a comedy in one act by Italo Svevo
Translated from the Italian © by Leticia Austria
[If you missed Part One, you can read it here.]
CAST OF CHARACTERS:
PENINI
ELENA, his wife
ADOLFO
ROSA, a servant
SCENE FOUR
PENINI, re-entering, and ROSA
ROSA (Startled at his re-entrance.) Signore!
PENINI Hush, you fool! (Places a coin in her hand.) I want to play a little joke on my wife. She is expecting someone, is she not?
ROSA Yes—Signor Adolfo.
PENINI Has she instructed you to bring him in here?
ROSA Yes, signore.
PENINI I shall hide in this closet. (The doorbell sounds.) If the joke backfires, I'll escape out the window. Should that be the case, do not look for me; and, upon my return, if I say nothing of it to my wife, neither must you say anything. Understood? (Gives her another coin.) Go and let him in. (Another ring.)
ROSA (Staring at the coins.) Oh, thank you!
(PENINI goes into the closet; the bell rings a third time.)
PENINI (Looking out from the closet, he sees ROSA gazing in awe at the money.) Imbecile! Don't you hear the bell? (ROSA hurries out.)
SCENE FIVE
ELENA, then ADOLFO and ROSA
ELENA Rosa! Rosa! (Looks out the window, then with a sigh of relief she takes the lamp from the window and places it on the table; looks at herself in the mirror; she has changed her clothes. As soon as ROSA enters, she shouts at her before greeting ADOLFO.) Didn't you hear the bell? (To ADOLFO.) I thought she had opened the door after the first ring. I do apologize.
ADOLFO It is I who must apologize, for being a trifle too impatient. (ROSA exits. He takes ELENA's hand and bends to kiss it, but she draws it away.) I only wanted to look at it. You might have let me; for it is in itself a lesson that might complete my artistic education.
ELENA Thank you, but I was rather afraid of spoiling your taste.
ADOLFO (Laughing.) Oh, to be sure; we realists much prefer the gaunt, wasted hands of half-starved women! (ELENA indicates a chair. They sit.)
ELENA You cannot know what pleasure your coming has given me; I am quite alone this evening. Only tell me, what is it brings you here at this hour?
ADOLFO (Surprised.) I was passing and saw the lamp (meaningfully) at the window, so I stopped. And, from what you've told me, it was fortunate that I did.
ELENA Fortunate indeed!
ADOLFO (After a brief pause.) Here we are again, making conversation in that bland tone of voice which is so very out of tune in a duet played in private quarters.
ELENA Duet?
ADOLFO Allow me to explain. Do you know why there is such a thing as etiquette? It serves only when three people are in company together. For, you see, words that are more frank and sincere never offend the person to whom they are directed. It is the third person, the envious one, who is offended. But there is no third person here.
ELENA (Laughing.) You may be right, but I am afraid you are forgetting the significance which is usually implied in a duet.
ADOLFO Come, signora, do not banish me from a domain that I have conquered only after so much difficulty. I thought to have acquired a kind of intimacy with you, and therefore the word "duet" seemed appropriate.
ELENA Really, you are so clever, at times it clouds your perception. You come into this house, apologizing for ringing the bell; you praise my hands, and claim not to know that I put the lamp in the window as a signal to you. I am simply following your lead.
ADOLFO Thank you for the lesson. (Takes her hand and kisses it repeatedly.)
ELENA That is quite enough of that! (Brief pause.) I am going away next week.
ADOLFO Not for long, I hope?
ELENA Forever.
ADOLFO Surely you are joking.
ELENA I would not make light of such a serious matter. My husband is settling in Venice and I must go with him.
ADOLFO But—this is disastrous for me!
ELENA Truly?
ADOLFO Can you doubt it? (Again kisses her hand, which she gently withdraws.) A great disaster! Cannot I follow you?
ELENA We decided we may speak frankly. It is perhaps fortunate that I am leaving.
ADOLFO (Laughing and attempting to draw her to him.) But why? Oh, do say I may follow you, I beseech you!
ELENA (Pulling away.) Pray do not touch me. You think I confess to going away because of a mild flirtation. Come, you quite mistake me! You have said we should speak frankly; I am doing so now. You are a young man, younger than I, and I know what you are thinking when you are near me; but believe me, my own thoughts are of a more sober nature. Being young, you have not felt one moment of anxiety, of the insecurity that makes one say to oneself: I am of no use to myself or to anyone else. Perhaps you would not understand, then, what I am feeling.
