The Laughing Man by Christian Lanciai

The Laughing Man

A Freak Show

by Christian Lanciai, after Victor Hugo

The characters:

A questionable lady

Her customer

Ursus, market artist and philosopher Homo, his brother the wolf

A lady

A younger lady

A gentleman among the people

Another

A scoundrel

A girl

An old man

On board the Matutina: the captain

The mad or wise man

Leader of the outcasts

Two women

Two sailors

A Genoese

A thief

A smuggler

Gwynplaine Dea

Queen Anne

Josiane, her illegitimate cousin

Barkilphedro, an abominable courtier

Tom-Jim-Jack, titled lord Clancharlie

Phoebe and Venus, Ursus’ ﬁgureheads

The host at the inn, master Nicholas the Wapentake six constables an inquisitor

Hardquanonne

A clerk

Josiane’s chamber maid

The knight of the Black Staff

Lord chancellor

Other peers and lords

And another very mixed audience

The action takes place in England in the reigns of William III and Queen Anne.

Act I scene 1. A weird house in a dark alley.

A masked stranger approaches the door with a burden and knocks on the door. An objectionable lady opens.

The objectionable lady I know what you want. You are expected. The man I can’t stay.

lady Give it me. (The man hands over the burden which is a child.)

A beautful little boy. What do you want to make of him?

man Anything to make him unreconizable.

lady We could make him a dwarf or a freak. What would you prefer?

man Make him as disﬁgured as possible. You have unlimited licence.

Lady The price?

Man You get him for nothing.

Lady Then it’s weird. He isn’t a lord, is he?

man Ask no questions. You know nothing. I have to go. Remember: I have never been here. (vanishes)

lady (lulls the child) You must be someone important, little brat, since you are given away for nothing. You must be the unwanted or unpleasant child of a lord who has fallen out of grace and the king wishes to ruin. That’s common. They try to make unwanted persons vanish, but they never vanish completely. Let’s see what we can do for you, little one. I am afraid nothing can keep you from becoming a monster. (walks inside with the child)

(The scene vanishes, and Ursus rolls in with his green box, a small shed on wheels. He opens the door and his shop.)

Scene 2.

Ursus Welcome, all wicked people in the world! Here is the doctor who knows how to prolong and increase all your illnesses indefinitely by giving you a longer life! And if you don’t want to be cured I can offer you all the quack tricks in the world and conjuring arts such as spiritism, for I have a certificate of magic from Wales! You can trust me implicitly, for such a certificate is reliable in all the world – everyone must trust it blindly, since all contrived lies from all confused universities are legitimate since they are printed! Bring here all your worries and griefs and life’s tragedies, and I will certainly do my best to aggravate them! What’s the matter with you then, old lady?

(People have gathered from all directions.)

Old lady Alas, no matter how I try to warm myself I keep freezing, and my joints are aching and giving me worse pains every day, and my hands and feet are the worst!

Ursus Don’t you drink then?

lady What should I drink?

Ursus Whisky, for example. The Irish one is the best.

Lady But isn’t it poison?

Ursus That’s why it is so good. If it doesn’t make you well it makes you mad, and then you don’t feel how sick you are any more. Next!

Younger lady My husband just keeps beating me.

Ursus Hit him back then.

Lady I dare not.

Ursus Leave him then.

frun I can’t.

Ursus Then you have to blame yourself. Treat him with rat poison if it becomes too bad. Such a lurch will only be grateful the sooner he may die. Next!

A gentleman among the people Ursus is a man of education.

another His cures always work no matter how bizarre his philosophy.

1 Yes, everyone trusts him though he is a bear.

2 Just because he has alienated himself from all humanity he knows how to treat it.

1 Yes, he always has the right recipe.

A rascal Where is your wolf, Ursus?

Ursus He is inside sleeping. Don’t disturb him, for then he could come and eat you up. rascal Is it true that you are sleeping together?

Ursus Boy, men and animals don’t sleep together. Don’t forget that I am Ursus, the bear, but he is Homo, the man and more human than any silly human being. That is why I keep him close to me to enjoy his higher intelligence and sense on a daily basis. Or else I would just be another silly fool like all you poor wicked people and a hopeless case.

A girl I have a lover, but I don’t know if he really loves me.

Ursus Are you rich?

Girl I have a good dowry.

Ursus Then he doesn’t love you.

An old man My son is mad and shut up in a madhouse. Shall I leave him there, or should I take care of him?

Ursus Take care of him, if he doesn’t murder you. Or else you could make him company at the madhouse.

a woman Whatever would we do without the miracle worker Ursus!

Ursus You would all die of boredom, for I am just an entertainer, a clown, a fool, a trickster and deceiver who is only of any value by myself when I am not pestered by stupid clients and patients! That’s all for today! End of the show! Come back with your concerns tomorrow! (shuts the shutter and the shop)

2. He is a divine bloke, that Ursus.

1 At least he is an honest philosopher no matter how much he ﬂaunts his own follies.

2 Folly and wisdom are brothers. Who doesn’t know either is daft.

1 You got that from Ursus.

2 I can’t deny his good inﬂuence. (They leave. The people disperse.)

Scene 3. On board a small ship.

1 woman Could it really be true that we are free?

leader (a dashing man with a bandana over his hair) We have really got away. We have left the country behind which wanted to cut off our ears and put us in jail. Yes, we are free.

2 woman But instead we are abandoned to the sea.

leader The sea is the eternal liberation and the only free country in the world, and it will show us the way to to the Basque country.

Sailor 1 Don’t be too sure. I sense some bad weather in the air.

genoese So does he over there. (indicates a tall man at the bow)

sailor 1 Who is he?

genoese He is so learned and wise that many take him for a madman.

Sailor 1 Does he know anything about the weather?

genoese He knows everything that is worth knowing anything about. He wouldn’t stand there brooding if there wasn’t anything the matter about the weather.

Sailor 1 Yes. There could be a snowstorm. (goes over to the captain by the helm to exchange some words with him)

Captain What do you know about him?

