoon1#bc a play once very popular with amateurs1 there is bad handling of a time difficulty4 ,the hero1 going out in his peasant costume1 must return after a few speeches1 in full regimentals4 ,a lightning change of costume is1 therefore1 necessary4 ,more than once this lack of a proper ,cover ,scene has caused an awkward wait at this point in the play4 ,mark the absurdly short time ,steele1 in his ,conscious ,lovers allows ,isabella for bringing ,bevil ,junior on stage4 ,apparently1 the latter and all his group must have been waiting at the end of the corridor4 ,isabella4 ,but here's a claim more tender yet--your ,indiana1 sir1 your long lost daughter4 ,mr4 ,sealand4 ,o my child6 my child6 ,indiana4 ,all-gracious ,heaven6 ,is it possible8 ,do ,i embrace my father8 ,mr4 ,sealand4 ,and ,i do hold thee--,these passions are too strong for utterance--,rise1 rise1 my child1 and give my tears their way--,o my sister6 7,embracing her7 ,isabella4 ,now1 dearest niece1 my groundless fears1 my painful cares no more shall vex thee4 ,if ,i have wronged thy noble lover with too hard suspicions1 my just concern for thee1 ,i hope1 will plead my pardon4 ,mr4 ,sealand4 ,o6 make him then the full amends1 and be yourself the messenger of joy3 ,fly this instant6--,tell him all these wondrous turns of ,providence in his favour6 ,tell him ,i have now a daughter to bestow1 which he no longer will decline3 that this day he still shall be a bridegroom3 nor shall a fortune1 the merit which his father seeks1 be wanting3 tell him the reward of all his virtues waits on his acceptance4 7,exit ,isabella47 ,my dearest ,indiana6 7,turns and embraces her47 ,indiana4 ,have ,i then at last a father's sanction on my love8 ,his bounteous hand to give1 and make my heart a present worthy of ,bevil's generosity8 ,mr4 ,sealand4 ,o my child1 how are our sorrows past o'erpaid by such a meeting6 ,though ,i have lost so many years of soft paternal dalliance with thee1 yet1 in one day1 to find thee thus1 and thus bestow thee1 in such perfect happiness6 is ample6 ample reparation6 ,and yet again the merit of thy lover-- ,indiana4 ,o6 had ,i spirits left to tell you of his actions6 how strongly filial duty has suppressed his love2 and how concealment still has doubled all his obligations2 the pride1 the joy of his alliance1 sir1 would warm your heart1 as he has conquered mine4 ,mr4 ,sealand4 ,how laudable is love1 when born of virtue6 ,i burn to embrace him-- ,indiana4 ,see1 sir1 my aunt already has succeeded1 and brought him to your wishes4 7,enter ,isabella1 with ,sir ,john ,bevil1 ,bevil ,junior1 ,mrs4 ,sealand1 ,cimberton1 ,myrtle1 and ,lucinda47 ,sir ,john ,bevil4 7,entering47 ,where6 where's this scene of wonder6 ,mr4 ,sealand1 ,i congratulate1 on this occasion1 our mutual happiness4#bd ,the inexperienced dramatist sending a servant out for wraps1 brings him back so speedily that1 apparently1 in a well-ordered ,fifth ,avenue or ,newport residence1 garments lie all about the house or replace tapestries upon the walls4 ,the speed with which servants upon the stage do errands shows that they have been trained in a basic principle of drama3 ,waste no time4 ,a more experienced dramatist1 realizing that such speed destroys illusion1 writes a brief scene which seems to allow time for the errand4 ,the telephone and the automobile have been godsends to the young dramatist4 ,by use of the first1 a lover can telephone from the drug-store just around the corner1 run all the way in his eagerness1 take an elevator1 and be on the scene with a speed that saves the young dramatist any long ,cover ,scene4 ,of course1 if said lover be rich or extravagant enough to own an automobile1 the distance from which he may telephone increases as the square of the horse-power of his machine4 ,in the old days1 and even today1 if the truth be regarded1 something must be taking place on the stage sufficient to allow time for a lover1 however ardent1 to cover the distance between the telephone booth and the house4 ,here1 however1 a dramatist meets his ,scylla and ,charybdis4 ,he yields to ,scylla1 if he does not write any such scene2 to ,charybdis1 if he writes such a scene but does not advance his play by it--that is1 if he merely marks time4 ,in a recent play1 whenever a time space was to be covered1 a group of citizens talked4 ,what they said was not uninteresting4 ,the characters were well sketched in4 ,but the scene did not advance the story at all4 ,bulwer-,lytton faced this difficulty in writing ,money3 ,i think in the first #c acts you will find little to alter4 ,but in ,act #d--the #b scenes with ,lady ,b4 ,clara--and ,joke the ,tradesman don't help on the ,plot much--they were wanted1 however1 especially the last to give time for change of dress smooth the lapse of the theme from money to dinner2 you will see if this part requires any amendment4#be ,the principle here is this3 ,whatever is written to cover a time space1 long or short1 must help the movement of the play to its climax4 ,it may be said that the fourth act of neither ,macbeth nor ,hamlet complies with this statement2 but more careful thought will show that in each case the act is very important to the whole story4 ,the title of each play1 and present-day interest in its characterization rather than its story1 make us miss greatly the leading figure1 wholly absent in the act4 ,therefore we hasten to declare1 not recognizing that story was of first importance in ,shakespeare's day1 that because this act is not focused on ,macbeth or ,hamlet the act in question clogs the general movement4 ,otway1 in ,venice ,preserved1 handles passage of time admirably4 ,toward the end of the first act1 ,pierre makes an appointment with ,jaffier to meet him that night on the ,rialto at twelve4 ,exit ,pierre4 ,immediately ,belvidera enters to ,jaffier4 ,their talk1 only about four pages in length1 is so passionately pathetic that a hearer loses all accurate sense of time4 ,there is an entr'acte1 and then a scene between ,pierre and ,aquilina4 ,again it is brief1 only three and a half pages1 but it is dramatic1 and complicates the story4 ,consequently1 when ,jaffier does meet ,pierre on the ,rialto1 we are quite ready to believe that considerable time has passed and it is now twelve o'clock4 ,otway has used three devices to cover a time space3 an absorbing emotional scene1 an entr'acte1 and a ,cover ,scene4#bf ,all the methods just described have had to do with representing time on stage4 ,when time necessary for the telling of a story may be treated as passing off stage1 other devices may be used4 ,most of them gather about a dropping of the curtain4 ,recently there has been much use of the curtain to denote1 without change of set1 the passing of some relatively brief time4 ,when a group of people leave the stage for dinner1 the curtain is dropped1 to rise again as the group1 returning from dinner1 take up the action of the play4 ,just this occurs in ,act ,i of ,pinero's ,iris4#bg ,mr4 ,belasco1 in ,the ,woman1 dropped the curtain at the beginning of a cross examination1 to raise it for the next act as the examination nears its climax4 ,in ,the ,silver ,box1#bh dropping the curtain twice in ,act ,i makes it possible to see the ,barthwicks' dining-room just after midnight1 at eight-thirty ,a4,m41 and at the breakfast hour of ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,barthwick4 ,such curtains1 though justifiable1 have one serious objection4 ,they bring us back with a jolt from absorbed following of the play to the disturbing truth that we are not looking at life1 but at life selectively presented under obvious limitations of the stage4 ,scene #a of ,the ,silver ,box1 which began just after midnight1 lasts only a few minutes2 yet when the curtain rises again at once1 we are to understand that eight hours have elapsed4 ,the simplest method of handling time off stage is to treat it as having elapsed between acts or on the dropping of a curtain within an act4#bi ,in how many1 many plays--for instance1 ,sir ,arthur ,pinero's early ,lady ,bountiful--has the hero1 in whatever length of time between the fourth and fifth acts the dramatist has preferred1 become the regenerated figure of the last act6 ,all that is needed in ,the ,man ,who ,came ,back1 as produced1 to change the dope-ridden1 degenerating youth into a firm character1 even into a landed proprietor1 is a sea voyage from ,san ,francisco to ,honolulu--and an entr'acte6 ,what takes place between acts is far too often--medicinally1 morally1 dare we say dramatically8--more significant than what we see4 ,yet why deride this refuge of the dramatist8 ,such use is merely an extension of what we permit any dramatist who1 writing two plays on the same subject or person1 implies or states that very many years have elapsed between the two parts4 ,no one seriously objects when thousands of years are supposed to elapse between the ,prometheus ,bound and the ,prometheus ,unbound of ,aeschylus4#cj ,surely1 it is logical to treat spaces between acts like spaces between plays on related subjects4 ,the trouble lies1 not in the time supposed to have elapsed1 but in the changes of character said to have taken place4 ,as long as our drama was primarily story1 and not1 as it has come to be increasingly1 a revealer of character1 we were content1 if each act contained a thrilling dramatic incident1 to be told that this or that had happened between the acts4 ,the early drama did this by the ,dumb ,show and the ,chorus4 ,,act ,,ii ,,prologue ,flourish4 ,enter ,chorus ,chorus4 ,now all the youth of ,england are on fire1 ,and silken dalliance in the wardrobe lies4 ,now thrive the armourers1 and honour's thought ,reigns solely in the breast of every man4 ,they sell the pasture now to buy the horse1 ,following the mirror of all ,christian kings1 ,with winged heels1 as ,english ,mercuries4 ,for now sits ,expectation in the air1 ,and hides a sword from hilts unto the point ,with crowns imperial1 crowns1 and coronets1 ,promis'd to ,harry and his followers4 ,the ,french1 advis'd by good intelligence ,of this most dreadful preparation1 ,shake in their fear1 and with pale policy ,seek to divert the ,english purposes4 ,o ,england6 model to thy inward greatness1 ,like little body with a mighty heart1 ,what mightst thou do1 that honour would thee do1 ,were all thy children kind and natural6 ,but see thy fault6 ,france hath in thee found out ,a nest of hollow bosoms1 which he fills ,with treacherous crowns2 and three corrupted men1 ,one1 ,richard ,earl of ,cambridge1 and the second1 ,henry ,lord ,scroop of ,masham1 and the third1 ,sir ,thomas ,grey1 knight1 of ,northumberland1 ,have1 for the gilt of ,france1--,o guilt indeed6-- ,confirm'd conspiracy with fearful ,france2 ,and by their hands this grace of kings must die1 ,if hell and treason hold their promises1 ,ere he take ship for ,france1 and in ,southampton4 ,linger your patience on1 and we'll digest ,the abuse of distance1 force a play4 ,the sum is paid2 the traitors are agreed2 ,the ,king is set from ,london2 and the scene ,is now transported1 gentles1 to ,southampton4 ,there is the playhouse now1 there must you sit2 ,and thence to ,france shall we convey you safe1 ,and bring you back1 charming the narrow seas ,to give you gentle pass2 for1 if we may1 ,we'll not offend one stomach with our play4 ,but1 till the ,king come forth1 and not till then1 ,unto ,southampton do we shift our scene4 7,exit47 ,henry ,v4 ,as audiences1 becoming more interested in characterization and less in mere story1 grew to expect that each act would show the central figure growing out of the preceding act and into the next1 they balked more and more at hearing of changes instead of seeing them4 ,they insisted that the effective forces must work before their eyes4 ,hence the disappearance of ,dumb ,show and ,chorus4 ,with ,lady ,bountiful#ca the public did not object strongly to what was supposed to happen between the fourth and fifth acts1 because it took the whole play as a mere story4 ,but in ,iris1 when the author asked it to accept all the important stages in the moral breakdown of ,iris as taking place between the fourth and fifth acts1 there was considerable dissent4 ,contrast the greater satisfactoriness when an auditor can watch important changes1 as he may with ,sophy ,fullgarney in the third act of the ,gay ,lord ,quex1#cb or with ,mrs4 ,dane in the fourth act of ,mrs4 ,dane's ,defence4 ,to assume that a lapse of time stated to have passed in a just preceding entr'acte1 and a change of environment there1 have produced marked difference in character is not today enough4 ,a dramatist may assume that only as much time has passed between acts as he makes entirely plausible by the happenings and characterization of the next act4 ,for any needed statement of what has happened since the close of a preceding act he must depend only on deft exposition within the act in question4 ,recent usage no longer insists that acts may not somewhat overlap4 ,toward the end of ,act ,,ii of ,eugene ,walter's ,paid in ,full1 ,emma ,brooks is disclosed making an appointment with ,captain ,williams over a telephone4 ,in the next act we are transferred to ,captain ,williams's quarters1 and the dramatic clock has1 in the meanwhile1 been turned back some fifteen minutes1 for presently the telephone bell rings1 and the same appointment is made over again4 ,in other words1 ,act ,,ii partly overlaps ,act ,i in time1 but the scene is different4#cc ,there is a similar use in ,under ,cover4 ,at the beginning of the last act1 a group1 sleepily at cards1 is startled by the burglar alarm4 ,the climax of the preceding act was that same alarm4 ,the most difficult kind of off-stage time to treat comes not within or between the acts4 ,it is the time before the play begins in which events took place which must be known as soon as the play opens1 if auditors are to follow the play understandingly4 ,every dramatist1 as he turns from his story to his plot1 faces the problem3 ,how plant in the mind of the audience past events and facts concerning the characters which are fundamental in understanding the play4 ,the ,chorus and the ,dumb ,show again were1 among early dramatists1 the clumsy solution of this problem4 ,,the ,,prologue ,in ,troy1 there lies the scene4 ,from isles of ,greece ,the princes orgillous1 their high blood chaf'd1 ,have to the port of ,athens sent their ships1 ,fraught with the ministers and instruments ,of cruel war4 ,sixty and nine1 that wore ,their crownets regal1 from the ,athenian bay ,put forth toward ,phrygia2 and their vow is made ,to ransack ,troy1 within whose strong immures ,the ravish'd ,helen1 ,menelaus' queen1 ,with wanton ,paris sleeps2 and that's the quarrel4 ,to ,tenedos they come1 ,and the deep-drawing barks do there disgorge ,their warlike fraughtage4 ,now on ,dardan plains ,the fresh and yet unbruised ,greeks do pitch ,their brave pavilions4 ,priam's six-gated city1 ,dardan1 and ,timbria1 ,helias1 ,chetas1 ,troien1 ,and ,antenorides1 with massy staples ,and corresponsive and fulfilling bolts ,spar up the sons of ,troy4 ,now expectation1 tickling skittish spirits1 ,on one and other side1 ,troyan and ,greek1 ,sets all on hazard2 and hither am ,i come ,a prologue arm'd1 but not in confidence ,of author's pen or actor's voice1 but suited ,in like conditions as our argument1 ,to tell you1 fair beholders1 that our play ,leaps o'er the vaunt and firstlings of those broils1 ,beginning in the middle1 starting thence away ,to what may be digested in a play4 ,like or find fault2 do as your pleasures are4 ,now good or bad2 'tis but the chance of war4#cd ,a growing technique led the dramatists from ,dumb ,show and ,chorus to soliloquy1 in order to provide this necessary preliminary exposition4 ,is ,richard1 ,duke of ,gloucester1 at the opening of ,richard ,,iii1 much more than a re-christened ,chorus8 ,,act ,i4 ,,scene ,i4 7,london4 ,a street47 ,enter ,richard1 ,duke of ,gloucester1 solus ,gloucester4 ,now is the winter of our discontent ,made glorious summer by this sun of ,york2 ,and all the clouds that lour'd upon our house ,in the deep bosom of the ocean buried4 ,now are our brows bound with victorious wreaths2 ,our bruised arms hung up for monuments2 ,our stern alarums chang'd to merry meetings1 ,our dreadful marches to delightful measures4 ,grim-visag'd ,war hath smooth'd his wrinkled front2 ,and now1 instead of mounting barbed steeds ,to fright the souls of fearful adversaries1 ,he capers nimbly in a lady's chamber ,to the lascivious pleasing of a lute4 ,but ,i1 that am not shap'd for sportive tricks1 ,nor made to court an amorous looking-glass2 ,i1 that am rudely stamp'd1 and want love's majesty ,to strut before a wanton ambling nymph2 ,i1 that am curtail'd of this fair proportion1 ,cheated of feature by dissembling nature1 ,deform'd1 unfinish'd1 sent before my time ,into this breathing world1 scarce half made up1 ,and that so lamely and unfashionable ,that dogs bark at me as ,i halt by them2 ,why1 ,i1 in this weak piping time of peace1 ,have no delight to pass away the time1 ,unless to see my shadow in the sun ,and descant on mine own deformity4 ,and therefore1 since ,i cannot prove a lover ,to entertain these fair well-spoken days1 ,i am determined to prove a villain ,and hate the idle pleasures of these days4 ,plots have ,i laid1 inductions dangerous1 ,by drunken prophecies1 libels1 and dreams1 ,to set my brother ,clarence and the ,king ,in deadly hate the one against the other2 ,and if ,king ,edward be as true and just ,as ,i am subtle1 false1 and treacherous1 ,this day should ,clarence closely be mew'd up ,about a prophecy1 which says that ,g ,of ,edward's heirs the murderer shall be4 ,dive1 thoughts1 down to my soul2 here ,clarence comes4 ,led by ,shakespeare1 dramatists have come to understand that such information should1 if in any way possible1 be conveyed not by soliloquy but within the play itself4 ,it should1 too1 be so incorporated with the text that it is acquired almost unconsciously by an auditor held absorbed by the immediate dramatic action4 ,sometimes1 however1 it is well-nigh impossible thus to incorporate needed exposition with the dramatic action4 ,for instance1 a play depicted the fortunes of a ,jacobite's daughter4 ,all that is dramatic in her story as a young woman is predetermined by terrible scenes attending the death of her father1 when she was a child of six4 ,somehow the audience must be made to understand very early in the play what these scenes were which made a lasting1 intense impression on the child4 ,that the young woman1 when twenty1 should recall the scenes with such minuteness as to make the audience perfectly understand their dramatic values is hardly plausible4 ,to have some one come out of the past to reawaken the old memories is commonplace1 and likely1 by long descriptions to clog the movement of the act4 ,facing this problem1 present-day dramatists1 avoiding chorus1 soliloquy1 and lengthy description1 have chosen to put such needed material into a division which1 because it is preliminary1 they have at will distinguished from the other acts as the ,induction or more frequently the ,prologue4 ,the latter term is a confusing use4 ,historically1 it signifies the single figure or group of figures who1 before the curtain1 bespeak the favor of the audience for the play to follow4 ,very rarely1 the ,prologue partook a little of the nature of ,chorus1 stating details that must be understood1 were the play to have its full effect4 ,dramatists1 feeling that the relation of this introductory division to the other divisions is not so close as are the inter-relations of the other divisions1 have called this preliminary action1 not ,act ,i1 but ,prologue4 ,a similar situation exists for what has been dubbed ,epilogue4 ,historically1 a figure from the play just ended1 or an entirely new figure1 strove1 often in lines not written by the dramatist1 to point the story or1 at least1 to win for it the final approval of the audience4 ,today1 when a dramatist wishes to point the meaning of a play which he seems to have brought to a close1 or to include it in some larger scheme1 he writes what he prefers to call1 not an additional act1 but an ,epilogue4 ,a dramatist should be very careful that what he calls ,prologue or ,epilogue is not merely an additional act4 ,an act does not cease to be an act1 and become a prologue or an epilogue1 because its length is shorter than that usual for an act4 ,true it is that most prologues and epilogues are short1 but that is not their distinguishing characteristic4 ,if they are brief1 it is because the dramatist wants to move as quickly as possible from his induction or prologue to his main story1 or knows that when the play proper is ended1 he cannot with his epilogue hold his audience long4 ,not always1 however1 are prologues1 or epilogues short4 ,that of ,madame ,sans ,gene#ce has the same number of pages as ,act ,,ii1 seventeen4 ,the ,prologue of ,the ,passing of the ,third ,floor ,back#cf fills some sixty-two pages4 ,the ,epilogue of the same play covers fifty-six pages4 ,an act in this play makes seventy-eight pages4 ,in ,a ,celebrated ,case#cg the ,prologue covers twenty-one pages2 the subsequent acts run from eight to twelve pages each4 ,nor is an act changed into a prologue or epilogue because the space of time between it and the other divisions is longer than between any two of them4 ,does an act cease to be an act and become a prologue or epilogue1 when the space of time between it and the other acts is twenty-five years1 or should it be thirty8 ,the absurdity of making the use of the words ,prologue or ,epilogue depend upon the space of time between one division and another is evident4 ,it is true that the ,prologue of ,madame ,sans ,gene takes place nineteen years before the three acts which follow1 but it concerns the same people4 ,it might equally well be called ,act ,i4 ,the ,passing of the ,third ,floor ,back might just as correctly be announced as a play in three acts instead of ,an idle fancy in a ,prologue1 a ,play1 and an ,epilogue4 ,recently ,a ,successful ,calamity was stated to be in two acts1 each preceded by a ,prologue4 ,except for the novel appearance of the statement in the program1 it might more correctly have been called a play in four acts4 ,little except the will of the dramatist settled that the last division of ,pinero's ,letty should be called an ,epilogue4 ,it occurs only two years and a half after the preceding act4 ,it presents the same people4 ,similarly the ,prologue to ,tennyson's ,becket might just as well be called ,act ,i1 except that this nomenclature would give the play six acts4 ,in the stage version by ,henry ,irving1 the four acts and a ,prologue might correctly be called five acts4 ,the anonymous play1 ,the ,taming of a ,shrew1#ch on which ,shakespeare founded his farce-comedy of similar title1 shows a good use of ,prologue and ,epilogue4 ,by a practical joke1 ,christopher ,sly the beggar is made to believe he is a ,lord4 ,as a part of the joke1 the play is acted before him4 ,now and again1 in the course of it1 he comments on it4 ,he and his group finish the performance in a sort of ,epilogue4 ,when ,shakespeare uses ,sly1 only to let him shortly withdraw for good1 the arrangement seems curiously incomplete and unsatisfactory4 ,romance1 by ,edward ,sheldon1 shows right use of so-called epilogue and prologue4 ,as the curtain falls on the brief prologue1 the aged ,bishop is telling his grandson the story of his love for the ,cavallini4 ,then the play1 which is the ,bishop's story1 unrolls itself for three acts4 ,in turn they fade into the epilogue1 in which the grandson1 as the ,bishop finishes his story1 goes off in spite of it to marry the girl he loves4 ,by means of the epilogue and prologue ,mr4 ,sheldon gains irony and contrast1 relates the main play to larger values1 and answers the inevitable question of his audience at the end of his third act3 ,what happened to them afterward8 ,not to have used the so-called epilogue and prologue here would have forced total reconstruction of the material and probably a clumsier result4 ,such setting of a long play within a very brief play is one of the conditions for the legitimate use of the so-called prologue and epilogue4 ,another legitimate use1 though perhaps not so clear-cut1 is illustrated by the ,prologue to ,a ,celebrated ,case4#ci ,the play might1 perhaps1 be written without it1 but1 if it were1 the scene of ,act ,i in which ,adrienne recognizes the convict as her father1 would be filled with much more exposition1 and the present emphasis on the powerful emotions of the moment would be somewhat blurred by the emotions called up by exposition of the past4 ,clearly1 the play gains rather than loses by the presence of the prologue4 ,obviously the latter stands somewhat apart from the three acts which follow1 less definitely related to them than they are to one another4 ,so it may1 perhaps1 better be called a prologue than an act4 ,of course1 the distinction between prologue and act is a matter of nomenclature1 not of effectiveness in acting4 ,look at ,my ,lady's ,dress1 by ,edward ,knobloch4 ,scene #a1 ,act ,i1 and ,scene #c1 ,act ,,iii1 have the same setting1 a boudoir1 and are more closely related to each other than to the rest of the play4#dj ,indeed1 what stands between are one-act plays making the dream of ,anne4 ,according to present usage1 ,mr4 ,knobloch could have called these scenes ,prologue and ,epilogue1 and treated all that stands between as the play proper4 ,that he did or didn't makes no difference in the acting4 ,the growing use of the two words1 ,prologue and ,epilogue1 merely marks an increasing sense of dramatic technique which tries by nomenclature to emphasize for a reader nice differences which the dramatist discerns in the inter-relations of his material4 ,to sum up1 there is real significance1 though present confusion1 in recent use of the words1 ,prologue and ,epilogue4 ,the use rests on a fact3 that sometimes a play is best proportioned1 when it has at the beginning or end1 or both1 a brief division related to the story and essential to it1 but not so closely related to any act as are the acts to one another4 ,the names ,prologue and ,epilogue should not1 however1 be used interchangeably for acts4 ,they should be kept for their historical use--verse or prose spoken in front of the curtain before or at an end of the play1 in order to win or intensify sympathy for it4 ,we should find different names for these divisions1--perhaps1 ,induction and ,finale8 ,what should be the length of an act8 ,there can be no rule as to this4 ,naturally1 the work of the first and last acts differs somewhat from the intervening acts1 whether one or three in number4 ,while it is the chief business of the intervening acts to maintain and increase interest already created1 the first act must obviously create that interest as swiftly as possible1 and the last act bring that interest to a climactic close4 ,the first act1 because in it the characters must be introduced1 necessary past history stated1 and the story well started1 is likely to be longer than the other acts4 ,the last act1 inasmuch as even at its beginning we are usually not distant from the climax of the play1 is most often the shortest division1 for as soon as the climax is reached1 we should drop the curtain as quickly as possible4 ,a glance at certain notable plays of different periods will show1 however1 that the length of an act most depends1 not on any given rule1 but on the skill of the dramatist in accomplishing what he has decided the particular act must do4 ,in the ,cambridge edition of ,shakespeare's ,lear 7printed in two columns of fine type7 the acts run as follows3 ,act ,i #i-a_/b pages ,act ,,ii #g pages ,act ,,iii #f-a_/b pages ,act ,,iv #f-a_/d pages ,act ,v #e-a_/d pages ,kismet1 a play modeled on the ,elizabethan1 shows this division3 ,act ,i #dh pages ,act ,,ii #cc pages ,act ,,iii #bb-a_/b pages ,for three plays of ,richard ,steele it is possible to give the exact playing-time3#da ,the ,funeral ,the ,conscious ,lovers ,the ,tender ,husband ,act ,i #cj min4 ,act ,i #cc min4 ,act ,i #be min4 ,act ,,ii #cf min4 ,act ,,ii #bh min4 ,act ,,ii #bb min4 ,act ,,iii #bj min4 ,act ,,iii #bd min4 ,act ,,iii #ad min4 ,act ,,iv #bj min4 ,act ,,iv #bh min4 ,act ,,iv #ae min4 ,act ,v #bj min4 ,act ,v #ca min4 ,act ,v #ah min4 ,total1 #b hrs4 #f min4 ,total1 #b hrs4 #bd min4 ,total1 #a hr4 #cd min4 ,two recent plays divide thus3 ,candida ,the ,silver ,box ,act ,i #bg pages ,act ,i #bg pages ,act ,,ii #bd pages ,act ,,ii #bg pages ,act ,,iii #ba pages ,act ,,iii #ba pages ,the plays just cited are of very different lengths3 ,kismet#db took nearly three hours in performance2 ,candida#dc and ,the ,silver ,box#dd are so short that they force a manager1 if he is to provide an entertainment of the usual length1 to a choice3 he must begin his performance late1 or allow long waits between the acts1 or give a one-act piece with the longer play4 ,yet it is noteworthy that in all these plays except ,steele's1 the first is as long as any other act1 or longer1 and the last act is the shortest4 ,however1 the only safe principle is that of ,dumas pere already quoted3 ,first act clear1 last act short1 and everywhere interest4 ,in proportioning the whole material into acts1 it should be remembered1 of course1 that the time allowed for a theatrical performance ranges from two hours to two hours and three quarters4 ,five to fifteen minutes should be allowed for each entr'acte unless the usual waits are to be avoided by some mechanical device4 ,figure that a double-spaced type-written page takes in acting something more than a minute1 though necessary dramatic pauses and business make it difficult to estimate exactly the playing time of any page4 ,speaking approximately1 it may be said that a three-act play of one hundred and twenty typewritten pages will fill1 with the entr'actes1 at least two hours and a half4 ,in apportioning the story into acts the first requisite is1 then1 that the total1 even with the necessary waits between acts1 shall not exceed the length of time during which the public will be attentive4 ,the length of each act must in every case be determined by the work in the total which it has to do4 ,since pre-,shakespearean days1 the artistry of the act has been steadily developing4 ,until circa1 #aeie1 what dramatists strove to do was1 not so to arrange their material that its inner relations should be perfectly clear1 but to narrate a series of events that did not1 of necessity1 possess such inner relations4 ,it is much to be doubted whether any thought of such relations ever entered their heads4#de ,influenced particularly by ,shakespeare1 the drama from that time has steadily improved in knowledge of what each act should do in the sum total1 and how it should be done4 ,the act is more than a convenience in time4 ,it is imposed by the limited power of attention of the human mind1 or by the need of the human body for occasional refreshment4 ,a play with a well-marked1 well-balanced act-structure is a higher artistic organism than a play with no act-structure1 just as a vertebrate animal is higher than a mollusc4 ,in every crisis of real life 7unless it be so short as to be a mere incident7 there is a rhythm of rise1 progress1 culmination1 and solution4 ,each act ought to stimulate and temporarily satisfy an interest of its own1 while definitely advancing the main action4#df ,each act1 then1 should be a unit of the whole1 which accomplishes its own definite work4 ,here is ,ibsen's rough apportioning of the work for each act in a play of which he was thinking4 ,do you not think of dramatising the story of ,faste8 ,it seems to me that there is the making of a very good popular play in it4 ,just listen6 ,act #a4--;,faste as the half-grown boy1 eating the bread of charity and dreaming of greatness4 ,act #b4--;,faste's struggle in the town4 ,act #c4--;,faste's victory in the town4 ,act #d4--;,faste's defeat and flight from the country4 ,act #e4--;,faste's return as a victorious poet4 ,he has found himself4 ,it is a fine adventurous career to depict dramatically4 ,but of course you would have to get farther away from your story first4 ,you perhaps think this a barbarous and inhuman suggestion4 ,but all your stories have the making of a drama in them4#dg ,in ,the ,princess and the ,butterfly1#dh ,act ,i not only disposes of preliminary necessary exposition1 but depicts different kinds of restlessness in a group of women at or nearing middle age4 ,act ,,ii does the same for a group of men1 and in the proposed duel provides what later may be made to reveal to ,sir ,george how much ,fay ,zuliani cares for him4 ,act ,,iii complicates the story by showing that ,fay is not the niece of ,sir ,george1 and illustrates the growing affection between the ,princess and ,edward ,oriel4 ,act ,,iv reveals to ,sir ,george and ,fay how much each cares for the other4 ,the fifth act shows how ,sir ,george and the ,princess1 who have tried to be wise and restrained1 impulsively and instinctively choose the path of seeming unwisdom but immediate happiness4 ,in ,the ,trail of the ,torch1#di ,act ,i states the thesis of the play and offers the first great sacrifice by ,sabine for her daughter1 ,marie-,jeanne4 ,sabine gives up ,stangy in order to be with ,marie-,jeanne1 only to find that her daughter is in love with ,didier4 ,act ,,ii illustrates that a mother will make every sacrifice for her children3 ,madame ,fontenais1 the grandmother1 when her daughter ,sabine begs her to sacrifice her fortune in order that ,marie-,jeanne's anxiety as to the finances of ,didier may be set at rest1 refuses1 thinking to protect ,sabine's future4 ,in turn1 ,sabine1 putting aside all pride1 calls ,stangy back to her1 believing that he will give her the aid she desires for ,marie-,jeanne4 ,act ,,iii shows the extremes of sacrifice to which a mother may go1--here the forgery1 and the sacrifice by ,sabine of her mother to her daughter4 ,act ,,iv illustrates the retribution for ,sabine3 the revelation by ,stangy that1 after ,sabine sent him away1 he married2 ,marie-,jeanne's announcement to her mother that she is to go to ,america with her father and that ,sabine cannot go2 and the death of ,madame ,fontenais caused1 at least indirectly1 by ,sabine4 ,in all three cases we have only the baldest outline of what the act must do4 ,the illustrative dramatic action by which each act is to accomplish its task is either in hand as part of a clearly defined story in the mind of the dramatist1 or must be found immediately4 ,granted that it has been discovered 7see chap4 ,,iii1 pp4 #dg-gb71 then as each act is shaped up from this material it should have certain qualities4 ,it should be clear4 ,it should lead the hearer on to the acts which follow3 in other words1 it should at least maintain an interest already established1 and in most cases should increase that interest4 ,to put these requisites more briefly1 each act should have clearness and movement4 ,movement in an act means that1 while thoroughly interesting itself1 the act leads a hearer on to its immediate successor and1 above all1 the finale4 ,good movement depends on clearness and right emphasis4 ,the emphasis in each act and in the whole play should be such that ultimately it accomplishes the purpose of the dramatist4 ,how may these qualities1 clearness1 right emphasis1 and consequent movement be gained8 ,,footnotes3 #a ,essay on ,comedy1 p4 #h4 ,george ,meredith4 ,copyright1 #ahig1 by ,chas4 ,scribner's ,sons1 ,new ,york4 #b ,the ,trojan ,women4 ,translated by ,gilbert ,murray4 ,g4 ,allen ,sons1 ,london4 #c ,electra4 ,von ,hofmannsthal4 ,translated by ,a4 ,symons4 ,brentano1 ,new ,york4 #d ,introduction to ,miss ,julia4 ,translated by ,e4 ,bjorkman4 ,copyright1 #aiab1 by ,chas4 ,scribner's ,sons1 ,new ,york4 #e ,hamburg ,dramaturgy1 p4 #cgj4 ,lessing4 ,bohn ed4 #f ,p4 #ac4 ,harper ,bros41 ,new ,york4 #g ,chief ,contemporary ,dramatists1 pp4 #eag-edf4 ,t4 ,h4 ,dickinson1 ed4 ,houghton ,mifflin ,co41 ,boston4 #h ,for all these plays1 idem4 #i ,belles-,lettres ,series4 ,w4 ,strunk1 ed4 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath ,co41 ,boston and ,new ,york4 #aj ,in the seventh edition1 a scene1 ,the place of execution1 is inserted to replace the original brief final scene which apparently took place in the room4 ,belles-,lettres ,series4 ,sir ,a4 ,w4 ,ward1 ed4 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath ,co4 #aa ,letters of ,bulwer-,lytton to ,macready1 ,,xxviii4 ,brander ,matthews1 ed4 #ab ,the ,influence of ,local ,theatrical ,conditions upon the ,drama of the ,greeks4 ,roy ,c4 ,flickinger4 ,classical ,journal1 ,october1 #aiaa4 #ac ,see p4 #hc4 #ad ,introduction to ,macbeth4 ,cambridge ed4 ,houghton ,mifflin ,co41 ,boston4 #ae ,introduction to ,marlowe's ,edward ,,ii4 ,tatlock and ,martin4 ,the ,century ,co4 #af ,see ,play ,production in ,america4 ,a4 ,e4 ,krows4 ,henry ,holt ,co41 ,new ,york4 #ag ,plays1 pp4 #cc1 #db4 ,g4 ,p4 ,putnam's ,sons1 ,new ,york4 #ah ,j4 ,w4 ,luce ,co41 ,boston4 #ai ,theatre ,complet1 vol4 ,i4 ,calmann ,levy1 ,paris4 #bj ,belles-,lettres ,series4 ,sir ,a4 ,w4 ,ward1 ed4 ,d4,c4 ,heath ,co41 ,boston and ,new ,york4 #ba ,not often does a dramatist succeed in making real and supposed time agree as well as does ,sir ,arthur ,pinero in ,act ,,iii of ,the ,gay ,lord ,quex4 ,from seven to nine pages of absorbing action come between one chiming of the quarter hour and the next4 ,though a stopwatch would quickly reveal the somewhat disordered condition of that boudoir clock1 an auditor1 absorbed in the action of the moment1 merely feels his tension increase if he notes the passing of time4 #bb ,see p4 #ce4 #bc ,eugene ,scribe1 adopted by ,mrs4 ,burton ,harrison4 ,dramatic ,publishing ,co41 ,chicago4 #bd ,mermaid ,series4 ,chas4 ,scribner's ,sons1 ,new ,york4 #be ,letters of ,bulwer-,lytton to ,macready1 ,,lxiii4 ,brander ,matthews1 ed4 #bf ,belles-,lettres ,series4 ,c4 ,f4 ,mc,clumpha1 ed4 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath ,co41 ,boston and ,new ,york4 #bg ,walter ,h4 ,baker ,co41 ,boston2 ,w4 ,heinemann1 ,london4 #bh ,plays4 ,g4 ,p4 ,putnam's ,sons1 ,new ,york4 #bi ,walter ,h4 ,baker ,co41 ,boston2 ,w4 ,heinemann1 ,london4 #cj ,everyman's ,library4 ,plumptre1 ed4 #ca ,walter ,h4 ,baker ,co41 ,boston2 ,w4 ,heinemann1 ,london4 #cb ,r4 ,h4 ,russell ,co41 ,new ,york4 #cc ,the ,influence of ,local ,theatrical ,conditions upon the ,drama of the ,greeks4 ,r4 ,c4 ,flickinger4 ,classical ,journal1 ,october1 #aiaa4 #cd ,troilus and ,cressida4 #ce ,samuel ,french1 ,new ,york4 #cf ,hurst ,blackett1 ,ltd41 ,london4 #cg ,penn ,publishing ,co41 ,philadelphia4 #ch ,shakespeare's ,library1 vol4 ,,vi4 ,w4 ,c4 ,hazlitt1 ed4 ,reeves ,turner1 ,london4 #ci ,penn ,publishing ,co41 ,philadelphia4 #dj ,drama ,league ,series4 ,doubleday1 ,page ,co41 ,new ,york4 #da ,life of ,richard ,steele1 vol4 ,,ii1 p4 #cfh4 ,g4 ,aitken4 ,wm4 ,isbister1 ,london4 #db ,methuen ,co41 ,ltd41 ,london4 #dc ,plays ,pleasant and ,unpleasant4 ,brentano1 ,new ,york4 #dd ,plays4 ,g4 ,p4 ,putnam's ,sons1 ,new ,york4 #de ,a ,note on ,act ,division as practiced in the ,early ,elizabethan ,drama4 ,bulletin of ,western ,reserve ,university4 #df ,play-,making1 p4 #acf4 ,wm4 ,archer4 ,small1 ,maynard ,co41 ,boston4 #dg ,letters of ,henrik ,ibsen1 p4 #bcf2 to ,jonas ,lie4 #dh ,walter ,h4 ,baker ,co41 ,boston2 ,w4 ,heinemann1 ,london4 #di ,p4 ,hervieu4 ,drama ,league ,series4 ,doubleday1 ,page ,co41 ,new ,york4 ,,chapter ,,vi ,,from ,,subject ,,to ,,plot3 ,,arrangement ,,for ,,clearness1 ,,emphasis1 ,,movement ,the chief desideratum of a dramatist beginning to arrange his material within a number of acts already decided on is to create interest as promptly as possible4 ,to that end neither striking dialogue nor stirring situation is of prime consequence4 ,clearness is4 ,when an audience does not understand who the people are with whom the play opens and their relations to one another1 no amount of striking dialogue or stirring situation will create lasting interest4 ,the danger for a later public of allusive reference clear enough at one time is shown by the verses sung when the ,helstone ,furry1 or ,flower ,dance1 takes place in ,cornwall4 ,lines once full of meaning are today so out of date as to be meaningless4 ,from an early hour the place is alive with drums and fifes1 and townsmen hoarsely chanting a ballad1 the burden of which conveys the spirit of the festival3 ,with ,hal-an-tow1 ,jolly rumble ,o1 ,and we are up as soon as any day ,o1 ,and for to fetch the ,summer home1 ,the ,summer and the ,may ,o2 ,for the ,summer is a-come ,o1 ,and ,winter is a-go ,o6 ,the verses of the ballad seem to convey topical allusions that have become traditional4 ,one speaks of ,robin ,hood and ,little ,john as gone to the fair1 and the revellers will go too2 another triumphs in the ,spaniards eating the gray goose feather while the singers will be eating the roast4 ,another runs thus quaintly3 ,god bless ,aunt ,mary ,moses ,with all her power and might ,o2 ,and send us peace in merry ,england ,both night and day ,o4 ,with ,hal-an-tow1 ,jolly rumble ,o1 ,and we were up as soon as any day ,o1 ,and for to fetch the ,summer home1 ,the ,summer and the ,may ,o2 ,for the ,summer is a-come ,o1 ,and ,winter is a-go ,o6 ,thus singing they troop through the town2 if they find anyone at work1 they hale him to the river and make him leap across2 arrived at the ,grammar ,school they demand a holiday2 at noon they go fadding into the country1 and come back with oak branches and flowers in their hats and caps2 then until dusk they dance hand-in-hand down the streets1 and through any house1 in at any door1 out at another2 when night falls they keep up the dancing indoors4 ,the character of the dancing is exactly that of the ancient ,comus2 and the whole spirit of the ,cornish ,furry is a fair representation of primitive nature festivals1 except1 of course1 that modern devoutness has banished from the flower dance all traces of a religious festival2--unless a trace is to be found in the fact that the dancers at one point make a collection4#a ,the ,greek dramatist1 staging religious legends1 could assume in his audience common knowledge as to the identity and the historic background of his figures which saved him much exposition4 ,today1 readers of his play demand explanatory notes because of these omissions4 ,the ,choephori1 like the plays of ,aeschylus generally1 consists of scenes from a story taken as known4 ,some indispensable parts of it are represented only by allusions4 ,others can scarcely be said to be represented at all4 ,the history of ,pylades belongs to the second class2 that of ,strophius belongs to the first4 ,what is evident is that the author presumes us to be familiar with his conception of both1 that as a fact we are not1 and that our only way of approaching the play intelligently is by the assumption of some working hypothesis4#b ,something like the position of these elder dramatists toward exposition is held today by writers of plays on ,george ,washington or ,abraham ,lincoln4 ,dealing1 as the dramatist ordinarily does1 however1 with a mixture of historical and fictitious figures or with characters wholly fictitious1 he must in most cases carefully inform his audience at the outset who his people are1 and what are their relations to one another1 where the play is laid1 and when4 ,examine the first column of what follows3 it is not a burlesque1 but the beginning of a so-called play4 ,why is it unsatisfactory8 ,,orchids ,conservatory of the ,strones' house4 ,natalie is walking about among the flowers and plants1 arranging them for the day in the vases on the near-by table4 ,natalie4 ,natalie4 7,to herself47 ,o-oh1 7,to herself47 ,o-oh1 ,i'm sleepy this morning4 ,it's ,i'm sleepy this morning4 ,it's very nice to have your fiance live very nice to have your fiance in the next house1 but when he live in the next house1 but when insists on writing his stories and 7,tom7 insists on writing his stories things until two or three in the and things until two and morning--well1 ,i don't think three in the morning--well1 ,i it's very thoughtful of him4 don't think it's very thoughtful ,he might realize that his light of him4 ,he might realize shines directly across into my that his light shines directly eyes and keeps me awake4 ,oh1 across into my eyes and keeps dear1 ,mary's been putting me awake4 ,oh1 dear1 7that lilies-of-the-valley in all the maid's7 been putting vases again4 ,i'll not have those lilies-of-the-valley in all the everywhere when we've got orchids vases again4 ,i'll not have those instead4 ,flowers don't need everywhere when we've got orchids fragrance anyway2 they're just instead4 ,flowers don't need meant to be seen4 7,dumping the fragrance anyway2 they're just meant wilted lilies in a basket by her to be seen4 7,dumping the wilted side and arranging the newly-cut lilies in a basket by her side and orchids in their place47 ,tom ,who arranging the newly-cut orchids is ,tom--brother or fiance8 in their place47 always makes a fuss when ,i have ,tom always makes a fuss when nothing but orchids1 so ,i suppose ,i have nothing but orchids1 so ,mary put the others about ,i suppose ,mary put the others to calm him down4 ,who is about to calm him down4 ,mary1 then3 a maid1 a sister1 a girl friend1 some one engaged to ,tom8 ,really ,i've got to speak to him about last ,really ,i've got to speak to 7,tom night when he comes4 ,the light ,hammond7 about last night1 is bad enough1 but ,i won't when he comes4 ,the light is bad have him firing his gun out of enough1 but ,i won't have him the window besides4 ,it must firing his gun out of the window have been at that horrid thin besides4 ,it must have been cat that's always clawing ,hopeful4 at that horrid thin cat that's ,a cat1 a dog1 or a small always clawing ,hopeful4 sister8 ,i'm glad she ,hopeful ,i'm glad 7,hopeful7 or the thin cat8 was locked up was locked up indoors if ,tom's indoors if ,tom's going to act going to act that way 7with cats74 that way4 ,oh1 dear1 these are ,oh1 dear1 these are the wrong the wrong shears again4 7,rings shears again4 7,rings bell4 ,enter bell4 ,enter maid47 ,mary1 bring maid47 ,mary1 bring me the me the other shears--and other shears--and ,mary1 ,mary1 where's ,hopeful this where's ,hopeful this morning2 morning2 ,i haven't seen her8 ,i haven't seen her8 ,mary4 ,the kitten1 ,miss ,mary4 ,the kitten1 ,miss ,strone8 ,strone8 ,natalie44 ,yes1 of course4 ,natalie4 ,yes1 of course4 ,mary4 ,why--why she hasn't ,mary4 ,why--why she hasn't been in this morning4 7,starts been in this morning4 7,starts away47 away47 ,natalie4 ,come back1 ,mary4 ,natalie4 ,come back1 ,mary4 ,don't run off while ,i'm speaking ,don't run off while ,i'm speaking to you4 ,haven't you seen to you4 ,haven't you seen her at all8 her at all8 ,mary4 ,well--yes1 ,miss ,mary4 ,well--yes1 ,miss ,strone--that is ,parkins another ,strone--that is 7the butler7 maid1 a butler1 or a found--,i mean-- milkman8 found--,i mean-- ,natalie4 7,impatiently47 ,well8 ,natalie4 7,impatiently47 ,well8 ,mary4 ,the shots last night1 ,mary4 ,the shots last night1 ,miss ,strone--that is we think ,miss ,strone--that is we think it was--although she was on it was--although she was on the other side of the garden the other side of the wall when when ,parkins came on her--and ,parkins came on her--and there's the wall and the alley there's the wall and the alley between--still1 ,mr4 ,hammond between--still1 ,mr4 ,hammond was shooting out of the was shooting out of the upper upper windows and-- windows and-- ,natalie4 7,quickly47 ,has ,natalie4 7,quickly47 ,has anything happened to ,hopeful8 anything happened to ,hopeful8 ,mary4 ,why--why1 ,parkins-- ,mary44 ,why--why1 ,parkins-- 7,enter ,parkins47 7,enter ,parkins47 ,parkins4 7,quietly47 ,i buried ,parkins4 7,quietly47 ,i buried her all right just now1 ,miss her all right just now1 ,miss ,strone4 7,louder47 ,mr4 ,hammond4 ,strone4 7,louder47 7,mr4 ,hammond47 7,exit sic4 ,mary and ,parkins1 7,exeunt ,mary and ,parkins1 enter ,tom ,hammond47 enter ,tom ,hammond47 ,in the left-hand column practically every one in the cast is unidentified when first mentioned4 ,that is1 the text fails in the first essential of clearness3 we do not for some time know who the people are and their relations to one another4 ,the very slight changes in the right-hand column do away with this fault4 ,identify characters1 then1 as promptly as possible4 ,writing1 ,john ,paul ,jones enters in full ,admiral's uniform1 a dramatist often runs on for some time before the text itself reveals the identity of the person who has entered4 ,except in so far as the costume or make-up presents a well-known historical figure1 or information carefully given before the figure enters may reveal identity1 every newcomer is an entirely unknown person4 ,he must promptly make clear who he is and his relation to the story4 ,the following opening of a play shows another instance of the vagueness resulting when this identification is not well managed3 ,,anne--,a ,,play ,,in ,,two ,,acts ,,act ,i ,evening of a ,june day4 ,john ,hathaway's ,study4 ,door at right and at left back4 ,heavy1 old-fashioned library furnishings4 ,walls lined with shelves of books4 ,general disorder of books to produce the effect of recent using4 ,large flat-topped desk with a double row of drawers stands at front1 half way between center and right wall4 ,desk is covered with books and loose manuscript4 ,chair at left front4 ,stool in front of desk4 ,other chairs toward back4 ,when the curtain rises1 ,john ,hathaway is seated at desk working4 ,anne enters at right1 bangs the door1 and stands with back to it4 ,anne4 ,i hate ,aunt ,caroline4 7,she hurries forward to stand at opposite side of desk47 ,oh1 ,i know what you will say--just preach and preach and call me ,anne and tell me ,i must ask her pardon4--,why don't you begin8 ,john4 7,smiling47 ,now1 ,anne6 ,anne4 ,yes1 there's the ,anne4 ,i know the rest without your going on3--,aunt ,caroline is a peculiar woman1 but is most worthy4 ,her ,puritanism keeps her from understanding your temperament1 and you are too young to understand hers1-- and you'll go on preaching and smiling in that horrid way--you always do--and you'll make me see how wrong ,i've been and how saintly ,aunt ,caroline is1 and at last ,i'll slink out of the room like a good little pussy-cat to find ,aunt ,caroline and beg her pardon4 ,but it won't do this time1 for ,i begged her pardon before ,i lost my temper so that you couldn't send me back4--,oh1 ,duke1 can't we send ,aunt ,caroline away1 and just you and me live here always together4 7,she swings round the desk to sit on the stool at his side1 her back to him4 ,he turns a little in his chair1 letting a hand fall on her shoulder47 ,when ,dad died1 he left me with you because next to me he loved you best in all the world4 ,hundreds and hundreds of times he told me that4--,it would have been very nice1 ,duke1 if ,dad hadn't died1 wouldn't it8 ,john4 ,yes1 ,nan4 ,anne4 ,in just that one thing ,god has not been quite fair to me4 ,aunt ,caroline tries so hard to make me think ,i am wrong about it4--,i know you think so too1 but you never argue about it with me4 ,i like you for that1 ,duke4 ,you see1 if ,dad had lived1 our kingdom would have been complete4 ,why6 a kingdom's only half a kingdom without a king4 ,john4 ,that's true1--but there are still a few of us left4 ,there's the ,prime ,minister1 and the ,countess1 and the ,slave1 every one of them loyal to the ,princess4 ,even the ,war ,department is loyal--in warfare4 ,perhaps1 who knows1 some day from out a great foreign land a great king may come riding1 and the ,princess will place him beside her on the throne--and--live happily ever afterward4 ,anne4 7,inattentively47 ,perhaps4 ,duke1 did you ever think that the ,prime ,minister was very fond of the ,countess8 ,john4 ,why1 ,i have thought so at times4 ,anne4 ,and did you ever think that perhaps the ,prime ,minister would like to marry the ,countess8 ,john4 ,why1 yes1 now you mention it1 that also has occurred to me4 ,anne4 ,well1 why doesn't he8 ,john4 ,perhaps the ,countess isn't willing4 ,who is this ,anne8 ,what is her last name8 ,is she the niece of ,duke8 ,how could we learn from the text that ,duke is ,john ,hathaway8 ,it is the stage direction which gives us that information4 ,and what are we to do with this whole ,burke's ,peerage1--the ,prime ,minister1 the ,countess1 the ,slave8 ,the author is depending for identification upon a list of dramatis personae just preceding what has been quoted3 ,time1 present day4 ,characters3 ,anne ,chesterfield1 ,the ,princess4 ,john ,hathaway1 ,anne's guardian1 ,the ,duke4 ,caroline ,hathaway1 ,john's aunt1 ,head of the ,war ,department4 ,doctor ,stirling1 a friend1 ,the ,prime ,minister4 ,katharine ,bain1 a friend1 ,the ,countess4 ,tommy ,bain1 ,katharine's young brother1 ,the ,slave4 ,professor ,heinrich ,adler1 ,the ,foreign ,ambassador4 ,james1 a ,servant4 ,cut out this list of characters2 in the stage directions strike out ,john ,hathaway1 substituting ,a man2 strike out ,anne1 substituting ,a young woman4 ,at once it is clear that the dialogue reveals nothing about these people1 except that a young woman who speaks is a niece of ,aunt ,caroline4 ,yet these substitutions show what the scene looks like to a man entering the theatre without a program4 ,whenever such substitution of a type name for that of an individual in the titles prefixed to the speeches leaves the speakers unidentified1 it is time to re-phrase the material for greater clearness4 ,scenery and costume1 of course1 may show where the opening or later action of a play takes place4 ,if these make clear the nationality of the speakers1 or1 at most1 the province to which they belong1 this is in many instances enough for any audience4 ,in some cases1 however1 the nature of the plot is so dependent on the customs of a particular community that it is necessary or wise to make the text farther particularize any placing of the play by scenery or costumes4 ,simple interiors1 too1 are not always easily identifiable as of this or that province1 or even country4 ,if province or country at all determines the action of the piece1 the text should help out the setting4 ,one reason why the plays of ,synge aroused bitter opposition was that some auditors believed them representations of life anywhere in ,ireland and not1 as they were meant to be1 pictures of the manners of ,aran ,islanders1 a group so isolated as to retain much savagery4 ,also1 if the text is clear as to place1 suggestion may take the place of realism in the scenery1 thus decreasing expense4 ,the emphasis on place in the opening of ,the ,rising of the ,moon both permits scenery that merely suggests a quay and plants in the minds of hearers a setting essential to the whole development of the play3 ,,scene3 ,side of a quay in a seaport town4 ,some posts and chains4 ,a large barrel4 ,enter three policemen4 ,moonlight4 ,sergeant1 who is older than the others1 crosses the stage to right and looks down steps4 ,the others put down a pastepot and unroll a bundle of placards4 ,policeman ,b4 ,i think this would be a good place to put up a notice4 7,he points to a barrel47 ,policeman ,x4 ,better ask him4 7,calls to ,sergeant447 ,will this be a good place for a placard8 7,no answer47 ,policeman ,b4 ,will we put up a notice here on the barrel8 7,no answer47 ,sergeant4 ,there's a flight of steps here that leads to the water4 ,this is a place that should be minded well4 ,if he got down here1 his friends might have a boat to meet him2 they might send it in here from outside4 ,policeman ,b4 ,would the barrel be a good place to put a notice up8 ,sergeant4 ,it might2 you can put it there4 7,they paste the notice up47 ,sergeant4 7,reading it47 ,dark hair--dark eyes1 smooth face1 height five feet five--there's not much to take hold of in that--,it's a pity ,i had no chance of seeing him before he broke out of jail4 ,they say he's a wonder1 that it's he makes all the plans for the whole organization4 ,there isn't another man in ,ireland would have broken jail the way he did4 ,he must have some friends among the jailers4 ,policeman ,b4 ,a hundred pounds reward is little enough for the ,government to offer for him4 ,you may be sure any man in the force that takes him will get promotion4 ,sergeant4 ,i'll mind this place myself4 ,i wouldn't wonder at all if he comes this way4 ,he might come slipping along there 7points to side of quay7 and his friends might be waiting for him there 7points down steps71 and once he got away it's little chance we'd have of finding him2 it's maybe under a load of kelp he'd be in a fishing boat1 and not one to help a married man that wants it to the reward4#c ,the period in which the play is supposed to take place1 if of importance to the action1 needs careful statement4 ,helped out by setting and costumes1 the following shows that the play is taking place at the time of the ,french ,revolution4 ,at rise of curtain1 drums are heard beating1 trumpets sounding the charge in the distance4 ,a report of a cannon as the curtain rises4 ,jennie4 7,r41 going up to door ,c47 ,did you hear that8 ,it must be somewhere near the ,rue d',echelle now4 ,julie4 7,l4 crossing to ,r47 ,my6 ,i'm frightened to death4 ,marie4 7,carrots--up ,c47 ,i only hope they won't come fighting down our street4 ,julie4 7,kneeling47 ,bless us and save us6 ,jennie4 7,up ,c47 ,down our street4 ,what should they come here for8 ,it's the ,tuileries and the ,king they're after4 7,going to window ,l47 ,first ,neighbor and ,omnes4 7,at back47 ,of course they are4 ,that's it4 ,first ,woman4 7,up ,c47 ,i tell you they're at the ,carrousel4 7,report of cannon47 ,marie4 ,it will be a mercy if they don't smash every pane of glass in the shop4 ,julie4 ,well ,i shan't forget this #ajth of ,august in a hurry4 7,at back a ,national ,guard wounded in the leg supported by two other guards enters at ,l41 is taken into the druggist's shop4 ,all the people move towards the shop47#d ,lapse of time between two acts1 if important to the development of the plot1 should also be clearly stated4 ,dramatists like to depend on the programs for such information1 but they run the chance that many auditors will not see the printed note4 ,doubtless a program would give these words from the stage direction at the beginning of the fourth act of ,hauptmann's ,lonely ,lives3 ,time between #d and #e ,p4,m41 but the quick passage of time is so important a fact in the development of the plot that six or seven pages later there is the following dialogue3 ,braun4 7,looks at telegram47 ,it is the six o'clock train that ,mr4 ,vockerat is coming by8 ,what o'clock is it now8 ,mrs4 ,vockerat4 ,not half-past four yet4 ,braun4 7,after a moment of reflection47 ,has there been no change in the course of the week8 ,mrs4 ,vockerat4 7,shakes her head hopelessly47 ,none4 ,braun4 ,has she given no hint of any intention to go8#e ,in ,the ,galloper1 by ,richard ,harding ,davis1 what the audience hears will place the play in a hotel at ,athens1 even if the scenery does not3 ,before the curtain rises one hears a drum-and-fife corps playing a lively march1 and the sound of people cheering4 ,this comes from the rear and to the left1 and continues after the curtain is up1 dying away gradually as though the band1 and the regiment with it1 had passed and continued on up the street4 ,anstruther is discovered seated on the lower right-end corner of the table1 with his right foot resting on the chair at that corner4 ,he is reading the ,paris ,new ,york ,herald and smoking a cigarette4 ,he is a young man of good manner and soldierly appearance4 ,he wears gray whipcord riding breeches1 tan riding boots1 and ,norfolk jacket of rough tweed4 ,his slouch hat1 with a white puggaree wrapped round it1 lies on the table beside him4 ,griggs stands at the edge of the ,french window looking off left4 ,in his hand he holds a notebook in which he takes notes4 ,he is supposed to be watching the soldiers who are passing4 ,he is a pompous little man of about forty with eyeglasses4 ,he wears a khaki uniform similar to that of an officer of the ,british army1 with the difference that the buttons are of bone4 ,his left chest is covered with ribbons of war medals4 ,hewitt1 a young man with a pointed beard and moustache1 stands to the left of ,griggs1 also looking off left4 ,he wears a khaki coat made like a ,norfolk jacket1 khaki riding breeches1 and canvas ,united ,states ,army leggings and tan shoes4 ,on the table are his slouch hat and the khaki-colored helmet of ,griggs4 ,captain ,o',malley enters right4 ,he is a dashing young ,irishman1 in the uniform of an officer of the ,greek ,army4 ,he halts to right of ,anstruther and salutes4 ,capt4 ,o',malley4 ,pardon1 ,i am ,captain ,o',malley of the ,foreign ,legion4 ,am ,i addressing one of the foreign war correspondents8 ,capt4 ,anstruther4 ,yes4 ,capt4 ,o',malley4 7,showing him a visiting card47 ,pardon1 is this your card8 ,capt4 ,anstruther4 7,reading card47 ,mr4 ,kirke ,warren4 ,no4 ,capt4 ,o',malley4 ,do you know if ,mr4 ,warren is in this hotel8 ,capt4 ,anstruther4 ,i couldn't tell you4 ,we arrived in ,athens only last night4 ,capt4 ,o',malley4 7,saluting and moving off left47 ,i thank you4 7,he exits left47#f ,but the dramatist prefaced this with a careful description of the setting4 ,what has just been quoted shows that the dramatist risked no chance that what would probably identify this setting1--,greek letters of gilt on the picture frames1 and the distant view of the ,acropolis1--might fail him4 ,he added what has just been quoted4 ,this scene shows the interior of the reading room in the ,hotel ,angleterre at ,athens4 ,it is large1 cheerful-looking1 and sunny1 with a high ceiling4 ,extending nearly across the entire width of the rear wall is a ,french window1 which opens upon the garden of the hotel4 ,outside it are set plants in green tubs1 and above it is stretched a striped green-and-white awning4 ,to the reading room the principal entrance is through a wide door set well down in the left wall4 ,it is supposed to open into the hall of the hotel4 ,through this door one obtains a glimpse of the hall1 where steamer trunks and hatboxes are piled high upon a black-and-white tiled floor4 ,in the right wall there is another door1 also well down on the stage4 ,it is supposed to open into a corridor of the hotel4 ,below it against the wall are a writing desk and chair4 ,a similar writing desk is placed against the rear wall between the right wall and the ,french window4 ,on the left of the stage1 end-on to the audience1 is a long library table over which is spread a dark-green baize cloth4 ,on top of it are ranged periodicals and the illustrated papers of different countries4 ,chairs of bent wood are ranged around this table1 one being placed at each side of the lower end4 ,of these two1 the chair to the left of the table is not farther from the left door than five feet4 ,the walls of the room are colored a light1 cool gray in distemper1 with a black oak wainscot about four feet high4 ,on the walls are hung photographs of the ,acropolis and of classic ,greek statues4 ,on the black frames holding these photographs appear the names of shopkeepers in ,greek letters of gilt4 ,the floor is covered with a gray crash4 ,the back drop1 seen through the ,french window1 shows the garden of the hotel1 beyond that the trees of a public park1 and high in the air the ,acropolis4 ,the light is that of a bright morning in ,may4 ,the test in deciding whether the place and the time should be stated is not1 ,has it been given in the program8 nor1 ,may it with ingenuity be guessed from the settings and costumes8 but1 first1 ,does place or time1 or do both at all determine the action of the piece8 secondly1 ,will any intelligent observer be vague as to place or time1 as the play develops8 ,if the answer to either of these questions is yes1 it is wisest to make these matters clear in the text4 ,far more troublesome than merely identifying the characters or emphasizing the place and time of the play is showing the relations of the characters to one another4 ,this usually requires exposition of past history which must be clearly understood if the play is to have its full emotional effect4 ,more than one reader has been disposed to believe the theory that ,macbeth1 as we know it1 is a cut stage version because1 when ,lady ,macbeth first enters1 she seems less prepared for and less clearly related to the other figures than is ,shakespeare's custom4 ,,scene #e4 ,inverness4 ,macbeth's castle ,enter ,lady ,macbeth1 alone1 with a letter ,lady ,macbeth4 7,reads47 ,they met me in the day of success2 and ,i have learn'd by the perfect'st report1 they have more in them than mortal knowledge4 ,when ,i burn'd in desire to question them further1 they made themselves air1 into which they vanish'd4 ,whiles ,i stood rapt in the wonder of it1 came missives from the ,king1 who all-hail'd me1 ',thane of ,cawdor'2 by which title1 before1 these weird sisters saluted me1 and referr'd me to the coming on of time1 with ',hail1 ,king thou shalt be6' ,this ,i have thought good to deliver thee1 my dearest partner of greatness1 that thou mightst not lose the dues of rejoicing1 by being ignorant of what greatness is promis'd thee4 ,lay it to thy heart1 and farewell4 ,glamis thou art1 and ,cawdor2 and shalt be ,what thou art promis'd4 ,yet do ,i fear thy nature2 ,it is too full o' the milk of human kindness ,to catch the nearest way4 ,thou wouldst be great1 ,art not without ambition1 but without ,the illness should attend it4 ,what thou wouldst highly1 ,that wouldst thou holily2 wouldst not play false1 ,and yet wouldst wrongly win4 ,thou'dst have1 great ,glamis1 ,that which cries1 ,thus thou must do1 if thou have it2 ,and that which rather thou dost fear to do ,than wishest should be undone4 ,hie thee hither ,that ,i may pour my spirits in thine ear1 ,and chastise with the valour of my tongue ,all that impedes thee from the golden round ,which fate and metaphysical aid doth seem ,to have thee crown'd withal4 ,the ,dumb ,show1 ,chorus1 and ,soliloquy are now outworn devices for setting forth necessary initial expository facts4 ,today any experienced dramatist knows that such preliminary exposition demands the art which conceals art1 for an audience resents a mere recital of necessary facts4 ,examine the first act of ,schnitzler's ,the ,lonely ,way4#g ,all of it is interesting for characterization and statement of facts essential to an understanding of the play1 but it does not grip the attention as do the other acts where drama1 not exposition1 is of first consequence4 ,early steps in advance on the ,chorus were the butler and the maid servant1 garrulously talking of what each must have known ever since he came into his position4 ,a closely related form is unbosoming oneself to a male or female confidant4 ,,act ,i 7,enter ,hippolytus1 ,theramenes47 ,hippolytus4 ,my mind is settled1 dear ,theramenes1 ,and ,i can stay not more in lovely ,troezen4 ,in doubt that racks my soul with mortal anguish1 ,i grow ashamed of such long idleness4 ,six months and more my father has been gone1 ,and what may have befallen one so dear ,i know not1 nor what corner of the earth ,hides him4 ,theramenes4 ,and where1 prince1 will you look for him8 ,already1 to content your just alarm1 ,have ,i not cross'd the seas on either side ,of ,corinth1 ask'd if aught were known of ,theseus ,where ,acheron is lost among the ,shades1 ,visited ,elis1 doubled ,toenarus1 ,and sail'd into the sea that saw the fall ,of ,icarus8 ,inspired with what new hope1 ,under what favor'd skies think you to trace ,his footsteps8 ,who knows if the king1 your father1 ,wishes the secret of his absence known8 ,perchance1 while we are trembling for his life1 ,the hero calmly plots some fresh intrigue1 ,and only waits till the deluded fair-- ,hippolytus4 ,cease1 dear ,theramenes1 respect the name ,of ,theseus4 ,youthful errors have been left ,behind1 and no unworthy obstacle ,detains him4 ,phaedra long has fix'd a heart ,inconstant once1 nor need she fear a rival4 ,in seeking him ,i shall but do my duty1 ,and leave a place ,i dare no longer see4 ,theramenes4 ,indeed6 ,when1 prince1 did you begin to dread ,these peaceful haunts1 so dear to happy childhood1 ,where ,i have seen you oft prefer to stay1 ,rather than meet the tumult and the pomp ,of ,athens and the court8 ,what danger shun you1 ,or shall ,i say what grief8 ,hippolytus4 ,that happy time ,is gone1 and all is changed1 since to these shores ,the gods sent ,phaedra4 ,theramenes4 ,i perceive the cause ,of your distress4 ,it is the queen whose sight ,offends you4 ,with a step-dame's spite she schemed ,your exile soon as she set eyes on you4 ,but if her hatred is not wholly vanish'd1 ,it has at least taken a milder aspect4 ,besides1 what danger can a dying woman1 ,one too who longs for death1 bring on your head8 ,can ,phaedra1 sick'ning of a dire disease ,of which she will not speak1 weary of life ,and of herself1 form any plots against you8 ,hippolytus4 ,it is not her vain enmity ,i fear2 ,another foe alarms ,hippolytus4 ,i fly1 it must be owned1 from ,aricia1 ,the soul survivor of an impious race4 ,theramenes4 ,what6 ,you become her persecutor too6 ,the gentle sister of the cruel sons ,of ,pallas shared not in their perfidy2 ,why should you hate such charming innocence8 ,hippolytus4 ,i should not need to fly1 if it were hatred4 ,theramenes4 ,may ,i1 then1 learn the meaning of your flight8#h ,another device is an intensely inquisitive stranger just returned from foreign parts who listens with patience not always shared by an auditor to any needed preliminary exposition4 ,the ,opportunity1#i by ,james ,shirley1 shows an ingenious adaptation of the device of the inquisitive stranger newly come to some city4 ,aurelio1 a gentleman of ,milan1 coming to ,urbino with his friend ,pisauro1 is mistaken for ,borgia1 who has been banished from ,urbino4 ,as one person after another1 greeting ,aurelio as ,borgia1 naturally talks to him of his past1 his family1 and what is to be expected of him now that he is returned1 they identify and relate clearly to one another the chief people whom ,aurelio is to meet in the play4 ,a hearer would take in almost unconsciously the needed exposition1 so amused would he be at the increasing bewilderment of ,aurelio4 ,such ways and means as these three--the servant1 the confidant1 the stranger--,buckingham ridiculed in the late seventeenth century in his ,rehearsal3 ,enter ,gentleman-,usher and ,physician ,physician4 ,sir1 by your habit1 ,i should guess you to be the ,gentleman-,usher of this sumptuous palace4 ,usher4 ,and by your gait and fashion1 ,i should almost suspect you rule the healths of both our noble ,kings1 under the notion of ,physician4 ,physician4 ,you hit my function right4 ,usher4 ,and you mine4 ,physician4 ,then let's embrace4 ,usher4 ,come4 ,physician4 ,come4 ,johnson4 ,pray1 sir1 who are those so very civil persons8 ,bayes4 ,why1 sir1 the ,gentleman-,usher and ,physician of the two ,kings of ,brentford4 ,johnson4 ,but1 pray1 then1 how comes it to pass that they know one another no better8 ,bayes4 ,phoo6 that's for the better carrying on of the plot4#aj ,another method1 talking back to people off stage1 as one enters1 in such a way as to bring out necessary facts1 erence both used and ridiculed centuries ago4 ,this is his use of the device3 ,enter ,mysis ,mysis4 7,speaking to the housekeeper within47 ,i hear1 ,archilis1 ,i hear3 ,your orders are to fetch ,lesbia4 ,on my word she's a drunken reckless creature1 not at all a fit person to take charge of a woman in her first labour3 am ,i to fetch her all the same8 7,comes forward47#aa ,in the last lines of the following he ridicules this very use3 ,re-enter ,lesbia ,lesbia4 7,speaking through the doorway47 ,so far1 ,archilis1 the usual and proper symptoms for a safe delivery1 ,i see them all here4 ,after ablution give her the drink ,i ordered and in the prescribed quantity4 ,i shall be back before long4 7,turning round47 ,lor' me1 but a strapping boy is born to ,pamphilus4 ,heaven grant it live1 for the father's a noble gentleman and has shrunk from wronging an excellent young lady4 7,exit47 ,simo4 ,for example now1 wouldn't any one who knew you think you were at the bottom of this8 ,davus4 ,of what1 sir8 ,simo4 ,instead of prescribing at the bedside what must be done for the mother1 out she plumps and shouts it at them from the street4#ab ,lately the telephone1 the stenographer1 and most recently the dictaphone have seemed to puzzled dramatists the swift road to successful initial exposition4 ,to all these human or unhuman aids some overburdened soul has felt free to say anything the audience might need to hear4 ,probably this use of the telephone has come to stay1 for daily there is proof that nothing is too intimate for it4 ,there are1 however1 more ambitious workers who1 weary of servants1 confidants1 telephones1 stenographers1 and dictaphones1 want to set forth necessary information so naturally that no one may question whether it might have come out in this way4 ,also1 they want the information to be so interestingly conveyed that an auditor thinks of what is happening rather than merely of the facts4 ,in the first act of ,the ,second ,mrs4 ,tanqueray1#ac the audience must hear a narrative setting forth ,aubrey ,tanqueray's position in society1 his first marriage1 his relations with his daughter1 and the nature of his proposed second marriage4 ,what complicates the task is that the narrative must be told to old friends1 so that much of it is to them well known4 ,what device will make the narrative1 under the circumstances1 plausible8 ,here is where a modern dramatist sighs for the serviceable heralds1 messengers1 and chorus of plays of decades long past or for the freer methods in narrative of the novelist4 ,how easy to tell much of this in your own person1 as have ,thackeray or ,meredith1 in comparison with stating it through another so placed that he will be glad to hear again much which he already knows6 ,the necessity creates with ,sir ,arthur the device of the little supper party in ,aubrey ,tanqueray's chambers in the ,albany1 to which he has invited four of his oldest friends4 ,the moment chosen for the opening of the play is when the old friends1 over the coffee1 fall quite naturally into reminiscent vein4 ,what helps to freer exposition is their chance to talk of ,cayley ,drummle1 who1 even yet1 though bidden1 has not appeared4 ,before the chat is over and ,cayley enters1 much needed information is in the minds of the audience4 ,cayley brings news of a terrible mesalliance in a family known to all the supper party4 ,in his efforts to advise and comfort the distracted mother he has been kept from the meeting of old friends4 ,the news leads ,aubrey ,tanqueray to avow his quixotic scheme for a second marriage4 ,through the contrasting comments of the friends1 even through their reservations1 the audience becomes perfectly informed as to the view the world will take of this second marriage4 ,indeed1 as the supper party breaks up1 all the audience requires in order to listen intelligently to the succeeding acts1 is a chance to see ,paula herself4 ,her impulsive visit to ,tanqueray1 just after the supper party ends1 provides the information needed1 for in it her character is sketched in broadly as it will be filled out in detail in the succeeding acts4 ,evidently device1 the ingenious discovery of a plausible reason for exposition necessary in a play1 is basal in the best stage narrative4 ,without it1 character is sacrificed to mere necessary exposition2 with it1 the spectator1 absorbed by incident or characterization1 learns unconsciously that without which he cannot intelligently and sympathetically follow the story of the play4 ,in other words1 successful discovery of devices for such exposition clearly means that disguising which is essential to the best narrative in drama4 ,the first quality of good expository device is clearness4 ,secondly1 it should be an adequate reason for the exposition it contains3 i4e41 it must seem natural that the facts should come out in this way4 ,thirdly1 and of the utmost importance1 the device must be something so interesting in itself as to hold the attention of an auditor while necessary facts are insinuated into his mind4 ,lastly1 the device should permit this preliminary exposition to be given swiftly4 ,it is hard to conceal exposition as such if the movement is as slow as in the first two scenes of ,act ,i of ,the ,journey of ,papa ,perrichon4 ,,act ,i ,the ,lyons railway station at ,paris4 ,at the back1 a turn-stile opening on the waiting-rooms4 ,at the back1 right1 a ticket window4 ,at the back1 left1 benches1 a cake vender2 at the left1 a book stall4 ,,scene #a4 ,majorin1 ,a ,railway ,official1 ,travelers1 ,porters ,majorin4 7,walking about impatiently47 ,still this ,perrichon doesn't come6 ,already ,i've waited an hour4444 ,certainly it is today that he is to set out for ,switzerland with his wife and daughter4 7,bitterly47 ,carriage builders who go to ,switzerland6 ,carriage builders who have forty thousand pounds a year income6 ,carriage builders who keep their carriages6 ,what times these are6 ,while ,i1--,i am earning two thousand four hundred francs 444 a clerk1 hard-working1 intelligent1 always bent over his desk4444 ,today ,i asked for leave 444 ,i said it was my day for guard duty4444 ,it is absolutely necessary that ,i see ,perrichon before his departure4444 ,i want to ask him to advance me my quarter's salary4444 ,six hundred francs6 ,he is going to put on his patronizing air 444 make himself important 444 a carriage builder6 ,it's a shame6 ,still he doesn't come6 ,one would say that he did it on purpose6 7,addressing a porter who passes1 followed by travelers47 ,monsieur1 at what time does the train start for ,lyons8 ,porter4 7,brusquely47 ,ask the official4 7,he goes out at the left47 ,majorin4 ,thanks 444 clodhopper6 7,addressing the official who is near the ticket window47 ,monsieur1 at what time does the through train start for ,lyons8 ,the ,official4 7,brusquely47 ,that doesn't concern me6 ,look at the poster4 7,he points to a poster in the left wings47 ,majorin4 ,thanks4444 7,aside47 ,the politeness of these corporations6 ,if ever you come to my office1 you4446 ,let's have a look at the poster4444 7,he goes out at the left47 ,,scene #b4 ,the ,official1 ,perrichon1 ,madame ,perrichon1 ,henriette 7,they enter at the right7 ,perrichon4 ,here we are6 ,let's keep together6 ,we couldn't find each other again4444 ,where is our baggage8 7,looking to the right2 into the wings47 ,ah1 that's all right6 ,who has the umbrellas8 ,henriette4 ,i1 papa4 ,perrichon4 ,and the carpet bag8 ,the cloaks8 ,madame ,perrichon4 ,here they are6 ,perrichon4 ,and my panama8 ,it has been left in the cab6 7,making a movement to rush out and checking himself47 ,ah6 ,no6 ,i have it in my hand6444 ,phew1 but ,i'm hot6 ,madame ,perrichon4 ,it is your own fault6444 ,you hurried us1 you hustled us6444 ,i don't like to travel like that6 ,perrichon4 ,it is the departure which is tiresome 444 once we are settled6444 ,stay here1 ,i am going to get the tickets4444 7,giving his hat to ,henriette47 ,there1 keep my panama for me4444 7,at the ticket window47 ,three1 first class1 for ,lyons6444 ,the ,official4 7,brusquely47 ,not open yet6 ,in a quarter of an hour6 ,perrichon4 7,to the official47 ,ah6 pardon me6 ,it is the first time ,i have traveled4444 7,returning to his wife47 ,we are early4 ,madame ,perrichon4 ,there6 ,when ,i told you we should have time4 ,you wouldn't let us breakfast6 ,perrichon4 ,it is better to be early6 444 one can look about the station6 7,to ,henriette47 ,well1 little daughter1 are you satisfied8444 ,here we are1 about to set out6444 ,a few minutes yet1 and then1 swift as the arrow of ,william ,tell1 we rush toward the ,alps6 7,to his wife47 ,you brought the opera glasses8 ,madame ,perrichon4 ,of course6 ,henriette4 7,to her father47 ,i'm not criticizing1 papa1 but it is now two years1 at least1 since you promised us this trip4 ,perrichon4 ,my daughter1 ,i had to sell my business4444 ,a merchant does not retire from business as easily as his little daughter leaves boarding school4444 ,besides1 ,i was waiting for your education to be ended in order to complete it by revealing to you the splendid spectacle of nature6 ,madame ,perrichon4 ,are you going on in that strain8 ,perrichon4 ,what do you mean8 ,madame ,perrichon4 ,phrase-making in a railway station6 ,perrichon4 ,i am not making phrases4444 ,i'm improving the child's mind4 7,drawing a little notebook from his pocket47 ,here1 my daughter1 is a notebook ,i've bought for you4 ,henriette4 ,for what purpose8 ,perrichon4 ,to write on one side the expenses1 and on the other the impressions4 ,henriette4 ,what impressions8 ,perrichon4 ,our impressions of the trip6 ,you shall write1 and ,i will dictate4 ,madame ,perrichon4 ,what6 ,you are now going to become an author8 ,perrichon4 ,there's no question of my becoming an author 444 but it seems to me that a man of the world can have some thoughts and record them in a notebook6 ,madame ,perrichon4 ,that will be fine1 indeed6 ,perrichon4 7,aside47 ,she is like that every time she doesn't take her coffee6 ,a ,porter4 7,pushing a little cart loaded with baggage47 ,monsieur1 here is your baggage4 ,do you wish to have it checked8 ,perrichon4 ,certainly6 ,but first1 ,i am going to count them 444 because1 when one knows the number 444 ,one1 two1 three1 four1 five1 six1 my wife1 seven1 my daughter1 eight1 and for myself1 nine4 ,we are nine4 ,porter4 ,put it up there6 ,perrichon4 7,hurrying toward the back47 ,hurry6 ,porter4 ,not that way1 this way6 7,he points to the left47 ,perrichon4 ,all right6 7,to the women47 ,wait for me there6 ,we mustn't get lost6 7,he goes out running1 following the porter47#ad ,the first scene undoubtedly helps to create the atmosphere of a large railway station1 but everything in it could be brought out in what is now ,scene #b4 ,even the way in which ,majorin is passed from one employee to the other could be transferred to ,perrichon4 ,every fact in ,majorin's soliloquy is either repeated in the scenes which follow1 or could easily be brought out in them4 ,what has made necessary this swifter preliminary exposition is1 probably1 the growing popularity of three or four acts as compared with five4 ,less space has forced a swifter movement4 ,contrast1 in the five-act piece ,une ,chaine#ae by ,scribe1 the slow exposition in a first act of thirty-two pages with the perfectly adequate re-statement in six and a half pages in the one-act adaptation by ,sidney ,grundy1 ,in ,honour ,bound4#af ,it is easy1 however1 to overload a first act with what seems needed exposition but is not4 ,careful consideration may show that some part may be postponed for later exposition4 ,here is the history which lies behind ,act ,i of ,sudermann's ,heimat1 or ,magda4#ag ,the famous singer1 ,dall',orto1 who was ,magda ,schwartze1 has returned to her native place for a music festival4 ,ten years before she was driven from home by her father1 an army officer1 because she would not marry the man of his choice1 ,pastor ,hefferdingt4 ,going to ,berlin to train her voice1 she was betrayed by young von ,keller1 a former acquaintance4 ,after six months he deserted her4 ,a child was born to whom she is passionately devoted4 ,von ,keller is now a much respected citizen of the home town1 who lives in awe of public opinion4 ,he and ,magda have not met since their ,berlin days and he does not know there was a child4 ,since his return to the town he has kept away from the ,schwartzes4 ,hefferdingt has remained single1 devoting himself to good works4 ,magda's father nearly lost his mind from an apoplectic shock when he learned of her flight1 but he has won back some part of his health through the wise and tender aid of ,hefferdingt4 ,there has been no communication between ,magda and her family in the ten years4 ,now the younger sister ,marie is engaged to the nephew of von ,keller1 ,max1 but the young people have not enough money to marry4 ,they have been hoping that an aunt1 ,franziska1 who caused ,magda much unhappiness in the old days1 will aid them4 ,the narrow life of the town and the subservience of the ,schwartzes to it had much to do with the rebelliousness of ,magda as a girl4 ,through hard work and much bitter experience1 she has won a supreme place in the world of music4 ,she has developed a somewhat cynical philosophy of life which calls for complete self-expression1 at any cost to others4 ,she craves sight of her family again1 and especially of ,marie1 a mere child when ,magda left home4 ,somewhere in the course of the play an audience must learn all these facts4 ,how many of them must be set forth in ,act ,i1 and how many may be set apart for later exposition8 ,sudermann decided to postpone till ,act ,,ii any detailed statement of the past relations between ,magda and ,hefferdingt4 ,in ,act ,i we learn only that he wished to marry ,magda1 and that there is anger in the family because of the way in which she refused him4 ,what that was is not stated4 ,thus by giving mystery to these past relations of ,magda and ,hefferdingt1 curiosity and interest are aroused and suspense created4 ,of ,magda's relations with von ,keller we really learn nothing in ,act ,i4 ,we are1 it is true1 made to suspect that his admitted meeting with her in ,berlin covers more than he is willing to reveal1 and that his avoidance of the ,schwartzes means something1 but we learn nothing clearly until ,act ,,iii4 ,not till then do we know a child was born and is still alive4 ,in other words1 postponing detailed exposition of these matters provides the most important scene of ,act ,,ii1 that of ,hefferdingt and ,magda1 and the central scene of ,act ,,iii between von ,keller and ,magda4 ,note that deciding what shall be preliminary and what later exposition has much to do here1 as always1 with creating ,suspense1 a subject which will be treated under ,movement4 ,a difficult task for the dramatist is this determining what in the historical background of his play must be treated as preliminary exposition1 and what may be postponed for later treatment1 when the real action of the play is well under way4 ,even when it is clear just what must go into preliminary exposition the ordering of the details chosen is very important4 ,look again at ,magda4 ,it is love for ,marie which1 in large part1 draws ,magda to her home1 and at first keeps her there4 ,the love affair which ,magda fled from seemed to her conventional4 ,sudermann opens his play1 therefore1 with a picture of the thoroughly conventional engagement of ,max and ,marie1 but remembering that the sooner a dramatist creates interest the better1 he starts with the mysterious bouquet1 far too expensive if sent by ,max to ,marie and wholly unacceptable if sent by any one else4 ,when ,max1 entering1 says that the flowers are not from him1 there is a chance to emphasize two points of importance3 the lovers' lack of money1 and their fear of gossip4 ,meantime the fact has been planted that there is a music festival in the town4 ,as the two young people talk of their need and the people who might help them1 we learn that the father thinks ,magda's departure was for some reason a blot on the family1 and that ,hefferdingt wished to marry her4 ,the call of von ,keller shows that since his return home he has been distant toward the ,schwartzes2 that he is afraid of public opinion2 and that he met ,magda in ,berlin1 but only for a moment1 on the street4 ,with the entrance of the father and mother we have the petty social ambitions of the latter1 and the tyrannical attitude of the former toward his family4 ,the scene with von ,klebs and ,beckmann not only illustrates social conditions in the town1 but begins to connect ,dall',orto with the lost daughter by showing the extraordinary interest of ,hefferdingt in meeting the singer4 ,the coming of ,aunt ,franziska with her announcement that the ,dall',orto is ,magda ends the preliminary exposition1 for with the arrival of ,hefferdingt and his effort to bring ,magda home1 the real action of the play begins4 ,obviously much thought and care have gone into the re-ordering of these details1 so that the facts which must be first understood are stated first and so that there shall be growing interest through the creation of more and more suspense4 ,in one of the early drafts of ,rosmersholm1 the opening page ran as follows4 ,note that there is no mention of any white horses4 7,mrs4 ,rosmer is standing by the farthest window1 arranging the flowers4 ,madam ,helset enters from the right with a basket of table linen47 ,madam ,helset4 ,i suppose ,i had better begin to lay the tea-table1 ma'am8 ,mrs4 ,rosmer4 ,yes1 please do4 ,he must soon be in now4 ,madam ,helset4 7,laying the cloth47 ,no1 he won't come just yet2 for ,i saw him from the kitchen-- ,mrs4 ,rosmer4 ,yes1 yes-- ,madam ,helset4--on the other side of the millpond4 ,at first1 he was going straight across the foot-bridge2 but then he turned back-- ,mrs4 ,rosmer4 ,did he8 ,madam ,helset4 ,yes1 and then he went all the way round4 ,ah1 it's strange about such places4 ,a place where a thing like that has happened--there--4 ,it stays there2 it isn't forgotten so soon4 ,mrs4 ,rosmer4 ,no1 it is not forgotten4 ,madam ,helset4 ,no1 indeed it isn't4 7,goes out to the right47 ,mrs4 ,rosmer4 7,at the window1 looking out47 ,forget4 ,forget1 ah6 ,madam ,helset4 7,in the doorway47 ,i've just seen the rector1 ma'am4 ,he's coming here4 ,mrs4 ,rosmer4 ,are you sure of that8 ,madam ,helset4 ,yes1 he went across the millpond4 ,mrs4 ,rosmer4 ,and my husband is not at home4 ,madam ,helset4 ,the tea is ready as soon as you want it4 ,mrs4 ,rosmer4 ,but wait2 we can't tell whether he'll stay4 ,madam ,helset4 ,yes1 yes4 7,goes out to the right47 ,mrs4 ,rosmer4 7,goes over and opens the door to the hall47 ,good