Dramatic Technique Part 61

Bill drags himself to right of door watching, and says after a minute._) She's up!

_Patty._ (_Rus.h.i.+ng in as there is the sound of swift hoof beats._) She's gone! (_She falls sobbing hysterically by the left side of door._)

_Bill._ (_As he holds himself up at right_.) The d.a.m.ned brave lady!

_Curtain._

First of all, the novelist permits himself an amount of detail which the dramatist must forego because of his more limited s.p.a.ce. 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_ (p. 350) the cutting, between the first and final versions, of what concerns Dr. Rank. It was in part unnecessary detail which made the dialogue of the play on John Brown (pp. 309-313) so ineffective. In what follows immediately, a skilful hand seems in column one to have cut details of column two which, though interesting in themselves, delay the essential movement of the scene and help to swell the whole play to undue proportions.

_Horatio._ Mary that can I, at _Horatio._ That can I.

least the whisper goes so, At least the whisper goes so; Our late King, who as you know our last King.

was by Forten- Who[se image even but now Bra.s.se of Norway. appeared to us,]

Was as you knowe by Fortin- Bra.s.se of Norway, Thereto p.r.i.c.kt on by a most Thereto p.r.i.c.kt on by a most emulous cause, dared to emulate pride The combate, in which our Dar'd to the combat; in which valiant Hamlet, our valient Hamlet, For so this side of our knowne (For so this side of our knowne world esteemed him, world esteemd him) Did slay this Fortenbra.s.se, Did slay this Fortinbra.s.se, who Who by a scale compact well by a seald compact ratified, by law Well ratified by lawe and heraldy And heraldrie, did forfeit with Did forfeit (with his life) all his life all those these his lands His lands which he stoode Which he stood seaz'd of, to seazed of by the conqueror, the conquerour.

Against the which a moity Against the which a moitie competent, competent, Was gaged by our King: Was gaged by our King, [which had returne To the inheritance of Fortinbra.s.se, Had he bin vanquisher; as by the same comart, And carriage of the article desseigne, His fell to Hamlet;] now Sir Now sir, young Fortenbra.s.se, young Fortinbra.s.se Of unimprooved mettle, hot and Of unimprooved mettle, hot and full, full, 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 enterprise, enterprise, That hath a stomacke in't: and That hath a stomacke in't this (I take it) is the [which is no other Chief head and ground of our As it doth well appeare unto watch. our state But to recover of us by strong hand And tearmes compulsatory, those foresaid lands So by his father lost;] and this I take it Is [the maine motive of our preparations The source of this our watch, and] the chiefe head Of this post hast and Romadge in the land.

[_Bar._ I thinke it be no other, but enso; 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 warres.

_Hora._ A moth it is to trouble the mindes eye: In the most high and palmy state of Rome, A little ere the mightiest Julius fell The graves stood tenantlesse, and the sheeted dead Did squeake and gibber in the Roman streets As starres, with traines of fier, and dewes of blood Disasters in the sunne; and the moist starre, Upon whose influence Neptunes Empier stands, Was sicke almost to doomesday with eclipse.

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 countrymen.]

_Enter the Ghost_. _Enter Ghost_.

But loe, bemold, see where it But softe, behold, loe where it comes againe. comes againe Ile crosse it, though it blast Ile crosse it though it blast me: stay illusion, mee: stay illusion, If there be any good thing to (_It spreads his arms_) be done, [If thou hast any sound or use That may doe ease to thee, and of voyce grace to mee, Speake to me,] if there be any Speake to mee. good thing to be done That may to thee doe ease, and grace to mee, Speake to me.[27]

Unnecessary detail should, then, be cut from dialogue both because it is usually the chief offender in making the play unduly long, and because it weakens the dialogue of which it is a part. 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 point, but by selecting your best argument, or two or three of the better type, to strike hard with the selected material. The same principle underlies writing good dramatic dialogue.

Say what you have to say as well as you can, and except for emphasis or when repet.i.tion produces some desired effect, don't repeat. 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 servant, Alec.

However characterizing or amusing the remainder might be, it clogged the movement of the scene. Consequently it went out.

_d.i.c.k._ h.e.l.lo--what's this Alec?

_Alec._ A grand pianner, sir.

_d.i.c.k._ Of course, but where did it come from?

_Alec._ Miss Helen, she gave it to 'em at Christmas.

_d.i.c.k._ She--gave it to--them--?

_Alec._ Yes.

_d.i.c.k. (Laughing_.) But they don't play it, do they?