Sailor 1 For some reason he belongs to this company as a kind of soul saver.

captain Do such people have any souls?

saillor 1 We all have, captain. That’s the last thing we’ll get rid of.

captain Take the helm for a while. I’ll go over and talk with him. (leaves the helm and approaches the old man)

captain What do you think of the weather, old man?

wise Nothing but the worst.

captain You must not be negative at sea. That’s bad seamanship. wise I am unfortunately just a realist.

captain What do you see?

wise (points ahead at the sky) That small cloud over there.

captain What does it tell you?

wise Snowstorm.

captain That’s the worst word you could mention when you cross the Biscaya. wise I know. That’s why it is serious. For that word has many similar words in its train, like shipwreck, destruction and death.

captain You speak like someone doomed. wise I am doomed. We are all doomed.

captain Is there no way out then from your discovered hell? wise Don’t you know, captain, that hell has no exit?

captain You are worse then than the prophet Jonah. wise I am sorry, captain, but we are in the same boat.

captain We’ll see if you are right or not. As captain it is my duty to spite you and the powers of the weather. With some luck we could always make it.

wise We need a lot of luck, captain. (It starts blowing.) The resistance against our hubris has just begun. Your hubris has an ocean of storms to overcome. But man matters the least in the universe, no matter how great his will might seem to himself.

(The captan returns and resumes the helm.)

Sailor 1 What did he say?

captain The Genoese was right. He is so wise that he is mad. But we will have the worst weather of Biscaya to struggle with. We have to mobilise all our strength. It will be a hard night of only hard work.

(Everyone gets busy. The wise man gets down below. You see him taking a seat in the cabin where he produces a parchment and a goose pen. The storm increases.)

wise (aside, below, in deep thought) Our criminality is ﬁnally catching up with us. We escaped the mundane justice but will never get away from that of heaven, which justly strikes us just as we entered the sea of liberation and caught sight of freedom in our home country. It just remains to surrender to our mocking destiny to instead of reaching freedom in the homeland of comfort reach our freedom by death. We get lost in nowhere and vanish without a trace as if we never had existed. It is astonishingly fair. All we can do is to also liberate our souls from the burden of our criminality by stating a full confession before it is too late. At it then. (writes)

sailor 1 It’s getting worse than we thought, captain.

captain Yes, it is.

Sailor 1 Do we stand a chance?

captain We always do.

sailor 1 A Biscaya snowstorm is no triﬂe.

captain Silly nonsense will get us nowhere, number one. Light the lantern instead, so that our light may spite the darkness.

(The sailor goes to the bow and lights the lantern. It gets somewhat brighter on board while the darkness of the tempest and the night increases with constantly more howling winds. If the struggle and rolling of the ship can be executed it is excellent.)

1 woman Obviously we got out of the frying pan into the ﬁre.

2 woman Rather say out of the swamp into the Niagara.

1 woman It’s the same thing.

2 woman No, one place is hot and dry while the other is wet and cold.

1 What do you think would be better?

2 If we survive it does not matter. If we don’t survive it also does not matter.

1 Do you think we will?

2 Does it matter.

1 Yes, if we survive.

2 I am no longer so sure.

The doctor always got us out of every jam.

2 Yes, ashore, but now we are all at sea.

leader (approaches the captain) What do you say, captain? Can we manage the storm?

captain If we can keep the course. We have the worst shoals of the channel to keep away from. But the ship is good and does not stomp too much. Our chances are good in spite of all.

wise (coming up again) No, they are not.

leader Why do you say so?

Wise Listen! (all fall silent on board and listen. Then a bell is heard chiming.)

sailor 1 The ship’s bell! The warning signal!

wise Yes. We are east of it. That’s why we hear it. That’s why we are lost.

leader What kind of bell is that?

sailor 1 It’s the death bell. If you hear it from a ship it is the warning of death. It is placed here to warn against the shoals, but if you hear it you are too close already. We should be west of it, but west of it we would not hear it.

captain We can still make it. The Matutina is built especially to manage any weather of Biscaya. Her hull is waterproof, cutting the throats of all waves like a knife cuts butter. She cruises just as well as she ﬂats in crosswinds. There is no storm that I and she can’t manage together.

wise There are more storms raging here than just heavenly ones, since man’s inner darkness could be more fatal and furious than snow hurricanes of the polar night.

captain Get down below, you damned old man! You just keep ruining our morals! wise That’s already ruined, captain. (moves over to the women and other refugees cowering together midships)

sailor 1 Is he serious?

captain He thinks he is serious. The storm is more serious. It’s increasing. (thunder and lighnting) It will be harder to hold the helm and maintain the course. This could really end as bad as the old fool and wise man suggests, but we can make it. All we need is a little bit of luck.

Thief (among the passengers) Aren’t you painting hell on the wall, little man? Should we just accept death without a ﬁght?

wise We stand no chance, my friend. All we can save is our souls.

thief You mean that we should leave a criminal confession and atone for our crimes by death in complete resignation and bankruptcy of life? And what about all the others then? Is there then anything else than fools and deceivers and villains in the world? Are we really the only ones? Isn’t it just crooks that run the world, or what? Isn’t it just villains who so far sustained us and maintained us and used our services and who now suddenly turned against us with policies of extirpation, so that all foundlings now are murdered instead of turned over, as if those accountable were not the villains?

wise Every crook will have to stand for his own responsibility in the face of death and eternity. But we have to face our own, and we haven’t got much time. We could founder any moment.

(A breaker breaks the mast and brings with it sails and tackles into the sea.)

sailor 2 The mast is broken!

captain Bring the axes! Cut the ropes! Throw the mast over board! Clean the decks! We can still save the ship!

sailor 1 Captain, the breakers are getting worse.

captain Don’t you think I know.

(The sailors work desperately, some of the refugees are helping. The mast and loads of sails are heaved over board.)

As long as we can steer we can get clear of the dangerous waters! Bind me to the helm! I will never let it go!

(The sailors bind the captain to the helm.)

wise Do you still think we can make it, poor thief?

thief I refuse to give up as long as I live! I maintain that we are angels in comparison with those villains who run the societies and make all the wars. We aren’t even any angel makers!

wise My friend, no one defends us to eternity. We can only make right in our own little way. We may have been just instruments of villains in governments which no one ever can bring to justice, since they are rich, and our crime may have been just to receive crumbs from the tables of the rich villains and accommodate their perverse orders, but we must not forget the poor child we left ashore, who wanted to follow us but whom we rejected and abandoned. Since we know what we know about the child we must do what we can for him. That’s the least thing we can do.

1 woman He is right.

leader Hardquanonne was responsible for that child.

wise He is in prison rotting and will probably never get out alive. He can never atone for his crime. We can.

Genoese I have his bottle. It will ﬂoat by its wicker weaving.

wise This is our only chance to save our souls.