afternoon2 how glad ,i am to see you1 my dear ,rector6#ah ,in this version the white horses appear1 definitely explained1 after some sixteen pages3 ,rosmer4 444 ,my former self is dead4 ,i look upon it as one looks upon a corpse4 ,mrs4 ,rosmer4 ,yes1 but that is just when these white horses appear4 ,rosmer4 ,white horses8 ,what white horses8 7,madam ,helset brings in the tea-urn and puts it on the table47 ,mrs4 ,rosmer4 ,what was it you told me once1 ,madam ,helset8 ,you said that from time immemorial a strange thing happened here whenever one of the family died4 ,madam ,helset4 ,yes1 it's true as ,i'm alive4 ,then the white horse comes4 ,rosmer4 ,oh1 that old family legend-- ,mrs4 ,rosmer4 ,in it comes when the night is far gone4 ,into the courtyard4 ,through closed gates4 ,neighs loudly4 ,launches out with its hind legs1 gallops once round and then out again and away at full speed4 ,madam ,helset4 ,yes1 that's how it is4 ,both my mother and my grandmother have seen it4 ,mrs4 ,rosmer4 ,and you too8 ,madam ,helset4 ,oh1 ,i'm not so sure whether ,i've seen anything myself4 ,i don't generally believe in such things4 ,but this about the white horse--,i do believe in that4 ,and ,i shall believe in it till the day of my death4 ,well1 now ,i'll go and-- 7,goes out to the right47#ai ,in the final draft1 ,ibsen put the white horses into his opening page4 ,the beginning of this draft emphasizes particularly a grim1 unexplained tragedy4 ,the most mysterious touch in the new arrangement is given by the white horses1 here treated referentially1 not in definite explanation4 7,sitting-room at ,rosmersholm2 spacious1 old-fashioned1 and comfortable47 7,rebecca ,west is sitting in an easy chair by the window and crocheting a large white woolen shawl1 which is nearly finished4 ,now and then she looks out expectantly through the leaves of the plants4 ,soon after1 ,madam ,helseth enters from the right47 ,madam ,helseth4 ,i suppose ,i'd better begin to lay the table1 ,miss8 ,rebecca ,west4 ,yes1 please do4 ,the ,pastor must soon be in now4 ,madam ,helseth4 ,do you feel the draught1 ,miss1 where you're sitting8 ,rebecca4 ,yes1 there is a little draught4 ,perhaps you had better shut the window4 7,madame ,helseth shuts the door into the hall1 and then comes to the window47 ,madam ,helseth4 7,about to shut the window1 looks out47 ,why1 isn't that the ,pastor over there8 ,rebecca4 7,hastily47 ,where8 7,rises47 ,yes1 it's he4 7,behind the curtain47 ,stand aside1 don't let him see us4 ,madam ,helseth4 7,keeping back from the window47 ,only think1 ,miss1 he's beginning to take the path by the mill again4 ,rebecca4 ,he went that way the day before yesterday1 too4 7,peeps out between the curtains and the window frame47 ,but let us see whether-- ,madam ,helseth4 ,will he venture across the foot-bridge8 ,rebecca4 ,that's what ,i want to see4 7,after a pause47 ,no1 he's turning4 ,he's going by the upper road again4 7,leaves the window47 ,a long way round4 ,madam ,helseth4 ,dear ,lord1 yes4 ,no wonder the ,pastor thinks twice about setting foot on that bridge4 ,a place where a thing like that has happened-- ,rebecca4 7,folding up her work47 ,they cling to their dead here at ,rosmersholm4 ,madam ,helseth4 ,now ,i would say1 ,miss1 that it's the dead that clings to ,rosmersholm4 ,rebecca4 7,looks at her47 ,the dead8 ,madam ,helseth4 ,yes1 it's almost as if they couldn't tear themselves away from the folk that are left4 ,rebecca4 ,what makes you fancy that8 ,madam ,helseth4 ,well1 if it weren't for that1 there would be no white horse1 ,i suppose4 ,rebecca4 ,now what is all this about the white horse1 ,madam ,helseth8 ,madam ,helseth4 ,oh1 ,i don't like to talk about it4 ,and1 besides1 you don't believe in such things4 ,rebecca4 ,do you believe in them8 ,madam ,helseth4 7,goes and shuts the window47 ,now you're making fun of me1 ,miss4 7,looks out47 ,why1 isn't that ,mr4 ,rosmer on the mill path again--8 ,rebecca4 7,looks out47 ,that man there8 7,goes to the window47 ,no1 it's the ,rector6 ,madam ,helseth4 ,yes1 so it is4 ,rebecca4 ,how glad ,i am6 ,you'll see1 he's coming here4 ,madam ,helseth4 ,he goes straight over the foot-bridge1 he does1 and yet she was his sister1 his own flesh and blood4 ,well1 ,i'll go and lay the table then1 ,miss ,west4 7,she goes out to the right4 ,rebecca stands at the window for a short time2 then smiles and nods to some one outside4 ,it begins to grow dark47 ,rebecca4 7,goes to the door on the right47 ,oh1 ,madam ,helseth1 you might give us some little extra dish for supper4 ,you know what the ,rector likes best4 ,madam ,helseth4 7,outside47 ,oh yes1 ,miss1 ,i'll see to it4 ,rebecca4 7,opens the door to the hall47 ,at last6 ,how glad ,i am to see you1 my dear ,rector4#bj ,how a dramatist opens his play is1 then1 very important4 ,he is writing supposedly for people who1 except on a few historical subjects1 know nothing of his material4 ,if so1 as soon as possible1 he must make them understand3 7#a7 who his people are2 7#b7 where his people are2 7#c7 the time of the play2 and 7#d7 what in the present and past relations of his characters causes the story4 ,is it any wonder that ,ibsen1 when writing ,the ,pillars of ,society1 said3 ,in a few days ,i shall have the first act ready2 and that is always the most difficult act of the play8#ba ,what has just been said as to ordering the details in preliminary exposition is equivalent to saying3 ,decide where1 in this exposition1 you will place your emphasis4 ,what a dramatist is trying to do will not be clear throughout his play unless he knows how properly to emphasize his material1 for it is above all else emphasis which reveals the meaning of a play4 ,right emphasis depends basally on knowing what exactly is the desired total effect of the piece1--a picture1 a thesis1 a character study1 or a story4 ,remember that ,dumas fils said3 ,you cannot very well know where you should come out1 when you don't know where you are going4 ,often1 too1 a play is either meant to set people thinking of undesirable social conditions1 or to state a distinct thesis4 ,with these two kinds particularly in mind1 ,mr4 ,galsworthy has said3 ,a drama must be shaped so as to have a spire of meaning4#bb ,whatever we make prominent by repetition1 by elaborate treatment1 by the position given it in an act or in the play as a whole1 or by striking illustration1 we emphasize1 for it stays in the memory and shapes the meaning of a play for an auditor4 ,in ,othello1 why does ,shakespeare bring forward ,iago at the end of an act as chorus to his own villainy8 ,in order that the audience may not go astray as to the purposes of ,iago and the general meaning of the play4 ,hence the soliloquies3 ,thus do ,i ever make my fool my purse1 as well as ,and what's he1 then1 that says ,i play the villain8 ,it might almost be said that good drama consists in right selection of necessary illustrative action and in right emphasis4 ,even though the general exposition of a play be clear1 it is sure1 without well-handled emphasis1 to leave a confused effect4 ,when a play runs away with its author1 its emphasis is always bad4 ,the cause of this trouble usually is that the author drifts or rushes on1 as the case may be1 lured by an idea which he tries to present dramatically2 or by the development of some character who1 for the moment1 possesses his imagination2 or by the handling of some scene of large dramatic possibilities4 ,in a recent play meant to illustrate amusingly a series of situations arising from the gossip of a small town1 ,act ,i so ended that a reader could not tell whether the school principal1 a woman dentist1 or the atmosphere of gossip was meant to be of prime importance4 ,nor was this poor emphasis ever corrected anywhere4 ,result3 a confusing play4 ,a story-play in some respects of great merit failed in its total effect because the author never really knew whether it was a study of the deterioration of a young man's character or of a mother's self-sacrificing and redeeming love1 a mere story-play1 or a drama intended to drive home a central idea which1 apparently1 always eluded the author4 ,fine realism of detail1 good characterization in places1 and genuine if scattered interest could not carry this play to success4 ,in another play1 ,act ,i ended with the failure of a well-intentioned friend to take a child from her father for her better bringing-up4 ,apparently1 we were entering upon a study of parental affection4 ,in ,act ,,ii1 however1 this interest practically disappeared1 and we were asked to give all our attention to the way in which a son-in-law was bringing ruin upon this same parent4 ,in ,act ,,iii1 another cause for anxiety on the part of the parent appeared1 the other disappearing4 ,at the end of the play1 however1 we were expected to understand that the fond parent was in sight of calm weather4 ,proper emphasis which would have brought out the central idea illustrated by each of the acts was missing4 ,in ,the ,trap1 a four-act play developed from a vaudeville sketch1 lack of good emphasis went far to spoil an interesting play4 ,in the original sketch1 a woman1 induced by lies of the villain1 comes to the apartment of a man who has at one time been in love with her4 ,she is determined to know whether what the villain has told her is true or not4 ,all is a trap which the villain has set for her4 ,from it the astuteness and quick decision of her former admirer rescue her4 ,in the vaudeville sketch1 it was the former lover who was the active person1--advising1 scheming1 and controlling the situation4 ,when this was made over1 in ,act ,i the heroine was the central figure2 in ,act ,,ii the villain took this position away from her2 in ,act ,,iii the hero1 as in the original sketch1 had the centre of the stage2 in ,act ,,iv there was an attempt to bring the heroine back into prominence1 but she divided interest with the hero4 ,as a result of this uncertain emphasis1 the play seemed intended for the heroine but taken away from her by the greater human appeal of the hero4 ,just as the lecturer keeps clear from start to finish the main theme of his discourse and the bearing upon it of the various divisions of the work1 the dramatist keeps his main purpose clear and also the relations to it of scenes and acts4 ,this he does by well-handled emphasis4 ,othello1 for instance1 must have some proof which the audience will believe conclusive for him of ,desdemona's infidelity4 ,this is the handkerchief which ,iago tells ,othello that ,desdemona gave to ,cassio4 ,notice the iteration with which this handkerchief is impressed upon the attention of the public just before it is used as conclusive proof of ,desdemona's guilt4 ,othello4 ,i have a pain upon my forehead here4 ,desdemona4 ,faith1 that's with watching2 'twill away again3 ,let me but bind it hard1 within this hour ,it will be well4 ,othello4 ,your napkin is too little2 7,lets fall her napkin47 ,let it alone4 ,come1 ,i'll go in with you4 ,desdemona4 ,i am very sorry that you are not well4 7,exeunt ,othello and ,desdemona47 ,emilia4 ,i am glad ,i have found this napkin2 ,this was her first remembrance from the ,moor4 ,my wayward husband hath a hundred times ,woo'd me to steal it2 but she so loves the token1 ,for he conjur'd her she should ever keep it1 ,that she reserves it evermore about her ,to kiss and talk to4 ,i'll have the work ta'en out1 ,and give it to ,iago4 ,what he will do with it ,heaven knows1 not ,i2 ,i nothing but to please his fantasy4 7,re-enter ,iago7 ,iago4 ,how now6 what do you here alone8 ,emilia4 ,do not you chide2 ,i have a thing for you4 ,iago4 ,a thing for me8 ,it is a common thing-- ,emilia4 ,ha6 ,iago4 ,to have a foolish wife4 ,emilia4 ,oh1 is that all8 ,what will you give me now ,for that same handkerchief8 ,iago4 ,what handkerchief8 ,emilia4 ,what handkerchief6 ,why1 that the ,moor first gave to ,desdemona2 ,that which so often you did bid me steal4 ,iago4 ,hast stolen it from her8 ,emilia4 ,no1 faith2 she let it drop by negligence1 ,and1 to the advantage1 ,i1 being here took't up4 ,look1 here it is4 ,iago4 ,a good wench2 give it me4 ,emilia4 ,what will you do with't1 that you have been so earnest ,to have me filch it8 ,iago4 7,snatching it47 ,why1 what is that to you8 ,emilia4 ,if it be not for some purpose of import1 ,give't me again4 ,poor lady1 she'll run mad ,when she shall lack it4 ,iago4 ,be not acknown on't2 ,i have use for it1 ,go1 leave me4 7,exit ,emilia47 ,i will in ,cassio's lodging lose this napkin1 ,and let him find it4 ,trifles light as air ,are to the jealous confirmations strong ,as proofs of holy writ2 this may do something4 ,the ,moor already changes with my poison1 ,dangerous conceits are1 in their natures1 poisons1 ,which at the first are scarce found to distaste1 ,but with a little act upon the blood1 ,burn like the mines of sulphur4#bc ,five times the handkerchief is mentioned4 ,the first time the action is such that ,othello specially notices the handkerchief4 ,the second time we find another reason why the ,moor should specially remember the handkerchief1 and learn that ,iago wants it for some reason of his own4 ,the third time appears the iteration1 444 that same handkerchief8 ,iago4 ,what handkerchief8 ,emilia4 ,what handkerchief6 and emphasis on the ideas already stated3 ,emilia4 ,why1 that the ,moor first gave to ,desdemona2 ,that which so often you did bid me steal4 ,the next time1 the action1 as ,iago snatches the handkerchief and ,emilia tries to get it back1 holds it before our attention4 ,finally1 ,iago1 left alone1 tells us his malicious scheme in regard to it4 ,surely1 after all this1 the audience has been properly prepared for the scenes in which ,iago deceives and enrages ,othello by means of this very handkerchief4 ,in the first few minutes of the play1 ,lady ,windermere's ,fan1 the attention of the audience is drawn to the fan3 ,lady ,windermere4 ,my hands are all wet with these roses4 ,aren't they lovely8 ,they came up from ,selby this morning4 ,lord ,darlington4 ,they are quite perfect4 7,sees a fan lying on the table47 ,and what a wonderful fan6 ,may ,i look at it8 ,lady ,windermere4 ,do4 ,pretty1 isn't it6 ,it's got my name on it1 and everything4 ,note the emphasis here4 ,i have only just seen it myself4 ,it's my husband's birthday present to me4 ,you know today is my birthday8 ,lord ,darlington4 ,no8 ,is it really8#bd ,just before the close of the first act1 it is with this fan that ,lady ,windermere points her threat against ,mrs4 ,erlynne3 ,lady ,windermere4 7,picking up fan47 ,yes1 you gave me this fan today2 it was your birthday present4 ,if that woman crosses my threshold ,i shall strike her across the face with it4 ,that ,lady ,windermere owns a fan2 that it bears her name2 that1 as a gift chosen by her husband and recently given her1 he must recognize it on sight3 all these important facts have been planted by neat emphasis when ,act ,i ends4 ,even in ,act ,,ii1 the fan is kept before the public4 ,just before ,mrs4 ,erlynne enters1 we have3 ,lady ,windermere4 ,will you hold my fan for me1 ,lord ,darlington8 ,thanks4 99 99 99 99 99 ,lady ,windermere4 7,moves up47 ,lord ,darlington1 will you give me back my fan1 please8 ,thanks4444 ,a useful thing1 a fan1 isn't it8 ,when ,mrs4 ,erlynne enters1 ,lady ,windermere clutches at her fan1 then lets it drop on the floor3 ,lord ,darlington4 ,you have dropped your fan1 ,lady ,windermere4 7,picks it up and hands it to her47 ,such careful emphasizing makes sure that ,lord ,windermere's instant recognition of the significance of finding the fan in ,lord ,darlington's rooms1 in the critical scene of the third act1 will be immediately shared by any audience4 ,mr4 ,augustus ,thomas1 in ,act ,,ii of ,as a ,man ,thinks1 wishes his audience to feel instantly the full significance of the opera libretto picked up by ,hoover1 as he watches ,elinor enter the apartment of ,de ,lota4 ,therefore1 earlier in the act he emphasizes as follows3 ,elinor4 7,to ,burril47 ,here's a libretto of ,aida4 ,find that passage of which you spoke4 ,burril4 ,there were several4 ,mrs4 ,seelig4 ,our coffee won't interfere with your cigars4 ,de ,lota4 ,do you mind8 ,elinor4 ,this room is dedicated to nicotine4 7,to ,mrs4 ,seelig47 ,besides1 we're going to take ,dr4 ,de ,lota to the piano4 ,de ,lota4 ,are you8 ,elinor4 7,to ,vedah47 ,aren't we8 ,vedah4 ,we are4 ,burril4 ,here's one place4 7,his pencil breaks47 ,ah6 ,clayton4 7,offering a pencil attached to his watch chain47 ,here4 ,burril4 7,giving libretto to ,clayton47 ,just mark that passage--,my native land1 etc4 7,to ,elinor47 ,now follow that when ,aida sings ,italian and note how the ,english stumbles4#be ,two pages later1 as ,elinor goes out to the automobile1 in order that the audience may see the libretto of which we have heard so much pass into the hands of ,de ,lota1 we have this3 ,elinor4 ,take this for me4 7,hands libretto to ,de ,lota47 ,later in the act1 when ,judge ,hoover is telling ,clayton that he saw some woman with ,de ,lota as he was entering the apartment1 the dialogue runs3 ,clayton4 ,you spoke to him8 ,hoover4 ,called to him4 ,clayton4 ,called8 ,hoover4 ,yes--,i was forty feet away4 ,clayton4 ,had your nerve with you4 ,hoover4 ,the girl dropped something--,i thought it was a fan4 ,clayton4 ,well8 ,hoover4 ',twasn't--but that's why ,i called ,de ,lota4 ,clayton4 ,how do you know it wasn't8 ,hoover4 ,i picked it up4 ,clayton4 ,what was it8 ,hoover4 ,a libretto4 ,clayton4 ,what libretto8 ,hoover4 ,don't know--but grand opera--,i remember that and libretto-- ,clayton4 ,you threw it away8 ,hoover4 ,no--kept it4 ,clayton4 ,where is it8 ,hoover4 ,overcoat pocket4 ,clayton4 7,pause47 ,i'd like to see it4 ,think ,i could have some fun with ,de ,lota4 ,hoover4 7,going up the hallway47 ,my idea too--fun and word of caution4 7,gets coat and returns1 feeling in pocket for libretto47 ,clayton4 ,caution--naturally4 ,hoover4 ,here it is4 7,reads47 ,aida4 ,clayton4 7,taking libretto savagely47 ,aida--let me see it4 ,hoover4 ,what's the matter8 7,puts coat on a chair47 ,clayton4 7,in sudden anger1 throws book47 ,the dog6 ,damn him--damn both of them6 ,hoover4 ,what is it8 ,see here--,who's with ,dick8 ,clayton4 ,not his mother--no6 7,points to libretto on the floor47 ,marked4 ,i did that myself1 not an hour ago1 and gave it to her4 ,hoover4 ,to ,elinor8 ,clayton4 7,calling as he rushes to the hall47 ,sutton6 ,sutton6 ,hoover4 ,hold on1 ,frank--there's some mistake4 ,clayton4 ,get me a cab--never mind--,i'll take ,seelig's machine4 7,disappears47 ,here6 ,doctor ,seelig says to take me to-- 7,he goes out4 ,door bangs47 ,sutton enters from the dining-room ,sutton4 ,is ,master ,dick in danger1 sir8 ,hoover4 7,nervously47 ,i don't know1 ,sutton4 ,where's his mother8 ,sutton4 ,opera1 sir4 ,hoover4 ,with whom8 ,sutton4 ,mr4 ,de ,lota4 ,because of the emphasis given the libretto in the first quotation1 the audience's suspicions are roused at the same time as ,clayton's and his emotions are theirs4 ,yet1 even in this last scene1 note the care of ,mr4 ,thomas to make all absolutely clear4 ,he does not stop when ,hoover says ,a libretto1 and ,of grand opera1 but he lets the audience see the same libretto which passed from ,elinor to ,de ,lota pass from ,hoover to ,clayton1 the latter identifying it in his cry1 ,aida4 ,that there may be absolutely no doubt in the evidence piling up against ,elinor1 he has ,clayton point to the marked place with the words3 ,i did that myself4 ,emphasis1 as in these three instances1 may come on some detail--handkerchief1 fan1 libretto--which is to be made important later in the development of the plot4 ,it may come within a scene or act1 or at the end of either to emphasize a part or the whole of the scene or act4 ,the soliloquies of ,iago referred to on page #ahc are of this sort4 ,emphasis may stress little by little or with one blow what the play means4 ,the significance of the whole play ,strife--the utter uselessness of the conflict chronicled--is thus emphasized in the last lines of the play3 ,harness4 ,a woman dead2 and the two best men both broken6 ,tench4 7,staring at him--suddenly excited47 ,d'you know1 sir--these terms1 they're the very same we drew up together1 you and ,i1 and put to both sides before the fight began8 ,all this--all this--and--and what for8 ,harness4 7,in a slow1 grim voice47 ,that's where the fun comes in6 7,underwood without turning from the door makes a gesture of assent47 ,the curtain falls#bf ,the ,second ,mrs4 ,tanqueray#bg illustrates the play in which emphasis little by little brings out the meaning of the whole piece4 ,examine even the first act4 ,it is full of the feeling3 ,it cannot nor it will not come to good4 ,tanqueray himself says frankly1 ,my marriage is not even the conventional sort of marriage likely to satisfy society4 ,drummle coming in declares that ,george ,orreyed is a thing of the past1 because he has married ,mabel ,hervey4 ,the group of old friends show anxiety1 and it is clear that to the mind of ,cayley ,drummle ,tanqueray is but repeating the rash step of ,orreyed4 ,the whole act prepares for the finale of the play4 ,hervieu's ,the ,trail of the ,torch shows the emphasis which strikes one hard blow and leaves to the rest of the play illustration of what has been clearly stressed4 ,about one third of the way through ,act ,i1 ,maravon explains to ,sabine the thesis which the entire play illustrates3 ,sabine4 7,pointing to the two who have just gone47 ,ah1 my dear ,maravon1 what an absurd friend ,i have there6 ,maravon4 ,mme4 ,gribert1 you mean8 ,sabine4 ,haven't you noticed that she is beginning to look like a governess8 ,i suppose it's because she has been doing a governess' work for so long that she has ceased to have any personal existence4 ,she no longer cares to possess anything of her own1 everything belongs to her daughter1 and her husband works his fingers to the bone to pay for ,beatrice's dresses1 while ,beatrice lords it over both of them in a way that is beginning to be just a trifle odious4 ,maravon4 ,i'm afraid ,i don't agree with you1 ,madame4 ,with naively natural beings1 like these1 ,i enjoy watching the family wheels function with such simplicity4 ,people of this kind conform to the law which begins by demanding of the mother the flesh of her flesh1 often her beauty1 her health1 and1 if need be1 her life1 for the formation of the child4 ,and then1 for the profit of the newer generation1 ,nature exerts herself to despoil the old4 ,she exacts without stint from the parents in the shape of labors1 anxieties1 expenses1 gifts1 and sacrifices1 all of their vital forces to equip1 arm1 and decorate their sons and daughters who are descending into the plain of the future4 ,take my own case1 for instance4 ,there was the question of my son's position in life4 ,didier was able to persuade me very quickly that my property would be better placed1 for the future1 in his hands4 ,to show you that ,mme4 ,gribert and her daughter are merely following out a tradition of the remotest antiquity1 if you can endure the pedantry of an old college professor1 ,i will give you an example from the classics4 ,sabine4 ,oh6 ,please do4 ,maravon4 ,you have probably never heard of the ,lampadophories1 have you8 ,well1 on certain solemn occasions the citizens of ,athens placed themselves at regular intervals1 forming a sort of chain through the city4 ,the first one lighted a torch at an altar1 ran to the second and passed to him the light1 and he to a third who ran to the fourth and so on1 from hand to hand4 ,each one of the chain ran onward without ever looking back and without any idea except to keep the flame alight and pass it on to the next man4 ,then1 breathlessly stopping1 each saw nothing but the progress of the flaming light1 as each followed it with his eyes1 his then useless anxiety1 and superfluous vows4 ,in that ,trail of the ,torch has been seen a symbol of all the generations of the earth1 though it is not ,i1 but my very ancient friend ,plato1 and the good poet ,lucretius1 who made the analogy4 ,sabine4 ,that is not at all my idea of family relations4 ,from my point of view1 receiving life entails as great an obligation as giving it4 ,there is a certain sort of link which makes the obligations counter balance4 ,since ,nature has not made it possible for children to bring themselves into the world1 of their own accord1 ,i say that it was her intention to impose upon them a debt to those who give them life4 ,maravon4 ,they absolve that debt by giving life in turn to their children4 ,sabine4 ,they absolve it by filial piety which has been the inspiration of many deeds of heroism as you seem to forget4#bh ,a recent editor of ,hauptmann's ,gabriel ,schilling's ,flight writes of it3 ,his analysis is projected creatively in the characters of the two women--,evelyn ,schilling and ,hanna ,elias4 ,what is it1 in these women1 that--different as they are--menaces the man and the artist ,schilling8 ,it is a passion for possession1 for absorption1 a hunger of the nerves rather than of the heart4 ,these modern women have abandoned the simple and sane preoccupations of their grandmothers2 the enormous garnered nervous energy that is no longer expended in household tasks and in childbearing strikes itself1 beak and clawlike1 into man4 ,but man has not changed4 ,his occupations are not gone4 ,he cannot endure the double burden4 ,that is why ,gabriel ,schilling1 rather than be destroyed spiritually by these tyrannies and exactions1 seeks a last refuge in the great and cleansing purity of the sea4 ',the modern malady of love is nerves4'#bi ,it is possible that all this may be derived from the play1 but the ,berlin audience which watched its first night left the theatre bewildered in more than one respect4 ,there were a half-dozen opinions as to what this ugly story of a very weak man was meant to signify4 ,was it simply the tale of a weak man8 ,was it meant to show1 as ,professor ,lewisohn thinks1 that creation in an artist not naturally weak at first may be killed if he is pursued by women selfish in their love8 ,does the ending1 however1 show that ,hanna is entirely selfish8 ,does the play signify that the man who chooses to follow women rather than his art is lost8 ,why is there so much emphasis on the awesomeness of ,nature on the island8 ,have these conditions of ,nature anything to do with ,schilling's death8 ,if so1 do they not mitigate the effect upon him of the women8 ,lack of well-placed emphasis made ,gabriel ,schilling's ,flight a failure1 interesting as were the questions it raised and masterly as is much of its characterization4 ,too often young dramatists forget that the beginning and the ending of acts and plays emphasize even when the author does not so intend4 ,as in real life1 it is first and final impressions1 rather than intermediate1 which count most4 ,an able young dramatist complained that though he wished one of his characters to dominate ,act ,i she certainly failed to do this4 ,the trouble was that an attractive old gardener1 the character who took the act away from the young woman1 opened the play attractively characterized and closed ,act ,i with effective speech and pantomime1 when the woman was busy only with unimportant pantomime4 ,the prominence unintentionally given to the old gardener emphasized him at the expense of the young woman4 ,for the value of openings in emphasizing the meaning of the whole play1 see ,tennyson's ,becket as originally written1 and as rearranged by ,sir ,henry ,irving4#cj ,tennyson's ,becket begins with ,henry and the future ,archbishop at chess1 talking of matters in state and church4 ,,prologue ,a ,castle in ,normandy4 ,interior of the hall4 ,roofs of a city seen through windows4 ,henry and ,becket at chess4 ,henry4 ,so then our good ,archbishop ,theobald ,lies dying4 ,becket4 ,i am grieved to know as much4 ,henry4 ,but we must have a mightier man than he ,for his successor4 ,becket4 ,have you thought of one8 ,henry4 ,a cleric lately poison'd his own mother1 ,and being brought before the courts of the ,church1 ,they but degraded him4 ,i hope they whipt him4 ,i would have hang'd him4 ,becket4 ,it is your move4 ,henry4 ,well--there4 7,moves47 ,the ,church in the pell-mell of ,stephen's time ,hath climb'd the throne and almost clutched the crown2 ,but by the royal customs of our realm ,the ,church should hold her baronies of me1 ,like other lords amenable to law4 ,i'll have them written down and made the law4 ,becket4 ,my liege1 ,i move my bishop4 ,henry4 ,and if ,i live1 ,no man without my leave shall excommunicate ,my tenants or my household4 ,becket4 ,look to your king4 ,henry4 ,no man without my leave shall cross the seas ,to set the ,pope against me--,i pray your pardon4 ,becket4 ,well--will you move8 ,henry4 ,there4 7,moves47 ,becket4 ,check--you move so wildly4 ,henry4 ,there then6 7,moves47 ,becket4 ,why--there then1 for you see my bishop ,hath brought your king to a standstill4 ,you are beaten4 ,henry4 7,kicks over the board47 ,why1 there then--down go bishop and king together4 ,i loathe being beaten2 had ,i fixt my fancy ,upon the game ,i should have beaten thee1 ,but that was vagabond4 ,becket4 ,where1 my liege8 ,with ,phryne1 ,or ,lais1 or thy ,rosamund1 or another8 ,henry4 ,my ,rosamund is no ,lais1 ,thomas ,becket2 ,and yet she plagues me too--no fault in her-- ,but that ,i fear the ,queen would have her life4 ,becket4 ,put her away1 put her away1 my liege6 ,put her away into a nunnery6 ,safe enough there from her to whom thou art bound ,by ,holy ,church4 ,and wherefore should she seek ,the life of ,rosamund de ,clifford more ,than that of other paramours of thine8 ,henry4 ,how dost thou know ,i am not wedded to her8 ,becket4 ,how should ,i know8 ,henry4 ,that is my secret1 ,thomas4 ,becket4 ,state secrets should be patent to the statesman ,who serves and loves his king1 and whom the king ,loves not as statesman1 but true lover and friend4 ,henry4 ,come1 come1 thou art but deacon1 not yet bishop1 ,no1 nor archbishop1 nor my confessor yet4 ,i would to ,god thou wert1 for ,i should find ,an easy father confessor in thee4 ,irving1 transposing1 takes us at once into the plotting of the ,queen against ,becket because of her hatred for ,rosamund and ,becket's supposed protection of the ,king's mistress4 ,a secondary interest in ,tennyson's presentation becomes by this shifting first interest with ,irving4 ,,prologue ,,scene #a4 ,a ,castle in ,normandy4 ,eleanor4 ,fitz ,urse ,eleanor4 ,dost thou love this ,becket1 this son of a ,london merchant1 that thou hast sworn a voluntary allegiance to him8 ,fitz ,urse4 ,not for my love toward him1 but because he hath the love of the ,king4 ,how should a baron love a beggar on horseback1 with the retinue of three kings behind him1 outroyaltying royalty8 ,eleanor4 ,pride of the plebeian6 ,fitz ,urse4 ,and this plebeian like to be ,archbishop6 ,eleanor4 ,true1 and ,i have an inherited loathing of these black sheep of the ,papacy4 ,archbishop8 ,i can see farther into man than our hot-headed ,henry1 and if there ever come feud between ,church and ,crown1 and ,i do not charm this secret out of our loyal ,thomas1 ,i am not ,eleanor4 ,fitz ,urse4 ,last night ,i followed a woman in the city here4 ,her face was veiled1 but the back methought was ,rosamund--his paramour1 thy rival4 ,i can feel for thee4 ,eleanor4 ,thou feel for me6--paramour--rival6 ,no paramour but his own wedded wife6 ,king ,louis had no paramours1 and ,i loved him none the more4 ,henry had many and ,i loved him none the less4 ,i would she were but his paramour1 for men tire of their fancies2 but ,i fear this one fancy hath taken root1 and borne blossom too1 and she1 whom the ,king loves indeed1 is a power in the ,state4 ,follow me this ,rosamund day and night1 whithersoever she goes2 track her1 if thou can'st1 even into the ,king's lodging1 that ,i may 7clenches her fist7--may at least have my cry against him and her1--and thou in thy way shouldst be jealous of the ,king1 for thou in thy way didst once1 what shall ,i call it1 affect her thine own self4 ,fitz ,urse4 ,ay1 but the young filly winced and whinnied and flung up her heels2 and then the ,king came honeying about her1 and this ,becket1 her father's friend1 like enough staved us from her4 ,eleanor4 ,us6 ,fitz ,urse4 ,yea1 by the blessed ,virgin6 ,there were more than ,i buzzing round the blossom--,de ,tracy--even that flint ,de ,brito4 ,eleanor4 ,carry her off among you2 run in upon her and devour her1 one and all of you2 make her as hateful to herself and to the ,king as she is to me4 ,fitz ,urse4 ,i and all should be glad to wreak our spite on the rose-faced minion of the ,king1 and bring her to the level of the dust1 so that the ,king-- ,eleanor4 ,if thou light upon her--free me from her6--let her eat it like the serpent and be driven out of her paradise6 ,the story of ,nathan ,hale might be made into a play with patriotism as its dominant idea1 a close character study of ,hale himself1 or little more than a love story4 ,notice the way in which with ,clyde ,fitch the close of the acts steadily emphasizes the love story as the central interest4 ,the first scene is in the school room where ,hale is the teacher of ,alice ,adams4 7,hale goes toward ,alice with his arms outstretched to embrace her2 ,alice goes into his arms--a long embrace and kiss2 a loud tapping on a drum outside startles them47 ,hale4 ,the ,tory meeting6 ,alice4 ,fitzroy will be back4 ,i don't want to see him6 ,hale4 ,quick--we'll go by the window6 7,putting a chair under the window he jumps onto chair2 then leans in the window and holds out his hands to ,alice1 who is on the chair47 ,and if tomorrow another drum makes me a soldier--8 ,alice4 ,it will make me a soldier's sweetheart6 ,hale4 ,come4 7,she goes out of the window with his help1 and with loud drum tattoo and bugle call1 the stage is left empty and the curtain falls47 ,the second act at ,colonel ,knowlton's house closes on ,hale's decision to serve his country as a spy3 ,alice4 7,in a whisper47 ,you will go8 ,hale4 ,i must4 ,alice4 7,a wild cry47 ,then ,i hate you6 ,hale4 ,and ,i love you and always will so long as a heart beats in my body4 7,he wishes to embrace her47 ,alice4 ,no6 7,she draws back her head1 her eyes blazing1 she is momentarily insane with fear and grief1 anger and love4 ,hale bows his head and slowly goes from the room4 ,alice1 with a faint heartbroken cry1 sinks limply to the floor1 her father hurrying to her as the curtain falls47 ,this is the close of ,act ,,iii4 ,fitzroy4 ,look6 7,and he bends ,alice's head back upon his shoulder to kiss her on the lips47 ,hale4 ,blackguard6 7,with a blow of his right arm he knocks ,cunningham on the head1 who1 falling1 hits his head against the pillar of the porch and is stunned4 ,meanwhile1 the moment he has hit ,cunningham1 ,hale has sprung upon ,fitzroy1 and with one hand over his mouth has bent his head back with the other until he has released ,alice4 ,hale then throws ,fitzroy down and seizing ,alice about the waist dashes off with her to the right1 where his horse is4 ,fitzroy rises and runs to ,cunningham1 kicks him to get his gun1 which has fallen under him47 ,fitzroy4 ,get up6 ,get up6 ,you fool6 7,horse's hoofs heard starting off47 ,third ,picket's ,voice4 7,off stage47 ,who goes there8 ,fitzroy4 7,stops1 looks up1 and gives a triumphant cry47 ,ah1 the picket6 ,they're caught6 ,they're caught6 ,hale4 ,returning with ,alice ,adams on private business4 ,picket4 ,the password4 ,hale4 ,love6 ,fitzroy4 ,damnation6 ,of course he heard6 7,runs off right1 yelling47 ,fire on them6 ,fire6 ,for ,god's sake1 fire6 7,a shot is heard1 followed by a loud defiant laugh from ,hale1 and echoed ,love1 as the clatter of the horse's hoofs dies away1 and the curtain falls47 ,act ,,iv has a double ending3 the closing of the love story and the execution4 ,the chief interest thus far created for the audience could end with the parting of the lovers4 7,the soldiers sing the air of what is now called ,believe ,me ,if ,all ,those ,endearing ,young ,charms4 ,hale stands listening for the sound of ,alice's coming4 ,the ,sentinel retires to the farther corner of the tent1 and stands with arms folded1 his back towards ,hale4 ,tom comes on first1 bringing ,alice4 ,as they come into ,hale's presence1 ,alice glides from out of ,tom's keeping1 and her brother leaves the two together4 ,they stand looking at each other a moment without moving and then both make a quick movement to meet4 ,as their arms touch in the commencement of their embrace1 they remain in that position a few moments1 looking into each other's eyes4 ,then they embrace1 ,hale clasping her tight in his arms and pressing a long kiss upon her lips4 ,they remain a few moments in this position1 silent and immovable4 ,then they slowly loosen their arms--though not altogether discontinuing the embrace--until they take their first position and again gaze into each other's faces4 ,alice sways1 about to fall1 faint from the effort to control her emotions1 and ,hale gently leads her to the tree stump at right4 ,he kneels beside her so that she can rest against him with her arms about his neck4 ,after a moment1 keeping her arms still tight about him1 ,alice makes several ineffectual efforts to speak1 but her quivering lips refuse to form any words1 and her breath comes with difficulty4 ,hale shakes his head with a sad smile1 as if to say1 ,no1 don't try to speak4 ,there are no words for us4 ,and again they embrace4 ,at this moment1 while ,alice is clasped again tight in ,hale's arms1 the ,sentinel1 who has his watch in his hand1 slowly comes out from the tent4 ,tom also re-enters1 but ,alice and ,hale are oblivious4 ,tom goes softly to them and touches ,alice very gently on the arm1 resting his hand there4 ,she starts violently1 with a hysterical taking-in of her breath1 and an expression of fear and horror1 as she knows this is the final moment of parting4 ,hale also starts slightly1 rising1 and his muscles grow rigid4 ,he clasps and kisses her once more1 but only for a second4 ,they both are unconscious of ,tom1 of everything but each other4 ,tom takes her firmly from ,hale1 and leads her out1 her eyes fixed upon ,hale's eyes1 their arms outstretched toward each other4 ,after a few paces she breaks forcibly away from ,tom1 and with a wild cry of ,no6 ,no6 locks her hands about ,hale's neck4 ,tom draws her away again and leads her backward from the scene1 her lips dry now and her breath coming in short1 loud1 horror-stricken gasps4 ,hale holds in his hand a red rose she wore on her breast1 and thinking more of her than of himself1 whispers1 as she goes1 ,be brave6 be brave6 ,the light is being slowly lowered1 till1 as ,alice disappears1 the stage is in total darkness47 ,the second ending merely connects the play more closely with history4 ,colonel ,rutger's ,orchard1 the next morning4 ,the scene is an orchard whose trees are heavy with red and yellow fruit4 ,the centre tree has a heavy dark branch jutting out1 which is the gallows2 from this branch all the leaves and the little branches have been chopped off2 a heavy coil of rope with a noose hangs from it1 and against the trunk of the tree leans a ladder4 ,it is the moment before dawn1 and slowly at the back through the trees is seen a purple streak1 which changes to crimson as the sun creeps up4 ,a dim gray haze next fills the stage1 and through this gradually breaks the rising sun4 ,the birds begin to wake1 and suddenly there is heard the loud1 deep-toned1 single toll of a bell1 followed by a roll of muffled drums in the distance4 ,slowly the orchard fills with murmuring1 whispering people2 men and women coming up through the trees make a semicircle amongst them1 about the gallows tree1 but at a good distance4 ,the bell tolls at intervals1 and muffled drums are heard between the twittering and happy songs of birds4 ,there is the sound of musketry1 of drums beating a funeral march1 which gets nearer1 and finally a company of ,british soldiers marches in1 led by ,fitzroy1 ,nathan ,hale in their midst1 walking alone1 his hands tied behind his back4 ,as he comes forward the people are absolutely silent1 and a girl in the front row of the spectators falls forward in a dead faint4 ,she is quickly carried out by two bystanders4 ,hale is led to the foot of the tree before the ladder4 ,the soldiers are in double lines on either side4 ,fitzroy4 7,to ,hale47 ,nathan ,hale1 have you anything to say8 ,we are ready to hear your last dying speech and confession6 7,hale is standing1 looking up1 his lips moving slightly1 as if in prayer4 ,he remains in this position a moment1 and then1 with a sigh of relief and rest1 looks upon the sympathetic faces of the people about him1 with almost a smile on his face47 ,hale4 ,i only regret that ,i have but one life to lose for my country6 7,fitzroy makes a couple of steps toward him2 ,hale turns and places one foot on the lower rung of the ladder1 as the curtain falls47#ca ,watch1 then1 the beginning and the ending of scenes and acts1 lest an unconscious and undesired emphasis result4 ,an important means of emphasis is contrast--in character1 situation1 and even dialogue4 ,melodrama has always rested1 in large part1 for its definite emotional appeals on sharply contrasted characters--the spotless hero1 the double-dyed villain1 the adventuress1 and the heroine so innocent of the world as to provide unlimited dramatic situations4 ,recall the impetuous ,julia and the gentle ,sylvia of ,the ,two ,gentlemen of ,verona4 ,if it be said that such direct contrasting of dissimilar figures belongs more to the earlier plays of dramatists1 this is not true4 ,in ,the ,gay ,lord ,quex1#cb contrast of the old and the young roues1 ,quex and ,bastling1 helps to make clear and to emphasize the point of the play4 ,the ,princess and the ,butterfly#cc largely depends upon contrast1--among the restless women of ,act ,i1 the restless men of ,act ,,ii1 between the ,princess and ,sir ,george1 between the love of ,fay ,zuliani for ,sir ,george and that of ,edward for the ,princess4 ,contrast in situation was a great reliance with the ,elizabethans and1 even when very crudely used1 remains popular with the ,american public today4 ,so much pleasure did the ,elizabethan derive from contrasted situation that he was willing to have it worked up as a separate sub-plot1 at times very slightly connected with the main plot4 ,take ,the ,changeling of ,middleton3 the titular part1 written for comic value1 deals with scenes in a madhouse2 the other intensely tragic plot of ,de ,flores and ,beatrice-,joanna is but slightly connected with it4 ,think of the grave-diggers in ,hamlet1 just before the burial of ,ophelia1 and1 above all1 consider in ,macbeth the consummate use of a contrasting scene1 in the porter at the gate just after the murder of ,duncan4 ,it is a sense of the value of contrasting situation which produces the best dramatic irony4 ,when in ,scene #b1 ,act ,i1 of ,hindle ,wakes1 we listen to ,alan ,jeffcote's father and mother planning for his marriage1 the fine dramatic irony comes from the contrast we feel with the facts of his conduct1 known to us from the preceding scene1 which may make his marriage impossible4 ,dramatic irony depends on a preceding planting in the minds of the auditors of information which makes what is true contrast sharply with what the characters of the particular scene suppose to be true4 ,contrast1 then1 underlies dramatic irony4 ,an audience1 feeling the dramatic irony of a scene1 is put into a state of suspense as to how and when the blow they anticipate will fall4 ,evidently1 then1 emphasis by means of contrast1 when it results in dramatic irony1 makes for dramatic suspense4 ,contrast may be used effectively in dialogue4 ,the modern dramatist sometimes overdoes this use4 ,because he has observed that the greatest suffering of the strongest natures rarely finds expression in rich or varied speech1 he tries to discover words which in their feebleness1 their inappositeness1 or their unexpected commonplaceness1 contrast sharply with what a hearer feels is the intensity of the emotion behind them4 ,this has given us in recent drama some dialogue unnatural in its tameness4 ,this kind of contrast1 however1 when handled with real understanding1 is extremely effective4 ,in the parting of ,laurie and the heroine in ,iris1#cd the very commonplaceness of the details of which they talk shows that they do not dare to speak of what is really in their minds1 and makes the best preparation for the sudden loosing of emotion by ,iris in what would be ordinarily a simple request3 ,close the jalousies6 ,except in our recent revival of ,moralities for the delectation of moral ,broadway1 we are growing away dramatically from mere contrasting of types of character and from plays in which a serious and a comic plot are but loosely connected4 ,yet dramatists will always find contrast highly useful in emphasizing points of characterization and important values in the story4 ,moreover1 any trained dramatist knows that when his audience has been somewhat exhausted by laughter or tears1 a scene of contrasting emotional value is of the highest importance4 ,by changing the focus of interest1 it renews the power of response exhausted in the just preceding scene4 ,as has been pointed out again and again1 though it may be true that the drunken porter in ,macbeth was funnier for an ,elizabethan public than he is today1 nevertheless his coming breaks the tension of the terrible murder scene and makes it possible even now to turn to fresh horrors with surer responsiveness4 ,there is no space here to go into any satisfactory analysis of the basal relations between the serious and the comic1 but every competent actor knows that frequently1 if the full desired comic values are to appear1 it is necessary to play a part1 or all the parts1 with great seriousness1 even in a piece meant to be broadly comic for the audience4 ,this is true not merely in some of ,shaw's plays1--,man and ,superman1 ,you ,never ,can ,tell1 etc41 but in many old farces and even in burlesque4 ,in the contrast the audience makes between the seriousness of the characters in what they do and say and the attitude the dramatist creates toward them lie the real comic values4 ,often it is only on the flint of the serious that one may strike the most brilliant spark of the comic4 ,emphasis is needed not only to keep clear the development of the story and its thesis1 if there be any1 but also to determine and maintain the dramatic form in which it is cast--farce1 comedy1 melodrama1 and tragedy4 ,if an audience is kept long in the dark as to whether the dramatist is thinking of his material seriously or with amusement1 or if they feel at the end that the story has been told with no coordinating emphasis to determine whether it is farce or comedy or tragedy1 they are confused and likely to hold back part of their proper responsiveness4 ,as has been pointed out1 it is more than doubtful whether the scene of the attempted suicide in what is otherwise a genuine comedy of character1 ,the ,girl with the ,green ,eyes1#ce did not seriously hurt the effectiveness of the play for a great many people4 ,here1 again1 beginnings and endings are of the utmost consequence4 ,notice the extreme care of ,maeterlinck1 at the outset of ,pelleas and ,melisande#cf to create a mood for his play4 ,one is prepared for the tragic and the mysterious by the opening scene of the handmaidens washing the mysterious stain from the palace steps4 ,an auditor has not heard ten speeches of ,synge's ,riders to the ,sea#cg before he knows that the dramatist is dealing seriously with grim matters1 that1 in all probability1 the play is a tragedy4 ,look at ,rostand's ,the ,romancers4#ch ,it is to be a graceful telling of a jest played upon two sentimental children by two fond fathers4 ,the author must make clear early in the play that what may be tragic enough for the young people is to be fantastic comedy for any hearers4 ,could anything be better than the opening3 these two children1 on the wall between their homes1 so reading ,romeo and ,juliet together that it is obvious that they are in love with being in love1 nothing more8 ,there is the perfect emphasis which establishes early the attitude of the dramatist toward his material1 in this case making the play poetic comedy4 ,can any one feel much doubt what form of drama is ,the ,importance of ,being ,earnest8#ci ,the first few pages show that dialogue is to count heavily as such4 ,evidently the mood is comic4 ,as evidently1 there is exaggeration4 ,thus we move from initial farce to the more broadly farcical mourning for the death of the supposititious ,earnest and to the fateful black handbag4 ,if the ending of ,the ,romancers be played as it was in ,london1 with the speakers of the last lines gradually fading from sight in the dimming lights1 surely that emphasis must mean to the audience that it has been seeing a fantasy4#dj ,however1 as has been said1 danger lurks in these places of easy emphasis1 the beginning and the ending1 for at times something effective in itself swings the emphasis the wrong way4 ,in ,masks and ,faces1#da two generations have shed tears over the woes of ,triplet as meant for real life1 only to be somewhat rebuffed when1 just before the final curtain1 all the characters step out of the play for the ,epilogue1 and so stamp it as only a story after all4 ,in brief1 unless some special purpose is subserved thereby1 an audience should not long be left in the dark as to the form in which the dramatist thinks he has cast his play4 ,he who treats his material in many different moods runs the chance of confusing his hearers4 ,only by sure and well-placed emphasis can he keep his chosen form clear4 ,particularly is this true in the mixed forms1 tragi-comedy and farce-comedy4 ,only well-placed emphasis will carry an audience through these with just the result desired by the dramatist4 ,how decide what to emphasize8 ,tom ,taylor1 despising the intelligence of audiences of his day1 used to say1 ,when you have something to say to an audience1 tell them you are going to say it4 ,tell them you 're saying it4 ,tell them you've said it4 ,then1 perhaps1 they'll understand it4 ,truth probably lies between this and the statement of a dramatist of today1 ,i am re-writing a play originally composed some ten years ago4 ,do you know what ,i am doing8 ,i am cutting and condensing1 because the intervening years have taught me that ,i may suggest where ,i thought ,i must explain in full1 and state but once what ,i thought ,i must repeat4 ,audiences are far quicker than ten years ago ,i supposed them to be4 ,till the training of the dramatist gives him a kind of sixth sense which tells him what in his plot needs emphasis for his public1 he must depend on the comments of really intelligent hearers to whom he reads the manuscript and1 above all1 on retouching his play after the first performances4 ,it is not enough1 however1 by clearness and right emphasis to maintain interest3 as the play develops1 the interest should if possible be increased4 ,either to maintain or to increase interest means that a hearer must be led on from scene to scene1 act to act1 absorbed while the curtain is up and1 between the acts1 eager for it to rise again4 ,such attention given a play means that it has a third essential quality1 movement4 ,the plays of tyro dramatists today are often sadly lacking in good movement4 ,good movement rests1 first of all1 on clearness2 secondly1 on right emphasis2 and thirdly1 on something already mentioned in connection with both clearness and right emphasis1--suspense4 ,this means a straining forward of interest1 a compelling desire to know what will happen next4 ,whether a hearer is totally at a loss to know what will happen1 but eager to ascertain2 partly guesses what will take place1 but deeply desires to make sure2 or almost holds back so greatly does he dread an anticipated situation1 he is in a state of suspense1 for be it willingly or unwillingly on his part1 on sweeps his interest4 ,there should be good movement within the scene1 the act1 and even the play as a whole4 ,it is1 however1 easily checked4 ,if scenes or characters not essential are allowed place within a play1 it has been shown on pages #hg-hi that this may interfere with either clearness or good emphasis4 ,they will hurt the movement of the play4 ,closely related as a possible danger are necessary scenes not well placed4 ,often shifting part of a scene or act makes all the difference between sustained and interrupted suspense4 ,for example1 a young man1 after some quarrelsome words1 threatens to shoot his sister4 ,as they stand facing each other1 steps are heard outside4 ,a group which enters brings about an amusing scene4 ,good as it is1 it may kill the suspense created by those two tense figures1 if it switches interest wholly or in large part from them4 ,if it does1 any effective picking up the scene between the angry brother and sister1 when the visitors go out1 may be impossible4 ,on the other hand1 so write the scene that the audience1 never diverted in its attention to those two figures1 feels that the moment the visitors leave the quarrel will be resumed with greater intensity just because of the interruption3 then there will be no loss of tension4 ,just here lies the important point3 suspense once created must never be allowed to lapse so long as to be lost4 ,a scene for contrast or to renew the power of desired emotional response in the audience or to develop part of a correlated story may be introduced1 but always what is put between something which makes the audience strain forward and its goal should leave it as eager1 and preferably more eager for the solution4 ,a shift in order may do much to increase suspense4 ,when ,ibsen transferred ,rosmer's confession1 which is very necessary to the play1 from ,act ,,ii to the end of ,act ,i1 he greatly added to the suspense created by the first act4 ,to put it differently1 he greatly accelerated the movement of the play4 ,an audience1 knowing that ,rosmer is an apostate from the faith of his fathers1 eagerly desires to see what will happen to him in such surroundings as those made clear in ,act ,i4 ,in the earlier version1 a reader learns that there are mysteries which the play will probably solve1 but has nothing on which to focus his attention as a compelling element of suspense4 ,any one knows that when an actor fails to come on at the right moment1 unless quick-witted actors invent dialogue or action1 the stage waits for the actor4 ,there is something which exactly corresponds to this in the text of plays4 ,henry ,le ,barren comes to call on ,madge ,ellsworth4 ,the maid1 after showing him into the library1 goes to find her mistress4 ,meanwhile ,henry looks idly at the books on the table till ,madge enters4 ,unless ,madge1 perfectly sure that ,henry would call at this hour1 is waiting just outside the door1 some action is needed on the stage to cover the time space until she can enter naturally4 ,it is true that looking at the books fills the time for ,henry1 but it does not sustain for the audience interest already created in him or the story4 ,when nothing is taking place on the stage1 something is taking place in the audience which greatly concerns the dramatist3 it is slipping away from him because it is losing interest4 ,for contrast1 suppose that ,henry sits restlessly only a moment1 then with a sigh picks up a book1 tries to read1 falls to dreaming1 and holds the book so that we may see he is reading it upside down4 ,he tries another book in vain4 ,he starts three or four times1 thinking that the door is about to open4 ,he absent-mindedly examines a piece of bric-a-brac4 ,he starts forward eagerly the moment ,madge enters4 ,now we are interested1 because he is either exhibiting emotions the cause of which we understand1 emotions which lead us to expect an interesting scene between him and ,madge1 or his conduct sets us guessing as to what can lie ahead between the two4 ,in the first illustration1 the play lacks movement2 in the second1 commonplace as it is1 the movement does not cease4 ,at times it helps suspense not only to shift the order of details but to separate two elements of suspense1 treating them separately in well correlated groups4 ,in ,hamlet1 ,q#a1 the soliloquy1 ,to be1 or not to be precedes the meeting of ,ophelia and ,hamlet1 part of ,hamlet's tricking of ,polonius1 and the coming of ,rosencrantz and ,guildenstern4 ,the greater part of the befuddling of ,polonius then follows4 ,the players enter and plan with ,hamlet the performance of ,the ,mousetrap4 ,hamlet1 left alone1 bursts into the soliloquy1 ,why what a dunghill idiot slave am ,i6 ,q#b rearranges thus3 ,polonius and ,hamlet2 ,rosencrantz and ,guildenstern2 ,polonius returning to announce the players2 the planning for ,the ,mousetrap2 ,hamlet left alone crying1 ,oh what a rogue and peasant's slave am ,i6 ,here all the details bearing on the play are gathered together4 ,next come the ,king and ,queen with their plot to try out ,hamlet by means of ,ophelia4 ,the soliloquy1 ,to be1 or not to be follows this4 ,then ,hamlet and ,ophelia have the scene ,to a nunnery go6 ,instead of jumbling two elements of suspense1--probable results of the play planned by ,hamlet and of the ,ophelia-,hamlet interest1--each is given added suspense by separate treatment4 ,in ,q#a1 as we shift from one to the other1 each weakens the other or is momentarily blocked by it4 ,rearranged1 the very order of the details in each part makes not only for clearer but stronger suspense4#db ,today a plot made up of two or three but slightly related stories is far less popular than in the days of ,queen ,elizabeth4 ,our public demands that such stories shall be so correlated within the play as to be mutually helpful4 ,this desire results not from innate niceness of feeling for unity of design but from dislike of a distribution of interests which interferes with the suspense each story creates4 ,though it is1 of course1 possible perfectly to maintain suspense in plays of interwoven plots--the plays of ,shakespeare and many writers since prove this--it is far more difficult than maintaining suspense in a play of single plot4 ,quite possibly this is the chief reason for the great popularity today of plays of single plot3 they are both easier to follow and easier to write4 ,a related fault which interferes with suspense is the stage wait treated on page #bji4 ,as has also been pointed out1 there is danger in transitional scenes meant to cover a time space or to shift the interest of an audience4 ,if they accomplish either purpose and do not advance the plot1 they really fail4 ,bulwer-,lytton met this difficulty in writing ,money3 ,i think in the first #c acts you will find little to alter4 ,but in ,act #d--the #b scene with ,lady ,b4 ,clara-- ,joke the ,tradesman don't help on the ,plot much--they were wanted1 however1 especially the last to give time for change of dress smooth the lapse of the theme from money to dinner2 you will see if this part requires any amendment4#dc ,also exposition1 undoubtedly necessary but delayed too long1 may so clog an act as to weaken or kill it4 ,in a play set in what was once a fashionable dining-room1 but is now the fitting-room of a dressmaker1 the scene is not placed for some time4 ,finally1 a figure entering makes clear the supposed setting1 but for this the action on stage has to be broken off4 ,the increasing popularity of a play of three or four acts as compared with five has almost wholly done away with another destroyer of suspense--the explanatory and adjusting last act4 ,in it1 intelligent auditors who knew from the close of the fourth act how the story must end were expected to watch with interest final disposition of the characters4 ,dramatists of the eighties and nineties turned from this use slowly4 ,for proof examine the last act of ,the ,hypocrites1 by ,h4 ,a4 ,jones1 in other respects a play well away from the older methods of technique4 ,now1 both the older and the younger generation of dramatists expect to carry suspense as near the end of the play as they possibly can4 ,letting an audience anticipate something of the end of a play is all very well1 but when it foresees just what is going to happen and has no farther interest1 except to learn whether it happens exactly as anticipated1 suspense and even attention cease4 ,in that case an audience begins to gather its belongings for departure4 ,something held back which cannot surely be anticipated is the very basis of suspense4 ,it follows from what has just been said that there can never be perfect suspense when the plot ends an act or more before the final curtain4 ,it is vain to try to start new interests in order to create fresh suspense4 ,unless the latter part of a play grows out of the first1 at least as much as the ,perdita-,florizel story grows out of that of ,leontes and ,hermione1 there can be no good suspense4 ,when it seems necessary to tack on new material because all suspense is ended1 do not add3 rewrite4 ,it has often been said that surprise--springing something unexpectedly upon an audience--is better than suspense4 ,lessing said of the comparative value of surprise and suspense3 ,for one instance where it is useful to conceal from the spectator an important event until it has taken place there are ten and more where interest demands the very contrary4 ,by means of secrecy a poet effects a short surprise1 but in what enduring disquietude could he have maintained us if he had made no secret about it6 ,whoever is struck down in a moment1 ,i can only pity for a moment4 ,but how if ,i expect the blow1 how if ,i see the storm brewing and threatening for some time about my head or his8 ,for my part none of the personages need know each other if only the spectator knows them all4 ,nay ,i would even maintain that the subject which requires such secrecy is a thankless subject1 that the plot in which we have to make recourse to it is not as good as that in which we could have done without it4 ,it will never give occasion for anything great4 ,we shall be obliged to occupy ourselves with preparations that are either too dark or too clear1 the whole poem becomes a collection of little artistic tricks by means of which we effect nothing more than a short surprise4 ,if on the contrary everything that concerns the personages is known1 ,i see in this knowledge the source of the most violent emotions4 ,why have certain monologues such a great effect8 ,because they acquaint me with the secret intentions of the speaker and this confidence at once fills me with hope or fear4 ,if the condition of the personages is unknown1 the spectator cannot interest himself more vividly in the action than the personages4 ,but the interest would be doubled for the spectator if light is thrown on the matter1 and he feels that action and speech would be quite otherwise if the personages knew one another4 ,only then ,i shall scarcely be able to await what is to become of them when ,i am able to compare that which they really are with that which they do or would do4#dd ,look at the quotation from the ,first ,part of ,henry ,,vi on ,pp4 #ig-ajj4 ,talbot whispers to the ,captain1 and leaves us guessing what he means to do at his meeting with the ,countess of ,auvergne4 ,in like manner the ,countess merely refers to the plot she has laid with her ,porter4 ,we never know just what was the plan of the ,countess4 ,we get only a momentary sensation1 surprise1 when ,talbot's soldiers force their way in4 ,suppose we had been allowed to know the plans of the ,countess1 and they had seemed very dangerous for ,talbot4 ,then1 as she played with him1 sure of her position1 there would have been more suspense than in ,shakespeare's text1 because an audience would have been wondering1 not merely ,what is the blow ,talbot will strike8 but ,can any blow he will strike overcome the seemingly effective plans of the ,countess8 ,suppose we had been allowed to know the plans of both4 ,then1 as we watched the ,countess playing her scheme off against the plan of ,talbot1 of which she would be unaware1 might there not easily be even more suspense8 ,at every turn of their dialogue we should be wondering3 ,why does not ,talbot strike now8 ,can he save the situation1 if he delays8 ,with all this against him1 can he save it in any case8 ,in the use of surprise1 the dramatist depends almost entirely on his situation4 ,suspense permits him to elaborate his situation by means of the characters in it4 ,in other words1 surprise is situation1 suspense is characterization4 ,on this matter recent words of ,william ,archer seem final3 ,curiosity ,i said is the accidental relish of a single night2 whereas the essential and abiding pleasure of the theatre lies in foreknowledge4 ,in relation to the characters of the drama1 the audience are as gods looking before and after4 ,sitting in the theatre1 we taste1 for a moment1 the glory of omniscience4 ,with vision unsealed1 we watch the gropings of purblind mortals after happiness and smile at their stumblings1 their blunders1 their futile quests1 their misplaced exultations1 their groundless panics4 ,to keep a secret from us is to reduce us to their level1 and deprive us of our clairvoyant aloofness4 ,there may be a pleasure in that too2 we may join with zest in the game of blind-man's-buff2 but the theatre is in its essence a place where we are privileged to take off the bandage we wear in daily life1 and to contemplate1 with laughter or with tears1 the blindfold gambols of our neighbors4#de ,what is basal in suspense is1 of course1 that an audience shall feel for some person or persons of the play just the degree of sympathy the dramatist desires4 ,unless their sympathy is as keen as his1 the scene must fall short emotionally4 ,for instance1 in a play produced some years ago author and actors expected the audience to sympathize throughout with a mother4 ,at the climax of one of the acts she was left on-stage in an agonized state of mind because her husband1 who hates her illegitimate child1 has left the stage with threats to kill it4 ,the actress wrote of the first night3 ,in that scene ,i might as well have recited the alphabet for all the audience cared for my emotion4 ,their sympathy made them live1 not with me1 but with the defenceless child who at any moment might be murdered off-stage by the cruel father4 ,suspense for the audience there certainly was1 but not of the kind intended4 ,it was necessary to rewrite the scene4 ,evidently1 what happens off-stage may1 by its greater interest for the audience1 kill the effect of what is passing on-stage4 ,what the dramatist dares not try to represent on-stage because of its mechanical difficulty or horror1 he tries to carry off by vivid and even terrifying description4 ,by making the audience see the off-stage action through the eyes of the person most affected1 or by portraying vividly his emotions when another describes the action to him1 dramatists endeavor to lose none of their desired suspense4 ,the point to remember is that the moment the off-stage action becomes of more importance than the emotions caused by that action for persons on-stage1 the real centre of interest has been shifted1 the desired suspense is gone1 and the scene must be rewritten4 ,suspense in a play is rightly handled1 then1 when it is promptly created to the extent desired by the dramatist2 carries on with increasing intensity from act to act2 and reaches its climax at or just before the final curtain4 ,climax is1 therefore1 an integral part of suspense4 ,the point of greatest intensity reached in an incident1 scene1 act1 or play is the moment of climax4 ,climax is not the result of theory but comes from long observation of audiences4 ,a scene or act which breaks off or declines in interest towards its close never delights an audience as does a scene or act which closes with its strongest emotional effect4 ,look at the ending of ,the ,troublesome ,raigne of ,king ,john1 ,part ,i4 ,though ,king ,john declares himself the joyfulst man alive1 the audience does not so sympathize with him that his delight is a fitting climax to the play4 ,rather do they so keenly sympathize with ,prince ,arthur and even the lords who have been outraged by ,arthur's proposed death that they want to know more of him and them4 ,hubert4 ,my lord1 attend the happie tale ,i tell1 ,for heauens health send ,sathan packing hence ,that instigates your ,highnes to despaire4 ,if ,arthurs death be dismall to be heard1 ,bandie the newes for rumors of vnthruth3 ,he liues my ,lord1 the sweetest youth aliue1 ,in health1 with eyesight1 not a hair amisse4 ,this hart tooke vigor from this froward hand1 ,making it weake to execute your charge4 ,iohn4 ,what1 liues he6 ,then sweete hope come home agen1 ,chase hence despaire1 the purueyor for hell4 ,hye ,hubert1 tell these tidings to my ,lords ,that throb in passions for yong ,arthurs death3 ,hence ,hubert1 stay not till thou hast reueald ,the wished newes of ,arthurs happy health4 ,i go my selfe1 the joyfulst man aliue ,to storie out this new supposed crime4 7,exeunt47#df ,the author1 though he got from this a suspense which carried his audience over to the performance of ,part ,,ii on the next day1 missed any real climax for ,part ,i4 ,inexperienced playwrights1 in spite of good characterization and dialogue1 frequently do not understand the value and the nature of real climax4 ,consequently1 an audience feels that any interest it has given is cheated in the end4 ,the following scenario1 though its feebleness can hardly be traced solely to lack of climax1 illustrates what is meant4 ,,the ,,debutante ,characters3 ,major ,worthington1 an ,american financier2 ,emil ,richter1 a young poet2 ,dr ,van ,metre1 who do team work for the hand of ,kitty4 ,willy ,squeam1 _/ ,kitty ,worthington1 the debutante4 ,mme4 ,cavanaugh ,king1 a widow1 ,kitty's aunt4 ,,scene3 ,den1 off the ballroom of ,major ,worthington's home4 ,music from the ballroom is heard intermittently during the action4 ,,discovered3 ,a group of guests who chatter and pass out1 leaving ,squeam and ,van ,metre4 ,they talk of the attractions of ,kitty1 the debutante1 and make a wager as to who will win out4 ,each agrees to back the other up in case of failure4 ,they go off as ,mrs4 ,king and ,major ,worthington enter4 ,she reproves her brother for looking tired and uninterested on this occasion of his daughter's coming out4 ,at length1 exhausted by his sister's flippancy1 he tells her that they are financially ruined1 and that the crash will come on the morrow4 ,mrs4 ,king is distracted1 but they both brighten as ,kitty enters in a whirl4 ,she is radiantly happy1 and hugs one and then the other1 then both4 ,enter ,richter1 a stalwart young westerner1 who does not know how to dance4 ,they congratulate him on his little volume of verses which has just been published4 ,after promising to sit out a dance with him1 ,kitty sends him off to talk with ,miss ,smithkins4 ,he picks up a rose which ,kitty has dropped and goes off with it4 ,enter ,dr4 ,van ,metre and ,squeam4 ,exeunt ,major ,worthington and ,mrs4 ,king4 ,van ,metre and ,squeam take turns in proposing to ,kitty4 ,enter ,mrs4 ,king1 to whom ,squeam finds himself making violent love1 mistaking her for ,kitty4 ,he starts to bolt1 but she lays hold of him1 and they go off together4 ,kitty and ,van ,metre go of to dance1 she laughing at his ardent protestations4 ,enter ,major4 ,he takes out a revolver from his writing desk1 and puts it back as some dancers pass through4 ,enter ,emil1 and the two exeunt arm-in-arm4 ,enter ,mrs4 ,king and ,kitty4 ,mrs4 ,king bluntly tells ,kitty their financial straits1 and adds that ,kitty must give up any sentimental feelings she has for ,richter1 and must1 if she gets the chance1 accept ,van ,meter or ,squeam on the spot4 ,with this1 she hastily departs1 leaving ,kitty in tears4 ,the tears turn to dimples the moment ,richter appears1 and she tries to shock him into a dislike for her4 ,nevertheless1 he makes a clumsy effort at proposing which is interrupted by ,van ,metre1 then ,squeam1 then both1 who insist on taking her to supper4 ,she dismisses them4 7,soft music47 ,richter proposes1 and ,kitty refuses him1 telling him the reason frankly1 as her aunt has just given it to her4 ,he reprimands her for having mercenary motives1 and makes an eloquent plea for the equality of men4 ,enraged1 she leaves the room1 but quickly returns and throws herself into his arms4 ,enters ,mrs4 ,king hastily1 and says they may go right on embracing1 as the ,major has just received a telegram stating that he has won out in a law suit involving millions of dollars' worth of iron mines4 ,enter the ,major hilarious4 ,enter ,squeam and ,van ,meter4 ,they shake hands and declare the wager off4 ,enter the dancers from a cotillion figure4 ,they are arrayed in grotesque paper hats and bonnets and garlands of paper flowers4 ,they circle about ,kitty and ,richter1 and pelt them with paper flowers4 ,exeunt4 ,tableau3 ,kitty and ,richter looking into firelight4 ,curtain4 ,obviously1 though some slight suspense has been created as to the possible solution of ,kitty's difficulties1 the proposed play goes all to pieces the moment ,mrs4 ,king enters with her news4 ,when an audience knows that had the dramatist so willed1 the fateful telegram might have arrived at any moment in the play other than the point chosen1 it is likely to vote unanimously that the telegram should have been received before the curtain was ever rung up4 ,except in amateur performances arranged for admiring friends1 there is no hope that such a fizzle can be covered by introducing dancers to make a pretty picture and a pseudo-climax4 ,climax is1 then1 whatever in action1 speech1 pantomime1 or thought 7whether conveyed or suggested7 will produce in an audience the strongest emotion of the scene1 act1 or play4 ,the means to climax range from mere action to quiet speech1 from pure theatricality to lifelike subtlety4 ,the poisoned cup1 the fatal duel1 indeed1 the general slaughter at the end of ,hamlet make a tremendous climax of action4 ,mere action1 however1 does not necessarily give climax4 ,the writer of the scenario just quoted1 missing a real climax1 tried to offset this by the gay dance4 ,whether a dance1 parade1 or tableau is a genuine climax depends on whether it illustrates attainment of that in regard to which suspense has been created4 ,no mere dance in costume1 no spectacular parade or brilliant tableau is ever an adequate substitute for a climax which brings to the greatest intensity emotionalized interest already awakened in an audience4 ,such climax by action may1 then1 be as purely theatrical as in revues1 much musical comedy1 or pure melodrama1 or as simple and true as in ,heijermans' ,the ,good ,hope4 ,the women1 ,joe and ,kneirtje1 are left alone1 wild with anxiety for their fisherman-lover and son4 ,a storm rages outside4 ,jo4 7,beating her head on the table47 ,the wind6 ,it drives me mad1 mad6 ,kneirtje4 7,opens the prayerbook1 touches ,jo's arm4 ,jo looks up1 sobbing passionately1 sees the prayerbook1 shakes her head fiercely4 ,again wailing1 drops to the floor1 which she beats with her hands4 ,kneirtje's trembling voice sounds47 ,o ,merciful ,god6 ,i trust6 ,with a firm faith1 ,i trust4 7,the wind races with wild lashings about the house47 ,curtain4#dg ,climax may come through surprise1 as the discussion of suspense shows 7pp4 #bab-bad74 ,such surprise may be theatrical1 as in ,home#dh where it is obviously an arranged effect1 or genuinely dramatic because justified by the preceding characterization1 as in ,the ,clod4 7,mary goes to the cupboard2 returns to the table with the salt4 ,almost ready to drop1 she drags herself to the window nearer back1 and leans against it1 watching the ,southerners like a hunted animal4 ,thaddeus sits nodding in the corner4 ,the ,sergeant and ,dick go on devouring food4 ,the ,sergeant pours the coffee4 ,puts his cup to his lips1 takes one swallow2 then1 jumping to his feet and upsetting his chair as he does so1 he hurls his cup to the floor4 ,the crash of china stirs ,thaddeus4 ,mary shakes in terror47 ,sergeant4 7,bellowing and pointing to the fluid trickling on the floor47 ,have you tried to poison us1 you ,god damn hag8 7,mary screams1 and the faces of the men turn white4 ,it is like the cry of the animal goaded beyond endurance47 ,mary4 7,screeching47 ,call my coffee poison1 will ye8 ,call me a hag8 ,i'll learn ye6 ,i'm a woman1 and ye're drivin' me crazy4 7,snatches the gun from the wall1 points it at the ,sergeant1 and fires4 ,keeps on screeching4 ,the ,sergeant falls to the floor4 ,dick rushes for his gun47 ,thaddeus4 ,mary6 ,mary6 ,mary4 7,aiming at ,dick1 and firing47 ,i ain't a hag4 ,i'm a woman1 but ye're killin' me4 7,dick falls just as he reaches his gun4 ,thaddeus is in the corner with his hands over his ears4 ,mary continues to pull the trigger of the empty gun4 ,the ,northerner is motionless for a moment2 then he goes to ,thaddeus1 and shakes him47 ,northerner4 ,go get my horse1 quick6 7,thaddeus obeys4 ,the ,northerner turns to ,mary4 ,she gazes at him1 but does not understand a word he says47 ,northerner4 7,with great fervor47 ,i'm ashamed of what ,i said4 ,the whole country will hear of this1 and you4 7,takes her hand1 and presses it to his lips2 then turns and hurries out of the house4 ,mary still holds the gun in her hand4 ,she pushes a strand of gray hair back from her face1 and begins to pick up the fragments of the broken coffee cup47 ,mary4 7,in dead1 flat tone47 ,i'll have to drink out the tin cup now4 7,the hoof-beats of the ,northerner's horse are heard47 ,curtain4#di ,note the wholly unexpected turn after the final speech of the ,northerner4 ,yet this surprise merely rounds out the characterization of ,mary4 ,this kind of climax by surprise recalls one of the principles in acting which ,joseph ,jefferson laid down for himself3 ,never anticipate a strong effect2 in fact1 lead your audience by your manner1 so that they shall scarcely suspect the character capable of such emotion2 then when some sudden blow has fallen1 the terrible shock prepares the audience for a new and striking phase in the character2 they feel that under these new conditions you would naturally exhibit the passion which till then was not suspected4#ej ,before the present insistence on reality held sway1 it was possible to close a play of pretended truth to life with a tag4 ,here is the quiet ending of ,still ,waters ,run ,deep 7#ahee73 ,potter4 ,my dear boy1 you astonish me6 ,but1 however1 there's an old proverb that says that ,all is not gold that glitters4 ,mildmay4 ,yes1 and there is another old proverb and one much more to the purpose that says1 ,still waters run deep4 ,the convention which made that sort of ending desirable has passed4 ,however1 today another convention1--the quiet ending1--might make it possible to end this same play with the speech just preceding the two quoted4 ,potter4 ,john ,mildmay the master of this house8 ,emily1 my dear1 has your aunt been--,i mean has your aunt lost her wits8 ,mrs4 ,mildmay4 ,no1 she has found them1 papa1 as ,i have done1 thanks to dear ,john4 ,ask his pardon1 papa1 as we have1 for the cruel injustice we have done him4 ,potter4 ,oh1 certainly1 if you desire it4 ,john ,mildmay1 ,i ask your pardon--,jane and ,emily say ,i ought2 though what ,i have done1 or what there is to ask pardon for-- ,mildmay4 ,perhaps you'll learn in time4 ,but we're forgetting dinner--,langford1 will you take my wife8 7,he does so47 ,markham1 you'll take ,mrs4 ,sternhold8#ea ,add to this1 ,they all go out to dinner1 and you have one of the quiet endings dear to the hearts of some recent dramatists4 ,these writers1 after an act has swept to a strong emotional height1 add some very quiet ending such as going out to dinner or the conventional farewells of the group assembled1 as if for some reason either were more artistic than to close on the moment of strong emotion4 ,this is bad4 ,on the other hand1 if the quiet ending carries characterization1 or irony1 to point the scene1 act1 or play1 or really illustrates the meaning1 this and not the absence of strong emotion or physical action is what gives both real value and genuine climax4 ,for instance1 at the end of ,act ,i of ,monsieur ,poirier's ,son-in-,law1 by ,augier1 this is the dialogue3 ,enter a ,servant4 ,servant4 ,dinner is served4 ,poirier4 7,to the ,servant47 ,bring up a bottle of #ahaa ,pomard--7,to the ,duke47 ,the year of the comet1 ,monsieur le duc--fifteen francs a bottle6 ,the king drinks no better4 7,aside to ,verdelet47 ,you mustn't drink any--neither will ,i6 ,gaston4 7,to the ,duke47 ,fifteen francs1 bottle to be returned when empty6 ,verdelet4 7,aside to ,poirier47 ,are you going to allow him to make fun of you like that8 ,poirier4 7,aside to ,verdelet47 ,in matters of this sort1 you must take your time4 7,they all go out47 ,curtain4#eb ,here it is not the quietude but the particularly apt1 humorous illustration of ,poirier's character which gives climax4 ,in ,the ,amazons1 too1 what could better illustrate acceptance of the usual by all the group who have been fighting against it than the sedate and utterly commonplace exeunt8 ,lady ,castlejordan4 ,lord ,tweenwayes-- 7,tweenwayes comes with great dignity to ,lady ,castlejordan4 ,the girls fall back47 ,lady ,castlejordan4 ,lord ,litterly--,lady ,noeline4 ,monsieur de ,grival--,lady ,wilhelmina4 ,mr4 ,minchin--,lady ,thomasin4 7,the couples are formed1 and all go out sedately47#ec ,when quiet speech sums up the whole meaning of a scene or play1 it too gives climax4 ,ann's words at the end of ,man and ,superman1 ,john you are still talking1 make a fine ironic climax4 ,irony1 whether quiet or decidedly dramatic1 is a very effective means to climax4 ,at the end of ,act ,,ii1 ,herod1 in the play of that name by ,stephen ,phillips1 has ordered ,mariamne killed4 ,completely infatuated by her1 he has done this only when her enemies have forced him to believe that she is utterly false4 ,almost instantly his love overwhelms his mistrust4 ,he tries to revoke his word1 crying1 ,yet will ,i not be bound1 ,i will break free1 ,she shall not die--she shall not die--she shall not-- ,news of the triumph he has longed for interrupts3 ,enter ,attendant4 ,attendant4 ,o king1 the ,roman eagles6 ,see6 ,a cry4 7,without47 ,from ,rome6 ,enter ,roman ,envoy and ,suite4 ,envoy4 ,o king1 great ,caesar sent us after you1 ,but1 though we posted fast1 you still outran us4 ,thus then by word of mouth great ,caesar greets ,herod his friend4 ,but he would not confine ,that friendship to the easy spoken word1 ,and hear ,i bear a proof of ,caesar's faith4 ,herein is added to thy boundaries ,hippo1 ,samaria and ,gadara1 ,and high-walled ,joppa1 and ,anthedon's shore1 ,and ,gaza unto these1 and ,straton's towers4 7,moves down47 ,here is the scroll1 with ,caesar's own hand signed4 ,herod4 7,taking the scroll--at foot of steps47 ,mariamne1 hear you this8 ,mariamne1 see you8 7,turns to look at scroll47 7,servant enters and moves down to ,gadias down ,l47 7,he goes up the stairs47 ,hippo1 ,samaria and ,gadara1 ,and high-walled ,joppa1 and ,anthedon's shore1 ,and ,gaza unto these1 and ,straton's towers4 ,servant4 7,aside to ,gadias47 ,o sir1 the queen is dead6 ,gadias4 7,aside to ,pheroras1 ,cypros1 and ,salome47 ,the queen is dead6 ,herod4 ,mariamne1 hear you this8 ,mariamne1 see you8 7,repeating the words1 and going up steps47 ,hippo1 ,samaria and ,gadara1 ,and high-walled ,joppa1 and ,anthedon1 7,as he moves up47 ,and ,gaza unto these1 and ,straton's towers6#ed ,the perfect climax lies in the irony of the fact that all ,herod most desires as ruler comes to him at just the moment when he has killed the thing that most he loved4 ,at the end of ,act ,,iii of ,chains1 by ,elizabeth ,baker1 everybody--the father-in-law and mother-in-law1 ,percy1 the brother-in-law1 and ,sybil1 a pretty but useless bit of femininity--has been making ,charlie entirely miserable because no one can understand that his expressed desire to try his fortunes in ,australia and then send for his wife1 ,lily1 is not a pretext for abandoning her4 ,percy1 with next to nothing a year1 is just engaged to ,sybil4 ,foster wants to marry ,margaret1 ,charlie's sister-in-law1 who is dissatisfied with her lot4 ,enter ,lily1 dressed for going out1 also ,mrs4 ,massey4 ,lily goes round1 kissing and shaking hands1 with a watery smile and a forced tearful cheerfulness4 ,charley4 7,without going all around and calling from the door47 ,good night1 all6 7,exeunt ,lily and ,charley47 ,mrs4 ,massey4 ,well1 ,i must say-- ,percy4 ,o1 let's drop it1 mother4 ,play something1 ,maggie4 ,maggie4 ,i don't want to4 ,mrs4 ,massey4 ,walter would like to hear something1 wouldn't you1 ,walter8 ,foster4 ,if ,maggie feels like it4 ,maggie4 ,she doesn't feel like it4 ,massey4 ,be as pleasant as you can1 my girl--,charley's enough for one evening4 7,maggie goes to the piano and sitting down plays noisily1 with both pedals on1 the chorus1 ,off to ,philadelphia47 ,mrs4 ,massey4 ,maggie1 it's ,sunday6 ,maggie4 ,i forgot6 ,mrs4 ,massey4 ,you shouldn't forget such things--,sybil1 my dear-- ,sybil4 ,i don't play4 ,massey4 ,rubbish6 ,come on6 7,sybil goes to the piano and ,percy follows her47 ,percy4 7,very near to ,sybil and helping her to find the music47 ,charley is a rotter6 ,what d'ye think he was telling me the other day8 ,sybil4 ,i don't know4 ,percy4 ,told me to be sure ,i got the right girl4 ,sybil4 ,brute6 ,percy4 ,what do you think ,i said8 ,darling6 7,kisses her behind music47 ,massey4 7,looking around47 ,take a bigger sheet4 7,sybil sits at piano quickly and plays the chorus to ,count ,your ,many ,blessings4 ,to which they all sing37 ,count your many blessings1 count them one by one1 ,count your blessings1 see what ,god has done4 ,count your blessings1 count them one by one1 ,and it will surprise you what the ,lord has done4#ee ,is not the irony of this group of unsatisfied or dissatisfied people singing ,count your many blessings1 fully climactic8 ,not quietness of speech or action1 then1 but appropriateness makes any of these approved endings climactic and artistic4 ,there can hardly be any question that the original ending of ,still ,waters ,run ,deep is theatrical in the sense that it is climactic only by the dramatic convention of its time4 ,except when theatricality is intentionally part of the artistic design1 it is1 of course1 undesirable4 ,rostand1 letting the figures in ,the ,romancers comment on their own play as a kind of epilogue1 has a really artistic though theatrical climax4 ,sylvette4 7,summoning the actors about her47 ,and now we five--if ,master ,straforel please-- ,let us expound the play in which we've tried to please4 7,she comes down stage and addresses the audience1 marking time with her hand47 ,light1 easy rhymes2 old dresses1 frail and light2 ,love in a park1 fluting an ancient tune4 7,soft music47 ,bergamin4 ,a fairy-tale quintet1 mad as ,midsummer-night4 ,pasquin4 ,some quarrels4 ,yes6--but all so very slight6 ,straforel4 ,madness of sunstroke2 madness of the moon6 ,a worthy villain1 in his mantle dight4 ,sylvette4 ,light1 easy rhymes2 old dresses1 frail and light2 ,love in a park1 fluting an ancient tune4 ,percinet4 ,a ,watteau picture--not by ,watteau1 quite2 ,release from many a dreary ,northern rune2 ,lovers and fathers2 old walls1 flowery-bright2 ,a brave old plot--with music--ending soon4 ,sylvette4 ,light1 easy rhymes2 old dresses1 frail and light4 7,the stage gradually darkens2 the last lines are delivered in voices that grow fainter as the actors appear to fade away into mist and darkness47 ,curtain4#ef ,so light the finale1 as in ,london1 that the figures fade from sight till only their voices are faintly heard1 and theatricality helps to place the play as a mere bit of fantasy4 ,on the other hand1 there is something like genuine theatricality at the end of ,sudermann's ,fritzschen4 ,fritz is going to his death in a prospective duel with a man who is an unerring shot4 ,though the others present suspect or know the truth1 his mother thinks he is going to new and finer fortunes4 ,isn't the following the real climax8 ,fritz4 7,stretching out his hand to her cheerfully47 ,dear ,ag--7,looks into her face1 and understands that she knows4 ,softly1 earnestly47 ,farewell1 then4 ,agnes4 ,farewell1 ,fritz6 ,fritz4 ,i love you4 ,agnes4 ,i shall always love you1 ,fritz6 ,fritz4 ,away1 then1 ,hallerpfort6 ,au revoir1 papa6 ,au revoir6 ,revoir6 7,starts for the door on the right47 ,frau von ,drosse4 ,go by the park1 boys--there ,i have you longer in sight4 ,fritz4 ,very well1 mamma1 we will do it6 7,passes with ,hallerpfort through the door at the centre2 on the terrace1 he turns with a cheerful gesture1 and calls once more47 ,au ,revoir6 7,his voice is still audible47 ,au revoir6 7,frau von ,drosse throws kisses after him1 and waves her handkerchief1 then presses her hand wearily to her heart and sighs heavily47#eg ,because the history of the theatre shows that the contained appeal always moves an audience1 ,sudermann adds one more touch of misery as the mother dwells on her dream of the night before3 7,agnes hurries to her1 and leads her to a chair1 then goes over to the ,major1 who1 with heaving breast1 is lost in thought47 ,frau von ,drosse4 ,thank you1 my darling6--,already1 ,i am quite well again6444 ,god1 the boy6 ,how handsome he looked6 ,and so brown and so healthy4444 ,you see1 ,i saw him exactly like that last night4444 ,no1 that is no illusion6 ,and ,i told you how the ,emperor led him in among all the generals6 ,and the ,emperor said--7,more softly1 looking far away with a beatific smile47 ,and the ,emperor said-- ,curtain4#eh ,though a new twist is given our emotions1 is not something lost to the artistry of the play8 ,if the means to climax be various1 the ways in which it may elude a writer are several4 ,if an audience foresees it1 much of the value of climax1 perhaps all1 disappears4 ,bulwer-,lytton1 in writing ,money1 recognized this3 ,and principally with