_Alec._ No, she plays it--. An' you oughter hear her play, sir. At evenin's after supper when the wind'd howl around the house she'd make it sound like Heaven in here. If I ever get up there I don't want white angels and gold harps in mine,--I jes' want Miss Helen an' a grand pianner. (_d.i.c.k is very sober. [He doesn't speak_.) An'

she can sing, too. You oughter hear her,--little soft things,--none o' this screechy stuff. 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 like, an' listen like a old lady myself--with my Adam's apple getting tight every once in a while thinkin' o' things. I tell you she's--she's a regular--humdinger.]

_d.i.c.k._ (_Quietly._) What time do you expect her back?

Time forbids any form of fiction to be encyclopaedic. The drama is, as we have seen, the most selective of the forms of fiction. Failure to remember this has hurt the chances of many a promising dramatist. 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 production. How much of the following scene in the original do we think at first sight we can spare? Much which Sir Henry removed we should like to keep, but time-limits forbade and he cut with exceeding skill to the best dramatic phrasing offered of the essentials of the scene.

ACT I. SCENE 1. _Becket's House in London. Chamber barely furnished.

Becket unrobing. Herbert of Bosham and Servant_.

ORIGINAL REVSION

_Servant._ Shall I not help _Servant._ Shall I not help your lords.h.i.+p to your rest? your lords.h.i.+p to your rest?

_Becket._ Friend, am I so _Becket._ Friend, am I so much better than thyself much better than thyself That thou shouldst help me? That thou shouldst help me?

Thou art wearied out Thou art wearied out With this day's work, get thee With this day's work, get thee to thine own bed. to thine own bed.

Leave me with Herbert, friend. Leave me with Herbert, friend.

(_Exit Servant.) (Exit Servant_.) Help me off, Herbert, with Help me off, Herbert, with this--and this. this--and this.

_Herbert._ Was not the people's _Herbert._ 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 blood? thy blood?

_Becket._ The people know _Becket._ The people know their Church a tower of their Church a tower of strength, strength, A bulwark against Throne and A bulwark against Throne and Baronage. Baronage.

Too heavy for me, this; off Too heavy for me, this; off with it, Herbert! with it, Herbert!

_Herbert._ Is it so much heavier _Herbert._ Is it so much heavier than thy Chancellor's robe? than thy Chancellor's robe?

_Becket._ No; but the Chancellor's _Becket._ No; but the Archbishop's and the Archbishop's Chancellor's and the

Together more than mortal man Together more than mortal man can bear. can bear.

_Herbert._ Not heavier than _Herbert._ Not heavier than thine armour at Thoulouse? thine armour at Thoulouse?

_Becket._ O Herbert, Herbert, in my chancellors.h.i.+p I more than once have gone against the Church.

_Herbert._ To please the King?

_Becket._ Ay, and the King of kings, Or justice; for it seem'd to me but just The Church should pay her scutage like the lords.

But hast thou heard this cry of _Becket._ 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 Primate, your Primate, For Henry could not work a For Henry could not work a miracle-- miracle-- Make an Archbishop of a soldier? Make an Archbishop of a soldier?

_Herbert._ Ay, _Herbert._ Ay, For Gilbert Foliot held himself For Gilbert Foliot held himself the man. the man.

_Becket._ Am I the man? My mother, ere she bore me, Dream'd that twelve stars fell glittering out of heaven Into her bosom.

_Herbert._ Ay, the fire, the light, The spirit of the twelve Apostles enter'd Into thy making.

_Becket._ And when I was a child, The Virgin, in a vision of my sleep, Gave me the golden keys of Paradise. Dream, Or prophecy, that?

_Herbert._ Well, dream and prophecy both.

_Becket._ And when I was of Theobald's household, once-- The good old man would sometimes have his jest-- He took his mitre off, and set it on me, And said, "My young Archbishop-- thou wouldst make A stately Archbishop!" Jest or prophecy there?

_Herbert._ Both, Thomas, both.

_Becket._ Am I the man? That _Becket._ Am I the man? That rang rang Within my head last night, and Within my head last night, and when I slept when I slept Methought I stood in Canterbury Methought I stood in Canterbury Minster, Minster, And spake to the Lord G.o.d, and And spake to the Lord G.o.d and said, "O Lord, said, I have been a lover of wines and delicate meats, And secular splendours, and a favourer Of players, and a courtier, and a feeder Of dogs and hawks, and apes, and lions, and lynxes.

Am _I_ the man?" And the Lord answer'd me, "Thou art the man, and all the more the man."

And then I asked again, "O Lord my G.o.d Henry the King hath been my "Henry the King hath been friend, my brother my friend, my brother And mine uplifter in this And mine uplifter in this world, world, and chosen me and chosen me For this thy great For this thy great archbishop.r.i.c.k, believing archbishop.r.i.c.k, believing That I should go against the That I should go against the Church with him, Church with him, And I shall go against him with And I shall go against him with the Church, the Church.