(A terrible breaker overruns the ship and smashes everything into ruins and darkness. When those on board recover and the light returns, the helm and the captain are gone.)

sailor 1 Captain! Captain!

sailor 2 He is gone. The sea has taken him. Now we are just drifting.

sailor 1 Completely at the mercy of the fury of the entire ocean.

woman 2 God, save our souls!

wise We can only do it ourselves.

Woman 1 He is right. We can do it.

thief How the hell will we do it then?

wise I have made a document of the full confession. All we have to do is to sign it.

leader What does it contain?

woman 1 We know what we have done, and the old man knows all the details. He doesn’t even have to read it to us. We have to trust what he says for us.

woman 2 She is right. I can’t write, but I can make my mark.

leader Let’s get done with it then. Can we write in this storm in this darkness?

wise We just have to. We may only have ﬁfteen minutes left.

Genoese Let’s get going!

wise Ladies ﬁrst. (gives the document to woman 1, who signs it and gives it to woman 2, who writes a cross. The wise man takes back the document.) I write your full name just in case. (passes it on to the leader, the Genoese and the thief sign it, and ﬁnally the Basque smuggler.)

Thank you. That was the most important part. (to the sailors) Could we have a document attested, gentlemen?

sailor 1 The storm seems to peter out. wise Too late. We are already sinking.

sailor 2 It’s true. The water is rising below.

sailor 1 What kind of a document is it? (signs)

wise Our testament by a bottle post.

Genoese Hardquanonne’s bottle.

sailor 1 Your turn. (gives it to sailor 2)

sailor 2 It’s the last thing I do in life. I hope it’s something good. wise We all hope so.

leader It’s all ﬁnished! Seal the bottle! Tar the cork! Throw it over board, so that it may sail on to life instead of us!

Genoese It’s all done.

wise

Thank you, my friends. Then it should be proper to devote the few minutes we have left to some private prayer. smuggler

A prayer for us lost souls for someone in the future or eternity to send us a kind thought in spite of all.

wise

A prayer as good as any. leader Amen.

(They gather together in a quiet prayer while the ship inexorably keeps sinking and the darkness increasing to gradually overtake the entire scene. All that remains is then the roaring of the sea increasing in volume, so that he storm ﬁnally overwhelms and drowns the entire scene.)

Scene 4. At home with Ursus. (The storm keeps howling outside.)

Ursus (alone) By all dogs and saints! Not even Homo would be able to outvoice the howling wolf orchestra of the universe! It wouldn’t be much fun to be out at sea now. There will probably be several shipwrecks tonight for wreckers to gloat on plundering tomorrow. The damage pleasure will triumph, but bad weather is bad for business. No one is generous when it rains, and not even the funniest clown in the world could keep the public’s attention in pouring rain. Not one penny’s proﬁt today, nothing sold, the storm has driven me out of business by its brutal force, and both Homo and I will have to starve. (Homo growling under the cart.) Yes, growl, and show your teeth to humanity as you are wont to, and they will keep away from our misery. (Homo growling more menacingly.) But what’s the matter, Homo? Is there some unwanted guest approaching? Scold him then! (Homo starts barking.) So there really is someone, just as I was going to prepare our starved dinner. (opens the door) Who is it?

The boy (pitifully, invisible outside) It’s only me.

Ursus A child! A beggar boy! Only that was missing! Who is only me? Who are your parents?

boy I have no parents.

Ursus You certainly do, since you were born! You are lying! Get back to the beggar house where you belong, if you don’t know your parents. (closes the door in anger. The child starts sobbing outside.)

Ursus (opens up again) Why are you sobbing?

boy No one else wants me either.

Ursus Come in then. What are you waiting for? Or do you want to stay out there in the snow storm and remain pitiful? Come on in then, you poor bastard!

(The boy enters, barefoot and oversnowed, and carrying a small pack. You don’t see his face in the inadequate light. You only see his silhoette and the blond curly hair.)

Sit there by the stove, and put away that invaluable pack which seems to contain all the treasures in the world, since you give it such extreme care. Now tell me who you are. Where do you come from?

boy The only ones I knew have sailed away from me. They pushed me ashore and did not want me to come with them.

Ursus What kind of dreadful relatives was that?

boy They were no relatives.

Ursus Then you should be glad. Such relatives are better done without. Maybe it was just as well that they left you in peace. You must be hungry.

boy Perhaps a little.

Ursus Eat then. (gives him his food) That should have been my dinner, and Homo would have the rest, my wolf and brother, who warned me against your arrival, so just as well that you get the rests from both of us since they wouldn’t have been enough anyway for any of us. There, lap it all up now! Prove that you can live although life has thrown you out! Prove that you in spite of all are a human being stupid enough to insist on surviving! (The boy starts to eat. The small pack starts moving. Suddenly it cries.)

What on earth have you brought in! This is worse than what any cat could have found! (examines the pack) A girl! An even smaller bastard! Of course she wants that milk I had for my last comfort. Well, since she has chosen to live she will have to eat then. Drink, little thing! (gives her milk in a small bottle) And she naturally has the same parents as you, that is none at all, since she is your sister?

boy She is not my sister.

Ursus How in the name of all dogs and saints did you then get her hooked? boy I found her on the way. Her mother lies snowed in and dead on the way here from the sea.

Ursus So your guardians left you and went to sea, and you walked here barefoot through the snowstorm and happened to ﬁnd a baby on the way whose mother lay dead in the snow?

boy There was a hanged man in the gallows also on the way. He was also dead.

Ursus That is actually true. A wrecker is hanging and dangling in the wind since a few months, and he can’t be anything but dead. You speak the truth, my boy. But we’ll have to examine your story of the dead mother tomorrow. No one can get out in this weather and least of all a ship. Why did they leave? Were they panicking?

boy They were afraid of something.

Ursus What?

boy They felt chased.

Ursus By who?

boy Justice.

Ursus Aha! You are then some kind of an innocent bastard of a gang of criminals who rather took the risk of sailing away in the snow storm than to get caught for their crimes. Your rank then is about the same as that of an abandoned orphan. And then you ﬁnd a little sister on the way! How convenient! I get a whole family of criminal bastards! Is that so funny?

boy It is not funny at all.

Ursus Why are you laughing then?

boy I am not laughing.

Ursus (grabs him by the shoulders and shakes him) Stop laughing then!

boy I am not laughing.

Ursus (lets him go) Then you are terrible. Who made you thus?

Boy I don’t know what you mean. I was never any different.

