UNIT II
ONE ACT PLAYS
TEXT; PLAYS IN ONE ACT - M. ELIAS(ORIENT BLACK SWAN)
1. Riders to the Sea - J.M. Synge
2. A Marriage Proposal - Anton Chekov
3. Lord Byron's Love Letter - Tennessee Williams
4. Waterloo - Arthur Canon Doyle
Riders to the sea is an amazing play by
John Millington Synge. It is a modern tragedy in one act. The play narrates the
calamities inflicted by the sea on a family that lived in Aran Islands.
The play begins with the conversation
between the two Sisters Cathleen and Nora. Cathleen is a girl about twenty.
They talk about their brother Michael who was drowned in the sea. In order to
hide his death from Maurya their old mother, they kept his clothes in the turf
loft.
The next son Bartley wanted
to go to Connemara. His mother requested him not to go as she had already last
her son in the sea. She said.
" what is the price of a
thousand horses against the son where there
. is one son
only?"
but he didn't give need to his mothers words. He rode on a
red mare to catch the boat waiting near the sea. Maurya uttered some bad words
on his departure.
Cathleen scolded her mother for that.
Then she sent her with the bread to give him a blessing. While their mother
went out, the sisters unwrapped the bundle in the loft. They were very sure
that the clothes belong to Michael.
Meanwhile Maurya returned back home with
a strange story. She saw Bartley in a red mare followed by Michael in a grey
pony. She felt sorry for having lost all her six sons, her husband and her
husband's father in the sea. Suddenly Cathleen and Nora notice a woman entering
their house with a sad face. After her some men brought the dead body of
Bartley. The broken mother sat by the side of his dead son and prayed for his
soul.
Thus the play ends on a tragic note of gentle submission to
the role of fate.
The one act play Marriage proposal
was written by Anton Chekhov. Anton Chekhov was a Russian writer. The play at
first sight appears as nothing more than a farce. It exposes the true nature of
various kinds of people.
Stepan Stepanovich Choobokov was a
land owner. He had a twenty five years old daughters named Natalia Stepanovna.
Ivan Vassileivich Lomov, their neighbour was thirty -five years old. He was a
terribly hypochondriac land owner. One day Lomov dressed himself neatly in
marriage coat and gloves and went to the house of Choobokov. He asked Choobokov
for Natalia's hand in marriage. Choobokov was extremely happy and told that
Natalia was madly in love with him.
Lomov was excited on hearing this. He
waited to see Natalia. Natalia came and greeted him. They started a
conversation.
When Lomov talked he made a mention
of his property. 'The Ox Meadows '. Natalia stopped him and said that they
belong to them. Both had arguments over that. Lomov said that the Ox Meadows
belonged to his ancestors and it was given to Natalia's grandfather's peasants
for 40 years to be used free of charge. The argument became severe and they
started calling each other 'names'.
Choobokov came there. He also joined
in support of Natalia. The quarrel was too intense that Lomov finally walked
out of the house with great insult. After Lomov had gone, Choobokov told
Natalia the reason why Lomov had come to their house and scolded him. On
hearing that Natalia became hysterical and wanted to bring Lomov back to their
house. Choobokov was shocked. But for the sake of his daughter he invited Lomov
again.
Lomov once again came there. Natalia
apologised and admitted that the ox meadows belonged to him. Then they began
their conversation again. They changed their topic to hunting. Lomov had a
hound Guess. He had bought that from Mironov for 125 rubels. Choobokov had a
dog Leap. They bought that for 85 rubles. Natalia said that their dog Leap was
a superior variety. Lomov said that his Guess was superior than the Leap. Again
there was a heated argument. Choobokov intervened to stop but failed.
The argument became strong and
Lomov's heart began to palpitate. His foot paralysed and he fainted on the arm
chair. Natalia thought that he was dead. They gave him water to drink. After
sometime he moved slowly. Atonce Choobokov urged them to marry soon. They
accepted each other and got married.
Thus the play ends happily with the
marriage of Lomov and Natalia inspite of their differences.
Tennessee Williams was an American
poet, play wright and short story writer. The one act play Lord Byron's Love
Letter was set in the Northern part of U.S.A. and abroad used to come to new
Orleans during carnivals like Mardigras.
An old woman and a Spinster, aged 40,
lived in the French quarter of new Orleans. They kept a sign board in front of
their house. They had Lord Byron's love letter with them. They earned their
living by exhibiting the letter to the Tourists. They also used to collect
small donation from them.
A Matron and her husband Mr.Tutwiler
(Winston) came from Milwavkee for Mardigras. On seeing the sign in the door, the
Matron was curious to see Lord Byron's love letter. She entered their house and
asked the letter. The spinster explained her that Lord Byron had written the
letter to her grandmother Irenee Marguerite De Poitevent. When she was sixteen
Byron met her on the steps of the Acropolis in Athens.
Byron went into voluntary exite from
England because of the gossip in the Regents' court. In Greece, he served for
the cause of freedom. Irence met him
there while she had gone to study about the ancient Europe civilization. Byron
met her and conveyed his love. Unfortunately he was killed in a battle. So the
grandmother wanted to spend the rest of his life in complete seclusion.
In the meantime Martons husband came
there in a fully drunken state. He disturbed them. In the end the spinster
showed the love letter of Byron from a distance and asked for some money. At
that time the sound of the parade was heard Tutwiler at once ran towards it.
The Marton also followed him without giving any money.
The play Waterloo revolves round a
retired military hero, Gregory Brewster. He was ninety six years old. He was a
corporal in Royal Scots Guards. He had won a medal for courage in the battle of
Waterloo. He spends the last days of his life remembering his great deeds of
glory.
Norah was the grand niece of Gregory
Brewster. She had come to his house in Woolwich to help him. The corporal used
to sleep till 10 O' clock in the morning. One-day Sergeant Archie McDonald had
come to visit the corporal. As he was asleep he saw the medal as well as a
piece of print hanging by the fire place. The sergeant read all the heroic
deeds of the corporal.
During the battle of Waterloo, the
troops were running short of gun powder. Brewster succeeded in his attempts to
make the cart pass through the flames. So he was awarded a medal by Prince
Regent the first gentle man of England.
Norah offered a cup of tea to the
corporal. The sergeant came again to invite corporal Brewster to visit Scots
Gaurds. In the meantime, the corporal asked Norah to read about the battle of
Armagedan from the Bible. The colonel of the Scot Gaurds, James Midwinter, came
to their house after sometime. He told him that the officers of the Battaleon
wanted to give some present to give him honour. Brewster could not forget how
he fought in the battle. It was fresh in his memory. Talking about that he breached
his last.
The play reflects the mentality of a
true soldier with humour, pathos and spirit of courage.