regard to ,act #e ,i don't feel easy4 ,the first idea suggested by you worked on by me was of course to carry on ,evelyn's trick to the last-- bring in the creditors c when it is discovered that he is as rich as ever4 ,i so made ,act #e at first4 ,but 444 the trick was so palpable to the audience that having been carried thro' ,acts #c #d1 it became stale in ,act #e-- the final discovery was much less comic than you wd suppose4#ei ,if anticipating a climax will impair it for an audience1 repetition may kill it4 ,in the civic masque1 ,caliban1#fj as performed1 many of the historical scenes were introduced in the same way3 ,ariel asked his master1 ,prospero1 what he should show him next1 and at his bidding summoned the episode4 ,no variety in phrasing could surmount the monotony of this4 ,there was consequent loss in suspense and climax4 ,it is easy1 also1 to miss possible climax by using more at a given point than is absolutely necessary4 ,sometimes it is wiser to postpone part or all of thoroughly desirable material for later treatment4 ,in the novel1 ,les ,oberle1#fa father and daughter sympathize with the ,germans1 mother and son with the old ,french tradition4 ,in patriarchal fashion1 the half-paralytic grandfather1 as head of the house1 keeps the keys4 ,when a young ,german officer1 favored by the daughter1 asks her hand1 feeling becomes intense and strained between the parents and the brother and the sister4 ,suddenly the old paralytic enters1 half-supported by his attendant4 ,furious to think of his granddaughter as the wife of a ,german he cries1 with a superb gesture of dismissal1 ,clear out6 ,this is my house6 7,va t'en6 ,ici chez moi67 ,the dramatizer saw that with the accompanying action of all concerned1 especially the silent going of the ,german suitor1 ,ici chez moi made a sufficient climax4 ,therefore1 with a touch of real genius1 he saved the ,va t'en for a climax to a totally different scene4 ,later in the play1 ,jean1 who has determined to escape across the ,french boundary rather than serve longer in the ,german army1 has been locked in his room by his outraged father4 ,as usual1 after the house has been locked up for the night1 the keys have been handed to the old1 half-paralytic grandfather1 who lies sleepless in a room near ,jean's4 ,learning from ,uncle ,ulrich what has occurred1 the grandfather totters into the living room with his keys4 ,unlocking ,jean's door1 with a fine gesture of affection1 and command toward the outer door1 he cries to ,jean1 ,va4 ,here the dramatist gets two fine climaxes where the novelist gained but one4 ,sometimes a very effective climax at a given point should be postponed because it will be even more effective later1 and if given the first position would check preferable movement in the play4 ,at the end of ,act ,,iv of ,magda 7,heimat7 by ,sudermann1 we seem all ready for a scene in which ,magda confesses the truth about her past life to her father4 ,schwartze4 ,magda1--,i want ,magda4 ,marie4 7,goes to the door and opens it47 ,she's coming now1--down the stairs4 ,schwartze4 ,so6 7,pulls himself together with an effort47 ,marie4 7,clasping her hands47 ,don't hurt her6 7,pauses with the door open4 ,magda is seen descending the stairs4 ,she enters in travelling dress1 hat in hand1 very pale but calm47 ,magda4 ,i heard you call1 father4 ,schwartze4 ,i have something to say to you4 ,magda4 ,and ,i to you4 ,schwartze4 ,go in1--into my room4 ,magda4 ,yes1 father4 7,she goes to the door left4 ,schwartze follows her4 ,marie1 who has drawn back frightened to the dining-room1 makes an unseen gesture of entreaty47#fb ,now1 any interview between ,magda and her father will both unduly lengthen an act already long and bring the play well into its final climax4 ,stopping the act here creates superb suspense4 ,starting a new act under slightly different conditions keeps all the suspense created by ,act ,,iv and intensifies it by new details4 ,the new act gives us the chance easily to introduce von ,keller1 who is needed if the play is to be more than another treatment of the erring daughter confessing her sin to her father4 ,just through him comes emphasis which gives special meaning to the play4 ,therefore1 we gain by postponing the full confession from the end of ,act ,,iv till well toward the end of ,act ,v4 ,evidently1 climax rests on 7a7 right feeling for order in presenting ideas2 7b7 a correct sense of what is weaker and what is stronger in phrasing emotions2 and 7c7 just appreciation of the feeling of the audience toward the emotions presented4 ,for both clearness and climax it is usually a wise rule to consider but one idea at a time4 ,in the following illustration1 column #a shows confusion1 because three subjects--the fan1 the greeting1 and the compliment of ,lady ,windermere--are started at the same time4 ,in column #b1 quoted from ,miss ,anglin's acting version of ,lady ,windermere's ,fan1 treating each of these subjects in its natural sequence brings both clearness and climax4 ,parker4 ,mrs4 ,erlynne4 ,parker4 ,mrs4 ,erlynne4 7,lord ,windermere starts4 7,lord ,windermere starts4 ,mrs4 ,erlynne enters1 very ,mrs4 ,erlynne enters1 very beautifully dressed and very beautifully dressed and very dignified4 ,lady ,windermere dignified4 ,lady ,windermere clutches at her fan1 then clutches at her fan1 then lets it drop on the floor4 lets it drop on the floor4 ,she bows coldly to ,she bows coldly to ,mrs4 ,erlynne1 who bows ,mrs4 ,erlynne1 who bows to her sweetly in turn1 and to her sweetly in turn1 and sails into the room47 sails into the room47 ,lord ,darlington4 ,you have ,mrs4 ,erlynne4 7,c47 ,how do dropped your fan1 ,lady you do again1 ,lord ,windermere8 ,windermere4 7,picks it up and hands it ,lord ,darlington4 ,you have to her47 dropped your fan1 ,lady ,windermere4 ,mrs4 ,erlynne4 7,c47 ,how do 7,picks it up and hands it you do again1 ,lord ,windermere8 to her47 ,how charming your sweet wife looks6 ,quite a picture6 ,lord ,windermere4 7,in a low ,lord ,windermere4 7,in a low voice47 ,it was terribly voice47 ,it was terribly rash of you to come6 rash of you to come6 ,mrs4 ,erlynne4 7,smiling47 ,mrs4 ,erlynne4 7,smiling47 ,the wisest thing ,i ever did in my ,the wisest thing ,i ever did in my life4 ,and1 by the way1 you must life4 ,how charming your sweet pay me a good deal of attention wife looks6 ,quite a picture6 ,and1 this evening4 by the way1 you must pay me a good deal of attention this evening4#fc ,in the next extract1 note that omission of ,i want to live childless still and shifting the position of the words ,for twenty years1 as you say1 ,i have lived childless permit an actress to work up to the strongest climax of the speech1 when spoken1 ,they made me suffer too much4 ,miss ,anglin1 trained by years of experience to great sensitiveness to the emotional values of words1 has here arranged the sentences better than the author himself4 ,lord ,windermere4 ,what do ,lord ,windermere4 ,what do you mean by coming here this you mean by coming here this morning8 ,what is your object8 morning8 ,what is your object8 7,crossing ,l4,c4 and sitting47 7,crossing ,l4,c4 and sitting47 ,mrs4 ,erlynne4 7,with a note of ,mrs4 ,erlynne4 7,with a note of irony in her voice47 ,to bid good- irony in her voice47 ,to bid bye to my dear daughter1 of good-bye to my dear daughter1 of course4 7,lord ,windermere bites course4 7,lord ,windermere bites his underlip in anger4 ,mrs4 ,erlynne his underlip in anger4 ,mrs4 ,erlynne looks at him1 and her voice looks at him1 and her voice and manner become serious4 ,in and manner become serious4 ,in her accents as she talks there her accents as she talks there is a note of deep tragedy4 ,for a is a note of deep tragedy4 ,for a moment she reveals herself47 ,oh1 moment she reveals herself47 ,oh1 don't imagine ,i am going to have don't imagine ,i am going to a pathetic scene with her1 weep have a pathetic scene with her1 on her neck and tell her who ,i weep on her neck and tell her am1 and all that kind of thing4 who ,i am1 and all that kind of ,i have no ambition to play the thing4 ,i have no ambition to part of mother4 ,only once in my play the part of mother4 ,for life have ,i known a mother's twenty years1 as you say1 ,i have feelings4 ,that was last night4 lived childless4 ,only once in my ,they were terrible--they made life have ,i known a mother's me suffer--they made me suffer feelings4 ,that was last night4 too much4 ,for twenty years1 ,they were terrible--they made as you say1 ,i have lived me suffer--they made me suffer childless--,i want to live too much4#fd childless still4 ,when an eighteenth-century manager1 in his production of ,the ,school for ,scandal1 had colored fire set off in the wings as the falling screen revealed ,lady ,teazle1 he failed of his intended effect because he thought that for his audience the falling of the screen was climactic4 ,really1 of course1 the enjoyment of the audience1 as it listens to the dialogue1 knowing that ,lady ,teazle overhears1 is the chief source of pleasure4 ,it is the dismay of ,sir ,peter1 when he sees who is really behind the screen1 which makes the climax4 ,that dismay is not greater against a background of red fire4 ,crowded with action as the end of ,hamlet is1 we close it in acting1 not on the fatal wounding of ,hamlet1 but either on his words1 ,the rest is silence1 or as the soldiers of ,fortinbras march out with ,hamlet's body on their shields4 ,experience has proved that a stronger climax for an audience lies in those words or in seeing the procession which passes among the kneeling courtiers1 stronger than from all the noisy emotions which have just preceded4 ,in brief1 except when we feel sure that we have made our feeling as to the emotions of a scene or act the public's1 it is they who must determine where the climax lies4 ,where it rests we must in all cases of doubt decide from our past experience of the public and present observation of it4 ,from all these illustrations it must be clear that the only rule for finding climax is3 ,understand clearly the audience for which you intend your play2 create in it the sympathetic relation toward your characters you wish2 then you may be sure that what seems to you a climax for your scene will be so for your audience4 ,movement depends1 then1 on clearness1 unity1 emphasis1 and a right feeling for suspense and climax4 ,this movement may be steadily upward1 as in the last scene of ,hamlet1 or it may have the wave-like advance found in ,sigurjonsson's ,eyvind of the ,hills#fe or ,sir ,arthur ,pinero's ,the ,gay ,lord ,quex4 ,the emotional interest in each of these sweeps up to a pure climax1 drops back part way for a fresh start1 and then advances to a stronger climax4 ,granted that a would-be playwright understands the proportioning of his work and the correct development of it for clearness1 emphasis and movement1 he is ready to repeat the words of ,ibsen3 ,i have just completed a play in five acts1 that is to say1 the rough draft of it4 ,now comes the elaboration1 the more energetic individualization of the persons1 and their modes of expression4#ff ,he is ready to perfect his characterization and dialogue4 ,,footnotes3 #a ,ancient ,classical ,drama1 chap4 ,,vii1 ,elements of ,comedy4 ,moulton4 ,clarendon ,press1 ,oxford4 #b ,the ,choephori of ,aeschylus4 ,introduction1 p4 xvi4 ,a4 ,w4 ,verral4 ,the ,macmillan ,co41 ,new ,york4 #c ,the ,rising of the ,moon1 ,lady ,gregory4 ,contemporary ,dramatists4 ,t4 ,h4 ,dickinson1 ed4 ,houghton ,mifflin ,co41 ,boston4 #d ,mme4 ,sans ,gene1 ,prologue1 ,scene #a4 ,sardou and ,moreau4 ,samuel ,french1 ,new ,york4 #e ,lonely ,lives1 ,act ,,iv4 ,the ,dramatic ,works of ,gerhart ,hauptmann1 vol4 ,,iii1 p4 #bfe4 ,ludwig ,lewisohn1 ed4 ,b4 ,w4 ,huebsch1 ,new ,york4 #f ,farces1 ,the ,galloper1 ,act ,i4 ,richard ,harding ,davis4 ,copyright1 #aijf1 by ,chas4 ,scribner's ,sons1 ,new ,york4 #g ,the ,lonely ,way1 etc4 ,three ,plays by ,arthur ,schnitzler4 ,translated by ,e4 ,bjorkman4 ,mitchell ,kennerley4 #h ,phaedra1 ,act ,i4 ,racine4 ,translated by ,r4 ,b4 ,boswell4 ,chief ,european ,dramatists4 ,houghton ,mifflin ,co41 ,boston4 #i ,works1 vol4 #c4 ,w4 ,gifford and ,dyce4 ,murray1 ,london4 #aj ,the ,rehearsal1 ,act ,i4 ,the ,duke of ,buckingham4 ,bell's ,british ,theatre1 vol4 ,,xv4 ,london1 #aghj4 #aa ,the ,lady of ,andros1 ,act ,i4 ,terence4 ,translated by ,j4 ,sargeaunt4 ,the ,macmillan ,co41 ,new ,york2 ,w4 ,heinemann1 ,london4 #ab ,the ,lady of ,andros1 ,act ,,iii4 #ac ,walter ,h4 ,baker ,co41 ,boston2 ,w4 ,heinemann1 ,london4 #ad ,theatre ,complet1 vol4 ,,ii4 ,calmann ,levy1 ,paris4 #ae ,theatre1 vol4 ,,ii4 ,michel ,levy freres1 ,paris4 #af ,walter ,h4 ,baker ,co41 ,boston4 #ag ,magda1 translated by ,a4 ,e4 ,a4 ,winslow4 ,lamson1 ,wolffe ,co41 ,boston4 #ah ,from ,ibsen's ,workshop1 pp4 #bga-bgb4 ,translated by ,a4 ,g4 ,chater4 ,copyright1 #aiaa1 by ,chas4 ,scribner's ,sons1 ,new ,york4 #ai ,idem1 pp4 #bhh-bhi4 #bj ,ibsen's ,prose ,dramas1 vol4 ,v1 ,walter ,scott1 ,london2 ,chas4 ,scribner's ,sons1 ,new ,york4 #ba ,letters of ,henrik ,ibsen1 p4 #bia4 ,fox1 ,duffield ,co41 ,new ,york4 #bb ,some ,platitudes concerning ,drama4 ,atlantic ,monthly1 ,december1 #aiji4 #bc ,othello1 ,act ,,iii1 ,scene #c4 #bd ,lady ,windermere's ,fan1 ,act ,i4 ,oscar ,wilde4 ,j4 ,w4 ,luce ,co41 ,boston4 #be ,duffield ,co41 ,new ,york4 #bf ,plays4 ,g4 ,p4 ,putnam's ,sons1 ,new ,york4 #bg ,walter ,h4 ,baker ,co41 ,boston2 ,w4 ,heinemann1 ,london4 #bh ,the ,trail of the ,torch1 ,paul ,hervieu4 ,translated by ,j4 ,h4 ,haughton4 ,drama ,league ,series1 vol4 ,,xii4 ,doubleday ,page ,co41 ,new ,york4 #bi ,the ,dramatic ,works of ,gerhart ,hauptmann1 vol4 ,,vi1 ,introduction1 p4 xi1 ,ludwig ,lewisohn1 ed4 ,b4 ,w4 ,huebsch1 ,new ,york4 #cj ,the ,macmillan ,co4 publish both forms4 #ca ,nathan ,hale1 ,act ,,iv1 ,scene #b4 ,clyde ,fitch4 ,little1 ,brown ,co41 ,boston4 #cb ,walter ,h4 ,baker ,co41 ,boston2 ,w4 ,heinemann1 ,london4 #cc ,idem4 #cd ,pp4 #adc-de4 ,r4 ,h4 ,russell1 ,new ,york4 ,also published by ,walter ,h4 ,baker ,co41 ,boston4 #ce ,act ,,iv1 ,scene #b4 ,the ,macmillan ,co4 #cf ,contemporary ,dramatists4 ,houghton ,mifflin ,co41 ,boston4 #cg ,j4 ,w4 ,luce ,co41 ,boston4 #ch ,translated by ,may ,hendee4 ,doubleday1 ,mc,clure ,co41 ,new ,york4 #ci ,plays of ,oscar ,wilde1 vol4 ,,ii4 ,j4 ,w4 ,luce ,co41 ,boston4 #dj ,the ,fantasticks1 pp4 #ade-adf4 ,translated by ,george ,fleming4 ,r4 ,h4 ,russell1 ,new ,york4 #da ,samuel ,french1 ,new ,york4 #db ,the ,devonshire ,hamlets1 pp4 #cd-df4 ,sampson ,low1 ,son ,co41 ,london4 #dc ,letters of ,bulwer-,lytton to ,macready1 ,,lxiii4 ,brander ,matthews1 ed4 #dd ,hamburg ,dramaturgy1 p4 #cgg4 ,lessing4 ,bohn1 ed4 #de ,play-,making1 pp4 #aga-agb4 ,william ,archer4 ,small1 ,maynard ,co41 ,boston4 #df ,the ,troublesome ,raigne of ,king ,iohn1 pp4 #bgi-bhj2 ,shakespeare's ,library1 vol4 ,v4 ,reeves ,turner1 ,london4 #dg ,the ,good ,hope1 ,act ,,iii4 ,herman ,heijermans4 ,the ,drama1 ,november1 #aiab4 #dh ,see pp4 #bi-cj4 #di ,washington ,square ,plays2 ,the ,clod44 ,lewis ,beach4 ,drama ,league ,series1 ,no4 ,,xx4 ,doubleday1 ,page ,co41 ,new ,york4 #ej ,the ,autobiography of ,joseph ,jefferson1 pp4 #baj-baa4 ,century ,co41 ,new ,york4 #ea ,the ,de,witt ,publishing ,house1 ,new ,york4 #eb ,monsieur ,poirier's ,son-in-,law1 ,act ,i4 ,emile ,augier4 ,translated by ,b4 ,h4 ,clark4 ,a4 ,knopf1 ,new ,york4 #ec ,the ,amazons1 ,act ,,iii4 ,sir ,arthur ,pinero4 ,walter ,h4 ,baker ,co41 ,boston4 #ed ,herod1 ,a ,tragedy1 ,act4 ,,ii4 ,stephen ,phillips4 ,john ,lane1 ,new ,york4 #ee ,j4 ,w4 ,luce ,co41 ,boston2 ,sidgwick ,jackson1 ,ltd41 ,london4 #ef ,the ,fantasticks1 ,act ,,iii4 ,edmond ,rostand4 ,translated by ,geo4 ,fleming4 ,r4 ,h4 ,russell ,co41 ,new ,york4 #eg ,morituri1 ,fritzshen1 ,herman-,sudermann4 ,translated by ,archibald ,alexander4 ,copyright1 #aiaj1 by ,chas4 ,scribner's ,sons1 ,new ,york4 #eh ,idem4 #ei ,letters of ,bulwer-,lytton to ,macready1 ,brander ,matthews1 ed4 #fj ,doubleday1 ,page ,co41 ,new ,york4 #fa ,les ,oberle4 ,rene ,bazin4 ,dramatized by ,e4 ,haraucourt4 ,l',illustration ,theatrale1 ,december #i1 #aije1 p4 #ad4 #fb ,magda4 ,translated by ,c4 ,e4 ,a4 ,winslow4 ,lamson1 ,wolffe ,co41 ,boston4 #fc ,lady ,windermere's ,fan1 ,act ,,ii4 ,oscar ,wilde4 ,acting version as arranged by ,miss ,margaret ,anglin4 #fd ,idem1 ,act ,,iv4 ,acting version as arranged by ,miss ,margaret ,anglin4 #fe ,eyvind of the ,hills1 ,j4 ,sigurjonsson4 ,american ,scandinavian ,society1 ,new ,york4 #ff ,from ,ibsen's ,workshop1 p4 #h4 ,copyright1 #aiaa1 by ,chas4 ,scribner's ,sons1 ,new ,york4 ,,chapter ,,vii ,,characterization ,in drama1 undoubtedly the strongest immediate appeal to the general public is action4 ,yet if a dramatist is to communicate with his audience as he wishes1 command of dialogue is indispensable4 ,the permanent value of a play1 however1 rests on its characterization4 ,characterization focuses attention4 ,it is the chief means of creating in an audience sympathy for the subject or the people of the play4 ,a ,lord1 ,a ,page1 in a pre-,shakespearean play usually was merely a speaker of lines and little1 if at all1 characterized4 ,when ,robert ,greene or his contemporaries adapted such sources for their stage1 with sure instinct for creating a greater interest in their public1 they changed these prefixes to ,eustace1 ,jacques1 ,nano1 etc4 ,merely changing the name from type to individual called for individualization of character and usually brought it4 ,indeed1 in drama1 individualization is always the sign of developing art4 ,in any country1 the history of modern drama is a passing1 under the influence of the audience1 from abstractions and personifications1 through type1 to individualized character4 ,in the ,trope1 cited p4 #ag1 one ,mary cannot be distinguished from another4 ,in a later form it is not a particular unguent seller who meets the ,maries on the way to the tomb1 but a type1--,unguent ,seller4 ,when a writer of a ,miracle ,play first departed a little from the exact actions and dialogue of the ,bible1 it was to add abstractions--,justice1 ,virtue1 etc4--or types3 soldiers1 shepherds1 etc4 ,from these he moved quickly or slowly1 as he was more or less endowed dramatically1 to figures individualized from types1 such as the well-characterized shepherds of the ,second ,towneley ,play4 ,the ,morality illustrates this same evolution even more clearly4 ,beginning with the pure abstractions of ,mundus et ,infans or ,mankind it passes through type characterization in ,lusty ,juventus or ,hyckescorner to as well individualized figures as ,delilah and ,ishmael in ,the ,nice ,wanton4#a ,abstractions permit an author to say what he pleases with the least possible thought for characterization4 ,type presents characteristics so marked that even the unobservant cannot have failed to discern them in their fellow men4 ,individualization differentiates within the types1 running from broad distinctions to presentation of very subtle differences4 ,because individualization moves from the known to the less known or the unknown1 it is harder for an audience to follow than type characterization1 and far more difficult to write4 ,however1 he who cannot individualize character must keep to the broader kinds of melodrama and farce1 and above all to that last asylum of time-honored types--musical comedy4 ,fundamentally1 type characterization rests on a false premise1 namely1 that every human being may be adequately represented by some dominant characteristic or small group of closely related characteristics4 ,all the better recent drama emphasizes the comic or tragic conflict in human beings caused by many contradictory impulses and ideas1 some mutually exclusive1 some negativing others to a considerable extent1 some apparently dormant for a time1 yet ready to spring into great activity at unforeseen moments4 ,ben ,jonson carried the false idea to an extreme when he wrote of his humour comedies3 ,in every human body1 ,the choler1 melancholy1 phlegm1 and blood1 ,by reason that they flow continually ,in some one part and are not continent1 ,receive the name of humours4 ,now thus far ,it may1 by metaphor1 apply itself ,unto the general disposition3 ,as when some one peculiar quality ,doth so possess a man that it doth draw ,all his affects1 his spirits and his powers1 ,in his confluctions1 all to run one way1 ,this may be truly said to be a humour4#b ,were ,ben ,jonson's physiology sound1 we should have1 not occasional cranks and neurotics as now1 but a race of nothing else4 ,today modern medical science has proved the bad physiology of his words1 and dramatists have followed its lead4 ,what gave the type drama its great hold1 in the ,latin comedy of ,plautus and ,terence1 in ,ben ,jonson and other ,elizabethans1 what keeps it alive today in the less artistic forms--broad farce1 pure melodrama--is fourfold4 ,type characterization1 exhibiting a figure wholly in one aspect1 or through a small group of closely related characteristics1 is easy to understand4 ,secondly1 it is both easy to create1 and1 as ,ben ,jonson's great following between #afje and #agej proves1 even easier to imitate4 ,thirdly1 farce and melodrama1 indeed all drama depending predominantly on mere situation1 may succeed1 though lacking individualization of character1 with any audience which1 like the ,roman or the ,elizabethan1 gladly hears the same stories or sees the same figures handled differently by different writers4 ,much in the plays of ,reade1 ,tom ,taylor1 and ,bulwer-,lytton#c which passed1 in the mid-nineteenth century1 for real life1 depending as it did on a characterization which barely rose above type1 was only thinly disguised melodrama4 ,the recent increasing response of the public to better characterization in both farce and melodrama has tended to lift the former into comedy1 the latter into story-play and tragedy4 ,just here appears a fourth reason for the popularity of characterization by types4 ,though entertaining plays may be presented successfully with type characterization only1 no dramatist with inborn or acquired ability to characterize1 can hold consistently to types4 ,observation1 interpretative insight1 or a flash of sympathy will advance him now and again1 as ,jonson was advanced more than once1 to real individualization of character4 ,contrast the thoroughly real ,subtle1 ,face1 and ,doll of ,the ,alchemist#d with the types1 ,ananias and ,sir ,epicure ,mammon2 contrast the masterly1 if very brief1 characterization of ,ursula in ,bartholomew ,fair#e with the mere type of ,zeal-of-the-,land ,busy4 ,an uncritical audience responding to the best characterization in a play1 overlooks the merely typical quality of the other figures4 ,that is1 the long vogue of types upon the stage rests upon ease of comprehension1 entire adequacy for some crude dramatic forms1 ease of imitation1 and a constant tendency in a dramatist of ability to rise to higher levels of characterization4 ,now that we are more and more dissatisfied with types in plays making any claim to realism1 the keen distinction first laid down by ,mr4 ,william ,archer in his ,play-,making becomes essential4 ,if type presents a single characteristic or group of intimately related characteristics1 character drawing is the presentment of human nature in its commonly recognized1 understood1 and accepted aspects2 psychology is1 as it were1 the exploration of character1 the bringing of hitherto unsurveyed tracts within the circle of our knowledge and comprehension4#f ,mr4 ,galsworthy in ,the ,silver ,box and ,justice ,mr4 ,archer regards as a drawer of character2 in ,strife#g as a psychologist4 ,he holds ,sir ,arthur ,pinero a characterizer of great versatility who becomes a psychologist in some of his studies of feminine types--in ,iris1 in ,letty1 in the heroine of ,mid-,channel4#h ,by this distinction1 most good drama shows character drawing2 only the great work1 psychology4 ,drama which does not rise above interest in its action rests1 as has been said1 on the idea that most people are simple1 uncomplicated1 and easy to understand4 ,great drama depends on a firm grasp and sure presentation of complicated character1 but of course a dramatist has a perfect right to say that1 though he knows his hero--,cyrano de ,bergerac1 for instance--may have had many characteristics1 it is enough for the purpose of his play to represent the vanity1 the audacity1 and the underlying tenderness of the man4 ,it is undeniable1 too1 that particular characteristics of ours may be so strong that other characteristics will not prevent them from taking us into sufficient dramatic complications to make a good play4 ,in such a case1 the dramatist who is not primarily writing for characterization will present the characteristics creating his desired situations1 and let all others go4 ,conversely1 he who cares most for characterization will try so to present even minor qualities that the perfect portrait of an individual will be recognized4 ,often1 however1 the happenings of a play may seem to an audience incompatible1 that is1 the character in one place may seem to contradict himself as presented elsewhere4 ,just here is where the psychologist in the dramatist1 stepping to the front1 must convince his audience that there is only a seeming contradiction4 ,otherwise1 the play falls promptly to the level of simple melodrama or farce4 ,that is1 the character-drawer paints his portrait1 knowing that1 if it is well done1 its life-likeness will at once be recognized4 ,the psychologist1 knowing that the life-likeness will not be readily admitted1 by illustrative action throws light on his character till his point is won4 ,our final judgment of characterization must depend on whether the author is obviously trying to present a completely rounded figure or only chosen aspects4 ,thus the old statement1 ,know thyself1 becomes for the dramatist ,know your characters as intimately as possible4 ,too many beginners in play-writing who care more for situation than for character1 sketch in a figure with the idea that they may safely leave it to the actor to fill out the part4 ,when brought to book they say3 ,i felt sure the actor in his larger experience1 catching my idea--you do think it was clearly stated1 don't you8--would fill it out perfectly1 and be glad of the freedom4 ,were modesty the real basis for this kind of work1 there might be good in it2 but what really lies behind it are two great foes of good dramatic writing3 haste or incompetence4 ,the interest and the delight of a dramatist in studying people should lie in accurate conveying to others of their contradictions1 their deterioration or growth as time passes1 the outcropping of characteristics in them for which our observation has not prepared us4 ,nobody who really cares for characterization wants somebody else to do it for him4 ,nobody who has really entered into his characters thoroughly will for a moment be satisfied to sketch broad outlines and let the actor fill in details4 ,rarely1 however1 does the self-deceived author of such slovenly work deceive his audience4 ,it meets at their hands the condemnation it deserves4 ,such an author assumes that in all the parts of his play1 actors of marked ability and keen intelligence will be cast4 ,only in the rarest cases does that happen4 ,many actors may not see the full significance of the outlines4 ,others1 whether they see them or not1 will develop a character so as to get as swiftly as possible effects not intended by the author but for which they1 as actors1 are specially famous4 ,such a playwright must1 then1 contend1 except in specially fortunate circumstances1 against possible dullness1 indifference1 and distortion4 ,it is the merest common sense so to present characters that a cast of average ability1 or a stage manager of no extraordinary imagination may understand and represent them with at least approximate correctness1 rather than so to write that only a group of creative artists can do any justice to the play4 ,clear and definitive characterization never hampers the best actors3 for actors not the best it is absolutely necessary unless intended values are to be blurred4 ,it frequently happens that a writer whose dialogue is good and who has enough dramatic situations finds himself unable to push ahead4 ,he knows broadly what he wants a scene to be1 but somehow cannot make his characters move freely and naturally in it4 ,above all1 the minor transitional scenes prove strangely difficult to write4 ,of course a scene or act may be thus clogged because the writer is mentally fagged4 ,if1 when a writer certainly is not tired1 or when1 after rest1 he cannot with two or three sustained attempts develop a scene1 the difficulty is not far to seek4 ,in real life do we surely find out about people at our first1 second1 or even third meeting8 ,only if the people are of the simplest and most self-revelatory kind4 ,the difficulty in these clogged scenes usually is that the author is treating the situation as if it were not the creation of the people in it1 and as if a skilful writer could force any group of people into any situation4 ,as ,mr4 ,galsworthy has pointed out1 character is situation4#i ,the latter exists because someone is what he is and so has inner conflict1 or clashes with another person1 or with his environment4 ,change his character a little and the situation must change4 ,involve more people in it1 and immediately their very presence1 affecting the people originally in the scene1 will change the situation4 ,in the left-hand column of what follows1 the ,queen1 though she has one speech1 in no way affects the scene3 the situation is treated for itself1 and barely4 ,in the right-hand column1 the ,queen becomes an individual whose presence affects the speeches of the ,king and ,hamlet4 ,because she is what she is1 ,hamlet addresses to her some of the lines which in the first version he spoke to the ,king3 result1 a scene far more effective emotionally4 ,king4 ,and now princely ,king4 ,but now my ,cosin ,hamlet1 ,sonne ,hamlet1 and my sonne4 ,what meanes these sad and melancholy moodes8 ,ham4 ,a little more than kin1 ,for your intent going to and lesse then kind4 ,wittenberg1 ,wee hold it most unmeet and ,king4 ,how is it that the unconvenient1 clowdes still hang on you4 ,being the ,joy and halfe heart ,ham4 ,not so much my ,lord1 ,i am of your mother4 too much in the sonne4 ,therefore let mee intreat you stay in ,court1 ,queene4 ,good ,hamlet cast thy ,all ,denmarkes hope our coosin nighted colour off and dearest ,soone ,and let thine eye looke like a friend on ,denmarke1 ,doe not forever with thy vailed lids ,seeke for thy noble ,father in the dust1 ,thou know'st 'tis common all that lives must die1 ,passing through nature to eternitie4 ,ham4 ,i ,maddam1 it is common4 ,quee4 ,if it be ,why seemes it so perticuler with thee4 ,ham4 ,seemes ,maddam1 nay it is1 ,i know not seemes1 ,ham4 ,my lord1 'tis not ,tis not alone my incky cloake the sable sute ,i weare3 coold mother ,no nor the teares that still ,nor customary suites of solembe stand in my eyes1 blacke ,nor the distracted haviour in ,nor windie suspiration of forst the visage1 breath ,nor all together mixt with ,no1 nor the fruitfull river in outward semblance1 the eye1 ,is equall to the sorrow of my ,nor the dejected havior of the heart1 visage ,him have ,i lost ,i must of force ,together with all formes moodes1 forgoe1 chapes of griefe ,these but the ornaments and ,that can denote me truely1 these sutes of woe4 indeede seeme1 ,for they are actions that a man might play ,but ,i have that within which passes showe ,these but the trappings and the suites of woe4 ,king4 ,this shewes a loving ,king4 ,tis sweete and care in you1 ,sonne ,hamlet1 commendable in your nature ,but you must thinke your father ,hamlet1 lost a father1 ,to give these mourning duties ,that father dead1 lost his1 and to your father1 so shalbe untill the ,but you must knowe your ,generall ending4 ,therefore father lost a father1 cease laments1 ,that father lost1 lost his1 and ,it is a fault gainst heaven1 the surviver bound fault gainst the dead1 ,in fillial obligation for some ,a fault gainst nature1 and tearme in reasons ,to do obsequious sorrowe1 but ,common course most certaine1 to persever ,none lives on earth1 but hee ,in obstinate condolement1 is a is borne to die4 course ,of impious stubbornes 444 etc4 ,que4 ,let not thy mother ,quee4 ,let not thy mother loose her praiers ,hamlet1 loose her prayers ,hamlet1 ,stay here with us1 go not to ,i pray thee stay with us1 goe ,wittenberg4 not to ,wittenberg ,ham4 ,i shall in all my best ,ham4 ,i shall in all my best obay you madam4 obay you madam4#aj ,inexperienced dramatists too often forget that a character who is simply one of several in a scene may not act as he would alone4 ,mr4 ,macready's ,bentevole is very fine in its kind4 ,it is natural1 easy1 and forcible4 ,indeed1 we suspect some parts of it were too natural1 that is1 that ,mr4 ,macready thought too much of what his feelings might dictate in such circumstances1 rather than of what the circumstances must have dictated to him to do4 ,we allude particularly to the half significant1 half hysterical laugh and distorted jocular leer1 with his eyes towards the persons accusing him of the murder1 when the evidence of his guilt comes out4 ,either the author did not intend him to behave in this manner1 or he must have made the other parties on the stage interrupt him as a self-convicted criminal4#aa ,stevenson clearly recognized this truth3 ,i have had a heavy case of conscience of the same kind about my ,braxfield story4 ,braxfield--only his name is ,hermiston--has a son who is condemned to death2 plainly there is a fine tempting fitness about this2 and ,i meant he was to hang4 ,but now1 on considering my minor characters1 ,i saw there were five people who would--in a sense who must--break prison and attempt his rescue4 ,they are capable1 hardy folks1 too1 who might very well succeed4 ,why should they not1 then8 ,why should not young ,hermiston escape clear out of the country8 and be happy if he could with his--,but soft6 ,i will betray my secret or my heroine4#ab ,when a scene clogs1 don't hold the pen waiting for the impulse to write3 don't try to write at all4 ,study the situation1 not for itself1 but for the people in it4 ,the ,dramatist who depends his characters to his plot1 says ,mr4 ,galsworthy1 worthy1 instead of his plot to his characters1 ought himself to be depended4#ac ,if a thorough knowledge of the characters in the particular situation does not bring a solution1 study them as the scene relates itself to what must precede in characterization4 ,more than once a dramatist has found that he could not compose some scene satisfactorily till he had written carefully the previous history of the important character or characters4 ,the detailed knowledge thus gained revealed whether or not the characters could enter the desired situation1 and if so1 how4 ,pailleron1 author of ,le ,monde ou l'on s'ennuie declared that1 in his early drafts1 he always had three or four times the material in regard to his dramatis personae ultimately used by him4 ,intimate knowledge of his characters is the only safe foundation for the ambitious playwright4 ,it is well-nigh useless to ask managers and actors to pass finally on a mere statement of a situation or group of situations1 without characterization4 ,all they can say is3 ,bring me this again as an amplified scenario1 or a play1 which shows me to what extent the people you have in mind give freshness of interest to this story1 which has been used again and again in the drama of different nations1 and ,i will tell you what ,i will do for you4 ,reduce any dramatic masterpiece to simple statement of its plot and the story will seem so trite as hardly to be worth dramatization4 ,for instance3 a man of jealous nature1 passionately in love with his young wife1 is made by the lies and trickery of a friend to believe that his wife has been intriguing with another of his friends4 ,the fact is that the calumniator slanders because he thinks his abilities have not been properly recognized by the husband and he has been repulsed by the wife4 ,in a fury of jealousy the husband kills his innocent wife and then himself4 ,that might be recognized as the story of any one of fifty ,french1 ,german1 ,italian1 ,english1 or ,american plays of the last hundred years4 ,it is1 of course1 the story of ,othello--a masterpiece because ,shakespeare knew ,othello1 ,iago1 ,desdemona1 and ,cassio so intimately that by their interplay of character upon character they shape every scene perfectly4 ,in other words1 though a striking dramatic situation is undoubtedly dramatic treasure trove1 whether it can be developed into anything fresh and contributive depends on a careful study of the people involved4 ,what must they be to give rise to such a situation--not each by himself1 but when brought together under the conditions of the scene8 ,even if a writer knows this1 he must work backward into the earlier history of his people before he can either move through the particular scene or go forward into other scenes which should properly result from it4 ,far too often plays are planned in this way4 ,a writer thinks of some setting that will permit him a large amount of local color--a barroom1 a dance hall1 the wharf of an incoming ocean liner4 ,recognizing or not that most of this local color is unessential to the real action of the play1 he does see that one or two incidents which are necessary and striking may be set against this background4 ,knowing broadly1 how he wants to treat the scene1 instead of studying the main and minor characters in it till he knows them so intimately that he can select from a larger amount of material than he can possibly use1 he moves1 not where the characters lead him1 but whither1 vi et armis1 he can drive them4 ,rarely to him will come the delightful dilemma1 so commonly experienced by the dramatist who really cares for character1 when he must choose between what he was going to do and the scene as developed by the creatures of his imagination who1 as they become real1 take the scene away from him and shape it to vastly richer results4#ad ,when the dramatist interested only in situation shapes the acts preceding his most important scene1 he searches simply for conditions of character which will permit this important scene to follow4 ,result3 earlier acts1 largely of exposition and talk1 or of illustrative action slight and unconvincing because characters forced into a crucial situation can hardly reveal how they brought themselves to it4 ,there is no middle way for the dramatist who seeks truth in characterization4 ,given a situation1 either it must grow naturally out of the characters in it1 or the people originally in the mind of the author must be remodeled till they fit naturally into the situation4 ,in the latter case1 all that precedes and follows the central situation must be re-worked1 not as the dramatist may wish1 but as the remodeled characters permit4 ,a critic met a well-known dramatist on the ,strand4 ,the dramatist looked worried4 ,what's the matter1 queried the critic1 anything gone wrong8 ,yes4 ,you remember the play ,i told you about1 and that splendid situation for my heroine8 ,yes4 ,well8 ,well6 ,she won't go into it1 confound her1 do the best ,i can4 ,why make her8 ,why8 ,because if ,i don't there's an end to that splendid situation4 ,well8 ,oh1 that's just why ,i'm bothered4 ,i don't want to give in1 ,i don't want to lose that situation2 but she's right1 of course she's right1 and the trouble is ,i know ,i've got to yield4 ,at first sight the problem may seem different in an historical play1 for here a writer is not creating incident but is often baffled by the amount of material from which he must select1--happenings that seem equally dramatic1 speeches that cry out to be transferred to the stage1 and delightful bits of illustrative action4 ,yet1 whether his underlying purpose is to convey an idea1 depict a character1 or tell a story1 how can he decide which bits among his material make the best illustrative action before he has minutely studied the important figures8 ,above all others1 the dramatist working with history is subject to the principles of characterization already laid down4 ,lessing stated the whole case succinctly3 ,only if he chooses other and even opposed characters to the historical1 he should refrain from using historical names1 and rather credit totally unknown personages with well-known facts than invent characters to well-known personages4 ,the one mode enlarges our knowledge or seems to enlarge it and is thus agreeable4 ,the other contradicts the knowledge that we already possess and is thus unpleasant4 ,we regard the facts as something accidental1 as something that may be common to many persons2 the characters we regard as something individual and intrinsic4 ,the poet may take any liberties he likes with the former so long as he does not put the facts into contradiction with the characters2 the characters he may place in full light but he may not change them1 the smallest change seems to destroy their individuality and to substitute in their place other persons1 false persons1 who have usurped strange names and pretend to be what they are not4#ae ,there is1 however1 a contrasting danger to insufficient characterization4 ,any one profoundly interested in character may easily fill a scene with delicate touches which nevertheless swell the play to undue length4 ,when careful examination of a play which is too long makes obvious that no act or scene can be spared in whole or in part1 and that the dialogue is nowhere wordy or redundant1 watch the best characterized scenes to discover whether something has not been conveyed by two strokes rather than one4 ,if so1 choose the better4 ,watch the scenes also lest delicate and sure touches of characterization may have been included which1 delightful though they be1 are not absolutely necessary to our understanding of the character4 ,if so1 select what most swiftly yet clearly gives the needed information4 ,over-detail in characterization is the reason why certain modern plays have sagged1 or hitched their way to a conclusion1 instead of producing the effect desired by the author4 ,for ultimate convincingness no play can rise above the level of its characterization4 ,the playwright who works for only momentary success may doubtless depend upon the onward rush of events1 in a play of strong emotion1 to blind his audience to lack of motivation in his characters4 ,john ,fletcher is the great leader of these opportunists of the theatre4 ,evadne1 in ,the ,maid's ,tragedy1#af killing the ,king1 is a very different woman from the ,evadne who gladly became his mistress4 ,nor are the reproaches and exhortations of her brother ,melantius powerful enough to change a woman of her character so swiftly and completely4 ,an audience1 absorbed in the emotion of the moment1 may overlook such faults of characterization in the theatre4 ,as it reviews the play in calmer mood1 however1 it ranks it1 no matter how poetic as a whole or how well characterized in particular scenes1 not as a drama which interprets life1 but as mere entertainment4 ,even perfect characterization of some figures1 when the chief are mere puppets1 cannot make us accept the play as more than pure fiction4 ,in ,thomas ,heywood's ,a ,woman ,killed with ,kindness and ,english ,traveler1#ag if the erring wives and their lovers were only as well characterized as the fine-spirited husbands1 the servants1 and youths like ,young ,geraldine1 the plays might hold the stage today4 ,doubtless the actor's art in the days of ,elizabeth and ,james gave to villains like ,wendoll and women like ,mrs4 ,frankford enough verisimilitude to make the plays far more convincing than they are in the reading4 ,but try as we may1 we cannot understand from the text either of these characters4 ,their motivation is totally inadequate2 that is1 their conduct seems not to grow out of their characters4 ,rather1 they are the creatures of any situation into which the dramatist wishes to thrust them4 ,this need of motivation may be fundamental1 that is1 the characters may seem to an audience unconvincing from the start2 or may be evident in some insufficiently explained change1 transition in character2 or may appear only in the last scene of the play1 where characters hitherto consistent are made to act in a way which seems to the audience improbable4 ,when ,nathaniel ,rowe produced his ,ambitious ,stepmother in #agjj1 ,charles ,gildon bitterly attacked it as unconvincing in its very fundamentals4 ,mirza is indeed a ,person of a peculiar ,taste2 for a ,cunning ,man to own himself a ,rogue to the ,man he shou'd keep in ignorance1 and whom he was to work to his ends1 argues little pretence to that ,name2 but he laughs at ,honesty1 and professes himself a ,knave to one he wou'd have honest to him4444 ,in the second ,act1 he talks of ,memnon's having recourse to ,arms1 of which ,power we have not the least ,word in the first3 ,all that we know is1 that he returns from ,banishment on a day of ,jubilee1 when all was ,safe and ,free4444#ah ,for similar reasons1 ,mr4 ,eaton criticises unfavorably ,the ,fighting ,hope3 ,one of the best 7or the worst7 examples of false ethics in such a play is furnished by ,the ,fighting ,hope1 produced by ,mr4 ,belasco in the ,autumn of #aijh1 and acted by ,miss ,blanche ,bates4 ,in this play a man1 ,granger1 has been jailed1 his wife and the world believe for another man's crime4 ,the other man1 ,burton ,temple1 is president of the bank ,granger has been convicted of robbing4 ,a district attorney1 hot after men higher up1 is about to reopen the case4 ,it begins to look bad for ,temple4 ,mrs4 ,granger1 disguised as a stenographer1 goes to his house to secure evidence against him4 ,what she secures is a letter proving that not he1 but her husband1 was after all the criminal4 ,of course this letter is a knockout blow for her4 ,she realizes that the father of her boys is a thief1 that the man she would send to jail 7and with whom you know the dramatist is going to make her finally fall in love7 is innocent4 ,still1 in her first shock1 her instinct to protect the father of her boys persists1 and she burns the letter4 ,so far1 so good1 but ,mrs4 ,granger is represented as a woman of fine instincts and character4 ,that she should persist in cooler blood in her false and immoral supposition that her boys' name will be protected or their happiness preserved--to say nothing of her own--by the guilt of two parents instead of one1 is hard to believe4 ,yet that is exactly what the play asks you to believe1 and it asks you to assume that here is a true dilemma4 ,a babbling old housekeeper1 whose chief use in the house seems to be to help the plot along1 after the manner of stage servants1 tells ,mrs4 ,granger that she must not atone for her act by giving honest testimony in court1 that of course she must let an innocent man go to jail1 to save her boys' name4 ,it would be much more sensible should ,mrs4 ,granger here strike the immoral old lady1 instead of saving her blows for her cur of a husband1 in the last act1 who1 after all1 was the father of her boys4 ,but she listens to her4 ,she appears actually in doubt not only as to which course she will pursue1 but which she should pursue4 ,she is intended by the dramatist as a pitiable object because on the one hand she feels it right to save an innocent man 7whom she has begun to love71 and on the other feels it her duty to save her sons' happiness by building their future on a structure of lies and deceit4 ,and she reaches a solution1 not by reasoning the tangle out1 not by any real thought for her boys1 their general moral welfare1 not by any attention to principles1 but simply by discovering that her husband has been sexually unfaithful to her4 ,further1 he becomes a cad and charges her with infidelity4 ,then she springs upon him and beats him with her fists1 which is not the most effective way of convincing an audience that she was a woman capable of being torn by moral problems4 ,of course as the play is written1 there is no moral problem4 ,the morality is all of the theatre4 ,it belongs to that strange world behind the proscenium1 wherein we gaze1 and gazing sometimes utter chatter about strong situations1 stirring climaxes1 and the like1 as people hypnotized4 ,there might have been a moral problem if ,mrs4 ,granger1 before she discovered her husband's guilt1 had been forced to fight a rising tide of passion for ,temple in her own heart4 ,there might have been a moral problem after the discovery and her first hasty1 but natural1 destruction of the letter1 if she had felt that her desire to save ,temple was prompted by a passion still illicit1 rather than by justice4 ,but no such real problems were presented4 ,the lady babbles eternally of saving her boys' good name1 while you are supposed to weep for her plight4 ,unless you have checked your sense of reality in the cloak room1 you scorn her perceptions and despise her standards4 ,how much finer had she continued to love her husband6 ,but he1 after all1 was only the father of her boys4#ai ,it is insufficiently motivated characterization which ,mr4 ,eaton censures in ,the ,nigger3 ,obviously1 the emotional interest in this play is--or should be1 rather--in the tragedy of the proud1 ambitious ,morrow1 who wakes suddenly to find himself a nigger1 an exile from his home1 and hopes1 from his sweetheart and his dreams4 ,yet1 as ,mr4 ,sheldon has written it1 and as it was played by ,mr4 ,guy ,bates ,post in the part of ,morrow1 and by the other actors1 the play is most poignant in its moments of sheer theatrical appeal1 almost of melodrama1 such as the suspense of the cross-examination of the old mammy and her cry of revelation1 or the pursuit of the fugitive in act one4 ,between his interest in the suspense of his story and in the elucidation of the broader aspects of the negro question in the ,south1 ,mr4 ,sheldon neglected too much his chief figure1 as a human being4 ,unless the figures live and suffer for the audience1 unless their personal fate is followed1 their minds and hearts felt as real1 the naturalistic drama of contemporary life can have but little value1 after all4 ,that is what makes its technique so difficult and so baffling4 ,from the moment when ,morrow learned of his birth1 he became a rather nebulous figure1 not suffering so much as listening to theories which were only said by the dramatist to have altered his character and point of view4#bj ,perhaps it would be more strictly accurate to say that the comment on ,the ,nigger points to inadequate treatment of character changing as the play progresses4 ,the favorite place of many so-called dramatists for a change of character is in their vast silences between the acts4 ,there1 the authors expect us to believe that marked and necessary changes take place4 ,they show us in clear-cut dramatic action the good character before he became bad and after he has become bad1 but for proof that the changes took place1 we must look off stage in the entr'acte4 ,read ,lady ,bountiful and note that between the last and the next to the last acts large changes have taken place in the main characters4 ,iris would be a far greater play than it is could we have seen how its central figure passes from the taking of the check book to the state of mind which makes her accept ,maldonado's apartment4 ,contrast with these plays the thoroughly motivated change in the ,sergeant of ,the ,rising of the ,moon or of ,nora in ,a ,doll's ,house4 ,where ,american plays too frequently break down is in what may be called the logic of character4 ,even when actions have been properly motivated up to the last act or scene1 this is handled in such a way as rather to please the audience than to grow inevitably out of what has preceded4 ,rumor has it that when ,secret ,service was produced in one of the central cities of ,new ,york ,state1 the hero at the end chose his country rather than the girl4 ,the public1 with that fine disregard in the theatre for the values it places on action outside1 disapproved4 ,promptly1 the ending was so changed that the two lovers could be started on that sure road to happiness ever after which all men know an engagement is--upon the stage4 ,in a play such as ,secret ,service1 planned primarily to entertain1 such a shift may be pardonable1 but even in such a case it must be done with skill if it is not to jar4 ,the ,two ,gentlemen of ,verona in some fifty lines at its close shows ,proteus madly in love with ,silvia1 and ,valentine longing for her also2 ,valentine threatening the life of ,proteus when he discovers the latter's perfidy1 but forgiving him instantly when ,proteus merely asks pardon2 and ,proteus1 when he discovers that the page who has been following him is ,julia1 turning instantly away from ,silvia to her4 ,here is faulty characterization in two respects3 each change is not sufficiently motived2 each does not accord with the characterization of ,proteus and ,valentine in the earlier scenes4 ,proteus4 ,nay1 if the gentle spirit of moving words ,can no way change you to a milder form1 ,i'll woo you like a soldier1 at arms' end1 ,and love you 'gainst the nature of love1--force ye4 ,silvia4 ,o heaven6 ,pro4 ,i'll force thee yield to my desire4 ,valentine4 ,ruffian1 let go that rude uncivil touch1 ,thou friend of an ill fashion6 ,pro4 ,valentine6 ,val4 ,thou common friend1 that's without faith or love1 ,for such is a friend now6 ,treacherous man1 ,thou hast beguil'd my hopes6 ,nought but mine eye ,could have persuaded me4 ,now ,i dare not say ,i have one friend alive2 thou wouldst disprove me4 ,who should be trusted now1 when one's right hand ,is perjured to the bosom8 ,proteus1 ,i am sorry ,i must never trust thee more1 ,but count the world a stranger for thy sake4 ,the private wound is deepest4 ,o time most accurst1 ',mongst all foes that a friend should be the worst6 ,pro4 ,my shame and guilt confounds me4 ,forgive me1 ,valentine2 if hearty sorrow ,be a sufficient ransom for offence1 ,i tender't here2 ,i do as truly suffer ,as e'er ,i did commit4 ,val4 ,then ,i am paid2 ,and once again ,i do receive thee honest4 ,who by repentance is not satisfied ,is nor of heaven nor earth1 for these are pleas'd4 ,by penitence the ,eternal's wrath's appeas'd2 ,and1 that my love may appear plain and free1 ,all that was mine in ,silvia ,i give thee4 ,julia4 ,o me unhappy6 7,swoons47 ,pro4 ,look to the boy4 ,val4 ,why1 boy6 why1 wag6 how now6 ,what's the matter8 ,look up2 speak4 ,jul4 ,o good sir1 my master charg'd me to deliver a ring to ,madame ,silvia1 which1 out of my neglect1 was never done4 ,pro4 ,where is that ring1 boy8 ,jul4 ,here 'tis2 this is it4 ,pro4 ,how8 let me see6 ,why this is the ring ,i gave to ,julia4 ,jul4 ,o1 cry you mercy1 sir1 ,i have mistook2 ,pro4 ,but how cam'st thou by this ring8 ,at my depart ,i gave this unto ,julia4 ,jul4 ,and ,julia herself did give it me2 ,and ,julia herself hath brought it hither4 ,pro4 ,how6 ,julia6 ,jul4 ,behold her that gave aim to all thy oaths1 ,and entertain'd 'em deeply in her heart4 ,how oft hast thou with perjury cleft the root6 ,o ,proteus let this habit make thee blush6 ,be thou asham'd that ,i have took upon me ,such an immodest raiment1 if shame live ,in a disguise of love4 ,it is the lesser blot1 modesty finds1 ,women to change their shapes than men their minds4 ,pro4 ,than men their minds6 'tis true4 ,o heaven6 were man ,but constant1 he were perfect4 ,that one error ,fills him with faults2 makes him run through all the sins4 ,inconstancy falls off ere it begins4 ,what is ,silvia's face1 but ,i may spy ,more fresh in ,julia's with a constant eye8 ,vol4 ,come1 come1 a hand from either4 ,let me be blest to make this happy close2 ',twere pity two such friends should be long foes4 ,pro4 ,bear witness1 ,heaven1 ,i have my wish for ever4 ,jul4 ,and ,i mine4 ,similar inconsistencies are in many modern plays4 ,a dramatist has a particularly striking scene which he wishes to make the climax of his play4 ,into it he forces his figures regardless4 ,lessing made fun of this fault4 444 ,in another still worse tragedy where one of the principal characters died quite casually1 a spectator asked his neighbor1 ,but what did she die of8--,of what8 ,of the fifth act1 was the reply4 ,in very truth the fifth act is an ugly evil disease that carries off many a one to whom the first four acts promised a longer life4#ba ,or it may be1 as in the case of ,shakespeare just cited1 that a dramatist feels certain changes of character are necessary if the play is to end as promptly as it must4 ,such changes1 therefore1 he brings about even if it means throwing character or truth to the winds4 ,english and ,american plays of the #ahhj and #ahij periods show many instances of theatrically effective endings either forced upon the characters or only one of several possible endings--and not the most probable4 ,according to the conventions of the time1 any young woman who had parted with her virtue1 no matter what the circumstances1 must make reparation by death4 ,this usually came from some wasting but not clearly diagnosed disease4 ,there was not always a clear distinction between inanition and inanity4 ,a similar convention usually saved from death the male partners of these faults1 provided they indulged at the right moment in self-repentant speeches4 ,sir ,arthur ,pinero1 writing what he regarded as the logical ending of ,the ,profligate1 was forced by the sentimentality of his public to keep ,dunstan ,renshaw alive4 ,here are the two endings3 ,,the ,,ending ,,as ,,acted ,dunstan4 7,he is raising the glass to his lips when he recoils with a cry of horror47 ,ah6 stop1 stop6 ,this is the deepest sin of all my life--blacker than that sin for which ,i suffer6 ,no1 ,i'll not6 ,i'll not6 7,he dashes the glass to the ground47 ,god1 take my wretched life when ,you will1 but till ,you lay ,your hand upon me1 ,i will live on6 ,help me6 ,give me strength to live on6 ,help me6 ,oh1 help me6 7,he falls on his knees and buries his face in his hands4 ,leslie enters softly1 carrying a lamp which she places on the sideboard2 then she goes to ,dunstan47 ,leslie4 ,dunstan6 ,dunstan6 ,dunstan4 ,you6 ,you6 ,leslie4 ,i have remembered4 ,when we stood together at our prayerless marriage1 my heart made promises my lips were not allowed to utter4 ,i will not part from you1 ,dunstan4 ,dunstan4 ,not--part--from me8 ,leslie4 ,no4 ,dunstan4 ,i don't understand you4 ,you--will--not--relent8 ,you cannot forget what ,i am6 ,leslie4 ,no4 ,but the burden of the sin you have committed ,i will bear upon my shoulders1 and the little good that is in me shall enter into your heart4 ,we will start life anew1 always seeking for the best that we can do1 always trying to repair the worst that we have done4 7,stretching out her hand to him47 ,dunstan6 7,he approaches her as in a dream47 ,don't fear me6 ,i will be your wife1 not your judge4 ,let us from this moment begin the new life you spoke of4 ,dunstan4 7,he tremblingly touches her hand as she bursts into tears47 ,wife6 ,ah1 ,god bless you6 ,god bless you1 and forgive me6 7,he kneels at her side1 and she bows her head down to his47 ,leslie4 ,oh1 my husband6 ,,the ,,ending ,,as ,,printed ,dunstan4 ,fool6 ,fool6 ,why couldn't you have died in ,florence8 ,why did you drag yourself here all these miles--to end it here8 ,i should have known better--,i should have known better4 7,he takes a phial from his pocket and slowly pours some poison into a tumbler47 ,when ,i've proved that ,i could not live away from her1 perhaps she'll pity me4 ,i shall never know it1 but perhaps she'll pity me then4 7,about to drink47 ,supposing ,i am blind6 ,supposing there is some chance of my regaining her4 ,regaining her6 ,how dull sleeplessness makes me6 ,how much could ,i regain of what ,i've lost6 ,why1 she knows me--nothing can ever undo that--she knows me4 ,every day would be a dreary1 hideous masquerade2 every night a wakeful1 torturing retrospect4 ,if she smiled1 ,i should whisper to myself--yes1 yes1 that's a very pretty pretence1 but--she knows you6 ,the slamming of a door would shout it1 the creaking of a stair would murmur it she knows you6 ,and when she thought herself alone1 or while she lay in her sleep1 ,i should be always stealthily spying for that dreadful look upon her face1 and ,i should find it again and again as ,i see it now--the look which cries out so plainly ,profligate6 you taught one good woman to believe in you1 but now she knows you6 ,no1 no--no1 no6 7,he drains the contents of the tumbler47 ,the end--the end4 7,pointing towards the clock47 ,the hour at which we used to walk together in the garden at ,florence--husband and wife--lovers4 7,he pulls up the window-blind and looks out47 ,the sky--the last time--the sky4 7,he rests drowsily against the piano47 ,tired--tired4 7,he walks rather unsteadily to the table47 ,a line to ,murray4 7,writing47 ,a line to ,murray--telling him--poison--morphine--message--7,the pen falls from his hand and his head drops forward47 ,the light is going out4 ,i can't see4 ,light--,i'll finish this when ,i wake--,i'll rest4 7,he staggers to the sofa and falls upon it47 ,i shall sleep tonight4 ,the voice has gone4 ,leslie--wife--reconciled-- 7,leslie enters softly and kneels by his side47 ,leslie4 ,dunstan1 ,i am here4 7,he partly opens his eyes1 raises himself1 and stares at her2 then his head falls back quietly4 ,leslie's face averted47 ,dunstan1 ,i have returned to you4 ,we are one and we will make atonement for the past together4 ,i will be your ,wife1 not your ,judge--let us from this moment begin the new life you spoke of4 ,dunstan6 7,she sees the paper which has fallen from his hand1 and reads it47 ,dunstan6 ,dunstan6 ,no1 no6 ,look at me6 ,ah6 7,she catches him in her arms47 ,husband6 ,husband6 ,husband6#bb ,it is of course true1 as ,m4 ,brieux maintains in regard to the two endings of his early play1 ,blanchette1#bc that sometimes more than one ending may be made plausible4 ,consequently he changed a tragic close to something more pleasing to his audience4 ,belief grows1 however1 that when a play has been begun and developed with a tragic ending in mind1 this cannot with entire convincingness be changed to something else unless the play is rewritten from the start4 ,there is inevitableness in the conduct on the stage of the creatures of our brains even as with people of real life4 ,so strongly does ,sir ,arthur ,pinero feel this as the result of his long experience that1 though he changed the ending of ,the ,big ,drum in #aiae in accordance with public demand1 he restored the original version when printing the play4 ,he says in his ,preface3 ,the ,big ,drum is published exactly as it was written1 and as it was originally performed4 ,at its first representation1 however1 the audience was reported to have been saddened by its unhappy ending4 ,pressure was forthwith put upon me to reconcile ,philip and ,ottoline at the finish1 and at the third performance of the play the curtain fell upon the picture1 violently and crudely brought about1 of ,ottoline in ,philip's arms4 ,i made the alteration against my principles and against my conscience1 and yet not altogether unwillingly4 ,for we live in depressing times2 and perhaps in such times it is the first duty of a writer for the stage to make concessions to his audience and1 above everything1 to try to afford them a complete1 if brief1 distraction from the gloom which awaits them outside the theatre4 ,my excuse for having at the start provided an unhappy ending is that ,i was blind enough not to regard the ultimate break between ,philip and ,ottoline as really unhappy for either party4 ,on the contrary1 ,i looked upon the separation of these two people as a fortunate occurrence for them both2 and ,i conceive it as a piece of ironic comedy which might not prove unentertaining that the falling away of ,philip from his high resolves was checked by the woman he had once despised and who had at last grown to know and to despise herself4 ,but comedy of this order has a knack of cutting rather deeply1 of ceasing1 in some minds1 to be comedy at all2 and it may be said that this is what has happened in the present instance4 ,luckily it is equally true that certain matters are less painful1 because less actual1 in print than upon the stage4 ,the wicked publisher therefore1 even when bombs are dropping round him1 can afford to be more independent than the theatrical manager2 and for this reason ,i have not hesitated to ask my friend ,mr4 ,heinemann to publish ,the ,big ,drum in its original form4#bd ,what ,ibsen thought of the ultimate effect of changing an ending to accord with public sentiment1 these words about ,a ,doll's ,house show3 ,at the time when ,a ,doll's ,house was quite new1 ,i was obliged to give my consent to an alteration of the last scene for ,frau ,hedwig ,niemann-,raabe1 who was to play the part of ,nora in ,berlin4 ,at that time ,i had no choice4 ,i was entirely unprotected by copyright law in ,germany1 and could1 consequently1 prevent nothing4 ,besides1 the play in its original1 uncorrupted form was accessible to the ,german public in a ,german edition which was already printed and published4 ,with its altered ending it had only a short run4 ,in its unchanged form it is still being played4#be ,dumas fils was even more severe in his strictures3 ,if at the second performance you are ready to modify your central idea1 your development or your conclusion to please the public whom the night before you were pretending to teach something fresh1 you may be1 perhaps1 an ingenious worker in the theatre1 an adroit impresario1 a facile inventor2 you will never be a dramatist4 ,you can make mistakes in details of execution2 you have no right to make a mistake in the logic of your play1 its correlations of emotions and acts1 and least of all1 in their outcome4#bf ,characterization1 then1 should be watched carefully in its fundamentals1 all changes1 and especially for its logical outcome4 ,long ago1 ,diderot summed up the subject thus3 ,one can form an infinitude of plans on the same subject and developed around the same characters4 ,but the characters being once settled1 they can have but one manner of speaking4 ,your figures will have this or that to say according to the situation in which you may have placed them1 but being the same human beings in all the situations1 they will not1 fundamentally1 contradict themselves4#bg ,how may we know whether our motivation is good or not8 ,first of all1 it must be clear4 ,if an audience cannot make out why one of our characters does what he is doing1 from that moment the play weakens4 ,it is on this ground that ,william ,archer objected to the ,becket of ,tennyson3 ,some gents1 says the keeper1 in ,punch1 to the unsuccessful sportsman1 goes a-wingin' and a-worritin' the poor birds2 but you1 sir--you misses 'em clane and nate6 ,with the like delicate tact criticism can only compliment the poet on the clane and nate way in which he has missed the historical interest1 the psychological problem1 of his theme4 ,what was it that converted the ,becket of ,toulouse into the ,becket of ,clarendon--the splendid warrior-diplomatist into the austere prelate8 ,the cowl1 we are told1 does not make the monk2 but in ,lord ,tennyson's psychology it seems that it does4 ,of the process of thought1 the development of feeling1 which leads ,becket1 on assuming the tonsure1 to break with the traditions of his career1 with the friend of his heart and with his own worldly interest--of all this we have no hint4 ,the social and political issues involved are left equally in the vague4 ,of the two contending forces1 the ,church and the ,crown1 which makes for good1 and which for evil8 ,with which ought we to sympathize8 ,it might be argued that we have no right to ask this question1 and that it is precisely a proof of the poet's art that he holds the balance evenly1 and does not write as a partisan4 ,but as a matter of fact this is not so4 ,the poet is not impartial2 he is only indefinite4 ,we are evidently intended to sympathize1 and we do sympathize1 with ,becket1 simply because we feel that he is staking his life on a principle2 but what that principle precisely is1 and what its bearings on history and civilization1 we are left to find out for ourselves4 ,thus the intellectual opportunity1 if ,i may call it so1 is missed clane and nate4#bh ,contrast the third1 fourth1 and fifth acts of ,michael and ,his ,lost ,angel#bi with the first and second4 ,so admirable is the characterization of ,acts ,i and ,,ii that a reader understands exactly what ,audrie and ,michael are doing and why4 ,in the other acts1 though what they are doing is clear1 why the ,audrie and ,michael of the first two acts behaved thus is by no means clear and plausible4 ,indeed1 plausibility and clearness go hand in hand as tests of motivation4 ,accounting for the deeds of any particular character is easy if the conduct rests on motives which any audience will immediately recognize as both widespread and likely to produce the situation4 ,it is just here1 however1 that national taste and literary convention complicate the work of the dramatist4 ,an ,american1 watching a performance of ,simone#cj by ,m4 ,brieux1 hardly understood the loud protests which burst from the audience when the heroine1 at the end of the play1 sternly denounced her father's conduct4 ,to him1 it seemed quite natural that an ,american girl should assume this right of individual judgment4 ,the ,french audience felt that a ,french girl1 because of her training1 would not1 under the circumstances1 thus attack her father4 ,m4 ,brieux admitted himself wrong and changed the ending4 ,it is this fact1 that conduct plausible for one nation is not always equally plausible for another1 which makes it hard for an ,american public to understand a goodly number of the masterpieces of recent ,continental dramatic literature4 ,what literary convention may do in twisting conduct from the normal1 the pseudo-classic ,french drama of ,corneille and ,racine1 and its foster child1 the ,heroic ,drama of ,england1 illustrate4 ,dryden himself points out clearly the extent to which momentary convention among the ,french deflected the characters in their tragedies from the normal3 ,the ,french poets 444 would not1 for example1 have suffer'd ,cleopatra and ,octavia to have met2 or1 if they had met1 there must only have passed betwixt them some cold civilities1 but no eagerness of repartee1 for fear of offending against the greatness of their characters1 and the modesty of their sex4 ,this objection ,i foresaw1 and at the same time contemn'd2 for ,i judg'd it both natural and probable that ,octavia1 proud of her new-gain'd conquest1 would search out ,cleopatra to triumph over her2 and that ,cleopatra1 thus attack'd1 was not of a spirit to shun the encounter3 and 'tis not unlikely that two exasperated rivals should use such satire as ,i have put into their mouths2 for1 after all1 tho' the one were a ,roman1 and the other a queen1 they were both women4 99 99 99 99 99 ,thus1 their ,hippolytus is so scrupulous in point of decency that he will rather expose himself to death than accuse his stepmother to his father2 and my critics ,i am sure will commend him for it3 but we of grosser apprehensions are apt to think that this excess of generosity is not practicable1 but with fools and madmen4 ,this was good manners with a vengeance2 and the audience is like to be much concern'd at the misfortunes of this admirable hero2 but take ,hippolytus out of his poetic fit1 and ,i suppose he would think it a wiser part to set the saddle on the right horse1 and choose rather to live with the reputation of a plain-spoken1 honest man1 than to die with the infamy of an incestuous villain4 ,in the meantime we may take notice that where the poet ought to have preserv'd the character as it was deliver'd to us by antiquity1 when he should have given us the picture of a rough young man1 of the ,amazonian strain1 a jolly huntsman1 and both by his profession and his early rising a mortal enemy to love1 he has chosen to give him the turn of gallantry1 sent him to travel from ,athens to ,paris1 taught him to make love1 and transformed the ,hippolytus of ,euripides into ,monsieur ,hippolyte4#ca ,one of the chief elements in the genius of ,shakespeare is his power to transcend momentary conventions1 fads1 and theories1 and to discern in his material1 whether history or fiction1 eternal principles of conduct4 ,thus he wrote for all men and for all time4 ,in ,love's ,labor's ,lost he wrote for a special audience1 appealing to its ideas of style and humor4 ,in ,twelfth ,night he let his characters have full sway4 ,which is the more alive today8 ,nor is it only the literary conventions of an audience which affect the problem of plausibility set an author4 ,the ,french public of #ahda which came to the five-act play of ,eugene ,scribe1 ,une ,chaine1#cb asked1 not a convincing picture of life1 but mere entertainment4 ,therefore they accepted insufficient motivation and artificiality in handling the scenes4 ,louise1 the wife1 discovering from words of her husband as she enters the room that her former lover1 ,emmeric1 now prefers ,aline to her1 sits down and dashes off a signed letter releasing him4 ,just why is not clear4 ,in order that she may do this writing unobserved of her husband1 two characters must1 for some time1 be so managed as to stand between him and her4 ,in order that the husband may never know she has been in love with ,emmeric1 the letter must be kept out of his hands1 and read only by the guardian of ,aline1 ,clerambeau4 ,all this requires constant artifice4 ,sidney ,grundy made a one-act adaptation of ,une ,chaine called ,in ,honor ,bound4#cc ,in this1 ,lady ,carlyon1 waking from sleep on the divan in her husband's study1 hears1 unobserved by ,philip and ,sir ,george1 the young man's admission that he no longer cares for her4 ,when her cry reveals her1 ,sir ,george1 her husband1 thinking her unwell1 goes to bring her niece1 ,rose1 to her aid4 ,lady ,carlyon learns promptly from ,philip that the guardian of the girl he is engaged to demands a letter releasing him from any former entanglement4 ,lady ,carlyon1 to cover her chagrin1 with seeming willingness writes and signs a letter4 ,thus the writing takes place when the husband is off stage1 and the evident chagrin of ,lady ,carlyon motivates it better4 ,the relation of the husband to the letter is also handled better than in the original4 ,he1 unlike ,st4 ,geran1 strongly suspects that his wife has cared for the younger man4 ,lady ,carlyon is unaware that ,sir ,george is the guardian in question and that the girl is her niece1 ,rose4 ,consequently she lets slip that ,philip possesses the desired letter4 ,sir ,george demands it as his right1 noting her disturbance when she learns that her husband is involved in the situation4 ,when ,philip refuses to surrender the letter1 ,sir ,george courteously permits him to read it aloud4 ,just before the signature is reached1 he stops ,philip1 asking him if the letter is signed4 ,when ,philip admits that it is1 ,sir ,george insists on having the letter1 then1 without looking at it1 burns it at the lamp with words of sympathy for the writer4 ,all this turns the husband in this scene from a mere lay figure into a character1 and greatly lessens the artificiality of the original4 ,by means of better characterization a motivation fundamentally more plausible is provided4 ,why8 ,because an ,english audience of #ahhj-ij expected much more probability in a play than did a ,french or ,english audience of #ahda4 ,of course1 conduct initially unconvincing may be so treated as to become entirely satisfactory4 ,one of the delights in characterization is so preparing for an exhibition of character likely to seem unreal of itself that when it is presented it is accepted either at once or before the scene closes4 ,any motive which a dramatist can make acceptable to his audience is ultimately just as good as one accepted unquestioningly4 ,shylock's demand for the pound of flesh is in itself unplausible enough--the act of one demented or insane4 ,but ,shakespeare's emphasis on his racial hate lends it possibility4 ,his presentation of the other people in the play as accepting the bond with the minimum of question makes it seem probable4 ,if a would-be dramatist were to rule out as material not to be treated whatever at the outset seems improbable or impossible1 think what our drama would lose3 such plays as ,faust1 ,midsummer ,night's ,dream1 ,the ,blue ,bird1 and even ,hamlet4 ,repeatedly in treating plausibility it has been implied or stated that what is said or done must be in character4 ,this suggests another test of good motivation4 ,what happens must be plausible1 not only in that it accords with known human experience1 but with what has been done by the character in preceding portions of the play4 ,in ,the ,masqueraders1 when ,sir ,brice and ,david stake ,dulcie and her child against the fortune of the latter1 and let all turn upon a game of cards1 a reader is skeptical1 for even if it be admitted that ,sir ,brice might do this1 it does not accord with what we know of ,david from the earlier scenes of the play4 7,exit ,dulcie4 ,the two men are left alone4 ,another slight pause4 ,sir ,brice walks very deliberately up to ,david4 ,the two men stand close to each other for a moment or two47 ,sir ,brice4 ,you've come to settle your little account1 ,i suppose8 ,david4 ,i owe you nothing4 ,sir ,brice4 ,but ,i owe you six thousand pounds4 ,i haven't a penny in the world4 ,i'll cut you for it1 double or quits4 ,david4 ,i don't play cards4 ,sir ,brice4 ,you'd better begin4 7,rapping on the table with the cards47 ,david4 7,very firmly47 ,i don't play cards with you4 ,sir ,brice4 ,and ,i say you shall4 ,david4 7,very stern and contemptuous47 ,i don't play cards with you4 7,going towards door2 ,sir ,brice following him up47 ,sir ,brice4 ,you refuse8 ,david4 ,i refuse4 ,sir ,brice4 7,stopping him47 ,once for all1 will you give me a chance of paying back the six thousand pounds that ,lady ,skene has borrowed from you8 ,yes or no8 ,david4 ,no4 ,sir ,brice4 ,no8 ,david4 7,very emphatically47 ,no4 7,goes to door1 suddenly turns round1 comes up to him47 ,yes4 7,comes to the table47 ,i do play cards with you4 ,you want my money4 ,very well4 ,i'll give you a chance of winning all ,i have in the world4 ,sir ,brice4 7,after a look of astonishment47 ,good4 ,i'm your man4 ,any game you like1 and any stakes4 ,david4 7,very calm1 cold1 intense tone all through47 ,the stakes on my side are some two hundred thousand pounds4 ,the stakes on your side are--your wife and child4 ,sir ,brice4 7,taken aback47 ,my wife and child4 ,david4 ,your wife and child4 ,come--begin6 7,points to the cards47 ,sir ,brice4 7,getting flurried47 ,my wife and child8 7,puts his hand restlessly through his hair1 looks intently at ,david4 ,pause47 ,all right4 7,pause4 ,cunningly47 ,i value my wife and child very highly4 ,david4 ,i value them at all ,i have in the world4 7,pointing to the cards47 ,begin6 ,sir ,brice4 ,you seem in a hurry4 ,david4 ,i believe ,i haven't six months to live4 ,i want to make the most of those six months4 ,if ,i have more ,i want to make the most of all the years4 ,begin6 ,sir ,brice4 7,wipes his face with his handkerchief47 ,this is the first time ,i've played this game4 ,we'd better arrange conditions4 ,david4 ,there's only one condition4 ,we play till ,i'm beggared of every farthing ,i have1 or till you're beggared of them4 ,sit down6 ,sir ,brice4 7,sits down47 ,very well4 7,pause47 ,what game8 ,david4 ,the shortest4 ,sir ,brice4 ,simple cutting8 ,david4 ,what you please4 ,begin6 ,sir4 ,brice4 ,there's no hurry4 ,i mean to have a night's fun out of this4 ,david4 ,look at me4 ,don't trifle with me6 ,i want to have done with you4 ,i want them to have done with you4 ,i want to get them away from you4 ,quick6 ,i want to know now--now--this very moment--whether they are yours or mine4 ,begin4 ,sir ,brice4 7,shuffles the cards47 ,all right4 ,what do we cut for8 ,david4 ,let one cut settle it4 ,sir ,brice4 ,no4 ,it's too much to risk on one throw4 ,david4 ,one cut4 ,begin4 ,sir ,brice4 ,it's too big4 ,i can't4 7,gets up1 walks a pace or two47 ,i like high play1 but that's too high for me4 7,david remains at back of table1 very calm2 does not stir all through the scene2 ,sir ,brice walking about47 ,no1 by ,jove6 ,i'll tell you what ,i'll do4 ,three cuts out of five4 ,damn it all6 ,i'm game6 ,two out of three4 ,by ,jove1 two out of three6 ,will that do8 ,david4 ,so be it6 ,shuffle4 ,sit down6 7,sir ,brice sits down2 begins shuffling the cards4 ,all through the scene he is nervous1 excited1 hysterical1 laughing4 ,david as cold as a statue47#cd ,an almost similar situation in a play set in a remote part of the ,west1 ,believe ,me1 ,xantippe1 is more convincing4 ,a loutish beast agrees to gamble for a woman he is kidnapping with a young adventurer who sees at the moment no other way to save her from the other man's clutches4 ,the scene is not at all improbable for either man4 ,in ,the ,princess and the ,butterfly1 all the preceding acts are but a preparation for what the world will call the unreason1 in the last act1 of the marriages of ,sir ,george and the ,princess ,pannonia1--of middle age with youth4 ,their final conduct would seem unplausible were it not entirely in keeping with their characters as carefully developed in the earlier parts of the play4 ,the ,rising of the ,moon of ,lady ,gregory shows a final situation for the ,police ,sergeant which1 at the opening of the play1 would seem impossible for him4 ,in a few pages1 however1 the dramatist so develops the character that we are perfectly ready to accept his sacrifice of the hundred pounds reward which he so coveted at the outset4 ,motivation should not1 however1 be allowed to obtrude itself1 but should be subordinated to the emotional purpose of the scene4 ,the modern auditor prefers to gather it almost unconsciously as the action of the play proceeds rather than to have it emphasized for him1 as does ,iago1 at the end of several acts of ,othello4 ,another instance of this frank motivation among the ,elizabethans may be found in the soliloquy from ,the ,duchess of ,malfi3 ,cardinal4 ,the reason why ,i would not suffer these ,about my brother is because at midnight ,i may with better privacy convay ,julias body1 to her owne lodging4 ,o1 my conscience6 ,i would pray now3 but the divell takes away my heart ,for having any confidence in praier4 ,about this hour ,i appointed ,bosola ,to fetch the body3 when he hath serv'd my turne1 ,he dies4#ce ,good motivation1 then1 must be clear2 either plausible naturally or made so by the art of the dramatist2 should in each particular instance comport with the preceding actions and speech of the character2 and should not be so stressed as to draw attention away from the emotional significance of the scene4 ,it is by well-motived characterization that drama passes from melodrama to story-play and so to tragedy2 or1 from the broadest farce or extravaganza through low comedy to high4 ,as long as we care little what the people in our play are1 and greatly for comic or serious happenings1 we may string situations together almost at will4 ,the moment that our figures come alive1 as has been pointed out1 selection in our possible material has begun4 ,some of the incidents in our melodrama or broad farce will drop out as wholly impossible for these figures which have come to life4 ,others must be modified if the figures are to take part in them4 ,give a melodrama sustaining1 convincing characterization and it must at least turn into a story-play1 something which after a mingling of the serious and the comic does not end tragically4 ,so characterize in a story with a serious ending that the tragic result develops inevitably from the sequence of preceding scenes1 and tragedy is born4 ,watch the way in which ,shakespeare lifts the ,hubert and ,arthur scene of the old play of ,king ,john by the infused characterization4 ,in the old play the author presents us with puppets depending for their effect on the contained horror of the scene4 ,shakespeare creates a winsome1 brave young prince1 and a very human ,hubert4 ,the scene moves us1 not1 simply from our dread of physical torture1 but because of our growing intense sympathy for the lad who is fighting for his life4 ,,act ,,iv4 ,,scene #a4 ,northampton4 ,a ,room in the castle ,enter ,hubert de ,burgh with ,enter ,hubert and two ,attendants three men ,hub4 ,heat me these irons hot1 ,hub4 ,my masters1 ,i have and look thou stand shewed you what warrant ,i have ,within the arras3 when ,i strike of this attempt2 ,i perceive my foot by your heavie countenances1 ,upon the bosom of the ground1 rush you had rather be otherwise forth1 imployed1 and for my owne part1 ,and bind the boy1 which you shall ,i would the ,king had made choyce find with me1 of some other executioner2 onely ,fast to the chair3 be heedful4 this is my comfort1 that a ,king ,hence1 and watch4 commaunds1 whose precepts neglected or omitted1 threatneth #a4 ,attend4 ,i hope1 your warrant torture for the default4 will bear out the deed4 ,therefore in briefe1 leave me1 ,hub4 ,uncleanly scruples3 fear not and be readie to attend the you3 look to't4-- adventure3 stay within that 7,exeunt ,attendants47 entry1 and when you hear me ,young lad1 come forth2 ,i have to crie1 ,god save the ,king1 issue say with you4 sodainly foorth1 lay handes on ,arthur1 set him in his chayre1 ,enter ,arthur wherein 7once fast bound7 leave him with me to finish the rest4 ,arth4 ,good morning1 ,hubert4 ,hub4 ,good morrow1 little prince4 ,attendants4 ,we goe1 though ,arth4 ,as little prince 7having loath4 7,exeunt47 so great a title ,to be more prince17 as may be4--,you ,hub4 ,my ,lord1 will it please are sad4 your ,honour to take the benefite of the faire evening8 ,hub4 ,indeed ,i have been merrier4 ,enter ,arthur to ,hubert de ,burgh ,arth4 ,mercy on me6 ,methinks nobody should be sad but ,arth4 ,gramercie ,hubert for thy ,i3 care of me1 ,yet1 ,i remember1 when ,i was in ,in or to whom restraint is newly ,france1 knowen1 ,young gentlemen would be as sad as ,the joy of walking is small night1 benefit1 ,only for wantonness4 ,by my ,yet will ,i take thy offer with christendom1 small thankes1 ,so ,i were out of prison and kept ,i would not loose the pleasure sheep1 of the eye4 ,i should be as merry as the day is ,but tell me curteous ,keeper if long2 you can1 ,and so ,i would be here1 but that ,i ,how long the ,king will have me doubt tarrie here ,my uncle practises more harm to me3 ,he is afraid of me and ,i of him4 ,hub4 ,i know not ,prince1 but ,is it my fault that ,i was ,geffrey's as ,i gesse1 not long4 son8 ,god send you freedome1 and ,god ,no1 indeed1 is't not2 and ,i would save the ,king4 to heaven1 7,they issue forth47 ,i were your son1 so you would love me1 ,hubert4 ,arth4 ,why now sirs1 what may ,hub4 7,aside47 ,if ,i talk to him1 this outrage meane8 with his innocent prate ,o help me ,hubert1 gentle ,keeper ,he will awake my mercy1 which lies helpe2 dead3 ,god send this sodaine mutinous ,therefore ,i will be sudden1 and approach dispatch4 ,tend not to reave a wretched guiltless life4 ,arth4 ,are you sick1 ,hubert8 you look pale today4 ,hub4 ,so sirs1 depart1 and ,in sooth1 ,i would you were a little leave the rest for me4 sick2 ,that ,i might sit all night1 and ,arth4 ,then ,arthur yeeld1 watch with you3 death frowneth in thy face1 ,i warrant ,i love you more than you ,what meaneth this8 ,good ,hubert do me4 plead the case4 ,hub4 7,aside47 ,his words do take ,hub4 ,patience yong ,lord1 and possession of my bosom4-- listen words of woe1 ,read here1 young ,arthur1 ,harmful and harsh1 hells horror to be heard3 7,showing a paper47 ,a dismall tale fit for a furies tongue4 7,aside47 ,how now1 foolish rheum6 ,i faint to tell1 deepe sorrow ,turning dispiteous torture out of is the sound4 door8 ,i must be brief2 lest resolution ,arth4 ,what1 must ,i die8 drop ,out at mine eyes in tender womanish ,hub4 ,no newes of death1 but tears4-- tidings of more hate1 ,can you read it8 ,is it not fair ,a wrathfull doome1 and most writ8 unluckie fate3 ,deaths dish were daintie at so ,arth4 ,too fairly1 ,hubert1 for so fell a feast1 foul effect4 ,be deafe1 heare not1 its hell ,must you with hot irons burn out to tell the rest4 both mine eyes8 ,arth4 ,alas1 thou wrongst my ,hub4 ,young boy1 ,i must4 youth with words of feare1 ,tis hell1 tis horror1 not for one to heare3 ,what is it man if needes be don1 ,act it1 and end it1 that the paine were gon4 ,hub4 ,i will not chaunt such ,arth4 ,and will you8 dolour with my tongue1 ,yet must ,i act the outrage with ,hub4 ,and ,i will4 my hand4 ,my heart1 my head1 and all my ,arth4 ,have you the heart8 ,when powers beside1 your head did but ache1 ,to aide the office have at once ,i knit my handkerchief about your denide4 brows1 ,peruse this ,letter1 lines of 7,the best ,i had1 a princess wrought treble woe1 it me17 ,reade ore my charge1 and pardon ,and ,i did never ask it you again3 when you know4 ,and with my hand at midnight held your head1 ,hubert1 these are to commaund ,and1 like the watchful minutes to thee1 as thou tendrest our quiet the hour1 in minde1 and the estate of our ,still and anon cheer'd up the heavy person1 that presently upon the time1 receipt of our commaund1 thou ,saying1 ,what lack you8 and1 ,where put out the eies of ,arthur lies your grief8 ,plantaginet4 ,or1 ,what good love may ,i perform for you8 ,arth4 ,ah1 monstrous damned ,many a poor man's son would have man6 his very breath infects the lain still1 elements4 ,and ne'er have spoken a loving word ,contagious venyme dwelleth in to you2 his heart2 ,but you at your sick service had a ,effecting meanes to poyson all prince4 the world4 ,nay you may think my love was ,unreverent may ,i be to blame crafty love1 the heavens ,and call it cunning3 do1 an if you ,of