Ursus I think I am beginning to understand. I didn’t think that still was going on. (brings out a volume from the shelf, searches for something and reads out loud in Latin:) "Bucca ﬁssa usque ad aures, genzivis denudatis, nasoque murdridato, masca eris, et ridebis semper."

Now I know your people, your guardians and understand why they have left the country and you. Now I know your poor family who has left you nothing but the most horrible thing

that could happen to a man: a mask and a role which he never can get rid of, and in this case a ridiculous deformity.

boy I don’t understand.

Ursus No, you don’t understand, and you are right in not understanding. Don’t try to understand the evil of man and his perversity, for they can’t even understand it themselves. That’s why they always become victims of it. What about the little girl then?

(directs his attention to the little girl)

She looks straight at the light, but the eyeballs don’t move. (moves his hand across her eyes) She is blind. She is born blind. I thus have got a family that suits me perfectly: a freak who doesn’t understand what a freak he is, and a small blind girl, who can’t even see the worst freak of humanity. Maybe she can see their souls instead. May this be a godsend lesson and an intimation to me, the incorrigible misanthrope Ursus, that he should suddenly be struck by a family to take care of, two poor from the beginning violated children, who have to endure their consistent ravishment for always? This transcends all human irony, so that not even a professional ironic like myself could possibly understand the meaning of this.

(embraces the boy and presses also the baby to his heart)

Let’s sleep on the matter. That is about the best and only thing we can do about it for the moment.

(prepares a provisional bed for the boy while he brings the girl into his own bed, since she occupies no space.)

Act II scene 1. Many years later. At court.

Queen Anne But my dear sister, I can’t keep you here if you only will demontsrate your boredom all the time. You are worse than a lady in waiting.

Josiane Nothing could be worse than a lady in waiting, not even I.

Anne I would almost agree with you, if you didn’t actually succeed in boring me by just showing yourself.

Josiane You are just jealous of me for being free while you are chained to affairs of state.

Anne Alas, don’t remind me! And don’t raise your old insufferable courtesan complacency again! I can’t be held responsible for happening to a king for father, as little as you can. You just had the narrow luck of not being born by his wife, why you absconded all the worst miseries of life connected with having to be a monarch and glued to a mask and a role which you never can remove.

Josiane Don’t complain. You have no reason to be jealous of me for having been born while daddy was king while you were without him being yet a king.

Anne Only a sister could grate a woman’s nerves like you, and only because I am your sister I must tolerate it.

Josiane Half sister.

Anne Yes, you are illegitimate.

Josiane But free, childless and unmarried.

Anne You know you have to marry lord Clancharlie.

Josiane He is twenty years older than I. Do you enjoy insisting on pressing me into a marriage with a bastard twenty years older?

Anne You are a bastard yourself, you know. You make a nice couple. Besides, he is the most handsome man in England and possibly the best.

Josiane You only think that everyone thinks so, but I don’t.

Anne You have to admit that he is dashing.

Josiane He is as dull as every man. I am sorry, my queen and sister, but my boredom seems incurable. No one one in the world has ever been able to amuse me.

Anne You are just spoiled. I have asked lord Clancharlie to come here today just to give you a tip of a new treat which could offer even you something new.

Josiane A new sloppy splatter of a boxing match? Barbarity, brutality and perversity seem to delight all base wild crowds except me. Affected plays and shabby comedies? Boring culture and literature for a soporiﬁc?

(A knock.)

Anne Here he is now. – Come in! (enter Barkilphedro, caricature of a disgusting courtier with an abyss of false politeness.)

Oh, was it you, Barkilphedro.

Barkilphedro (cringes, bows, piruettes) I didn’t expect to ﬁnd both my mistresses together. I was only going to announce that lord Clancharlie is on his way.

Anne He is expected.

Josiane What is your busines with Tom-Jim-Jack?

Barkilphedro He serves both of you, so I serve him like I serve you.

Josiane You mean you are spying on us for him, like you spy on me for the queen and for him?

Barkilphedro Like I spy on him for both of you. I serve you, my ladies, like he also serves you and I therefore serve him.

Josiane Get lost, Barkilphedro, and let ﬁnally in our Tom-Jim-Jack instead. As long as you occupy our scene he will never be able to enter.

Barkilphedro At the humblest service of my ladies. (bows his way out)

Josiane I don’t know why, but that man will one day make me vomit all my bowels.

Anne Me too, and I don’t know either.

Josiane He is the soapiest reptile of your court and seems to have attained his position just to one day be able to bring us all down.

Anne You gave him that position.

Josiane He talked himself into it, and it was the most ridiculous ofﬁce of the state.

Anne I know, but Queen Elizabeth thought it important.

Tom-Jim-Jack (enters completely without artiﬁce) How excellent to ﬁnd both the girls here! You always double each other’s good graces, lovely kinswomen!

Anne Why do you send a reptile to announce you?

Tom-Jim-Jack Barkilphedro? Was that his only business here? I did not send him. I thought he was constantly busy with that ofﬁce that made him the proudest clown at court. I prefer uncorking bottles myself if you can drink them up.

Anne We get the most extraordinary reports in bottleposts about shipwrecks and phenomena the ﬁrst hand information of which could be of use to the state.

Tom Why then does he come here if it is so important for him to uncork empty bottles? I am afraid that creep has ambitions.

Josiane Me too. And if he has ambitions they can’t be positive.

Tom No ambitions are positive except to make the best out of life in order to at least not get bored.

Anne That’s why I asked you here, kinsman. They say you have discovered some market freak show which even could make Josiane smile.

Tom Actually, yes. It’s a travelling company of freaks touring the south coast. They should reach London in time, for they are a tremendous success.

Josiane Is it some new stupid goon show?

Tom No, it’s better than that. I think it is a family company. It’s an old man who writes the plays, silly moralities of platitudes, but it’s his two children that are noteworthy, a young man

and a girl. She is a beauty of the rarest kind that you hardly see on earth, while he is a clown out of this world. It’s enough for him to show himself, and everyone laugh their pants off.

Josiane So he is actually funny?

Tom It’s more than that. You’ll see.

Anne Give yourself a break, Josiane. It was far too many years since you laughed the last time.

Josiane It would perhaps really offer some change to your barbaric boxing rounds and meaningless gladiator games, Tom-Jim-Jack.

Tom You might even be agreeably shocked this time, Josiane. (takes her under her arm)

Anne That’s good, Tom-Jim-Jack. Give her a round turn to shake her up, so that you at last sometime may become engaged.