ADOLFO Tell me! I will surely understand.
ELENA You should already have done so! What purpose do I serve in this life? To whom am I important? When I was young, I thought my life would be altogether different. I envisioned myself as active, having some goal, or helping someone else to reach their goal. Since then, I have felt that the dream of being indispensable was but a foolish, youthful fantasy. But I never believed to be as I am now, of no use whatever, merely existing from day to day.
ADOLFO (Smiling.) In truth, I cannot bring myself to see you as useless.
ELENA To whom am I useful? To myself? I bore myself! I cannot ever have children. And my husband may as well not exist, as he, too, bore me. (A slight noise is heard from the closet.)
ADOLFO If you need to feel of use to someone, be so to me. Do you not realize that the whole world would desire to take advantage of your beneficence? I have never experienced what you are feeling, but I can imagine the intensity of it; for I have often felt something similar, and still do. I feel the need to be supported, helped—finally, to be loved. I work and think, but have no one with whom to share my work and thoughts. It may be a boyish fancy, but I embark upon my chosen career with the terror of one day failing and becoming ridiculous; and there would be no one to whom I would not be ridiculous—to whom I might still be worthy of esteem.
ELENA Then it is better that I leave, for that person might well have been me.
ADOLFO For that reason, it is better that you leave?
ELENA Yes. (Brief pause.) I know why you come to me; I cannot deceive myself on that score.
ADOLFO (Ardently.) I have never concealed my intentions. I know they are offensive to you, of course. You feel friendship for me, but that is not half what I feel for you.
ELENA Naturally, I do not share your facility with words.
ADOLFO But do you share my feelings? (ELENA casts her eyes downward; he rises and looks to see if the doors are shut, then approaches her and steals his arms about her waist.)
ELENA Adolfo!
ADOLFO Have you read my play?
ELENA Only the first two acts. Let me go, I beg you! (Disengages herself.)
ADOLFO And how do you like it?
ELENA Not at all.
ADOLFO Not at all? Why?
ELENA Judging by the script, one would think the author were mad. How could one think, but that the audience would sit for hours, watching those characters wander about the stage with the sole purpose of saying nonsensical things to each other? (Firmly.) You must alter your style! I am only being honest with you. There is no plot; it is completely pointless. I've no doubt that you shall one day produce something of quality, but this is worthless.
ADOLFO (Forcing a laugh.) Well! Of course, in order to evaluate plays one must be able to understand them.
ELENA (Surprised and offended.) I never shall, I suppose! You know we women are incapable of understanding such things.
ADOLFO (Affecting contrition.) I had no wish to offend you! How is it you have so suddenly altered your opinion, when only yesterday you were so enthusiastic? You said you would not be influenced by the opinion of the Dramatic Society.
ELENA I was not influenced.
ADOLFO You will understand my surprise. Yesterday, I spoke to you for half an hour in order that you might have an idea of my style. It seems to have been a wasted effort.
ELENA (Angering.) Oh, enough! I do not like it, and shall not read the rest of it. You spoke yesterday of truth, of the importance of the setting; but you mentioned nothing of tediousness and indecency.
ADOLFO (Glancing about him.) No need to shout! I heard you. and now I know what is your true opinion. I shall seek to obtain another.
ELENA It may differ from mine; however, I shall declare my low opinion to whomever asks for it.
ADOLFO I was wrong to seek a woman's judgement. The women of today have no soul!
ELENA (Glaring angrily at him, she runs to the closet where PENINI is hiding, utters a cry of surprise at seeing him, composes herself with an effort; she brings out a script.) Here is your script. And now, as it is quite late, I pray you would excuse me.
ADOLFO (Takes the script and stuffs it into his pocket.) Signora.
ELENA Signore. (ADOLFO exits. ELENA opens the closet door.) Whatever are you doing in there?
PENINI I was jealous—as it turns out, with good reason. The two of you seemed very chummy a moment ago.
ELENA I do not deny a thing. You heard, I suppose, what I said about you to him? Well, that is my excuse. Now you may do what you will
PENINI I know very well what to do! First, I shall take you to Venice ... and then ... then ... I shall ask your guidance.
CURTAIN
END PLAY
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