great injustice1 that the will4 miscreant ,if heaven be pleas'd that you will ,lives to oppresse the innocents use me ill1 with wrong4 ,why1 then you must4--,will you put ,ah1 ,hubert6 makes he thee his out mine eyes8 instrument1 ,these eyes that never did1 nor ,to sound the tromp that causeth never shall hell triumph8 ,so much as frown on you8 ,heaven weepes1 the ,saints do shed celestiall teares1 ,hub4 ,i have sworn to do it1 ,they feare thy fall1 and cyte ,and with hot irons must ,i burn them thee with remorse1 out4 ,to knock thy conscience1 moving pitie there1 ,arth4 ,ah6 none but in this iron ,willing to fence thee from the age would do it4 range of hell1 ,the iron of itself1 though heat ,hell1 ,hubert1 trust me all the red-hot1 plagues of hell ,approaching near these eyes would ,hangs on performance of this drink my tears1 damned deede4 ,and quench this fiery indignation1 ,this seale1 the warrant of the ,even in the matter of mine bodies blisse1 innocence3 ,ensureth ,satan chieftaine of ,nay1 after that1 consume away in thy soule3 rust1 ,subscribe not ,hubert1 give not ,but for containing fire to harm ,gods part away1 mine eye4 ,i speake not only for eyes ,are you more stubborn hard than priviledge1 hammered iron8 ,the chiefe exterior that ,i would ,an if an angel should have come enjoy3 to me1 ,but for they perill1 farre ,and told me ,hubert should put out beyond my paine1 mine eyes1 ,thy sweetes soules losse1 more ,i would not have believ'd him2 no than my eyes vaine lack3 tongue but ,hubert's4 ,a cause internall1 and eternall too1 ,hub4 ,come forth4 7,stamps47 ,advise thee ,hubert1 for the case is hard1 ,re-enter ,attendants1 with ,cord1 ,to loose salvation for a ,kings ,irons1 c4 reward4 ,do as ,i bid you do4 ,hub4 ,my ,lord1 a subject dwelling in the land ,arth4 ,oh6 save me1 ,hubert1 save ,is tyed to execute the ,kings me6 my eyes are out1 commaund4 ,even with the fierce looks of these bloody men4 ,arth4 ,yet ,god commaunds whose power reacheth further1 ,hub4 ,give me the iron1 ,i say1 and ,that no commaund should stand in bind him here4 force to murther4 ,arth4 ,alas6 what need you be so boisterous-rough8 ,i will not struggle2 ,i will stand stone-still4 ,for heaven's sake1 ,hubert1 let me not be bound4 ,nay1 hear me ,hubert3 drive these men away1 ,and ,i will sit as quiet as a lamb2 ,hub4 ,but that same ,essence hath ,i will not stir nor wince1 nor ordained a law1 speak a word1 ,a death for guilt1 to keepe the ,nor look upon the iron angerly4 world in awe4 ,thrust but these men away1 and ,i'll forgive you1 ,arth4 ,i pleade1 not guiltie1 ,whatever torment you do put me to4 treasonlesse and free4 ,hub4 ,go1 stand within3 let me ,hub4 ,but that appeale1 my alone with him4 ,lord1 concernes not me4 #a4 ,attend4 ,i am best pleas'd to ,arth4 ,why thou art he that be from such a deed4 maist omit the perill4 7,exeunt ,attendants47 ,hub4 ,i1 if my ,soveraigne would remit his quarrell4 ,arth4 ,alas6 ,i then have chid away my friend3 ,arth4 ,his quarrell is ,he hath a stern look1 but a gentle unhallowed false and wrong4 heart4-- ,let him come back that his ,hub4 ,then be the blame to whom compassion may it doth belong4 ,give life to yours4 ,arth4 ,why thats to thee if ,hub4 ,come1 boy1 prepare yourself4 thou as they proceede1 ,conclude their judgement with so ,arth4 ,is there no remedy8 vile a deede4 ,hub4 ,none but to lose your eyes4 ,hub4 ,why then no execution can be lawfull1 ,arth4 ,o heaven6--that there were ,if ,judges doomes must be reputed but a mote in yours1 doubtfull4 ,a grain1 a dust1 a gnat1 a wandering hair1 ,arth4 ,yes where in forme of ,any annoyance in that precious ,lawe in place and time1 sense6 ,the offended is convicted of the ,then1 feeling what small things are crime4 boisterous there1 ,your vile intent must needs seem ,hub4 ,my ,lord1 my ,lord1 this horrible4 long expostulation1 ,heapes up more griefe1 than ,hub4 ,is this your promise8 go to2 promise of redresse2 hold your tongue4 ,for this ,i know1 and so resolude ,i end1 ,arth4 ,hubert1 the utterance of a ,that subjects lives on ,kings brace of tongues commaunds depend4 ,must needs want pleading for a pair ,i must not reason why he is your of eyes3 foe1 ,let me not hold my tongue2 let me ,but doo his charge since he not1 ,hubert3 commaunds it so4 ,or ,hubert1 if you will1 cut out my tongue4 ,arth4 ,then doo thy charge1 and ,so ,i may keep mine eyes4 ,o6 spare charged be thy soule mine eyes2 ,with wrongfull persecution don ,though to no use1 but still to look this day4 on you4 ,you rowling eyes1 whose ,lo6 by my troth1 the instrument is superficies yet cold1 ,i doo behold with eyes that ,and would not harm me4 ,nature lent3 ,send foorth the terror of your ,hub4 ,i can heat it1 boy4 ,moovers frowne1 ,to wreake my wrong upon the ,arth4 ,no1 in good sooth2 the fire murtherers is dead with grief1 ,that rob me of your faire ,being create for comfort1 to be reflecting view3 us'd ,let hell to them 7as earth they ,in undeserv'd extremes3 see else wish to me7 yourself2 ,be darke and direfull guerdon ,there is no malice in this burning for their guylt1 coal2 ,and let the black tormentors of ,the breath of heaven hath blown his deepe ,tartary spirit out1 ,upbraide them with this damned ,and strew'd repentant ashes on his enterprise1 head4 ,inflicting change of tortures on their soules4 ,hub4 ,but with my breath ,i can ,delay not ,hubert1 my orisons are revive it1 boy4 ended1 ,begin ,i pray thee1 reave me of ,arth4 ,and if you do1 you will but my sight3 make it blush1 ,but to performe a tragedie ,and glow with shame of your indeede1 proceedings1 ,hubert3 ,conclude the period with a ,nay1 it1 perchance1 will sparkle in mortal stab4 your eyes2 ,constance farewell1 tormenter ,and like a dog that is compell'd to come away1 fight1 ,make my dispatch the ,tyrants ,snatch at his master that doth tarre feasting day4 him on4 ,all things that you should use to do ,hub4 ,i faint1 ,i feare1 my me wrong1 conscience bids desist3 ,deny their office3 only you do lack ,faint did ,i say8 fear was it ,that mercy1 which fierce fire1 and that ,i named3 iron1 extends1 ,my ,king commaunds1 that warrant ,creatures of note for mercy-lacking sets me free3 uses4 ,but ,god forbids1 and he commandeth ,kings1 ,hub4 ,well1 see to live2 ,i will not ,that great ,commaunder touch thine eyes counterchecks my charge1 ,for all the treasures that thine ,he stayes my hand1 he maketh uncle owes3 soft my heart4 ,yet ,i am sworn1 and ,i did purpose1 ,goe cursed tooles1 your office boy1 is exempt1 ,with this same very iron to burn ,cheere thee young ,lord1 thou them out4 shalt not loose an eye1 ,though ,i should purchase it with ,arth4 ,o6 now you look like ,hubert2 losse of life4 all this while ,ile to the ,king and say his will ,you were disguised4 is done1 ,and of the langor tell him thou ,hubert4 ,peace6 no more4 ,adieu4 art dead1 ,your uncle must not know but you ,goe in with me1 for ,hubert was are dead3 not borne ,i'll fill these dogged spies with ,to blinde those lampes that false reports2 nature pollisht so4 ,and pretty child1 sleep doubtless1 and secure1 ,arth4 ,hubert1 if ever ,arthur ,that ,hubert for the wealth of all be in state1 the world ,looke for amends of this ,will not offend thee4 received gift1 ,i tooke my eyesight by thy ,arth4 ,o heaven6-- curtesie1 ,i thank you1 ,hubert4 ,thou lentst them me1 ,i will not be ingrate4 ,hub4 ,silence6 no more4 ,go closely ,but now procrastination may in with me2 offend ,much danger do ,i undergo for thee4 ,the issue that thy kindness 7,exeunt47 undertakes3 ,depart we ,hubert1 to prevent the worst4 7,exeunt47#cf ,for further illustration of ,shakespeare's clear understanding that the emotions of well-characterized figures are better means of controlling an audience than a merely horrific situation1 study his handling of the ghost scene in ,richard ,,iii or ,julius ,caesar in contrast with similar places in ,hamlet4 ,what most transmuted the ,ur-,hamlet of ,thomas ,kyd into one of the greatest tragedies of all time was the characterization ,shakespeare put into it4 ,certainly1 characterization makes for dramatists the stepping-stones on which they may rise from dead selves to higher things4 ,how may all this needed characterization best be done8 ,a dramatist should not permit himself to describe his characters1 for in his own personality he has no proper place in the text4 ,there the characters must speak and act for themselves4 ,there has been1 however1 an increasing tendency lately to describe the dramatis personae of the play in programs1 either in the list of characters or in a summary of the plot4 ,some writers apparently assume that every auditor reads his program carefully before the curtain goes up4 ,such an assumption is false3 more than that it is lazy1 incompetent1 and thoroughly vicious1 putting a play on the level with the motion pictures1 which cannot depend wholly on themselves but would often be wholly vague without explanatory words thrown upon the canvas4 ,nor can the practice of the older dramatists like ,wycherley and ,shadwell1 who often prefixed to their printed plays elaborate summaries describing the dramatis personae1 be cited as a final defense4 ,sir ,william ,belfond1 a ,gentleman of above #c1jjj per annum1 who in his youth had been a spark of the town1 but married and retired into the country1 where he turned to the other extreme1 rigid and morose1 most sordidly covetous1 clownish1 obstinate1 positive1 and froward4 ,sir ,edward ,belfond1 his ,brother1 a merchant1 who by lucky hits had gotten a great estate1 lives single1 with ease and pleasure1 reasonably and virtuously4 ,a man of great humanity and gentleness and compassion towards mankind2 well read in good books possessed with all gentleman-like qualities4 ,belfond1 ,senior1 eldest son to ,sir ,william2 bred after his father's rustic1 swinish manner1 with great rigour and severity2 upon whom his father's estate is entailed2 the confidence of which makes him break out into open rebellion to his father1 and become lewd1 abominably vicious1 stubborn1 and obstinate4 ,belfond1 ,junior1 second ,son to ,sir ,william2 adopted by ,sir ,edward1 and bred from his childhood by him1 with all tenderness1 and familiarity1 and bounty1 and liberty that can be1 instructed in all the liberal sciences1 and in all gentlemanlike education4 ,somewhat given to women1 and now and then to good fellowship1 but an ingenious1 well-accomplished gentleman3 a man of honour1 and of excellent disposition and temper4 ,truman1 his friend1 a man of honour and fortune4 ,cheatly1 a rascal1 who by reason of debts dares not stir out of ,whitefriars1 but there inveigles young heirs in tail1 and helps them to goods and money upon great disadvantages2 is bound for them1 and shares with them1 till he undoes them4 ,a lewd1 impudent1 debauched fellow1 very expert in the cant about town4 ,shamwell1 cousin to the ,belfonds1 an heir1 who being ruined by ,cheatly1 is made a decoy-duck for others2 not daring to stir out of ,alsatia1 where he lives4 ,is bound with ,cheatly for heirs1 and lives upon them a dissolute1 debauched life4 ,captain ,hackum1 a blockheaded bully of ,alsatia2 a cowardly1 impudent1 blustering fellow2 formerly a sergeant in ,flanders1 run from his colours1 retreated into ,whitefriars for a very small debt1 where1 by the ,alsatians1 he is dubbed a captain2 marries one that lets lodgings1 sells cherry brandy1 and is a bawd4 ,scrapeall1 a hypocritical1 repeating1 praying1 psalm-singing1 precise fellow1 pretending to great piety1 a godly knave1 who joins with ,cheatly1 and supplies young heirs with goods and money4 ,attorney to ,sir ,william ,belfond1 who solicits his business and receives all his packets4 ,lolpoop1 a ,north-country fellow1 servant to ,belfond1 ,senior1 much displeased at his master's proceedings4#cg ,it is more than doubtful if anything so elaborate could be found in the manuscripts of ,wycherley and ,shadwell4 ,their purpose was doubtless the same as that of certain modern dramatists who1 with a view to making plays less difficult for those unaccustomed to reading them1 greatly amplify the stage directions before their plays go to print4 ,mr4 ,granville ,barker in the manuscripts of his plays is particularly frugal of stage directions1 but in the printed form of ,the ,madras ,house1#ch practically the whole history of ,julia is given in the opening stage direction3 ,julia started life--that is to say1 left school--as a genius4 ,the head mistress had had two or three years of such dull girls that really she could not resist this excitement4 ,watercolour sketches were the medium4 ,so ,julia was dressed in brown velveteen1 and sent to an art school1 where they wouldn't let her do watercolour drawing at all4 ,and in two years she learnt enough about the trade of an artist not ever to want to do those watercolour drawings again4 ,julia is now over thirty1 and very unhappy4 ,three of her watercolours 7early masterpieces7 hang on the drawing-room wall4 ,they shame her1 but her mother won't have them taken down4 ,on a holiday she'll be off now and then for a solid day's sketching2 and as she tears up the vain attempt to put on paper the things she has learnt to see1 she sometimes cries4 ,it was ,julia1 ,emma1 and ,jane who1 some years ago1 conspired to present their mother with that intensely conspicuous cosy corner4 ,a cosy corner is apparently a device for making a corner just what the very nature of a corner should forbid it to be4 ,they beggared themselves2 but one wishes that ,mr4 ,huxtable were more lavish with his dress allowances1 then they might at least have afforded something not quite so hideous4 ,such characterizing is an implied censure on the ability of most readers to see the full significance of deft touches in the dialogue4 ,if not1 then it is necessary because some part of it is not given in the text as it should be1 or it is wholly unnecessary and undesirable1 for the text1 repeating all this detail1 will be wearisome to an intelligent reader4 ,the safest principle is1 in preparing a manuscript for acting1 to keep stage directions to matters of setting1 lighting1 essential movements1 and the intonations which cannot1 by the utmost efforts of the author1 be conveyed by dialogue4#ci ,in this last group belong certain every-day phrases susceptible of so many shadings that the actor needs guidance4 ,in the last line of this extract from the opening of ,act ,,iii of ,mrs4 ,dane's ,defence1 the tenderly is necessary4 ,enter ,wilson right1 announcing ,lady ,eastney4 ,enter ,lady ,eastney4 ,exit ,wilson4 ,lady ,eastney4 7,shaking hands47 ,you're busy8 ,sir ,daniel4 ,yes1 trying to persuade myself ,i am forty--solely on your account4 ,lady ,eastney4 ,that's not necessary4 ,i like you well enough as you are4 ,sir ,daniel4 7,tenderly47 ,give me the best proof of that4 ,notice that the statement just formulated as to stage directions reads1 cannot be conveyed1 not may not4 ,cross the line1 and differences between the novel and the play are blurred1 for the author runs a fair chance of omitting exposition needed in the text and of writing colorless dialogue4 ,a recently published play prefaces not only every speech1 but even parts of the speeches with careful statements as to how they should be given1 even when the text is perfectly clear4 ,nothing is left to the imagination1 and the text is often emotionally colorless4 ,let it be remembered1 then1 that the stage direction is not a pocket into which a dramatist may stuff whatever explanation1 description1 or analysis a novelist might allow himself1 but is more a last resort to which he turns when he cannot make his text convey all that is necessary4 ,the passing of the soliloquy and the aside#dj makes the dramatist of today much more limited than were his predecessors in letting a character describe itself4 ,today everything depends on the naturalness of the self-exposition4 ,the vainglorious1 the self-centered1 the garrulous will always talk of themselves freely4 ,the reserved1 the timid1 and persons under suspicion will be sparing of words4 ,when the ingenuity of the dramatist cannot make self-exposition plausible1 the scene promptly becomes unreal4 ,the point to be remembered is1 as ,george ,meredith once said1 that ,the verdict is with the observer4 ,not what seems plausible to the author but what1 as he tries it on auditors1 proves acceptable1 may stand4 ,description of one character by another is usually more plausible than the method just treated4 ,even here1 however1 the test remains plausibility4 ,it requires persuasive acting to make the following description of ,tartuffe perfectly natural4 ,there is danger that it will appear more the detailed picture the dramatist wishes to place in our minds than the description the speaker would naturally give his listeners3 ,orgon4 ,ah6 ,if you'd seen him1 as ,i saw him first1 ,you would have loved him just as much as ,i4 ,he came to church each day1 with contrite mien1 ,kneeled1 on both knees1 right opposite my place1 ,and drew the eyes of all the congregation1 ,to watch the fervor of his prayers to heaven2 ,with deep-drawn sighs and great ejaculations4 ,he humbly kissed the earth at every moment2 ,and when ,i left the church1 he ran before me ,to give me holy water at the door4 ,i learned his poverty1 and who he was1 ,by questioning his servant1 who is like him1 ,and gave him gifts2 but in his modesty ,he always wanted to return a part4 ,it is too much1 he'd say1 too much by half2 ,i am not worthy of your pity4 ,then1 ,when ,i refused to take it back1 he'd go1 ,before my eyes1 and give it to the poor4 ,at length ,heaven bade me take him to my home1 ,and since that day1 all seems to prosper here4 ,he censures nothing1 and for my sake ,he even takes great interest in my wife2 ,he lets me know who ogles her1 and seems ,six times as jealous as ,i am myself4 ,you'd not believe how far his zeal can go3 ,he calls himself a sinner just for trifles2 ,the merest nothing is enough to shock him2 ,so much so1 that the other day ,i heard him ,accuse himself for having1 while at prayer1 ,in too much anger caught and killed a flea4#da ,the scene in which ,melantius draws from his friend ,amintor 7,the ,maid's ,tragedy1 ,act ,,iii1 ,scene #b7 admission of his wrongs1 shows admirable use of both kinds of description--of oneself and of another person4 ,melantius4 ,you may shape1 ,amintor1 ,causes to cozen the whole world withall1 ,and you yourselfe too2 but tis not like a friend ,to hide your soule from me4 ,tis not your nature ,to be thus idle3 ,i have seene you stand ,as you were blasted midst of all your mirth2 ,call thrice aloud1 and then start1 faining joy ,so coldly6--,world1 what doe ,i here8 a friend ,is nothing6 ,heaven1 ,i would ha told that man ,my secret sinnes6 ,ile search an unknowne land1 ,and there plant friendship2 all is withered here4 ,come with a complement6 ,i would have fought1 ,or told my friend a lie1 ere soothed him so4 ,out of my bosome6 ,amintor4 ,but there is nothing4 ,mel4 ,worse and worse6 farewell4 ,from this time have acquaintance1 but no friend4 ,amin4 ,melantius1 stay2 you shall know what that is4 ,mel4 ,see2 how you plaid with friendship6 be advis'd ,how you give cause unto yourselfe to say ,you ha lost a friend4 ,amin4 ,forgive what ,i ha done2 ,for ,i am so oregone with injuries ,unheard of1 that ,i lose consideration ,of what ,i ought to doe4--,oh6--,oh6 ,mel4 ,doe not weepe4 ,what ist8 ,may ,i once but know the man ,hath turn'd my friend thus6 ,amin4 ,i had spoke at first1 ,but that-- ,mel4 ,but what8 ,amin4 ,i held it most unfit ,for you to know4 ,faith1 doe not know it yet4 ,mel4 ,thou seest my love1 that will keepe company ,with thee in teares2 hide nothing1 then1 from me2 ,for when ,i know the cause of thy distemper1 ,with mine old armour ,ile adorn myselfe1 ,my resolution1 and cut through my foes1 ,unto thy quiet1 till ,i place thy heart ,as peaceable as spotless innocence4 ,what is it8 ,amin4 ,why1 tis this--it is too bigge ,to get out--let my teares make way awhile4 ,mel4 ,punish me strangely1 ,heaven1 if he escape ,of life or fame1 that brought this youth to this4#db ,the cry with which ,electra turns to her peasant husband in the play of ,euripides is perhaps as fine an instance as there is of natural description by one person of her relations to another4 ,peasant4 ,what wouldst thou now1 my sad one1 ever fraught ,with toil to lighten my toil8 ,and so soft ,thy nurture was6 ,have ,i not chid thee oft1 ,and thou wilt cease not1 serving without end8 ,electra4 7,turning to him with impulsive affection47 ,o friend1 my friend1 as ,god might be my friend1 ,thou only hast not trampled on my tears4 ,life scarce can be so hard1 'mid many fears ,and many shames1 when mortal heart can find ,somewhere one healing touch1 as my sick mind ,finds thee4444 ,and should ,i wait thy word1 to endure ,a little for thine easing1 yea1 or pour ,my strength out in thy toiling fellowship8 ,thou hast enough with fields and kine to keep2 ',tis mine to make all bright within the door4 ',tis joy to him that toils1 when toil is o'er1 ,to find home waiting1 full of happy things4 ,peasant4 ,if so it please thee1 go thy way4#dc ,unquestionably1 however1 the best method of characterization is by action4 ,in the first draft of ,ibsen's ,a ,doll's ,house1 ,krogstad uses with his employer ,helmar1 because he is an old school fellow1 the familiar tu4 ,this under the circumstance illustrates his tactlessness better than any amount of description4 ,when ,helmar is irritated by this familiarity1 his petty vanity is perfectly illustrated4 ,any one who recalls the last scene of ,louis ,,xi as played by the late ,sir ,henry ,irving remembers vividly the restless1 greedily moving fingers of the praying ,king4 ,they told far more than words4 ,the way in which ,mrs4 ,lindon1 throughout the opening scene of ,clyde ,fitch's ,the ,truth1#dd touches any small article she finds in her way perfectly indicates her fluttering nervousness4 ,at ,mrs4 ,warder's4444 ,a smart1 good-looking man-servant1 ,jenks1 shows in ,mrs4 ,lindon and ,laura ,fraser4 ,the former is a handsome1 nervous1 overstrung woman of about thirty-four1 very fashionably dressed2 ,miss ,fraser1 on the contrary1 a matter-of-fact1 rather commonplace type of good humor--wholesomeness united to a kind of sense of humor4444 ,mrs4 ,lindon nervously picks up check-book from the writing-table1 looks at it but not in it1 and puts it down4444 ,she opens the cigar box on the writing-table behind her and then bangs it shut4444 ,she picks up stamp box and bangs it down4 ,rises and goes to mantel1 looking at the fly-leaves of two books on a table which she passes4 ,does not the action of this extract from ,middleton's ,a ,chaste ,maid in ,cheapside help most in depicting the greed and dishonesty of ,yellowhammer1 as well as the humor and ingenuity of the suitor8 ,touchwood junior4 7,aside47 ',twere a good mirth now to set him a-work ,to make her wedding-ring2 ,i must about it3 ,rather than the gain should fall to a stranger1 ',twas honesty in me t' enrich my father4 ,yellowhammer4 7,aside47 ,the girl is wondrous peevish4 ,i fear nothing ,but that she's taken with some other love1 ,then all's quite dashed3 that must be narrowly looked to2 ,we cannot be too wary in our children4-- ,what is't you lack8 ,touch4 jun4 ,o1 nothing now2 all that ,i wish is present3 ,i'd have a wedding-ring made for a gentlewoman ,with all speed that may be4 ,yel4 ,of what weight1 sir8 ,touch4 jun4 ,of some half ounce1 stand fair ,and comely with the spark of a diamond2 ,sir1 'twere pity to lose the least grace4 ,yel4 ,pray1 let's see it4 7,takes stone from ,touchwood junior47 ,indeed1 sir 'tis a pure one4 ,touch4 jun4 ,so is the mistress4 ,yel4 ,have you the wideness of her finger1 sir8 ,touch4 jun4 ,yes1 sure1 ,i think ,i have her measure about me3 ,good faith1 'tis down1 ,i cannot show it to you2 ,i must pull too many things out to be certain4 ,let me see--long and slender1 and neatly jointed2 ,just such another gentlewoman--that's your daughter1 sir8 ,yel4 ,and therefore1 sir1 no gentlewoman4 ,touch4 jun4 ,i protest4 ,i ne'er saw two maids handed more alike2 ,i'll ne'er seek farther1 if you'll give me leave1 sir4 ,yel4 ,if you dare venture by her finger1 sir4 ,touch4 jun4 ,ay1 and ,i'll bide all loss1 sir4 ,yel4 ,say you so1 sir8 ,let us see4--,hither1 girl4 ,touch4 jun4 ,shall ,i make bold ,with your finger1 gentlewoman8 ,moll4 ,your pleasure1 sir4 ,touch4 jun4 ,that fits her to a hair1 sir4 7,trying ring on ,moll's finger47 ,yel4 ,what's your posy1 now1 sir8 ,touch4 jun4 ,mass1 that's true3 posy8 i'faith1 e'en thus1 sir3 ,love that's wise ,blinds parents' eyes4 ,yel4 ,how1 how8 if ,i may speak without offence1 sir1 ,i hold my life-- ,touch4 jun4 ,what1 sir8 ,yel4 ,go to1--you'll pardon me8 ,touch4 jun4 ,pardon you8 ay1 sir4 ,yel4 ,will you1 i' faith8 ,touch4 jun4 ,yes1 faith1 ,i will4 ,yel4 ,you'll steal away some man's daughter3 am ,i near you8 ,do you turn aside8 you gentlemen are mad wags6 ,i wonder things can be so warily carried1 ,and parents blinded so3 but they're served right1 ,that have two eyes and were so dull a' sight4 ,touch4 jun4 7,aside47 ,thy doom take hold of thee6 ,yel4 ,tomorrow noon ,shall show your ring well done4 ,touch4 jun4 ,being so1 'tis soon4-- ,thanks1 and your leave1 sweet gentlewoman4 ,moll4 ,sir1 you're welcome4-- 7,exit ,touchwood junior47 ,o were ,i made of wishes1 ,i went with thee6#de ,could any description or analysis by the author or another character paint as perfectly as does the action of the following lines the wistful grief of the child pining for his mother8 ,enter ,giovanni1 ,count ,lodovico4 ,francisco4 ,how now1 my noble cossin6 what1 in blacke8 ,giovanni4 ,yes1 unckle1 ,i was taught to imitate you ,in vertue1 and you must imitate mee ,in coloures of your garments3 my sweete mother ,is-- ,fran4 ,how8 where8 ,giov4 ,is there2 no1 yonder2 indeed1 sir1 ,ile not tell you1 ,for ,i shall make you weepe4 ,fran4 ,is dead4 ,giov4 ,do not blame me now1 ,i did not tell you so4 ,lodovico4 ,she's dead1 my lord4 ,fran4 ,dead6 ,monticelso4 ,blessed lady2 thou art now above thy woes6 ,wilt please your lordships to withdraw a little8 7,exeunt ,ambassadors47 ,giov4 ,what do the deade do1 uncle8 do they eate1 ,heare musicke1 goe a hunting1 and bee merrie1 ,as wee that live8 ,fran4 ,no1 cose2 they sleepe4 ,giov4 ,lord1 ,lord1 that ,i were dead6 ,i have not slept these sixe nights4 ,when doe they wake8 ,fran4 ,when ,god shall please4 ,giov4 ,good ,god let her sleepe ever6 ,for ,i have knowne her wake an hundredth nights1 ,when all the pillow1 where she laid her head1 ,was brine-wet with her teares4 ,i am to complaine to you1 sir4 ,ile tell you how they have used her now shees dead3 ,they wrapt her in a cruell fould of lead1 ,and would not let me kisse her4 ,fran4 ,thou didst love her4 ,giov4 ,i have often heard her say she gave mee sucke1 ,and it would seeme by that shee deerely lov'd mee ,since princes seldome doe it4 ,fran4 ,o1 all of my poore sister that remaines6 ,take him away1 for ,gods sake6 7,exeunt ,giovanni1 ,lodovico1 and ,marcello47#df ,in brief1 then1 understand your characters thoroughly1 but do not1 in your own personality1 describe them anywhere4 ,let them describe themselves1 or let other people on the stage describe or analyze them1 when this is naturally convincing or may be made plausible by your skill4 ,trust1 however1 above all1 to letting your characters live before your audience the emotions which interest you1 thus making them convey their characters by the best means of communication between actor and audience--namely1 action4 ,in the chapter 7,,vi7 dealing with clearness in exposition the extreme importance of identifying the characters for the audience has been carefully treated4#dg ,closely connected with this identifying is the matter of entrances and exits4 ,the characterizing value of exits and entrances is usually little understood by the inexperienced dramatist4 ,yet in real life1 men and women cannot enter or leave a room without characterization4 ,watch the people in a railroad car as it nears the terminus4 ,the people who rise and stand in the aisles are clearly of different natures from those who remain quietly seated till the train reaches its destination4 ,the twenty or thirty standing wait differently and leave the car with different degrees of haste1 nervousness or anticipation4 ,those who remain seated differ also4 ,some are absorbed in conversation1 oblivious of the approaching station2 others1 somewhat ostentatiously1 watch the waiters in the aisles with amused contempt4 ,study1 therefore1 exits and entrances4 ,very few will be found negative in the sense that they add nothing to the knowledge of the characters4 ,how did ,claude enter in the following extract from a recent play8 ,claude1 it should be said1 has been mentioned just in passing1 as a suitor of ,marna4 ,other matters1 however1 have been occupying attention4 ,enter ,claude ,claude4 7,sitting beside her on the settle47 ,i thought ,i should not see you tonight4 ,marna4 ,i wondered if you would come4 ,claude must really have entered in character--quickly1 impetuously1 or ardently4 ,he may have paused an instant on the threshold2 he may have dashed in1 leaving the door ajar2 he may have closed it cautiously2 he may have come in through the window4 ,and how did they get to the settle8 ,the author may know all this1 but he certainly does not tell4 ,he should visualize his figures as he writes1 seeing them from moment to moment as they move1 sit1 or stand4 ,otherwise1 he will miss much that is significant and characterizing in their actions4 ,in a play that was largely a study of a self-indulgent1 self-centred youth1 to the annoyance of all he is late at the family celebration of his cousin's birthday4 ,sauntering in1 he meets a disappointing silence4 ,looking about1 he says1 ,nobody has missed me4 ,and then1 as all wait for his excuses1 he shifts the burden of speech to his mother with the words1 ,hasn't her ladyship anything to say8 ,surely this entrance characterizes4 ,illusion disappears1 also1 when people needed on the stage1 from taxi-cab drivers to ambassadors1 are apparently waiting just outside the door4 ,a play of very interesting subject-matter became almost ridiculous because whenever anybody was needed1 he or she was apparently waiting just outside one of the doors4 ,as some of these were persons involved in affairs of state and others supposedly lived at a distance1 their prompt appearance partook of wizardry4 ,people should not only come on in character1 but after time enough has been allowed or suggested to permit them to come from the places where they are supposed to have been4 ,how much the entrance of a character should be prepared for must be left to the judgment of the dramatist4 ,whatever is needed to make the entrance produce the effect desired must be planted in the minds of the audience before the character appears4 ,phormio1 in ,terence's play of that name1 does not appear before the second act4 ,his entrance is undoubtedly held back both to whet curiosity to the utmost before he appears1 and in order to set forth clearly the tangle of events which his ingenuity must overcome4 ,magda1 in ,sudermann's ,heimat1 also appears first in the second act4 ,this is not done because some leading lady wished to make as triumphant an entrance as possible1 an inartistic but time-honored reason in some plays1 but because1 till we have lived with ,magda's family in the home from which she was driven by her father's narrowness and inflexibility1 we cannot grasp the full significance of her character in this environment when she returns4 ,usually1 of course1 a character of importance does appear in the first act1 but naturalness first and theatrical effectiveness second determine the point at which it is proper that a character should appear4 ,the supposed need in the audience for detailed information1 slight information1 or no information as to a figure about to enter must decide the amount of preliminary statement in regard to him4 ,if possible1 a character enters1 identifies himself1 and places himself with regard to the other persons involved in the action as nearly as possible at one and the same time4 ,the more important the character1 the more involved the circumstances which we must understand before he can enter properly1 the greater the amount of preliminary preparation for him4 ,in ,phormio#dh and ,heimat 7or ,magda7 this preparation fills an act2 in ,tartuffe it fills two acts4 ,more often bits here and there prepare the way1 or some one passage of dialogue1 as in the introduction of ,sir ,amorous ,la-,foole in ,ben ,jonson's ,epicoene4#di ,dauphine4 ,we are invited to dinner together1 he and ,i1 by one that came thither to him1 ,sir ,la-,foole4 ,clerimont4 ,i1 that's a precious mannikin6 ,daup4 ,do you know him8 ,cler4 ,ay1 and he will know you too1 if e'er he saw you but once1 though you should meet him at church in the midst of prayers4 ,he is one of the braveries1 though he be none of the wits4 ,he will salute a judge upon the bench1 and a bishop in the pulpit1 a lawyer when he is pleading at the bar1 and a lady when she is dancing in a masque1 and put her out4 ,he does give plays and suppers1 and invite his guests to them1 aloud1 out of his window1 as they ride by in coaches4 ,he has a lodging in the ,strand for the purpose3 or to watch when ladies are gone to the china-houses1 or the ,exchange1 that he may meet them by chance1 and give them presents1 some two or three hundred pounds' worth of toys1 to be laughed at4 ,he is never without a spare banquet1 or sweetmeats in his chamber for their women to alight at1 and come up to for bait4 ,daup4 ,excellent6 he was a fine youth last night2 but now he is much finer6 what is his ,christian name8 ,i have forgot4 ,re-enter ,page ,cler4 ,sir ,amorous ,la-,foole4 ,page4 ,the gentleman is here below that owns that name4 ,cler4 ',heart1 he's come to invite me to dinner1 ,i hold my life4 ,daup4 ,like enough3 prithee1 let's have him up4 ,cler4 ,boy1 marshall him4 ,in ,scene #a1 ,act ,i1 of ,becket1 as written by ,lord ,tennyson1 we have3 ,enter ,rosamund de ,clifford1 flying from ,sir ,reginald ,fitz ,urse1 drops her veil ,becket4 ,rosamund de ,clifford6 ,rosamund4 ,save me1 father1 hide me--they follow me--and ,i must not be known4 ,sir ,henry ,irving arranged this for the stage as follows3 ,enter ,rosamund de ,clifford4 ,drops her veil ,rosamund4 ,save me1 father1 hide me4 ,becket4 ,rosamund de ,clifford6 ,rosamund4 ,they follow me--and ,i must not be known4 ,there are real values in these seemingly slight changes4 ,with a rush and in confusion1 ,rosamund enters4 ,as it is her first appearance in the play1 it is of the highest importance that she be identified for the audience4 ,if ,becket gives her name as she enters1 it may be lost in her onward rush4 ,if entering1 she speaks the line1 ,save me1 father1 hide me1 she centers attention on him and he may fully emphasize the identification in1 ,rosamund de ,clifford6 ,note as bearing on what has already been said in regard to unnecessary use of stage direction that ,irving cut out flying from ,sir ,reginald ,fitz ,urse4 ,he knew that ,rosamund's speeches and her action would make the fleeing clear enough1 and that the scene immediately following with ,fitz ,urse would show who was pursuing her4 ,entrances1 when well handled1 therefore1 must be in character1 prepared for1 and properly motivated4 ,exits are just as important as entrances4 ,the exit of ,captain ,nat in ,shore ,acres has already been mentioned under pantomime4 ,mark the significance of the exit of ,hamlet in the ghost scene1 as he goes with sword held out before him4 ,the final exit of ,iris in ,pinero's play is symbolic of her passing into the outer and under world4 ,maldonado4 ,you can send for your trinkets and clothes in the morning4 ,after that1 let me hear no more of you4 7,she remains motionless1 as if stricken47 ,i've nothing further to say4 7,a slight shiver runs through her frame and she resumes her walk4 ,at the door1 she feels blindly for the handle2 finding it1 she opens the door narrowly and passes out47 ,the absurdities in which the ill-managed exit or entrance may land us1 ,lessing shows amusingly3 ,maffei often does not motivate the exits and entrances of his personages3 ,voltaire often motivates them falsely1 which is far worse4 ,it is not enough that a person says why he comes on1 we ought also to perceive by the connection that he must therefore come4 ,it is not enough that he say why he goes off1 we ought to see subsequently that he went on that account4 ,else1 that which the poet places in his mouth is mere excuse and no cause4 ,when1 for example1 ,eurykles goes off in the third scene of the second act1 in order1 as he says1 to assemble the friends of the queen1 we ought to hear afterwards about these friends and their assemblage4 ,as1 however1 we hear nothing of the kind1 his assertion is a schoolboy ,peto veniam exeundi1 the first falsehood that occurs to the boy4 ,he does not go off in order to do what he says2 but in order to return a few lines on as the bearer of news which the poet did not know how to impart by means of any other person4 ,voltaire treats the ends of acts yet more clumsily4 ,at the close of the third act1 ,polyphontes says to ,merope that the altar awaits her1 that all is ready for the solemnizing of their marriage and he exits with a ,venez1 ,madame4 ,but ,madame does not come1 but goes off into another coulisse with an exclamation1 whereupon ,polyphontes opens the fourth act1 and instead of expressing his annoyance that the queen has not followed him into the temple 7for he had been in error1 there was still time for the wedding7 he talks with his ,erox about matters he should not ventilate here1 that are more fitting conversation for his own house1 his own rooms4 ,then the fourth act closes--exactly like the third4 ,polyphontes again summons the queen into the temple1 ,merope herself exclaims1 ,courons nous vers le temple ou m'attend mon outrage2 and says to the chief priests who come to conduct her thither1 ,vous venez a l'autel entrainer la victime4 ,consequently we must expect them inside the temple at the beginning of the fifth act1 or are they already back again8 ,neither2 good things will take time4 ,polyphontes has forgotten something and comes back again and sends the queen back again4 ,excellent6 ,between the third and fourth1 between the fourth and fifth acts nothing occurs that should1 and indeed1 nothing occurs at all1 and the third and fourth acts only close in order that the fourth and fifth may begin4#ej ,at the end of ,act ,,ii of ,the ,princess and the ,butterfly the exits are as important as any part of the text4 ,note particularly the last4 ,denstroude4 7,on the steps1 pausing and looking back47 ,you cycle at ,battersea tomorrow morning8 ,mrs4 ,st4 ,roche4 ,it's extremely unlikely4 ,denstroude4 ,i shall be there at ten4 ,don't be later4 7,he kisses his hand to her and departs4 ,she stands quite still1 thinking4 ,a ,servant enters1 crosses to the billiard-room1 and proceeds to cover up the billiard-table4 ,she walks slowly to the ottoman and sits1 looking into the fire4 ,st4 ,roche reappears and comes down the steps4 ,she does not turn her head4 ,he goes to the table and mixes some spirits and water47 ,st4 ,roche4 7,as he mixes the drink47 ,what d'ye think--what d'ye think that silly1 infatuated feller's goin' to do8 ,mrs4 ,st4 ,roche4 ,demailly8 ,st4 ,roche4 7,glancing toward the billiard-room47 ,sssh6 7,with a nod47 ,um6 7,he comes to her1 bringing her the tumbler in which he has mixed the drink47 ,mrs4 ,st4 ,roche4 7,taking the tumbler1 her eyes never meeting his47 ,well1 what is he going to do8 ,st4 ,roche4 ,marry that low woman4 ,mrs4 ,st4 ,roche4 7,callously47 ,great heavens6 the fool6 ,st4 ,roche4 ,yes4 ,shockin'1 ain't it8 ,mrs4 ,st4 ,roche4 7,putting the glass to her lips1 with a languid air47 ,she has blinded him1 ,i suppose1 with some story or other2 or he would hardly have committed the outrage1 tonight1 of presenting her to me4 ,st4 ,roche4 7,returning to the table and mixing a drink for himself47 ,that's it--blinded him4 ,and yet it's almost incomprehensible how a feller can be as blind as all that4 ,why1 the very man-in-the-street-- 7,the ,servant switches off the lights in the billiard-room1 and comes out from the room47 ,st4 ,roche4 7,to the man47 ,i'll switch off the lights here4 7,the ,servant goes out47 ,mrs4 ,st4 ,roche4 ,well1 you had better let him know that he mustn't attempt to come to this house again4 ,st4 ,roche4 ,poor chap6 ,mrs4 ,st4 ,roche4 ,we can't be associated1 however remotely1 with such a disgraceful connection4 ,st4 ,roche4 ,of course1 of course4 7,coming down1 glass in hand47 ,i could tell you things ,i've heard about this ,mrs4 ,ware-- ,mrs4 ,st4 ,roche4 7,rising47 ,please don't6 ,i want no details concerning a person of her world4 7,she ascends the steps slowly1 carrying her cloak and her tumbler--without looking back47 ,goodnight4 ,st4 ,roche4 7,with a wistful glance at her47 ,goodnight4 7,she departs4 ,he stands for a little while contemplating space2 then he switches off the light4 ,the room remains partially illumined by the fire-glow4 ,he turns to examine the fire4 ,apparently assured on that point1 he walks1 still carrying his tumbler1 to the door which is in the centre wall2 where1 uttering a little sigh as he opens the door1 he disappears47#ea ,the passages quoted 7pp4 #bfh-bge7 from ,the ,troublesome ,reign of ,king ,john and ,shakespeare's play show crude and perfect handling of exits and entrances4 ,in the old play the murderers merely enter and go out again as ordered4 ,in ,shakespeare they enter at the moment which makes them the climactic touch in the terror of ,arthur and the audience4 ,when ,hubert orders them to go1 it is the first sign that he may relent4 ,the inexperienced dramatist is almost always wasteful in the number of characters used4 ,an adaptation of a ,spanish story called for a cast of about a dozen important figures and some sixty supernumeraries as soldiers and peasants--all this in a one-act play4 ,it meant very little labor to cut the soldiery to a few officers and some privates1 and the peasantry to some six or eight people4 ,ultimately1 the total cast did not contain a quarter as many people as the original1 yet nothing important had been lost4 ,rewriting a play often is1 and should be1 a slaughter of the innocents4 ,don't use unneeded people4 ,you must provide them with dialogue1 and as the play goes on1 some justification for existence4 ,the manager must pay them salaries4 ,first of all1 get rid of entirely unnecessary people4 ,they usually hold over from the story as originally heard or read4 ,for instance1 a recent adaptation used from the original story a blinking dwarf sitting silent1 forever watchful1 at a table in the restaurant where the story was placed4 ,his smile simply emphasized the cynicism of the story enacted in his sight4 ,he was in no way necessary to the telling of the story1--and so he disappeared in the final form of the play4 ,one is constantly tempted to bring in some figure for purposes of easy exposition only to find that one must either bind him in with the story as it develops1 or drop him out of sight the moment his expository work is done4 ,the trouble with such figures is that they are likely to give false clues1 stirring a hearer to interest in them or their apparent relation to the story1 when nothing is to come of one or the other4 ,usually a little patience and ingenuity will give this needed exposition to some character or characters essential to the plot4 ,in a recent play of ,breton life during the ,chouan ,war1 an attractive peasant boy was introduced in order to plant in the minds of the audience certain ideas as to immediate conditions of the war1 and the relation of the woman to whom he is talking with the ,prince1 his leader4 ,wishing to show the devotion of the ,prince's followers1 the author had the boy talk much of his own loyalty to his leader4 ,just there was the false clue4 ,every auditor expected his loyalty to lead to something later in the play2 but the youth1 having told his tale1 disappeared for good4 ,it took very little time to discover that all the young man told could perfectly well be made clear in one preceding scene between the woman and her son1 and two of the other scenes immediately following1 between the woman and the young ,prince4 ,it is these unnecessary figures who are largely responsible for the scenes already spoken of in chapter ,,iv which clog the movement of a play4 ,sometimes1 too1 similar figures at different places in a play do exactly or nearly the same work1--servants for instance4 ,when it does not interfere with verisimilitude1 give the tasks to one person rather than two1 or two rather than three4 ,that is1 use only people absolutely needed4 ,sometimes these carelessly introduced figures stray through a play like an unquiet spirit4 ,in ,the ,road to ,happiness one character1 ,porter1 was of so little importance that most of the time1 when on the stage1 he had nothing to do4 ,when really acting1 it was largely in pantomime1 or with speech that1 not effectively1 reiterated what some one else was saying4 ,he existed really for two scenes4 ,in the first act he might just as well have been talked about as shown1 and in the second act what he did could well have been done by one of the other important characters4 ,when any character in a play shows a tendency not to get into the action readily2 when for long periods he is easily overlooked by the author2 it is time to consider whether he should not be given the coup de grace4 ,today we are fortunately departing from an idea somewhat prevalent in the middle of the nineteenth century1 that a figure once introduced into a play should be kept there until the final curtain4 ,that is exalting technique1 and the so-called well-made play1 above truth to life4 ,when a character is doing needed work1 use him when and as long as he would appear in real life1 and no longer4 ,use each character for a purpose1 and when it is fulfilled1 drop him4 ,naturalness and theatrical economy are the two tests3 the greater of these is naturalness4 ,all that has been said comes to this4 ,know your characters so intimately that you can move1 think1 and feel with them1 supplied by them with far more material than you can use in any one play4 ,see that they are properly introduced to the audience2 that they are clearly and convincingly presented4 ,do not forget the importance of entrances and exits4 ,cut out all unnecessary figures4 ,there follow three bits of characterization from very different types of play3 ,sir ,john ,vanbrugh's ,the ,provoked ,wife1 a comedy of manners2 ,g4 ,b4 ,shaw's farce-comedy1 ,you ,never ,can ,tell2 and ,eugene ,brieux's thesis play1 ,the ,cradle4 ,the first scene aims merely to present vividly the riotous and drunken squire4 ,the second1 while characterizing ,william1 aims to illustrate that contentment lies in doing that to which one is accustomed1 under accustomed conditions4 ,the third not only characterizes2 it shows that no law of man can wholly give a woman to a second husband when common anxiety with the first husband for the child of their marriage draws them together4 ,note in all three the use of action as compared with description or analysis2 the connotative value of the phrasings2 the succint sureness4 ,,the ,,provoked ,,wife ,,act ,,iv4 ,,scene1 ,covent ,garden ,enter ,lord ,rake1 ,sir ,john1 c41 with ,swords drawn ,lord ,rake4 ,is the ,dog dead8 ,bully4 ,no1 damn him1 ,i heard him wheeze4 ,lord ,rake4 ,how the ,witch his ,wife howl'd6 ,bully4 ,ay1 she'll alarm the ,watch presently4 ,lord ,rake4 ,appear1 ,knight1 then2 come you have a good ,cause to fight for1 there's a ,man murder'd4 ,sir ,john4 ,is there8 ,then let his ,ghost be satisfy'd1 for ,i'll sacrifice a ,constable to it presently1 and burn his body upon his wooden ,chair4 ,enter a ,taylor1 with a ,bundle under his ,arm ,bully4 ,how now2 what have we here8 a ,thief4 ,taylor4 ,no1 an't please you1 ,i'm no ,thief4 ,lord ,rake4 ,that we'll see presently3 ,here2 let the ,general examine him4 ,sir ,john4 ,ay1 ay1 let me examine him1 and ,i'll lay a ,hundred ,pound ,i find him guilty in spite of his ,teeth--for he looks--like a--sneaking ,rascal4 ,come1 ,sirrah1 without ,equivocation or mental ,reservation1 tell me of what opinion you are1 and what ,calling2 for by them--,i shall guess at your ,morals4 ,taylor4 ,an't please you1 ,i'm a ,dissenting ,journyman ,taylor4 ,sir ,john4 ,then1 ,sirrah1 you love ,lying by your ,religion1 and ,theft by your ,trade3 ,and so1 that your ,punishment may be suitable to your ,crimes--,i'll have you first gagg'd--and then hang'd4 ,taylor4 ,pray1 good worthy ,gentlemen1 don't abuse me2 indeed ,i'm an honest ,man1 and a good ,workman1 tho ,i say it1 that shou'd not say it4 ,sir ,john4 ,no words1 ,sirrah1 but attend your ,fate4 ,lord ,rake4 ,let me see what's in that ,bundle4 ,taylor4 ,an't please you1 it is the ,doctor of the ,parish's ,gown4 ,lord ,rake4 ,the ,doctor's ,gown6--,hark you1 ,knight1 you won't stick at abusing the ,clergy1 will you8 ,sir ,john4 ,no4 ,i'm drunk1 and ,i'll abuse anything--but my wife2 and her ,i name--with ,reverence4 ,lord ,rake4 ,then you shall wear this ,gown1 whilst you charge the ,watch3 ,that tho the ,blows fall upon you1 the ,scandal may light upon the ,church4 ,sir ,john4 ,a generous ,design--by all the ,gods--give it me4 7,takes the ,gown1 and puts it on47 ,taylor4 ,o dear ,gentlemen1 ,i shall be quite undone1 if you take the ,gown4 ,sir ,john4 ,retire1 ,sirrah2 and since you carry off your ,skin--go home1 and be happy4 ,taylor4 7,pausing47 ,i think ,i had e'en as good follow the ,gentleman's friendly ,advice2 for if ,i dispute any longer1 who knows but the ,whim may take him to case me8 ,these ,courtiers are fuller of ,tricks than they are of ,money2 they'll sooner cut a ,man's ,throat1 than pay his ,bill4 7,exit ,taylor47 ,sir ,john4 ,so1 how d'ye like my ,shapes now8 ,lord ,rake4 ,this will do to a ,miracle2 he looks like a ,bishop going to the ,holy ,war4 ,but to your ,arms1 ,gentlemen1 the ,enemy appears4 ,enter ,constable and ,watch ,watchman4 ,stand6 ,who goes there8 ,come before the ,constable4 ,sir ,john4 ,the ,constable's a ,rascal--and you are the ,son of a ,whore4 ,watchman4 ,a good civil answer for a ,parson1 truly6 ,constable4 ,methinks1 ,sir1 a ,man of your ,coat might set a better ,example4 ,sir ,john4 ,sirrah1 ,i'll make you know--there are ,men of my ,coat can set as bad ,examples--as you can1 you ,dog you4 7,sir ,john strikes the ,constable4 ,they knock him down1 disarm him1 and seize him4 ,lord ,rake c4 run away47 ,constable4 ,so1 we have secur'd the ,parson however4 ,sir ,john4 ,blood1 and ,blood--and ,blood4 ,watchman4 ,lord have mercy upon us6 ,how the wicked ,wretch raves of ,blood4 ,i'll warrant he has been murdering some body tonight4 ,sir ,john4 ,sirrah1 there's nothing got by ,murder but a ,halter3 ,my ,talent lies towards ,drunkenness and ,simony4 ,watchman4 ,why that now was spoke like a ,man of ,parts1 ,neighbours2 it's pity he should be so disguis'd4 ,sir ,john4 ,you lye--,i'm not disguis'd2 for ,i am drunk bare-fac'd4 ,watchman4 ,look you here again--,this is a mad ,parson1 ,mr4 ,constable2 ,i'll lay a ,pot of ,ale upon's ,head1 he's a good ,preacher4 ,constable4 ,come1 ,sir1 out of ,respect to your ,calling1 ,i shan't put you into the ,round house2 but we must secure you in our ,drawing-,room till ,morning1 that you may do no ,mischief4 ,so1 come along4 ,sir ,john4 ,you may put me where you will1 ,sirrah1 now you have overcome me--,but if ,i can't do ,mischief1 ,i'll think of ,mischief--in spite of your ,teeth1 you ,dog you4 7,exeunt47#eb ,,you ,,never ,,can ,,tell ,,act ,,iv ,waiter4 7,entering anxiously through the window47 ,beg pardon1 ma'am2 but can you tell me what became of that--7,he recognizes ,bohun1 and loses all his self-possession4 ,bohun waits rigidly for him to pull himself together4 ,after a pathetic exhibition of confusion1 he recovers himself sufficiently to address ,bohun weakly1 but coherently47 ,beg pardon1 sir1 ,i'm sure1 sir4 ,was--was it you1 sir8 ,bohun4 7,ruthlessly47 ,it was ,i4 ,waiter4 7,brokenly47 ,yes1 sir4 7,unable to restrain his tears47 ,you in a false nose1 ,walter6 7,he sinks faintly into a chair at the table47 ,i beg your pardon1 ma'am1 ,i'm sure4 ,a little giddiness-- ,bohun4 7,commandingly47 ,you will excuse him1 ,mrs4 ,clandon1 when ,i inform you that he is my father4 ,waiter4 7,heartbroken47 ,oh1 no1 no1 ,walter4 ,a waiter for your father on the top of a false nose6 ,what will they think of you8 ,mrs4 ,clandon4 7,going to the waiter's chair in her kindest manner47 ,i am delighted to hear it1 ,mr4 ,bohun4 ,your father has been an excellent friend to us since we came here4 7,bohun bows gravely47 ,waiter4 7,shaking his head47 ,oh1 no1 ma'am4 ,it's very kind of you--very ladylike and affable indeed1 ma'am2 but ,i should feel at a great disadvantage off my own proper footing4 ,never mind my being the gentleman's father1 ma'am3 it is only the accident of birth1 after all1 ma'am4 7,he gets up feebly47 ,you'll excuse me1 ,i'm sure1 having interrupted your business4 7,he begins to make his way along the table1 supporting himself from chair to chair1 with his eye on the door47 7,bohun47 ,one moment4 7,the waiter stops1 with a sinking heart47 ,my father was a witness of what passed to-day1 was he not1 ,mrs4 ,clandon8 ,mrs4 ,clandon4 ,yes1 most of it1 ,i think4 ,bohun4 ,in that case we shall want him4 ,waiter4 7,pleading47 ,i hope it may not be necessary1 sir4 ,busy evening for me1 sir1 with that ball3 very busy evening indeed1 sir4 ,bohun4 7,inexorably47 ,we shall want you4 ,mrs4 ,clandon4 7,politely47 ,sit down1 won't you8 ,waiter4 7,earnestly47 ,oh1 if you please1 ma'am1 ,i really must draw the line at sitting down4 ,i couldn't let myself be seen doing such a thing1 ma'am3 thank you1 ,i am sure1 all the same4 7,he looks round from face to face wretchedly1 with an expression that would melt a heart of stone47 ,gloria4 ,don't let us waste time4 ,william only wants to go on taking care of us4 ,i should like a cup of coffee4 ,waiter4 7,brightening perceptibly47 ,coffee1 miss8 7,he gives a little gasp of hope47 ,certainly1 miss4 ,thank you1 miss3 very timely1 miss1 very thoughtful and considerate indeed4 7,to ,mrs4 ,clandon1 timidly1 but expectantly47 ,anything for you1 ma'am8 ,mrs4 ,clandon4 ,er--oh1 yes3 it's so hot1 ,i think we might have a jug of claret cup4 ,waiter4 7,beaming47 ,claret cup1 ma'am6 ,certainly ma'am4 ,gloria4 ,oh1 well1 ,i'll have claret cup instead of coffee4 ,put some cucumber in it4 ,waiter4 7,delightedly47 ,cucumber1 miss6 yes1 miss4 7,to ,bohun47 ,anything special for you1 sir8 ,you don't like cucumber1 sir4 ,bohun4 ,if ,mrs4 ,clandon will allow me--syphon1 ,scotch4 ,waiter4 ,right1 sir4 7,to ,crampton47 ,irish for you1 sir1 ,i think sir8 7,crampton assents with a grunt4 ,the waiter looks enquiringly at ,valentine47 ,valentine4 ,i like the cucumber4 ,waiter4 ,right1 sir4 7,summing up47 ,claret cup1 syphon1 one ,scotch1 and one ,irish8 ,mrs4 ,clandon4 ,i think that's right4 ,waiter4 7,perfectly happy47 ,right ma'am4 ,directly1 ma'am4 ,thank you4 7,he ambles off through the window1 having sounded the whole gamut of human happiness1 from the bottom to the top in a little over two minutes47#ec ,,the ,,cradle 7,,le ,,berceau7 ,,act ,i4 ,,scene #i ,laurence and ,raymond1 her first husband1 meet by chance by the sick bed of their little boy1 ,m4 de ,girieu1 the second husband1 who is madly jealous of ,raymond1 and of ,laurence's love for her boy1 has just refused ,raymond's request to be allowed to watch by the child till he is out of danger4 ,resting confidently on the control over ,laurence and the boy which the laws give him1 ,m4 de ,girieu is sure he can keep his wife and her former husband apart4 ,long silent scene4 ,the door of little ,julien's room opens softly4 ,laurence appears with a paper in her hand4 ,the two men separate1 watching her intently4 ,she looks out for a long time1 then shuts the door1 taking every precaution not to make a noise4 ,after a gesture of profound grief1 she comes forward1 deeply moved1 but tearless4 ,she makes no more gestures4 ,her face is grave4 ,very simply she goes straight to ,raymond4 ,raymond4 7,very simply to ,laurence47 ,well8 ,laurence4 7,in the same manner47 ,he has just dropped asleep4 ,ray4 ,the fever8 ,lau4 ,constant4 ,ray4 ,has the temperature been taken8 ,lau4 ,yes4 ,ray4 ,how much8 ,lau4 ,thirty-nine4 ,ray4 ,the cough8 ,lau4 ,incessant4 ,he breathes with difficulty4 ,ray4 ,his face is flushed8 ,lau4 ,yes4 ,ray4 ,the doctor gave you a prescription8 ,lau4 ,i came to show it to you4 ,i don't thoroughly understand this4 7,they are close to each other1 examining the prescription which ,raymond holds47 ,ray4 7,reading47 ,keep an even temperature in the sick room4 ,lau4 ,yes4 ,ray4 ,wrap the limbs in cotton wool1 and cover that with oiled silk4 ,i am going to do that myself as soon as he wakes4 ,tell them to warn me4 ,lau4 ,what ought he to have to drink8 ,i forgot to ask that1 and he is thirsty4 ,ray4 ,mallow4 ,lau4 ,i'm sure he doesn't like it4 ,ray4 ,yes1 yes4 ,you remember when he had the measles4 ,lau4 ,yes1 yes4 ,how anxious we were then1 too6 ,ray4 ,he drank it willingly4 ,you remember perfectly8 ,lau4 ,yes1 of course ,i remember4 ,some mallow then4 ,let us read the prescription again4 ,i haven't forgotten anything8 ,mustard plasters4 ,the cotton wool1 you will attend to that4 ,and ,i will go have the drink made4 ,in addition--every hour--a coffee-spoonful of the following medicine4 7,the curtain falls slowly as she continues to read4 ,m4 de ,girieu has gone out slowly during the last words47#ed ,finally1 contrast the treatment by ,john ,webster and ,robert ,browning of the same dramatic situation4 ,which is the clearer1 which depends more on illustrative action8 ,enter ,antonio ,duchess4 ,i sent for you2 sit downe3 ,take pen and incke1 and write3 are you ready8 ,antonio4 ,yes4 ,duch4 ,what did ,i say8 ,ant4 ,that ,i should write some-what4 ,duch4 ,oh1 ,i remember3 ,after this triumph and this large expence1 ,it's fit 7like thrifty husbands7 we enquire1 ,what's laid up for tomorrow4 ,ant4 ,so please your beauteous excellence4 ,duch4 ,beauteous8 ,indeed ,i thank you3 ,i look yong for your sake4 ,you have tane my cares upon you4 ,ant4 ,i'le fetch your grace ,the particulars of your revinew and expence4 ,duch4 ,oh1 you are an upright treasurer3 but you mistooke1 ,for when ,i said ,i meant to make enquiry ,what's layd up for tomorrow1 ,i did meane ,what's layd up yonder for me4 ,ant4 ,where8 ,duch4 ,in heaven4 ,i am making my will 7as 'tis fit princes should ,in perfect memory71 and ,i pray sir1 tell me ,were not one better make it smiling1 thus1 ,then in deepe groanes1 and terrible ghastly lookes1 ,as if the guifts we parted with procur'd ,that violent distraction8 ,ant4 ,oh1 much better4 ,duch4 ,if ,i had a husband now1 this care were quit3 ,but ,i intend to make you over-seer4 ,what good deede shall we first remember8 say4 ,ant4 ,begin with that first good deede began i' th' world1 ,after man's creation1 the sacrament of marriage4 ,i'ld have you first provide for a good husband3 ,give him all4 ,duch4 ,all8 ,ant4 ,yes1 your excellent selfe4 ,duch4 ,in a winding sheete8 ,ant4 ,in a cople4 ,duch4 ,st4 ,winifrid1 that were a strange will6 ,ant4 ',twere strange if there were no will in you ,to marry againe4 ,duch4 ,what doe you thinke of marriage8 ,ant4 ,i take't1 as those that deny purgatory1 ,it locally containes or heaven or hell2 ,there's no third place in't4 ,duch4 ,how doe you affect it8 ,ant4 ,my banishment1 feeding my mellancholly1 ,would often reason thus-- ,duch4 ,pray let's heare it4 ,ant4 ,say a man never marry1 nor have children1 ,what takes that from him8 onely the bare name ,of being a father1 or the weake delight ,to see the little wanton ride a cock-horse ,upon a painted sticke1 or heare him chatter ,like a taught starling4 ,duch4 ,fye1 fie1 what's all this8 ,one of your eyes is blood-shot2 use my ring to't4 ,they say 'tis very soveraigne2 'twas my wedding-ring1 ,and ,i did vow never to part with it1 ,but to my second husband4 ,ant4 ,you have parted with it now4 ,duch4 ,yes1 to helpe your eye-sight4 ,ant4 ,you have made me starke blind4 ,duch4 ,how8 ,ant4 ,there is a sawcy and ambitious divell ,is dauncing in this circle4 ,duch4 ,remoove him4 ,ant4 ,how8 ,duch4 ,there needs small conjuration1 when your finger ,may doe it3 thus1 is it fit8 ,ant4 ,what sayd you8 7,he kneeles47 ,duch4 ,sir1 ,this goodly roofe of yours is too low built2 ,i cannot stand upright in't1 nor discourse1 ,without ,i raise it higher3 raise yourselfe1 ,or if you please1 my hand to help you3 so4 ,ant4 ,ambition1 madam1 is a great man's madnes1 ,that is not kept in chaines and close-pentoomes1 ,but in fair lightsome lodgings1 and is girt ,with the wild noyce of pratling visitants1 ,which makes it lunatique1 beyond all cure4 ,conceive not ,i am so stupid but ,i ayme ,whereto your favours tend3 but he's a foole ,that 7being a cold7 would thrust his hands i' th' fire ,to warme them4 ,duch4 ,so1 now the ground's broake1 ,you may discover what a wealthy mine ,i make you lord of4 ,ant4 ,oh my unworthiness6 ,duch4 ,you were ill to sell your selfe3 ,this darkning of your worth is not like that ,which trades-men use i' th' city2 their false lightes ,are to rid bad wares off3 and ,i must tell you1 ,if you will know where breathes a compleat man 7,i speake it without flattery71 turne your eyes1 ,and progresse through your selfe4 ,ant4 ,were there nor heaven1 nor hell1 ,i should be honest3 ,i have long serv'd vertue1 ,and nev'r tane wages of her4 ,duch4 ,now she paies it4 ,the misery of us that are borne great1 ,we are forc'd to woe1 because none dare woe us3 ,and as a tyrant doubles with his words1 ,and fearefully equivocates1 so we ,are forc'd to expresse our violent passions ,in ridles and in dreames1 and leave the path ,of simple vertue1 which was never made ,to seeme the thing it is not4 ,goe1 go brag ,you have left me heartlesse2 mine is in your bosom3 ,i hope 'twill multiply love there4 ,you doe tremble3 ,make not your heart so dead a peece of flesh1 ,to feare1 more then to love me4 ,sir1 be confident1 ,what is't distracts you8 ,this is flesh and blood1 sir2 ',tis not the figure cut in allablaster ,kneeles at my husbands tombe4 ,awake1 awake1 man1 ,i do here put off all vaine ceremony1 ,and onely doe appeare to you a yong widow ,that claimes you for her husband1 and like a widow1 ,i use but halfe a blush in't4 ,ant4 ,truth speake for me1 ,i will remaine the constant sanctuary ,of your good name4#ee ,this is ,browning's version3 ,duchess4 ,say what you did through her1 and she through you-- ,the praises of her beauty afterward6 ,will you8 ,valence4 ,i dare not4 ,duch4 ,dare not8 ,val4 ,she ,i love ,suspects not such a love in me4 ,duch4 ,you jest4 ,val4 ,the lady is above me and away4 ,not only the brave form1 and the bright mind1 ,and the great heart combine to press me low-- ,but all the world calls rank divides us4 ,duch4 ,rank6 ,now grant me patience6 ,here's a man declares ,oracularly in another's case-- ,sees the true value and the false1 for them-- ,nay1 bids them see it1 and they straight do see4 ,you called my court's love worthless--so it turned3 ,i threw away as dross my heap of wealth1 ,and here you stickle for a piece or two6 ,first--has she seen you8 ,val4 ,yes4 ,duch4 ,she loves you1 then4 ,val4 ,one flash of hope burst2 then succeeded night3 ,and all's at darkest now4 ,impossible6 ,duch4 ,we'll try3 you are--so to speak--my subject yet8 ,val4 ,as ever--to the death4 ,duch4 ,obey me1 then6 ,val4 ,i must4 ,duch4 ,approach her1 and 444 no6 first of all ,get more assurance4 ,my instructress1 say1 ,was great1 descended from a line of kings1 ,and even fair--7wait why ,i say this folly7-- ,she said1 of all men1 none for eloquence1 ,courage1 and 7what cast even these to shade7 ,the heart they sprung from1--none deserved like him ,who saved her at her need3 if she said this1 ,why should not one ,i love1 say8 ,val4 ,heaven--this hope-- ,oh1 lady1 you are filling me with fire6 ,duch4 ,say this6--nor think ,i bid you cast aside ,one touch of all the awe and reverence2 ,nay1 make her proud for once to heart's content ,that all this wealth of heart and soul's her own6 ,think you are all of this1--and1 thinking it1 444 7,obey67 ,val4 ,i cannot choose4 ,duch4 ,then1 kneel to her6 7,valence sinks on his knee47 ,i dream6 ,val4 ,have mercy6 yours1 unto the death1-- ,i have obeyed4 ,despise1 and let me die6 ,duch4 ,alas1 sir1 is it to be ever thus8 ,even with you as with the world8 ,i know ,this morning's service was no vulgar deed ,whose motive1 once it dares avow itself1 ,explains all done and infinitely more1 ,so1 takes the shelter of a nobler cause4 ,your service names its true source1--loyalty6 ,the rest's unsaid again4 ,the ,duchess bids you1 ,rise1 sir6 ,the ,prince's words were in debate4 ,val4 7,rising47 ,rise8 ,truth1 as ever1 lady1 comes from you6 ,i should rise--,i who spoke for ,cleves1 can speak ,for ,man--yet tremble now1 who stood firm then4 ,i laughed--for 'twas past tears--that ,cleves should starve ,with all hearts beating loud the infamy1 ,and no tongue daring trust as much to air3 ,yet here1 where all hearts speak1 shall ,i be mute8 ,oh1 lady1 for your sake look on me6 ,on all ,i am1 and have1 and do--heart1 brain1 ,body and soul1--this ,valence and his gifts6 ,i was proud once3 ,i saw you1 and then sank1 ,so that each1 magnified a thousand times1 ,were nothing to you--but such nothingness1 ,would a crown gild it1 or a sceptre prop1 ,a treasure speed1 a laurel-wreath enhance8 ,what is my own desert8 ,but should your love ,have 444 there's no language helps here 444 singled me1-- ,then--oh1 that wild word then6--be just to love1 ,in generosity its attribute6 ,love1 since you pleased to love6 ,all's cleared--a stage ,for trial of the question kept so long3 ,judge you--,is love or vanity the best8 ,you1 solve it for the world's sake--you1 speak first ,what all will shout one day--you1 vindicate ,our earth and be its angel6 ,all is said4 ,lady1 ,i offer nothing--,i am yours3 ,but1 for the cause' sake1 look on me and him1 ,and speak6 ,duch4 ,i have received the ,prince's message3 ,say1 ,i prepare my answer6 ,val4 ,take me1 ,cleves6 7,he withdraws47#ef ,the formula for the would-be dramatist so far as his people are concerned is this3 ,a play which aims to be real in depicting life must illustrate character by characterization which is in character4 ,,footnotes3 #a ,for all of these except ,hyckescorner see ,specimens of ,pre-,shakespearean ,drama4 ,j4 ,m4 ,manly4 #b vols4 ,ginn ,co41 ,boston4 ,for ,hyckescorner see ,the ,origin of the ,english ,drama1 ,vol4 ,i4 ,t4 ,hawkins1 ed4 ,clarendon ,press1 ,oxford4 #b ,induction1 ,every ,man in ,his ,humour4 ,mermaid ,series or ,everyman's ,library4 #c ,see ,two ,loves and a ,life1 ,the ,ticket of ,leave ,man1 ,the ,lady of ,lyons4 ,all published by ,samuel ,french1 ,new ,york4 #d ,belles-,lettres ,series4 ,f4 ,e4 ,schelling1 ed4 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath ,co42 ,mermaid ,series1 vol4 ,,iii1 or ,everyman's ,library4 #e ,mermaid ,series1 vol4 ,,ii4 ,chas4 ,scribner's ,sons1 ,new ,york4 #f ,play-,making1 pp4 #cgf1 #cgh4 ,small1 ,maynard ,co41 ,boston4 #g ,plays4 ,chas4 ,scribner's ,sons1 ,new ,york4 #h ,walter ,h4 ,baker ,co41 ,boston2 ,w4 ,heinemann1 ,london4 #i ,some ,platitudes ,concerning ,drama1 ,atlantic ,monthly1 ,december1 #aiji4 #aj ,the ,devonshire ,hamlets1 ,act ,i1 pp4 #i-aj4 #aa ,dramatic ,essays4 ,william ,hazlitt4 #ab ,the ,stage in ,america1 pp4 #ha-hb4 ,n4 ,hapgood4 ,the ,macmillan ,co4 #ac ,some ,platitudes ,concerning ,drama1 ,atlantic ,monthly1 ,december1 #aiji4 #ad ,see the quotation from ,stevenson1 p4 #bdc1 as to ,weir of ,hermiston4 #ae ,hamburg ,dramaturgy1 p4 #cbd4 ,lessing4 ,bohn ed4 #af ,belle-,lettres ,series4 ,a4 ,h4 ,thorndike1 ed4 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath ,co41 ,boston and ,new ,york4 #ag ,mermaid ,series for both plays4 ,chas4 ,scribner's ,sons1 ,new ,york4 #ah ,a ,new ,rehearsal1 or ,bays the ,younger4 ,charles ,gildon4 #agad-ae4 #ai ,at the ,new ,theatre1 pp4 #ahi-aib4 ,w4 ,p4 ,eaton4 ,small1 ,maynard ,co41 ,boston4 #bj ,idem1 pp4 #dg-dh4 #ba ,hamburg ,dramaturgy1 p4 #bch4 ,bohn ed4 #bb ,walter ,h4 ,baker ,co41 ,boston2 ,w4 ,heinemann1 ,london4 #bc ,p4 ,v4 ,stock1 ,paris4 ,published in translation by ,j4 ,w4 ,luce ,co41 ,boston4 #bd ,walter ,e4 ,baker ,co41 ,boston2 ,w4 ,heinemann1 ,london4 #be ,letters of ,henrik ,ibsen1 p4 #dcg4 #bf ,au ,public1 ,la ,princesse ,georges4 ,calmann ,levy1 ,paris4 #bg ,oeuvres1 vol4 ,,vii1 p4 #cbj4 ,garnier ,freres1 ,paris4 #bh ,the ,theatrical ,world for #ahic1 pp4 #df-dg4 ,w4 ,archer4 ,walter ,scott1 ,ltd41 ,london4 #bi ,the ,macmillan ,co41 ,new ,york4 #cj ,p4 ,v4 ,stock1 ,paris4 #ca ,selected ,dramas of ,john ,dryden1 p4 #bcj4 ,preface1 ,all for ,love4 ,g4 ,r4 ,noyes1 ed4 ,scott1 ,foresman ,co41 ,new ,york4 #cb ,theatre1 vol4 ,,ii4 ,michel ,levy ,freres1 ,paris4 #cc ,walter ,h4 ,baker ,co41 ,boston4 #cd ,the ,macmillan ,co41 ,new ,york4 ,act ,,iii4 #ce ,belles-,lettres ,series1 p4 #cgc4 ,m4,w4 ,sampson1 ed4 ,d4,c4 ,heath ,co41 ,boston4 #cf ,shakespeare's ,library1 vol4 v1 pp4 #bfg-bga4 ,w4 ,c4 ,hazlitt1 ed4 #cg ,squire of ,alsatia ,mermaid ,series4 ,g4 ,saintsbury1 ed4 ,chas4 ,scribner's ,sons1 ,new ,york4 #ch ,mitchell ,kennerley1 ,new ,york4 #ci ,for illustration of good work1 see pp4 #be-bf1 #cf1 #di1 #afb1 #agd1 #aha1 #aij4 #dj ,see for discussion of these1 pp4 #chb-if4 #da ,tartuffe1 ,act ,i4 ,chief ,european ,dramatists4 ,brander ,matthews1 ed4 ,houghton ,mifflin ,co41 ,boston4 #db ,act ,,iii1 ,scene #b4 ,belles-,lettres ,series4 ,a4 ,h4 ,thorndike1 ed4 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath ,co4 #dc ,act ,i4 ,tr4 ,gilbert ,murray4 ,geo4 ,allen ,sons1 ,london4 #dd ,the ,macmillan ,co41 ,n4,y4 #de ,mermaid ,series4 ,vol4 ,i1 ,act4 ,i1 ,scene #a4 ,chas4 ,scribner's ,sons1 ,new ,york4 #df ,vittoria ,corambona1 ,act ,,iii1 ,sc4 #b4 ,webster4 ,belles-,lettres ,series4 ,m4 ,w4 ,sampson1 ed4 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath ,co41 ,boston and ,new ,york4 #dg ,see pp4 #aed-afa4 #dh ,chief ,european ,dramatists4 ,brander ,matthews1 ed4 ,houghton ,mifflin ,co41 ,boston4 #di ,act ,i1 ,scene #a4 ,mermaid ,series1 vol4 ,,iii1 of ,everyman's ,library4 #ej ,hamburg ,dramaturgy1 pp4 #cfg-cfh4 ,bohn ed4 #ea ,samuel ,french1 ,new ,york2 ,w4 ,heinemann1 ,london4 #eb ,plays4 ,vol4 ,i4 ,j4 ,tonson1 ,london1 #agcj4 #ec ,plays ,pleasant and ,unpleasant4 ,brentano1 ,new ,york4 #ed ,p4 ,v4 ,stock1 ,paris4 #ee ,the ,duchess of ,malfi1 ,act ,i1 ,sc4 #b4 ,webster4 ,belles-,lettres ,series4 ,m4 ,w4 ,sampson1 ed4 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath ,co41 ,boston and ,new ,york4 #ef ,colombe's ,birthday1 ,act ,,iv ,scene #a4 ,robert ,browning4 ,belles-,lettres ,series ,a4 ,bates1 ed4 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath ,co41 ,boston and ,new ,york4 ,,chapter ,,viii ,,dialogue ,modern dramatic dialogue had beginnings far from realistic4 ,it originated1 as the ,latin tropes show1 in speeches given in unison and to music--a kind of recitative4 ,what was the aim of this earliest dramatic dialogue8 ,it sought to convey1 first1 last1 and always1 the facts of the episode or incident represented3 ,whom seek ye here1 ,o ,christians8 ,jesus of ,nazareth1 the ,crucified1 ,o ,heavenly ,ones4 ,and that is what good dramatic dialogue has always done1 is doing1 and must always do as its chief work--state clearly the facts which an auditor must understand if the play is to move ahead steadily and clearly4 ,already enough has been said 7chapter ,,vi1 pp4 #aed-ahc7 as to the need of clear preliminary and later exposition to show how axiomatic is the statement that the chief purpose of good dialogue is to convey necessary information clearly4 ,even1 however1 when dialogue is clear in its statement of needed information1 it may still be confusing for reader or hearer4 ,what is the trouble with the text in the left-hand column--from an early draft of a play dealing with ,john ,brown and his fortunes8 ,,scene3 ,the ,prison at ,harper's ,ferry ,brown4 ,mary6 ,i'm glad to ,brown4 ,mary6 ,i'm glad to see you1 ,mary4 see you1 ,mary4 7,for a few seconds1 silence47 7,for a few seconds1 silence47 ,mrs4 ,brown4 7,crying out47 ,mrs4 ,brown4 7,crying out47 ,oh1 my dear husband1 it is a ,oh1 my dear husband1 it is a hard hard fate4 fate4 ,it's been so long since ,i heard your voice4 ,brown4 7,strong in his ,brown4 7,strong in his composure47 ,well1 well1 ,mary1 compposture47 ,well1 well1 ,mary1 let us be cheerful4 ,we must all let us be cheerful4 ,we must all bear it the best we can4 bear it the best we can4 7,stroking her hair47 7,stroking her hair47 ,mrs4 ,brown4 ,oh6 ,you to go ,mrs4 ,brown4 ,oh6 ,you to go from me forever4 from me forever4 7,sinks her head on his breast 7,sinks her head on his breast again47 again47 ,brown4 ,it must be1--and all ,brown4 ,it must be1--and all is for the best4 ,there1 there4 is for the best4 ,there1 there4 7,pats her head in an effort 7,pats her head in an effort to comfort her47 to comfort her47 ,mrs4 ,brown4 ,but our poor ,mrs4 ,brown4 7,after a moment's children1 ,john4 silence47 ,do they treat you well here ,john8 ,brown4 ,those that have died are at peace in the next world4 7,she breaks out weeping again47 ,brown4 ,like ,joseph1 ,i have ,come1 come1 dry your tears2 sit gained favor in the sight of the down and tell me about those at prison-keeper4 ,he is a most humane home4 7,he tries to lead her to gentleman--never mistreats or chair on right of table1 but she tries to humiliate me4 checks her grief and seats herself4 ,he goes slowly back to ,mrs4 ,brown4 ,may ,god bless such the other chair47 ,it weakens a man4 ,do you sleep any1 ,john8 me to stand4 ,now tell me about home4 ,brown4 ,like a child1--all night in peace4 ,mrs4 ,brown4 ,it's a sad place4 ,mrs4 ,brown4 ,i am glad of ,we couldn't believe the first that4 ,i worried about it4 ,are reports about you and the boys the days long and lonesome8 being taken prisoners4 ,we couldn't believe you had ,brown4 ,all hours of the day failed4 ,then a ,new ,york paper glorious thoughts come to me4 came4 ,we sat by the fire in the ,i am kept busy reading and living room4 ,there was ,watson's answering letters from my widow-- friends4 ,i have with me my ,bible1 here4 7,placing his hand ,brown4 ,poor ,isabel1 with on the leather-bound volume at her little ,freddie4 the end of the table47 ,it is of infinite comfort4 ,i never enjoyed ,mrs4 ,brown4 ,and ,william life more than since coming to ,thompson's widow1 our ,ruth1 prison4 ,i wish all my poor family and ,annie1 and ,oliver's widow-- were as composed and as happy4 ,brown4 ,poor ,martha4 ,when the time came it was hard for her to leave the farm house and ,mrs4 ,brown4 ,but our poor ,oliver behind4 ,she kind of felt children1 ,john4 ,poor ,oliver and that she wouldn't see him any ,watson4 ,we shall never see more4 them again4 ,mrs4 ,brown4 ,we said almost nothing while ,salmon read4 ,we ,brown4 ,those that have died felt in our blindness ,god had are at peace4 7,she breaks out been unfaithful to you and the weeping again47 ,but we shall boys4 meet together in that other world where they do not shoot and ,brown4 ,my dear wife1 you hang men for loving justice and must keep up your spirits4 desiring freedom for all men4 ,don't blame ,god4 ,he has taken ,come1 come1 dry your tears4 away my sword of steel1 but ,he ,sit down and tell me about those has given me the sword of the at home4 7,he tries to lead her ,spirit4 to chair on right of table1 but she checks her grief and seats ,mrs4 ,brown4 7,looking up herself4 ,he goes slowly back to into his face with almost a sad the other chair47 ,it weakens me smile upon hers47 ,that sounds to stand4 ,now1 tell me about home1 just like you1 ,john4 ,oh1 it's for that will give me comfort1 been so long since ,i heard your ,mary4 ,no man can get into voice4 difficulties too big to be surmounted if he has a firm ,brown4 ,tell me more about foothold at home4 the family4 ,mrs4 ,brown4 ,owen doesn't dare ,mrs4 ,brown4 ,it's a sad place4 come home yet4 ,we couldn't believe the first reports about you and the boys ,brown4 ,do you know where he is8 being taken prisoners4 ,we wouldn't believe you had failed4 ,mrs4 ,brown4 ,hiding among friends in ,ohio4 ,poor boy1 he is called all kinds of vile names1 just for being with you4 ,brown4 ,i have been a great deal disappointed in myself for ,brown4 ,for the cause we have not keeping to my plan4 all suffered much in the past2 we shall have to in the future4 ,mrs4 ,brown4 ,you made a mistake ,we should rejoice at his escape4 only in judging how much you could do4 ,mrs4 ,brown4 ,i do1 ,john1 but ,o1 poor ,oliver and ,watson6 ,we ,brown4 ,i acted against my better shall never see them again4 judgment4 ,brown4 ,not in this world1 ,mrs4 ,brown4 ,but after taking the but arsenal1 why didn't you flee to the we shall meet together in that mountains1 as we thought you would8 other world where they do not shoot and hang men for loving justice and desiring freedom for ,brown4 ,the delay was my mistake4 all men4 ,but in ,god's greater and broader plan maybe it was infinitely ,mrs4 ,brown4 ,yes1 and they did better4 ,it was fore-ordained to die for a great and good cause6 work out that way1 determined 7,said with spirit47 before the world was made4 ,brown4 ,some day all the ,mrs4 ,brown4 ,his ways are people of the earth will say mysterious and wonderful4 that4 7,a moment's silence47 7,a slight pause as both think47 ,mrs4 ,brown4 ,do they treat ,brown4 ,how did you first get you well here1 ,john8 the news8 ,brown4 ,like ,joseph1 ,i have ,mrs4 ,brown4 ,a ,new ,york paper gained favor in the sight of the came4 ,we sat by the fire in the prison-keeper4 ,he is a most living room4 ,there was ,watson's humane gentleman--never mistreats widow-- or tries to humiliate me4 ,brown4 ,poor ,isabel1 with her ,mrs4 ,brown4 ,may ,god bless little ,freddie4 such a man4 ,do you sleep any1 ,john8 ,mrs4 ,brown4 ,and ,william ,thompson's widow1 our ,ruth1 and ,brown4 ,like a child1--all ,annie1 and ,oliver's widow-- night in peace4 ,mrs4 ,brown4 ,i'm glad of that4 ,brown4 ,poor ,martha4 ,i worried about it4 ,are the days ,when the time came1 it was hard for long and lonesome8 her to leave the farm house and ,oliver behind4 ,she kind of felt ,brown4 ,all hours of the day she wouldn't see him any more4 glorious thoughts come to me4 ,i am kept busy reading and ,mrs4 ,brown4 ,we said almost answering letters from my nothing while ,salmon read4 ,we friends4 ,i have with me my felt in our blindness ,god had ,bible1 here4 7,placing his hand been unfaithful to you and the on the leather-bound volume at the boys4 end of the table47 ,it is of infinite comfort4 ,i never enjoyed ,brown4 ,my dear wife1 you must life more than since coming to keep up your spirits4 ,don't blame prison4 ,i wish all my poor family god4 ,he has taken away my sword of were as composed and as happy4 steel1 but ,he has given me the sword of the ,spirit4 ,mrs4 ,brown4 ,we have become more ,mrs4 ,brown4 7,looking up into and more resigned4 his face with almost a sad smile upon her47 ,that sounds just like ,brown4 ,do any feel disgrace or you1 ,john4 ,we have become more shame8 and more resigned4 ,mrs4 ,brown4 ,not one1 ,john4 ,brown4 ,do any feel disgrace ,you are1 in our eyes1 a noble or shame8 martyr4 ,the chains on your legs bind our hearts all the closer ,mrs4 ,brown4 ,not one1 ,john4 to you4 ,you are1 in our eyes1 a noble martyr4 ,the chains on your legs bind our hearts all the ,brown4 ,that gives me comfort1 closer to you4 ,mary4 ,no man can get into difficulties too big to be ,brown4 ,tell me more about the surmounted1 if he has a firm family4 foothold at home4 ,mrs4 ,brown4 ,owen doesn't dare ,mrs4 ,brown4 ,you made a mistake come home yet4 only in judging how much you could do4 ,brown4 ,do you know where he is8 ,brown4 ,i have been a great deal disappointed in myself for ,mrs4 ,brown4 ,hiding among not keeping to my plan4 ,i acted friends in ,ohio4 ,poor boy1 he is against my better judgment4 called all kinds of vile names1 just for being with you4 ,mrs4 ,brown4 ,but after taking the arsenal1 why didn't you flee ,brown4 ,for the cause we have to the mountains1 as we thought all suffered much in the past2 you would8 we shall have to in the future4 ,we should rejoice at his escape4 ,brown4 ,the delay was my mistake4 ,but in ,god's greater and broader ,mrs4 ,brown4 ,i do1 ,john4 ,and plan1 maybe it was infinitely ,oliver and ,watson did die for better4 ,it was fore-ordained to a great and good cause6 work out that way1 determined before the world was made4 7,said with spirit47 ,mrs4 ,brown4 ,his ways are ,brown4 ,some day1 all the mysterious and wonderful4 people of the earth will say that4 7,avis comes in47 7,avis comes in47 ,there are several faults in the original dialogue1 but perhaps the chief is not regarding the principle that clearness dramatically consists1 not merely in stating needed facts1 but in so stating them that interest is not allowed to lapse4 ,the original dialogue was scrappy1 lacking sequence1 not so much of thought as of emotion4 ,if it be said that at such a moment talk is often fitful1 it must be remembered that our time-limits forbid giving every word said in such a scene4 ,we must present merely its essentials4 ,only in that way may a play1 a condensed presentation of life1 hope to give a total effect for a scene equal to that of the original4 ,the re-ordered dialogue of the right-hand column seeks merely to bring together ideas really closely related1 and to move1 in a way in keeping with the characters1 from lesser to stronger emotion4 ,with the disappearance of the scrappy effect1 is not the result clearer8 ,even now1 the dialogue might well be condensed and made emotionally more significant4 ,if we let the dialogue of a play merely state necessary facts1 what is the result8 ,at the worst1 something like the left-hand column4 ,two young women1 one the married hostess and the other the friend of her girlhood1 are opening their morning mail on the piazza4 ,serena1 the hostess1 has known nothing of the engagement of ,elise to ,teddy4 ,,original ,,revision ,elise4 7,looking up from her ,elise4 ,is he coming8 letters47 ,is he coming8 ,serena4 ,i don't know yet1 but ,i ,serena4 ,i don't know yet1 but ,i wish he were still in ,south ,africa4 wish he were still in ,south ,look at this3 7,showing letter47 ,a ,africa4 ,if he does come1 ,i don't letter from ,aunt ,deborah4 know what will happen4 ,there's a letter from ,aunt ,deborah4 ,elise4 ,yes8 ,elise4 ,yes8 ,what does she ,serena4 ,aunt ,deborah had a want8 terrible quarrel with ,teddy just before he went6 ,serena4 ,did you know she had a terrible quarrel with ,elise4 ,oh1 that must be all made ,teddy just before he went to up now4 ,south ,africa8 ,serena4 ,listen6 7,reading from ,elise4 ,i had a vague idea letter47 ,if ,i see that man ,i'll of it4 ,it must all be made up have a shock1 and 7with a now and they'll be delighted despairing gesture7 she very to meet here4 gladly accepts our invitation6 ,serena4 ,no1 she won't4 ,she says she's sure she'll have a shock if she sees him and very gladly accepts our kind invitation because so she can avoid meeting him4 ,from the left-hand column we surely do learn that a before-mentioned ,teddy has been in ,south ,africa2 that he and a certain ,aunt ,deborah have quarreled2 and that though she particularly does not wish to meet ,teddy1 she is coming1 as he is1 to visit at this house--three important points4 ,like everyday speech1 the quoted dialogue lacks compactness4 ,let us first1 therefore1 cut out all that is not absolutely necessary4 ,we do not need1 in the first speech of ,elise1 anything more than the query1 ,yes8 ,the inflection will give the rest4 ,in the second speech of ,serena we can cut to ,south ,africa1 for we have already mentioned where ,teddy has been4 ,in the second speech of ,elise1 it is the words ,it must be all made up now that are important4 ,what precedes and what follows may be omitted4 ,similarly1 in the first and second speeches of ,serena1 it is the first and the third sentences which are important4 ,the second1 if given1 really anticipates an effect which will be stronger later4 ,if we change the second speech from a query to an assertion or an exclamation1 we shall gain and slightly condense4 ,it will then read1 ,aunt ,deborah had a terrible quarrel with ,teddy just before he went6 ,because we have cut the last speech of ,elise1 the first sentence of the next speech of ,serena becomes unnecessary4 ,it will be necessary1 however1 to re-phrase what remains of this final speech1 so hard is it to deliver4 ,the revised dialogue may still be poor enough1 but it says all the original did in less space--that is condensation4 ,the effect is better because we have cut out some parts1 and have slightly changed others4 ,that is selection4 ,the slight changes have been made in order to make the sequence of ideas clearer1 to suggest emotion more clearly1 or to make the dialogue natural--and all that means the beginning of characterization4 ,the final word on this dialogue is1 however1 that even now either speaker could utter the words of the other1 and that is all wrong4 ,clearly1 then1 even in stating facts1 dialogue may be bad1 indifferent1 and good4 ,the following opening of a ,japanese ,no drama shows that even more trained writers may write dialogue with no virtue except its clearness3 ,,two ,,hearts ,a drama by ,j4 ,mushakoji ,,scene3 ,a forest glade on the nobleman's estate4 ,a cross for crucifixion in the foreground4 ,two men ,a and ,b standing on either side of the cross holding spears4 ,a4 ,that fellow has behaved foolishly6 ,b4 ,yes1 and the girl also4 ,a4 ,it was certain that they would be killed when found out4 ,b4 ,and nothing could prevent the discovery4 ,a4 ,our master is extremely indignant4 ,b4 ,there has not been one person crucified since the present lord succeeded4 ,a4 ,although the stewards have assured him that it is the established law of the land1 the present master has never given permission for the punishment of criminals by crucifixion and fire4 ,but now he has announced that he will kill them in this manner1 and we are commissioned to carry out the disagreeable duty4 ,b4 ,even though we refused to obey the command at first and requested him to excuse us he would not listen to our petition4 ,a4 ,the master must have been very fond of this young girl4 ,b4 ,yes4 ,rumour has it that he became attached to her while the late mistress was still living4 ,a4 ,he did not care very much for his wife4 ,anyway1 she was too inferior to be his companion4 ,b4 ,it was said that he did not grieve over her death4 ,a4 ,and ,i have heard that the girl fainted when her mistress died4 ,b4 ,she must have been a favourite among the other attendants who accompanied the lady when she became the wife of the lord4 ,a4 ,she was clever and pretty and had a strong character4 ,b4 ,why did the girl fall in love with that fellow1 ,i wonder8 ,a4 ,he is the kind of a man a woman admires4 ,b4 ,and because the girl loved him he now receives such severe punishment4 ,a4 ,we can never tell4 ,what seems good luck may mean unexpected misfortune4 ,b4 ,she would have been happier if she had obeyed the master's will instead of rejecting him4 ,a4 ,probably she did not like him4 ,b4 ,but he seemed to care a great deal for her4 ,a4 ,it may not be right to say so1 but his decision seems to have been taken because of his jealousy4 ,b4 ,yes1 that is true4 ,i wonder why he has commanded us to prepare only one cross4 ,a4 ,perhaps it is his plan to save one of them4 ,b4 ,i don't think that could be done very well4 ,a4 ,but someone said the master told the girl that he would save her life if she would only desert the young man for him4 ,b4 ,that may be so4 ,perhaps he intends to crucify the young man first in the presence of the girl so as to break her obstinate spirit and thus gain her love4 ,a4 ,that may be so4 ,b4 ,it is said that the young man has already repented of his love for the girl4 ,but she was not at all frightened when the punishment was announced and she was informed that she was to be crucified4 ,the man1 on the contrary1 at once turned white and almost fainted when he heard the judgment passed upon him4 ,a4 ,but a woman is much braver in love affairs than a man4 ,b4 ,you speak as though you had had experience6 ,a4 ,ha6 ,ha6 ,ha6 ,b4 ,perhaps the master wishes to kill the young man in as cruel a manner as possible4 ,a4 ,hush6 ,the lord is here6 ,we are now obliged to remain silent and witness a living drama4 ,b4 ,and we have a dreadful task to perform4#a ,though this omits nothing in the way of necessary information1 how colorless it is6 ,when we note how perfectly either ,a or ,b could speak the lines of the other1 we see where the difficulty lies4 ,the lines lack all characterization4 ,the history of the drama shows that while the facts of a play may be interesting in themselves1 they are much more interesting to an audience which hears them as they present themselves to well-defined characters of the story4 ,it is axiomatic that sympathy quickens interest4 ,take a much better known illustration of the same point4 ,the left-hand column gives the opening lines of the first quarto1 ,hamlet4 ,the right-hand column shows the opening of the second quarto4 ,enter ,barnardo and ,francisco1 ,enter two ,centinels two ,centinels #a4 ,stand3 who is that8 ,barnardo4 ,whose there8 #b4 ,tis ,i4 ,francisco4 ,nay answere me4 ,stand and unfolde your selfe4 ,bar4 ,long live the ,king4 ,fran4 ,barnardo4 ,bar4 ,hee4 #a4 ,o you come most carefully upon your watch4 ,fran4 ,you come most carefully upon your houre4 ,bar4 ,tis now strooke twelfe1 get thee