Josiane There is no hurry, my queen. I can still wait forever with bargaining out my freedom.

Scene 2. The theatre of the Green Box. (Ursus appearing in a cloak of bearskin.)

Ursus We are just con actors but the more efﬁcient as such, since we don’t claim to be more than just professional deceivers. The case is worse about all those deceivers who deceive the entire world pretending to be anything but deceivers! I talk about the spostles and popes of chaos, who keep people in ignorance with the excuse of law and order but who only enforce taxes and wars, recruitment of soldiers by force and who make a rich men’s paradise by the hells of the poor. Behold how chaos is pursuing man with indefatigable evil just to strike her down to earth at any price and keep her subjugated forever in the established cruelty of human monsters!

(enter Gwynplaine masked and terrorstruck, hunted by Homo (suggestedly an Irish Wolfhound) while Ursus roars and lets down the bear’s head across his head and takes part in the attack. Gwynplaine is completely overwhelmed and brought down. As he lies under Homo, growling horribly and threateningly, Ursus resumes his declamation

Ursus But lo! For man’s protection against authorities a rare instrument was given her, by which she could enchant and placate the dark ruling powers, like David found the lyre to placate Saul with.

(Dea appears, the most beautiful imaginable creature in long hair let loose and bright shining clothes.)

Dea The muse was a woman who saved man from the eternal wars about the world of the horrible powers, which only brought it down into the dark chaos of war and misery with poverty and illness, for the muse always knew to lift up the lowest beggar and deepest fallen fool from the extremest darkness of the most poisonous snakepits of the world by her fantasy, for with beauty to defend the truth man could lift himself out of anything. Rise, o man, for the jaws of the evil beast are powerless against the element of art, and chaos will vanish for the higher order and truth of poetry, like the night always will vanish for the day!

(Homo disappears, and Ursus, having removed his bear’s head, steps out of his bearskin dressed as a hermit and helps up Gwynplaine, who slowly rises to rise while there is constantly more light on him.) More light, and triumph, man, so that all the world may rejoice at your being!

(When all lights are on him and hes tands at the glorious centre of the stage, he suddenly removes his mask and shows his face: the funniest clown face you could imagine with a constant guffaw all over the face. The effect is immediate. The drastic anticlimax of the

melodrama releases a storm of laughter. Gwynplaine just stands there looking around and demonstrating his laughing face while the tempest of laughter just goes on.)

Ursus (appears beside Gwynplaine, laying his arm around his shoulder) Yes, laugh at the world, my audience, for it is just a freak show of failed talents and awkward deceivers, who always made efforts to turn the world upside down but only succeeded in making ridiculous fools of themselves. Laugh at the authorities, laugh out the tyrants, refuse to take the world seriously, for it is just a freak show staged and presented by fools who are good for nothing but to be laughed at. Do like my son and laugh constantly, my friends, at the established ridiculousness of life, and that will make it easier.

(Ursus takes the other hand of Dea and leads her and Gwynplaine out while the curtain falls, which is managed by the two employed Ursus girls Phoebe and Venus. When they have closed the curtain and ﬂirted with the audience Tom-Jim-Jack dressed as an ordinary sailor comes up to them from the audience.)

Tom Damned good show! Are you not allowed in the ballet?

Phoebe We are just soubrettes and mannequins.

Venus We make publicity for the Green Box when it rolls around without giving shows.

Tom And you do that damned well as the perfect beauties you are! You would make the show even better by just appearing and wag your bottoms a little.

Phoebe Fie, Tom-Jim-Jack!

Venus We know who you are. Ursus has his eyes on you. You are the one who sometimes ﬁghts the public.

Tom Only when it becomes too unruly.

Phoebe You are the one who sometimes offer them drinks.

Tom To make them cheer and applaud more. There is nothing wrong in setting people in a good mood. That’s what you are living on. That grotesque laughing face, tell me, is he real?

verklig?

Phoebe What does he mean?

Tom It’s not just a mask?

Venus No, he is like that. He can never remove it. He can only conceal it by other masks.

Tom And that girl, I have never seen such a beauty. It is as if she actually ﬂoated on clouds. What’s the matter with her?

Phoebe Don’t you know, Tom-Jim-Jack? She is blind.

Tom That explains it. And the old man – is he their real father?

Phoebe Not at all. They are foundlings both of them who he has taken care of.

Venus That is, Gwynplaine took care of Dea and brought her to Ursus.

Tom Is he called Gwynplaine?

Phoebe That’s his only known name. He knew what his name was when he came to Ursus as a child, and Ursus never rechristianed him.

Tom The girl must be very much younger?

Venus Only about eight years.

Tom A strange couple.

Phoebe Anything more you wish to know?

Tom Not at the moment. But I notice you have some special benches in a booth aside from the audience. Is it for special persons of a higher class?

Phoebe There never are any for our shows.

Tom I will try to get you at least one.

Venus That will make Ursus happy. He likes lords.

Phoebe I think you are our friend, Tom-Jim-Jack. You manage the public as well as we and Ursus.

Tom I am deﬁnitely on your side. Ursus is completely right in his philosophies, and he is not more stupid than he can keep the balance without risking harassment by the authorities. If there is anyone I respect it is he, who can manage the authorities without the authorities being able to manage him.

Venus Would you like to see him?

Tom Yes, some other time. I would also like to see Gwynplaine but some other time. First I would like to get you a more decent audience.

Phoebe We thank you.

Venus I will tell Ursus.

Tom Excellent, girls! Keep it up!

Venus Who do you think he really is?

Phoebe Pity he is not a lord, for then he would really be something. Ursus (pops in) Was it Tom-Jim-Jack who came to see you?

Phoebe Yes.

Ursus Get him back here at once. Tell him I would like to speak with him.

Phoebe Run, Venus! (Venus runs after Tom-Jim-Jack.)

Venus Our lord would like to speak with you.

Tom Our Lord himself?

Venus Just Ursus.

Tom He ﬂatters me.

Venus I think he would like to invite you to dinner.

Tom It’s getting better and better.

Ursus Sir, you must not run away like that after having contributed to the show yourself without having received at least some kind of acknowledgement.

Tom Did you like my beating up your audience?

Ursus That’s what I like. I always wished to do it myself, but I never could make it.

Tom So you like having a villain in the audience. What else can I do for you?

Ursus You can have dinner with us.

Tom Now at once?

Ursus Why not? (The curtain opens again and shows the Green Box from the inside: a simple dining room with a laid table. Dea is there, but Phoebe and Venus are out.)

Tom I thank you for the honour. But where is the main character, Gwynplaine?

Ursus He is taking Homo out. He will show up eventually. I hope the company of me and Dea can be enough in the meantime.

Tom All are fascinated by fhe moonshine brilliance of Dea as much as by the outstanding appearance of Gwynplaine.

Dea Who dares to speak with a voice almost as kind as Gwynplaine’s? Is it TomJim-Jack?

Ursus Yes. Dea, we have received Tom-Jim-Jack into our house.

Dea We have talked very much about you, Tom-Jim-Jack, since you caught the interest of Ursus and Gwynplaine from the start, when you kept the audience in order, which we never managed to.

Tom I can’t bear it when someone disturbs my show.

Ursus Please, Tom-Jim-Jack, and enjoy your food. I always wanted to come to terms with you since you instead of being a part of the audience immediately took your part against it.

Tom Your trio fascinated me from the start- a philosophical veteran of some kind, an almost heavenly beauty beaming light without being able to see it, and an irresistible clown of double depths. They are not your own children, are they?

Ursus No, they came to me by themselves.

Dea Gwynplaine saved me from a certain death and found his way home to Ursus. Tom But you, Ursus, have a much more substantial background than just as a market entertainer.

Ursus I am ashamed to say that I studied at the university and lived with lords, for I found common people less shabby than than the established society.

Tom Then we almost have something in common. I also happen to have associated with the nobler world and know a beautiful woman there who can’t ﬁnd anything to amuse her. I thought of bringing her to your show one day to see if Gwynplaine could cheer her up.

Ursus There is no one who can avoid being contaminated by Gwynplaine’s laughter.

Tom How did he become like that?

Ursus He was deserted by Comprachicos, who made business by disﬁguring children and sell them as clowns. We don’t know why Gwynplaine was selected for a particularly advanced and special operation. We only see the result and are happy with that, for Gwynplaine can only make money.

Dea I feel he is coming.

Tom She feels him but doesn’t see him.

Ursus Yes. She is the only one who knows him. Everyone else only sees him.

Gwynplaine (enters, masked) I heard from Phoebe that we have a celebrated guest.

Ursus It’s only Tom-Jim-Jack.

Gwynplaine We couldn’t have had a more celebrated guest, for he is our only warrant for an audience that behaves.

Tom I have taken your seat, Gwynplaine, and beg to return it.

Gwynplaine No, please remain seated.

Tom I was leaving anyway. We will see each other again. Thanks, Ursus, for your hospitality.

Ursus I promise you, Tom-Jim,-Jack, that it is extremely rare. You are the only one so far to have enjoyed it. (Tom leaves.)

Gwynplaine What did he want?

Ursus He only wants to help us. He will get us a ﬁner audience, some bored society folk who never could laugh.

Gwynplaine A challenge.

Ursus (rising) I leave you two. Take care of him, Dea. He is hungry.

Gwynplaine Homo is more hungry like a wolf than I. (Ursus leaves.)

Dea We have got a friend, Gwynplaine. Tom-Jim-Jack wishes us well.

Gwynplaine He always did. He is a theatre enthusiast who at the same time wants to keep order. He is also popular. (removes his mask at last) And he is good-looking.

Dea No one can be beautiful except you, Gwynplaine.

Gwynplaine You have never seen me.

Dea Who needs to see you who knows you? I am the only one who has seen you, Gwynplaine, for I am the only one who knows you.

Gwynplaine Still you can hear the roars of laughter when I show myself. You must know that I am just a freak.

Dea I was born without eyes just for you, Gwynplaine, to love you and have you for always. Actors live on deceiving people, and people love being deceived. You got a face to become the foremost deceiver of all, and you deceive them in the right way, for you make them laugh.

Gwynplaine Not everyone laughs at me. Some ladies can’t bear seeing me, and others turn away from me in disgust. Therefore I can’t show myself in public except on stage. I can never show my true face, for I haven’t got any, Dea.

Dea That’s the very face I am always seeing, and I am privileged by my blindness for being the only one to see it. I know that I am beautiful, Gwynplaine, and I am so with pride, for I am so only because I love you.

Gwynplaine And I can conﬁde in you and trust you only because you can’t see me. Between me and all other people my mask is like wall which I can never climb. But we can associate under that wall, Dea.

Dea Without anyone seeing us, except Ursus and Homo.

Gwynplaine Our father and brother.

Dea No, our father and uncle. Don’t forget that Ursus always regarded Homo as his brother.

Gwynplaine A strange family unlike all the others. A freak and a blind blind goddess of beauty as brother and sister and children of a bear and a wolf.

Dea In a human shape.

Gwynplaine Ursus says that Homo is more human than himself.

Dea Animals can never be inhuman, only natural. Therefore they sometimes appear more human than men.

Gwynplaine You learned that from Ursus.

Dea We learned everything from him.

Gwynplaine A family unlike all other families of freaks and animals but by Ursus maybe more human than all others.

Dea That’s why we are successful by our poetry. People have got something to look up to.

Gwynplaine A chronic mask of laughter, a blind invalid, an old wolf and an old bear.

Dea No, Gwynplaine, a noble genius, a loving woman, the wisest philosopher and doctor in the world and their secret guardian angel dressed as a wolf.

Gwynplaine You are all the poetry in our family.

Dea That is my happiness and joy.

Ursus (enters) Are you sitting here babbling again as usual, little children? Why don’t you ever get to the point? You have to marry one day, since there never was a couple more suitable for each other.

Gwynplaine You know, Ursus, that I could never hurt Dea.

Ursus Your love is pure and can never hurt. It’s just for you to establish it to make it perpetual and never interrupted. You can’t do anything wrong, little children, for you love each other too honestly.

Gwynplaine Dea has a weak heart.

Ursus That means nothing if you are considerate, Gwynplaine, and you are.

Dea You are so considerate, Gwynplaine, that I don’t know what is the opposite.

Gwynplaine May you never get to know it either. May it be my life’s chief ambition to always protect you against ruthlessness.

Dea Could we love each other more, Ursus? Could we be more thoroughly married?

Ursus In ﬁve years when you come of age, Dea, you can be legally married. Until then you are just naturally married, that you can’t be more thoroughly married is obvious to you, but it will do no harm to really marry if once you are already married.

Dea Isn’t that overdoing it?

Ursus It’s not about overdoing it, although it sometimes could give you a pain in your arse.