to bed ,francisco4 ,fran4 ,for this relief much thanks1 tis bitter cold1 ,and ,i am sick at heart4 ,bar4 ,have you had quiet guard8 ,fran4 ,not a mouse stirring4 ,bar4 ,well1 good night3 #b4 ,and if you meete ,marcellus ,if you doe meete ,horatio and and ,horatio1 ,marcellus1 ,the partners of my watch1 bid ,the rivals of my watch1 bid them them make haste4 make hast4 #a4 ,i will3 ,see who goes there4 ,enter ,horatio and ,marcellus ,enter ,horatio and ,marcellus ,fran4 ,i think ,i heare them1 stand ho1 who is there8 ,horatio4 ,friends to this ,horatio4 ,friends to this ground4 ground4 ,marcellus4 ,and leegemen to ,marcellus4 ,and leegemen to the the ,dane1 ,dane4 ,fran4 ,give you good night4 ,o farewell honest souldier1 who ,mar4 ,o1 farewell honest souldiers1 hath relieved you8 who hath relieved you8 #a4 ,barnardo hath my place1 ,fran4 ,barnardo hath my give you good night4 place2 give you good night4 7,exit ,francisco47#b ,the first of these extracts1 without question gives the necessary facts of the changing of the watch4 ,it busies itself only with this absolutely necessary action4 ,the second quarto identifies the speakers1 and1 by a different phrasing with additional lines1 both characterizes them and gives the scene atmosphere4 ,study the re-phrasings and bracketed additions of the second scene--,nay answere me1 ,tis bitter cold1 ,not a mouse stirring--and note that this dialogue gains over the first in that it interests by what it adds as much as by the essential action4 ,a second quotation from ,hamlet in the two quartos illustrates the same point even better4 ,the text in the left-hand column1 merely stating the facts necessary to the movement of the scene1 leaves to the actor all characterizing of ,montano1 and gives the player of ,corambis only the barest hints4 ,the second quarto text1 in the right-hand column1 makes ,polonius so garrulous that he cannot keep track of his own ideas2 shows his pride in his would-be shrewdness2 indeed1 rounds him out into a real character4 ,it even makes ,reynaldo a man who does not yield at once1 but a person of honorable instincts who is overborne4 ,can there be any question which scene holds the attention better8 ,enter ,corambis and ,montano ,enter old ,polonius1 with his man or two ,corambis4 ,montano2 here1 ,polonius4 ,give him this money and these letters to my sonne1 these notes ,reynaldo4 ,and this same money with my blessing to him1 ,reynaldo4 ,i will my ,lord4 ,and bid him ply his learning good ,montano4 ,pol4 ,you shall doe marviles wisely good ,reynaldo ,before you visite him to make inquire ,of his behaviour4 ,montano4 ,i will my lord4 ,rey4 ,my ,lord1 ,i did intend it4 ,cor4 ,you shall do very well ,pol4 ,mary well said1 very well ,montano1 to say thus1 said2 look you sir1 ,enquire me first what ,danskers are in ,parris1 ,and how1 and who1 what meanes and where they keepe1 ,what companie1 at what expence1 and finding ,by this encompasment1 and drift of question ,that they doe know my sonne1 come you more neerer ,then your particular demands will tuch it1 ,take you as t'were some distant knowledge of him1 ,i knew the gentleman1 or know ,as thus1 ,i know his father1 and his his father friends1 ,to inquire the manner of his ,and in part him1 doe you marke this1 life1 ,reynaldo8 ,and thus2 being amongst his acquaintance1 ,rey4 ,i1 very well my ,lord4 ,you may say1 you saw him at such a time1 marke you mee1 ,pol4 ,and in part him1 but you may say1 not well1 ,but y'ft be he ,i meane1 hee's very wilde1 ,adicted so and so1 and there put on him ,what forgeries you please1 marry none so ranck ,as may dishonour him1 take heede of that1 ,but sir1 such wanton1 wild1 and usuall slips ,as are companions noted and most knowne ,to youth and libertie4 ,rey4 ,as gaming my ,lord4 ,at game1 or drincking1 ,pol4 ,i1 or drinking1 fencing1 swearing1 or drabbing1 swearing4 ,you may go so farre4 ,quarrelling1 drabbing1 you may go so far4 ,mon4 ,my ,lord1 that will impeach his reputation4 ,rey4 ,my ,lord1 that would dishonour him4 ,cor4 ,i faith not a whit1 no not a whit1 ,pol4 ,fayth as you may season it in the charge4 ,you must not put another scandell on him1 ,that he is open to incontinencie4 ,that's not my meaning1 but breath his faults so quently ,that they may seeme the taints of libertie1 ,the flash and out-breake of a fierie mind1 ,a savagenes in unreclamed blood ,of generall assault4 ,rey4 ,but my good ,lord4 ,pol4 ,wherefore should you do this8 ,rey4 ,i my ,lord1 ,i would know that4 ,pol4 ,marry1 sir1 heer's my drift1 ,and ,i believe it is a fetch of wit1 ,you laying these slight sallies on my sonne ,as t'were a thing a little soyld with working1 ,marke you1 your partie in converse1 him you would sound ,having ever seene in the prenominat crimes ,the youth you breath of guiltie1 be assur'd ,now happely hee closeth with ,he closes with you in this you in the consequence1 consequence1 ,as you may bridle it not ,good sir1 7or so17 or friend1 or disparage him a iote4 gentleman1 ,according to the phrase1 or the addition ,of man and country4 ,rey4 ,very good my ,lord4 ,pol4 ,and then sir1 doos a this1 ,what was ,i about to say1 a doos1 what was ,i about to say8 ,by the masse ,i was about to say something1 ,where did ,i leave8 ,mon4 ,he closeth with you ,rey4 ,at closes in the in the consequence4 consequence4#c ,even the dialogue1 which with broad characterization states necessary facts clearly1 is by no means so effective as dialogue so absorbing by its characterization that we assimilate the facts unconsciously4 ,contrast the opening of ,the ,good ,natur'd ,man with that of ,hindle ,wakes4 ,the first is so busy in characterizing an absent but important figure that it presents the two speakers only in the broadest way4 ,that is1 exposition exists here as its only excuse for being4 ,in ,hindle ,wakes1 the rapid development of an interesting situation through two characters who as individuals become more distinct and interesting with every line1 probably conceals from most auditors or readers the fact that seven important bits of information are given before ,fanny enters4 ,,act ,i ,,scene--,an apartment in ,young ,honeywood's house ,enter ,sir ,william ,honeywood1 ,jarvis ,sir ,william4 ,good ,jarvis1 make no apologies for this honest bluntness4 ,fidelity like yours is the best excuse for every freedom4 ,jarvis4 ,i can't help being blunt1 and being very angry1 too1 when ,i hear you talk of disinheriting so good1 so worthy a young gentleman as your nephew1 my master4 ,all the world loves him4 ,sir ,will4 ,say1 rather1 that he loves all the world2 that is his fault4 ,jarv4 ,i'm sure there is no part of it more dear to him than you are1 tho' he has not seen you since he was a child4 ,sir ,will4 ,what signifies his affection to me1 or how can ,i be proud of a place in a heart where every sharper and coxcomb find an easy entrance8 ,jarv4 ,i grant you that he's rather too good natur'd2 that he's too much every man's man2 that he laughs this minute with one1 and cries the next with another2 but whose instructions may he thank for all this8 ,sir ,will4 ,not mine1 sure8 ,my letters to him during my employment in ,italy taught him only that philosophy which might prevent1 not defend his errors4 ,jarv4 ,faith1 begging your honour's pardon1 ,i'm sorry they taught him any philosophy at all2 it has only served to spoil him4 ,this same philosophy is a good horse in the stable1 but an arrant jade on a journey4 ,for my own part1 whenever ,i hear him mention the name on't1 ,i'm always sure he's going to play the fool4 ,sir ,will4 ,don't let us ascribe his faults to his philosophy1 ,i entreat you4 ,no1 ,jarvis1 his good nature rises rather from his fears of offending the importunate1 than his desire of making the deserving happy4 ,jarv4 ,what it arises from1 ,i don't know4 ,but to be sure1 everybody has it that asks it4 ,sir ,will4 ,ay1 or that does not ask it4 ,i have been now for some time a concealed spectator of his follies1 and find them as boundless as his dissipation4 ,jarv4 ,and yet1 faith1 he has some fine name or other for them all4 ,he calls his extravagance generosity2 and his trusting everybody1 universal benevolence4 ,it was but last week he went security for a fellow whose face he scarce knew1 and that he call'd an act of exalted mu-mu-munificence2 ay1 that was the name he gave it4 ,sir ,will4 ,and upon that ,i proceed1 as my last effort1 tho' with very little hopes to reclaim him4 ,that very fellow has just absconded1 and ,i have taken up the security4 ,now1 my intention is to involve him in fictitious distress1 before he has plunged himself into real calamity4 ,to arrest him for that very debt1 to clap an officer upon him1 and then let him see which of his friends will come to his relief4#d ,,act ,i4 ,,scene #a ,the scene is triangular1 representing a corner of the living-room of ,no4 #acg1 ,burnley ,road1 ,hindle1 a house rented for about #gs4 #f;d4 a week4 ,in the left-hand wall1 low down1 there is a door leading to the scullery4 ,in the same wall1 but further away from the spectator1 is a window looking on to the backyard4 ,a dresser stands in front of the window4 ,about half-way up the right-hand wall is the door leading to the hall or passage4 ,nearer1 against the same wall1 a high cupboard for china and crockery4 ,the fire-place is not visible1 being in one of the walls not represented4 ,however1 down in the ,l4 corner of the stage is an arm-chair1 which stands by the hearth4 ,in the middle of the room is a square table1 with chairs on each side4 ,the room is cheerful and comfortable4 ,it is nine o'clock on a warm ,august evening4 ,through the window can be seen the darkening sky1 as the blind is not drawn4 ,against the sky an outline of roof tops and mill chimneys4 ,the only light is the dim twilight from the open window4 ,thunder is in the air4 ,when the curtain rises1 ,christopher ,hawthorn1 a decent1 white-bearded man of nearly fifty1 is sitting in the arm-chair1 smoking a pipe4 ,mrs4 ,hawthorn1 a keen1 sharp-faced woman of fifty-five1 is standing1 gazing out of the window4 ,there is a flash of lightning and a rumble of thunder far away4 ,mrs4 ,hawthorn4 ,it's passing over4 ,there'll be no rain4 ,christopher4 ,ay6 ,we could do with some rain4 7,there is a flash of lightning47 ,chris4 ,pull down the blind and light the gas4 ,mrs4 ,h4 ,what for8 ,chris4 ,it's more cozy-like with the gas4 ,mrs4 ,h4 ,you're not afraid of the lightning8 ,chris4 ,i want to look at that railway guide4 ,mrs4 ,h4 ,what's the good4 ,we've looked at it twice already4 ,there's no train from ,blackpool till half-past ten1 and it's only just on nine now4 ,chris4 ,happen we've made a mistake4 ,mrs4 ,h4 ,happen we've not4 ,besides1 what's the good of a railway guide8 ,you know trains run as they like on ,bank ,holiday4 ,chris4 ,ay6 ,perhaps you're right4 ,you don't think she'll come round by ,manchester6 ,mrs4 ,h4 ,what would she be doing coming round by ,manchester8 ,chris4 ,you can get that road from ,blackpool4 ,mrs4 ,h4 ,yes4 ,if she's coming from ,blackpool4 ,chris4 ,have you thought she may not come at all8 ,mrs4 ,h4 7,grimly47 ,what do you take me for8 ,chris4 ,you never hinted4 ,mrs4 ,h4 ,no use putting them sort of ideas into your head4 7,another flash and a peal of thunder47 ,chris4 ,well1 well1 those are lucky who haven't to travel at all on ,bank ,holiday4 ,mrs4 ,h4 ,unless they've got a motor car1 like ,nat ,jeffcote's lad4 ,chris4 ,nay1 he's not got one4 ,mrs4 ,h4 ,what8 ,why ,i saw him with my own eyes setting out in it last ,saturday week after the mill shut4 ,chris4 ,ay6 ,he's gone off these ,wakes with his pal ,george ,ramsbottom4 ,a couple of thick beggars1 those two6 ,mrs4 ,h4 ,then what do you mean telling me he's not got a motor car8 ,chris4 ,i said he hadn't got one of his own4 ,it's his father's4 ,you don't catch ,nat ,jeffcote parting with owt before his time4 ,that's how he holds his lad in check1 as you might say4 ,mrs4 ,h4 ,alan ,jeffcote's seldom short of cash4 ,he spends plenty4 ,chris4 ,ay6 ,nat gives him what he asks for1 and doesn't want to know how he spends it either4 ,but he's got to ask for it first4 ,nat can stop supplies any time if he's a mind4 ,mrs4 ,h4 ,that's likely1 isn't it8 ,chris4 ,queerer things have happened4 ,you don't know ,nat like ,i do4 ,he's a bad one to get across with4 7,another flash and gentle peal4 ,mrs4 ,h4 gets up47 ,mrs4 ,h4 ,i'll light the gas4 7,she pulls down the blind and lights the gas47 ,chris4 ,when ,i met ,nat this morning he told me that ,alan had telegraphed from ,llandudno on ,saturday asking for twenty pounds4 ,mrs4 ,h4 ,from ,llandudno8 ,chris4 ,ay6 ,reckon he's been stopping there4 ,run short of brass4 ,mrs4 ,h4 ,and did he send it8 ,chris4 ,of course he sent it4 ,nat doesn't stint the lad4 7,he laughs quietly47 ,eh1 but he can get through it1 though6 ,mrs4 ,h4 ,look here4 ,what are you going to say to ,fanny when she comes8 ,chris4 ,ask her where she's been8 ,mrs4 ,h4 ,ask her where she's been4 ,of course we'll do that4 ,but suppose she won't tell us8 ,chris4 ,she's always been a good girl4 ,mrs4 ,h4 ,she's always gone her own road4 ,suppose she tells us to mind our own business8 ,chris4 ,i reckon it is my business to know what she's been up to4 ,mrs4 ,h4 ,don't you forget it4 ,and don't let her forget it either4 ,if you do1 ,i promise you ,i won't4 ,chris4 ,all right4 ,where's that post-card8 ,mrs4 ,h4 ,little good taking heed of that4 7,christopher rises and gets a picture post-card from the dresser47 ,chris4 7,reading47 ,she'll be home before late on ,monday4 ,lovely weather4 7,looking at the picture47 ,north ,pier1 ,blackpool4 ,very like1 too4 ,mrs4 ,h4 7,suddenly47 ,let's have a look4 ,when was it posted8 ,chris4 ,it's dated ,sunday4 ,mrs4 ,h4 ,that's nowt to go by4 ,any one can put the wrong date4 ,what's the postmark8 7,she scrutinizes it47 ,august #eth1 summat ,p4,m4 ,i can't make out the time4 ,chris4 ,august #eth4 ,that was yesterday all right4 ,there'd only be one post on ,sunday4 ,mrs4 ,h4 ,then she was in ,blackpool till yesterday1 that's certain4 ,chris4 ,ay6 ,mrs4 ,h4 ,well1 it's a mystery4 ,chris4 7,shaking his head47 ,or summat worse4 ,mrs4 ,h4 ,eh8 ,you don't think that1 eh8 ,chris4 ,i don't know what to think4 ,mrs4 ,h4 ,nor me neither4 7,they sit silent for a time4 ,there is a rumble of thunder1 far away4 ,after it has died away1 a knock is heard at the front door4 ,they turn and look at each other4 ,mrs4 ,hawthorn rises and goes out in silence4 ,in a few moments1 ,fanny ,hawthorn comes in1 followed by ,mrs4 ,hawthorn47#e ,what usually keeps a writer from passing to well characterized dialogue from dialogue merely clear as to essential facts is that he is so bound to his facts that he sees rather than feels the scene4 ,the chief trouble with the dialogue of the ,john ,brown play was an attempt to keep so close to historical accounts of the particular incident that sympathetic imagination was benumbed4 ,one constantly meets this fault in the earlier ,miracle ,plays before writers had come to understand that audiences care more for the human being in the situation than for the situation itself1 and that only by representing a situation not for itself but as felt by the people involved can it be made fully interesting4 ,at the left is a speech of ,mary in ,the ,crucifixion of the ,york ,cycle2 at the right is her speech in the ,hegge or so-called ,coventry ,plays4 ,mary4 ,alas6 for my sweet ,mary1 ,o my son1 my son6 my darling son1 ,i say1 dear6 ,that dolefully to deed thus is ,what have ,i defended offended thee8 dight1 ,thou hast spoke to all of those that ,alas6 for full lovely thou lay be here1 ,in my womb1 this worthely wight ,and not a word thou speakest to me4 ,alas6 that ,i should see this ,to the ,jews thou art full kind1 sight ,thou hast forgiven all here ,of my son so seemly to see1 misdeed2 ,alas6 that this blossom so ,and the thief thou hast in mind1 bright ,for once asking mercy heaven is his ,untruly is tugged to this tree1 meed4 ,alas6 ,ah6 my sovereign lord1 why wilt thou ,my lord1 my life1 not speak ,with full great grief1 ,to me that am thy mother in pain for ,hanges as a thief1 thy wrong8 ,alas6 he did never trespass4#f ,ah1 heart1 heart why wilt thou not break8 ,that ,i were out of this sorrow so strong6#g ,the writer of the ,hegge speech had discovered long before ,ralph ,waldo ,emerson that the secret of good dialogue is truth carried alive into the heart by passion4 ,the second requisite1 then1 of good dialogue is that it must be kindled by feeling1 made alive by the emotion of the speaker4 ,for the would-be dramatist the secret is so to know his characters that facts are not mere facts1 but conditions moving him because they move the characters he perfectly understands4 ,as he interprets between character and audience1 he must be like ,planchette or the clairvoyant1 the creature of another's will1 whose ideas and emotions rather than his own he tries with all the power that is in him to convey4 ,in brief1 then1 though it is absolutely necessary that dialogue give the facts as to what happens1 who the people are1 their relations to one another1 etc41 it is better dialogue if1 while doing all this1 it seems to be busied only with characterization4 ,unassigned dialogue usually makes a reader or hearer promptly recognize his preference for characterized rather than uncharacterized speech4 ,when a group1 as in many stage mobs1 speaks in chorus1 or at best in sections1 the result is unreality for many hearers and absurdity for the more critical4 ,every hearer knows that people do not really1 when part of a mob1 say absolutely the same thing1 and rarely speak in perfect unison4 ,common sense cries out for individualization among the possible speakers4 ,when we read the following extract from ,andreiev's ,life of ,man1 we may agree with what is apparently the author's idea1 that it makes no difference which one of the speakers delivers a particular line or sentence2 but the moment the scene is staged everything changes4 ,a profound darkness within which nothing moves4 ,then there can be dimly perceived the outlines of a large1 high room and the grey silhouettes of ,old ,women in strange garments who resemble a troop of grey1 hiding mice4 ,in low voices and with laughter to and fro the ,old ,women converse4 99 99 99 99 99 ,when they sent him to the drug store for some medicine he rode up and down past the store for two hours and could not remember what he wanted4 ,so he came back4 7,subdued laughter4 ,the crying again becomes louder and then dies away4 ,silence47 ,what has happened to her8 ,perhaps she is already dead4 ,no1 in that case we should hear weeping4 ,the doctor would run out and begin to talk nonsense1 and they would bring out her husband unconscious1 and we should have our hands full4 ,no1 she is not dead4 ,then why are we sitting here8 ,ask ,him4 ,how should we know8 ,he won't tell4 ,he won't tell4 ,he tells nothing4 ,he drives us here and there4 ,he rouses us from our beds and makes us watch1 and then it turns out that there was no need of our coming4 ,we came of our own accord4 ,didn't we come of our own accord8 ,you must be fair to ,him4 ,there1 she is crying again4 ,aren't you satisfied8 ,are you8 ,i am saying nothing4 ,i am saying nothing and waiting4 ,how kind-hearted you are6 7,laughter4 ,the cries become louder47#h ,of course every rule has its exception1 and it may be urged that the final lines of ,david ,pinski's ,the ,treasure need no assigning to special speakers4 ,this1 if true1 results from the fact that ,mr4 ,pinski1 as the last touch in his study of the universal perversion of man through lust for money1 wishes to represent even all the dead as sharing in this greed4 ,even here1 however1 ,mr4 ,pinski is careful1 by his headings ,many and ,the ,pious ,rabbi1 to distinguish among speeches to be given by one person1 the chorus1 and a figure he wishes specially to individualize1 the ,rabbi4 ,the ,dead 7,in shrouds and praying shawls appear singly and in groups amid the graves4 ,they whisper and breathe their words47 ,swiftly into the synagogue6444 ,hasten6444 ,the hour of midnight is long past4444 ,hasten4444 7,they hasten to the gate4 ,one sees only their silhouettes in the dim light of the veiled moon47 ,i thought we would not come out today at all4 ,the dead fear the breath of the living4 ,we fear them more than they do us4 ,there is no peace betwixt life and death4444 ,no peace 444 no peace4444 ,indeed life vexed me grievously today4 ,vexed is not the word4 ,i lived in their life so really that ,i shuddered and feared4 ,shuddered with fear or with longing8 ,did you feel a yearning for your money8 7,ghostly laughter shakes the rows of the dead47 ,the distinguished and the wealthy must surely have had a bad day4 ,it fairly smelled of money and they had to lie with the worms4 ,it almost threw them out of their graves4 ,many ,money 444 money 444 money4444 7,ghostly laughter47 ,but you poor devils hadn't a much better time either4 ,it smelled of money and you couldn't even beg4 7,laughter47 ,it is high time for all of you to be forgetting life4444 ,come quickly into the synagogue4444 7,many of the dead vanish47 ,it gave me really an exalted feeling to see how little fear of us they felt4 ,don't flatter yourself4 ,we would have been no better4 ,we were no better either4 ,many 7,at the same time47 ,money 444 ,money 444 ,money4444 ,others ,and that is life 444 that is life 444 that is life4444 ,it exalted me in my grave too4 ,so many women walked about here today4 ,young ones and pretty ones1 ,i wager4444 7,laughter47 ,who speaks thus8 ,who opens his mouth to speak such ugly words8 ,it's the petty field surgeon who lies buried by the wall4 ,the ,pious ,rabbi 7,in passing4 ,his praying shawl hangs but loosely over his left shoulder47 ,they have dug up my whole grave4444 ,they have dug away my right arm4 ,woe1 how shall ,i now put on my praying shawl8 ,how shall ,i appear before ,god8 7,to a group47 ,will not some one help me to put on my praying shawl8 7,they surround and help him4 ,they show signs of deep feeling at the sight of the missing arm4 ,murmurs of astonishment and compassion47 ,many ,woe 444 woe 444 woe4444 ,others ,money 444 money 444 money4444 ,the ,rabbi ,now will ,i go and appear before ,god4444 ,now ,i will ask him4444 7,he vanishes through the gate47 ,many ,he will get no answer 444 he will get no answer4 ,one of the ,dead 7,with feeling47 ,they who are in life still stand at the same point4 ,generation dies after generation and all remains as it has been4 ,as it was aforetime1 so it was in my time and so it is today4 ,many ,money 444 money 444 money4444 ,and yet it must lead to something4 ,surely there must be a goal4 ,only ,god knows that4444 ,and man must learn what it is4 ,that will be his greatest victory4 ,man's greatest victory4 ,several ,man's4444 ,others ,the living one's4444 ,and we8 7,a ghostly breathing of laughter and sighing47 ,the ,first ,man's greatest victory 444 ,curtain#i ,staging this1 several facts will confront us4 ,we certainly shall not let different actors of the group speak different lines on successive nights4 ,that is1 each supernumerary will be given one speech or more4 ,if certain speeches seem to belong together1 they will be given to one actor1 and characterization will emerge as he speaks his lines4 ,unquestionably1 too1 if speeches which seem in themselves uncharacterizing are given to marked physical types1 such as stout1 very thin1 very tall1 or very short people1 persons of markedly quick or slow physical movement1 some of the speeches may seem unfitting4 ,rarely1 then1 is there any value in the unassigned speech4 ,it may pass in the reading1 as has been admitted1 but the public prefers the assigned speech1 and still more the speech so characterized that it must be assigned4 ,compare this passage from ,julius ,caesar with its assignments to the ,first1 the ,second1 the ,third1 and the ,fourth ,plebeian with the passage from ,andreiev's play4 ,can there be any question that ,shakespeare's assigned speeches are somehow clearer1 more dramatic8 ,,scene ,,iii4 ,a ,street ,enter ,cinna the poet1 and after him the ,plebeians ,cinna4 ,i dreamt tonight that ,i did feast with ,caesar1 ,and things unluckily charge my fantasy4 ,i have no will to wander forth of doors4 ,yet something leads me forth4 #a4 ,plebeian4 ,what is your name8 #b4 ,plebeian4 ,whither are you going8 #c4 ,plebeian4 ,where do you dwell8 #d4 ,plebeian4 ,are you a married man or a bachelor8 #b4 ,plebeian4 ,answer every man directly4 #a4 ,plebeian4 ,ay1 and briefly4 #d4 ,plebeian4 ,ay1 and wisely4 #c4 ,plebeian4 ,ay1 and truly1 you were best4 ,cinna4 ,what is my name8 ,whither am ,i going8 ,where do ,i dwell8 ,am ,i a married man or a bachelor8 ,then1 to answer every man directly and briefly1 wisely and truly3 wisely ,i say1 ,i am a bachelor4 #b4 ,plebeian4 ,that's as much as to say1 they are fools that marry4 ,you'll bear me a bang for that1 ,i fear4 ,proceed2 directly4 ,cinna4 ,directly1 ,i am going to ,caesar's funeral4 #a4 ,plebeian4 ,as a friend or an enemy8 ,cinna4 ,as a friend4 #b4 ,plebeian4 ,that matter is answered directly4 #d4 ,plebeian4 ,for your dwelling1--briefly4 ,cinna4 ,briefly1 ,i dwell by the ,capitol4 #c4 ,plebeian4 ,your name1 sir1 truly4 ,cinna4 ,truly1 my name is ,cinna4 #a4 ,plebeian4 ,tear him to pieces2 he's a conspirator4 ,cinna4 ,i am ,cinna the poet1 ,i am ,cinna the poet4 #d4 ,plebeian4 ,tear him for his bad verses1 tear him for his bad verses4 ,cinna4 ,i am not ,cinna the conspirator4 #d4 ,plebeian4 ,it is no matter1 his name's ,cinna4 ,pluck but his name out of his heart and turn him going4 #c4 ,plebeian4 ,tear him1 tear him6 ,come1 brands1 ho6 fire-brands6 ,to ,brutus'1 to ,cassius'2 burn all6 ,some to ,decius' house1 and some to ,casca's2 some to ,lingarius'4 ,away1 go6 7,exeunt47#aj ,it may almost be stated as a general principle that assigning a speech is the first step in focusing the attention of an audience on that speech4 ,the value of such focusing has been discussed earlier under ,characterization4 ,in exceptional cases1 as the citation from ,the ,treasure shows1 there may be some justification for unassigned speeches1 but in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred1 when any lines of the play seem not to need assigning to any particular person1 they lack the characterization which belongs to them4 ,the thesis play or the problem play1 which have been so current in the last few years1 have brought into special prominence a common fault in so-called dramatic dialogue4 ,the speeches narrate1 describe1 expound or argue1 and well1 but not in the character of the supposed speaker4 ,rather the author himself is speaking4 ,such dialogue1 whether it be as clever as some in ,mr4 ,shaw's plays1 as beautiful as certain passages by ,george ,chapman1 or as commonplace as in many modern instances1 should be rewritten till the author can state the desired idea or facts as the imagined speaker would have stated them4 ,this was the fault with the extract from the ,john ,brown play1 and whether it has its source in an intense desire of the author to present his own ideas1 or to phrase his sense of beauty1 in lack of characterizing power or in mere carelessness1 it is reprehensible4 ,in the following instance1 the writer is so absorbed in his own ideas that he forgets characterization4 ,senator ,morse4 444 ,what great motive--8 ,mary4 ,one more imperious than empires or coalitions--7,mary turns to ,mrs4 ,morse7--one that mothers know--7,mary turns to ,senator ,morse7--and fathers1 too4 ,it is the commonest thing in the world1 and the one most completely overlooked4 ,woman's love and faith and charity are the motives of that great1 imperious impulse by which nature is trying to rule this world and perpetuate the human soul4 ,individual self-control and the governance of the world are themselves in embryo4444 ,creation is from ,god and it is divine4 ,it is the thing and the only thing that kills wantonness and makes love pure4 ,the higher modesty is the peculiar inheritance of our race4 ,it is our duty to understand it1 respect it1 make it sacred1 and have it raised out of the darkness of ignorance and mystery in its true dignity as patriotic impulse and made the true basis of society1 its government1 and its provision for the general welfare4 ,does this sound like an individual woman or like the author using one of his characters for the sounding phrases of his own thinking8 ,in the next illustration1 from ,george ,barnwell1 the colorlessness comes from the lack of quickening sympathy with character which marks most of ,lillo's work4 ,thorowgood4 ,thou know'st ,i have no heir1 no child but thee2 the fruits of many years successful industry must all be thine4 ,now1 it would give me pleasure great as my love1 to see on whom you would bestow it4 ,i am daily solicited by men of the greatest rank and merit for leave to address you2 but ,i have hitherto declin'd it1 in hopes that by observation ,i shou'd learn which way your inclination tends2 for as ,i know love to be essential to happiness in the marriage state1 ,i had rather my approbation should confirm your choice than direct it4 ,maria4 ,what can ,i say8 ,how shall ,i answer1 as ,i ought1 this tenderness1 so uncommon even in the best of parents8 ,but you are without example2 yet had you been less indulgent1 ,i had been most wretched4 ,that ,i look on the croud of courtiers that visit here with equal esteem1 but equal indifference1 you have observed1 and ,i must needs confess2 yet had you asserted your authority1 and insisted on a parent's right to be obey'd1 ,i had submitted and to my duty sacrificed my peace4 ,thor4 ,from your perfect obedience in every other instance1 ,i fear'd as much2 and therefore wou'd leave you without a byass in an affair wherein your happiness is so immediately concern'd4 ,ma4 ,whether from a want of that just ambition that wou'd become your daughter1 or from some other cause1 ,i know not2 but ,i find high birth and titles don't recommend the man who owns them to my affections4 ,thor4 ,i wou'd not that they shou'd1 unless his merit recommends him more4 ,a noble birth and fortune1 tho' they make not a bad man good1 yet they are a real advantage to a worthy one1 and place his virtues in the fairest light4 ,ma4 ,i cannot answer for my inclinations1 but they shall ever be submitted to your wisdom and authority2 and1 as you will not compel me to marry where ,i cannot love1 so love shall never make me act contrary to my duty4 ,sir1 ,i have your permission to retire8 ,thor4 ,i'll see you to your chamber4 7,exeunt47#aa ,too often even somewhat skilled dramatists are led astray by the belief that to write in a style approved at the moment1 or which they themselves hold beautiful1 is better than to let the characters speak their own language4 ,examining the early plays of ,john ,lyly--,alexander and ,campaspe1 ,sapho and ,phao1 ,endymion#ab 7#aegi-aeij7--we find in the more serious portions both action and characterization subordinated to standards of expression supposed at the time to be best4 ,contrasting the lovers' dialogue of ,love's ,labor's ,lost with the scenes of ,orsino and ,viola in ,twelfth ,night1 we see perfect illustration of the greater effectiveness of dialogue growing out of the characters as compared with dialogue which puts style first4 ,the ,heroic ,drama of the second half of the seventeenth century rested upon theory rather than reality4 ,here is the way in which ,almahide and ,almanzor state strong feeling4 ,almahide4 ,then1 since you needs will all my weakness know1 ,i love you2 and so well1 that you must go4 ,i am so much oblig'd1 and have withall ,a heart so boundless and so prodigal ,i dare not trust myself1 or you1 to stay1 ,but1 like frank gamesters1 must foreswear the play4 ,almanzor4 ,fate1 thou art kind to strike so hard a blow2 ,i am quite stunn'd1 and past all feeling now4 ,yet--can you tell me you have pow'r and will ,to save my life1 and at that instant1 kill6#ac ,all that these two worthy people are trying to say is ,almahide4 ,i love you2 and so well that ,i dare not trust myself or you to stay4 ,almanzor4 ,can you tell me you have power and will to save my life and at that instant kill6 ,dryden makes ,almahide describe her own emotional condition and1 as is proper at any critical moment in ,heroic ,drama1 drop into simile4 ,almanzor1 too1 confidently diagnoses his own condition and apostrophizes fate4 ,all this was quite correct in its own day1 not for real life1 but for the people of the myth land conjured up by the dramatic theories of the litterati4 ,did people under such circumstances speak in this way8 ,surely not4 ,this scene from ,george ,barnwell1 #agca1 illustrates the same substitution of an author's idea of what is effective because literary for a phrasing that springs from the real emotion of perfectly individualized figures4 ,,scene #g4 ,uncle4 ,george ,barnwell at a distance ,uncle4 ,o ,death1 thou strange mysterious power1--seen every day1 yet never understood but by the incommunicative dead--what art thou8 ,the extensive mind of man1 that with a thought circles the earth's vast globe1 sinks to the centre1 or ascends above the stars2 that worlds exotick finds1 or thinks it finds--thy thick clouds attempts to pass in vain1 lost and bewilder'd in the horrid gloom2 defeated1 she returns more doubtful than before2 of nothing certain but of labour lost4 7,during this speech1 ,barnwell sometimes presents the pistol and draws it back again2 at last he drops it1 at which his uncle starts and draws his sword47 ,barnwell4 ,oh1 'tis impossible6 ,uncle4 ,a man so near me1 arm'd and masqu'd6 ,barn4 ,nay1 then there's no retreat4 7,plucks a poniard from his bosom1 and stabs him47 ,uncle4 ,oh6 ,i am slain6 ,all-gracious heaven regard the prayer of thy dying servant6 ,bless1 with thy choicest blessings1 my dearest nephew2 forgive my murderer1 and take my fleeting soul to endless mercy6 7,barnwell throws off his mask1 runs to him1 and1 kneeling by him1 raises and chafes him47 ,barn4 ,expiring saint6 ,oh1 murder'd1 martyr'd uncle6 ,lift up your dying eyes1 and view your nephew in your murderer6 ,o1 do not look so tenderly upon me6 ,let indignation lighten from your eyes1 and blast me e're you die6--,by ,heaven1 he weeps in pity of my woes4 ,tears1--tears for blood6 ,the murder'd1 in the agonies of death1 weeps for his murderer4--,oh1 speak your pious purpose1 pronounce my pardon then--and take me with you6--,he wou'd1 but cannot4 ,o why with such fond affection do you press my murdering hand6--,what6 will you kiss me6 7,kisses him4 ,uncle groans and dies47 ,he's gone forever--and oh6 ,i follow4 7,swoons away by his uncle's body47 ,do ,i still live to press the suffering bosom of the earth8 ,do ,i still breathe and taint with my infectious breath the wholesome air6 ,let ,heaven from its high throne1 in justice or in mercy1 now look down on that dear murder'd saint1 and me the murderer4 ,and1 if his vengeance spares1 let pity strike and end my wretched being6--,murder the worst of crimes1 and parricide the worst of murders1 and this the worst of parricides6 ,cain1 who stands on record from the birth of time1 and must to its last final period1 as accurs'd1 slew a brother1 favour'd above him4 ,detested ,nero by another's hand dispatched a mother that he fear'd and hated4 ,but ,i1 with my own hand1 have murder'd a brother1 mother1 father1 and a friend1 most loving and belov'd4 ,this execrable act of mine's without a parallel4 ,o may it ever stand alone--the last of murders1 as it is the worst6 ,the rich man thus1 in torment and despair1 ,prefer'd his vain1 but charitable prayer4 ,the fool1 his own soul lost1 wou'd fain be wise ,for others good2 but ,heaven his suit denies4 ,by laws and means well known we stand or fall1 ,and one eternal rule remains for all4 ,the ,end of the ,third ,act4#ad ,have you noticed that people under stress of strong emotion stop to depict their emotional condition1 to analyze it1 or neatly to apostrophize fate or ,providence8 ,the more real the emotion the more compact and connotative1 usually1 is its expression4 ,people under high emotional strain who can tell you just what they ought to feel1 or who describe elaborately what they are feeling are usually indeed exceeding calm4 ,dryden's ,lyndaraxa builded better than she knew when she said3 ,by my own experience ,i can tell ,those who love truly do not argue well4 ,bulwer-,lytton was thinking of the weakness of self-descriptive woe when he wrote ,macready1 while composing ,richelieu1 ,in ,act #d--;in my last alteration1 when ,richelieu1 pitying ,julie1 says1 ',i could weep to see her thus--,but'--the effect would ,i think be better if he felt the tears with indignation at his own weakness--thus3 ',are these tears8 ,o1 shame1 shame1 ,dotage'-- ,emotion1 if given free way1 finds the right words by which to express itself4 ,when a character stands outside itself1 describing what it feels1 the speaker is really the author in disguise1 describing what he is incompetent1 from lack of sympathetic power1 to phrase with simple1 moving accuracy4 ,m4 de ,curel has described perfectly the right relation of author to character and dialogue4 ,during the first days of work ,i have a very distinct feeling of creation4 ,later ,i move on instinctively and that is much better4 ,when the sentiments of my characters are in question ,i am absolutely in their skins1 for my own part indifferent as to their griefs or joys4 ,i can be moved only later in re-reading1 and then this emotion seems to arise from the fact that ,i have to do with characters absolutely strange to me4 ,i experience sometimes1 and then personally1 a feeling of irony1 of flippancy1 in regard to my characters who tangle themselves up and get themselves into difficulties4 ,that transpires sometimes in the language of some other character who1 at the moment1 ceases to speak correctly because he speaks as ,i should4 ,as a result1 corrections later4 ,at the end of a year1 my play1 when ,i re-read it1 seems something completely apart from me1 written by another4#ae ,allowing a character to express itself exactly raises inevitably the question of dialect4 ,on the one hand it must be admitted that nothing more quickly characterizes a figure1 as far as type is concerned1 than to let him speak like a ,yankee1 a ,scotchman1 a ,negro1 etc4 ,if the character utters phrases which an audience recognizes instantly as characteristic of his supposed type1 there is special satisfaction to the audience in such recognition4 ,on the other hand1 very few audiences know any dialect thoroughly enough to permit a writer to use it with absolute accuracy4 ,the moment dialect begins to show the need of a glossary1 it is defeating its own ends4 ,as a result a compromise has arisen1 dating from the very early days of the drama--stage dialects4 ,a character made up to represent ,scotchman1 ,welshman1 ,frenchman1 ,negro1 or ,indian1 speaks in a way that has become time-honored on the stage as representing this or that figure among these types4 ,till recently most dialect on the stage has been at best a mere popular approximation to real usage4 ,until within a few years the peasant dialogue of ,gammer ,gurton's ,needle1 the famous sixteenth-century ,interlude1 was supposed to represent dialect of its time in the neighborhood of ,cambridge1 ,england4 ,recently philologists have shown that the speech of these peasants is unlike any dialect of the period of the play1 and was obviously a stage convention of the time4 ,study the ,welshmen and other dialect parts in ,shakespeare1 and you will reach approximately the same conclusion4 ,with our developing sense of historical truth and of realism1 we have1 in recent years1 been trying to make our characters speak exactly as they would in real life4 ,the plays of the ,abbey ,theatre are in large part a revolt from the ,irish dialogue which the plays of ,dion ,boucicault had practically established as true to life4 ,today we try not only phonetically to represent the ways in which words are spoken by the people of a particular locality1 but by the use of words and phrases heard among such people to make the characterization vivid and convincing4 ,here1 in ,mr4 ,sheldon's play1 ,the ,nigger1 is care to reproduce phonetically the speech of negroes3 ,jinny4 7,wearily47 ,i speck yo' right4 ,hev yo' got suthin' fo' me t'night8 ,seems lak ,i might take it down wif me t' de cabin4 ,simms4 7,grumbling47 ,fo' dat young good-fo'-nuffin hawg-grubbah t' swallow w'en he done come home8 ,laws me1 w'y ,marse ,phil 'lows his fried chicken en' co'n-braid t' feed dat wo'thles rap-scallion1 ,i jes' cain't see6 ,clar out o' heah1 yo' ern'ry yallah gal6 ,jinny4 7,crushingly47 ,yallah gal--6 ,sho'6 ,i was livin' heah fo' yo' was bawn6 ,don' fo'get dat1 yo' imperent1 low-down li'tle niggah yo'6 ,simms4 7,pacifically47 ,hol' on1 ,jinny6 ,i ain't said nuffin'4 ,dat ,i ain't6 ,yo' g' long now en' ,i'll sen' down a gal t' yo' cabin wif a basket4 ,jinny4 7,turning away47 ,yo' sho' will--er ,marse ,phil'd-- ,simms4 7,as he goes up the steps47 ,en' keep yo' gran'chillun out dat saloom1 ,jinny1 ef yo' don' want t' see 'em cross de ,jo'dan ahead o' yo'6 ,dat ,joe6 ,lawd-a-massy6 ,de white in him ain't done nobody no good's fah's dis--',scuse me1 sah6 7,he stops suddenly and turns aside1 bowing1 on seeing ,noyes and ,georgie1 who have opened the door and come out47 ,here is equal care to represent the speech of ,southerners4 ,noyes4 ,my fathah8 ,yes1 he gave way t' his ,comme'cial ambition by sellin' powda an' bullets t' the ,union--way back in '#fb4 ,that got him into a bunch o' trouble1 but it wasn't what sta'ted the--slight fam'ly coolness6 ,georgie4 ,wasn't it8 ,why1 ,i always hea'd--- ,noyes4 ,no1 it came befo' that4 ,my gran'fathah an' ,phil's--they were brothahs-in-law1 you know--they began it in the fo'ties4 ,georgie4 ,why8 ,noyes4 7,grimly47 ,i reckon the ,morrows are tryin' now t' keep it da'k4 ,but ,lawd6--,i don't mind tellin'4 ,it's the old thing--both losin' theah heads ovah the same woman4 ,georgie4 7,innocently47 ,how romantic6 ,phil's gran'mothah8 ,noyes4 7,after a pause47 ,no--niggah woman4 ,georgie4 7,in a low voice1 turning away47 ,oh--,i didn't--realize-- ,noyes4 7,clearing his throat47 ,phil's gran'fathah--he won out4 ,an' that's the kick that sta'ted the ,noyes fam'ly a-rollin' t' pe'dition4 ,georgie4 7,with difficulty47 ,but mos' people are willin' to fo'get--at least they ought to be4 ,noyes4 7,dryly47 ,some ain't killed 'emselves tryin'4 ,howevah1 on lookin' ahead ,i saw ,phil an' ,i might be in a position t' help each othah1 so we agreed t' sink it4 ,i--,i wish yo' mothah would follow ,phil1 ,miss ,byrd4 ,i ce'tainly do wish that6 ,georgie4 ,she's old-fashioned--oh1 hopelessly so6--in things the world now considers--trivial4 ,noyes4 7,looking at his hands47 ,such as--trade8 ,georgie4 7,gently47 ,that's one of them4#af ,lady ,gregory1 after writing a rough draft of one of her plays1 goes among the people of her community and sets them talking of the subject she is treating4 ,noting their racy1 apt1 and highly individualized phrases1 she gives them to her characters in the play as she re-writes4 ,such intimate1 loving study of dialect as ,lady ,gregory1 ,mr4 ,yeats1 and ,synge have shown has given us an accurate representation of the ,irish peasant1 and may ultimately drive from the ,english stage the conventional absurdities of the past4 ,dialect1 then1 if carefully studied1 is highly desirable if two or three facts are borne in mind4 ,first of all1 it should be accurate2 but secondly it must be clear or must be made clear for any audience4 ,unquestionably1 ,mr4 ,stanley ,houghton's memorable play ,hindle ,wakes had a bad title away from its birthplace1--,manchester1 ,england4 ,in the ,united ,states1 this title is perfectly meaningless4 ,how many in any audience in this country could be expected to know that the title means certain autumn week-end holidays in the town of ,hindle4 ,there could be no harm in using a different title away from the birthplace of the play4 ,recently1 in a manuscript play1 appeared a figure speaking a strange mixture of ,negro and ,irish dialects4 ,he seemed to all readers a clumsy attempt by the author at a dialect part4 ,really1 the figure was a portrait of a small political boss who1 from boyhood on1 had acquired in the saloons and purlieus of his district words and phrases of both the ,negroes and the ,irish4 ,a little preliminary exposition at the right place cleared up this difficulty and turned what seemed inept characterization into a particularly individual figure of richly characterizing phrase4 ,obviously1 then1 dialect should1 first1 be written accurately4 ,then it should be gone over to see what in it may not be clear to most auditors4 ,these words or phrases should be made clear because they are translated by other people on the stage or by the speaker1 who himself sees or is told that some stage listener does not understand him4 ,only a little ingenuity is needed to do away with such vaguenesses4 ,to substitute for such words and phrases others which1 though incorrect1 would be instantly understood by the audience is to botch the dialect and produce what is1 after all1 not different from the conventional stage dialect of the past4 ,this raises a third point in regard to dialect1 and one very frequently disregarded4 ,over and over again in plays using dialect certain speeches are passed over by the author in his final revision which neither phonetically nor in the words and phrases chosen comport with the context4 ,instantly the mood and the color of the scene are lost unless the actor supplies what the author failed to give4 ,that is1 dialect1 if used1 should be used steadily and consistently4 ,the desiderata are1 then1 accuracy1 persistent use1 and clearness for the general public4 ,thus used1 dialect is one of the chief aids to characterization4 ,if1 in writing dialogue1 a dramatist must not speak as himself but in character1 must not be consciously or unconsciously literary if not in character1 how may one surely choose the right words8 ,perhaps one or two illustrations will help here4 ,the citation in the left-hand column from the first quarto ,hamlet states the facts clearly enough1 but wholly uncolored by the emotion of the speaker4 ,in the right-hand column the passionate sympathy of ,shakespeare has given him perfect understanding of ,hamlet's feeling4 ,hamlet4 ,o fie ,horatio1 and if ,hamlet44 ,o good ,horatio1 what a thou shouldst die1 wounded name ,what a scandale wouldst thou ,things standing thus unknowne1 leave behinde8 shall ,i leave behind me8 ,what tongue should tell the ,if thou did'st ever hold me in story of our deaths1 thy hart1 ,if not from thee8 ,o my heart ,absent thee from felicity a sinckes ,horatio1 while ,mine eyes have lost their sight1 ,and in this harsh world drawe my tongue his use3 thy breath in paine ,farewell ,horatio1 heaven receive ,to tell my story2 ,what warlike my soule4 noise is this8 7,hamlet dies47 7,a march a farre off47#ag ,speaking1 not as the historian1 not as the observer1 but as ,hamlet himself1 ,shakespeare by his quickened feeling finds a phrasing of which we may say what ,swinburne said of some of the lines of ,john ,webster3 that the character says1 not what he might have said1 not what we are satisfied to have him say1 but what seems absolutely the only thing he could have said4 ,when a dramatist works as he should1 the emotion of his characters gives him the right words for carrying their feelings to the audience1 and every word counts4 ,writing to ,macready of ,money1 ,bulwer-,lytton said of his play1 ,at the end of ,act in your closing speech1 will you remember to say1 you 'would' refuse me ten pounds to spend on benevolence4 ,not you refuse me4 ,the would is important4 #ah ,in the left-hand column the complete sympathy of ,heywood with his characters makes them speak simply1 out of the fullness of their emotion4 ,in the right-hand column1 ,heywood's collaborator1 ,rowley1 lacking complete understanding of his characters1 is thinking more of phrase for its own sake4 ,,act ,i4 ,,scene #d4 ,the street ,,act ,,ii4 ,,scene #a4 ,hounslow ,enter ,rainsford and ,young ,enter ,rainsford and ,young ,forrest1 meeting ,forrest ,young ,forrest4 ,pray let ,rainsford4 ,your resolution me speak with you4 holds then8 ,rainsford4 ,with me1 sir8 ,young ,forrest4 ,men that are easily mov'd are soon ,young ,for4 ,with you4 remov'd4 ,rains4 ,say on4 ,young ,for4 ,do you not know me8 ,from resolution2 but when1 with advice ,rains4 ,keep off1 upon the ,and with foresight we purpose1 peril of thy life4 our intents ,come not within my sword's ,are not without considerate length1 lest this arm reasons alter'd4 ,prove fatal to thee and bereave thy life1 ,rains4 ,thou art resolv'd1 and ,as it hath done thy brother's4 ,i prepar'd for thee4 ,yet thus much know1 thy state ,young ,for4 ,why now thou is desperate1 know'st me truly1 by that ,and thou art now in danger's token1 throat already ,that thou hast slain my brother4 ,ev'n half devoured4 ,if ,i subdue ,put up1 put up6 thee1 know ,so great a quarrel as a brother's ,thou art a dead man2 for this life fatal steel1 ,must not be made a street-brawl2 ,that search'd thy brother's 'tis not fit entrails is prepar'd ,that every prentice should1 with ,to do as much to thee4 ,if thou his shop club1 survivest1 ,betwixt us play the sticklers4 ,and ,i be slain1 th'art dead too1 ,sheathe thy sword4 my alliance ,and greatness in the world will ,rains4 ,swear thou wilt act not endure no sudden violence1 ,my slaughter unavenged4 ,come1 ,or this sharp sword shall still ,i am for thee4 be interposed ',twixt me and thy own hatred4 ,young ,for4 ,i would my brother liv'd1 that this our ,young ,for4 ,sheathe thy diff'rence sword4 ,might end in an embrace of ,by my religion and that interest folded love2 ,i have in gentry ,i will not be ,but 'twas ,heaven's will that guilty for some guilt of his ,of any base revenge4 ,he should be scourged by thee2 and for the guilt ,rains4 ,say on4 ,in scourging him1 thou by my vengeance punish'd4 ,young ,for4 ,let's walk4 ,come2 ,i am both ways arm'd1 ,trust me4 ,let not thy guilty against thy steel soul ,if ,i be pierc'd by it1 or 'gainst ,be jealous of my fury4 ,this thy greatness my hand ,if mine pierce thee4 ,is curbed and govern'd by an honest heart1 ,rains4 ,have at thee4 ,not by just anger4 ,i'll not touch 7,they fight and pause47 thee foully ,for all the world4 ,let's walk4 ,young ,for4 ,i will not bid thee hold2 but if thy breath ,rains4 ,proceed4 ,be as much short as mine1 look to thy weakness4 ,young ,for4 ,sir1 you did kill my brother4 ,had it been ,rains4 ,the breath thou draw'st ,in fair and even encounter1 but weakly1 tho' a child1 ,thou now shalt draw no more4 ,his death ,i had not question'd4 7,they fight4 ,forrest loseth his weapon47 ,rains4 ,is this all8 ,young ,for4 ,he's gone4 ,the ,young ,for4 ,that ,heaven knows4 law is past4 ,your life is ,he guard my body that my clear'd2 spirit owes6 ,for none of all our kindred laid 7,guards himself1 and puts against by with his hat--slips--by ,you evidence to hang you4 the other1 running1 falls ,you're a gentleman2 over him1 and ,forrest kills ,and pity 'twere a man of your him47 descent ,should die a felon's death4 ,good4 ,my cousin's fall'n-- ,see1 sir1 thus far pursue the murderer4 ,we have demeaned fairly1 like ourselves4 ,foster4 ,but not too near4 ,but1 think you1 though we wink ,i pray2 you see he's armed1 at base revenge1 ,and in this deep amazement ,a brother's death can be so soon may commit forgot8 ,some desperate outrage4 ,our gentry baffled1 and our name disgraced8 ,no3 'tmust not be2 ,i am a ,young ,for4 ,had ,i but known gentleman the terror of this deed1 ,well known2 and my demeanor ,i would have left it done hihterto imperfectly1 ,hath promis'd somewhat4 ,rather than in this guilt of ,should ,i swallow this1 conscience ,the scandal would outlive me4 ,labour'd so far4 ,but ,i forget ,briefly then1 my safety4 ,i'll fight with you4 ,the gentleman is dead4 ,my desperate life ,rains4 ,i am loath4 ,will be o'erswayed by his allies and friends1 ,young ,for4 ,answer directly1 ,and ,i have now no safety but ,whether you dare to meet me my flight4 on even terms2 ,and see where my pursuers ,or mark how ,i'll proceed4 come4 ,away6 ,certain destruction hovers o'er ,rains4 ,say1 ,i deny it4 my stay4 7,exit47 ,young ,for4 ,then ,i say thou'rt 7,fortune by ,land and ,sea1 a villain1 and ,i challenge thee1 ,act ,,ii1 ,scene #a47a ,where'er ,i meet thee next1 in field or town1 ,the father's manors1 or thy tenants' grange1 ,saving the church1 there is no privilege ,in all this land for thy despised life4 7,fortune by ,land and ,sea1 ,act ,i1 ,scene #d47ai ,two sets of extracts from the first and final versions of ,ibsen's ,a ,doll's ,house show the way in which perfected understanding of a character reveals the apt phrase4 7,nora stands motionless4 ,he 7,nora stands motionless4 goes to the door and opens ,helmer goes to the door it47 and opens it47 ,the ,maid4 7,in the ,hall47 ,ellen4 7,half-dressed in the ,here is a letter for you1 ma'am4 ,hall47 ,here is a letter for you1 ma'am4 ,helmer4 ,give it here4 7,he ,helmer4 ,give it to me4 7,seizes seizes the letter and shuts the letter and shuts the door47 ,yes1 door47 ,yes1 from him4 ,look from him4 ,you shall not have it4 here4 ,i shall read it4 ,nora4 ,read it4 ,nora4 ,read it4 ,helmer4 ,i have hardly the ,helmer4 7,by the lamp47 ,i courage4 ,i fear the worst4 ,we have hardly the courage to4 ,we may both be lost1 both you and ,i4 may both be lost1 both you and ,ah6 ,i must know4 7,hastily ,i4 ,ah6 ,i must know4 7,hastily tears the letter open2 reads a tears the letter open2 reads a few few lines with a cry of joy47 few lines1 looks at an enclosure2 ,nora6 a cry of joy47 ,nora6 7,nora looks inquiringly at 7,nora looks inquiringly at him47 him47 ,helmer4 ,nora6--,oh1 ,i must read ,helmer4 ,nora6 ,oh1 ,i must read it again4 ,yes1 yes1 it is so4 ,you it again4 ,yes1 yes1 it is so4 are saved1 ,nora1 you are saved4 ,i are saved1 ,nora1 ,i am saved4 ,nora4 ,how1 saved8 ,nora4 ,and ,i8 ,helmer4 ,look here4 ,he sends ,helmer4 ,you too1 of course2 you back your promissory note4 we are both saved1 both of us4 ,he writes that he regrets and ,look here1 he sends you back your apologises1 that a happy turn promissory note4 ,he writes that in his life--,oh1 what matter he regrets and appologises2 that what he writes4 ,we are saved1 a happy turn in his life--,oh1 ,nora6 ,there is nothing to matter what he writes4 ,we are witness against you4 ,oh1 ,nora1 saved1 ,nora6 ,no one can harm you4 ,nora4#bj ,oh1 ,nora1 ,nora4#ba ,the text of the right-hand column brings out more clearly than the original the complete but unconscious selfishness of ,helmer4 ,ibsen1 understanding that character more fully than in his first draft1 makes not only the change from ,you are saved1 ,nora to the self-revelatory ,i am saved6 but also the change to that infinitely more dramatic ,and ,i8 which replaces ,nora's ,how1 saved8 ,in a second set of extracts from the same scene1 a firmer grasp of the characters has permitted ,ibsen to replace the general and conventional in the last two speeches of the left-hand column with the more specific and characterizing lines of ,helmer and the lines of ,nora that are an inspiration4 ,nora4444 ,it never for a moment ,nora4444 ,when ,krogstad's letter occurred to me that you lay in the box1 it never occurred would think of submitting to to me that you would think of that man's conditions1 that you submitting to that man's would agree to direct your conditions4 ,i was convinced that actions by the will of another4 ,i you would say to him1 ,make it was convinced that you would known to all the world2 and that say to him1 ,make it known to then-- the whole world2 and that then-- ,helmer4 ,well8 ,i should give ,helmer4 ,well8 ,when ,i had you up to punishment and disgrace4 given my own wife's name up to disgrace and shame--8 ,nora4 ,no2 then ,i firmly believed ,nora4 ,then ,i firmly believed that you would come forward1 take that you would come forward1 everything upon yourself1 and say1 take everything upon yourself1 ,i am the guilty one-- and say1 ,i am the guilty one4 ,helmer4 ,nora6 ,helmer4 ,nora6 ,nora4 ,you mean ,i would ,nora4 ,you mean ,i would never have accepted such a never have accepted such a sacrifice8 ,no1 of course not4 ,but sacrifice8 ,no1 certainly not4 ,but what would my word have been what would my assertions have in opposition to yours8 ,i so been worth in opposition to yours8 firmly believed that you would ,that was the miracle that ,i hoped sacrifice yourself for me--don't for and dreaded4 ,and it was to listen to her1 you would hinder that that ,i wanted to die4 say--she is not responsible2 she is out of her senses--you would say that it was love of you--you would move heaven and earth4 ,i thought you would get ,dr4 ,rank to witness that ,i was mad1 unhinged1 distracted4 ,i so firmly believed that you would ruin yourself to save me4 ,that is what ,i dreaded1 and therefore ,i wanted to die4 ,helmer4 ,oh1 ,nora1 ,nora6 ,helmer4 ,i would gladly work for you day and night1 ,nora-- bear sorrow and want for your sake--but no man sacrifices his honour1 even for one he loves4 ,nora4 ,and how did it turn ,nora4 ,millions of women have out8 ,no thanks1 no outburst of done so4#bc affection1 not a shred of a thought of saving me4#bb ,perfect phrasing rests1 then1 on character thoroughly understood and complete emotional accord with the character4 ,short of that in dialogue1 one stops at the commonplace and colorless1 the personal1 or the literary4 ,even1 however1 when dialogue expounds properly and is thoroughly in character1 it will fail if not fitted for the stage4 ,john ,oliver ,hobbes stated a truth1 if somewhat exaggeratedly1 in these lines of her preface to ,the ,ambassador3 ,once ,i found a speech in prose--prose so subtly balanced1 harmonious1 and interesting that it seemed1 on paper1 a song3 ,but no actor or actress1 though they spoke with the voice of angels1 could make it1 on the stage1 even tolerable4444 ,yet the speech is nevertheless fine stuff3 it is nevertheless interesting in substance3 it has imagination3 it has charm4 ,what1 then1 was lacking8 ,emotion in the tone and1 on the part of the writer1 consideration for the speaking voice4 ,stage dialogue may have or may not have many qualities1 but it must be emotional4 ,it rests primarily on feeling4 ,wit1 philosophy1 moral truths1 poetic language--all these count as nothing unless there is feeling of an obvious1 ordinary kind4#bd ,when reading a play aloud1 do we give all the stage directions1 or1 cutting out those which state how certain speeches should be read1 try to give these as directed8 ,even when reading some story aloud1 do we not often find troublesome full directions as to just how the speakers delivered their lines8 ,if given by us1 they provide an awkward standard by which to judge our reading4 ,if we wish to suppress them1 they are not1 in rapid reading1 always seen in time4 ,as was pointed out very early in this book1 gesture1 facial expression1 movement about the stage1 and above all1 the voice1 aid the dramatist as they cannot aid the novelist4 ,these aids and the time limits of a play have1 as we shall see1 very great effect on dialogue4 ,note in the opening of ,the ,case of ,rebellious ,susan1 by ,henry ,arthur ,jones1 the effects demanded from the aids just named4 ,,act ,i4 ,,scene4 ,drawing-room at ,mr4 ,harabin's2 an elegantly furnished room in ,mayfair4 ,at back1 in centre1 fireplace1 with fire burning4 ,to right of fireplace a door leading to lady ,susan's sitting-room4 ,a door down stage left4 ,enter footman left showing in ,lady ,darby ,lady ,darby4 7,a lady of about fifty47 ,where is ,lady ,susan now8 ,footman4 ,upstairs in her sitting-room1 my lady4 7,indicating the door right47 ,lady ,d4 ,where is ,mr4 ,harabin8 ,footman4 ,downstairs in the library1 my lady4 ,enter ,second ,footman showing in ,inez1 a widow of about thirty1 fascinating1 inscrutable ,lady ,d4 7,to ,first ,footman47 ,tell ,lady ,susan ,i wish to see her at once4 ,inez4 ,and will you say that ,i am here too8 7,exit ,first ,footman at door right4 ,exit ,second ,footman at door left47 ,lady ,d4 7,going affectionately to ,inez1 shaking hands very sympathetically47 ,my dear ,mrs4 ,quesnel1 you know8 ,inez4 ,sue wrote me a short note saying that she had discovered that ,mr4 ,harabin had--and that she had made up her mind to leave him4 ,lady ,d4 ,yes1 that's what she wrote me4 ,now1 my dear1 you're her oldest friend4 ,you'll help me to persuade her to--to look over it and hush it up4 ,inez4 ,oh1 certainly4 ,it's the advice everybody gives in such cases1 so ,i suppose it must be right4 ,what are the particulars8 ,lady ,d4 ,i don't know4 ,but with a man like ,harabin--a gentleman in every sense of the word--it can't be a very bad case4 ,enter ,lady ,susan4#be ,if the voice does not deftly stress now in ,lady ,darby's first speech1 and the upstairs and the downstairs of the footman1 this opening will fail of its desired effect4 ,everything in this well-written beginning of an interesting play depends on bringing to the delivery of the lines right use of the dramatist's greatest aids3 gesture1 facial expression1 pantomime1 and above all the exquisite intonations of which the human voice is capable4 ,write this scene as a novelist would handle it1 and see to what different proportions it will swell4 ,note in the final result how much less connotative1 how much more commonplace the dialogue probably is4 ,contrasting two passages--one from a novel1 the other in a play drawn from it--will perhaps best illustrate that the dialogue of the novel and of the play treating the same story usually differ greatly4 ,and when it became clear that somebody1 good or bad1 was without1 ,patty1 having regard to the lateness of the hour and the probability of supernatural visitations1 was much disposed to make as though the knocking were unheard1 and to creep quietly off to bed4 ,but ,mistress ,beatrice prevailed upon her to depart from this prudent course2 and the two peered from an upper window to see who stood before the door4 ,at first they could see no one2 but presently a little figure stepped back from the shadow1 looking up to the window above1 and ,beatrice ,cope1 although she discerned not the face1 felt more than ever certain that this summons was for her4 ',tis but a child there without1 ,patty1 she said4 ,maybe 'tis some poor little creature that has lost its way1 and come here for help and shelter4 ,heaven forbid that we should leave it to wander about1 all the dreary night through6 ,patty's fears were not much calmed by the sight of this lonely child4 ',twas the ,phantom ,child1 she murmured1 who comes wailing piteously to honest folks' doors o' nights2 and if they take it in and cherish it1 it works them grievous woe4 ,mistress ,beatrice1 however1 tried to hear as little as she might of what ,patty was saying2 and she went downstairs and undid the heavy bar very cautiously4 ,then she opened the door a little space2 and ,patty ,joyce stood by her staunchly1 although disapproving of what she did4 ,and when the door was opened1 this persevering applicant proved to be only the boy ,bill ,lampeter1 who was known at ,white-oaks as at ,crowe ,hall1 and a score of country ,granges beside4 ,he did but crave a drink of milk and a bit to eat1 he said4 ,he had been a-foot all day1 and had had nought to eat2 and seeing a light burning in the houseplace1 he made bold to knock and ask for what he needed4 ,the boy's breath was short and hurried1 and his grimy face was pale and damp with toil of hard running4 ,he did not seek to enter1 but kept glancing over his shoulder into the darkness behind him4 ,beatrice sent ,patty for food and drink1 standing still herself in the doorway2 and the maid was no sooner gone than the boy drew nearer and spoke4 ,oh1 mistress1 he said1 hoarsely1 ,i have been beat to-night--but ,i told 'em nought4 ,the corporal he raddled my bones terrible--but ,i set my teeth1 and ,i told 'un nought4 ,i bit him when he took they shining white things o' yourn1 wi' the writing2 them as ,i could not give to ,mr4 ,cope1 the day ,i warned the porter at ,goodrest that the red-coats was upon 'em4 ,i had the white things safe1 mistress1 hid in my smock--7he put his hand to his breast1 where the rough garment he wore was heavily quilted and closely drawn74--,and ,i would ha' giv' them to ,mr4 ,cope1 the first chance ,i got--,i would1 honest and true4 ,but the scouting party caught me2 and they says1 ',thee be allays running from one ,grange to another1 thee little ne'er-do-weel2 thee can tell us what we wants to know about ,goodrest in the hills'--,and ,i was telling of 'em just what tales comed into my head1 for fear of unpleasantness1 mistress1 when the corporal1 a great rough chap1 seizes hold of me1 and says1 says he1 '',tis all a pack o' lies1 this here4 ,search him1' he says1 'and see if he carries messages or tokens4' ,and then ,i fought and bit1 for ,i know'd they'd find your bright things in my smock2 and ,i bit his hand nigh upon through1 that ,i did1 said ,bill1 with grim satisfaction1 and an oath at which poor ,beatrice shuddered4 ,oh1 hush6 she said4 ,there is no help in swearing1 boy4 ,he swore1 ,bill replied4 ,but when he got the tablets1 he were fine and pleased4 ,and he said1 ',this is a stag of ten1 my boys2 and should he snuff the breeze too soon we have means to keep him where he is till morning4 ,hold that little viper fast1' says he1'and for your lives don't let him give us the slip4'--,so one of the troopers took me behind him on his horse1 with a rope round my body1 drawn cruel tight at first4 ,and ,i panted and groaned1 and made as though he were killing of me2 and after a bit he slacked the rope a little1 so as ,i could put my head down and gnaw it through in the dark4 ,and at the dip of a valley1 where the shadow was deep under the trees1 ,i slipped off quiet-like into the long grass4 ,he knew the rope was loose in a minute1 and he snapped his pistol2 but the covert was good1 and ,i crope into the heart of a holler tree covered o'er wi' ivy4 ,i bided there1 till they was tired o' hunting round4--,but oh1 mistress1 the poor gentleman at ,goodrest is undone6--,they talked together while the trooper was making me fast upon his horse2 and ,i heard a word now and again1 for ,i listened with all my might4 ,there were but four of 'em2 and they said they weren't strong enough to surprise ,goodrest1 but must ride back to quarters for help4 ,and as we went past ,grantford ,farm1 the corporal called a halt2 and one held his horse while he went in and spoke with the farmer4 ,and1 mistress1 ,hugh ,stone of ,grantford is known for a bitter ,whig4 444,and presently ,hugh of ,grantford comes out1 and his little brother with him2 and the boy had that as you wrote upon--that as they took from me--in his hand4 ,and the corporal says1 looking over his shoulder quick and short1 ',does he understand8' says he4 ',oh1 aye1' says ,hugh of ,grantford1 'he understands fine4' ,and ,i could see wee ,jock did not like the job he were put upon2 and ,i made a face at him from ahint the trooper's back1 and he liked it less nor ever then4 ,what job1 ,bill8 ,bill ,lampeter looked in amazement at this beautiful1 terrified lady1 who did not understand4 ,don't 'ee see8 he said4 ,jock o' ,grantford were to take your writing to ,goodrest1 and play upon the gentleman there1 to keep him biding till the red-coats come4 ,what were it as you wrote down that day1 mistress8 ,as in a flash of painful memory ,beatrice saw the dainty tablets once more1 with words traced upon them in a hand rendered somewhat unsteady by the slow pace of the sorrel horse--a hand unmistakable1 however1 to the eyes of ,charlie ,cope4 ,i pray you1 do not stir far from home4 ,there is risk abroad4 ,b4,c4 ,she understood then2 and she turned quickly to ,patty ,joyce1 who had come back bringing bread and milk ere ,bill's tale was half done4 ,bill1 even in the eagerness of his disclosure1 had clutched the bread and cheese2 and now he drained the mug of milk1 while the good-natured maid stood open-mouthed1 her eyes fixed upon ,mistress ,beatrice4 ,patty1 the young lady whispered1 ,i think you are faithful and true4444 ,i must trust you with a perilous secret4 ,this gentleman whom they seek at ,goodrest is my only brother2 he has papers of importance in his keeping1 and a warrant is out for his arrest4 ,they will lure him to his destruction by means of me1 his sister2 he knows my handwriting and will trust to my warning4 ,he will lie close at ,goodrest1 as a hare upon her form2 and they will take him--oh6 they will take him prisoner6--ere morning dawns4 ,i must to ,goodrest now1 in the dark night4--,boy6 is there time8 is there time8 ,bill ,lampeter nodded1 munching his bread4 ,they'll not be back afore the dawning1 them troopers1 he said4 ,they've limed the twig1 ye see2 the bird is made fast4 ,if ,mr4 ,cope do hear the country's up1 he'll bide where he be there at ,goodrest1 reckoning 'tis safest to keep still4 ,between now and the first streak as shows over the ,black ,scaur1 mistress1 you can do as you will4 ,eh1 ,mistress ,beatrice1 you can't never go1 said ,patty1 trembling4 ,you couldn't dare to do it4 ,and this here boy1 she whispered1 standing close to ,mistress ,beatrice1 is a very proverb for wicked story-telling4 ',tis a naughty little varlet2 who knows that he has not been set on to bring this tale8 ',tis true enough1 though ,i be a story-teller1 said ,bill1 whose ears were sharp4 ,yon gentleman at ,goodrest has need of thee the night1 mistress4 ,and now let me lie down on the straw in the big barn1 for my bones do ache1 and ,i be dizzy wi' running4 ,he caught at the doorpost as he spoke2 and ,patty ,joyce's suspicion vanished in pity for the worn-out creature4 ,she kindled a flame to light the lanthorn which hung in the houseplace2 and herself crossed the wide courtyard to make ,bill a comfortable resting-place in the soft hay and clean straw which filled the great barn4#bf ,this is the same scene in the play3 7,louder rapping4 ,trembling with rage and disappointment1 ,sandiland disappears down the path4 ,beatrice stands a moment1 looking as if waking from a nightmare47 ,patty4 7,outside1 rapping more47 ,miss ,beatrice1 ,miss ,beatrice6 ,quick6 ,beatrice4 7,crossing dazedly to door4 ,by it1 dully47 ,who8 ,patty4 ,open quick4 ,me and ,bill4 ,beat4 7,recovering47 ,bill6 7,quickly she unbolts the door4 ,patty enters1 half supporting ,bill4 ,she looks about as if surprised at not seeing any one beside ,beatrice4 ,bill's clothes are torn and he is covered with dirt4 ,there is blood on his hands where cords have torn the flesh4 ,he looks white and wretched and breathes hard as if from recent running4 ,he should play the whole scene with nervous excitement that suggests a collapse at the end of it47 ,bill4 7,apologetically1 as he stumbles toward ,beatrice47 ,i've had a bit of a scrap4 7,aside to ,beatrice47 ,get rid o' 'er4 ,beat4 ,you can trust her4 ,what has happened8 ,bill4 ,scoutin' party got me4 ,corporal raddled my bones terrible when ,i fought and bit1 fearin' they'd find your message hid in my smock4 ,they near tore it off1 damn 'em4 ,beat4 ,you have the tablets8 ,bill4 ,no4 ,beat4 ,they have them8 7,with relief47 ,then they haven't reached ,james6 ,bill4 ,the gentleman8 ,oh1 ay4 ,when we come to ,grantford ,farm--,i were trussed up be'ind a trooper--,corporal called out little ,jock o' ,grantford--his fayther's a bitter ,whig--and bade 'im take your message to ,goodrest1 to keep the gentleman waitin' till the red coats be come4 ,beat4 7,to ,patty47 ,where's ,grizel8 ,patty4 ,in the paddock'm4 ,but-- ,beat4 ,saddle her at once4 ,i must to ,goodrest4 7,patty hesitates47 ,bill4 7,menacingly as he reaches for a candle-stick47 ,she said--,to once4 7,unwillingly but quickly1 ,patty goes out centre47 ,bill4 7,pointing to the door where the full moon shines in clearly47 ,ay1 but that ain't 'id yet4 ,beat4 7,as if struck by a sudden idea47 ,how did you get free8 ,bill4 ,gnawed the ropes2 slipped off in the long grass4 ,trooper's pistol missed me4 ,stayed in a holler oak ,i knows till they was tired 'untin'4 ,beat4 ,knowing you are loose1 they will start at once4 ,bill4 ,if they ain't fools4 ,but most folks be4 ,risk somethin' on that4 7,beatrice is busy with her dress and cloak4 ,he starts to help her but has to support himself by table47 ,don't go through ,whitecross ,village4 ,there the soldiers be4 ,take the footpath by ,guiting2 the bridge be shaky but 'twill hold4 7,enter ,patty1 centre47 ,patty4 ,grizel's ready'm4 ,beat4 7,nodding her understanding to ,bill--to ,patty47 ,close up here4 ,look after ,bill4 ,be ready to let me in when the first cock crows4 ,my stirrup6 7,goes out swiftly1 followed protestingly by ,patty4 ,bill drags himself to right of door watching1 and says after a minute47 ,she's up6 ,patty4 7,rushing in as there is the sound of swift hoof beats47 ,she's gone6 7,she falls sobbing hysterically by the left side of door47 ,bill4 7,as he holds himself up at right47 ,the damned brave lady6 ,curtain4 ,first of all1 the novelist permits himself an amount of detail which the dramatist must forego because of his more limited space4 ,interesting details which do not forward the purpose of the scene or act the wise dramatist denies himself--note in ,ibsen's revision of certain lines in ,a ,doll's ,house 7p4 #cej7 the cutting1 between the first and final versions1 of what concerns ,dr4 ,rank4 ,it was in part unnecessary detail which made the dialogue of the play on ,john ,brown 7pp4 #cji-cac7 so ineffective4 ,in what follows immediately1 a skilful hand seems in column one to have cut details of column two which1 though interesting in themselves1 delay the essential movement of the scene and help to swell the whole play to undue proportions4 ,horatio4 ,mary that can ,i1 at ,horatio4 ,that can ,i4 least the whisper goes so1 ,at least the whisper goes so2 ,our late ,king1 who as you know our last ,king4 was by ,forten- ,whose image even but now ,brasse of ,norway4 appeared to us1 ,was as you knowe by ,fortin- ,brasse of ,norway1 ,thereto prickt on by a most ,thereto prickt on by a most emulous cause1 dared to emulate pride ,the combate1 in which our ,dar'd to the combat2 in which valiant ,hamlet1 our valient ,hamlet1 ,for so this side of our knowne 7,for so this side of our knowne world esteemed him1 world esteemd him7 ,did slay this ,fortenbrasse1 ,did slay this ,fortinbrasse1 who ,who by a scale compact well by a seald compact ratified1 by law ,well ratified by lawe and heraldy ,and heraldrie1 did forfeit with ,did forfeit 7with his life7 all his life all those these his lands ,his lands which he stoode ,which he stood seaz'd of1 to seazed of by the conqueror1 the conquerour4 ,against the which a moity ,against the which a moitie competent1 competent1 ,was gaged by our ,king3 ,was gaged by our ,king1 which had returne ,to the inheritance of ,fortinbrasse1 ,had he bin vanquisher2 as by the same comart1 ,and carriage of the article desseigne1 ,his fell to ,hamlet2 now ,sir ,now sir1 young ,fortenbrasse1 young ,fortinbrasse ,of unimprooved mettle1 hot and ,of unimprooved mettle1 hot and full1 full1 ,hath in the skirts of ,norway ,hath in the skirts of ,norway heere and there heere and there ,sharkt up a sight of lawelesse ,sharkt up a list of lawelesse ,resolutes resolutes ,for food and diet to some ,for foode and diet to some enterprise1 enterprise1 ,that hath a stomacke in't3 and ,that hath a stomacke in't this 7,i take it7 is the which is no other ,chief head and ground of our ,as it doth well appeare unto watch4 our state ,but to recover of us by strong hand ,and tearmes compulsatory1 those foresaid lands ,so by his father lost2 and this ,i take it ,is the maine motive of our preparations ,the source of this our watch1 and the chiefe head ,of this post hast and ,romadge in the land4 ,bar4 ,i thinke it be no other1 but enso2 ,well may it sort that this portentous figure ,comes armed through our watch so like the ,king ,that was and is the question of these warres4 ,hora4 ,a moth it is to trouble the mindes eye3 ,in the most high and palmy state of ,rome1 ,a little ere the mightiest ,julius fell ,the graves stood tenantlesse1 and the sheeted dead ,did squeake and gibber in the ,roman streets ,as starres1 with traines of fier1 and dewes of blood ,disasters in the sunne2 and the moist starre1 ,upon whose influence ,neptunes ,empier stands1 ,was sicke almost to doomesday with eclipse4 ,and even the like precurse of feare events ,as harbindgers preceading still the fates ,and prologue to the ,omen comming on ,have heaven and earth together demonstrated ,unto our ,climatures and countrymen4 ,enter the ,ghost4 ,enter ,ghost4 ,but loe1 bemold1 see where it ,but softe1 behold1 loe where it comes againe4 comes againe ,ile crosse it1 though it blast ,ile crosse it though it blast me3 stay illusion1 mee3 stay illusion1 ,if there be any good thing to 7,it spreads his arms7 be done1 ,if thou hast any sound or use ,that may doe ease to thee1 and of voyce grace to mee1 ,speake to me1 if there be any ,speake to mee4 good thing to be done ,that may to thee doe ease1 and grace to mee1 ,speake to me4#bg ,unnecessary detail should1 then1 be cut from dialogue both because it is usually the chief offender in making the play unduly long1 and because it weakens the dialogue of which it is a part4 ,in argument it is a time-honored principle that it is far better not to pile up all the evidence you can on a given point1 but by selecting your best argument1 or two or three of the better type1 to strike hard with the selected material4 ,the same principle underlies writing good dramatic dialogue4 ,say what you have to say as well as you can1 and except for emphasis or when repetition produces some desired effect1 don't repeat4 ,in the speech quoted below it became clear in rehearsal that the bracketed part was not necessary because what preceded showed sufficiently the affection ,miss ,helen had roused in the faithful old servant1 ,alec4 ,however characterizing or amusing the remainder might be1 it clogged the movement of the scene4 ,consequently it went out4 ,dick4 ,hello--what's this ,alec8 ,alec4 ,a grand pianner1 sir4 ,dick4 ,of course1 but where did it come from8 ,alec4 ,miss ,helen1 she gave it to 'em at ,christmas4 ,dick4 ,she--gave it to--them--8 ,alec4 ,yes4 ,dick4 7,laughing47 ,but they don't play it1 do they8 ,alec4 ,no1 she plays it--4 ,an' you oughter hear her play1 sir4 ,at evenin's after supper when the wind'd howl around the house she'd make it sound like ,heaven in here4 ,if ,i ever get up there ,i don't want white angels and gold harps in mine1--,i jes' want ,miss ,helen an' a grand pianner4 7,dick is very sober4 ,he doesn't speak47 ,an' she can sing1 too4 ,you oughter hear her1--little soft things1--none o' this screechy stuff4 ,an' all the old dames sit around--an' then when my work was done out in the barn ,i'd come in an' sit over there in the corner out o' the way like1 an' listen like a old lady myself--with my ,adam's apple getting tight every once in a while thinkin' o' things4 ,i tell you she's--she's a regular--humdinger4 ,dick4 7,quietly47 ,what time do you expect her back8 ,time forbids any form of fiction to be encyclopaedic4 ,the drama is1 as we have seen1 the most selective of the forms of fiction4 ,failure to remember this has hurt the chances of many a promising dramatist4 ,few have such skilled and loyal advisers as ,lord ,tennyson found in ,sir ,henry ,irving when his over-long ,becket must be cut for stage production4 ,how much of the following scene in the original do we think at first sight we can spare8 ,much which ,sir ,henry removed we should like to keep1 but time-limits forbade and he cut with exceeding skill to the best dramatic phrasing offered of the essentials of the scene4 ,,act ,i4 ,,scene #a4 ,becket's ,house in ,london4 ,chamber barely furnished4 ,becket unrobing4 ,herbert of ,bosham and ,servant4 ,,original ,,revsion ,servant4 ,shall ,i not help ,servant4 ,shall ,i not help your lordship to your rest8 your lordship to your rest8 ,becket4 ,friend1 am ,i so ,becket4 ,friend1 am ,i so much better than thyself much better than thyself ,that thou shouldst help me8 ,that thou shouldst help me8 ,thou art wearied out ,thou art wearied out ,with this day's work1 get thee ,with this day's work1 get thee to thine own bed4 to thine own bed4 ,leave me with ,herbert1 friend4 ,leave me with ,herbert1 friend4 7,exit ,servant47 7,exit ,servant47 ,help me off1 ,herbert1 with ,help me off1 ,herbert1 with this--and this4 this--and this4 ,herbert4 ,was not the people's ,herbert4 ,was not the people's blessing as we past blessing as we past ,heart-comfort and a balsam to ,heart-comfort and a balsam to thy blood8 thy blood8 ,becket4 ,the people know ,becket4 ,the people know their ,church a tower of their ,church a tower of strength1 strength1 ,a bulwark against ,throne and ,a bulwark against ,throne and ,baronage4 ,baronage4 ,too heavy for me1 this2 off ,too heavy for me1 this2 off with it1 ,herbert6 with it1 ,herbert6 ,herbert4 ,is it so much heavier ,herbert4 ,is it so much heavier than thy ,chancellor's robe8 than thy ,chancellor's robe8 ,becket4 ,no2 but the ,chancellor's ,becket4 ,no2 but the ,archbishop's and the ,archbishop's ,chancellor's and the ,together more than mortal man ,together more than mortal man can bear4 can bear4 ,herbert4 ,not heavier than ,herbert4 ,not heavier than thine armour at ,thoulouse8 thine armour at ,thoulouse8 ,becket4 ,o ,herbert1 ,herbert1 in my chancellorship ,i more than once have gone against the ,church4 ,herbert4 ,to please the ,king8 ,becket4 ,ay1 and the ,king of kings1 ,or justice2 for it seem'd to me but just ,the ,church should pay her scutage like the lords4 ,but hast thou heard this cry of ,becket4 ,but hast thou heard ,gilbert ,foliot this cry of ,gilbert ,foliot ,that ,i am not the man to be ,that ,i am not the man to be your ,primate1 your ,primate1 ,for ,henry could not work a ,for ,henry could not work a miracle-- miracle-- ,make an ,archbishop of a soldier8 ,make an ,archbishop of a soldier8 ,herbert4 ,ay1 ,herbert4 ,ay1 ,for ,gilbert ,foliot held himself ,for ,gilbert ,foliot held himself the man4 the man4 ,becket4 ,am ,i the man8 ,my mother1 ere she bore me1 ,dream'd that twelve stars fell glittering out of heaven ,into her bosom4 ,herbert4 ,ay1 the fire1 the light1 ,the spirit of the twelve ,apostles enter'd ,into thy making4 ,becket4 ,and when ,i was a child1 ,the ,virgin1 in a vision of my sleep1 ,gave me the golden keys of ,paradise4 ,dream1 ,or prophecy1 that8 ,herbert4 ,well1 dream and prophecy both4 ,becket4 ,and when ,i was of ,theobald's household1 once-- ,the good old man would sometimes have his jest-- ,he took his mitre off1 and set it on me1 ,and said1 ,my young ,archbishop-- thou wouldst make ,a stately ,archbishop6 ,jest or prophecy there8 ,herbert4 ,both1 ,thomas1 both4 ,becket4 ,am ,i the man8 ,that ,becket4 ,am ,i the man8 ,that rang rang ,within my head last night1 and ,within my head last night1 and when ,i slept when ,i slept ,methought ,i stood in ,canterbury ,methought ,i stood in ,canterbury ,minster1 ,minster1 ,and spake to the ,lord ,god1 and ,and spake to the ,lord ,god and said1 ,o ,lord1 said1 ,i have been a lover of wines and delicate meats1 ,and secular splendours1 and a favourer ,of players1 and a courtier1 and a feeder ,of dogs and hawks1 and apes1 and lions1 and lynxes4 ,am ,i the man8 ,and the ,lord answer'd me1 ,thou art the man1 and all the more the man4 ,and then ,i asked again1 ,o ,lord my ,god ,henry the ,king hath been my ,henry the ,king hath been friend1 my brother my friend1 my brother ,and mine uplifter in this ,and mine uplifter in this world1 world1 and chosen me and chosen me ,for this thy great ,for this thy great archbishoprick1 believing archbishoprick1 believing ,that ,i should go against the ,that ,i should go against the ,church with him1 ,church with him1 ,and ,i shall go against him with ,and ,i shall go against him with the ,church1 the ,church4 ,and ,i have said no word of this to him3 ,am ,i the man8 ,and the ,am ,i the man8 ,and the ,lord answer'd me1 ,lord answer'd me1 ,thou art the man1 and all the ,thou art the man and all the more the man4 more the man4 ,and thereupon1 methought1 ,he ,and thereupon1 methought1 ,he drew toward me1 drew toward me1 ,and smote me down upon the ,and smote me down upon the ,minster floor4 ,minster floor4 ,i fell4 ,i fell4 ,herbert4 ,god make not thee but ,herbert4 ,god make not thee thy foes1 fall4 but thy foes1 fall4 ,becket4 ,i fell4 ,why fall8 ,why did he smite me8 ,what8 ,shall ,i fall off--to please the ,king once more8 ,not fight--tho' somehow traitor to the ,king-- ,my truest and mine utmost for the ,church8 ,herbert4 ,thou canst not fall that way4 ,let traitor be2 ,for how have fought thine utmost for the ,church1 ,save from the throne of thine archbishoprick8 ,and how been made archbishop hadst thou told him1 ,i mean to fight mine utmost for the ,church1 ,against the ,king8 ,becket4 ,but dost thou think the ,king ,forced mine election8 ,herbert4 ,i do think the ,king ,was potent in the election1 and why not8 ,why should not ,heaven have so inspired the ,king8 ,be comforted4 ,thou art the man--be thou ,a mightier ,anselm4 ,becket4 ,i do believe thee1 then4 ,i am the man4 ,and yet ,i seem appall'd--on such ,becket4 ,and yet ,i seem a sudden appall'd--on such a sudden ,at such an eagle-height ,i stand ,at such an eagle-height ,i stand and see and see ,the rift that runs between me ,the rift that runs between me and the ,king4 and the ,king4 ,i served our ,theobald well when ,i was with him2 ,i served ,king ,henry well as ,chancellor2 ,i am his no more1 and ,i must serve the ,church4 ,this ,canterbury is only less than ,rome1 ,and all my doubts ,i fling from me like dust1 ,winnow and scatter all scruples to the wind1 ,and all the puissance of the warrior1 ,and all the wisdom of the ,chancellor1 ,and all the heap'd experiences of life1 ,i cast upon the side of ,canterbury-- ,our holy mother ,canterbury1 who sits ,with tatter'd robes4 ,laics and barons1 thro' ,the random gifts of careless kings1 have graspt ,her livings1 her advowsons1 granges1 farms1 ,and goodly acres--we will make her whole2 ,not one rood lost4 ,and for these ,royal customs1 ,these ancient ,royal customs--they are ,royal1 ,not of the ,church--and let them be anathema1 ,and all that speak for them anathema4 ,herbert4 ,thomas1 thou art ,herbert4 ,thomas1 thou art moved too much4 moved too much4 ,becket4 ,oh1 ,herbert here ,becket4 ,o ,herbert1 here ,i gash myself asunder from the ,i gash myself asunder from the ,king1 ,king1 ,tho' leaving each1 a wound3 mine ,tho' leaving each1 a wound2 mine own1 a grief own1 a grief ,to show the scar forever--his1 ,to show the scar forever--his1 a hate a hate ,not ever to be heal'd4#bh ,not ever to be heal'd4#bi ,dialogue1 then1 should avoid all unnecessary detail1 and should avoid repetition except for desired dramatic ends--in other words1 must select and again select4 ,practically every illustration thus far used in treating dialogue fitted for the stage has shown the enormous importance of facial expression1 gesture1 and voice4 ,what the voice may do with just two words is the substance of a little one-act piece made famous years ago by ,miss ,genevieve ,ward and later often read by the late ,george ,riddle4 ,an actress applying to a manager is tested as to her power to express in the two words ,come here all the emotions described by her examiner4 ,as will be seen1 the little play1 when read in the study1 lacks effectiveness4 ,given by an actress who can put into the two words all that is demanded1 it becomes varied1 exciting1 and even amazing4 ,actress4 444 ,your selection may not be in my repertoire4 ,manager4 ,oh6 yes1 it is4 ,i only require two words3 ,come here4 ,actress4 ,come here8 ,manager4 ,yes1 and with the words1 the meaning1 emphasis1 and expressions1 that situation1 character1 and the surroundings would command4 ,actress4 7,takes off her bonnet and shawl47 ,well1 then1 ,i am ready4 ,manager4 ,before a mother stand a loving couple1 who pray for her consent2 the lover is poor2 she battles with her pride1 it is a great struggle for her2 at last with open arms she cries-- ,actress4 ,come here6 ,manager4 ,a mother calls her little daughter1 who has done something to vex her4 ,actress4 ,come here6 ,manager4 ,and now it is her step-child4 ,actress4 ,come here6 ,manager4 ,a carriage is dashing by1 the child is in the street1 the mother's heart is filled with terror1 she calls her darling and cries out-- ,actress4 ,come here6 ,manager4 ,in tears and sorrow a wife has bid adieu to her departing husband1 whom the ,state has called to defend his country on the battlefield2 her only consolation is in her children1 these she calls1 and presses to her heart4 ,actress4 ,come here6 ,manager4 ,the husband has returned1 and full of joy she calls her children as she observes him coming home4 ,actress4 ,come here6 ,manager4 ,while in his arms1 she now observes his servant1 and as with every one she would divide her joy she calls to him-- ,actress4 ,come here6 ,manager4 ,the feelings of a mother in all her joys and tribulation1 you have most perfectly sustained4 ,now show me1 how in despair a widow1 who has lost all she possessed through fire1 confronts the creditors1 who clamor for their dues1 and whose cruelty has killed her husband4 ,she stands by his body and points to all that now is left her1 the remains of her dead husband1 and calls on them to look at their work4 ,actress4 ,come here6 ,manager4 ,i must confess you depict pain as if you felt it4#cj ,mark1 when running through the scene in which ,iago tempts ,othello to his final undoing 7,act ,,iii1 ,scene #c471 the variety of intonation required in the repetitions of ,honest