Gwynplaine and Dea What do you mean?

Ursus Forget it. It was just a bad joke. (Homo yaps with disdain.) Not even Homo thought it was funny, and he was the only one who understood it.

Act III scene 1. A new show.

Phoebe (appearing with Venus as angels) We are just the prologue, but we wanted to warn you for the worst. You will witness an unequalled intrigue which only could end really bad, if there wasn’t for…

Venus ....a breakneck surprise, which will cut the edge of the entire show and make the whole world and our beloved society appear the most ridiculous creation in all the universe…

Ursus (appearing in his bearskin) Well acted, little angels. Get out now. (Phoebe and Venus leave again as they came, holding hands all the time) For now it gets serious with the most gruesome performance that ever made you shake from terror, for the abyss is alive, and it oppresses us! I have been accused of denying God and denying Satan when he importunes every day dressed up as a creditor or taxman, usurer or blackmailer, murderer or thief, pope or emperor, sheriff or slavedriver! Verily I say unto you, to price is too cheap for our show, only ﬁve pennies, for everyone to enjoy it and not only honest and ordinary people who long for a good laugh, but also high society and noblemen like lords and dukes, courtesans and mistresses, professors and prosecutors, duchesses and… (loses his line somewhat when the duchess Josiane is seen in a box in supreme majesty as a Christmas tree of jewels and splendid outﬁt with a very low neck) and… and queens, yes, even bishops and judges should have the opportunity to visit our show to at last learn to laugh at the world. May the show begin! (turns in, to Gwynplaine behind the curtain) There is a duchess in the audience.

Dea At last!

Gwynplaine Is Tom-Jim-Jack there?

Ursus Of course.

Gwynplaine Then it will be our best show so far.

Phoebe (appearing again with Venus hand in hand, still as angels) May the world tremble, for chaos has engulfed it and keeps it bondage so that all humanity is threatened by destruction in war and plague, in misery and famine and dire death of no end…

Josiane (to Tom-Jim-Jack) Is this the drivelling nonsense you thought could make me laugh?

Tom Just wait. It will get better.

Josiane Yes, it could hardly get worse. (Tom-Jim-Jack mingles with the audience.)

Venus But lo! The moon emerges from the shadows of the night and casts a look on the world of compassion and mildness, as is appropriate for the goddess of motherly grace…

Dea (appearing, more beautiful than ever) Lo! Not even the night could hamper the sunlight since the moonbeams reﬂect the sun brilliance mirroring it forever through all nights and especially the darkest ones. Avaunt, night and beasts and the prophet of chaos! (hits Ursus with a magic rod) There must be no more evil beasts among humanity! Tyrants will soften and disappear, and oppression will one day cease by the ﬁnal liberation of slavery from their chains out of the powerless yoke of persecution and extortion! (enter Gwynplaine crawling in chains and gagged, the gag covering all his face, and blindfolded.) Poor suppressed poet! Rise out of your humiliation, throw your mask imposed on you by the tyrants, stand up to the senselessness and absurdity of our abused and tortured world, and let the sun shed light on the arts!

(At once, Gwynplaine throws off all his chains, tears off the blindfold, rises quickly and removes the mask, while the light immediately falls on his guffawing face.)

(Roars and shouts and laughter from an audience of rapture and enthusiasm with no end to the stormy applauses.)

Various voices More! More! Again!Again!

Cheers for Gwynplaine! I’ve never had such fun!

Hd could make anyone laugh!

Tom-Jim-Jack He could turn any tragedy into a comedy! (The performance is drowned in applauses.)

Ursus (behind the curtain) Everyone is laughing except one.

Gwynplaine Who could resist laughing at such a hilarious face as mine?

Ursus That duchess. She has been sitting stiff and lifeless through all the show.

Tom (coming up beside Josiane) Well, duchess, wasn’t it funny?

Josiane It was more than just funny.

Tom So it was not entirely wrong to bring you here.

Josiane No, not entirely. It was not at all like that sloppy boxing ﬁght you brought me to. This was worse.

Tom It was a comedy and entirely bloodless as such.

Josiane No, it was a masque and worse than any tragedy.

Tom He only laughed.

Josiane Did he? (Tom leads her out.)

Ursus Have you seen? Tom-Jim-Jack is with her and leads her out!

Gwynplaine (has tied his cloth back to conceal his nose and mouth) He promised to bring celebrities here. He has only kept his promise.

Dea Who was she?

Ursus A duchess.

Dea What is someone like that doing here?

The inn-keeper (Nicholas, drops in)ärdshusvärden Have you seen? Tom-Jim-Jack brought a duchess here and led her out again!

Ursus What duchess was it? Do you know?

Nicholas I have no idea. I think she has no title. But she is a duchess.

Ursus If she is a duchess, she has a title, stupid. Or else you are no duchess.

Gwynplaine (removes the cloth) Master Nicholas could be right. Kings often have illegitimate children. If that’s what she was, she is a duchess without a title.

Ursus You could be right. There are many of that kind.

Dea I hope she never comes here to disturb your show again. You almost lost your lines, Ursus.

Ursus I know. But it wasn’t her fault. It was my own.

Dea Why?

Ursus I have never seen a duchess before.

Dea Let’s forget her now. She will probably never be back. Come, Ursus. Gwynplaine always needs to be alone after a performance. (leaves with Ursus)

Nicholas She left me this for you, Gwynplaine.

Gwynplaine What is it?

Nicholas A letter, I think. Perhaps a late applause instead of a spontaneous reaction. (leaves)

Gwynplaine (alone) What is this? A duchess writing a letter to me? (unfolds the letter, reads aloud)

"You are repulsive, I am beautiful. You are a comedian, and I am a duchess. I am the ﬁrst, and you are the last. I desire you. I love you. Come.”

A declaration of love! And what a declaration! Is it infamy or just honesty? But I cannot answer her. I cannot heed her. I am responsible for Dea. This is really no laughing matter. (The light leaves him, and he is only seen as a silhouette with the blond curly hair.)

Woman, how dare you propose to me? How dare you provoke my inmost manhood, when I have a world of troubles to avoid hurting Dea! Your temptation is enough to ruin my entire world! And that it would come from such a woman, such a beauty, a duchess ranking next to the queen, irresistibility in person! This is too much. And how could she lower herself to me, a freak, a disﬁgured clown who never can remove his clown mask, an aborted human being, a monster? She must be a pervert. But such a beauty! She is the direct opposite to Dea, who is only chastity and goodness, virginity and divinity in such a frail vessel, while this woman of supreme beauty is shameless and rude, more than experienced and only material in her sensuality. No, I can’t trust any other woman than the only honourable one, the only sacred, the only unattainable and the only one who could ever remain faithful to me, even though I know I could never get any sensual pleasure out of her, since her constitution is frail and her heart could break at any moment. She can take no shocks, and I will never shock her. This duchess can take anything, why I leave it to the whole world to do her.