and ,think4 ,in a novel containing this scene the absence of the actors' trained intonations would cost the author much labor in describing how the words should be uttered4 ,othello4 ,farewell1 my ,desdemona2 ,i'll come to thee straight4 ,desdemona4 ,emilia1 come4--,be as your fancies teach you2 ,whate'er you be1 ,i am obedient4 7,exeunt ,desdemona and ,emilia47 ,othello4 ,excellent wretch6 ,perdition catch my soul1 ,but ,i do love thee6 and when ,i love thee not1 ,chaos is come again4 ,iago4 ,my noble lord1-- ,othello4 ,what dost thou say1 ,iago8 ,iago4 ,did ,michael ,cassio1 when you woo'd my lady1 ,know of your love8 ,othello4 ,he did1 from first to last4 ,why dost thou ask8 ,iago4 ,but for a satisfaction of my thought2 ,no further harm4 ,othello4 ,why of thy thought1 ,iago8 ,iago4 ,i did not think he had been acquainted with her4 ,othello4 ,o1 yes2 and went between us very oft4 ,iago4 ,indeed6 ,othello4 ,indeed6 ay1 indeed4 ,discern'st thou aught in that8 ,is he not honest8 ,iago4 ,honest1 my lord8 ,othello4 ,honest1 ay1 honest4 ,iago4 ,my lord1 for aught ,i know4 ,othello4 ,what dost thou think8 ,iago4 ,think1 my lord8 ,othello4 ,think1 my lord6 ,by heaven1 he echoes me1 ,as if there were some monster in his thought ,too hideous to be shown4--,thou dost mean something4 ,i heard thee say even now1 thou lik'st not that1 ,when ,cassio left my wife4 ,what didst not like8 ,and when ,i told thee he was of my counsel1 ,of my whole course of wooing1 thou criedst1 ,indeed6 ,and didst contract and purse thy brow together1 ,as if thou then hadst shut up in thy brain ,some horrible conceit4 ,if thou dost love me1 ,show me thy thought4 ,even passages in a play which look very unpromising should not be finally judged till a flexible1 well-trained voice has done its best to bring out any emotion latent in the words4 ,if they were originally chosen by an author writing in full sympathetic understanding of his figures1 they will1 properly spoken1 reveal unexpected emotional values4 ,here is a passage from ,kyd's ,spanish ,tragedy at which many a critic has poked fun4 ,at first sight it undoubtedly seems merely words1 words1 words4 ,hieronimo4 ,o eyes6 no eyes1 but fountains fraught with tears3 ,o life6 no life but lively form of death3 ,o world6 no world but mass of public wrongs1 ,confus'd and fill'd with murder and misdeeds3 ,o sacred heav'ns6 if this unhallow'd deed1 ,if this inhuman and barbarous attempt2 ,if this incomparable murder thus1 ,of mine1 but now no more my son1 ,should unreveal'd and unrevenged pass1 ,how should we term your dealings to be just ,if you unjustly deal with those that in your justice trust8#ca ,if we remember what the play has already told us of ,hieronimo3 that having found his son hanging murdered in the arbor1 he enters in a perfect ecstasy of grief2 and if we recall that the ,elizabethan loved a style as ornate as this1 feeling it no barrier between him and the thought behind it2 the look of the passage begins to change4 ,put the feeling of the father into the voice as one reads1 and lo1 these lines are not a bad medium for expressing ,hieronimo's grief4 ,they may lack the simplicity we demand today1 but strong1 clear feeling may be brought out from behind them for any audience4 ,for an ,elizabethan audience it came forth in a style delightful in itself4 ,the fact is1 time cannot wholly spoil the value even of lines phrased according to the standards of some literary vogue of the moment if the author originally wrote them with an imagination kindled to accuracy of feeling by complete sympathy with his characters4 ,never judge the dialogue of a play only by the eye4 ,hear it adequately1 interpretively spoken4 ,then1 and then only1 judge it finally4 ,it is almost impossible1 also1 to separate the voice from gesture and facial expression as aids in dramatic dialogue4 ,unquestionably each of these would help the voice in the illustrations just given from ,come ,here1 ,othello1 and the ,spanish ,tragedy4 ,when ,antony1 absorbed in ,cleopatra1 and therefore unwilling to listen to the messenger bearing tidings of the utmost importance from ,rome1 cries1 ,grates me3 the sum6#cb it is not merely the intonation but the accompanying gesture in the sense of general bodily movement1 and the facial expression1 which make the condensed phrasing both natural and immensely effective4 ,when ,frankford 7,a ,woman ,killed ,with ,kindness1 ,act ,,iii1 ,scene #b7cc asks his old servant1 ,nicholas1 for proof of ,mrs4 ,frankford's unfaithfulness the answer is not1 ,i saw her1 or ,i saw her and her lover with my eyes1 but simply ,eyes1 eyes4 ,the last are what rightly1 in dramatic dialogue1 may be called gesture words1 words demanding for their full effect not only the right intonation1 but facial expression and all that pantomime may mean4 ,the old man lifts his head1 and1 though unwillingly1 looks his master straight in the face as he speaks4 ,perhaps he even emphasizes by lifting his hand toward his eyes4 ,with the concomitants of action and voice1 the words take on finality and equal3 ,what greater proof could ,i have8 ,i saw the lovers with these eyes4 ,so close1 indeed1 is the relation between action and phrasing that often we cannot tell whether dialogue is good or bad till we have made sure of the business implied by it1 or to be found in it by an imaginative worker4 ,the following passage from ,the ,revesby ,sword ,play is distinctly misleading because of the word1 looking-glass unless one studies the context closely for implied business1 and above all1 understands the sword dances of the period in which the play was written4 ,fool4 ,well1 what dost thou call this very pretty thing8 ,pickle ,herring4 ,why1 ,i call it a fine large looking-glass4 ,fool4 ,let me see what ,i can see in this fine large looking-glass4 ,here's a hole through it1 ,i see4 ,i see1 and ,i see6 ,pickle ,herring4 ,you see and you see1 and what do you see8 ,fool4 ,marry1 e'en a fool1--just like thee6 ,pickle ,herring4 ,it is only your own face in the glass4#cd ,a looking-glass with a hole through it seems nearly a contradiction in terms1 but the word glass is synonymous with nut1 a name given to the swords of ,english ,folk ,dances when so interwoven as to make a kind of frame about a central space4 ,this space is often large enough for a man's head4 ,the ,fool has seen the dancers make such a nut4 ,holding it up1 he asks ,pickle ,herring what it is4 ,pickle ,herring1 seeing the ,fool's face through the opening and seizing his chance for a jest1 calls the nut a looking-glass4 ,the ,fool carries on the conceit4 ,looking through the hole he and ,pickle ,herring jibe at each other4 ,the whole ,revesby ,sword ,play provides illustration after illustration of the inseparability of words and business in good dramatic dialogue4 ,by business is meant ordinarily either illustrative action called for by a stage direction or clearly implied in the text4 ,by latent business is meant the illustrative action which a sympathetic and imaginative producer finds in lines either ordinarily left without business or treated with some conventional action4 ,mr4 ,william ,poel's historic revival of ,everyman was crowded with such imaginative and richly interpretive business4 ,when ,death cried1 ,everyman1 thou art mad6 ,thou hast thy wits five1 ,and here on earth will not amend thy life6 ,for suddenly ,i do come-- on that last line he stretched out one arm and with the index finger of his hand barely touched the heart of ,everyman4 ,in the gesture there was a suggestion of what might be going to happen1 even a suggestion that already ,death thus claimed ,everyman for his own4 ,it pointed finely the immediate cry of ,everyman1 ,o wretched caitiff1 whither shall ,i flee1 ,that ,i might scape this endless sorrow8#ce ,the text did not call for this gesture3 it belongs to the best type of interpretive business4 ,few untrained persons hear what they write3 they merely see it4 ,the skilled dramatist never forgets that he has to help him in his dialogue all that intonation1 facial expression1 gesture1 and the general action of his characters may do for him4 ,which1 after all1 is the more touching1 the cry of pleasure with which some child of the streets1 at a charity ,christmas tree1 gazes at a rag doll some one holds out to her1 or the silent mothering gesture with which she draws it close to her1 her face alight8 ,it is just because1 at times1 facial expression1 gesture1 and movement may so completely express all that is needed that pantomime is coming to play a larger and larger part in our drama4 ,older readers of this book may recall the late ,agnes ,booth and her long silent scene in ,jim1 ,the ,penman4 ,by comparison of a letter and a cheque1 ,kate ,ralston becomes aware that her husband is a famous forger1 ,jim1 the ,penman4 ,through all this great scene of an otherwise cheap play1 the physical movement was very slight4 ,the actress1 three-quarters turned toward the audience1 sat near a table4 ,it was her facial expression and1 rarely1 a slight movement of the arms or body which conveyed her succession of increasingly intense emotions4 ,the significant pantomime began with ,she puts cheque with others4 ,the acting of the next seven lines of stage direction held an audience with increasing intensity of feeling for some five minutes4 ,nina 7,mrs4 ,ralston7 has just told her husband that she discovered ,captain ,redwood asleep in the conservatory at the end of ,act ,i4 ,though she does not know it1 this shows her husband that all his incriminating interview with ,dr4 ,hartfeld may have been overheard4 ,he falls into disturbed reverie and is so absorbed in thinking out the situation that he is oblivious to what she does4 ,nina4 ,now then1 for my pass-book4 7,opens pass-book and takes passed cheques out of side pocket of book4 ,music47 ,ralston4 7,aside47 ,he heard all6 ,if she had told me1 she would have saved me4 ,nina4 7,looking at a cheque47 ,what is this cheque8 ,i don't remember it4 ,a cheque for five guineas in favor of ,mrs4 ,chapstone4 ,i never gave her a cheque4 ,oh1 ,i recollect1 that same evening she bothered you to take some tickets and you took them in my name4 ,i never had the tickets1 by-the-bye4 ,i suppose she sold them over again4 ,yes1 to be sure1 you wrote the cheque4 ,you asked permission to sign my name4 ,how wonderfully like my writing6 ,why1 it quite deceives me1 it's so marvelous6 7,ralston1 in chair1 is lost in thought1 and hardly attends to what she says4 ,she puts cheque with others and goes through accounts4 ,pauses1 puts pass-book down1 and takes up cheque again1 examines it2 turns her head and looks at ,ralston1 observes his absorption1 and after another look at him takes from drawer the letter which ,percival gave her and the other4 ,she places them and the cheque together1 almost in terror2 comparing them1 a look of painful conviction comes over her face1 which changes into one of terrible determination4 ,she rises from chair4 ,stop music on the word ,james47#cf ,the greatest recent instance of pantomime is undoubtedly the third scene of ,act ,,iii of ,mr4 ,galsworthy's ,justice4 ,set in ,falder's cell1 it is meant to illustrate the loneliness1 the excitability1 and even the brutishness of a prisoner's life4 ,many people1 while admitting the effectiveness of this wordless scene1 have declared it emotionally so overwhelming that they could not endure seeing it a second time4 ,falder's cell1 a whitewashed space thirteen feet broad by seven deep1 and nine feet high1 with a rounded ceiling4 ,the floor is of shiny blackened bricks4 ,the barred window of opaque glass with a ventilator1 is high up in the middle of the end wall4 ,in the middle of the opposite end wall is a narrow door4 ,in a corner are the mattress and bedding rolled up 7two blankets1 two sheets1 and a coverlet74 ,above them is a quarter-circular wooden shelf1 on which is a ,bible and several little devotional books1 piled in a symmetrical pyramid2 there are also a black hair-brush1 tooth-brush1 and a bit of soap4 ,in another corner is the wooden frame of a bed1 standing on end4 ,there is a dark ventilator over the window1 and another over the door4 ,falder's work 7a shirt to which he is putting button holes7 is hung to a nail on the wall over a small wooden table1 on which the novel1 ,lorna ,doone1#cg lies open4 ,low down in the corner by the door is a thick glass screen1 about a foot square1 covering the gas-jet let into the wall4 ,there is also a wooden stool1 and a pair of shoes beneath it4 ,three bright round tins are set under the window4 ,in the fast failing daylight1 ,falder1 in his stockings1 is seen standing motionless1 with his head inclined towards the door1 listening4 ,he moves a little closer to the door1 his stockinged feet making no noise4 ,he stops at the door4 ,he is trying harder and harder to hear something1 any little thing that is going on outside4 ,he springs suddenly upright--as if at a sound1 and remains perfectly motionless4 ,then1 with a heavy sigh1 he moves to his work1 and stands looking at it1 with his head down2 he does a stitch or two1 having the air of a man so lost in sadness that each stitch is1 as it were1 a coming to life4 ,then turning abruptly1 he begins pacing the cell1 moving his head1 like an animal pacing its cage4 ,he stops again at the door1 listens1 and1 placing the palms of his hands against it with his fingers spread out1 leans his forehead against the iron4 ,turning from it1 presently1 he moves slowly back towards the window1 tracing his way with his finger along the top line of the distemper that runs round the wall4 ,he stops under the window1 and1 picking up the lid of one of the tins1 peers into it4 ,it has grown very nearly dark4 ,suddenly the lid falls out of his hands with a clatter1 the only sound that has broken the silence--and he stands staring intently at the wall where the stuff of the shirt is hanging rather white in the darkness--he seems to be seeing somebody or something there4 ,there is a sharp tap and click2 the cell light behind the glass screen has been turned up4 ,the cell is brightly lighted4 ,falder is seen gasping for breath4 ,a sound from far away1 as of distant1 dull beating on thick metal1 is suddenly audible4 ,falder shrinks back1 not able to bear this sudden clamour4 ,but the sound grows1 as though some great tumbril were rolling towards the cell4 ,and gradually it seems to hypnotise him4 ,he begins creeping inch by inch nearer to the door4 ,the banging sound1 travelling from cell to cell1 draws closer and closer2 ,falder's hands are seen moving as if his spirit had already joined in this beating1 and the sound swells till it seems to have entered the very cell4 ,he suddenly raises his clenched fists4 ,panting violently1 he flings himself at his door1 and beats on it4 ,the curtain falls4#ch ,perhaps an even more interesting illustration of pantomime1 because it gives us1 instead of the heightening emotion of one person1 the action of two characters upon each other1 is found in ,hugo von ,hofmannsthal's ,die ,frau im ,fenster4 ,she remains leaning over the parapet thus for a long time4 ,suddenly she thinks she hears something as the curtain behind her1 separating her balcony from the room1 is thrown open4 ,turning her head she sees her husband standing in the doorway4 ,she springs up2 her features become distorted with the utmost anguish4 ,messer ,braccio stands silent in the doorway4 ,he wears a simple dark green dressing-gown1 without weapons2 low shoes4 ,he is very tall and strong4 ,his face has the quality that often shows itself in the old pictures of great lords and condottieri4 ,he has an exceedingly large forehead1 and little1 dark eyes1 thick black hair1 short and curly1 and a small beard round his face4 ,dianora wishes to speak1 but can bring no sound from her throat4 ,messer4 ,braccio motions for her to draw in the ladder4 ,dianora does so automatically1 rolls it together1 and as though unconscious1 lets the bundle fall at her feet4 ,braccio regards her calmly4 ,then he grasps his left hip with his right hand1 also with his left hand1 and looking down1 notes that he has no dagger4 ,making an impatient movement of the lips he glances down into the garden and behind him4 ,he lifts his right hand for an instant and looks at its palm4 ,he goes back into the room with firm1 unhurried steps4 ,dianora looks after him continually2 she cannot take her eyes from him4 ,when the curtain falls behind him1 she passes her fingers over her cheeks and through her hair4 ,then she folds her hands and with wildly twitching lips silently prays4 ,then she throws her arms backward and grasps the stone coping with her fingers1 a movement revealing firm resolution and a hint of triumph4 ,braccio steps out through the door again1 carrying in his left hand a stool which he places in the doorway1 and then sits down opposite his wife4 ,his expression has not changed4 ,from time to time he lifts his right hand mechanically and regards the small wound in its palm4 ,braccio4 7,his tone is cold1 slightly disdainful4 ,he indicates the ladder with his foot and his eyes47 ,who is it8 7,dianora lifts her shoulders1 then lets them fall again slowly47 ,braccio4 ,i know4 7,dianora lifts her shoulders1 then lets them fall again slowly4 ,her teeth are pressed tightly together47 ,braccio4 7,raising his hand with the movement but touching his wife only with his glance2 then he turns his gaze toward the garden again47 ,palla degli ,albizzi4#ci ,such elaborate pantomime as the cases just cited is naturally rare1 but a dramatist is always watching for an opportunity to shorten by pantomime a speech or the dialogue of a scene1 or to intensify by it the effect of his words4#dj ,is anything in ,shore ,acres1 by ,james ,a4 ,herne1 more memorable than the last scene8 ,in it ,uncle ,nat1 who has established the happiness of the household1 lights his candle deliberately and goes slowly up the long staircase to his bedroom1 humming softly4 ,he is the very picture of spiritual content4 ,words would have spoiled that scene as they have spoiled many and many a scene of an inexperienced dramatist4 ,iris1 at the end of ,act ,,iii of ,pinero's play of that name1 is on the point of leaving ,bellagio4 ,maldonado has left lying on her table a checkbook on a bank in which he has placed a few hundred pounds in her name4 ,because of the defalcation of her lawyer1 she is in financial straits4 ,maldonado wishes to help her but also to gain power over her4 ,unwilling to take the checkbook1 she has urged him to remove it4 ,lacking firmness of character1 however1 she lets him leave it1 saying she will destroy it4 ,with a troubled1 half-guilty look1 ,iris attires herself in her hat and cape2 after which1 carrying her gloves1 she returns to her dressing-bag4 ,glancing round the room to assure herself that she has collected all her small personal belongings1 her eyes rest on the checque-book which lies open on the writing-table4 ,she contemplates it for a time1 a gradually increasing fear showing itself in her face4 ,ultimately she walks slowly to the table and picks up a book4 ,she is fingering it in an uncertain1 frightened way when the servant returns4 ,man-servant4 7,standing over the bag47 ,is there anything more1 ma'am--8 7,she hesitates helplessly2 then1 becoming conscious that she is being stared at1 she advances1 drops the book into the bag1 and passes out4 ,the man shuts the bag and is following her as the curtain falls47#da ,this passage from ,act ,i of ,the ,great ,divide shows pantomime supplementing speech as the dramatist of experience frequently employs it4 ,a writer of less sure feeling would have permitted his characters some unnecessary or involved speech4 7,ruth selects a red flower1 puts it in the dark mass of her hair1 and looks out at the open door47 ,what a scandal the moon is making out in that great crazy world6 ,who but me could think of sleeping on such a night8 7,she sits down1 folds the flowers in her arms1 and buries her face in them4 ,after a moment1 she starts up1 listens1 goes hurriedly to the door1 draws the curtains before the window1 comes swiftly to the table1 and blows out the light4 ,the room is left in total darkness4 ,there are muttering voices outside1 the latch is tried1 then a heavy lunge breaks the bolt4 ,a man pushes in1 but is hurled back by a taller man1 with a snarling oath4 ,a third figure advances to the table1 and strikes a match4 ,as soon as the match is lighted ,ruth levels the gun1 which she has taken from its rack above the mantel4 ,there is heard the click of the hammer1 as the gun misses fire4 ,it is instantly struck from her hand by the first man 7,dutch71 who attempts to seize her4 ,she evades him and tries to wrest a pistol from a holster on the wall4 ,she is met by the second man 7,shorty71 who frustrates the attempt1 pocketing the weapon4 ,while this has been going on1 the third-man 7,ghent7 has been fumbling with the lamp1 which he has at last succeeded in lighting4 ,all three are dressed in rude frontier fashion1 the one called ,shorty is a ,mexican half-breed1 the others are ,americans4 ,ghent is younger than ,dutch1 and taller1 but less powerfully built4 ,all are intoxicated1 but not sufficiently so to incapacitate them from rapid action4 ,the ,mexican has seized ,ruth and attempts to drag her toward the inner room4 ,she breaks loose and flies back again to the chimney place1 where she stands at bay4 ,ghent remains motionless and silent by the table1 gazing at her47 ,dutch4 7,uncorking a whiskey flask47 ,plucky little catamount4 ,i drink its health4 7,drinks47 ,ruth4 ,what do you want here8#db ,hofmannsthal1 in his ,electra1 uses pantomime as only one detail1 but no words could so paint the mad triumph of the sister of ,orestes as does her incredible dance4 7,electra has raised herself4 ,she steps down from the threshold1 her head thrown back like a ,moenad4 ,she lifts her knees1 stretches out her arms2 it is an incredible dance in which she steps forward4 ,chrysothemis appearing again at the door1 behind her torches1 a ,throng1 faces of ,men and ,women47 ,chrysothemis4 ,electra6 ,electra4 7,stands still1 gazing at her fixedly47 ,be silent and dance4 ,come hither all of you6 ,join with me all6 ,i bear the burden of joy1 ,and ,i dance before you here4 ,one thing alone ,remains for all who are as happy as we2 ,to be silent and dance4 7,she does a few more steps of tense triumph1 and falls a-heap4 ,chrysothemis runs to her4 ,electra lies motionless4 ,chrysothemis runs to the door of the house and knocks47 ,chrysothemis4 ,orestes6 ,orestes6 7,silence47 ,curtain4#dc ,without question1 then1 speech in the drama may often give way in part or wholly to pantomime4 ,the inexperienced dramatist should be constantly alert to see to what extent he can substitute it for dialogue4#dd ,in all that has been said of pantomime1 of course technical pantomime is not meant4 ,the ,commedia dell' arte1 pantomime artists like the ,ravel ,brothers or ,mme4 ,pilar-,morin1 have a code of gesture to symbolize fixed meanings4 ,what is meant here is the natural human pantomime of people whose faces and bodies portray or betray their feelings4 ,another word of warning in regard to pantomime4 ,when a writer of plays once becomes well aware of the great value of pantomime1 he is likely to overwork it4 ,assuming that the actor or actors may convey almost anything by physical movement1 he trusts it too much4 ,let him who is for the moment under the spell of pantomime study the moving picture show4 ,pantomime may ordinarily convey physical action perfectly4 ,emotion naturally and easily expressed by action pantomime may convey1 but when action for its clearness depends on knowledge of what is going on in the mind of the actor1 pantomime begins to fail4 ,great artists like ,mme4 ,pilar-,morin may carry us far even under these conditions1 but most actors cannot4 ,in a motion picture play like ,cabiria1 contrast the scenes in which the ,roman and his slave flee before the crowd from part to part of the temple 7mere action71 or the scene of the terror of the wine merchant 7in which the face and body tell the whole story7 with the scene in which the nurse meets the ,roman and his slave on the wall of the city and begs their aid in saving the child1 or the scenes in which ,sophonisba struggles with her anxieties and mad desires4 ,the second group of pictures without the explanations thrown on the screen would have little meaning4 ,pantomime is safe1 not when it pleases us to use pantomime rather than to write dialogue1 but when our characters naturally act rather than speak1 or when we can devise for them natural action as clear as speech or clearer than speech4 ,use pantomime1 but use it cautiously4 ,speech is the greatest emotional weapon of the dramatist4 ,it best reveals emotion1 and best of all creates responsive emotion4 ,however1 as most inexperienced dramatists use far too many words rather than too few1 the value rather than the danger of pantomime should probably be stressed here4 ,what seems natural1 what makes for illusion1 is the final test4 ,it is this test of naturalness which has gradually excluded1 except in special instances1 the soliloquy and the aside4 ,the general movement of drama in the past ten years has been toward better and better characterization in plays of all kinds4 ,the newer melodrama and farce show us1 not the mere comic puppets of the past1 but people as real as the form represented--be it comedy1 farce1 tragedy1 or melodrama--will permit4 ,this new tendency has largely driven out the soliloquy and the aside4 ,we should not1 however1 go to extremes1 for occasionally we do swear under our breath or comment in asides1 and as long as people do either1 such people should be so represented4 ,moreover1 we must admit that the insane1 the demented1 the invalid left much to himself1 the hermit1 whether of the woods or the hall bedroom in a city boarding house1 do talk to themselves and often at great length4 ,neither the aside nor the soliloquy is1 then1 objectionable in itself4 ,it is the use of either by persons who would probably use nothing of the sort1 or their use in order to avoid exposition otherwise difficult which is to be decried4 ,it is particularly this latter fault to which ,sir ,arthur ,pinero calls attention when treating the faulty technique of ,r4,l4 ,stevenson as a playwright3 ,i will read you one of the many soliloquies--the faulty method of conducting action and revealing character by soliloquy was one from which ,stevenson could never emancipate himself4 ,it is a speech delivered by ,deacon ,brodie while he is making preparations for a midnight gambling excursion4 7,brodie closes1 locks1 and double-bolts the doors of his bedroom47 ,deacon ,brodie4 ,now for one of the ,deacon's headaches6 ,rogues all1 rogues all6 7,he goes to the clothes press and proceeds to change his coat47 ,on with the new coat and into the new life6 ,down with the ,deacon and up with the robber6 ,eh ,god6 ,how still the house is6 ,there's something in hypocrisy after all4 ,if we were as good as we seem1 what would the world be8 ,the city has its vizard on and we--at night we are our naked selves4 ,trysts are keeping1 bottles cracking1 knives are stripping2 and here is ,deacon ,brodie flaming forth the man of men he is6 ,how still it is6--,my father and ,mary--,well6 ,the day for them1 the night for me2 the grimy cynical night that makes all cats grey1 and all honesties of one complexion4 ,shall a man not have half a life of his own8 not eight hours out of twenty-four8 ,eight shall he have should he dare the pit of ,tophet4 ,where's the blunt8 ,i must be cool tonight1 or--steady ,deacon1 you must win2 damn you1 you must6 ,you must win back the dowry that you've stolen1 and marry your sister and pay your debts1 and gull the world a little longer6 ,the ,deacon's going to bed--the poor sick ,deacon6 ,allons6 ,only the stars to see me6 ,i'm a man once more till morning6 ,act ,i1 ,tableau ,i1 ,scene #i4de ,sir ,arthur knows whereof he speaks1 for past-master as he has shown himself since ,the ,second ,mrs4 ,tanqueray in the art of giving necessary exposition and characterization without soliloquy1 he was a bad offender in his early days1 as the following extract from the opening of ,the ,money ,spinner shows3 7,directly ,margot has disappeared1 there is a knocking outside the door1 right4 ,it is repeated1 then the doors slowly open and the head of ,monsieur ,jules ,faubert appears47 ,faubert4 7,who also speaks with the accent of a foreigner47 ,boycott1 my friend1 are you at home8 ,my friend ,boycott1 do you hear me8 7,receiving no answer1 he enters rather cautiously and looks around4 ,he is in black1 wearing a long1 tightly buttoned frock coat and a tall hat4 ,his hair is red and closely cropped4 ,his voice is soft and his manner stealthy and mechanical47 ,where is ,boycott1 my friend8 ,ah1 he has not yet taken his breakfast4 7,he crosses over to the curtains1 left1 and looks through47 ,no one to be seen4 ,boycott asks me to call for him at ten o'clock in the morning1 and it is now a quarter past ten by the ,great ,clock1 and he is not visible4 7,walking round the room1 inspecting the objects with curiosity47 ,yet he could not have left the house for ,i have been watching at the front door since eight o'clock4 7,takes letters from top of ,pianette47 ,besides1 here are his letters unopened4 7,examines them narrowly1 scrutinizing the writing1 and weighing them in his hand47 ,one1 ,mr4 ,boycott1 with the post-mark of ,london4 ,two1 ,monsieur ,boycott with the post-mark of ,rouen4 ,three1 ,madame ,boycott with the post-mark of ,paris4 7,replacing letters47 ,ah1 ,i have not yet the pleasure of the acquaintance of ,madame ,boycott4 ,poor soul1 perhaps she will know me some day4 7,going over to the door1 right47 ,well1 ,i shall call again after breakfast4 ,my friend ,boycott is getting very unpunctual--a bad sign--a very bad sign4#df ,the unnaturalness of the two foregoing illustrations needs no comment4 ,the ,elizabethan author1 knowing that above all else the dramatist must make clear why his people do what they do1 used soliloquy with the utmost frankness as the easiest method of exposition4 ,here are three specimens1 one from ,webster and two from ,shakespeare4 ,cardinal4 ,the reason why ,i would not suffer these ,about my brother is because at midnight ,i may with better privacy convay ,julias body1 to her owne lodging4 ,o1 my conscience6 ,i would pray now3 but the divell takes away my heart ,for having any confidence in praier4 ,about this houre ,i appointed ,bosola ,to fetch the body3 when he hath serv'd my turne1 ,he dies4 7,exit47#dg ,iago4 ,that ,cassio loves her ,i do well believe't2 ,that she loves him1 'tis apt and of great credit2 ,the ,moor1 howbeit that ,i endure him not1 ,is of a constant1 loving1 noble nature1 ,and ,i dare think he'll prove to ,desdemona ,a most dear husband4 ,now1 ,i do love her too2 ,not out of absolute lust1 though peradventure ,i stand accountant for as great a sin1 ,but partly led to diet my revenge1 ,for that ,i do suspect the lusty ,moor ,hath leap'd into my seat2 the thought whereof ,doth1 like a poisonous mineral1 gnaw my inwards2 ,and nothing can or shall content my soul ,till ,i am even'd with him1 wife for wife2 ,or failing so1 yet that ,i put the ,moor ,at least into a jealousy so strong ,that judgement cannot cure4 ,which thing to do1 ,if this poor trash of ,venice1 whom ,i trash ,for his quick hunting1 stand the putting on1 ,i'll have our ,michael ,cassio on the hip1 ,abuse him to the ,moor in the rank garb-- ,for ,i fear ,cassio with my night-cap too-- ,make the ,moor thank me1 love me1 and reward me1 ,for making him egregiously an ass ,and practising upon his peace and quiet ,even to madness4 ',tis here1 but yet confus'd2 ,knavery's plain face is never seen till us'd4 7,exit47#dh ,emilia4 ,i am glad ,i have found this napkin2 ,this was her first remembrance from the ,moor4 ,my wayward husband hath a hundred times ,woo'd me to steal it2 but she so loves the token1 ,for he conjur'd her she should ever keep it1 ,that she reserves it evermore about her ,to kiss and talk to4 ,i'll have the work ta'en out1 ,and give 't ,iago4 ,what he will do with it ,heaven knows1 not ,i2 ,i nothing but to please his fantasy4#di ,echegaray's ,the ,great ,galeoto 7#ahha71 though a part of the newer movement in the drama1 shows soliloquy4 ,,scene4 ,madrid of our day4 ,,prologue ,a study2 to the left a balcony2 on the right a door2 in the middle a table strewn with papers and books1 and a lighted lamp upon it4 ,towards the right a sofa4 ,night4 ,,scene #a4 ,ernest4 7,seated at a table and preparing to write47 ,nothing--impossible4 ,it is striving with the impossible4 ,the idea is there2 my head is fevered with it2 ,i feel it4 ,at moments an inward light illuminates it1 and ,i see it4 ,i see it in its floating form1 vaguely outlined1 and suddenly a secret voice seems to animate it1 and ,i hear sounds of sorrow1 sonorous sighs1 shouts of sardonic laughter--a whole world of passions alive and struggling--,they burst forth from me1 extend around me and the air is full of them4 ,then1 then ,i say to myself3 ',tis now the moment4 ,i take up my pen1 stare into space1 listen attentively1 restraining my very heart-beats1 and bend over the paper--,ah1 but the irony of impotency6 ,the outlines become blurred1 the vision fades1 the cries and sighs faint away--and nothingness1 nothingness encircles me--,the monotony of empty space1 of inert thought1 of dreamy lassitude6 and more than all the monotony of an idle pen and lifeless paper that lacks the life of thought6 ,ah1 how varied are the shapes of nothingness1 and how1 in its dark and silent way1 it mocks creatures of my stamp6 ,so many1 many forms4 ,canvas without color1 bits of marble without shape1 confused noise of chaotic vibrations4 ,but nothing more irritating1 more insolent1 meaner than this insolent pen of mine 7throws it away71 nothing worse than this white sheet of paper4 ,oh1 if ,i cannot fill it1 at least ,i may destroy it--vile accomplice of my ambition and my eternal humiliation4 ,thus1 thus--smaller and still smaller4 7,tears up paper4 ,pauses47 ,and then6 ,how lucky that nobody saw me6 ,for in truth1 such fury is absurd and unjust4 ,no1 ,i will not yield4 ,i will think and think until ,i have conquered or am crushed4 ,no1 ,i will not give up4 ,let me see1 let me see--if in that way--#ej ,such soliloquy1 even if conventionally justifiable in its own time1 is rarely1 if ever1 necessary4 ,scene #b of ,echegaray's play shows ,ernest and ,don ,julian discussing the former's difficulty in working4 ,what could be easier1 then1 than to cut the scene just cited to ,ernest seated at a writing table and showing by his pantomime how impossible he finds composition8 ,why should he not act out the lines1 ,i take up my pen1 stare into space1 listen attentively1--bend over the paper 444 and nothingness1 nothingness8 ,if as a climax he throws away his pen and tears up his paper1 it certainly should be clear that he is thoroughly exasperated with his failure to write what he wishes4 ,in ,scene #b a very slight change or amplification in the phrasing will permit him to bring out whatever of importance in ,scene #a the suggested revision has omitted4 ,doubtless it would not be so easy to get rid of the soliloquies of the ,cardinal1 ,iago1 and ,emilia1 but ingenuity in handling the scene preceding and the scene following soliloquies will usually dispose of all or most of them4 ,when ,lady ,windermere's ,fan of ,wilde first appeared1 hardly any one seriously objected to its soliloquies4 ,they were an accepted convention of the stage4 ,when ,miss ,margaret ,anglin revived the play very successfully a year or two ago1 she rightly felt these soliloquies to be outworn4 ,by use of pantomime1 in some cases hardly more than the pantomime called for in the stage directions1 she disposed of all except an occasional line or two of the original soliloquies4 ,the instances cited from her prompt book of the play show one soliloquy cut to stage directions and two lines of the original1 and the second cut to mere stage direction4 ,,act ,i4 ,lady ,windermere4 ,how horrible6 7,lady ,windermere sits left ,i understand now what of centre1 looks toward ,lord ,darlington meant by the desk1 rises1 starts toward imaginary instance of the couple desk1 hesitates centre1 goes not two years married4 ,oh6 it to desk1 tries drawer1 hunts can't be true--she spoke of for and finds key1 unlocks enormous sums of money paid drawer1 takes out check to this woman4 ,i know where book1 looks over stubs1 finds ,arthur keeps his bank book--in nothing and is relieved1 one of the drawers of that then sees first entry47 desk4 ,i might find out by that4 ,i will find out4 7,opens drawer47 ,lady ,windermere4 ,mrs4 ,erlynne-- ,no1 it is some hideous mistake4 ,l#fjj--,mrs4 ,erlynne--,l#gjj--,mrs4 7,rises and goes ,c47 ,some silly ,erlynne--,l#djj4 ,oh6 it is true6 scandal6 ,he loves me6 ,he loves it is true6 me6 ,but why should ,i not look8 ,i am his wife1 ,i have a right to look6 7,returns to bureau1 takes out book and examines it1 page by page1 smiles and gives a sigh of relief47 ,i knew it1 there is not a word of truth in this stupid story4 7,puts book back in drawer4 ,as she does so1 starts and takes out another book47 ,a second book--private--locked6 7,tries to open it but fails4 ,sees paper knife on bureau1 and with it cuts cover from book4 ,begins to start at the first page47 ,mrs4 ,erlynne--,l#fjj--,mrs4 ,erlynne-- ,l#gjj--,mrs4 ,erlynne--,l#djj4 ,oh6 it is true6 it is true6 ,how horrible6 7,throws book on floor47#ea ,,act ,,iii4 ,lady ,windermere4 7,standing 7,lady ,windermere discovered by the fireplace47 ,why doesn't at fireplace1 ,l41 crosses he come8 ,this waiting is horrible4 to chair1 ,l4 of ,c41 takes ,he should be here4 ,why is he not cloak from chair1 puts here1 to wake by passionate words cloak on crossing to door some fire within me8 ,i am cold-- ,u4,l41 stops1 decides to cold as a loveless thing4 ,arthur stay1 crosses to ,r4 of ,d4,c4 must have read my letter by this ,enter ,mrs4 ,erlynne47 time4 ,if he cared for me1 he would have come after me1 and have taken me back by force4 ,but he doesn't care4 ,he's entrammeled by this woman--fascinated by her--dominated by her4 ,if a woman wants to hold a man1 she has merely to appeal to what is worst in him4 ,we make gods of men and they leave us4 ,others make brutes of them and they fawn and are faithful4 ,how hideous life is6 444 ,oh6 it was mad of me to come here1 horribly mad4 ,and yet which is the worst1 ,i wonder1 to be at the mercy of a man who loves one1 or the wife of a man who in one's own house dishonors one8 ,what woman knows8 ,what woman in the whole world8 ,but will he love me always1 this man to whom ,i am giving my life8 ,what do ,i bring him8 ,lips that have lost the note of joy1 eyes that are blighted by tears1 chill hands and icy heart4 ,i bring him nothing4 ,i must go back--no2 ,i can't go back1 my letter has put me in their power-- ,arthur would not take me back6 ,that fatal letter6 ,no6 ,lord ,darlington leaves ,england tomorrow4 ,i will go with him--,i have no choice4 7,sits down for a few moments4 ,then starts up and puts on her cloak47 ,no1 no6 ,i will go back1 let ,arthur do with me what he pleases4 ,i can't wait here4 ,it has been madness my coming4 ,i must go at once4 ,as for ,lord ,darlington--,oh6 here he is6 ,what shall ,i do8 ,what can ,i say to him8 ,will he let me go away at all8 ,i have heard that men are brutal1 horrible4 444 ,oh6 7,hides her face in her hands47 ,enter ,mrs4 ,erlynne1 ,l4#eb ,soliloquy when a character is left alone on the stage is a perfect illustration of the difference between permanent and ephemeral technique4 ,as a device for easy exposition1 it has been popular from the beginning of drama till recently4 ,now1 though one may use it in a rough draft1 a technique which is likely to become permanent in this respect forces us to go over this draft1 cutting soliloquy to mere action and the few exclamations which the character might utter under the circumstances4 ,soliloquy has no such permanent place in technique as have preliminary exposition1 suspense1 and climax4 ,soliloquy1 when other people are on the stage and known by the speaker to be listening is also absurd4 ,it is because of this fact that the dramatic or psychologic monologue1 the form taken by a very large portion of ,browning's voluminous poetry1 breaks down if we attempt to stage it4 ,some speaker is made to reveal his character1 and1 sometimes1 by reflection1 or directly1 the character of some one else--to set forth some subtle and complex soul-mood1 some supreme1 all-determining movement or experience of a life1 or1 it may be1 to ratiocinate subtly on some curious question of theology1 morals1 philosophy1 or art4 ,now it is in strictly preserving the monologue character that obscurity often results4 ,a monologue often begins with a startling abruptness1 and the reader must read along some distance before he gathers what the beginning means4 ,take the monologue of ,fra ,lippo ,lippi for example4 ,the situation is necessarily left more or less unexplained4 ,the poet says nothing in propria persona1 and no reply is made to the speaker by the person or persons addressed4 ,sometimes a look1 a gesture or a remark must be supposed on the part of the one addressed1 which occasions a responsive remark4 ,sometimes a speaker imputes a question1 and the reader is sometimes obliged to stop and consider whether a question is imputed by the speaker to the one he is addressing1 or is a direct question of his own4 ,this is often the case throughout ,the ,ring and the ,book4#ec ,giuseppe ,caponsacchi4 ,answer you1 ,sirs8 ,do ,i understand aright8 ,have patience6 ,in this sudden smoke from hell1-- ,so things disguise themselves1--,i cannot see ,my own hand held thus broad before my face ,and know it again4 ,answer you8 ,then that means ,tell over twice what ,i1 the first time1 told ,six months ago3 'twas here1 ,i do believe1 ,fronting you same three in this very room1 ,i stood and told you3 yet now no one laughs1 ,who then 444 nay1 dear my lords1 but laugh you did1 ,as good as laugh1 what in a judge we style ,laughter--no levity1 nothing indecorous1 lords6 ,only1--,i think ,i apprehend the mood3 ,there was the blameless shrug1 permissible smirk1 ,the pen's pretence at play with the pursed mouth1 ,the titter stifled in the hollow palm ,which rubbed the eyebrow and caressed the nose1 ,when first ,i told my tale3 they meant1 you know1 ,the sly one1 all this we are bound believe6 ,well1 he can say no other than what he says4 ,we have been young1 too1--come1 there's greater guilt6 ,let him but decently disembroil himself1 ,scramble from out the scrape nor move the mud1-- ,we solid ones may risk a finger-stretch6 ,and now you sit as grave1 stare as aghast ,as if ,i were a phantom3 now 'tis--,friend1 ,collect yourself6--no laughing matter more-- ,counsel the ,court in this extremity1 ,tell us again6--tell that1 for telling which1 ,i got the jocular piece of punishment1 ,was sent to lounge a little in the place ,whence now of a sudden here you summon me ,to take the intelligence from just--your lips1 ,you1 ,judge ,tommati1 who then tittered most1-- ,that she ,i helped eight months since to escape ,her husband1 is retaken by the same ,three days ago1 if ,i have seized your sense4#ed ,it may be true that when one reads a dramatic monologue1 the changes in thought caused by some movement or look of an imagined hearer may seem sufficiently motivated4 ,when1 on the other hand1 this monologue is staged1 it becomes exceedingly unreal because we feel that the second person would not be silent but would interrupt with question or comment4 ,more than this1 unless the listening actor changes from pose to pose with rapid plasticity1 he will become stiff in attitude1 thus making us conscious of him when we should be listening to the speaker4 ,increasing the number of hearers does not relieve the situation1 but merely increases the number of possible interrupters or of people who stand about the stage more and more stiffly4 ,soliloquy is1 therefore1 to be avoided except when it seems or can be made to seem perfectly natural4 ,monologue1 acceptable perhaps to a reader1 becomes well-nigh impossible on the stage4 ,the aside must be subjected to very nearly the same tests4 ,in ,two ,loves and a ,life of ,tom ,taylor and ,charles ,reade1 ,musgrave and his daughter1 ,anne1 are opening letters surreptitiously4 ,they come to the letter of ,william ,hyde1 which the girl opens with reluctance1 crying1-- ,ah1 see1 father1 it is a blank6 ,musgrave4 ,a blank6 ,then it is as ,i thought6 ,anne4 ,how8 ,musgrave4 ,here1 girl6 7,he takes the letter and holds it to the fire in the brazier47 ,anne4 ,see6 ,letters become visible6 ,musgrave4 ,a stale trick4 ',tis done with lemon juice or milk1 when folks would keep what they write from those who are in their secret4 ,politicians correspond so1 ,anne1 and rebels4 ,anne4 ,but ,william ,hyde is neither1 father4 ,musgrave4 ,of course not4 ,now then6 ,anne4 7,aside47 ,thank ,heaven6 'tis all about his calling6 ,musgrave4 ,read6 7,aside47 ,i have learned the key to their cypher1 which ,i have copied from the priest's letter4 ,anne4 7,reads47 ,dear ,will1 we have thine advices1 and shall be at ,lancaster ,fair4 ,all the smart fellows-- ,musgrave4 7,to himself47 ,ah6 ,bardsea ,hole--all the ,jacobite gentlemen--good4 ,anne4 7,reads47 ,by the time the grilse come ashore-- ,musgrave4 7,to himself47 ,grilse8 ammunition4 ,go on4 ,anne4 7,reads47 ,which shall be as you fix1 on ,tuesday the #afth1 at ten of the clock1 ,p4,m4 ,there is a bill against you and the old clothier1 payable at ,ulverstone today1 drawn by the butcher4 ,look out and see that he does not nab either of you-- ,musgrave4 7,aside47 ,the proclamation6 ,anne4 7,reads47 ,for your friends assembled4 ,john ,trusty4 ,musgrave4 ,from ,townley4 ,it is as ,i suspected4 7,he starts up47 ,anne4 ,father6 ,musgrave4 ,i'm a made man1 ,anne4 ,give me joy--joy6#ee ,in this once popular drama we have five asides close together1 for of course to himself is the equivalent of an aside4 ,all are bad1 for in each case the other person on the stage must be supposed not to hear1 and the aside is merely a device for telling us what the speaker is thinking4 ,they vary in badness1 however1 for while ,musgrave might well explain grilse to ,anne as ammunition1 he says1 ,i have learned the key to their cipher1 which ,i have copied from the priest's letter1 not as something which he is necessarily thinking at the time1 but as something which the audience needs to know at this point4 ,an aside is objectionable when a man speaks what he would be careful only to think1 either because of the very nature of his thought or because somebody is near at hand who should not overhear4 ,asides should be kept for confidential remarks which may be made to some person standing near the speaker1 but could not be heard by persons standing at a greater distance2 and to what naturally breaks from us in a moment of irritation1 terror1 or other strong emotion4 ,asides of the first group1 confidential remarks1 gain much in naturalness if spoken in half tones4 ,nothing could be more preposterous than the old stage custom of coming down to the footlights to tell an audience in clear-cut tones confidences which must not be overheard by people close at hand on the stage4 ,asides which are only brief soliloquies are little better4 ,asides in which the speaker merely says to the audience what he might perfectly well say to the people on the stage are foolish unless the author wishes to make the point that the character has the habit of talking to himself4 ,the following from ,vanbrugh's ,the ,provoked ,wife shows two entirely natural uses of the aside by ,lady ,brute1 and one debatable use by ,sir ,john4 ,,act ,,iii4 ,scene opens4 ,sir ,john1 ,lady ,brute1 and ,belinda rising from the ,table ,sir ,john4 ,will it so1 ,mrs4 ,pert8 ,now ,i believe it will so increase it1 7sitting and smoaking7 ,i shall take my own ,house for a ,papermill4 ,lady ,brute4 7,to ,belinda aside47 ,don't let's mind him2 let him say what he will4 ,sir ,john4 7,aside47 ,a ,woman's ,tongue a ,cure for the ,spleen--,oons--,if a ,man had got the ,head-ach1 they'd be for applying the same ,remedy4 ,lady ,brute4 ,you have done a great deal1 ,belinda1 since yesterday4 ,belinda4 ,yes1 ,i have work'd very hard2 how do you like it8 ,lady ,brute4 ,o1 'tis the prettiest ,fringe in the ,world4 ,well1 ,cousin1 you have the happiest fancy4 ,prithee advise me about altering my ,crimson ,petticoat4 ,sir ,john4 ,a ,pox o' your ,petticoat2 here's such a ,prating1 a ,man can't digest his own ,thoughts for you4 ,lady ,brute4 7,aside47 ,don't answer him4--,well1 what do you advise me8 ,belinda4 ,why really ,i would not alter it at all4 ,methinks 'tis very pretty as it is4#ef ,sir ,john's aside1 if addressed to the audience1 is bad2 if meant to illustrate his habit of grumbling to himself1 it is permissible4 ,mr4 ,henry ,arthur ,jones protests against complete disuse of the aside4 ,in discarding the 'aside' in modern drama we have thrown away a most valuable and1 at times1 a most necessary convention4 ,let any one glance at the 'asides' of ,sir ,john ,brute in ,the ,provoked ,wife1 and he will see what a splendid instrument of rich comedy the 'aside' may become4 ,how are we as spectators to know what one character on the stage thinks of the situation and of the other characters1 unless he tells us2 or unless he conveys it by facial play and gestures which are the equivalent of an 'aside'8 ,the 'aside' is therefore as legitimate a convention of drama as the removal of the fourth wall4 ,more and more the ,english modern drama seems to be sacrificing everything to the mean ambition of presenting an exact photograph of real life4#eg ,of course ,mr4 ,jones is quite right in wishing to keep the aside for cases in which it is perfectly natural4 ,his illustration of ,sir ,john ,brute is1 however1 not wholly fortunate1 for his asides are not conventional but are characterizing touches4 ,surely we must all admit that a certain type of drunkard likes to mumble to himself insulting speeches which he hasn't quite the courage to speak directly to other people1 but rather hopes they may overhear4 ,study the asides of ,sir ,john ,brute--they are not very many after all--and note that practically every one might be said directly to the people on the stage4 ,all of them help to present ,sir ,john as the heavy drinker who talks to himself and selects for his speeches to himself his particularly insulting remarks4 ,why1 too1 are facial play and gestures more objectionable than the conventional aside8 ,the fundamental trouble with the aside which should not be overheard by people on the stage is that1 if spoken naturally1 it would be too low for the audience to hear1 and if spoken loud enough to be heard1 would so affect the other characters as to change materially the development of the scene4 ,the aside should1 therefore1 be used with great care4 ,congreve1 writing of ordinary human speech said1 ,i believe if a poet should steal a dialogue of any length1 from the extempore discourse of the two wittiest men upon earth1 he would find the scene but coldly received by the town4#eh ,in everyday speech1 that is1 we do not say our say in the most compact1 characteristic1 and entertaining fashion4 ,to gain all that1 we must use more concentration and selection than we give to ordinary human intercourse4 ,just that concentration of attention1 which produces needed selection1 a dramatist must give his dialogue4 ,to this concentration and selection he is forced by the time difficulty already explained4 ,into the period sometimes consumed by a single bit of gossiping1 perhaps shot through with occasional flashes of wit1 but more probably dull1--into the space of two hours and a quarter1--the dramatist must crowd all the happenings1 the growth of his characters1 and the close reasoning of his play4 ,dramatic dialogue is human speech so wisely edited for use under the conditions of the stage that far more quickly than under ordinary circumstances the events are presented1 in character1 and perhaps in a phrasing delightful of itself4 ,picking just the right words to convey with gesture1 voice and the other stage aids of dialogue the emotions of the characters is so exacting a task that many a writer tries to dodge it4 ,he thinks that by prefacing nearly every speech with ,tenderly1 ,sarcastically1 ,with much humor1 in other words a statement as to how his lines should be read1 commonplace phrasings may be made to pass for the right emotional currency4 ,this is a lazy trick of putting off on the actor what would be the delight of the writer if he really cared for his work and knew what he wished to say4 ,of course1 from time to time one needs such stage directions1 but the safest way is to insist1 in early drafts1 on making the text convey the desired emotion without such statements4 ,otherwise a writer easily falls into writing unemotionalized speeches1 the stage directions of which call upon the actor to provide the emotion4 ,a similar trick is to write incomplete sentences1 usually ending with dashes4 ,though it is true1 as ,carlyle long ago pointed out1 that a thought or a climax which a reader or hearer completes for himself is likely to give him special satisfaction1 the device is easily overdone1 and too often the uncompleted line means either that the author does not know exactly what he wishes to say1 or that1 though he knows1 the hearer or reader may not complete the thought as he does4 ,the worst of this last trick is that it may confuse the reader and1 as was explained earlier in this chapter1 clearness in gaining the desired effect is the chief essential in dialogue4 ,an allied difficulty comes from writing dialogue in blocks1 the author forgetting1 in the first place1 that the other people on the stage are likely to interrupt and break up such speech1 and secondly1 that when several ideas are presented to an audience in the same speech1 they are likely to confuse hearers4 ,in these parallel passages from the two quartos of ,hamlet1 is not the right-hand column1 with its mingling of rapidly exchanged speech and description1 much more vivid and moving8 ,enter ,ofelia2 ,enter ,ophelia4 ,corambis4 ,farewel1 how now ,polonius4 ,farewell4 ,how now ,ofelia1 what's the news with you8 ,ophelia1 what's the matter8 ,ophelia4 ,o my ,lord1 my ,lord1 ,ofelia4 ,o my deare father1 ,i have been so affrighted4 such a change in nature1 ,so great an alteration in a ,polonius4 ,with what i'th ,prince1 name of ,god8 ,so pitifull to him1 fearefull to mee1 ,ophelia4 ,my ,lord1 as ,i was ,a maiden's eye ne're looked on4 sowing in my closset1 ,lord ,hamlet with his doublet ,corambis4 ,why1 what's the all unbrac'd1 matter my ,ofelia8 ,no hat upon his head1 his stockins fouled1 ,ofelia4 ,o yong ,prince ,hamlet1 ,ungartred1 and downe gyved to the only floure of ,denmark1 his ancle1 ,hee is bereft of all the wealth ,pale as his shirt1 his knees he had1 knocking each other1 ,the ,jewell that adorn'd his ,and with a look so pittious in feature most purport ,is filcht and stolne away1 his ,as if he had been loosed out wit's bereft him4 of hell ,to speake of horrors1 he comes before me4 ,polonius4 ,mad for thy love8 ,ophelia4 ,my lord ,i doe not know1 ,but truly ,i doe feare it4 ,polonius4 ,what said he8 ,ophelia4 ,he took me by the wrist1 and held me hard1 ,then goes he to the length of all his arme1 ,and with his other hand thus ore his brow1 ,he falls to such perusall of my face ,as a would draw it4#ei ,is it probable that in the following extract from ,a ,soul's ,tragedy of ,browning the deeply interested and excited audience would permit the first bystander to complete uninterrupted his third and very long speech8 ,are the phrasing and thought really his1 or ,robert ,browning's8 ,,act ,,ii4 ,scene4 ,the market place4 ,luitolfo in disguise mingling with the ,populace assembled opposite the ,provost's ,palace4 #ast ,bystander4 7,to ,luitolfo47 ,you1 a friend of ,luitolfo's8 ,then1 your friend is vanished1--in all probability killed on the night that his patron the tyrannical ,provost was loyally suppressed here1 exactly a month ago1 by our illustrious fellow-citizen1 thrice-noble saviour1 and new ,provost that is like to be1 this very morning1--,chiappino6 99 99 99 99 99 ,luitolfo4 7,aside47 7,if ,i had not lent that man the money he wanted last spring1 ,i should fear this bitterness was attributable to me47 ,luitolfo is dead then1 one may conclude8 #crd ,bystander4 ,why1 he had a house here1 and a woman to whom he was affianced2 and as they both pass naturally to the new ,provost1 his friend and heir444 ,luitolfo4 ,ah1 ,i suspected you of imposing upon me with your pleasantry6 ,i know ,chiappino better4 #ast ,bystander4 7,our friend has the bile4 ,after all1 ,i do not dislike finding somebody vary a little this general gape of admiration at ,chiappino's glorious qualities47 ,pray1 how much may you know of what has taken place in ,faenza since that memorable night8 ,luitolfo4 ,it is most to the purpose1 that ,i know ,chiappino to have been by profession a hater of that very office of ,provost1 you now charge him with proposing to accept4 #ast ,bystander4 ,sir1 ,i'll tell you4 ,that night was indeed memorable4 ,up we rose1 a mass of us1 men1 women1 children2 out fled the guards with the body of the tyrant2 we were to defy the world2 but1 next gray morning1 ,what will ,rome say8 began everybody4 ,you know we are governed by ,ravenna1 which is governed by ,rome4 ,and quietly into the town1 by the ,ravenna road1 comes on muleback a portly personage1 ,ogniben by name1 with the quality of ,pontifical ,legate2 trots briskly through the streets humming a ,cur fremuere gentes1 and makes directly for the ,provost's ,palace--there it faces you4 ,one ,messer ,chiappino is your leader8 ,i have known three-and-twenty leaders of revolts6 7laughing gently to himself7--,give me the help of your arm from my mule to yonder steps under the pillar--,so6 ,and now1 my revolters and good friend what do you want8 ,the guards burst into ,ravenna last night bearing your wounded ,provost2 and1 having had a little talk with him1 ,i take on myself to come and try appease the disorderliness1 before ,rome1 hearing of it1 resort to another method3 'tis ,i come1 and not another1 from a certain love ,i confess to1 of composing differences4 ,so1 do you understand1 you are about to experience this unheard-of tyranny from me1 that there shall be no heading nor hanging1 no confiscation nor exile3 ,i insist on your simply pleasing yourselves4 ,and1 now1 pray1 what does please you8 ,to live without any government at all8 ,or having decided for one1 to see its minister murdered by the first of your body that chooses to find himself wronged1 or disposed for reverting to first principles and a justice anterior to all institutions1--and so will you carry matters1 that the rest of the world must at length unite and put down such a den of wild beasts8 ,as for vengeance on what had just taken place1--once for all1 the wounded man assures me that he cannot conjecture who struck him2 and this so earnestly1 that one may be sure he knows perfectly well what intimate acquaintance could find admission to speak with him late last evening4 ,i come not for vengeance therefore1 but from pure curiosity to hear what you will do next4 ,and thus he ran on1 easily and volubly1 till he seemed to arrive quite naturally at the praise of law1 order1 and paternal government by somebody from rather a distance4 ,all our citizens were in the snare and about to be friends with so congenial an adviser2 but that ,chiappino suddenly stood forth1 spoke out indignantly and set things right again4 ,luitolfo4 ,do you see8 ,i recognize him there6#fj ,people who think ramblingly and not clearly must undoubtedly on the stage speak in similar fashion1 but it is wise when possible to avoid stating two or three ideas in the same sentence1 or developing two or three ideas in one long speech4 ,an idea to a sentence1 with the development of one thought in a speech1 is a fairly safe principle1 though not unalterable4 ,for instance1 the daughter of a widowed mother is facing the fact that if they are to stay in their meagre quarters she may have to ask this as a favor from her employer1 ,mr4 ,hollings4 ,the mother1 not knowing that he has pressed his attentions objectionably1 does not understand the unwillingness of the girl to ask his help4 ,in answer to her pleadings the girl cries1 ,oh1 ,i would do anything for you6 ,poor dear father6 ,mother1 go to ,mr4 ,hollings4 ,here are three different trains of thought in one speech4 ,the first exclamation is a direct answer to the mother's preceding speech4 ,for the audience there is no clearness of transition to the second exclamation1 nor from it to the third4 ,cut the girl's answer to the first sentence4 ,then the mother1 seizing on the idea that her daughter is willing to do anything1 urges her for this and that reason to see her employer1 emphasizing the idea that1 had the father lived1 all their present sorrow would not exist4 ,in this case the second exclamation falls into its proper place1 as a natural reply of the girl to her mother4 ,if1 too1 as the mother urges reason after reason for going to the employer for aid1 the girl at last pleads1 ,mother1 you go to ,mr4 ,hollings1 this sentence also falls into its proper place4 ,it becomes the first sign of her yielding1 for she is at last willing that some one should intercede with the man4 ,when a writer finds himself skipping from idea to idea within a speech or a sentence1 with transitions likely to be unclear for the audience1 he should break what he has written into its component parts and let the other people on the stage1 by their interruptions1 queries1 and comments1 provide the connectives of speech and thought which will bind these ideas together properly4 ,the following rearrangement by ,miss ,anglin of the original text of ,lady ,windermere's ,fan shows her correct feeling that ideas originally treated together should be separated4 ,lord ,windermere's reply is to the first sentence of ,mrs4 ,erlynne's speech4 ,it is therefore much clearer to shift her two succeeding exclamations to her next speech4 ,,original ,,revision ,mrs4 ,erlynne4 7,c47 ,how do ,mrs4 ,erlynne4 7,c47 ,how do you do1 again1 ,lord ,windermere8 you do1 again1 ,lord ,windermere8 ,how charming your sweet wife looks6 ,quite a picture6 ,lord ,windermere4 7,in a low voice47 ,it was terribly rash ,lord ,windermere4 7,in a low of you to come6 voice47 ,it was terribly rash of you to come6 ,mrs4 ,erlynne4 7,smiling47 ,the wisest thing ,i ever did in my ,mrs4 ,erlynne4 7,smiling47 ,the life4 ,how charming your sweet wisest thing ,i ever did in my life4 wife looks6 ,quite a picture6 ,and1 ,and1 by the way1 you must pay by the way1 you must pay me a me a good deal of attention this good deal of attention this evening4#fa evening4 ,often dialogue which is clear sentence by sentence is1 as a whole1 somewhat confusing to an audience4 ,frequently a careful re-ordering of the parts of the speech1 or of a group of speeches1 will dispose of the trouble4 ,occasionally a playwright allows his ordering of his ideas to obscure the cue1 or important idea4 ,undoubtedly the important word in what follows is christenings1 but ,chasuble runs on into various other matters before ,jack speaks4 ,consequently a hearer is a little startled when ,jack takes up the idea of christenings instead of anything following it4 ,chasuble4 ,in ,paris6 7,shakes his head47 ,i fear that hardly points to any very serious state of mind at the last4 ,you would no doubt wish me to make some slight allusion to this tragic domestic affliction next ,sunday4 7,jack presses his hand convulsively47 ,my sermon on the meaning of the manna in the wilderness can be adapted to almost any occasion1 joyful1 or1 as in the present case1 distressing4 7,all sigh47 ,i have preached it at harvest celebrations1 christenings1 confirmations1 on days of humiliation and festal days4 ,the last time ,i delivered it was in the ,cathedral1 as a charity sermon on behalf of the ,society for the ,prevention of ,discontent among the ,upper ,orders4 ,the ,bishop1 who was present1 was much struck by some of the analogies ,i drew4 ,jack4 ,ah6 ,that reminds me1 you mentioned christenings ,i think1 ,dr4 ,chasuble8 ,i suppose you know how to christen all right8 7,dr4 ,chasuble looks astounded47 ,i mean1 of course1 you are continually christening1 aren't you8#fb ,it is true that the last part of ,chasuble's speech illustrates his volubility1 and that the way in which ,jack picks up the idea1 christening1 shows that he is so absorbed in his purpose as to pay no attention to anything ,chasuble says after christenings4 ,here1 therefore1 the method is probably justified1 but ordinarily the end of one speech leads into the next1 and when something which breaks the sequence stands between1 it must prove its right to be there1 or be postponed for later treatment1 or be cut out altogether4 ,what re-ordering will do for a dialogue which is uninteresting and somewhat confused was shown in the revising of the extract from the ,john ,brown play 7pp4 #cji-cac74 ,there is a brilliant instance1 in ,miss ,anglin's version of ,lady ,windermere's ,fan1 of re-ordering such that a climax of interest develops from groups of somewhat independent sentences4 ,,original ,,revision ,lady ,plymdale4 ,my dear ,dumby4 ,awful manners young ,margaret1 what a fascinating ,hopper has6 woman your husband has been dancing with6 ,i should be quite ,cecil ,graham4 ,ah6 ,hopper is one jealous if ,i were you6 ,is she a of ,nature's gentlemen1 the worst great friend of yours8 type of gentleman ,i know4 ,lady ,windermere4 ,no4 ,lady ,jedburgh4 ,what a fascinating woman ,mrs4 ,erlynne ,lady ,plymdale4 ,really8 is6 ,she is coming to lunch ,good night1 dear4 on ,thursday1 won't you come too8 7,looks at ,mr4 ,dumby1 and ,i expect the ,bishop and dear exit47 ,lady ,merton4 ,dumby4 ,awful manners young ,lady ,windermere4 ,i am afraid ,i ,hopper has6 am engaged1 ,lady ,jedburgh4 ,cecil ,graham4 ,ah6 ,hopper is ,lady ,jedburgh4 ,so sorry4 ,good one of ,nature's gentlemen1 the night4 ,come1 dear4 worst type of gentleman ,i know4 7,exeunt ,lady ,jedburgh and ,miss ,graham47 ,dumby4 ,sensible woman1 ,lady ,windermere4 ,lots of wives ,dumby4 ,sensible woman1 would have objected to ,mrs4 ,lady ,windermere4 ,lots of ,erlynne coming4 ,but ,lady wives would have objected to ,windermere has that uncommon ,mrs4 ,erlynne coming4 ,but thing called common sense4 ,lady ,windermere has that uncommon thing called common ,cecil ,graham4 ,and ,windermere sense4 knows that nothing looks so like innocence as an ,cecil ,graham4 ,and ,windermere indiscretion4 knows that nothing looks so like innocence as an indiscretion4 ,dumby4 ,yes2 dear ,windermere is becoming almost modern4 ,never thought he would4 ,dumby4 ,yes2 dear ,windermere is becoming almost modern4 ,never 7,bows to ,lady ,windermere thought he would4 and exit47 ,lady ,plymdale4 ,dumby6 ,lady ,jedburgh4 ,good night1 ,lady ,windermere4 ,what a 7,dumby bows to ,lady fascinating woman ,mrs4 ,erlynne ,windermere and exit47 is6 ,she is coming to lunch on ,thursday4 ,won't you come ,lady ,plymdale4 ,my ,dear too8 ,i expect the ,bishop and ,margaret1 what a fascinating dear ,lady ,merton4 woman your husband has been dancing with6 ,i should be quite ,lady ,windermere4 ,i am afraid jealous if ,i were you6 ,is she a ,i am engaged1 ,lady ,jedburgh4 great friend of yours8 ,lady ,jedburgh4 ,so sorry4 ,lady ,windermere4 ,no6 ,come1 dear4 ,lady ,plymdale4 ,really8 ,good night1 dear4 7,exeunt ,lady ,jedburgh and ,miss ,graham47 7,lady ,plymdale exits47 ,enter ,mrs4 ,erlynne and ,enter ,mrs4 ,erlynne and ,lord ,windermere4 ,lord ,windermere4 ,mrs4 ,erlynne4 ,charming ball ,mrs4 ,erlynne4 ,charming ball it has been6 ,quite reminds me it has been6 ,quite reminds me of old days4 of old days4 7,sits on the sofa47#fc 7,sits on the sofa47 ,dialogue may be both clear and characterizing yet fail because it is difficult to speak4 ,too many writers1 as has been said1 do not hear their words but see them4 ,could any one who heard his words have penned the lines1 ,she says she's sure she'll have a shock if she sees him4 ,that time apt alliteration was so artful that1 setting her trap1 she caught a dramatist4 ,here is the amusing comment of a critic on an author's protest that her lines have been misquoted and made to sound difficult to deliver3 ,in the review of the----,theatre's opening bill there occurred a line purporting to come from ,miss ,blank's psychic play1 ,the ,turtle4 ,miss ,blank writes1 ,the line1 which was either incorrectly spoken or heard1 was not1 ',how does one know one is one's self8' but ',how is one to know which is one's real self when one feels so different with different people8' ,naturally the reviewer of a play is as open to mistakes in noting down lines as the actor is in speaking them1 particularly if the author is much given to the one-one-one style of construction4 ,if1 however1 ,miss ,blank prefers her own version of the sentence1 she is welcome to it4 ,of course each writer is perfectly sure that his own ear will keep him from errors of this kind1 but even the greatest err4 ,did ,shakespeare write the opening lines of ,measure ,for ,measure1 he the master of exquisitely musical and perfectly chosen dramatic speech8 ,some scholars believe he did4 ,if so1 in that second speech of the ,duke which wearies the jaws and tempts to every kind of slurring1 ,jove certainly nodded4 ,enter ,duke1 ,escalus1 ,lords and ,attendants ,duke4 ,escalus6 ,escalus4 ,my lord4 ,duke4 ,of government the properties to unfold1 ,would seem in me to affect speech and discourse1 ,since ,i am put to know that your own science ,exceeds1 in that1 the lists of all advice ,my strength can give you3 then no more remains1 ,but that1 to your sufficiency 444 444 as your worth is able1 ,and let them work4 ,are the following straight translations from the old ,french farce1 ,pierre ,patelin1#fd as easy to speak as the revisions8 ,,translation ,,revision ,guillemette4 ,and don't forget ,guillemette4 ,and if your dram1 if you can come by any one offers to stand treat1 it for nothing4 don't refuse4 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 7,patelin is trying to cheat 7,patelin is trying to cheat the ,draper out of a piece the ,draper out of a piece of cloth47 of cloth47 ,patelin4 ,i don't care3 give me ,patelin4 ,i don't care3 give me my money's worth4 7,whispering my money's worth4 7,whispering in the ,draper's ear47 ,i know of in the ,draper's ear47 ,i know of another coin or two nobody ever some chink-- got a smell of4 ,draper4 ,now you're talking6 ,draper4 ,now you're talking6 ,that would be capital4 ,patelin4 ,in a word1 ,i am hot ,patelin4 7,letting his hand for this piece1 and have some fall on the goods47 ,this6 ,i must4 ,the first revision certainly gives lines easier to speak4 ,the writer of the second revision hears it and knows the gesture1 facial expression1 and intonation which must go with ,this6 ,dialogue which is perfectly clear and characterizing should not be allowed to pass in the final revision if at any point it is unnecessarily difficult to deliver4 ,from the preceding discussion it must be clear that the three essentials of dialogue are clearness1 helping the onward movement of the story1 and doing all this in character4 ,dialogue is1 naturally1 still better if it possesses charm1 grace1 wit1 irony1 or beauty of its own4 ,dialogue which merely states the facts is1 as we have seen1 likely to be dull or commonplace4 ,well characterized dialogue still falls short of all dialogue may be if it has none of the attributes just mentioned4 ,feeling this strongly1 the dramatists throughout the ages have striven to give their dialogue attractiveness because of its style1 forgetting that above all for the dramatist it is true that style is the man1 and that style is a thinking out into language4 ,lyly1 ,shakespeare1 in some of the scenes of his early plays1 ,kyd in ,the ,spanish ,tragedy1 ,john ,dryden in his ,heroic ,drama1 ,cibber and ,lillo in their rhythmic prose which often might be perfectly well printed as blank verse1 strove to decorate their dialogue from without--something sure to fail1 either with the immediate audience or with posterity4 ,if the charm1 the grace1 the wit1 the irony of the dialogue does not come from the characters speaking1 that dialogue fails in what has been shown to be one of its chief essentials1 right characterization4 ,congreve emphasized this in that classic of dramatic criticism1 his letter ,concerning ,humour in ,comedy4#fe ,a character of a splenetic and peevish humour should have a satirical wit4 ,a jolly and sanguine humour should have a facetious wit4 ,the former should speak positively2 the latter1 carelessly3 for the former observes and shows things as they are2 the latter rather overlooks nature1 and speaks things as he would have them2 and his wit and humour have both of them a less alloy of judgment than the others4 ,undoubtedly1 however1 the dramatist may do much in helping a character to reveal these qualities1 particularly beauty of thought or phrasing4 ,it is a conventional use supposed to make for beauty which ,the ,rehearsal ridicules in the following scene1 for at nearly all crises the ,heroic ,drama rested on a simile for its strongest effect4 ,prettyman4 ,how strange a captive am ,i grown of late6 ,shall ,i accuse my love or blame my fate8 ,my love ,i cannot2 that is too divine3 ,and against fate what mortal dares repine8 ,enter ,chloris ,but here she comes4 ,sure 'tis some blazing comet6 is it not8 7,lies down47 ,bayes4 ,blazing comet6 ,mark that2 egad1 very fine4 ,prettyman4 ,but ,i am so surpris'd with sleep1 ,i cannot speak the rest4 7,sleeps47 ,bayes4 ,does not that1 now1 surprise you1 to fall asleep in the nick8 ,his spirits exhale with the heat of his passion1 and all that1 and1 swop1 he falls asleep1 as you see4 ,now1 here she must make a simile4 ,smith4 ,where's the necessity of that1 ,mr4 ,bayes8 ,bayes4 ,because she's surprised4 ,that's a general rule2 you must ever make a simile when you're surprised2 'tis the new way of writing4 ,chloris4 ,as some tall pine which we on ,aetna find ,t' have stood the rage of many a boist'rous wind1 ,feeling without that flames within do play1 ,which would consume his root and sap away2 ,he spreads his worsted arms unto the skies3 ,silently grieves1 all pale1 repines1 and dies3 ,so1 shrouded up1 your bright eye disappears4 ,break forth1 bright scorching sun1 and dry my tears4 7,exit47 ,john4 ,mr4 ,bayes1 methinks this simile wants a little application1 too4 ,bayes4 ,no faith2 for it alludes to passion1 to consuming1 to dying1 and all that1 which1 you know1 are the natural effects of an amour4 7,act ,,ii1 sc4 #c47ff ,why is it that the citation from ,shakespeare in the left-hand column is less satisfactory than that in the right-hand8 ,york4 ,to do that office ,viola4 ,if ,i did love you of thine own good will in my master's flame1 ,which tired majesty did make thee ,with such a suffering1 such a offer1 deadly life1 ,the resignation of thy state and ,in your denial ,i would find no crown sense1 ,to ,henry ,bolingbroke4 ,i would not understand it4 ,king ,richard4 ,give me the ,olivia4 ,why1 what would you8 crown4--,here cousin1 seize the crown2 ,viola4 ,make me a willow ,here1 cousin1 cabin at your gate1 ,on this side my hand1 and on ,and call upon my soul within the that side thine4 house2 ,now is this golden crown like a ,write loyal cantons of contemned deep well love ,that owes two buckets1 filling ,and sing them loud even in the one another1 dead of night2 ,the emptier ever dancing in the ,halloo your name to the air1 reverberate hills ,the other down1 unseen1 and ,and make the babbling gossip of full of water4 the air ,that bucket down and full of ,cry out ,olivia6 ,o1 you should tears am ,i1 not rest ,drinking my griefs1 whilst you ,between the elements of air and mount up on high1 earth1 ,but should pity me6 ,bolingbroke4 ,i thought you had been willing to resign4 ,olivia4 ,you might do much#fh ,king ,richard4 ,my crown ,i am2 but still my griefs are mine4 ,you may my glories and my state depose1 ,but not my griefs2 still ,i am king of those4#fg ,the second extract is the more effective because the onward sweep of the emotion of the scene reveals beauty as it moves1 but the first shows ,king ,richard checking the course of his natural emotion in order suavely and perfectly to develop his comparison4 ,of course there is beauty in the first extract1 but it is not genuine dramatic beauty4 ,why does one find the following passage from ,the ,importance of ,being ,earnest 7,act ,i71 delightful as it is1 less fine than the passage from ,the ,way of the ,world 7,act ,,ii1 ,scene #e78 ,,the ,,importance ,,of ,,being ,,earnest ,lady ,bracknell4 7,sitting down47 ,you can take a seat1 ,mr4 ,worthing4 7,looks in her pocket for notebook and pencil47 ,jack4 ,thank you1 ,lady ,bracknell1 ,i prefer standing4 ,lady ,bracknell4 7,pencil and notebook in hand47 ,i feel bound to tell you that you are not down on my list of eligible young men1 although ,i have the same list as the dear ,duchess of ,bolton has4 ,we work together1 in fact4 ,however1 ,i am quite ready to enter your name1 should your answers be what a really affectionate mother requires4 ,do you smoke8 ,jack4 ,well1 yes1 ,i must admit ,i smoke4 ,lady ,bracknell4 ,i am glad to hear it4 ,a man should always have an occupation of some kind4 ,there are far too many idle men in ,london as it is4 ,how old are you8 ,jack4 ,twenty-nine4 ,lady ,bracknell4 ,a very good age to be married at4 ,i have always been of opinion that a man who desires to get married should know either everything or nothing4 ,which do you know8 ,jack4 7,after some hesitation47 ,i know nothing1 ,lady ,bracknell4 ,lady ,bracknell4 ,i am pleased to hear it4 ,i do not approve of anything that tempers with natural ignorance4 ,ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit2 touch it and the bloom is gone4 ,the whole theory of modern education is radically unsound4 ,fortunately in ,england1 at any rate1 education produces no effect whatsoever4 ,if it did1 it would prove a serious danger to the upper classes1 and probably lead to acts of violence in ,grosvenor ,square4 ,what is your income8 ,jack4 ,between seven and eight thousand a year4 ,lady ,bracknell4 7,makes a note in her book47 ,in land or investments8 ,jack4 ,in investments1 chiefly4 ,lady ,bracknell4 ,that is satisfactory4 ,what between the duties expected of one during one's lifetime1 and the duties exacted from one after one's death1 land has ceased to be either a profit or a pleasure4 ,it gives one position and prevents one from keeping it up4 ,that's all that can be said about land4 ,jack4 ,i have a country house with some land1 of course1 attached to it1 about fifteen hundred acres1 ,i believe2 but ,i don't depend on that for my income4 ,in fact1 as far as ,i can make out1 the poachers are the only people who are making anything out of it4 ,lady ,bracknell4 ,a country house6 ,how many bedrooms8 ,well1 that point can be cleared up afterwards4 ,you have a town house1 ,i hope8 ,a girl with a simple unspoiled nature1 like ,gwendolen1 could hardly be expected to reside in the country4 ,jack4 ,well1 ,i own a house in ,belgrave ,square1 but it is let by the year to ,lady ,bloxham4 ,of course1 ,i can get it back whenever ,i like1 at six months' notice4 ,lady ,bracknell4 ,lady ,bloxham8 ,i don't know her4 ,jack4 ,oh1 she goes about very little4 ,she is a lady considerably advanced in years4 ,lady ,bracknell4 ,ah1 nowadays that is no guarantee of respectability of character4 ,what number in ,belgrave ,square8 ,jack4 #adi4 ,lady ,bracknell4 7,shaking her head47 ,the unfashionable side4 ,i thought there was something4 ,however1 that could easily be altered4 ,jack4 ,do you mean the fashion or the side8 ,lady ,bracknell4 7,sternly47 ,both1 if necessary1 ,i presume4 ,what are your politics8 ,jack4 ,well1 ,i'm afraid ,i really have none4 ,i am a ,liberal ,unionist4 ,lady ,bracknell4 ,oh1 they count as ,tories4 ,they dine with us4 ,or come in the evening1 at any rate4 ,now to minor matters4 ,are your parents living8 ,jack4 ,i have lost both my parents4 ,lady ,bracknell4 ,both8--,that seems like carelessness4 ,who was your father8 ,he was evidently a man of some wealth4 ,was he born in what the ,radical papers call the purple of commerce1 or did he rise from the ranks of the aristocracy8 ,jack4 ,i'm afraid ,i really don't know4 ,the fact is1 ,lady ,bracknell1 ,i said ,i had lost my parents4 ,it would be nearer the truth to say that my parents seem to have lost me--,i don't actually know who ,i am by birth4 ,i was--well1 ,i was found4 ,lady ,bracknell4 ,found6 ,jack4 ,the late ,mr4 ,thomas ,cardew1 an old gentleman of a very charitable and kindly disposition1 found me and gave me the name of ,worthing1 because he happened to have a first-class ticket for ,worthing at the time4 ,worthing is a place in ,sussex4 ,it is a seaside resort4 ,lady ,bracknell4 ,where did the gentleman who had a first-class ticket for this seaside resort find you8 ,jack4 7,gravely47 ,in a hand-bag4 ,lady ,bracknell4 ,a hand-bag6 ,jack4 7,very seriously47 ,yes1 ,lady ,bracknell4 ,i was in a hand-bag--a somewhat large1 black leather hand-bag1 with handles to it--an ordinary hand-bag in fact4 ,lady ,bracknell4 ,in what locality did this ,mr4 ,james1 or ,thomas1 ,cardew come across this ordinary hand-bag8 ,jack4 ,in the cloak-room at the ,victoria ,station4 ,it was given to him in mistake for his own4 ,lady ,bracknell4 ,the cloak-room at ,victoria ,station8 ,jack4 ,yes1 the ,brighton line4 ,lady ,bracknell4 ,the line is immaterial4 ,mr4 ,worthing1 ,i confess ,i feel somewhat bewildered by what you have just told me4 ,to be born1 or at any rate1 bred in a hand-bag1 whether it had handles or not1 seems to me to display a contempt for the ordinary decencies of family life that remind one of the worst excesses of the ,french ,revolution4 ,and ,i presume you know what that unfortunate movement led to8 ,as for the particular locality in which the hand-bag was found1 a cloak-room at a railway station might serve to conceal a social indiscretion--has probably1 indeed1 been used for that purpose before now--but it could hardly be regarded as an assured basis for a recognized position in good society4 ,jack4 ,may ,i ask you then what you would advise me to do8 ,i need hardly say ,i would do anything in the world to ensure ,gwendolen's happiness4 ,lady ,bracknell4 ,i would strongly advise you1 ,mr4 ,worthing1 to try and acquire some relations as soon as possible1 and to make a definite effort to produce at any rate one parent1 of either sex1 before the season is quite over4 ,jack4 ,well1 ,i don't see how ,i could possibly manage to do that4 ,i can produce the hand-bag at any moment4 ,it is in my dressing-room at home4 ,i really think that should satisfy you1 ,lady ,bracknell4 ,lady ,bracknell4 ,me1 sir6 ,what has it to do with me8 ,you can hardly imagine that ,i and ,lord ,bracknell would dream of allowing our only daughter--a girl brought up with the utmost care--to marry into a cloak-room1 and form an alliance with a parcel8 ,good morning1 ,mr4 ,worthing6 7,lady ,bracknell sweeps out in majestic indignation47#fi ,,the ,,way ,,of ,,the ,,world ,enter ,mrs4 ,millamant1 ,witwoud1 ,mincing ,mirabell4 ,here she comes1 i'faith1 full sail1 with her fan spread and streamers out1 and a shoal of fools for tenders2 ha1 no1 ,i cry her mercy4 ,mrs4 ,fainall4 ,i see but one poor empty sculler2 and he tows her woman after him4 ,mirabell4 7,to ,mrs4 ,millamant47 ,you seem to be unattended1 ,madam--you us'd to have the beau monde throng after you2 and a flock of gay fine perukes hovering round you4 ,witwoud4 ,like moths about a candle1--,i had like to have lost my comparison for want of breath4 ,mrs4 ,millamant4 ,oh1 ,i have denied myself airs today1 ,i have walk'd as fast through the crowd-- ,witwoud4 ,as a favourite just disgraced2 and with as few followers4 ,mrs4 ,millamant4 ,dear ,mr4 ,witwoud1 truce with your similitudes2 for ,i am as sick of 'em-- ,witwoud4 ,as a physician of good air--,i cannot help it1 ,madam1 though 'tis against myself4 ,mrs4 ,millamant4 ,yet again6 ,mincing1 stand between me and his wit4 ,witwoud4 ,do1 ,mrs4 ,mincing1 like a screen before a great fire4 ,i confess ,i do blaze today1 ,i am too bright4 ,mrs4 ,fainall4 ,but1 dear ,millamant1 why were you so long8 ,mrs4 ,millamant4 ,long6 ,lord1 have ,i not made violent haste8 ,i have ask'd every living thing ,i met for you2 ,i have enquir'd after you1 as after a new fashion4 ,witwoud4 ,madam1 truce with your similitudes--no1 you met her husband1 and did not ask him for her4 ,mrs4 ,millamant4 ,by your leave1 ,witwoud1 that were like enquiring after an old fashion1 to ask a husband for his wife4 ,witwoud4 ,hum1 a hit1 a hit1 a palpable hit1 ,i confess it4 ,mrs4 ,fainall4 ,you were dress'd before ,i came abroad4 ,mrs4 ,millamant4 ,ay1 that's true--,o but then ,i had--,mincing1 what had ,i8 why was ,i so long8 ,mincing4 ,o mem1 your ,la'ship staid to peruse a pacquet of letters4 ,mrs4 ,millamant4 ,o1 ay1 letters--,i had letters--,i am persecuted with letters--,i hate letters--nobody knows how to write letters1 and yet one has 'em one does not know why--they serve one to pin up one's hair4 ,witwoud4 ,is that the way8 ,pray1 ,madam1 do you pin up your hair with all your letters8 ,i find ,i must keep copies4 ,mrs4 ,millamant4 ,only with those in verse1 ,mr4 ,witwoud1 ,i never pin up my hair with prose4 ,i think ,i try'd once1 ,mincing4 ,mincing4 ,o mem1 ,i shall never forget it4 ,mrs4 ,millamant4 ,ay1 poor ,mincing tift and tift all the morning4 ,mincing4 ',till ,i had the cramp in my fingers1 ,i'll vow1 mem4 ,and all to no purpose4 ,but when your ,laship pins it up with poetry1 it fits so pleasant the next day as anything1 and is so pure and so crips4 ,witwoud4 ,indeed1 so crips4 ,mincing4 ,you're such a critic1 ,mr4 ,witwoud4 ,mrs4 ,millamant4 ,mirabell1 did you take exceptions last night8 ,o ay1 and went away--now ,i think on't1 ,i'm angry--no1 now ,i think on't ,i'm pleas'd--for ,i believe ,i gave you some pain4 ,mirabell4 ,does that please you8 ,mrs4 ,millamant4 ,infinitely2 ,i love to give pain4 ,mirabell4 ,you wou'd affect a cruelty which is not in your nature2 your true vanity is in the power of pleasing4 ,mrs4 ,millamant4 ,o ,i ask your pardon for that--one's cruelty is in one's power2 and when one parts with one's cruelty1 one parts with one's power2 and when one has parted with that1 ,i fancy one's old and ugly4 ,mirabell4 ,ay1 ay1 suffer your cruelty to ruin the object of your power1 to destroy your lover--and then how vain1 how lost a thing you'll be6 nay1 'tis true3 you are no longer handsome when you've lost your lover2 your beauty dies upon the instant2 for beauty is the lover's gift2 'tis he bestows your charms--your glass is all a cheat4 ,the ugly and the old1 whom the looking-glass mortifies1 yet after commendation can be flatter'd by it1 and discover beauties in it2 for that reflects our praises rather than our face4 ,mrs4 ,millamant4 ,o the vanity of these men6 ,fainall1 d'ye hear him8 ,if they did not commend us1 we were not handsome6 now you must know they cou'd not commend one1 if one was not handsome4 ,beauty the lover's gift--,lord1 what is a lover1 that it can give8 ,why1 one makes lovers as fast as one pleases1 and they live as long as one pleases1 and they die as soon as one pleases2 and then if one pleases1 one makes more4 ,witwoud4 ,very pretty4 ,why1 you make no more of making of lovers1 ,madam1 than of making so many card-matches4 ,mrs4 ,millamant4 ,one no more owes one's beauty to a lover than one's wit to an echo2 they can but reflect what we look and say2 vain empty things if we are silent or unseen1 and want a being4 ,mirabell4 ,yet to those two vain empty things you owe the two greatest pleasures of your life4 ,mrs4 ,millamant4 ,how so8 ,mirabell4 ,to your lover you owe the pleasure of hearing yourselves prais'd2 and to an echo the pleasure of hearing yourselves talk4 ,witwoud4 ,but ,i know a lady that loves talking so incessantly1 she won't give an echo fair play2 she has that everlasting rotation of the tongue1 that an echo must wait 'till she dies before it can catch her last words4 ,mrs4 ,millamant4 ,o fiction6 ,fainall1 let us leave these men4#gj ,is not the dialogue of ,congreve the finer because one feels in ,wilde the ringmaster showing off his figures1 and with ,congreve is not conscious of the author at all8 ,that is1 the wit of the first passage is an assisted wit1 edged1 underscored1 selectively phrased by a skilful author4 ,in the second1 everything springs seemingly unassisted from the characters4 ,the range of accomplishment from obvious search for beauty in consciously made similes1 through such relatively fine accomplishment as ,wilde shows1 to such perfect work as that of ,congreve1 should be carefully studied by the would-be dramatist4 ,john ,ford's wonderful lines ,parthenophil is like to something ,i remember1 ,a great while since1 a long1 long time ago hold the memory not merely because of the loveliness of their haunting melody1 but because they are in character and help to portray the wistful bewilderment of the moment4 ,why go far afield searching for the phrase that shall give charm1 grace1 beauty8 ,look into the souls of your characters and find them there4 ,either you haven't seen them or1 not being there1 they cannot properly appear in your text4 ,mr4 ,w4 ,b4 ,yeats tells of rehearsing a young actress who stumbled constantly over the line ,and then ,i looked up and saw you coming toward me1 ,i know not whether from the north1 the south1 the east or the west4 ,she gave it with no sense of its contained rhythm1 and always came to a full stop after toward me1 adding the last words almost unwillingly4 ,when asked why she did this1 she said that all which followed seemed to her unnecessary3 the important fact was contained in what preceded4 ,it took much rehearsing to make the young woman see that the music of the line is characteristic of the dales people1 and so has characterizing value1 and that she had totally forgotten the situation of the woman speaking4 ,a peddler has come to the only hut in a lonely valley4 ,the woman welcomes him heartily1 not that she may buy1 but because after days in which she has seen no one except her man1 she is greedy for talk4 ,having bargained as long as she can1 very regretfully she sees the man departing1 and1 other topics being exhausted1 she tells him of her pleasure in his coming1 spinning out her phrase as long as she possibly can in order to hold him4 ,out of that set of conditions springs a highly characterizing phrase that also has beauty4 ,if ,synge had done no more by his plays than to make us recognize in the speech of the peasant the characterizing power and the beauty for him who has the eye to see and the ear to hear1 his work would deserve permanent fame4 ,he states his ideas in the preface to ,the ,playboy of the ,western ,world4 ,in writing ,the ,playboy of the ,western ,world1 as in my other plays1 ,i have used one or two words only that ,i have not heard among the country people of ,ireland1 or spoken in my own nursery before ,i could read the newspapers4 ,a certain number of the phrases ,i employ ,i have heard also from herds and fishermen along the coast from ,kerry to ,mayo1 or from beggar-women and ballad-singers near ,dublin2 and ,i am glad to acknowledge how much ,i owe to the folk-imagination of these fine people4 ,any one who has lived in real intimacy with the ,irish peasantry will know that the wildest sayings and ideas in this play are tame indeed1 compared with the fancies one may hear in any little hillside cabin in ,geesala1 or ,carraroe1 or ,dingle ,bay4 ,all art is a collaboration2 and there is little doubt that in the happy ages of literature1 striking and beautiful phrases were as ready to the story-teller's or the playwright's hand as the rich cloaks and dresses of his time4 ,it is probable that when the ,elizabethan dramatist took his ink-horn and sat down to his work he used many phrases that he had just heard as he sat at dinner1 from his mother or his children4 ,in ,ireland1 those of us who know the people have the same privilege4 ,when ,i was writing ,the ,shadow of the ,glen1 some years ago1 ,i got more aid than any learning could have given me from a chink in the floor of the old ,wicklow house where ,i was staying1 that let me hear what was being said by the servant girls in the kitchen4 ,this matter1 ,i think1 is of importance for in countries where the imagination of the people1 and the language they use1 is rich and living1 it is possible for a writer to be rich and copious in his words1 and at the same time to give the reality1 which is the root of all poetry1 in a comprehensive and natural form4 ,in the modern literature of towns1 however1 richness is found only in sonnets1 or prose poems1 or in one or two elaborate books that are far away from the profound and common interests of life4 ,one has1 on one side1 ,mallarme and ,huysmans producing this literature2 and on the other ,ibsen and ,zola dealing with the reality of life in joyless and pallid words4 ,on the stage one must have reality1 and one must have joy2 and that is why the intellectual modern drama has failed1 and people have grown sick of the false joy of the musical comedy1 that has been given them in place of the rich joy found only in what is superb and wild in reality4 ,in a good play every speech should be as fully flavoured as a nut or apple1 and such speeches cannot be written by any one who works among people who have shut their lips on poetry4 ,in ,ireland1 for a few years more1 we have a popular imagination that is fiery and magnificent1 and tender2 so that those of us who wish to write start with a chance that is not given to writers in places where the springtime of the local life has been forgotten1 and the harvest is a memory only1 and the straw has been turned into bricks4#ga ,as ,ibsen says1 ,style must conform to the degree of ideality which pervades the representation4 ,you are of opinion that the drama ought to have been written in verse1 and that it would have gained by this4 ,here ,i must differ from you4 ,the play is1 as you must have observed1 conceived in the most realistic style2 the illusion ,i wished to produce was that of reality4 ,i wished to produce the impression on the reader that what he was reading was something that had really happened4 ,if ,i had employed verse ,i should have counteracted my own intention and prevented the accomplishment of the task ,i had set myself4 ,the many ordinary1 insignificant characters whom ,i have intentionally introduced into the play would have become indistinct1 and indistinguishable from one another1 if ,i had allowed all of them to speak in one and the same rhythmical measure4 ,we are no longer living in the days of ,shakespeare4 ,speaking generally1 the style must conform to the degree of ideality which pervades the representation4 ,my new drama is no tragedy in the ancient acceptation2 what ,i desired to depict were human beings1 and therefore ,i would not let them talk the language of the ,gods4#gb ,the dramatist who would write dialogue of the highest order should have not only an inborn and highly trained feeling for the emotional significance of the material in hand2 a fine feeling for characterization2 ability to write dialogue which states facts in character2 and the power to bring out whatever charm1 grace1 irony1 wit1 or other specially attractive qualities his characters permit2 also he should have1 or develop1 a strong feeling for the nicest use of language4 ,dumas fils said1 ,there should be something of the poet1 the artist in words1 in every dramatist4 ,,footnotes3 #a ,the ,far ,east1 ,june #f1 #aiad1 p4 #bie4 #b ,the ,devonshire ,hamlets1 pp4 #a-b4 #c ,the ,devonshire ,hamlets1 pp4 #bf-bg4 #d ,act ,i4 ,scene #a4 ,belles-,lettres ,series4 ,austin ,dobson1 ed4 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath ,co4 #e ,hindle ,wakes1 ,stanley ,houghton4 ,j4,w4 ,luce ,co41 ,boston2 ,sidgwick ,jackson1 ,ltd41 ,london4 #f ,york ,plays1 p4 #cfc4 ,l4 ,t4 ,smith1 ed4 ,clarendon ,press1 ,oxford4 #g ,ludus ,coventriae1 p4 #cbb4 ,j4 ,o4 ,halliwell1 ed4 ,shakespeare ,society4 #h ,plays1 pp4 #ga-gb ,copyright1 #aiae1 by ,chas4 ,scribner's ,sons1 ,new ,york4 #i ,b4 ,w4 ,huebsch4 ,new ,york4 #aj ,julius ,caesar1 ,act ,,iii1 ,scene #c4 #aa ,the ,london ,merchant1 or ,the ,history of ,george ,barnwell1 ,act ,i1 ,scene #a4 ,george ,lillo4 ,sir ,a4,w4 ,ward1 ed4 ,belles-,lettres ,series4 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath ,co41 ,boston and ,new ,york4 #ab ,works1 ,r4,w4 ,bond1 ed4 ,clarendon ,press1 ,oxford4 #ac ,selected ,dramas of ,john ,dryden4 ,conquest of ,granada4 ,g4 ,r4 ,noyes1 ed4 #ad ,belles-,lettres ,series4 ,sir ,a4 ,w4 ,ward1 ed4 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath ,co41 ,boston and ,new ,york4 #ae ,l',annee ,psychologique1 #ahid1 p4 #abj4 #af ,the ,nigger1 ,act ,i4 ,edward ,sheldon4 ,the ,macmillan ,co41 ,new ,york4 #ag ,the ,devonshire ,hamlets1 p4 #ii4 #ah ,letters of ,bulwer-,lytton to ,macready1 p4 #acj4 ,b4 ,matthews1 ed4 #ai ,fortune by ,land and ,sea4 ,t4 ,heywood and ,w4 ,rowley4 ,w4 ,b4 ,clarke ,co1 ,boston4 #bj ,from ,ibsen's ,workshop1 p4 #afb4 ,chas4 ,scribner's ,sons1 ,new ,york4 #ba ,prose ,dramas1 vol4 #a1 p4 #cgg4 ,idem4 #bb ,from ,ibsen's ,workshop1 p4 #aga4 ,chas4 ,scribner's ,sons1 ,new ,york4 #bc ,prose ,dramas1 vol4 i1 p4 #chf4 ,idem4 #bd ,the ,ambassador4 ,t4 ,fisher ,unwin1 ,london4 #be ,samuel ,french1 ,new ,york4 #bf ,mistress ,beatrice ,cope4 ,m4 ,e4 ,le ,clerc4 ,d4 ,appleton ,co41 ,new ,york4 #bg ,the ,devonshire ,hamlets1 pp4 #d1 #f4 #bh ,becket4 ,tennyson4 ,the ,macmillan ,co4 #bi ,becket4 ,arranged by ,sir ,henry ,irving4 ,idem4 #cj ,george ,riddle's ,readings4 ,walter ,h4 ,baker ,co41 ,boston4 #ca ,the ,origin of the ,english ,drama1 vol4 ,,ii1 p4 #dh4 ,t4 ,hawkins1 ed4 ,clarendon ,press1 ,oxford1 #aggc4 #cb ,antony and ,cleopatra1 ,act ,i1 ,scene #a4 #cc ,belles-,lettres ,series4 ,k4 ,l4 ,bates1 ed4 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath ,co41 ,boston and ,new ,york4 #cd ,pre-,shakesperean ,drama1 vol4 #a1 p4 #cjj4 ,j4 ,m4 ,manly4 ,ginn ,co41 ,boston4 #ce ,early ,plays1 p4 #gb4 ,c4 ,g4 ,child4 ,riverside ,literature ,series1 ,no4 #aia4 ,houghton ,mifflin ,co41 ,boston4 #cf ,samuel ,french1 ,new ,york4 #cg ,note that this is a literary detail effective for readers only4 ,at best the first row of spectators alone could identify the title of the book4 #ch ,justice4 ,copyright1 #aiaj1 by ,john ,galsworthy4 ,chas4 ,scribner's ,sons1 ,new ,york4 #ci ,die ,frau im ,fenster4 ,theater in ,versen4 ,h4 von ,hofmannsthal4 ,s4 ,fischer1 ,berlin4 #dj ,the final scene of ,act ,,iv of ,nathan ,hale shows effective use of pantomime4 #da ,walter ,h4 ,baker ,co41 ,boston2 ,w4 ,heinemann1 ,london4 #db ,the ,great ,divide1 ,act ,i4 ,the ,macmillan ,co41 ,new ,york4 #dc ,translated by ,arthur ,symons4 ,brentano1 ,new ,york4 #dd ,for such skilful substitution of pantomime for words1 see pp4 #chh-hi1 ,lady ,windermere's ,fan4 #de ,robert ,louis ,stevenson1 the ,dramatist1 p4 #ae4 ,sir ,a4,w4 ,pinero4 ,chiswick ,press1 ,london4 ,for the play see ,three ,plays1 ,henley and ,stevenson4 ,chas4 ,scribner's ,sons1 ,new ,york4 #df ,samuel ,french1 ,new ,york4 #dg ,the ,duchesse of ,malfi1 ,act ,v1 ,scene #d4 ,belles-,lettres ,series4 ,m4 ,w4 ,sampson1 ed4 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath ,co41 ,boston and ,new ,york4 #dh ,othello1 ,act ,,ii1 ,scene #a4 #di ,othello1 ,act ,,iii1 ,scene #c4 #ej ,drama ,league ,series4 ,hannah ,lynch1 tr4 ,doubleday1 ,page ,co4 #ea ,plays1 vol4 #a4 ,j4 ,w4 ,luce ,co41 ,boston4 #eb ,plays1 vol4 #a4 ,j4 ,w4 ,luce ,co41 ,boston4 #ec ,introduction to ,browning1 pp4 #he-hf4 ,h4 ,corson4 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath ,co4 #ed ,the ,ring and the ,book4 ,robert ,browning4 ,tauchnitz ed41 vol4 ,,iv4 ,leipzig4 #ee ,act ,,ii1 ,scene #b4 ,samuel ,french1 ,new ,york4 #ef ,plays1 vol4 ,,ii1 pp4 #aej-ea4 ,j4 ,tonson4 ,london1 #agcj4 #eg ,the ,foundations of a ,national ,drama1 p4 #bc4 ,h4 ,a4 ,jones4 ,george ,h4 ,doran ,company1 ,new ,york4 #eh ,concerning ,humour in ,comedy4 ,a ,letter4 ,european ,theories of the ,drama1 pp4 #bac-bad4 ,ed4 ,b4 ,h4 ,clark4 ,stewart and ,kidd ,co41 ,cincinnati4 #ei ,the ,devonshire ,hamlets1 p4 #bh4 #fj ,belles-,lettres ,series1 pp4 #bga-bgc4 ,a4 ,bates1 ed4 ,d4,c4 ,heath ,co41 ,boston4 #fa ,plays of ,oscar ,wilde1 vol4 #a1 ,lady ,windermere's ,fan4 ,j4 ,w4 ,luce ,co41 ,boston4 #fb ,idem1 vol4 ,,ii4 ,the ,importance of ,being ,earnest4 #fc ,plays of ,oscar ,wilde1 vol4 #a4 ,j4 ,w4 ,luce ,co41 ,boston4 #fd ,walter ,h4 ,baker ,co41 ,boston4 #fe ,dramatic ,works1 vol4 ,,ii1 pp4 #bbb-bbc4 ,london1 #aggc4 #ff ,geo4 ,villiers1 ,duke of ,buckingham4 ,selected ,dramas of ,john ,dryden1 with ,the ,rehearsal1 p4 #cii4 ,g4,r4 ,noyes1 ed4 ,scott1 ,freeman ,co4 #fg ,richard the ,second1 ,act ,,iv4 ,scene #a4 #fh ,twelfth ,night1 ,act ,i1 ,scene #e4 #fi ,plays of ,oscar ,wilde1 vol4 ,,ii4 ,j4 ,w4 ,luce ,co41 ,boston4 #gj ,dramatic ,works of ,william ,congreve1 vol4 ,,ii4 pp4 #aaa-aag4 ,s4 ,crowder1 ,london1 #aggc4 #ga ,j4 ,w4 ,luce ,co41 ,boston4 #gb ,the ,letters of ,henrik ,ibsen1 p4 #bfi4 ,letter to ,edmund ,gosse1 ,january #ae1 #ahgd4 ,fox1 ,duffield ,co41 ,new ,york4 ,,chapter ,,ix ,,making ,a ,,scenario ,there is frequent and decided divergence of opinion among dramatists as to the value of a scenario1--the outline of a play which the dramatist purposes to write or has already written4 ,some dramatists very carefully prepare a detailed outline before they settle down to writing a play4 ,others1 equally well-known on the stage assert3 ,i never think of mapping out in detail what ,i intend to write4 ,when ,i begin1 ,i may know only my central situation or little more than my main characters in broadest outline4 ,i simply write and rewrite until the perfected manuscript lies before me4 ,another declares that although he has no scenario1 he does use some notes4 ,showing these notes1--an accumulation of ideas as they have come to him from time to time1 written anywhere on a single sheet without apparent order or form1--he asks triumphantly whether this can be called a scenario4 ,whatever the opinion of a dramatist as to the usual value to him of a scenario1 he can hardly deny that there are times when it is very convenient to have a scenario of a play not yet completed4 ,plays sometimes have a curious1 unexpected way of forcing themselves on the attention of a writer when his mind should be engrossed with another play4 ,ideas wholly irrelevant to the play in question keep surging into the dramatist's mind and drawing his attention from the subject in which he wishes to be interested4 ,often he can relieve his mind of this ,banquo-like play1 not by stopping to write it out in full1 but by putting a careful outline of it on paper and storing this away until such time as he has opportunity to work out the play from this scenario4 ,or it may be that a dramatist sees that plays he has submitted to some manager or actor are not attractive1 but that some subject which as yet lies only half-formed in his mind finds1 when mentioned1 a ready response4 ,here is the best opportunity for use of a good scenario4 ,submit such to the actor or manager in question and even if a contract does not follow1 the promise1 ,i will produce your play if it is as good as your scenario is very likely to be made4 ,admitting then1 for the moment1 that some dramatists believe they can get on equally well without a scenario as a prerequisite for one of their plays1 what are the main characteristics of a good scenario--this form of outline which some dramatists have found very useful in their work8 ,in the first place1 the word scenario has been very carelessly used4 ,it is often applied to as brief a set of notes as the following1 intended by ,ibsen merely to suggest to his correspondent in the broadest possible way the play which he thinks might be made from the poem which he has been discussing3 ,have you not noticed that you have in the division of your poem entitled1 ,a ,norwegian ,sculptor1 the subject for a five-act popular play 7,folkeskuespil78 ,act #a4 ,in the ,mountains4 ,the wood-carver4 ,the art-enthusiast from the capital discovers him and takes him away with him4 ,act #b4 ,in ,christiania4 ,the boy the hero of the day2 great hopes2 sent to ,rome4 ,act4 #c4 ,in ,rome4 ,life there among the artists and the ,italian lower class4 ,act #d4 ,many years later4 ,return to ,christiania2 forgotten2 everything changed4 ,act #e4 ,at home again in the mountain parish2 ruin4 ,write this with songs and dances and popular costumes and irony and devilry4#a 444 ,in the following from ,little ,stories of ,new ,plays we have a far better summary than in the instance just cited1 but surely even this is an outline and not a dramatic scenario1 for intentionally it does not convey to a reader just that for which he would go to the theatre1 the emotional treatment of the scenes--here given only in the merest outline4 ,,general ,,john ,,regan ,,by ,,george ,a4 ,,birmingham ,characters ,dr4 ,lucius ,o',grady4 ,constable ,moriarity1 ,r4,i4,c4 ,timothy ,doyle4 ,tom ,kerrigan1 bandmaster4 ,major ,ken4 ,rev4 ,father ,mc,cormack4 ,thaddeus ,golligher4 ,lord ,alfred ,blakeney4 ,horace ,p4 ,billing4 ,mrs4 de ,courvy4 ,c4 ,gregg1 district inspector4 ,mrs4 ,gregg4 ,sergeant ,colgan1 ,r4,i4,c4 ,mary ,ellen4 ,into ,ballymoy1 a sleepy little town in the west of ,ireland1 comes ,horace ,p4 ,billing1 one gentle summer day1 and spins in the market place a tale of a certain ,general ,john ,regan1 who1 he said1 these many years agone had been born and had sailed from ,ballymoy to free the oppressed people of ,bolivia1 and who was the great national hero of that ,republic from that time to the present day4 ,comes there to listen to his tale one ,doctor ,lucius ,o',grady1 whose nose can no more keep out of other people's business than can his busy brain refrain from all manner of schemings or his tongue from uttering the grandest1 gloriousest1 whooping lies that the mouth of man e'er uttered4 ,to the ,american tourist he unreels anecdote and episode dealing with the romantic life of the great ,general while he had been yet a boy in ,ballymoy4 ,he sends ,golligher1 the editor of the ,connaught ,eagle1 to show the ,american gentleman the birthplace of the ,general1 a broken down cow-shed1 in a nearby field4 ,the ,american leaves ,ballymoy wildly excited and fermenting under the constant nagging of the doctor's busy self and never resting tongue1 and promises that he will be back in a few days1 and that in the meantime1 should the citizens of ,ballymoy have enough patriotism in them to erect a statue of their great townie in the market place1 he would contribute a hundred pounds towards it4 ,this sets the ,doctor at work with even more 7if possible7 vim4 ,he gets ,doyle to promise to contribute ten pounds1 the parish priest 7though it nearly breaks the good father's heart7 ten also1 ,major ,kent1 the local landlord1 another ten1 and keeps the list himself--explaining that it is not necessary for him to put himself down for anything for that reason4 ,it develops that ,doyle has a nephew in ,dublin who is a mortuary sculptor1 and has a statue of some deceased citizen on hand which was never paid for4 ,this statue ,doyle's nephew agrees to sell to ,ballymoy for some eighty-odd pounds4 ,the ,doctor arranges to buy it1 thus figuring that there will be a balance of twenty pounds out of the ,american's contribution to divide among themselves4 ,this pleases ,doyle1 ,father ,mc,cormack1 and ,golligher 7who form the statue committee7 very much2 but unfortunately1 it develops also that ,doyle has neglected to get the money from the ,american for the statue before he left4 ,this does not stump the ,doctor in the least1 however4 ,among his plans for the unveiling of the statue is the appearance of ,mary ,ellen1 the servant in ,doyle's hotel1 as a green fairy1 and the appearance of the ,lord ,lieutenant of ,ireland to make a speech4 ,he suggests that when the ,lord ,lieutenant appears1 they ask him for five hundred pounds for a pier--as the town already has but five or six piers--and that the money for the statue be taken out of that4 ,the ,major objects to this1 but the ,doctor's ability to explain does not desert him1 and the ,major is satisfied4 ,the great day of the unveiling finally arrives4 ,the statue from the mortuary sculptor in ,dublin is standing in the market place1 with a veil over it4 ,a letter comes from the ,lord ,lieutenant to the effect that he has never heard of ,general ,john ,regan1 can find no record of him in any history of any country on the globe1 and1 in the person of his aide de camp1 ,lord ,al ,blakeney1 protests and accuses ,ballymoy of having put a hoax over on him and all that sort of bally rot1 by ,jove4 ,the ,doctor rises to the occasion beautifully4 ,the aide de camp is made to make a speech as a representative of the ,lord ,lieutenant1 and ,mary ,ellen unveils the statue1 disclosing a hideous caricature of a grinning dead man in an ill-fitting business suit4 ,at that moment the ,american appears1 explains grandly that there is no such man as ,general ,john ,regan1 and says that if the ,doctor can prove to him that the ,general is not a fiction he himself will give the five hundred pounds for the pier--as1 he says1 the show is worth it6 ,the ,doctor merely asks the ,american to prove to the satisfaction of the assembled townsfolk that the ,general does not exist4 ,billing gives it up and writes out a check to the ,doctor's order for five hundred pounds1 while the ,doctor poses grandly before the cheers of the assembled and admiring populace of ,ballymoy4#b ,here1 too1 is an outline which led to a very dramatic sermon4 ,obviously it is a satisfactory summary of the story underlying the sermon1 but just what it would give a reader1 if it were a perfect scenario1 is lacking--namely1 suggestion of the emotional treatment of the scenes which is to make them worth the manager's or actor's producing3 ,,at ,,the ,,top ,,of ,,the ,,tenement ,the arrangement of the platform will suggest the bare condition of the home in the first part of the sermon1 and in the second part will show the improved condition a year later4 ,,part ,i ,dan ,howard comes home discouraged4 ,he cannot get work4 ,christmas is approaching4 ,his wife keeps his courage up and that of the family4 ,the ,minister calls and is not received kindly by ,dan ,howard1 who does not believe in the church4 ,he promises to get ,dan work and thus proves himself a true friend in need4 ,misfortune has come to the home4 ,the oldest boy is drinking and the next son has been arrested for theft4 ,things looks very black4 ,it is ,christmas eve and the father compels the children to go to bed4 ,he tells them ,santa ,claus will not come to-night4 ,but they hang up their stockings by the fireplace4 ,,part ,,ii ,a year later4 ,things have changed4 ,the home is better4 ,all are happy tonight4 ,the father has had steady work and so they are to have a good ,christmas this year4 ,the boys are doing well4 ,the family all go to church now and it has made a difference in them all4 ,the children have gone to bed with joy tonight4 ,dan ,howard tells his wife what a help she has been to him through thick and thin4 ,while they stand talking they hear the carol singers from the church1 singing outside their home4 ,the ,minister comes in and is made very welcome4 ,while they exchange greetings the ,christmas ,carol is sung and the beautiful illuminated star shines out in the night4 ,the following may be full of dramatic suggestion for its writer1 but if we mean by scenario a document which1 when handed to a manager or actor1 is to arouse his enthusiasm because it tells him interestingly just what a proposed play will do1 this is not a scenario at all4 ,,the ,,eternal ,,triangle3 ,a ,,nightmare ,diagram of stage ,dramatis ,personae ,sylvia ,macshane1 the actress4 ,norman ,pritchard1 the manager4 ,laddie ,benton1 the poet4 ,the ,imp1 sentinel at ,ventilator ,x-#aj1 ,hell4 ,,scene3 ,room in a well-furnished apartment1 ,new ,york ,city4 ,large round-topped window back right1 matched by large semicircular mirror over fireplace back left4 ,mirror space later serves as ,ventilator ,x-#aj4 ,,scenario ,i4 ,curtain rises on crimson sunset in room of apartment4 ,actress and ,manager in jealous love scene4 ,enter the bone of contention--the ,poet4 ,quarrel scene--,poet crushed4 ,by accident ,actress drinks ,poet's suicide potion4 ,poet strangles ,manager1 ,actress smashes chair on ,poet4 ,the lamp is knocked over4 ,black darkness accompanied by shrieks4 ,,ii4 ,in red glow of semi-circular opening appear ,imp and two mutes4 ,humorous talk of their job1 guarding this ventilator of ,hell4 ,the ,poet's face appears1 followed by ,manager's and ,actress'4 ,both ,heaven and ,hell have refused them admission4 ,explanations by ,imp--they are not truly dead4 ,renewed quarrels--,actress shows she loves neither one4 ,she returns to earth4 ,they pursue her4 ,imp is ordered to close ventilator4 ,black darkness again4 ,,iii4 ,moonlight in the apartment4 ,actress1 ,poet1 and ,manager where they fell on the floor4 ,they arouse--each believes the others ghosts4 ,explanations--light2--the men's quarrel renewed and dropped forever4 ,poet and ,manager plan to make a play of the nightmare4 ,actress is wildly jealous of their new-found friendship4 ,she cajoles each--then quarrels ferociously with each4 ,they are proof against her and prepare to go4 ,she demands a part in the play1 gets it1 and stamps off to her room4 ,poet and ,manager depart cheerily planning4 ,obviously ,general ,john ,regan is offered not as a scenario1 but a summary4 ,all the other so-called scenarios are planned only to suggest to the writer or somebody fully acquainted with the content of his mind on the subject what1 in broadest terms1 may be done with the material4 ,they are all too broadly referential1 too vague1 to be of real use to a manager or actor looking for a play to produce4 ,what1 then1 is the work a real scenario should do8 ,it must show clearly just what is the story1 slight or complicated1 which the play is to present4 ,it must make the reader understand who the people of the play are1 their relations to one another1 and anything in their past or present history which he must know if the play at the outset or in its course is to produce upon him the effect desired by the writer4 ,it must tell him where the play takes place--that is1 what the settings are1 and in such a way as to create atmosphere if anything more than a mere suggestion of background is desirable4 ,it must let the reader see into how many acts the play will break up1 and into what scenes if there be more than one setting to an act4 ,above all1 it must make perfectly clear what is the nature of the play--comedy1 tragedy1 tragi-comedy1 farce1 or melodrama1 and whether it merely tells a story1 is a character study1 a play of ideas1 a problem play1 or a fantasy4 ,proportioning and emphasis as already explained in chapters ,v and ,,vi will1 if rightly understood1 bring out correctly in a scenario all these matters of form and purpose4 ,a good scenario begins with a list of the dramatis personae1 that is1 a statement of the names and1 broadly1 the relations of the characters to one another4 ,if the ages are important1 they may be given4 ,without a list of dramatis personae a reader must go far into the scenario before he can decide who the people are and what are their relations to one another4 ,as the following scenario shows1 he may easily guess wrong and is sure to be uncertain3 ,,scenario4 ,as the curtain rises ,nat is seated at the right of centre table1 planning an attack upon a fort of blocks with an army of wooden soldiers4 ,a drum lies on the floor beside him4 ,enter ,benny1 a bag over his shoulder4 ,they salute each other and throughout use frequent military terms in their talk4 ,benny has just returned from the village and he gives an account of his trip and his purchases4 ,mention is made of the probable war with ,spain4 ,benny then surprises ,nat with a letter from ,harold1 which proves to contain an announcement that war has been declared and that ,harold has enlisted4 ,the two are proud and delighted at the thought of their hero4 ,they recall his former discontent on the farm1 the day of his departure to seek his fortune in the city1 his statement that he was no soldier--now so gloriously disproved4 ,harold enters in the midst of their preparations for dinner4 ,he is gaunt and shabby and has a nervous hunted air4 ,he receives their plaudits sullenly4 ,he explains that he is away on a week's furlough and answers their questions concerning the regiment and his plans with nervous impatience4444 ,in this next so-called scenario who is ,professor ,ward8 ,what is his relation to ,phronie8 ,what is her age8 ,what is the age of ,keith ,sanford and what are the relations of each of these to ,professor ,ward himself8 ,a good list of dramatis personae would clear all this at once4 ,,the ,,eyes ,,of ,,the ,,blind ,,act ,i ,professor ,ward1 roused at daybreak after a night at his desk1 shows intense disappointment and nervous fatigue4 ,in brief scene with ,phronie1 he shows the essential part she plays in his life as one on whom he can absolutely depend2 but when he expresses his disapproval of her admirer1 ,keith ,sanford1 she shows clear signs of rebellious spirit4 ,in rapid scene with ,phronie and ,keith1 their spirit of youthful romance is made clear2 and ,keith indicates his college ambition1 his predicament regarding his cribbed thesis1 and his new attitude therein1 ending with his evident resolve to make a clean breast of the matter4444 ,there follows a scenario which is somewhat clearer than the others because it identifies the figures1 but it certainly leaves their relations rather confused4 ,an old white-haired man1 the ,sire de ,maletroit1 is seated in the chair to right of fireplace1 in a listening attitude4 ,the sound of a heavy door banging is heard and a minute later a young man1 sword in hand1 parts the curtains on left and stands blinking in the opening4 ,he enters and explains that he has accidentally gained entrance to the house and is unable to re-open the door4 ,his name is ,denis de ,beaulieu4 ,he seems amazed to have the old man say that he has been waiting for him4 ,denis suggests that he must be going1 at which the old man bursts into a fit of laughter4 ,denis is insulted and offers to hew the ,maletroit's door to pieces4 ,he is convinced that this is folly2 the place is full of armed men4 ,the old man rises1 goes to door on right and calls upon his niece to leave her prayers and receive her lover4 ,she comes in attended by a priest and protests that this is not the man4 ,the uncle is incredulous and withdraws with a leer4 ,again a good list of dramatis personae would be helpful4 ,prefix to this the following3 ,,the ,,sire ,,de ,,maletroit',s ,,door ,place3 ,chateau ,landon4 ,time3 ,fourteenth century4 ,dramatis ,personae ,blanche1 orphan niece of ,sire de ,maletroit4 ,a ,priest1 chaplain to ,sire de ,maletroit4 ,the ,sire de ,maletroit4 ,denis de ,beaulieu1 a stranger4 ,with this prefixed we can read the scenario just quoted far more comprehendingly4 ,note how clearly the following two lists of dramatis personae take us to the scenario proper3 ,,the ,,legacy ,the ,persons ,david ,brice1 a young attorney4 ,reene ,brice1 his uncle4 ,benjamin ,doyle1 his fiancee's father4 ,dr4 ,wangren1 family physician4 ,mrs4 ,brice1 the mother4 ,ditto ,brice1 the sister4 ,katherine ,doyle1 fiancee4 ,,the ,,captain3 ,a ,,melodrama ,dramatis ,personae ,captain ,la ,rue1 a little sea captain4 ,bromley ,barnes1 former special investigator for the ,u4,s4 customs service4 ,patrick ,clancy1 his friend4 ,a burly ,butler4 ,john ,felspar1 junior partner of the firm of ,felspar ,felspar1 wine merchants4 ,two ,dinner ,guests1 members of the firm4 ,carl ,cozzens1 the firm's ,canadian representative4 ,it is easy1 however1 to let this list of characters go too far descriptively4 ,for instance1 this next list tells much which might better appear first in the body of the scenario4 ,the danger here is one already mentioned in this book1 namely1 that such careful characterizing in the dramatis personae or program is likely to make the characterization of the scenario or play inadequate4#c ,,an ,,encore ,adapted from the story by ,margaret ,deland ,,in ,,two ,,acts ,time3 ,about #ahcj in ,june4 ,place3 ,little town of ,old ,chester4 ,between the first and second acts three weeks elapse4 ,dramatis ,personae ,captain ,price3 ,retired sea-captain1 big1 bluff1 and hearty1 with white hair and big white mustachios1 rather untidy as to dress4 ,age1 about #fh4 ,cyrus ,price3 ,his son1 weak and neat-looking1 very thin and of sandy complexion4 ,age1 about #ce4 ,mrs4 ,north3 ,sprightly1 pretty1 white-haired little lady of about #fe4 ,always in black silk4 ,miss ,north3 ,her daughter1 nervous and shy1 but truthful with a mania for taking care of her mother and no knowledge of how to wear her clothes2 about #dj4 ,mrs4 ,gussie ,price3 ,a stout1 colorless blond1 a weeping1 vividly gowned lady1 who rules her husband1 ,cyrus1 through her tears4 ,age1 about #cj4 ,flora3 ,a colored maid4 ,the danger is shown to the utmost in the following4 ,the characterization in the scenario to which this was prefixed was practically nil4 ,forsythe ,savile3 ,a young lawyer of about thirty1 clever1 and rather versatile4 ,while of great promise in his profession1 he is not at all pedantic1 but has many interests4 ,he is well-read1 widely travelled1 fond of outdoor sports1 and is very popular4 ,perhaps his most prominent characteristic is his ready wit4 ,he is rarely non-plussed1 and while quick and pointed in his remarks1 is yet not ill-natured with them4 ,he has been ,dennings' most intimate friend ever since they were in college together1 although their lives lie along very divergent lines4 ,richard ,dennings3 ,a globe trotter1 as a hunter1 explorer1 and war-correspondent4 ,he is clever and able1 with a tendency to act on impulse rather than after deliberation4 ,he is the closest kind of friend to ,forsythe4 ,he has been engaged to ,frances ,langdon1 but the engagement has been broken off4 ,this last fact is not known to any save the two themselves4 ,judge ,savile3 ,a widower1 and ,forsythe's father4 ,he has been a very successful man1 and holds a high place in his profession4 ,he is devoted to books1 and cannot understand his son's taste for out-of-door life1 and athletics in general4 ,he philosophically accepts the inevitable1 however1 and is very proud of ,forsythe4 ,the ,judge does not approve of the engagement of ,frances ,langdon to ,dennings2 he cannot understand ,dennings' uncertain methods of life4 ,the ,judge while saying very little of his opinion foresees that matters are very far from being finally settled1 and is quietly awaiting developments4 ,margaret ,savile3 ,forsythe's younger sister1 and a feminine edition of him4 ,she is very pretty1 bright1 and attractive4 ,she and ,forsythe are most intimate1 more so than brother and sister usually are4 ,frances ,langdon3 ,an intimate friend of ,margaret1 and familiarly known as ,frank4 ,she is essentially feminine1 attractive1 witty and talented4 ,she is very nervous and high-strung--a strong character1 but susceptible to her feelings4 ,she has known the ,saviles since she was a child and is considered exactly as a relative4 ,she has broken her engagement to ,richard ,dennings4 ,a butler3 ,the usual ,english type4 ,that list tells so much about the characters that the scenario proper could do little but repeat4 ,the writer1 troubled by his sense of repetition1 rested for his characterization on the slight chance that a reader would remember every detail of the dramatis personae4 ,all that a reader needs to know at the outset of a scenario is who the characters are1 and1 in the broadest way1 their relations to one another4 ,a list of dramatis personae should be followed with a statement of the time and place if they are important1 and of the settings for all the acts4 ,a detailed description of each new setting should precede its scene or act4#d ,in the scenarios already quoted notice how difficult it is to place the characters as far as setting is concerned and how much would be gained if a good description of the setting were added4 ,keep the description of a setting to essentials1 that is1 furniture and decorations necessary to give requisite atmosphere or required in the action of the piece4 ,as always in scenarios and acting editions use left and right as left and right of the actor1 not of the audience4 ,,the ,,sire ,,de ,,maletroit',s ,,door 7,see p4 #dbh7 ,,scene3 ,a large room in the house of the ,sire de ,maletroit2 large fireplace at centre back2 curtained door on left leads to stairway2 curtained door right leads to chapel4 ,the room is well illuminated by candles1 reflecting the polish of stone walls4 ,it is scantily furnished4 ,,the ,,legacy 7,see p4 #dfd7 ,,the ,,scene3 ,the ,brice living-room comfortably furnished in walnut4 ,a piano centre ,l41 a round table1 rear ,r4 ,four entrances3 upper ,l41 rear centre1 upper right1 right centre4 ,curtained windows rear ,r4 ,l4 ,as has already been pointed out earlier in this book1 it is wholly unwise to call1 in a description of a setting1 for details not really necessary4 ,here is the setting for the dramatis personae quoted on p4 #dca4 ,it is over-elaborate because the action of the proposed play involves use of hardly any of the properties called for4 ,,scene3 ,forsythe ,savile's den4 ,it is an odd room1 a curious mixture of library1 smoking-room1 and museum4 ,on the right is a large fireplace1 over which are hung an elk's head1 a couple of rifles1 queer-looking ,eastern weapons1 and other sporting trophies and evidences of travel4 ,the room is panelled in dark oak2 low bookcases line the walls1 and on top of the cases are small bronzes1 photographs1 strange bits of bric-a-brac1 and a medley of things1--such truck as a man with cultivated tastes would insist on accumulating4 ,there are numerous pictures1 a rather heterogeneous lot2 valuable engravings1--portraits of famous lights of the bench and the bar1 to judge by their wigs1--a few oils of the ,meissonier type2 and others which are obviously relics of college1 with medals slung across them by brightly coloured ribbons4 ,the furniture of the room is of heavy oak1 upholstered in dull crimson leather4 ,capacious club armchairs are in convenient places1 near lamps and books4 ,around the hearth is a high ,english fender1 and before it is a great ,davenport sofa4 ,on the left1 is a broad-topped table-desk1 covered with papers and books1 and bearing a squat bronze lamp with a crimson shade4 ,at one end of the ,davenport is a low cabinet1 on which are glasses and decanters4 ,there is a wide doorway at the back of the stage which gives the only entrance and is hung with heavy crimson portieres4 ,the centre of the floor is filled by a huge polar bear-skin rug1 with massive head and the odd spaces are covered by smaller fur rugs4 ,the stage is dark1 save for the uncertain1 wavering light cast by the wood fire4 ,time3 ,the present1 and about half-past eight on a winter evening4 ,a sketch of the desired arrangement of the stage should be prefixed to the description of the setting4 ,this may be as simple as comports with clear picturing of the exact conditions required4 ,such drawings not only help to clearness1 they sometimes bring out difficulties in a proposed setting not at once evident in a description4 ,perhaps the staging called for in what immediately follows may not seem over-elaborate in the reading4 ,a diagram at once shows its awkwardness1 expensiveness1 and undesirability4 ,,the ,,sire ,,de ,,maletroit',s ,,door ,the scene represents a mediaeval outer hall of a powerful nobleman of ,paris with the approach thereto1 the streets adjacent and several other buildings thereon1 at #aa4cj ,p4,m41 the streets in semi-darkness4 ,this hall runs clear down the stage to within the width of a narrow street of the footlights4 ,this street is supposed to run clear across the stage4 ,the approach to the hall from without is through two doors left which open into a gloomy passageway large enough to contain a dozen soldiers4 ,the door to the left of these two entrances opens inward from the street running up left at right angles to the street by the footlights1 leaving room enough at the extreme left for several doorways which should be set into the houses so as to form a place sufficient to hide a man who was being searched for on the sidewalk4 ,at the extreme rear of the street going up the stage is stone pavement4 ,the walls of the palace are of thick stones and the furnishings of the hall are plain and gloomy consisting of chairs and a table1 a tall clock with a loud tick1 curtains at the doors2 and over the fireplace1 which is huge1 hang a shield and helmet1 the former emblazoned with the device of the family1 the latter beplumed1 while under them are two long swords1 crossed1 with their points hidden behind the shield1 these blades both in their scabbards4 ,the floors are all of stone4 ,at the right of the fireplace are two wide doors which when opened give a full view of the chapel beyond1 with the attar to the rear in the centre4 ,the chapel need show no more than a private altar1 the accompanying candles1 drapery1 and steps1 lighted with a single hanging lamp of the period that swings before the first step of the altar4 ,the chairs and table in the hall are of mission style4 ,the doors opening on the street from all of the establishments are very wide1 embossed in iron bands and supplied with knockers1 heavy bolts and bars on the inside wherever the inside is exposed4 ,there is a large fire in the fireplace4 ,a lamp of the period is swung with heavy chains over the table4 ,the diagram on the next page shows how this would look4 ,illustration ,it is in many ways a bad setting4 ,waiving all question whether any attempt to suggest the fourth wall of a room1 as in ,the ,passing of the ,third ,floor ,back by the fireplace at centre front of stage is wise1 surely there can be no doubt that to ask an audience to imagine a street between them and the room into which they are looking1 particularly when no necessary action takes place in that street1 is undesirable4 ,therefore the suggested street across the front of the stage may go4 ,where is the value of the street at the side8 ,little1 if any1 action in it will be seen except by the very small part of the audience directly in line with it4 ,for these the settings below the doors at stage left must be decidedly pushed back or they will lose important action by the fireplace4 ,it is questionable1 too1 whether the fireplace should not be moved down stage to one side or the other1 so important is the facial expression of the ,sire de ,maletroit as he sits by it4 ,for effective action1 it is better1 also1 to separate fireplace and chapel entrance4 ,it is both easy and for acting purposes better1 to stage this proposed play with a setting as simple as this3 ,illustration3 ,gothic stone interior3 ,doors1 centre leading to ,chapel or ,oratory2 lower right and up left4 ,all doors with old tapestry curtains4 ,deep mullioned window up right with landscape backing4 ,large ,gothic fireplace1 with hooded chimney1 left4 ,corridor backings for all doors4 ,large armchair left centre in front of fireplace2 large oak table right centre1 with chairs on either side2 other furniture of period to dress stage4 ,altar and furnishings for ,chapel4 ,nowadays descriptions of settings are noticeably free from the mystic ,r4,u4,e41 ,l4 #b ,e41 ,d4,l4,c41 etc41 which characterized stage directions of the early ,victorian period4 ,when wings and flats1 as in some wood-scenes today1 were used for indoor as well as outdoor scenes--that is1 before the coming of the box-set--the stage was divided in this way3 ,illustration ,now that the box-set has replaced the older fashion and new devices are steadily improving on the old wood-wings1 it is enough to indicate clearly in the diagram and in the description what doors1 windows1 fireplaces1 and properties are necessary1 and exactly where1 if their positions are essential in the action4 ,if not1 they may be placed to suit the sense of proportion of the designer of the scenery and the sense of fitness of the producer4 ,in any case1 rarely today does an author need to use all or many of these stage divisions of an older day4 ,the first of the following diagrams shows how simply an interior set which makes no special demands may be indicated4 ,,the ,,dancing ,,girl4 ,,act ,i#e ,diana ,valrose's boudoir at ,richmond4 ,a very elegantly furnished room1 with light1 pretty furniture4 ,discover ,drusilla in handsome morning dress arranging flowers in large china bowl4 ,enter footman1 announcing ,mr4 ,christison4 ,enter ,john4 ,exit ,footman4 ,illustration ,it is often desirable to vary the usual shape given a room on the stage--exactly rectangular or nearly square4 ,the next diagram shows a more complicated setting1 of unusual shape4 ,,the ,,walls ,,of ,,jericho4 ,,act ,i#f ,an ante-room in ,marquis of ,steventon's house during a ball4 ,miss ,wyatt1 a vivacious young ,american1 has cake-walked with ,twelvetrees all the way from the ball-room4 ,music under stage4 ,illustration ,act ,,ii of ,young ,america calls for a setting in which the placing of heavy properties is important4 ,,young ,,america4 ,,act ,,ii#g ,,scene4 ,the ,juvenile ,court1 #aj ,a4,m4--,two days later4 ,two entrances1 ,r4 ,u4 door leading to ,judge's chamber4 ,l4#b door leading to corridor4 ,right--,judge's bench4 ,it extends up and down stage4 ,below it ,clerk's bench upon which are two card catalogue filing cases for court records for children4 ,at ,l4 of ,judge's bench small docket for prisoner4 ,at ,l4 of docket1 witness stand4 ,it is an #ah-;inch platform with chair on it4 ,the docket and witness stand face front4 ,left--three benches for spectators and witnesses4 ,they face front and are enclosed within a picket railing4 ,gate with spring lock1 near left end of front railing4 ,illustration ,how the setting for an outdoor scene may be indicated the diagram for ,act ,i of ,the ,dancing ,girl shows4 ,,the ,,dancing ,,girl4 ,,act ,i#h ,i4 ,call4 ,john ,christison4 ,faith ,ives4 ,david ,ives4 ,drusilla ,ives4 ,,scene4 ,the ,island of ,saint ,endellion1 off the ,cornish ,coast4 ,at the back is a line of low rocks1 and beyond1 the sea4 ,a pathway leads through the rocks down to the sea4 ,on the right side of the stage is the ,quakers' meeting-house1 a plain square granite building1 showing a door and two windows4 ,the meeting-house is built on a low insular rock that rises some three or four feet above the stage2 it is approached by pathways1 leading up from the stage4 ,on the left side of the stage1 down towards the audience1 is ,david ,ives's house2 another plain granite building1 with a door down stage1 and above the door1 a window4 ,the house is built into a cliff that rises above it4 ,beyond the house is a pathway that leads up the cliff and disappears amongst the rocks on the left side towards the centre of the stage2 a little to the right is a piece of rock rising about two feet from the stage4 ,time1 ,an ,autumn evening4 ,illustration ,as the chief purpose of the writer of a scenario is immediately to grip the interest of the reader1 this dramatic outline must obviously provide any historical background necessary to sympathetic understanding of the story4 ,in other words1 a scenario must very briefly summarize the preliminary exposition about which so much has already been said in the body of this book4#i ,the opening of the scenario1 already quoted in part on p4 #dbh1 may be interesting1 but it is also puzzling1 for a reader is not told enough in regard to the past of the figures involved to know how to receive what information is given4 ,much depends on whether ,denis de ,beaulieu is lying or not4 ,make the reader somehow understand that ,denis and ,blanche have never met before and that although the uncle believes ,denis is her lover1 he is completely in the wrong4 ,then comedy immediately emerges1 interest increases4 ,here is a scenario which remained vague and confusing1 till just before the final curtain1 because the writer thought surprise more valuable than suspense4 ,consequently he held back the one bit of information which gives significance and comic value to the conduct of ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,brede4 ,diagram of setting ,,scene4 ,the piazza of a mountain boarding-house4 ,r1 practicable door4 ,l1 practicable window4 ,c1 practicable step4 ,on the piazza are a number of chairs4 ,the bit of lawn in front is not too well kept4 ,characters ,mr4 ,jones ordinary1 well-educated people4 ,mrs4 ,jones _/ ,major ,halkit1 retired business man1 interested in stock companies4 ,mrs4 ,halkit1 his wife1 an old gossip1 prim and censorious4 ,mr4 ,brede young1 handsome1 nice4 ,mrs4 ,brede _/ ,jacobus1 ,yankee boarding-house keeper4 ,brede and ,jones come from the house and discuss the view from the piazza4 ,brede is enthusiastic and compares it with that from the ,matterhorn4 ,mrs4 ,brede and ,mrs4 ,jones come from the house in time to hear ,matterhorn and ,mrs4 ,brede expresses surprise that her husband has climbed it4 ,mr4 ,brede1 confused1 says it was five years ago1 and ,mrs4 ,brede gently chides him for doing such a thing during the first year of their marriage4 ,mr4 ,jones and ,mrs4 ,brede talk aside while ,mr4 ,brede explains to ,mrs4 ,jones that he had left his wife in ,new ,york some months after their marriage for a hasty trip to ,europe and had climbed the ,matterhorn then4 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,brede go down the side steps and off at ,r4,c4 for a stroll4 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,jones discuss them1 and decide that they are very nice people4 ,during their talk it develops that while ,mr4 ,brede had been telling ,mr4 ,jones that ,mrs4 ,brede had been in this country when he climbed the ,matterhorn1 ,mrs4 ,brede had informed ,mrs4 ,jones that her husband had left her at ,geneva and afterwards taken her to ,basle1 where their first child was born4 ,at this point ,mrs4 ,halkit comes from the house4 ,she censures ,mrs4 ,brede for not knowing how to care for her husband and children and it comes out that ,mrs4 ,brede has told ,mrs4 ,halkit that they have two children who have been left with her aunt1 whereas ,mr4 ,brede has told ,mr4 ,jones that they have three children at present under the care of his mother-in-law4 ,enter ,major ,halkit from the house4 ,he criticises ,mr4 ,brede1 who purports to be looking for a business opening1 for his failure to take a fine chance the ,major has pointed out to him4 ,the party come to the conclusion that there is something queer about the couple and are about to call ,jacobus when he appears1 coming from the left4 ,before any of the boarders have a chance to speak1 ,jacobus asks some question about the numbering of streets in ,new ,york and the fact is brought out that ,mr4 ,brede told ,mrs4 ,jacobus1 when he was engaging the room1 that he lived at number thirty-four of his street1 and that the day before ,mrs4 ,brede had informed ,mrs4 ,jacobus that their number was thirty-five4444 ,a reader struggling through the paragraphs of this scenario finds very little that is dramatic because the dramatic values the writer feels in his sentences cannot be the reader's till he learns that ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,brede are a newly married couple who wish to conceal the fact4 ,re-read the quotation with that in mind and all confusion disappears4 ,on the other hand1 it is not always easy to convey needed preliminary exposition interestingly4 ,when much is needed1 there is always danger that the opening of the scenario will be talky and referential rather than definite and full of dramatic action4 ,the following is by no means as bad an example as might be found of a slow opening caused by need for much historical exposition1 but it certainly lacks gripping action3 ,,scenario ,,of ,,coniston ,when the curtain is raised1 ,millicent ,skinner is working about2 a second later ,chester ,perkins comes slinking in1 looking back as though pursued by the ,evil ,one1 and close on his heels1 another local politician1 ,mr4 ,dodd1 of the ,brampton prudential school committee1 enters with the same stealthy and harassed air4 ,millicent twits them with having run away from ,bijah ,bixby who is at ,jonah ,winch's store4 ,they deny that they are afraid of ,bije or any one4 ,it is brought out in a sentence or two that ,jethro ,bass1 ,cynthia and ,ephraim ,prescott are away on their ,washington trip1 and that ,bijah1 knowing of ,jethro's absence1 is not likely to come here1 which is why the two men have chosen the yard for a refuge2 as they have been planning petty treason against the political control of the town by ,jethro ,bass4 ,millicent laughs at them and goes in the house4 ,mr4 ,dodd and ,chester recover their swagger and begin to discuss ,bijah and his sneaking ways4 ,bob ,worthington enters1 goes to the porch and calls ,millicent4 ,she responds from a nearby window4 ,he enquires when she expects ,cynthia to return4 ,she tells him they will be here today4 ,bob announces that he will return1 a little later1 and goes out4 ,chester and ,dodd discuss ,bob's attention to ,cynthia and how furious the elder ,worthington will be if his son marries the ward of ,jethro ,bass4 ,then they drift back to their first topic and are soon absorbed in their wordy revolt against ,jethro ,bass and ,bijah4 ,chester4 ,this town's tired of puttin' up with a king6 7,behind them ,bijah enters silently and stands at their elbows unperceived47 ,bijah4 ,leetle early for campaignin'1 ,chester1 leetle early4 7,the other two stand aghast47 ,the scene which follows between the three men gives their characters1 the ,coniston political atmosphere1 ,jethro's position as boss of the ,state and his character1 the cumulating antagonism between ,jethro ,bass and ,isaac ,worthington1 the relation between ,jethro and ,cynthia1 his ward4 ,bijah confides to the two that a new era is dawning2 that the railroads1 represented by ,worthington1 ,sr41 are tired of paying tribute to ,jethro and are about to turn and exterminate him4 ,bixby says that ,jethro's power is gone1 that a greater than he has risen1 that ,isaac ,worthington's campaign1 brought forth under cover of a great reform movement1 will sweep the ,state in the next few months and leave ,jethro politically dead4 ,bijah brings out a copy of the last issue of the ,newcastle ,guardian 7leading newspaper of the ,state71 and reads them ,the scathing arraignment of ,jethro ,bass 444 showing how he had debauched his own town of ,coniston2 how1 enlarging on the same methods1 he had gradually extended his grip over the county and finally over the ,state2 how he had bought and sold men for his own power and profit1 deceived those who had trusted him1 corrupted governors and legislators 444 how he had trafficked ruthlessly in the enterprises of the people4 ,bijah tells them that the whole ,state is in a stir over this article1 that it is the open declaration of war against ,jethro4 ,here ,alva ,hopkins and his daughter ,cassandra enter4 ,hopkins has read the article and come post-haste to see ,jethro4 ,he and ,bijah discuss the situation and ,bijah tells them that the postmastership which ,jethro has promised to ,ephraim ,prescott 7and which it is surmised they have gone to ,washington to secure7 is to go to ,dave ,wheelock2 that that will be the first tangible sign to the public of the fall of ,jethro ,bass4444 ,the cardinal principle in scenario writing1 as in the play itself1 is that not talk but action is basal4 ,in a scenario1 however1 action is described rather than represented4 ,as we have just seen1 the lengthy historical account of what lies behind the opening scene is hard to convey without talkiness4 ,many would-be dramatists dodge this difficulty1 indeed the whole task of making clear the emotional significance of the action which the play involves1 by writing scenarios which are little more than schedules of the entrances and exits of their characters4 ,there was something of this in the ,coniston scenario4 ,the difficulty is still more marked in the following3 ,,the ,,sire ,,de ,,maletroit',s ,,door ,,scene3 ,the ,maletroit ,entrance-,hall ,diagram of ,setting ,characters ,a ,priest4 ,the ,sire de ,maletroit4 ,blanche de ,maletroit1 his niece4 ,denis de ,beaulieu4 ,retainer4 ,discovered1 ,retainer finishing work on the door1 ,c4 ,enter ,priest1 ,l4,u4,e4 ,slight exposition suggesting that a trap is being set for a girl's gallant4 ,exit ,priest4 ,enter ,r4,u4,e4 the ,sire4 ,commends the workman's results1 increasing the suspense regarding purpose4 ,rope outside window ,r1 examined without explanation4 ,retainer1 questioned as to news in the town1 remarks the presence of a dare-devil young ,french soldier under safe-conduct who is likely to get into trouble with the troops quartered in town1 unless he keeps a civil tongue in his head4 ,retainer dismissed ,r1 with suggestion that he understands what is expected of him4 ,the ,sire calls ,priest1 questions him regarding ,blanche1 furthering the exposition4 ,blanche enters1 dressed as bride1 and bursts forth in troubled questions as to the meaning of her uncle's orders regarding her appearance at this hour in such costume4 ,the cause is hinted at as an intrigue1 and ,blanche is ordered to retire and wait in the chapel4 ,the ,sire indicates that the hour is approaching for the arrival and the lights are extinguished4 ,as has been pointed out already1#aj entrances and exits are of the slightest possible consequence except when they count in characterization or dramatic action4 ,it is what takes place for the characters between an entrance and exit which a scenario must bring out as briefly yet clearly as possible4 ,this fault of over-emphasizing entrances and exits is closely related to the referential treatment of possible dramatic material4 ,the method for this is3 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,brown enter and talk passionately about their future4 ,anne and ,sarah now have a tempestuous scene in which ,anne discloses to the full her agony4 ,such scenario writing is all too easy1 for the value of the scenario1 like the value of the play1 will depend upon the ability of the author to make the first scene passionate and the second tempestuous and agonizing4 ,a scenario which constantly states that at a given point something of interest will be done or a very powerful scene dealing with the emotions of one or more of the characters will be written is both useless and exasperating4 ,nobody wants to buy such a dramatic pig in a poke4 ,compare a referential scenario1 the first of the three which follow1 with the other two4 ,they may1 as parts of scenarios1 have faults1 but at least they move1 not by references to sarcasm1 a horror that transfixes1 violent threats1 etc41 but by definitely roused emotional interest4 ,,the ,,sire ,,de ,,maletroit',s ,,door ,diagram of ,setting ,,scene4 ,a baronial apartment in heavy polished stone4 ,at the back a large doorway hung with rich tapestry leads to a small chapel4 ,at the right are two doors also with tapestry4 ,in the left back corner is a huge fireplace carved with the arms of the ,maletroits4 ,at the left is a large open window looking over the parapets of the castle4 ,a heavy table and a chair or two are all the furnishings4 ,place3 ,chateau ,landon4 ,time3 ,fourteenth ,century4 ,dramatis ,personae ,blanche1 orphan niece of ,sire de ,maletroit4 ,a ,priest1 chaplain to ,sire de ,maletroit4 ,sire de ,maletroit4 ,denis de ,beaulieu1 a stranger4 ,as the curtain rises ,blanche is seen in the chapel kneeling as the priest is finishing the chanting of the vesper service4 ,at the close she rises and walks toward the window1 glancing hastily about to see that no one is in the room4 ,as soon as the priest has left she draws from her breast a letter which she starts to read4 ,she is soon interrupted by the entrance of her uncle the ,sire de ,maletroit1 whose keen glance detects her hasty crumpling of the note which she has not had time to conceal4 ,he greets her jovially and starts to walk hand in hand with her4 ,forcing open her hand1 he finds the note1 which he reads in a bitterly sarcastic tone1 while ,blanche stands transfixed with horror4 ,it is a note asking her to leave the house door open at midnight so that the writer may enter and exchange words with her on the stairs4 ,with cold sarcasm1 ill concealing his rage1 the ,sire forces from her the story that a young captain has met her in church and given her the note4 ,she denies that she knows his name1 and the most violent threats will not induce her to tell it4 ,she is then sent to her room to dress in sackcloth of repentance and told to prepare to spend the night in the chapel4 ,,the ,,sire ,,de ,,maletroit',s ,,door ,persons represented ,the ,sire de ,maletroit4 ,blanche de ,maletroit1 his niece4 ,denis de ,beaulieu1 a young soldier4 ,a ,priest4 ,,scene4 ,large apartment of stone4 ,on each of the three sides of the room1 three doors curtained with tapestry4 ,on left1 beside the door a window4 ,stone chimney-piece1 carved with arms of the ,maletroits4 ,furniture1 mainly consisting of table1 and heavy chair beside chimney4 ,place3 ,chateau ,landon1 ,france4 ,time3 ,september1 #adbi4 ,curtain rises showing an old gentleman in a fur tipped coat seated in the heavy chair4 ,the old man is mumbling to himself a sort of strange murmur1 smiling and nodding1 as he sips a cup of wine4 ,the room is silent save for the muttering of the old man4 ,suddenly1 from the direction of the arras covering the door to left1 a muffled sound begins to obtrude itself4 ,this sound1 at first vague1 then waxing more and more distinct1 resolves itself into steps cautiously mounting a flight of stairs4 ,the steps1 gradually less vague1 finally firm and assertive1 reach the tapestried doorway4 ,the click of metal1 probably that of a sword1 accompanying the steps1 echoes in the hush of the room4 ,the arras parts1 and a young man blinking from dark into sudden light1 stumbles into the room4 7,as the tapestry closes behind the youth1 a dark passageway and shadowy flight of stairs beyond are visible47 ,another pause ensues1 during which the young man and the old man continue to gaze at one another4 ,pray step in1 begins the old man2 ,i have been expecting you all the evening4 ,the youth shivers slightly1 hesitating for speech4 ,finally he manages to answer4444 ,,mistress ,,beatrice ,,cope ,,act ,,iii4 ,,scene #a ,next day1 ,white ,oaks4 ,late twilight4 ,night falls during early part of scene4 ,later1 moonlight4 ,the great dining hall4 ,it opens at the back on a terrace with a large door at centre4 ,dame ,pettigrew1 ,joyce and ,eliza discovered in a flutter over the news of the war4 ,scotch raids are threatened from over the border4 ,there are terrible tales of the lootings by the ,king's soldiers of places suspected of ,jacobitry4 ,dame ,pettigrew1 as she hears now this story1 now that1 is first ,whig and then ,jacobite1 until she bewilders herself and the maids4 ,they play on one another's nerves until they are in sore fright4 ,pettigrew begins to collect her goods against leaving on the morrow1 regretting that she has sent for ,beatrice to stay with her1 who is momentarily expected4 ,at height of nervous strain1 when all windows have been closed1 all lights but the fire are out1 and the women sit cowering and silent1 the mournful shrilling of bagpipes and the heavy tread of feet coming nearer and nearer are heard4 ,joyce gasps about ghosts4 ,chilled with terror1 no one dares go to the window4 ,the procession reaches the end of the lane and passes4 ,sudden sharp rapping at door4 ,frightened parley with spirits1 as maids think4 ,beatrice forces them to open1 and appears4 ,the pipes are the funeral train of a ,jacobite killed on the neighboring border and now on the way to ,goodrest for a final mass4 ,beatrice is excited and anxious but brings order out of chaos in the room4 ,turns up lights1 gets rid of ,dame ,pettigrew1 and one maid1 and sends other maid for supper4 ,bids ,joyce1 should ,bill ,lampeter appear1 send him to her at once4 ,she has a message for ,crowe ,hall4 ,when ,joyce has departed wonderingly1 it appears that all day ,beatrice has been trying to warn ,cope at ,goodrest that they were watched the day before1 but has been unable till as she rode over with ,jessie she met ,bill ,lampeter on the road4 ,dropping behind1 she wrote hastily on her tablets a warning1 and dropping them into ,bill's hands made him fly to ,goodrest1 he to report his success at once4 ,a knock at the big door softly4 ,raymond's voice4 ,when she opens to him1 a passionate scene follows4 ,she is at first full of affection1 mingled with dread of what he may know4 ,he is fighting suspicion1 passion for her1 and inability to believe her guilty4 ,seeking her at ,crowe ,hall1 he has followed her thither4 ,at first she is too sincere to play with him4 ,he is too anxious to be able to diplomatize4 ,he shows his fears--that she is intriguing with another1 with the ,pretender4 ,she is maddeningly incomprehensible--swears she knows no ,pretender1 but will not say yes or no as to meeting any one in the wood4 ,in his anger and his desire to force the truth from her1 by making her feel the uselessness of protecting the ,pretender1 he lets drop more than he realizes of plans to catch him and for the campaign4 ,seeing that1 had her message not gone1 her brother would have been trapped1 ,beatrice works to delay ,raymond4 ,she is first coldly repellent1 then alluring1 then silent1 then apparently almost on the point of revelation4 ,at last in despair he breaks away into the night1 vowing vengeance on the destroyer of his happiness and cursing her for a fickle1 ambitious thing1 unworthy a good man's love4 ,she stands motionless by the table1 then hurries to the wide open door through which the moonlight streams in from the garden1 calls again and again softly1 staggers back1 and falls sobbing on the great settle4 ,van ,brugh appears at the open doors1 closes them softly and speaks4 ,he is leaving the ,hunters for good1 for the final ,jacobite blows are to be struck4 ,seeing ,raymond ahead of him1 he hid in the garden till ,raymond went4 ,he calls on ,the ,daughter of ,charles ,cope to tell him for the good of the cause what she knows of ,raymond's plans4 ,she denies that she knows them fully1 but cannot deny that she knows something of them4 ,he shows that everything depends for the ,jacobites on knowing the movements of the local forces for the next few days4 ,he uses every appeal he can1 her brother among others4 ,to this she only answers that she has warned and saved him4 ,all his appeals are in vain4 ,raymond is my husband in the sight of ,god4 ,his secrets should be my secrets1 but my brother ,i cannot help to kill4 ,to save him ,i must deceive the man ,i love best in all the world2 so be it4 ,so much ,i must do1 more ,i will not4 ,sandiland1 the fanatic breaking out in him1 curses her as a renegade and unworthy her name and race4 ,he goes4 ,as she stands murmuring3 ,unworthy love1 unworthy my father's name6 suddenly her face softens4 ,she drops to the settle and prays for a moment4 ,quietly she rises1 saying1 ,why count the cost if ,charles' life be saved4 ,the door opens and ,joyce enters in great excitement to say1 ,bill has come1 but in bad plight4 ,she fetches the boy1 his clothes torn1 his hands bleeding where ropes have cut the wrists4 ,he has been taken shortly after leaving ,beatrice and searched4 ,he snatched the tablets from a captor's hand and licked off the message before it was read4 ,he was then trussed up behind a soldier on horseback1 and started for the ,maid in the ,valley ,tavern1 the rendezvous from which the journey to ,goodrest was to begin4 ,by daring and ingenuity he slipped away at the inn4 ,then my brother knows nothing4 ,no1 and they'll be starting by now from the ,maid in the ,valley4 ,they were waiting for the moon to be covered4 ,where's ,philly1 my mare8 ,in the paddock1 miss4 ,what do you mean8 cries ,joyce4 ,i am going to ,goodrest4 ,alone8 ,to-night1 with these rake-hell soldiers abroad8 ,beatrice's only answer is to find her whip and pass quickly out into the night4 ,joyce sinks down sobbing in window seat4 ,bill is in the doorway1 wild with excitement4 ,now1 ride1 ride1 ,miss ,beatrice4 ,ride1 like ,hell6 ,quick ,curtain ,if it is clear that illustrative action is as essential in a scenario as in a play1 it is as true for one form as the other that right proportioning and emphasis must make clear the purpose of the author in writing the scenario and must take a reader clearly to its conclusion4 ,read any one of the following three scenarios and decide whether you are clear as to the purpose of the author4 ,what did he think was attractively dramatic in his material8 ,what is the central interest of his proposed play8 ,just what is the suspense created near the beginning of the play and developed throughout from sub-climaxes to a final climax8 ,as has been carefully explained1 plays must do all this4 ,therefore their scenarios must also4 ,,the ,,fishing ,,of ,,suzanne ,,scenario4 ,curtain rises discovering ,madame knitting in chair1 upper right1 ,helene embroidering in window-seat1 ,suzanne on sofa1 trying to sew4 ,suzanne gets into trouble and ,helene helps her4 ,then grandmother offers to tell her a story4 ,suzanne says that her stories are so sad1 always about her dead parents4 ,helene represses her4 ,enter grandfather1 the ,colonel1 rear4 ,suzanne starts to show him her sewing and is repulsed4 ,colonel denounces the ,dreyfus situation2 ,madame trying to interfere when he begins on the ,american attitude1 finally gets ,helene and ,suzanne from room4 ,then ,colonel learns that ,george ,williams1 an ,american1 loves ,helene4 ,he is overcome4 ,enter ,george rear4 ,embarrassing situation2 finally ,george gets up courage and asks for ,helene's hand1 is refused1 but goes away undaunted4 ,enter ,helene1 side4 ,colonel says1 ,i will have no friend of traitors place his foot in my house4 ,scene4 ,exit ,helene sobbing angrily4 ,colonel disturbed1 but when wife starts after her1 forbids her going4 ,exit the ,colonel4 ,madame again starts toward door4 ,suzanne and ,marie enter4 ,madame has ,suzanne play with fishing rod2 dismisses ,marie from room4 ,suzanne hears ,helene's sobs4 ,asks if she is sick4 ,says she will comfort her4 ,madame feels guilty and leaves4 ,suzanne persuades ,helene to come out and watch her fish4 ,catches some imaginary ones4 ,discovers ,george4 ,he sends up notes like fish4 ,later ,helene furnishes bait4 ,then she fishes him up4 ,suzanne is dismissed with candy1 and he persuades ,helene to elope4 ,suzanne comes and says the cab is there4 ,steps heard4 ,george goes down rope4 ,marie tells of the cab4 ,helene rushes into packing4 ,leaves note for mother with ,suzanne1 who wins a promise for a speedy return from her4 ,exit ,helene rear4 ,marie and ,suzanne wave from window4 ,talk4 ,soon ,colonel and ,madame enter4 ,see disorderly room4 ,suzanne gives them the note4 ,madame reads it and breaks news to her husband4 ,defends ,helene2 reminds ,colonel of their parents' political differences4 ,suzanne tells how ,helene thought they did not care for her in her sorrow4 ,both in tears4 ,colonel in desperation starts to send for them by ,marie4 ,enter ,george and ,helene2 ,helene unable to leave without seeing them4 ,colonel says he may have been too hasty4 ,then ,suzanne discovers ,george's ,legion of ,honor badge4 ,he and ,colonel shake on the old friendship of the ,republics4 ,curtain ,,an ,,encore ,adapted from a ,story by ,margaret ,deland ,time3 ,about #ahcj1 in ,june4 ,place3 ,little town of ,old ,chester4 ,between the first and second act three weeks elapse4 ,dramatis ,personae ,captain ,price3 ,retired sea-captain1 big1 bluff1 and hearty1 with white hair and big white mustachios1 rather untidy as to dress4 ,age1 about #fh4 ,cyrus ,price3 ,his son1 weak and neat-looking1 very thin and of sandy complexion4 ,age1 about #ce4 ,mrs4 ,north3 ,sprightly1 pretty1 white-haired little lady of about #fe4 ,always in black silk4 ,miss ,north3 ,her daughter1 nervous and shy1 but truthful with a mania for taking care of her mother and no knowledge of how to wear her clothes2 about #dj4 ,mrs4 ,gussie ,price3 ,a stout1 colorless blond1 a weeping1 vividly gowned lady1 who rules her husband1 ,cyrus1 through her tears4 ,age1 about #cj4 ,flora3 ,a colored maid4 ,stage setting3 ,a drawing-room with a door on either side of the back1 leading into the long front hall4 ,a window at the right1 looking into the street4 ,between the window and the door1 a stuffed armchair1 a hair-cloth sofa4 ,between the doors1 under a mantel-shelf1 a ,franklin stove1 on either side of which1 but a little down stage1 are two rockers just alike4 ,to the left and back1 grand piano4 ,to the left1 front1 another big chair4 ,hassocks2 and a knit shawl on almost every chair4 ,the only ornament on the shelf is a stuffed bird in a glass case4 ,,act ,i ,miss ,north is discovered in a very much starched gown1 big apron1 dusting-cap1 and gloves2 arranging the chairs more evenly and dusting4 ,expression of heavy responsibility in her face and manner4 ,flora announces ,mrs4 ,price1 who enters--right door--at once4 ,though ,mary explains she is busy1 ,mrs4 ,price stays4 ,sits on the sofa4 ,mary in rocking-chair to left of stove4 ,dialogue in which ,mary explains she is determined to let her mother end life happily in her native town and she expects her to arrive any moment4 ,mrs4 ,price offers assistance in fixing up the house and begins to gossip about the fact that her father-in-law1 the ,captain1 who lives in the ,price house just across the street1 tried to elope with ,mrs4 ,north when she was eighteen4 ,mary becomes very indignant1 but sees her mother through the window and dismisses ,mrs4 ,price politely but not sweetly4 ,exit ,mrs4 ,price by the right door1 ,mary by the left4 ,enter ,mrs4 ,north by the right and ,mary is seen hurrying by the right door with a small wooden chair in her hand4 ,mrs4 ,north begins to look about the room while she takes off her calash and leaves it on the piano1 her shawl and puts it on the shelf1 her gloves and leaves them on a chair4 ,mary enters1 right1 with the chair1 during this business and remonstrates with her mother for getting out of the chaise without the aid of the chair4 ,as ,mrs4 ,north drops her things ,mary picks them up4 ,mrs4 ,north sees the ,price house through the window and mentions1 cheerily1 that the ,captain used to be her beau4 ,mary is shocked4 ,tries to have her mother put on one of the little shawls and goes to make her some beef-tea4 ,hangs her things on the hat-tree in hall beyond left door as she goes out4 ,mrs4 ,north discovers the ,captain going down street and calls him in4 ,enters right door with his pipe4 ,both sit in the rockers before the stove and are deep in reminiscences when ,mary enters left door4 ,the ,captain is requested to put up his pipe1 not to talk quite so loud1 and not to stay long because of ,mrs4 ,north's delicacy4 ,when ,mary offers to make him some beef-tea1 too1 so her mother can take hers1 he leaves precipitately1 very much cowed4 ,while ,mary is trying to soothe ,mrs4 ,north after the undue excitement1 ,flora announces ,cyrus ,price who has come in search of his father--at ,gussie's tearful instigation4 ,mary and ,cyrus hold an anxious aside1 while ,mrs4 ,north expresses her pleasure at seeing the ,captain again4 ,curtain falls on ,mrs4 ,north trying to pick out some of the old tunes on the piano1 and ,cyrus and ,mary bidding each other a stiff ,good-morning4 ,,act ,,ii ,the ,captain and ,mrs4 ,north discovered1 the ,captain with his harmonica trying to teach ,mrs4 ,north the old airs4 ,enter ,mary at right door1 from outdoors4 ,consternation ensues and in a few moments the ,captain leaves guiltily4 ,then ,mary explains that she has been over to the ,prices and requested ,cyrus to tell the ,captain he must keep away1 for they are both too old to be married4 ,mrs4 ,north exits left1 in despair4 ,flora announces ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,price3 a conference of war is held during which it is decided that ,cyrus must consult the minister1 ,dr4 ,lavender1 and ,gussie must speak to the ,captain himself4 ,exeunt ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,price4 ,enter ,mrs4 ,north for her knitting4 ,mary wraps her up in a shawl1 puts a hassock at her feet1 suggests lighting a fire in the stove1 and tries to comfort her mother by telling her she will take her away from ,old ,chester if the ,captain keeps on bothering her4 ,mrs4 ,north remonstrates feebly1 and ,mary decides she needs some beef-tea after the excitement4 ,exit ,mary to make the tea4 ,enter the ,captain without ringing or knocking1 in great wrath4 ,gussie has spoken to him4 ,at first they laugh at the children's stupidity and by degrees decide to carry out and confirm the children's suspicions by eloping4 ,enter ,mary4 ,confusion1 but the ,captain pretends he has come to say good-bye to her because he is going away for a few weeks and under that cover1 makes the appointment for the eloping4 ,curtain with his exit ,,the ,,captain1 ,a ,,melodrama ,diagram ,dramatis ,personae ,captain ,la ,rue1 a little sea captain4 ,bromley ,barnes1 former special investigator for the ,u4,s4 ,customs ,service4 ,patrick ,clancy1 his friend4 ,a burly ,butler4 ,john ,felspar1 junior partner of the firm of ,felspar ,felspar1 wine merchants4 ,two ,dinner ,guests1 members of the firm4 ,carl ,cozzens1 the firm's ,canadian representative4 ,,scene4 ,the dining-room of ,felspar's ,summer ,cottage ,time3 ,early evening ,the ,captain is discovered sitting on the end of the table next the window with his legs dangling dejectedly4 ,suddenly he sees something and1 rushing to the window1 goes through a violent pantomime imploring help and caution from some one without and indicating the way to enter the house4 ,he then wrings his hands and paces the floor excitedly ending at ,d4 ,r4 ,c4 where he listens4 ,the key turns in the lock and ,barnes and ,clancy enter cautiously4 ,the ,captain throws himself at their feet and tells them of being kidnapped and confined and his ,ship's papers taken from him and asks frantically for the time4 ,barnes tells him1 and the ,captain becomes at once dejected and silent4 ,the other two1 however1 draw from him the story of how he has been racing over the ,atlantic to get a cargo of champagne to an ,american port in time to get the benefit of the old tariff rate1 just increased by the governments concerned4 ,he got in in time but was drugged and confined in this house till too late and his papers taken from him4 ,they advise him to stay where he is and1 promising to help him at once1 slip out as they came4 ,the ,butler comes in ,d4 ,r4 ,c4 and begins setting table1 joking the ,captain about the supper to be held in his honor1 but growling about the suddenness of his master's decision to have it4 ,the ,captain is excited and helps him in mock politeness4 ,as they are working1 ,felspar comes in4 ,butler tells him that he has hired a waiter for the evening1 subject to his approval--a man who happened to be walking by1 with a friend4 ,felspar congratulates him and the new waiter is called4 ,it is ,clancy4 ,la ,rue controls himself as he recognizes him4 ,felspar orders the ,butler to lock ,la ,rue in the up-stairs bedroom1 which has been prepared1 till he shall be wanted1 telling him at the same time that all the guests have arrived but ,mr4 ,cozzens1 who is to be brought directly to the dining-room when he arrives4 ,the others will not wait for him4 ,the ,butler hurries ,la ,rue off4 ,felspar gives a few parting instructions to the new waiter and goes to bring the guests4 ,clancy finishes the preparations and signals out the window to ,barnes to come4 ,felspar comes back with the guests ,d4 ,l4 ,c4 ,the ,butler reappears1 is called to the door-bell and ushers in ,barnes as ,mr4 ,cozzens4 ,felspar introduces him as the ,canadian representative of the firm whom he has never seen before4 ,barnes takes the cue and excuses his costume1 saying that he arrived late and has not had time to change4 ,all sit again and ,felspar1 telling the ,butler to bring ,la ,rue1 tells the company that the ship's papers of the rival business house have come into his hands4 ,these he produces and passes along the table4 ,barnes1 at the opposite end1 pockets them as they come to him and refuses to give them up4 ,all are astonished and half-angry4 ,the ,butler1 having brought in the ,captain at ,felspar's order 7who stands unnoticed at the back7 again answers the bell and ushers in ,mr4 ,cozzens1 announcing him in a doubtful voice4 ,felspar stutters1 ,you--you ,mr4 ,cozzens8 ,so me mother and father says1 the new-comer replies4 ,and you8 says the wine-merchant wheeling on ,barnes4 ,barnes presents his card which is read aloud by ,felspar1 who goes into a white heat and demands the papers back4 ,barnes blandly refuses4 ,felspar threatens1 saying he has four to one4 ,at this point ,clancy and ,la ,rue step forward and signify their readiness to side with ,barnes4 ,felspar laughs and tells them to take the papers then as the new law went into effect at four-thirty that afternoon4 ,but ,barnes informs him that the provisions of the ,french-,american commercial treaty demand that the customs houses remain open till midnight when such a law goes through1 and that they still have several hours4 ,felspar is again furious and orders them out and the three go together leaving the company in an angry stupor4 ,curtain ,let it be clearly understood that there is no definitely established length for a scenario4 ,it may run from one to two pages for a play of one act to twenty or more pages for a longer play4 ,obviously1 a scenario should be as brief as clear presentation of what it must give permits1 for it primarily exists as a short cut for the person who reads it to necessary information about a proposed play4 ,clearness is the first essential2 brevity the second4 ,the exact length must in each case be decided by the particular needs of the subject treated and the best judgment of the writer4 ,above all1 it should be remembered that a scenario unless it is simply an abbreviated presentation of a play already in manuscript should be considered something flexible4 ,what is meant by this is that many a writer working with a scenario which has been approved by a manager or actor feels hampered because as he writes he has almost irresistible impulses to break away from the scenario as planned into situations or details of characterization and even of general treatment which1 though they occur to him at the moment1 seem to him undoubted improvements4 ,yet he hesitates to change his plan because it has been approved4 ,this is folly4 ,a scenario is at its best when it concerns not a completed but a proposed play and is held to be not fixed but thoroughly flexible4 ,if changes suggesting themselves are felt by the writer to be improvements1 he should by all means incorporate them4 ,a good scenario bears much the same relation to a completed play that an architect's plans bear to a completed house4 ,where would the carpenter be without such plans1 yet where is the set of plans which has not been modified or even greatly changed while the building is in construction8 ,ibsen had no respect for any dramatist who proceeded otherwise than from a carefully prepared scenario4 ,once besought by a young dramatist to read the manuscript of his new play1 ,ibsen curtly asked for the scenario4 ,when the young man proudly replied that he needed no scenario1 having followed his inspiration whithersoever it led him from scene to scene1 ,ibsen grew furious and showed the pseudo-dramatist the door1 declaring that any one who dispensed with a scenario didn't know what a drama was and couldn't possibly write one4 ,and yet1 after all1 the scenario as first outlined by ,ibsen may best be regarded as an experimental foreshadowing subject to radical modification as the writing of the play itself proceeds4 ,it serves as the skeleton framework for ,ibsen's later ideation4 444 ,while it is true1 then1 that the material took shape in his mind long before he wrote a word of actual dialogue1 yet ,ibsen expressly acknowledged that it never took such unalterable shape in his mind as to permit him to write the last act first or the first act last4 ,during the course of the work the details emerged by degrees4#aa ,the fact is1 a scenario is almost always a photograph of the mind of the person who writes it4 ,if he is not ready to write his play1 the scenario will show it1 making clear whether this unreadiness comes from insufficiently understood characterization2 thin or incomplete story2 a lack of right proportioning of the material so that what is unimportant seems important2 or a general vagueness as to what the author wants to do with his material4 ,just here lies the strong reason why every would-be dramatist will do well to become expert in scenario writing4 ,he may for a long time fool himself into thinking that he can work better without a scenario2 he may be able to write without putting on paper all that in this chapter has been required from the writer of a scenario1 but sooner or later he goes through all the processes in his mind and either on paper or in his brain fulfils these requirements4 ,the very people who shrink from forcing themselves to work out all the details required by a good scenario are merely dodging the inevitable4 ,they avoid something irksome as a preliminary merely to do all this work before the completed play is ready4 ,he who wants to write his play rapidly will find that he makes time in his final composition by taking all the time he needs in the preliminary task of drawing a good scenario4 ,undeniably1 a scenario is the most effective way of forcing oneself to know the characters and the story of a play before one begins to write the play in detail4 ,work out a scenario carefully and all the difficult problems the play involves will have been solved except those of dialogue and perhaps some subtleties of characterization4 ,regard the resulting scenario as something entirely flexible and the composition of the play should be safe and even sure4 ,he who steers by the compass knows how with safety to change his course4 ,he who steers by dead reckoning is liable to error and delay4 ,often questions as to scenarios are asked which imply that there must be some set form fulfilling all the requirements stated which can be adhered to strictly4 ,not at all4 ,these various requirements may be met in almost as many ways as there are writers4 ,one man may use more description4 ,another writer may use more narration4 ,some will use dialogue very freely4 ,some will characterize more than others4 ,yet all these different workers may produce scenarios equally good in that they are clear1 brief1 move by suggested dramatic action1 are definite in genre1 and make thoroughly evident their elements of suspense and climax4 ,here are some scenarios which use dialogue rather freely4 ,they are given not because such use is especially commendable but merely to illustrate it4 ,,the ,,legacy ,the persons ,david ,brice1 a young attorney4 ,reene ,brice1 his uncle4 ,benjamin ,doyle1 his fiancee's father4 ,dr4 ,wangren1 family physician4 ,mrs4 ,brice1 the mother4 ,ditto ,brice1 the sister4 ,katherine ,doyle1 fiancee4 ,the ,time3 ,the present4 ,the ,place3 ,any city4 ,,scene4 ,the ,brice living-room comfortably furnished in walnut4 ,a piano centre ,l41 a round table rear ,r4 ,four entrances3 upper ,l41 rear centre1 upper right1 right centre4 ,curtained windows rear ,r4 ,l4 ,joy seems to radiate through the household4 ,ditto and ,katherine are discovered2 ,katherine1 a pretty enthusiast of #bb playing diminuendo a joy-melody at piano2 ,ditto1 pretty1 #bj and nervous1 crossing ,r4 with an armload of tagged packages of various sizes and prettily tied--birthday presents for her brother ,david4 ,arrived at table1 rear ,r41 she deposits them4 ,ditto4 7,stacking packages47 ,don't you wish you were getting these birthday presents1 ,katherine8 ,katherine4 7,playing47 ,i am1 ,ditto1 dear4 ,david is mine2 therefore1 what is ,david's belongs to me4 ,ditto4 7,petulantly47 ,and what is yours4444 ,katherine4 7,in fun47 444 ,belongs to father4 7,begins to sing merrily47 7,exit ,ditto1 ,r47 ,enter ,mrs4 ,brice1 ,l41 a thoughtful woman of #ej1 quite grey and though careworn1 attractive4 ,she carries a linen spread and goes to the table4 ,katherine sings softly1 playing diminuendo4 ,mrs4 ,brice4 7,covering presents47 ,you are very happy tonight1 aren't you8 ,katherine4 7,cheerily47 ,why shouldn't ,i be1 ,mrs4 ,brice8 ,it is ,david's birthday4 7,going to her47 ,but you aren't4 ,mrs4 ,brice4 7,bravely47 ,yes1 ,i am4 ,but you see this is probably ,david's last birthday at home and4444 ,katherine4 7,lovingly47 ,by no means6 ,i shall bring him home every birthday4 7,kissing her47 444 ,and once in a while between4 ,mrs4 ,brice4 7,as they go down1 arm in arm47 ,i know you will1 ,katherine1 but we mothers 444 ,david4 7,entering centre rear1 overcoat1 hat and traveling grip47 ,hello everybody6444 7,tosses grip on table and makes for them47 444 ,merry ,christmas1 ,happy ,new ,year 7kisses mother7 and a quiet ,fourth of ,july4 7,kisses ,katherine47 7,david is a well-built handsome man of #bh neatly dressed in business suit1 light-weight overcoat and hat47 ,david4 7,removing coat1 ,katherine assisting47 ,well1 how are all the little details8 7,coat off1 he begins kissing ,katherine again4 ,enter ,ditto1 ,r47 ,ditto4 7,petulantly47 ,do you realize this is your birthday8 ,david4 7,kissing mother47 ,i am doing my best to show it6 7,tossing ,ditto his coat47 ,hang that up and ,i will show you4 7,exit ,ditto1 ,r41 with his coat and hat47 ,david4 7,coming down from table with blue-print in hand47 ,now1 mother and child1 look ye6 7,he shows them the architectural plans of the new cottage he is going to build as a wedding present to ,katherine4 ,they like them very much4 ,more joy4 ,ditto1 reentering1 is also enthusiastic over plans4 ,david next announces that he has been invited to become a member of his employer's law firm1 one of the most successful in the ,state4 ,more joy1 manifested by another round of kisses4 ,but he has not only been asked to join the firm2 the firm has promised him a straight loan1 without interest1 with which to build his house4 ,otherwise he would have had to borrow from a building and loan association4 ,therefore1 bids are now being advertised for and work will begin very soon4 ,great joy4 ,ditto seizes mother's hand and ,katherine's and dances a ring around ,david4 ,as the jollification subsides1 ,david inquires for his uncle1 ,reene4 ,he must approve the plans1 for he was a great architect in his day4 ,his mother informs him that the uncle went for a ride with ,doctor ,wangren47 ,david4 ,how is he feeling today8 ,mrs4 ,brice4 ,not quite so well4 ,in fact1 ,i never saw him so despondent4 ,david4 ,he must not look at it that way4 ,we all have our little troubles4 7,to ,katherine47 ,don't we8 7,they go toward piano4 ,exit ,mrs4 ,brice1 ,l41 taking ,ditto with her4 ,in a short scene at the piano1 during which ,katherine plays diminuendo1 the fact is revealed that her father opposes the match between her and ,david2 not because he does not like ,david but for reasons which he has not divulged to his daughter4 ,this cloud passes by quickly1 however47 ,,the ,,consultation ,the persons of the play ,marian4 ,katherine4 ,dr4 ,thomas ,wells4 ,dr4 ,benjamin ,crawford4 ,the scene represents a sitting room in ,marian's home4 ,it is very cheaply furnished4 ,there is a door at back centre1 and also one at ,r4 ,at upper left is a curtained window1 not practicable4 ,in the centre is a table1 on which is a lighted lamp4 ,near the window is a couch4 ,there are chairs about the room1 and a few cheap pictures on the walls4 ,it is evening1 and the room is dimly lighted4 ,diagram ,when the curtain rises1 there is no one in the room1 but in a moment the door at rear opens1 and ,katherine enters noiselessly4 ,she is a pleasant looking woman of #cj4 ,she is followed by ,dr4 ,wells1 who closes the door behind him very softly4 ,he is a young man1 with a ,van ,dyke beard4 ,the two go to right of table1 and ,katherine looks at the doctor inquiringly4 ,he speaks with some hesitation4 ,dr4 ,wells4 ,you want the truth8 ,katherine4 ,of course4 ,dr4 ,wells4 ,i think he's dying4 ,this is the crisis1 and the chances are a thousand to one against him4 ,katherine4 ,i'm afraid my sister can't bear the shock4 ,she loves her husband more than ,i can tell you1 ,doctor4 7,they are discussing the case when ,marian enters from the rear4 ,she lingers a moment and looks back into the other room4 ,then she slowly closes the door1 and advances towards the others4 ,she is a pretty woman1 about #be1 but she looks pale and anxious4 ,dr4 ,wells and ,katherine stop talking when she comes near and watch her4 ,she turns to the ,doctor and asks for his verdict4 ,he doesn't reply1 but looks inquiringly at ,katherine4 ,after a moment1 she says he'd better tell her4 ,very gently he breaks the news1 and informs her that her husband will probably die4 ,the disease is vicious and can't be checked47 ,marian4 7,anxiously47 ,you mean my husband will die8 ,dr4 ,wells4 ,i fear so4 ,marian4 ,don't say that1 ,doctor4 ,it will kill me4 ,you don't know what ,john means to me4 7,the ,doctor assures her that he has done his best1 and the patient is now in the hands of ,god4 ,he's sorry but in all honesty he believes the man will die4 ,marian refuses to believe1 and maintains that her husband will not die4 ,no doubt he's a very sick man1 but he will live4 ,she declares she has sent for a man who can save him47 ,marian4 ,you've been good1 ,doctor1 and ,god will bless you4 ,but you won't blame me for saying that perhaps some one else might look at the case differently4 ,you don't feel hurt8 ,don't blame me1 but ,i've sent for ,dr4 ,crawford1 so you can have--what do you call it8--a consultation4 ,i know he can save my husband's life4 ,dr4 ,wells4 7,surprised47 ,you mean ,dr4 ,william ,crawford1 the famous specialist8 ,marian4 ,yes4 ,oh1 ,doctor1 he's so wonderful6 ,dr4 ,wells4 7,enthusiastically47 ,wonderful8 ,i should say so4 ,he's one of the most remarkable men in the profession4 ,if there's any one in the world who can save your husband's life1 he is the man4 7,doubtfully47 ,but can you pay his fee8 ,,scenario ,,the ,,winning ,,of ,,general ,,jane 7,a farce of three persons1 a dog1 and a gun that wasn't loaded7 ,cast ,jane1 about twenty4 ,aunt ,sophy1 her maiden aunt1 about #de4 ,bobby ,holloway1 a lodger1 about #bc4 ,place1 ,jane's bedroom4 ,time about #aa at night ,,setting4 ,lower left a closet1 door opening inward4 ,upper left a door leading to ,aunt ,sophy's room1 opening inward4 ,rear centre1 double-windows set in a shallow alcove4 ,the curtains are draped to right and left4 ,right1 up stage1 a fireplace without a fire4 ,left1 down stage1 a dressing-table with mirror4 ,a low stool stands before it4 ,against rear wall to left a washstand half-hidden by a ,japanese screen1 shoulder height4 ,against right wall and about halfway down stage a bed4 ,it is low and preferably wooden4 ,diagram of ,setting ,at rise ,jane is discovered at dressing-table occupied in braiding her hair4 ,enter ,aunt ,sophy4 ,she asks ,jane if ,mr4 ,holloway1 their single lodger1 is in for the night4 ,jane replies with some petulance that she does not know4 ,a dissection of that gentleman's character ensues in which ,jane anathematizes him1 while ,aunt ,sophy1 despite her avowed dislike for all things masculine1 champions his cause4 ,at last ,jane intimates that in all probability ,mr4 ,holloway will propose to ,aunt ,sophy at a very early date4 ,the latter cannot conceal her delight4 ,she is not content with ,jane's assurance on this point but must know how she discovered the state of ,bobby's affections4 ,jane finally admits that she bases her deduction upon the fact that he proposes to everybody1 in season and out6--that he has proposed to her1 ,jane1 no less than #bcg times4 ,aunt ,sophy is hurt and shocked at this revelation of perfidy and immediately sides with ,jane1 declaring that she will oust ,mr4 ,holloway on the following morning4 ,jane however does not want to be sided with4 ,with true feminine variability she shifts her attitude as completely as ,aunt ,sophy has hers1 and pleads with the outraged old maid to reverse her decision4 ,she shows that she really cares for ,bobby more than at first appeared4 ,aunt ,sophy however is obdurate1 and departs1 leaving ,jane almost dissolved in tears4 ,at this juncture a racket arises outside ,jane's window4 ,it is a mixture of blasphemous ,english1 growls and hurried footsteps4 ,jane starts to investigate1 but seeing an arm and a leg thrust hastily over the sill1 retreats to the door in alarm4 ,immediately ,bobby climbs in1 and a smothered exclamation from ,jane identifies him4 ,he glances about hurriedly1 and not perceiving her1 turns his attention to the dog who still growls below4 ,he epitomizes him with surprising fluency1 until ,jane1 unable to stand more1 interrupts4 ,this precipitates a profuse apology for the intrusion and other things1 an explanation1 and later a proposal4 ,jane is angered beyond measure not only at this invasion of her privacy but also at ,bobby's attitude towards the whole affair4 ,she orders him to leave4 ,he attempts to do so by way of the door4 ,jane4 7,frightened47 ,w-w-where are you going8 ,bobby4 7,shrugging47 ,hump6--to heaven--eventually6 ,jane4 7,barring way47 ,n-n-not through ,aunt ,sophy's room6 7,she informs him that he must depart the way he came4 ,he consents but only in a very half-hearted manner4 ,between ,aunt ,sophy and ,towser he is in a quandary4 ,after several unsuccessful starts he flatly refuses to descend1 and upbraids ,jane for her cruelty4 ,he dwells at length on the horrors of dog-bites1 hydrophobia1 madness1 and death47 ,bobby4 7,injured47 ,as if ,i had not already been chewed up so that ,i can scarcely sit--7hastily7--,i mean walk4 ,jane4 7,relenting47 ,gracious6 ,bobby1 did he bite you8 ,bobby4 ,did he8 ,jane4 7,seizing bottle from table47 ,heavens6 ,you must put something on it6 ,some antiseptic6 ,bobby come here6 ,bobby4 ,oh1 no1 no6 ,no1 it's not serious6 ,jane4 ,come here this instant6 ,bobby4 7,flatly47 ,i won't do it6 7,he succeeds so well in working upon her sympathies that even a knock at ,aunt ,sophy's door is not enough to make her change her attitude4 ,she now as obstinately refuses to let him descend to certain death as previously he had refused to do it4 ,the knocks are continued4 ,jane is rapidly losing her head when it suddenly occurs to her that if she stores ,bobby away under the bed until ,towser has departed or ,aunt ,sophy has gone to sleep1 all may yet be well4 ,while ,bobby is ensconcing himself in this new position a three cornered conversation takes place1 in which ,jane becomes more and more involved47 ,aunt ,sophy4 7,outside47 ,jane1 ,jane1 are you ill8 ,jane4 ,ill8 ,oh1 oh6 ,i don't know6 ,aunt ,sophy4 ,open the door this minute or ,i'll break it down6 ,jane4 ,break it down8 ,aunt ,sophy4 ,yes1 this instant6 ,jane4 ,oh1 oh6 ,don't do that6 ,it's not locked6 444 ,it may be interesting to compare the scenario of ,a ,doll's ,house from which ,ibsen wrote his first draft with his original notes4 ,here is perfect illustration of the difference between sketchy notes which mean much to the writer and a scenario which at least broadly will convey to a reader the artistic and ethical purposes in the play the dramatist means to write4 ,,notes ,,for ,,the ,,modern ,,tragedy ,rome1 #ai4 #aj1 #gh4 ,there are two kinds of spiritual law1 two kinds of conscience1 one in man and another1 altogether different1 in woman4 ,they do not understand each other2 but in practical life the woman is judged by man's law1 as though she were not a woman but a man4 ,the wife in the play ends by having no idea of what is right or wrong2 natural feeling on the one hand and belief in authority on the other have altogether bewildered her4 ,a woman cannot be herself in the society of the present day1 which is an exclusively masculine society1 with laws framed by men and with a judicial system that judges feminine conduct from a masculine point of view4 ,she has committed forgery1 and she is proud of it2 for she did it out of love for her husband1 to save his life4 ,but this husband1 with his commonplace principles of honour is on the side of the law and regards the question with masculine eyes4 ,spiritual conflicts4 ,oppressed and bewildered by the belief in authority1 she loses faith in her moral right and ability to bring up her children4 ,bitterness4 ,a mother in modern society1 like certain insects who go away and die when she has done her duty in the propagation of the race4#ab ,love of life1 of home1 of husband and children and family4 ,here and there a womanly shaking-off of her thoughts4 ,sudden return of anxiety and terror4 ,she must bear it all alone4 ,the catastrophe approaches1 inexorably1 inevitably4 ,despair1 conflict1 and destruction4 7,krogstad has acted dishonourably and thereby become well-to-do2 now his prosperity does not help him1 he cannot recover his honour47#ac ,persons ,stenborg1 a ,government clerk4 ,nora1 his wife4 ,miss 7,mrs47 ,linde 7a widow74 ,attorney ,krogstad4 ,karen1 nurse at the ,stenborgs'4 ,a ,parlour-,maid at the ,stenborgs'4 ,a ,porter4 ,the ,stenborgs' three little children4 ,doctor ,hank4 ,,scenario4 ,,first ,,act ,a room comfortably1 but not showily1 furnished4 ,in the back1 on the right1 a door leads to the hall2 on the left another door leads to the room or office of the master of the house1 which can be seen when the door is opened4 ,a fire in the stove4 ,winter day4 ,she enters from the back1 humming gaily2 she is in outdoor dress and carries several parcels1 has been shopping4 ,as she opens the door1 a ,porter is seen in the hall1 carrying a ,christmas-tree4 ,she3 ,put it down there for the present4 7,taking out her purse47 ,how much8 ,porter3 ,fifty ore4 ,she3 ,here is a crown4 ,no1 keep the change4 ,the ,porter thanks her and goes4 ,she continues humming and smiling with quiet glee as she opens several of the parcels she has brought4 ,calls off1 is he at home8 ,yes6 ,at first1 conversation through the closed door2 then he opens it and goes on talking to her while continuing to work most of the time1 standing at his desk4 ,there is a ring at the hall-door2 he does not want to be disturbed2 shuts himself in4 ,the maid opens the door to her mistress's friend1 just arrived in town4 ,happy surprise4 ,mutual explanation of the position of affairs4 ,he has received the post of manager in the new joint-stock bank and is to enter on his duties at the ,new ,year2 all financial worries are at an end4 ,the friend has come to town to look for some small employment in an office or whatever may present itself4 ,mrs4 ,stenborg gives her good hopes1 is certain that all will turn out well4 ,the maid opens the front door to the debt-collector4 ,mrs4 ,stenborg1 terrified2 they exchange a few words2 he is shown into the office4 ,mrs4 ,stenborg and her friend2 the circumstances of the debt-collector are touched upon4 ,stenborg enters in his overcoat2 has sent the collector out the other way4 ,conversation about the friend's affairs2 hesitation on his part4 ,he and the friend go out2 his wife follows them into the hall2 the ,nurse enters with the children4 ,mother and children play4 ,the collector enters4 ,mrs4 ,stenborg sends the children out to the left4 ,great scene between her and him4 ,he goes4 ,stenborg enters2 has met him on the stairs2 displeased2 wants to know what he came back for8 ,her support8 ,no intrigues4 ,his wife cautiously tries to pump him4 ,strict legal answers4 ,exit to his room4 ,she 7repeating her words when the collector went out73 ,but that's impossible4 ,why1 ,i did it from love6 ,,scenario4 ,,second ,,act ,the last day of the year4 ,midday4 ,nora and the old ,nurse4 ,nora1 impelled by uneasiness1 is putting on her things to go out4 ,anxious random questions of one kind and another give a hint that thoughts of death are in her mind4 ,tries to banish these thoughts1 to turn it off1 hopes that something or other may intervene4 ,but what8 ,the ,nurse goes off to the left4--,stenborg enters from his room4 ,short dialogue between him and ,nora4--,the ,nurse re-enters1 looking for ,nora2 the youngest child is crying4 ,annoyance and questioning on ,stenborg's part2 exit the ,nurse2 ,stenborg is going in to the children4--,doctor ,hank enters4 ,scene between him and ,stenborg4--,nora soon re-enters2 she has turned back2 anxiety has driven her home again4 ,scene between her1 the ,doctor and ,stenborg4 ,stenborg goes into his room4--,scene between ,nora and the ,doctor4 ,the ,doctor goes out4--,nora alone4--,mrs4 ,linde enters4 ,short scene between her and ,nora4--,krogstad enters4 ,short scene between him and ,mrs4 ,linde and ,nora4 ,mrs4 ,linde goes in to the children4--,scene between ,krogstad and ,nora4--,she entreats and implores him for the sake of her little children2 in vain4 ,krogstad goes out4 ,the letter is seen to fall from outside into the letter-box4--,mrs4 ,linde re-enters after a short pause4 ,scene between her and ,nora4 ,half confession4 ,mrs4 ,linde goes out4--,nora alone4--,stenborg enters4 ,scene between him and ,nora4 ,he wants to empty the letter-box4 ,entreaties1 jests1 half playful persuasion4 ,he promises to let business wait till after ,new ,year's ,day2 but at #ab o'clock midnight--6 ,exit4 ,nora alone4 ,nora 7looking at the clock73 ,it is five o'clock4 ,five2--seven hours till midnight4 ,twenty-four hours till the next midnight4 ,twenty-four and seven--thirty-one4 ,thirty-one hours to live4-- ,,third ,,act ,a muffled sound of dance music is heard from the floor above4 ,a lighted lamp on the table4 ,mrs4 ,linde sits in an armchair and absently turns the pages of a book1 tries to read1 but seems unable to fix her attention2 once or twice she looks at her watch4 ,nora comes down from the dance2 uneasiness has driven her2 surprise at finding ,mrs4 ,linde1 who pretends that she wanted to see ,nora in her costume4 ,helmer1 displeased at her going away1 comes to fetch her back4 ,the ,doctor also enters1 but to say good-bye4 ,meanwhile ,mrs4 ,linde has gone into the side room on the right4 ,scene between the ,doctor1 ,helmer1 and ,nora4 ,he is going to bed1 he says1 never to get up again2 they are not to come and see him2 there is ugliness about a death-bed4 ,he goes out4 ,helmer goes upstairs again with ,nora1 after the latter has exchanged a few words of farewell with ,mrs4 ,linde4 ,mrs4 ,linde alone4 ,then ,krogstad4 ,scene and explanation between them4 ,both go out4 ,nora and the children4 ,then she alone4 ,then ,helmer4 ,he takes the letters out of the letter-box4 ,short scene2 goodnight2 he goes into his room4 ,nora in despair prepares for the final step2 is already at the door when ,helmer enters with the open letter in his hand4 ,great scene4 ,a ring4 ,letter to ,nora from ,krogstad4 ,final scene4 ,divorce4 ,nora leaves the house4#ad ,finally1 here is the full scenario of a play which made a great success both in ,england and the ,united ,states and was seen by practically all the ,continental countries1 namely1 ,kismet4 ,notice how well it fulfils the requirements for a good scenario stated in this chapter1 not because ,mr4 ,knobloch had these rules in mind as he composed it1 but because1 as a trained dramatist1 he instinctively gave these qualities to his scenario4 ,carefully studied in relation to the essentials of scenario writing just stated1 it should remove all doubt in the mind of a student as to what a good scenario is and why it is an essential preliminary to a good play4 ,,kismet or ,,hajji',s ,,day ,scenario for a play in three acts1 by ,,edward ,,knobloch#ae ,,characters 7in order of their appearance7 ,original ,names ,later ,names ,hajji4 ,hajj 7as ,hajji is ,persian1 ,hajj ,arabian74 ,a ,priest4 ,imam ,mahmud4 ,guide4 ,nasir4 ,sheikh of the ,desert4 ,jawan4 ,young ,beggar4 ,kasim4 ,sultan4 ,the ,caliph ,abdallah4 ,his ,vizier4 ,abu ,bakr4 ,shopkeeper ,i4 ,amru4 ,shopkeeper ,,ii4 ,fayd4 ,zira4 ,marsinah4 ,old ,woman ,i4 ,narjis4 ,officer of ,guard4 ,captain of the ,watch4 ,executioner4 ,mansur1 ,chief of ,police4 _/ ,turned into two characters3 ,his ,scribe4 ,kafur1 the ,sworder4 ,afife1 the ,hunchback4 ,old ,woman ,,ii4 ,executioner's ,wife4 ,kut-,al-,kulub4 ,gaoler4 ,kutayt4 ,peasant4 ,trial scene at _/ ,cut out in ,two ,wives4 _/ ,sultan's4 final draft4 ,dancers1 ,soldiers1 ,courtiers1 ,women1 the ,people4 ,,act ,i ,scene later introduced before the curtain4 ,scene #a4 ,a ,street before a ,mosque4 ,scene #b4 ,the ,bazaar4 ,scene #c4 ,courtyard of a ,poor ,house4 ,scene #d4 ,courtyard of ,executioner's ,house4 ,,act ,,ii ,scene #a4 ,interior ,room of ,executioner's ,house4 ,scene #b4 ,courtyard of a ,poor ,house4 7,act ,i1 ,scene #c47 ,scene #c4 ,the ,sultan's ,audience ,hall4 ,scene #d4 ,a ,dungeon4 ,,act ,,iii ,scene #a4 ,courtyard of a ,poor ,house 7,act ,i1 ,scene #c7 cut in final version4 ,scene #b4 ,the ,bath of the ,executioner's ,house4 ,scene #c4 ,a street before a ,mosque4 7,act ,i1 ,scene #a47 ,the ,scene is laid in ,bagdad4 ,the action takes place from morning to night4 ,,act ,i ,,scene #a ,a narrow street with stone steps leading up to a ,mosque left4 7,small set47 ,the sun is just beginning to rise4 ,asleep on a large stone which juts out from the angle of the wall ,c4 sits ,hajji wrapped in his beggar's cloak4 ,on the minaret of the ,mosque appears the priest1 a venerable white bearded man4 ,he calls to prayer4 ,see alterations in actual play4 ,the crowd begins to pass into the ,mosque as the sun rises4 ,hajji wakes up1 rubs his eyes1 and has a drink of water from a gourd which he draws out from behind his seat4 ,he begins to beg from the passers-by4 ,an ,old ,man 7,jawan7 preceded by a guide 7,nasir7 is carried across the scene in a litter4 ,he fixes his gaze on ,hajji and is carried off into the ,mosque4 ,the guide remains in the portico4 ,hajji follows the ,old ,man on his knees to the steps of the ,mosque1 begging4 ,as he does so a lean ,beggar of a younger cast of countenance takes ,hajji's place4 ,hajji returns to his seat4 ,hajji4 ,hajji curses young ,beggar4 ,explains young ,beggar must be stranger4 ,who is he that he does not know of ,hajji8 ,he has sat on this seat for thirty years4 ,his father has sat there before him4 ,his grandfather before him4 ,great pride in his ancestry of beggardom4 ,young ,beggar4 7,kasim47 ,the young ,beggar tries to retaliate4 ,hajji tells him to go and sit on a seat round the corner--where other swine have sat before you4 ,he kicks the young ,beggar4 ,the ,guide 7,nasir7 of the ,old ,man comes down to interfere4 ,the ,young ,beggar 7,kasim7 sulks into a corner nursing his kick4 ,hajji4 ,hajji and ,guide get into conversation4 ,the ,guide4 7,kasim47 ,guide explains ,rich ,man here on a pilgrimage4 ,is really a famous old ,robber ,chief1 a ,curd1 ,one of the ,sheikhs of the desert3 all of whom were notorious and banished by late ,sultan 7,caliph74 ,sheikh old and dying4 ,come to pray to ,allah to restore his son to him before he dies 7if son still alive74 ,sultan is used ,sheikh was attacked by ,sultan's troops throughout this twenty-five years ago1 and his son1 then four scenario--for which1 years old1 carried off4 in play1 ,caliph is ,hajji says he knows what that means4 substituted4 ,caliph ,had his wife carried off many years ago4 is correct1 as being ,the only woman he ever loved--really loved4 ,arabian4 ,the title ,the ,guide3 ,i know1 ,hajji1 and ,i pity you4 ,sultan is of later ,i have a proposition to make3 origin and of ,turkish ,i know the ,sheikh will give money to charity influence4 to save his soul just before dying4 ,now if you could predict something to him1-- ,say that he will find his son again1-- ,the ,sheikh will give you money4 ,and for this advice ,guide and ,hajji are to divide money4 ,hajji agrees to this4 ,prayers are over4 ,the crowd disperses coming from the ,mosque4 ,sheikh is carried out of the ,mosque in his litter4 ,hajji4 ,hajji throws himself in front of litter4 ,crying out3 ,listen to me4 ,i can see why you have come4 ,you are looking for some one1--your son4 ,you shall find him4 ,give me money4 ,sheikh amazed at ,hajji's knowledge4 ,hajji says his wits have been sharpened through grief and suffering4 ,i had a wife and a son4 ,they were stolen by my enemy4 ,my son was murdered1 ,my wife carried off4 ,the swine of a beggar who sat round the corner did it4 ,he is my enemy4 ,the curse of my life4 ,sheikh holds out purse1 chinking it4 ,hajji blesses ,sheikh4 ,sheikh bursts out laughing4 ,reveals himself to ,hajji4 ,he 7,sheikh7 is his enemy4 ,he ran away with ,hajji's wife4 ,some of this is ,and became a robber under her inspiring incorporated in the influence4 ,one of a band of robbers that scene with ,nasir4 attacked the caravans4 ,it is their son 7by ,hajji's wife7 that the ,sultan captured when he attacked the robbers4 ,laughs at ,hajji for blessing him4 ,thanks him ironically4 ,throws the purse and is carried off by his men4 ,hajji shouts curses after him4 ,and kicks away the money4 ,hajji4 7,alone47 ,he is torn in two by the hatred for his enemy4 ,young ,beggar1 in ,and the love of the money4 corner4 ,what he could do with the money4 _/ ,he could do so much for ,zira 7the daughter71 ,the pride of his heart1 the consolation of his old age1 ,the one balm to his fatherly heart4 ,but his enemy's money8 ,never4 ,but ,zira8 ,trinkets for her4 ,her laughter4 ,this was cut ,her smile4 rehearsals1 as ,but the ,sheikh's money--,the beast who robbed halting the action1 him of his wife4 ,who was ,zira's mother8 ,no one4 ,a dancing girl1 a passing whim4 ,the fancy of a late spring4 ,but his wife--the one that the ,sheikh took-- she was everything4 ,his joy1 his pride1 the first finding of his manhood4 ,to the purse3 ,i'll not touch thee4 7,he spits at it47 ,he sees some one coming4 ,he quickly pockets the purse4 ,the ,guide reenters ,hajji4 ,guide comes to claim half of his money4 ,guide4 ,hajji does not know anything of the bargain2 ,young ,beggar4 ,i saw no purse4 ,guide furious4 ,hajji laughs at him4 ,he appeals to young ,beggar4 ,was there a purse there8 ,the young ,beggar sides with ,hajji4 ,guide off1 furious1 vowing vengeance4 ,hajji says1 ,go thy way in peace4 ,hajji4 ,young ,beggar4 ,young ,beggar3 ,what do ,i get for siding with you8 ,what8 ,i saw you pick up the purse4 ,i heard the agreement3 you promised him half4 ,hajji says the money was given him1 not by the ,sheikh1 but by fate4 ,we all have a day in life4 ,this is ,hajji's day4 ,there is a future before him4 ,the ,sheikh rose from the mud to power and riches4 ,why not ,hajji8 ,fortune is smiling on him at last4 ,he will forsake the seat he has sat on these thirty years4 ,go forth into the world4 ,what shall he give the ,young ,beggar8 ,his throne and his beggar's cloak4 7,he instates him in his seat and goes off47 ,here the ,priest is introduced in the play to heighten the effect at the end4 ,also to make him a friend of ,hajji's1 as ,hajji sends ,curtain his daughter to him at the end of the ,hareem scene4 ,act ,,iii1 ,scene #a4 ,,scene #b ,the ,bazaar4 7,large set7 ,shopkeeper ,i and ,shopkeeper ,,ii lying outside of adjoining shops4 ,they are very friendly4 ,crowd4 ,young ,sultan 7,caliph7 rides through the bazaar on a white donkey4 ,his ,vizier 7,abu ,bakr7 follows him4 ,also guards4 ,hajji appears4 ,political discussion4 ,shopkeeper ,i4 ,young ,sultan just come through bazaar4 ,shopkeeper ,,ii4 ,hajji regrets he missed seeing him4 ,sultan only been ,sultan ten days4 ,read ,caliph ,nephew of old ,sultan now dead4 for ,sultan4 ,young ,sultan brought up in a monastery1 ,in the play1 the ,said to be a dreamer and a poet4 shopkeepers have a ,the real ruler said to be the ,executioner1 scene of explanation ,a favourite of late ,sultan1 before ,hajj ,young man1 too1 but very strong1 enters1--altered when ,very cruel and selfish4 writing play4 ,young ,sultan does not see much of ,executioner 7,mansur74 ,supposed to disappear on nightly expeditions1 ,to get to know his people1 ,to have some love adventures4 ,has been brought up strictly in monastery1 ,has never yet1 they say1 tested the charm of his beard4 ,this altered4 ,see note ,hajji listens to all this humbly1 above4 ,in the play ,hajj ,sitting almost under the counter1 enters here4 ,then begins to finger stuffs4 ,the shopkeeper is going to drive him off4 ,but ,hajji is in earnest4 ,shows his purse4 ,he means to buy4 ,clothes are forthcoming4 ,he selects some4 ,once he has gone to the bath and the barber he will be resplendent--as noble as the noblest4 ,hajji asks the price4 ,it is very high4 ,he begins to bargain4 ,shopkeeper ,no4 ,,ii chimes in4 ,hajji pits ,shopkeeper ,no4 ,i against ,no4 ,,ii4 ,they quarrel4 ,hajji fans the quarrel into flame4 ,they almost come to blows4 ,hajji escapes with his clothes4 ,shopkeeper ,no4 ,i4 ,the shopkeepers notice his escape4 and ,they combine at once against the common enemy4 ,shopkeeper ,no4 ,,ii ,shopkeeper ,i will go for the guard1 ,and have ,hajji followed and caught4 ,shopkeeper ,,ii to meet him at the ,executioner's to witness against ,hajji4 ,here ,nasir the ,guide is introduced to give away ,hajj4 ,this was done when the play was revised for production4 ,curtain ,,scene #c 7,for ,zira read ,marsinah47 ,zira's home4 ,small courtyard of a poor house4 ,on right side a large gate backing to street4 ,fountain in courtyard4 ,old ,woman4 ,old woman is spinning4 ,zira1 the daughter ,zira is lazily hanging her hand into fountain4 of ,hajji4 7,she works instead47 ,marsinah works4 ,this ,old ,woman reprimands her for not working4 was altered when ,she has changed in last three days4 writing play1 because ,zira1 who hides her wools1 says her thread has of ,arabian embroidery given out4 frame seen in the ,old ,woman will go to bazaar for thread4 ,museum of ,tunis4 ,locks door carefully1 going out4 ,zira springs up and goes to the casement in ,courtyard and then1 plucking a rose1 throws it out4 ,she then unlocks casement and goes back to the fountain4 ,young ,sultan appears in simple clothes1 climbing in4 ,zira4 ,love scene4 ,young ,sultan4 ,his madness to come at daytime4 ,since he saw her first three nights ago from neighboring roof-tops cannot rest4 ,she asks who he is4 ,he is so different from her father4 ,his hands so beautiful4 ,he has love scene1 ,in which they exchange rhymed couplets ,in ,arabian ,nights fashion4 ,he puts a question 7line one and two rhyming7 ,she caps it 7line three not rhyming1 but line four rhyming with one and two74 ,the girl is witty but natural4 ,this charms the ,sultan beyond measure4 ,all the women he has had presented to him are so stupid4 ,she says3 ',all the women'6 ,who is he8 ,he says a simple scribe--brought up in a monastery4 ,his uncle wishes him to marry4 ,he has never loved before1 ,till meeting ,zira4 ,they embrace4 ,noise of key in gate4 ,they hear noise4 ,they separate--,he will come back after sundown to see her4 ,she gives him a rose4 ,then he will tell her something which will surprise her4 ,he escapes through the window4 ,zira back to fountain1 7to her work74 ,old ,woman reenters breathless4 ,old ,woman4 ,old ,woman says ,zira's father is coming4 ,zira4 ,thing he has never done during daytime4 ,luckily she saw him as she returned from bazaar4 ,he was coming out of ,public ,bath1 ,beautifully dressed4 ,they pretend to be busy working4 ,noise of key4 ,hajji arrives1 dressed in good clothes1 curls trimmed and beard combed4 ,hajji4 ,greetings4 ,zira4 ,zira admires her father4 ,old ,woman4 ,old ,woman sent off to get meal ready4 ,hajji4 ,hajji has great plans for his daughter4 ,zira4 ,his affection for her profound4 ,he plans for her future4 ,she is very charming to him1 ,as she naturally wishes to hide her love affair1 and get into his good graces4 ,she takes out her guitar4 ,begins to sing to him4 ,he sways before her admiringly on his knees4 ,says she is beautiful4 ,this altered in the ,her mother was not beautiful1 writing of play4 ,not like his wife that he loved ,not like his son now dead4 ,but she is more beautiful than all1 ,the light of his eyes4 ,she laughs and sings4 ,he claps his hands in ecstasy ,he has great ambitions for her4 ,a knock on the door4 ,zira is sent by her father into the inner house4 ,the ,old ,woman comes out of house and says it will be some pedlar at door4 ,she opens4 ,the ,officer of the ,guard and ,guard enter with the ,shopkeeper ,i ,hajji4 ,shopkeeper accuses ,hajji of stealing ,shopkeeper4 garments he has on4 ,officer4 ,hajji denies it4 ,shopkeeper will have him taken before the ,executioner 7,mansur74 ,hajji protests4 ,he is taken off in spite of his assurances that the ,shopkeeper is a madman4 ,re-introduction of ,nasir1 saying1 ,i saw no purse6 ,change made during rehearsals ,curtain ,,scene #d ,hall in ,executioner's ,house 7large set74 ,a colonnade at back1 showing courtyard4 ,executioner 7,mansur74 ,executioner very discontented4 ,his ,scribe 7,afife71 ,young ,sultan means to curtail ,executioner's an old man prerogatives4 ,kafur his ,sworder1-- ,executioner was old ,sultan's favorite4 added when play was ,scribe and ,executioner plan to assassinate written4 ,this first ,sultan4 sceneis enlarged in ,they need a clever man4 play by a letter from ,whom shall they get8 the ,caliph4 ,see play4 ,hajji is brought by the ,guard1 followed by ,shopkeeper and a ,crowd1 in which is the ,guide of ,scene #a4 ,hajji4 ,hajji accused by ,shopkeeper ,i4 ,executioner4 ,shopkeeper ,,ii bearing ,no4 ,i witness4 ,scribe4 ,hajji protests4 ,guide4 ,meant to pay--,excitement of new clothes made ,shopkeeper ,i4 him forget4 ,shopkeeper ,,ii4 ,produces money4 ,crowd4 ,where did he get his money8 ,sheikh of desert4 ,they all laugh4 ,sheikh of desert does not give money4 ,sheikhs are outlaws1 robbers4 ,not allowed in town4 ,hajji says he is in town4 ,notices ,guide 7,nasir7 in crowd4 ,appeals to ,guide-- ,guide says it is true that ,sheikh is in town4 ,then1 says ,executioner1 ,sheikh must be taken before ,sultan4 ,all ,curds banished by old ,sultan4 ,sultan has an audience this afternoon4 ,sheikh an exile 7by old ,sultan74 ,executioner cannot allow the word of the deceased monarch to be disregarded4 ,sends ,guide off to show the ,guard the caravansary at which ,sheikh is stopping4 ,hajji interrupts4 ,one word4 ,he asks ,guide did he1 the ,sheikh1 not throw ,hajji a purse4 ,guide repeating ,hajji's words 7,scene #a7 ,i saw no purse4 ,all laugh4 ,guide off with the ,guard4 ,afterwards1 his hand ,executioner orders ,hajji to have his ears cut cut off1 as this is off4 the law of the ,koran4 ,hajji discourses on ,fate1 ,kismet4 ,change made when ,is very witty4 writing play4 ,executioner becomes interested in ,hajji's brilliancy4 ,hajji is pardoned suddenly by ,executioner4 ,executioner does more4 ,he takes ,hajji into his household ,into his personal guard4 ,a sword is sent for4 ,hajji kneels in gratitude at the ,executioner's feet4 ,his servant always4 ,the sword is brought in4 ,executioner takes it and hands it to ,hajji4 ,rise1 ,hajji1 and learn to use this sword in my service4 ,hajji rises4 ,he begs he may begin his career by an act of clemency4 ,executioner grants permission4 ,hajji makes the ,shopkeepers kneel1 forgives them for daring to accuse a servant of the ,executioner's of stealing--tickles their beards with his sword and orders them to pay a fine to the ,executioner4 ,they leave more dead than alive4 ,hajji turns to ,executioner4 ,h4 ,have ,i begun well8 ,e4 ,the beginning is nothing4 ,go now and the ,captain will instruct you in your duties4 ,h4 7with enormous swagger7 ,captain8 ,he goes out1 the rest following him4 ,the ,scribe4 ,is amazed at ,executioner's clemency4 ,executioner4 ,e4 ,don't you see why ,i have pardoned him8 ,s4 ,no1 ,master4 ,e4 ,this man shall do the deed4 ,s4 ,the deed8 ,e4 ,murder the ,sultan for me4 ,s4 ,i see4 7,they both turn and look after ,hajji who is seen traversing the courtyard at the back and twirling his moustaches1 the servants all bowing low to him47 ,curtain ,,act ,,ii ,an inner chamber in ,executioner's ,house4 ,door leading to ,hareem4 ,this is the same hall as at the end of ,act ,i1 only that curtains are drawn to hide the courtyard4 ,hajji4 ,executioner and ,scribe seated on a platform ,executioner4 drinking coffee and smoking4 ,scribe4 ,hajji seated below them entertaining them ,coffee and smoking with amorous stories4 suppressed1 as both ,they are all laughing4 were found to be ,hajji finishes a story4 anachronisms4 ,executioner says it reminds him of his principal wife4 ,this altered4 ,eastern ,a slight pause4 men do not speak of ,the ,executioner gives ,scribe a look as if to their wives to say ,to business4 strangers4 ,he says to ,hajji-- ,how would ,hajji like to become a great power in the state8 ,he broaches plan of assassinating the ,sultan4 ,hajji hesitates4 ,executioner unfolds scheme4 ,there is an audience in half an hour4 ,hajji can come as a ,fakir4 ,see play4 ,all of this ,has told ,executioner he could juggle--power in scene was split in half1 play tricks at his corner when begging4 and ,mansur does not now suggest the ,hajji could get close to ,sultan and kill him4 assassination till at ,no danger to ,hajji4 the end of the second ,as the ,guards are under command of half4 ,the reason is ,executioner4 clear3 ,hajj could not ,executioner will be there4 have a love scene 7as ,but1 of course1 ,hajji must under no condition he does now7 if he recognize the ,executioner4 were brooding about ,hajji feels doubts4 the assassination4 ,executioner fills him full of promises4 ,this was altered in ,executioner will be made ,sultan4 rehearsal at ,hajji shall become ,executioner4 thesuggestion of ,mr4 ,executioner off to put on his armour for ,grimwood1 who played audience4 ,mansur in ,england4 ,scribe goes with him4 ,executioner3 ,think it over4 ,if you don't like it--there is always room for a strangled body in the river4 ,hajji 7,alone74 ,so this is why ,i was pardoned this morning8 ,oh1 ,hajji6 ,what a fool you are6 ,and you thought your personal charm did it all4 ,hajji4 ,door of ,hareem opens4 ,old ,woman ,old ,woman ,no ,,ii4 ,no4 ,,ii appears with a note1 gives it to ,hajji4 ,changed to young ,hajji reads it1 smiles and nods4 slave ,miskah4 ,the ,old ,woman disappears4 note becomes a message1 with dialogue between ,hajj and ,miskah ,hajji 7,alone74 ,after all ,i cannot be so utterly without charm1 if this can happen to me4 ,he twirls his moustaches up and looks at himself in the blade of his sword4 ,old ,woman ,no4 ,,ii reenters with veiled woman 7,executioner's ,wife74 ,old ,woman stands guard4 ,hajji4 ,the ,wife has seen him from her window4 ,wife4 ,as he crossed the courtyard at noon1 she lost her heart to him4 ,her husband neglects her4 ,she comes to ,hajji for sympathy4 ,hajji makes love to her4 ,she refuses to unveil1--at least1 at once4 ,she makes appointment with him4 ,to meet him in the ,executioner's ,bath at moonrise4 ,all the women bathe then4 ,she will leave a little screen unlatched that leads to the furnaces under the baths4 ,these furnaces reached also from men's quarters through the door in the ,court4 7,she points it out to him47 ,he can come and see her there in ,bath1 when the other women are back in the ,hareem4 ,the ,executioner never returns from the ,sultan till after supper4 ,they hear a noise4 ,she withdraws4 ,hajji struts about in great glee4 ,he hears ,executioner coming ,he throws himself on his knees and prays4 ,executioner4 ,executioner returns armed4 ,hajji4 ,what has ,hajji decided8 ,scribe4 ,hajji says he has been wrestling in prayer4 ,he cannot make up his mind to kill ,sultan1 a descendant of the ,prophet4 ,executioner says he also is a descendant of ,prophet4 ,hajji is accused of cowardice4 ,he denies it4 ,he says he has ties that bind him4 ,the risk is too great because of his daughter1 his daughter1 ,zira4 ,he tells about her4 ,finally he consents to kill ,sultan on one condition4 ,no matter what happens to him the ,executioner must marry the daughter4 ,the ,executioner consents4 ,hajji is overjoyed4 ,he quite forgets his own danger when he thinks his daughter will be the ,sultana4 ,he will hurry off to his daughter's house1 ,and have her conveyed to ,executioner's house after sun-down4 ,too beautiful to pass through the streets at day time4 ,begs for a guard to convey her4 ,once he has arranged with her he will come on to young ,sultan's palace1-- ,the ,sultan who will be dead4 ,who is dead6 ,he hurries off in great exultation4 ,when the play was written1 the mid-afternoon call to prayer was introduced here as a ,curtain4 ,curtain ,,scene #b ,zira's home4 ,same scene as ,scene #c1 ,act ,i4 ,small courtyard4 ,zira sits with her guitar singing a love song4 ,zira4 _/ ,zira tries to get the ,old ,woman to go out ,old ,woman4 that night4 ,cut when play was ,old woman suspicious written4 ,zira calms her fears ,coaxes her1 pets her ,hajji arrives4 ,hajji4 ,hajji has come to break news to ,zira4 ,zira4 ,great news6 ,old ,woman4 ,he is going to give her to ,executioner as wife4 ,zira dumb with horror4 ,violent scene of cursing and cajoling4 ,finally she rebels4 ,the ,old ,woman agrees with ,hajji whenever he appeals to her4 ,he finally calls in the ,guard1 and makes them guard door4 ,altered during ,at sundown they are to take the girl to rehearsal4 ,executioner's house4 ,the guard1--eunuchs ,ungrateful child6 of ,mansur--take the ,zira in tears4 ,hajji off4 daughter away at once4 ,hajji remains on the scene1 smiling in a self-satisfied fashion4 ,curtain ,,scene #c ,the ,sultan's ,audience ,hall 7,the ,caliph's ,diwan74 7,large set47 ,sultan seated on a ,divan4 ,his ,vizier by his side4 ,dances of ,women4 ,sultan melancholy4 ,he says to ,vizier that all these dances are nothing to the faded rose in his hand4 ,hour for audience strikes4 ,the women dismissed4 ,the gates are opened to the crowd4 ,the various dignitaries enter4 ,the ,executioner and the ,guard come and kneel to the ,sultan4 ,different cases for trial called4 ,first of all the old ,sheikh is called4 ,his whereabouts have been ascertained through the ,guide4 ,the ,sheikh is carried in on his litter and with greatest difficulty descends to do obeisance to the ,sultan4 ,sultan4 ,sultan asks him how he1 an exile1 dare enter ,sheikh4 the city1 defying the decree of his late ,executioner4 uncle4 ,crowd1 etc4 ,sheikh says he came on peaceful mission1 not to rob4 ,he is old2 one of many robbers4 ,no longer of consequence4 ,came to pray at shrine and give alms1 the shrine where he had prayed in his youth4 ,invokes protection of ,high ,priest4 ,sultan says ,sheikh must be imprisoned4 ,if ,high ,priest proves that ,sheikh came to give alms and to repent1 he shall be released forthwith4 ,meanwhile1 for his many sins1 a short repentance in prison will not be harmful to his soul4 ,the ,goaler comes forward and with two guards drags the lame man off4 ,the ,sheikh goes1 blessing the ,sultan for his wisdom and justice4 ,the ,sultan says3 ,send to the ,high ,priest at once to see if this old man spoke true4 ,sultan4 ,this should be some comic trial with a ,a ,peasant with ,two difficult question to solve1 ,such as3 ,should ,wives4 a man honour his first wife more--who is old ,this scene was cut at and ugly1 but devoted--or his second wife rehearsal1 as having whom he mistrusts but adores for her beauty8 nothing to do with the ,or something of the kind drawn from ,arabian story4 ,instead of ,nights4 which1 ,hajj was introduced by a speech of ,mansur's4 ,see play4 ,the ,sultan is puzzled ,he has no answer4 ,who can solve the riddle8 ,hajji1 pushing through the crowd1--,let me1 oh ,sire6--throws himself before ,sultan4 ,hajji4 ,hajji decides in a witty1 whimsical way4 ,sultan4 ,the ,sultan amused by him4 ,who is he8 ,others ,hajji says he is a ,fakir4 ,he plays some tricks4 _/ ,while doing one1 addresses the ,executioner as a slave1 asking him to bring a table4 ,cut3 ,pretends not to know who ,executioner is1 and begs his pardon when he is told of his rank4 ,he then gets near the ,sultan4 ,does a trick with a sword4 ,tries suddenly to stab the ,sultan4 ,the ,sultan wears a coat of mail4 ,the assassination has failed4 ,hajji is surrounded at once4 ,he is to be cut to pieces4 ,the ,sultan says ,stay6 ,this man shall be made an example of4 ,i have heard there are rumours of sedition1 and conspiracies against my person4 ,therefore ,i wear this coat of mail4 ,i shall have this man burnt in my pleasure gardens tomorrow and the public shall be admitted to the spectacle4 ,this shall show conspirators ,i am in earnest2 mean to uphold my uncle's policy4 ,take this man away4 ,hajji appeals1 he turns to the ,executioner4 ,the ,executioner says he does not know him4 ,hajji says he does4 ,he can prove it4 ,he was in the house of the ,executioner4 ,in his pay4 ,executioner3 ,the man is mad4 ,the ,sultan fixes ,executioner with his eye4 ,sultan says he will sift matter to bottom4 ,hajji shall be tortured4 ,the truth shall be wrung from him4 ,hajj is gagged here3 ,at once8 asks the ,gaoler4 ,sultan3 ,no--let him starve the night first4 ,tonight 7smelling the rose7 ,sultan has other affairs of import to tend to4 ,tomorrow 7with a meaning look7 he expects the ,executioner to carry out the tortures himself4 ,the ,executioner bows4 7,to ,goaler7 ,take the man away6 ,hajji is dragged off1 screaming4 ,the ,sultan to his ,vizier3 ,oh ,mesrur6 ,mesrur6 7,abu ,bakr7 ,when does the sun set8 ,another half an hour1 sire4 ,half an hour6 ,oh1 would it were that now8 ,why can ,i not make the sun set--,i--the ,sultan8 ,bring forward the next case4 ,curtain4 ,,scene #d ,a ,dungeon4 ,a massive door at the back leads to an endless flight of shallow steps4 ,it is dark3 ,hardly any light except from one barred window high up3 through this come the rays of the setting sun4 ,the ,sheikh is alone in one corner saying his prayers4 ,he then lies down and goes to sleep4 ,the ,gaoler opens the door4 ,hajji is thrown in and chained4 ,hajji alone4 ,repentance4 ,curses every one4 ,raves4 ,if only he hadn't received money that morning1 he would not have been tempted to steal4 ,if he had not stolen1 he would not have been taken to the ,executioner4 ,if he hadn't been taken to the ,executioner1 he would not have been driven to kill the ,sultan4 ,the ,sheikh is the cause of all his misfortunes4 ,he stole his wife4 ,he killed his son4 ,now he is killing him4 ,cursed be the ,sheikh6 ,the ,sheikh from the ,who uses my name in vain8 corner3 ,hajji4 ,hajji recognizes him ,sheikh4 ,what is he doing there8 ,sheikh says he is condemned to prison by ,sultan4 ,hajji delighted4 ,says this is his only consolation in his trouble4 ,never a sorrow without a grain of joy4 ,joy to see his enemy suffer4 ,he could almost feel friendly towards ,sheikh1 when he thinks how they will be executed together4 ,sheikh's story of the ,how strangely their lives have been broken coin and his interwoven4 lost son introduced ,they talk of the dead woman they have shared4 here4 ,see play4 ,allusions to wife were ,she is dead now4 cut as unnecessary to ,better so4 ,she would have been old and ugly the story4 now4 ,sheikh says3 ,she developed a bad temper4 ,hajji furiously3 ,that was your fault4 ,she was the sweetest tempered creature when she was mine4 ,you ruined her1 body and soul4 ,you fiend you--but no matter4 ,you will be tortured tomorrow4 ,he shrieks with delight4 ,gaoler reenters with a decree and a soldier carrying some instruments of torture4 ,gaoler4 ,gaoler says that it has been found that ,sheikh4 ,sheikh did come on a pilgrimage4 ,hajji4 ,the ,high ,priest has testified in his favor4 ,soldier4 ,therefore the ,sultan forgives him4 ,he is free1 but must leave the city at once and never return4 ,sheikh asks ,gaoler to thank ,sultan4 ,would go-- but his limbs are too weak4 ,could ,gaoler send for his litter8 ,gaoler says he fears ,sheikh's litter gone1 but could procure him a chair out of ,sultan's palace used to convey the lesser women of the ,changed to a stretcher ,hareem when ,sultan travels4 to carry away the dead4 ,alteration made ,sheikh gives ,gaoler money1 when play was written4 ,gaoler now turns to ,hajji4 ,says he is to come to him4 ,makes him kneel down4 ,hajji3 ,i am free too1 am ,i8 ,gaoler3 ,free8 ,here6 7turns to ,soldier and ,the torture was cut takes a casket from him and is about to put as too long and too it on ,hajji's head74 ,sometimes these head ugly4 ,altered during screws and thumb screws don't fit4 ,there rehearsal4 must be no hitch in the performance tomorrow4 ,head screw8 says ,hajji1 trembling4 ,gaoler tears off ,hajji's turban and tries on the torture helmet4 ,gaoler3 ,does it feel comfortable8 ,all this cut4 ,instead ,hajji3 ,comfortable6 of which1 the ,gaoler ,gaoler3 ,it ought to4 ,it's just as if it had strikes ,hajji with his been made for your ,highness4 key which makes ,hajji 7,takes it off1 laughing loudly2 the soldier faint4 joins politely47 ,gaoler 7to ,sheikh73 ,i'll see to your ,excellency's chair4 ,gaoler and ,soldier off with instruments4 ,hajji is on the floor1 more dead than alive4 ,hajji4 ,hajji bemoans his fate4 ,sheikh4 ,why should he have to suffer1 and ,sheikh be pardoned1 when ,sheikh is the cause of all of ,hajji's woe8 ,here is ,sheikh1 an old robber chief1 forgiven4 ,here is ,hajji1 a simple1 honest beggar1 to be tortured and burnt4 ,who is dependent on the ,sheikh8 ,he has lost his son--has never found him again--he may be dead4 ,no one dependent on ,sheikh4 ,but ,hajji has a daughter dependent on him4 ,a daughter6 ,and the sun is setting4 ,and at this hour she is being taken to the ,executioner6 ,the ,executioner who has so cruelly forsaken ,hajji4 ,his daughter going to him1 with ,hajji powerless--and the ,sheikh to live4 ,it is unjust1 cruel1 not to be borne4 ,it shan't be borne--it-- ,when the play was ,he gives the ,sheikh an awful look4 written1 the breaking ,the ,sheikh realizes his thoughts and draws his of the chains was knife4 introduced here4 ,hajji springs at him1 overpowers him1 and cuts his throat4 ,the ,sheikh's last words3 ,my son6 ,my son6 ,a moment's thought--then ,hajji wipes the knife on his own turban 7torn off by ,gaoler74 ,quickly he exchanges clothes with the dead man4 ,puts on his turban ,then rifles pockets4 ,finds round the dead man's throat a chain with the broken half of a coin4 ,slips it over his own neck4 ,he puts the dead body into the corner where he 7,hajji7 lay when the ,gaoler left the dungeon4 ,he hears the tread on the steps4 ,he assumes the old man's attitude4 ,the sunlight has died out3 the scene grows quite dark4 ,the ,gaoler reenters with the ,soldier and a chair borne by two porters4 ,they lift ,hajji into the chair4 ,then take up the chair and carry it up the broad stone stairs4 ,gaoler4 7,turning to the dead body47 ,why not laugh tonight1 ,hajji8 ,tomorrow morning will be time enough to weep1 when you are tortured in the ,pleasure ,gardens of the ,prophet's descendant4 7,he kicks the body1 then goes out laughing1 and locks the door47 ,curtain4 ,,act ,,iii ,,scene #a ,this scene 7suggested by a friend7 was entirely cut before rehearsals began4 ,zira's house4 ,same scene as ,act ,i1 ,scene #c4 ,small courtyard4 ,the sun has just set4 ,it is dusk4 ,the gate is opened from the street4 ,old ,woman ,i 7,narjis7 enters1 locks the gate1 and lights a lamp4 ,knocking at the gate4 ,old ,woman ,i opens the gate4 ,the two porters bring in the chair4 ,hajji gets out1 bent double1 and trembling4 ,he pays the porters3 they withdraw4 ,the ,old ,woman says3 ,who are you8 ,hajji4 ,hajji throws back the shawl4 ,he reveals himself1 asks for food and his daughter4 ,old ,woman ,i4 ,hajji6 ,hajji explains that he must escape3 ,leave the city at once4 ,too long to explain4 ,he can never come to ,bagdad again4 ,old ,woman to bring his daughter at once1 ,old ,woman says she has just taken daughter to ,executioner's house4 ,hajji3 ,i said not before sundown ,it is sundown4 ,hajji curses ,old ,woman4 ,says that it is her fault that he took his daughter to ,executioner4 ,my fault8 says she4 ,yes6 ,you urged me on4 ,you agreed with me4 ,if ,i have lost her1 you are to blame4 ,but ,i can't lose her4 ,i must risk everything4 ,i must get her out of his clutches4 ,where did ,old ,woman leave her8 ,with principal wife4 ,an idea6 ,he had appointment with wife in bath at moon rise-- ,he will go4 ,if it costs him his life1 he must try to get his daughter4 ,he goes to door2 as he does so1 there is knocking at door from without4 ,they have found him4 ,what shall he do8 ,old ,woman opens lattice in ,courtyard4 ,escape that way6 ,when ,i was young many a time my lover came through that window4 ,hajji off through window4 ,more knocking at door4 ,old ,woman opens4 ,sultan4 ,sultan enters1 splendidly attired4 ,vizier ,has come to claim his bride4 and a ,guard4 ,old ,woman amazed4 ,old ,woman4 ,is he not the ,sultan8 ,she has seen him the day of his entry into the town4 ,sultan3 ,you have guessed4 ,bring forth ,zira6 ,alas6 ,zira not here4 ,at ,executioner's house4 ,her father has destined her for ,executioner4 ,sultan furious4 ,when was she taken there8 ,not an hour ago4 ,sultan will go to ,executioner's house4 ,the ,old ,woman ,i is to lead the way and show the entrance she took the girl to4 ,curtain4 ,,scene #b ,in the play ,act ,,iii begins here4 ,the ,bath in the ,executioner's house4 7,large set47 ,up five marble steps 7almost fifteen feet up stage7 a colonnade4 ,beyond it a courtyard1 with a large swimming bath4 ,the front part of the stage1 couches and pierced screens4 ,door right to women's apartments1 door left to men's apartments4 ,early moonlight in the courtyard beyond the columns4 ,hanging lamps in the front part of the bath4 ,women are robing and disrobing4 ,some are swimming in the tank4 ,laughter and chatter4 ,principal ,wife4 ,wife at her toilet4 ,old ,woman ,,ii 7,miskah47 ,old ,woman helping4 ,has ,hajji not come back yet8 ,no sign1 says ,old ,woman4 ,has been to outer gate twice4 ,only person there a young woman ,guarded by two soldiers 7eunuchs74 ,weeping this last half hour4 ,they say she has been brought by ,executioner's orders4 ,another woman8 ,have her brought here6 ,old ,woman takes order to doorkeeper at door ,l4 ,principal ,wife goes to top of steps and orders the other women to dress and retire4 ,the women swim to the right end of the bath4 ,the talk is silenced4 ,zira is brought in by the slave doorkeeper1 followed by the ,old ,woman ,,ii4 ,wife4 ,wife3 ,what have we here8 ,zira4 ,she abuses girl4 ,old ,woman ,,ii4 ,ill treats her4 ,this scene enlarged ,leads off into inner chamber of slaves4 during rehearsal4 ,zira in tears goes off by colonnade right ,marsinah 7,zira7 does with the ,old ,woman4 not leave the stage1 but veils4 ,see play4 ,wife4 ,i'll soon break your spirit6 ,the door left opens4 ,the ,executioner enters in a bad humour4 ,executioner4 ,wife3 ,this is an unexpected delight6 ,wife4 ,so early8 ,did the ,sultan not keep you to supper8 ,executioner3 ,what are you doing in the bath at this time of night8 ,w4 ,i was but waiting for you to ask what you wish done with the new slave4 ,e4 ,what new slave8 ,w4 ,the woman who has just arrived1 guarded by two of your men4 ,the ,doorkeeper4 ,the men you dispatched with ,hajji1 sir1 this afternoon4 ,e4 ,oh1 that woman6 ,i shall have her strangled4 ,wife agrees4 ,says girl a slut4 ,executioner finds his wife agrees with him to such an extent that he thinks the girl must be beautiful4 ,rings a bell4 ,old ,woman ,,ii comes from ,colonnade4 ,this altered4 ,marsinah ,he orders her to bring ,zira4 has not left the ,the wife tries to interfere4 stage4 ,see note above4 ,executioner angry4 ,wife wonders why he is in such an angry mood4 ,because he may lose his head any moment4 ,lose his head8 she asks4 ,yes4 ,this new ,sultan-- ,zira is brought in from ,r4 on steps by ,old ,woman4 ,zira is veiled4 ,executioner4 ,executioner orders her to unveil4 ,zira4 ,she hesitates4 ,wife4 ,he tears the veil from her face4 ,old ,woman4 ,he sees she is beautiful4 ,says to his wife that she has lied4 ,go1 get the girl ready4 ,i will come to her as soon as ,i have had my bath4 ,until tomorrow1 at least1 ,i shall enjoy life4 ,after that--who knows8 ,he goes off up the ,colonnade to left4 ,wife orders ,old ,woman to take the girl away with her again4 ,zira goes off by small door right with ,old ,woman4 ,there is a tapping sound on a screen on the right side4 ,wife4 ,hajji6 ,wife goes and opens screen in the wall right4 ,hajji enters4 ,wife4 ,wife tells him to be quiet4 ,hajji4 ,executioner near at hand4 ,expects an amorous embrace4 ,hajji says there is no time for love making4 ,he has come about his daughter4 ,w4 ,your daughter8 ,h4 ,yes4 ,zira--,she came here for the ,executioner4 ,has he seen her8 ,has he gone in to her8 ,w4 ,so she's your daughter8 ,i have you to thank for this creature1 ,another rival4 ,hajji wants to know where the girl is4 ,can't ,wife bring her out here and let the girl escape with him4 ,w4 ,escape8 ,h4 ,in that way you can get rid of a rival4 ,w4 ,and be strangled myself8 ,he urges her4 ,if she won't let the girl escape1 at least won't she take the girl to a sanctuary8 ,sanctuary8 ,what for8 ,to get her out of the way--away from ,executioner4 ,why not take her to the ,mosque8 ,the ,mosque of the ,carpenters1 where the venerable priest is8 ,he entreats ,wife by the love she has for him4 ,points out the dangerous charm of his daughter4 ,she will prove a great rival4 ,wife is torn between jealousy and fear for her own life4 ,h4 ,you can say you took her to the ,sanctuary for purification--,take her there6 ,they are interrupted4 ,the ,executioner appears in a thin robe in the colonnade with two slaves4 ,wife escapes rapidly into inner room to right4 ,hajji's escape is cut off4 ,he grovels on the floor4 ,hajji4 ,executioner sees ,hajji and dismisses the ,executioner4 slaves4 ,amazed at ,hajji's presence4 _/ ,hajji says he has done everything to get back to ,executioner4 ,bribed the ,sultan's ,gaoler1 faced untold dangers4 ,all this much more ,grovels and at the same time tries to find out direct and brutal in the ,executioner's position in regard to the play4 ,change made ,sultan4 when play was written4 ,has he lost his power8 ,what has ,sultan done to ,executioner8 ,executioner in a boundless rage4 ,how dare ,hajji come and ask him questions8 ,how dare he break into the women's quarters and then ask for mercy8 ,how dare he appeal to the ,executioner1 after betraying him to the ,sultan8 ,who was ,hajji before the ,executioner looked with favor on him8 ,a swine1 an abomination picked out of the gutter4 ,a cur1 a dog1--a-- ,he approaches ,hajji4 ,hajji hurries up the steps4 ,the ,executioner is too quick1 gets up after him and takes ,hajji by the throat4 ,doing so1 he catches hold of the chain with the coin that ,hajji stole from ,sheikh 7,act ,,ii1 ,scene #d47 ,where did ,hajji get this8 ,hajji lies1 saying it is his4 ,it has always been his4 ,executioner produces the other half on a massive gold chain4 ,miraculous6 ,hajji must be ,executioner's father4 ,h4 ,you--my son8 ,e4 ,don't you remember8 ,this was altered so ,executioner tells how he can just remember that ,hajji tells the his father breaking a coin when they were ,executioner all this4 being attacked in the desert1 before he1 the ,see ,act ,,ii1 ,scene #d1 boy1 was carried away by the ,sultan's troops4 where the ,sheikh gives ,h4 ,you mean when ,i was--,sheikh8 ,hajji the facts4 ,e4 ,were you ,sheikh or just a robber1 then8 ,h4 ,just a robber at the time--just a robber--,and your mother--do you remember her8 ,e4 ,i have tried to often--,her name escapes me4 ,h4 ,mentions name of first wife3 ,zeenab--whom ,i loved above all things4 ,zeenab6 ,that was her name6 ,h4 ,she had eyes like stars2 and tall1 she was tall like a poplar4 ,how wonderful is fate6 ,so you are her son6 ,e4 ,your son4 ,hajji1 slowly eyeing him and taking the ,executioner's chain4 ,h4 ,and the halves fit6 ,what a splendid chain6 ,what a heavy chain6 ,heavier than mine4 ,you have prospered in life1 my son-- ,e4 ,my father-- ,h4 ,your father1 yes4 ,i am your father--,come to my arms4 ,with that he takes the gold chain round the ,executioner's neck and twists it till the ,executioner chokes4 ,forces him down on his knees4 ,then he pushes him backward into the bath4 ,holds him under the water and drowns him4 ,i killed the old rat6 ,i'll kill his spawn6 ,blessed be ,allah for this day of days4 ,he laughs wildly and exultantly4 ,there is one more splash1 then silence in the bath4 ,knocking on the door left4 ,more knocking4 ,then the door is broken open4 ,the ,sultan enters with his ,guard and ,torchbearers1 the old ,woman ,no4 ,i4 following4 ,the ,sultan4 ,where is the woman8 ,where is ,zira8 ,search the ,hareem6 ,some of the ,soldiers cross into door right4 ,sultan4 ,sultan turns and sees ,hajji on the steps by ,hajji4 the bath4 ,you8 ,h4 ,yes4 ,allah allowed him to escape in order to serve the ,sultan4 ,s4 ,cut him down6 ,h4 ,stop6 ,look first whether ,i am not a good servant4 ,look in the bath6 ,the ,sultan looks4 ,s4 ,the ,executioner6 ,h4 ,it was all his fault4 ,he drove me to attempt your life4 ,soldiers reenter1 bringing in ,wife4 ,other women of the ,hareem follow4 ,wife4 ,soldier says ,zira not there4 ,sultan4 ,wife confesses she has sent her to ,sanctuary4 ,hajji4 ,hajji begged her to do so4 ,old ,woman ,no4 ,i4 ,s4 ,hajji6 ,ever ,hajji6 ,why should he have any say in regard to ,zira8 ,h4 ,she is my daughter4 ,s4 ,yours6 ,h4 ,now say ,i am not a good servant when ,i serve you with such a daughter4 ,will you still kill me8 ,old ,woman ,no4 ,i testifies he is speaking the truth1 is ,zira's father4 ,s4 ,you have attempted my life4 ,what would my piety be if ,i pardoned the dagger that tried to kill the descendant of the ,prophet8 ,taking the law into your own hands 7points to bath7 does not wipe out your crime4 ,but you are the father of ,zira1 ,the woman whom ,i mean to make my ,sultana4 ,her father's blood must not be shed by me4 ,go1 then1 be banished1 forgotten6 ,your life is spared--but only under one condition4 ,henceforth you shall be as dead to me--to your daughter4 ,h4 ,to my daughter8 ,never to speak to her again1 to feel her cheek against mine8 ,never8 ,s4 ,i have spoken4 ,hajji tears his clothes1 strews ashes on his head from the brazier by his side and goes out1 staggering1 by door left4 ,the ,sultan will go the ,mosque to beg the ,high ,priest to release ,zira from the ,sanctuary4 ,curtain ,,last ,,scene ,the same as the first scene1 ,act ,i4 ,before the ,mosque1 moonlight4 ,young ,beggar of ,act ,i is seated on the seat on which ,hajji installed him4 ,hajji enters staggering down the street4 ,he stands at the ,mosque a moment4 ,here was introduced a _/ ,wants to enter1 then turns away in despair4 scene with the ,priest4 ,comes to his accustomed seat4 ,meccah is to be ,hajji's ,young ,beggar is there4 goal4 ,altered when play ,as ,hajji approaches1 the ,young ,beggar begins was written4 ,the to beg of him4 scene with the ,young ,hajji kicks him off the seat and resumes his ,beggar is postponed old place4 until after the ,caliph ,young ,beggar slinks away4 and ,marsinah leave4 ,scarcely is ,hajji seated when the ,sultan ,altered when the play enters on his white donkey with a torch-light was written4 procession4 ,the ,sultan dismounts and knocks at the ,mosque4 ,the ,mosque is opened by the ,priest4 ,the ,priest1 when he learns it is the ,sultan1 brings out ,zira to him4 ,the ,sultan reveals himself in a verse to ,zira4 ,zira replies in a rhyme4 ,the ,sultan conducts ,zira to a litter4 ,he re-mounts his donkey4 ,the procession moves past ,hajji4 ,hajji stretches out his hand for alms1 veiling his face4 ,the procession disappears4 ,the street grows dark again4 ,the ,mosque is shut4 ,hajji is left alone in the moonlight4 ,he draws out the old gourd from behind the stone seat4 ,a line of philosophy summing up his day4 ,something1 perhaps1 on life and water4 ,he drinks his fill1 puts the gourd away1 leans back1 and goes to sleep1 breathing regularly4 ,curtain#af ,does not this careful scenario make very clear what are the steps in good scenario writing8 ,first comes structure1--ordering for clearness and correct emphasis in the story-telling4 ,then1 with the scenario kept flexible and subject to change till the last possible moment1 come many changes big and little1 for better characterization and more atmosphere--see pp4 #dfa-dfc4 ,finally1 more than anything else1 as the author puts last touches to his scenario1 or revises the play he has written from it1 he scans its details in relation to the probable attitude toward them of his public4 ,in the relation of that public to his subject and his treatment of it lie the most difficult problems of the dramatist4 ,solving them means the difference between the will to conquer and victory4 ,,footnotes3 #a ,letters of ,henrik ,ibsen1 p4 #cbe4 ,for a similar outline see that on ,faste1 p4 #aea4 #b ,the ,green ,book ,magazine1 ,february1 #aiad4 #c ,see pp4 #bgf-bgh4 #d ,see ,kismet ,scenario1 pp4 #dgd-ejg4 #e ,samuel ,french1 publisher4 ,new ,york4 #f ,samuel ,french1 publisher1 ,new ,york4 #g ,samuel ,french1 publisher1 ,new ,york4 #h ,samuel ,french1 publisher1 ,new ,york4 #i ,see pp4 #aed-ahb4 #aj ,see p4 #bhg4 #aa ,european ,dramatists4 ,henrik ,ibsen4 ,a4 ,henderson4 ,pp4 #age-agf4 ,stewart ,kidd ,co41 ,cincinnati4 #ab ,the sentence is elliptical in the original4 #ac ,ibsen's ,workshop1 pp4 #ia-ib4 ,copyright1 #aiaa1 by ,chas4 ,scribner's ,sons1 ,new ,york4 #ad ,ibsen's ,workshop1 pp4 #ib-ie4 #ae ,printed by permission of ,mr4 ,knobloch from his own manuscript4 #af ,for the play see ,kismet1 ,methuen ,co41 ,ltd41 ,london4 ,,chapter ,x ,,the ,,dramatist ,,and ,,his ,,public ,probably most dramatists have found that any play1 either as a scenario or a completed manuscript1 is not a matter of writing but of frequent re-writing4 ,study ,from ,ibsen's ,workshop or most of the cases cited by ,binet and ,passy1#a and it becomes evident that the first draft of a scenario or play is usually made mainly for clearness4 ,that will be gained by good construction and correct emphasis4 ,there follows a re-writing in which characterization improves greatly and dialogue becomes characterizing and attractive in itself4 ,either in this or possible later re-writings1 the dramatist shapes his material more and more in relation to the public he wishes to address1 for a dramatist is1 after all1 a sort of public speaker4 ,unlike the platform orator1 however1 he speaks indirectly to his audience--through people and under conditions he cannot wholly control4 ,none the less1 much if not all that concerns the persuasion of public argumentation concerns the dramatist4 ,this does not in any sense mean that an author must truckle to his audience4 ,far from it4 ,yet no dramatist can work care free in regard to his audience4 ,he must consider their natural likes and dislikes1 interests and indifferences1 their probable knowledge of his subject as well as their probable approach to it4 ,as ,mr4 ,archer has pointed out3 ,the moment a playwright confines his work within the two or three hours' limit prescribed by ,western custom for a theatrical performance1 he is currying favour with an audience4 ,that limit is imposed simply by the physical endurance and power of sustained attention that can be demanded of ,western human beings assembled in a theatre4 ,doubtless an author could express himself more fully and more subtly if he ignored these limitations2 the moment he submits to them1 he renounces the pretence that mere self-expression is his aim4#b ,once for all1 what is truckling to an audience8 ,when an author1 believing that the end of his play should be tragic1 so plans his work that until the last act or even the middle of that act1 a tragic ending is the logical conclusion1 and then because he is told or believes that an audience will quit the theatre much more contented if the ending be happy1 he forces a pleasant ending on his play1 he is untrue to himself1 dishonest with his art1 and truckles to his public4 ,a very large part of ,american audiences and many producers believe that any play is only mere entertainment and consequently may and should be so manipulated as to please the public even in its most unthinking mood4 ,no man who does that is a dramatist4 ,he is merely a hack playwright1 bribed by the hope of immediate gain into slavish obedience to the most unthinking part of the public4 ,on the other hand1 an author is very foolish if he does not remember certain fundamental principles about audiences in a theatre4 ,first1 no matter what in his material attracts him1 people rather than ideas arouse the interest of the general public4 ,secondly1 even yet action far more than characterization wins and holds the attention of the great majority4 ,these facts do not mean1 however1 that a dramatist must busy himself only with plays of action or characterization1 foregoing all problems or thesis material4 ,they do mean that if he is to write a play of ideas he must recognize that his task is the more difficult because of his public and that he must so handle it through the characterization and the action as to make his ideas widely interesting4 ,in brief1 insisting on saying what he wishes to say1 he must learn to speak in terms his audience will readily understand4 ,more than once a play good in itself has gone astray because written too much unto the author's self1 in the sense that certain figures have interested him more than others and he has forgotten that they are not likely to be interesting to the public at large and must be made so4 ,for instance1 a would-be adapter believed that the hero of the tale he was dramatizing would remain on the stage the hero still1 but in action another character1 with his songs and rough humor1 and his constant action1 in sharp contrast with the quiet speech and restrained movement of the central figure of the story1 ran off with the interest4 ,consequently this adaptation1 though unusually well done in all other respects1 went awry4 ,another aspect of the same difficulty is that an author forgets to consider carefully whether something he finds comic or tragic will naturally be the same for his audiences4 ,in a prize play produced some years ago in ,germany1 ,belinda1 the author found much comedy in the following situation4 ,a rather addle-pated man has for some years been paying large sums to a correspondent1 a woman as he believes1 who has been painting his portrait again and again from photographs he has sent her4 ,little by little he has fallen in love with this correspondent4 ,the day comes when he is awaiting a visit from her with the utmost delight4 ,a servant1 who knows that the woman is expected1 enters looking utterly bewildered1 and announces her arrival4 ,there walks into the room a wizened ,jewish picture dealer1 who has all these years been playing on the vanity of the younger man for his own gain4 ,unfortunately the author forgot that an off-stage figure must be made very attractive if sympathy is to go with it rather than with a figure seen and known1 or that the on-stage figure must be very unattractive if sympathy is not to go with it in contrast to a figure unseen4 ,consequently1 when the ,jew walked on he was greeted1 not as the author expected with shouts of laughter1 but with an aghast silence and obvious sympathy for the deceived man4 ,just at that point the play began to go to pieces because the author had misjudged1 or not at all considered1 the relation of the public to his material4 ,where1 perhaps1 authors fail with their public more than anywhere else is in motivation of the conduct of their characters4#c ,too frequently a play slips because conduct as explained in it1 though wholly convincing to the dramatist1 does not similarly affect his public4 ,it is useless for him to say stoutly that he knows the incident happened just in this way1 or that the audience ought to know better than to think it could happen differently4 ,as it is hopeless in life merely to protest that you are telling the truth when everybody is convinced that you are lying1 it is wasted time for a dramatist to stand his ground in a matter of motivation if he has not succeeded in making that motivation convincing4 ,for instance1 there suddenly appears in the office of the hero of a play a former acquaintance of his1 an actress4 ,she has come to see him1 if you please1 even as her act in the theatre is playing4 ,that is1 simply because she so wished she has left the theatre during the performance4 ,now the dramatist may have known of such a case and people unacquainted with life behind the curtain may accept the situation1 but people of the slightest experience in the theatre will know that no actor or actress playing an important role is allowed to leave during the performance4 ,instantly the scene becomes improbable for those people--and they are many4 ,it must be so motivated as to be a probable exception in conduct1 or the whole situation must be changed4 ,if it be clear that1 though a dramatist should never truckle to his audience1 he cannot hope to write successfully unless at some time in his composition he revises his material with a view to the general intelligence1 natural interests1 and prejudices of his audience so far as his special subject is concerned1 it is equally true that publics change greatly in their tastes4 ,a young dramatist may learn much as to such shiftings in public taste by watching the revivals of plays once very successful4 ,in ,shakespeare's day1 for instance1 the public would accept a mingling of the real and unreal with equanimity4 ,today it takes all the genius of ,shakespeare to make the scenes of the ghost of ,hamlet's father convincing4 ,in reading ,chapman's ,bussy d',ambois1 with its strange commingling of real figures and ghosts1 we today draw back disappointed because we feel that what has seemed real becomes with the entrance of the ghost only melodrama sublimated by some excellent characterization and fine poetry4 ,as has already been pointed out1 in ,elizabethan days the public found cause for mirth in much which today is painful4 ,watch in performance the scene of ,twelfth ,night in which ,toby1 the ,fool1 and ,maria deride ,malvolio until they almost make him believe himself mad1 and you have an admirable instance of changed taste4 ,when first produced1 it probably went with shouts of laughter4 ,because of sympathy for ,malvolio it never goes well today4 ,the public no longer finds madness unquestionably comic2 it has its hesitations on practical jokes2 it has lost a very little its sure enjoyment of drunkenness1 especially in women4 ,the day may conceivably come of which no one could say1 as of the stage of our time3 ,the single expletive ',damn' has saved many a would-be comic situation4 ,the attitude of a playwright should not be1 ,if my public ordinarily does not feel about this as ,i do1 ,i will cut it out or make it conform to their usual tastes1 but ,knowing perfectly what the attitude of the public is toward my material1 ,i will not cut it out until ,i have proved that it is not in my power to make the audience feel it as ,i do4 ,just here lies the worst temptation of the playwright4 ,he who keeps his eye more on the money box than artistic self-respect will little by little limit his choice of subjects and conventionalize his treatment of them because he is told or believes that the public will not stand for this or that4 ,is it not1 however1 a little strange that almost everything which leading play-placers1 managers1 and actors have in the past twenty-five years declared the public would unwillingly accept or would not accept at all has since become not only acceptable but often popular4 ,some years ago it was a truism among readers of manuscript plays that college life was too limited in interest to appeal to the general theatre public4 ,then ,mr4 ,ade's ,the ,college ,widow proved these prophets wrong4 ,after this play trailed ,brown of ,harvard and a half-dozen other college plays which1 whether good1 bad1 or indifferent artistically1 were all warmly received by the public4 ,another statement once accepted in the theatrical world of ,new ,york was that ,american audiences no longer cared for farce1 but ,seven ,days1 followed by a crowding group of successes1 changed all that4 ,all this was not the result of any sudden revulsion on the part of the public1 but came because some intelligent and clever workman1 determining to make his interests and his sense of values the public's1 labored until he accomplished the task4 ,forthwith a delighted public begged for more and what was declared impossible became the vogue4 ,just at present there is a troublesome convention that the ,american public will not accept anything but farce or comedy4 ,this means only that at the moment our writers of serious plays are not adept enough to win away large audiences from farce and comedy or to build up special audiences for their plays4 ,nevertheless1 sooner or later1 they or their successors will conquer such a public4 ,in curious contradiction to the existing attitude that audiences will like only what they at present like1 much advice is given as to novelty4 ,find something new in substance or form and your fortune is made is the implication4 ,wherein lies novelty of plot has already been explained4#d ,certainly the large amount of experimentation which has been going on in recent years in one-act plays1 two-act plays1 or groups of one-act pieces bound together by a prologue and an epilogue1 has all been well worth while1 making as it does for greater flexibility of dramatic form4 ,yet it is unfortunately true at the present moment that most audiences prefer a three-or four-act play to something in two acts because the uninterrupted attention demanded by the last form asks too much from them4 ,they prefer the three-act or four-act division to a group of one-act plays tied together by a prologue and an epilogue1 because mere difference of form has no particular attraction for them and they do not willingly shift their interest as frequently as a group of one-act plays requires4 ,nevertheless there is nothing completely deterrent for a dramatist in any of these circumstances2 merely cause why1 in every case1 after thinking of the subject in relation to himself1 he should ultimately consider it with equal care in relation to the audience for which he intends it4 ,when1 too1 he is selecting his form he should observe whether though attractive to him1 it may not be so difficult or repellent for the general public that another more conventional form is desirable4 ,if he becomes sure that he cannot get his desired effects except in the form first chosen he must work until he makes it acceptable to the public or put aside his subject4 ,the final test is not3 ,what ordinarily do the public like in a subject like mine and in what form are they accustomed to see my subject treated1 but3 ,can ,i so present the form ,i prefer as to make the public like equally with me what ,i find interesting in my subject8 ,that is1 though presentation of a chosen subject should be flexible1 the central purposes1 human and artistic1 of the play1 should be maintained inflexibly4 ,bearing the audience in mind as one writes may affect the whole play1 but more often it affects details--particularly order4 ,the scenario of ,kismet#e has been printed in full chiefly that the many changes it underwent in shaping it for final presentation might be clear4 ,among the many instances note1 in ,act ,,ii1 that in the original form the love passage of ,hajji followed plotting for the murder4 ,when the play was in rehearsal1 both actor and author felt at once that the sympathy it was necessary to maintain in the audience for ,hajji would be lost if he turned immediately from such bloody plotting to the love scene4 ,for this reason the order was changed4 ,surely there is no harm in such a shifting1 for the story develops just as well and the characterization is as humanly true4 ,this is a perfect illustration of persuasive arrangement4 ,take now the case of the torturing of ,hajji1 of which much was made in the original scenario4 ,it is changed to the blow with the key because the horror of the scene when acted was too great and everything necessary is accomplished with the key4 ,here is a change made not to please the author but to make the material as treated produce in the audience the desired results1 yet the change in no way interferes with any of the purposes of the dramatist4 ,an illustration of the way in which a dramatist standing his ground because he is sure of the rightness of his psychology may win over his public is found in ,la ,princesse ,georges of ,dumas fils4 ,so great was the sympathy of the audience with ,severine in her mortified wifehood that at the original performance1 when she forgave her husband at the end1 there were many dissenting cries4 ,dumas fils had foreseen this1 but believing the ending truer to life than any other could be1 he insisted on it4 ,ultimately the ending was accepted by the public as made necessary by the rest of the play4 ,in all this discussion of the difference between truckling to an audience and necessary regard for its interests and prejudices1 of changing public taste1 the important point is that until a dramatist has considered his material in relation to the public1 his play is by no means ready for production4 ,just because the persuasive side of dramatic art is so often neglected1 play after play goes on the boards in such condition that it must be greatly changed before it can succeed4 ,often before these ample changes can be made1 the public has lost interest in the piece4 ,if a general principle might be laid down here it would be something like this4 ,if you wish1 first write your play so that to you it is something clear and convincing as well as something that moves to laughter or to tears4 ,before1 however1 it is tried on the stage1 make sure that you have considered it in all details in so detached a way that you have a right to believe that1 as a result of your careful revising1 it will produce with the public the same interest1 and the same emotions to the same degree as the original version did with you4 ,just here arises the ever present query1 ,why struggle to write what the public does not readily and quickly accept8 ,why not study their unthinking likes and dislikes and give them what they want8 ,certainly write in that way if it brings contentment1 as it surely will bring monetary success if the play thus written really hits popular approval4 ,however1 aiming to hit popular taste is like shooting at a shifting target and a play so made may be staged just as the public makes one of its swift changes in theatrical mood4 ,of course1 too1 he who writes in this way is in no sense a leader but merely the slave of his public4 ,in any case1 his play is but an imitation1 not an expression of the author's individuality4 ,even would-be dramatists who do not hold the opportunist ideas just considered may draw back after reading what has been stated in this book1 saying3 ,how difficult and painstaking is this art of the drama which ,i have thought so fascinating and spontaneous4 ,of course1 it is a difficult art4 ,a good many years ago ,sir ,arthur ,pinero said of it3 ,when you sit in your stall at the theatre and see a play moving across the stage1 it all seems so easy and so natural1 you feel as though the author had improvised it4 ,the characters1 being1 let us hope1 ordinary human beings1 say nothing very remarkable1 nothing1 you think 7thereby paying the author the highest possible compliment7 that might not quite well have occurred to you4 ,when you take up a play-book 7if you ever do take one up7 it strikes you as being a very trifling thing--a mere insubstantial pamphlet beside the imposing bulk of the latest six-shilling novel4 ,little do you guess that every page of the play has cost more care1 severer mental tension1 if not more actual manual labor1 than any chapter of a novel1 though it be fifty pages long4 ,it is the height of the author's art1 according to the old maxim1 that the ordinary spectator should never be clearly conscious of the skill and travail that have gone to the making of the finished product4 ,but the artist who would achieve a like feat must realize that no ingots are to be got out of this mine1 save after sleepless nights1 days of gloom and discouragement1 and other days1 again1 of feverish toil the result of which proves in the end to be misapplied and has to be thrown to the winds4 ,nevertheless1 this difficult art remains fascinating2 and in practice1 if rightly understood1 it rapidly grows easier4 ,in the understanding of any art there must be two stages4 ,first comes the spontaneous doing of work very encouraging to the author and sufficiently good to warrant a person more experienced in encouraging him to proceed4 ,then begins the second stage1 when he learns what can be taught him of technique in his chosen field4 ,it is bound to be a time when consciousness of rules first learned and limitations first perceived make writing far less attractive and often so irksome that the worker is tempted to throw his task aside for good4 ,he who does not really love his art will cast away his work4 ,he who really cares cannot do this4 ,he may from the hampering of these newly recognized rules become irritable1 have his moments of self-doubt and despair1 but he cannot stop practicing his art4 ,with each new effort1 the rules which have been so troublesome will become more and more a matter of habit4 ,little by little the writer will gain a curious subconscious power of using almost unthinkingly the principles he needs1 giving no thought to those not needed4 ,then1 and then only1 will he write with the art that conceals art2 and it is only when he has attained to delight in the difficulties of the art he practices that he is in any true sense an artist4 ,what ultimately happens is probably this4 ,the critical attitude is strong in the scenario period1 perhaps predominant as the dramatist works out construction1 emphasis1 proportion1 etc41 but when1 with the scenario before him1 he takes his pen in hand1 he lets the creative impulse swamp completely the critical sense and loses himself in his task4 ,or he reverses the process4 ,he writes in pure creative abandon1 until at least an act of a play lies completed before him4 ,then1 with his critical training brought to the front1 he goes over and over the manuscript until what was a pure creative effort has been chastened and sublimated by his trained critical sense4 ,the main point is3 ,don't stultify your creative instincts by trying to use critical training at the same time4 ,as far as possible1 let one precede the other4 ,write creatively4 ,then correct4 ,or write with the critical instinct strongly to the front until all plans are made4 ,then forget everything except the spirit of creation4 ,where dramatists in training waste their nervous energy and often stultify their best desires is in keeping critical tab upon themselves as they create4 ,writing something with pure delight1 they are suddenly blocked by the critical spirit saying3 ,this or that is bad4 ,you cannot keep this or that as you have written it1 and presto6 no more creative work that day4 ,unless the critical and creative faculties interwork sympathetically and cooperatively1 keep them separate4 ,whoever aims to write plays chiefly or wholly because he would like fame or money or because he wishes to show that he is as strong in one fictional art as another1--the story1 the essay1 the poem1 whatever it may be1--in fact he who writes plays for any other reason than that he cannot be happy except in writing plays1 better give over such writing4 ,play-making is an exceedingly difficult art1 and in so far as it is in any sense a transcript from life or a beautified presentation of life past1 present1 or imagined1 it grows more difficult as the years pass because of the accumulating mass of dramatic masterpieces4 ,yet for him who cares for dramatic writing more than any form of self-expression1 no time has been more promising than the present4 ,there has been more good drama in the past twenty-five years the world over than at any time in the history of the stage4 ,it has been more varied in subject and form1 more individual in treatment4 ,the drama is today more flexible1 more daring and experimental1 than ever before4 ,it is in closer relation to all the subtlest and most advanced of man's thinking4 ,it has been breaking new ways for itself1 and it has new ways yet to break4 ,all that has been said in this book concerns merely the historic foundations of this very great art4 ,accept these principles as stated or quarrel with most of them2 but realize that any principles1 whether accepted from others or self-taught1 should be but the beginning of a life-long training by which the individual will pass from what he shares of general dramatic experience to what is peculiarly his own expression4 ,,footnotes3 #a ,l',annee ,psychologique1 #ahid4 #b ,play-,making1 p4 #ad4 ,william ,archer4 ,small1 ,maynard ,co4 #c ,see pp4 #bdh-bgf4 #d ,see pp4 #fb-fg4 #e ,see pp4 #dgd-ejg4 ,,index ,,of ,,authors ,aeschylus1 #aee4 ,andreiev1 ,leonid1 #cbh4 ,archer1 ,william1 #de1 #ej1 #ee1 #fa1 #gh1 #aea1 #bad1 #bcg1 #bfj1 #eaj4 ,augier1 ,emile1 #bba4 ,baker1 ,elizabeth1 #bbc4 ,barker1 ,granville1 #bgh4 ,beach1 ,lewis1 #bai4 ,beaumont and ,fletcher1 #bha4 ,binet and ,passy1 #dg1 #di1 #gf1 #gh1 #cci4 ,brieux1 ,eugene1 #cja4 ,browning1 ,robert1 #cjf1 #cia1 #cii4 ,brunetiere1 ,ferdinand1 #dd4 ,buckingham1 ,george ,villiers1 ,duke of1 #agj1 #djh4 ,bulwer-,lytton1 ,edward ,robert1 #gg1 #ij1 #ib1 #abe1 #acf1 #baa1 #bbg1 #cci1 #cdd4 ,child1 ,c4,g4 7,editor71 #af1 #ai4 ,congreve1 ,william1 #cif1 #dac4 ,corson1 ,hiram1 #cij4 ,davis1 ,richard ,harding1 #afd4 ,diderot1 ,denis1 #gb1 #gd1 #bei4 ,dryden1 ,john1 #abc1 #bfa1 #ccf4 ,dumas fils1 #cd1 #di1 #gd1 #id1 #ajj1 #bei4 ,dunsany1 ,lord1 #di4 ,eaton1 ,w4,p41 #bdi4 ,echegaray1 ,miguel1 #che4 ,euripides1 #bhb4 ,fitch1 ,clyde1 #fa1 #aih1 #bhc4 ,flickinger1 ,roy ,c41 #abe1 #ada4 ,galsworthy1 ,john1 #ff1 #ahc1 #aia1 #bdd1 #cge4 ,gildon1 ,charles1 #bdi4 ,goldsmith1 ,oliver1 #cbc4 ,gregory1 ,lady1 #afb4 ,hapgood1 ,norman1 #eh1 #bdc4 ,haraucourt1 ,edmond1 #hc4 ,hart1 ,j4,a41 #dh1 #ga4 ,hauptmann1 ,gerhart1 #afd1 #aic4 ,hazlitt1 ,william1 #bdc4 ,heijermans1 ,herman1 #bah4 ,henderson1 ,a41 #dfb4 ,henley1 ,w4,e41 #bg4 ,hervieu1 ,paul1 #aib4 ,heywood1 ,thomas1 #cde4 ,hobbes1 ,john ,oliver1 #cej4 ,hofmannsthal1 ,hugo von1 #cgg1 #chj4 ,houghton1 ,stanley1 #cbd4 ,ibsen1 ,henrik1 #ea1 #aea1 #agi1 #aha1 #ahc1 #bcc1 #bei1 #cdh1 #cdi1 #dai1 #dba1 #dgj4 ,irving1 ,sir ,henry1 #be1 #aig1 #bij1 #cfb4 ,jones1 ,henry ,arthur1 #bfe1 #bgi1 #cea1 #cie4 ,jonson1 ,ben1 #bce1 #bhi4 ,kennedy1 ,rann1 #abb4 ,knobloch1 ,edward1 #dgd4 ,kyd1 ,thomas1 #cgj4 ,labiche1 ,eugene1 #aca1 #agc4 ,le ,clerc1 ,m4,e41 #ceb4 ,lessing1 ,gotthold ,ephraim1 #i1 #fh1 #aad1 #aba1 #bab1 #bdg1 #bee1 #bia4 ,lillo1 ,george1 #aca1 #cce1 #ccg4 ,macleod1 ,fiona1 #fe4 ,maeterlinck1 ,maurice1 #ch4 ,marlowe1 ,christopher1 #ce1 #abh4 ,matthews1 ,brander1 #ai4 ,meredith1 ,george1 #aag4 ,middleton1 ,thomas1 #he1 #bhd4 ,moody1 ,w4,v41 #cgi4 ,moreau1 ,adrien1 #afc4 ,moulton1 ,r4,g41 #ah1 #aed4 ,mushakoji1 ,j41 #caf4 ,ostrovsky1 ,aleksander ,nikolaevich1 #hf4 ,phillips1 ,stephen1 #bbb4 ,pinero1 ,sir ,arthur1 #f1 #ae1 #ajf1 #ajg1 #bbb1 #bee1 #beh1 #bia1 #bib1 #cgh1 #chb1 #chc4 ,pinski1 ,david1 #ccj4 ,polti1 ,georges1 #fc4 ,racine1 ,jean1 #afh4 ,reade1 ,charles1 #cic4 ,riddle1 ,george1 #cfh4 ,robertson1 ,thomas ,william1 #bi4 ,rostand1 ,edmond1 #cf1 #bbe4 ,rowley1 ,william1 #cde4 ,sardou1 ,victorien1 #afc4 ,savage1 ,henry1 iii1 #fi4 ,selwyn1 ,edgar1 #ha4 ,shakespeare1 ,william1 #bc1 #ca1 #ig1 #aja1 #aci1 #adb1 #aff1 #ahe1 #bae1 #bfh1 #ccb1 #ceh1 #cfi1 #che1 #djf1 #dji4 ,shaw1 ,george ,bernard1 #bii4 ,sheldon1 ,edward1 #cda4 ,steele1 ,richard1 #acd4 ,stevenson1 ,robert ,louis1 #bg4 ,sudermann1 ,hermann1 #bbf1 #bbi4 ,synge1 ,john ,millington1 #dag4 ,taylor1 ,tom1 #bbj1 #cic4 ,tennyson1 ,alfred1 ,lord1 #aie1 #bij1 #cfb4 ,terence1 #agj1 #aga4 ,thomas1 ,augustus1 #ahi4 ,vanbrugh1 ,sir ,john1 #big1 #cie4 ,voltaire1 ,francois ,marie ,arouet de1 #aac4 ,webster1 ,john1 #bfg1 #bhe1 #cjc1 #chd4 ,wilde1 ,oscar1 #ahg1 #bcj1 #bca1 #chh1 #chi1 #djb1 #djc1 #djd1 #daj4 ,young1 ,charles1 #cgd4 ,,index ,,of ,,quotations ,amazons1 ,the1 ,act ,,iii1 #bbb4 ,ambassador1 ,the1 #cej4 ,ancient ,classical ,drama1 ,the1 #ah1 #aed4 ,anne1 #aei4 ,as a ,man ,thinks1 ,act ,,ii1 #ahi4 ,at the ,new ,theatre1 #bdi4 ,at the ,top of the ,tenement1 #dbd4 ,auteurs ,dramatiques1 see ,l',annee ,psychologique4 ,barbara 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