(The door opens to the Green Box. Dea shows herself in all her sparkling beauty spreading light over Gwynplaine and the scene.)

Dea Gwynplaine, you have been out wandering the whole night! Aren’t you coming for breakfast?

Gwynplaine I am coming, my love.

Dea That’s the spirit. One could think you had gone sick from brooding, or is it your success that has given you unrest?

Gwynplaine My heart, it is nothing. As long as you are close to me you have nothing to worry about concerning me.

Dea Come then, you mischievous dreamer, and at least keep me and Ursus company!

(Gwynplaine enters, the stage turns again into the diningroom inside the Green Box. Ursus is calmly seated when the others come to sit down.)

Ursus Our proﬁts yesterday transcend our wildest successes so far. Do you know what this is, Gwynplaine? (shows him a coin)

Gwynplaine A Spanish doubloon!

Ursus From her. Among all the pennies. She has given us more than all the others together. You must have made quite an impression on her.

Gwynplaine I am afraid so. If there is anything I fear, it is the ruling class.

Dea Why?

Gwynplaine They are the only ones who can hurt us.

Dea Why would they?

Gwynplaine Because they have power.

Dea If they have power, why would they mind us, who are completely without?

Ursus Quite right, Dea. Let’s hope they’ll never bother about us.

(Homo growls.)

Quiet, Homo. There is no one here.

Gwynplaine He growled the same way the ﬁrst time I came home to you, Ursus.

Ursus He always growls at strangers, and he should. But he should stop it when I tell him to. He doesn’t now.

Gwynplaine (harshly) Quiet, Homo!

(The back door opens, and the disguised Wapentake masked in black appears. Ursus and Gwynplaine observe him at once while Dea is sitting with her back to it.)

(While the Wapentake enters without a noise and almost like a ghost, Ursus and Gwynplaine exchange worried looks and discuss the matter quietly. Then the Wapentake applies his staff to mark Gwynplaine’s arm.)

Gwynplaine Don’t worry, Dea. I will go out and calm Homo down and see what is the matter.

(He follows the Wapentake out, presses tenderly Dea’s shoulder as he passes her, she immediately takes his hand in both of hers and kisses it while the hand glides away and Gwynplaine disappears with the Wapentake.)

Dea (after a while) What was it, Ursus?

Ursus Don’t worry, my dear.

Dea Would you only be allowed to worry? There was an alien man in the room.

Ursus Yes, there was, my heart, and that’s why Homo growled. (considerately) Gwynplaine was summoned probably as a witness.

Dea Has anything happened?

Ursus Nothing has happened, Dea. Everything is calm. We’ll just have to wait until Gwynplaine returns.

Dea (considerately) It will be a long wait, for every minute will become an eternity.

Ursus Yes, my heart. But we can wait out eternity, for we are artists. And nothing can harm Gwynplaine, for he is an artist.

Dea Ursus, your philosophy reaches far, but I fear it will not always reach all the way. (rises and leaves the room.)

(Homo comes out, and Ursus pats him.)

Ursus The Green Box has lost a wheel, Homo. I hope we can get it ﬁxed before the whole shaft breaks.

The least I can do meanwhile is to ﬁnd out where the wheel has disappeared. Dea! (rises. Dea comes back.)

Dea Ursus?

Ursus I will ﬁnd out where Gwynplaine has gone. There must be some mistake, for he has done nothing. I will probably be back with him in a few hours.

Dea I feel everything that Gwynplaine feels, Ursus, and right now he only feels the fear and horror of extreme uncertainty. I hope you will ﬁnd him.

Ursus I will ﬁnd him. (leaves in determination)

Dea Although you have done no harm, Gwynplaine, I fear that a destiny awaits you worse than death. But I will never let you go from life as long as I am alive. Homo, (pats the wolf,) I know that our beloved lives. It’s his soul that is in great danger.

Scene 2. The torture chamber.

A terrible dungeon with pouring damp and rats and mouldy brick vaults.

A man lies chained and stretched out on the ﬂoor like in a cross of St. Andrew with shackles and chains of iron attached to four pillars. He rattles faintly.

The Wapentake enters followed by Gwynplaine and then six escorting policemen. From the opposite direction a dressed up inquisitor follows with a scribe and other notaries.

inquisitor May I ask master Wapentake to give a report.

Wapentake The prisoner has followed without resistance and in silence as is proper and even showed discretion by covering himself with a cloak and felt hat. The escort of him here

has thereby been able to be conducted without disturbances, and no one has recognized him on the way.

inquisitor Has anyone followed?

Wapentake No one has been noticed.

Inquisitor Good. Then we can resume the questioning of the prisoner for the fourth day. Prisoner! Wake up! (kicks the prisoner on the ﬂoor, who only rattles.) You have nothing to gain by remaining silent. On the contrary, if you share what you know your punishment could be reduced and your death less painful and prolonged. We call upon you to tell us if you know this man. (gives a sign to the policemen, and two of them bring Gwynplaine to face the tortured man.)

Gwynplaine I have never seen this man before. I don’t know who he is. Tjus neither can he know who I am. This must be a mistake. Gentlemen, me and my family have done nothing against the law, we are just a travelling theatre company exclusively devoted to entertainment to make people laugh, the most innocent occupation in the world, and have never had anything to do with any criminality. I implore you therefore to let me go, since my father and sister must be very worried about my abduction.

Inquisitor (ignoring him completely, continuing to the prisoner) Your obnoxious silence can only harm yourself and bring a long extended death under constantly increasing torture and pains. So open your eyes and look at this man. (gives a sign to the constables. They bring Gwynplaine close to the tortured man while one of them lifts his head and forces him to open his eyes and observe Gwynplaine.)

Prisoner (looks, wakes up, lifts up his head himself, is surprised, then breaks out into a mad guffaw and cannot stop)

It’s him! It’s him! My masterpiece! My creation! (laughs himself to death and collapses)

inquisitor That’s enough. (the police drops the prisoner’s head, who has passed out.)

Gwynplaine I understand nothing. I retain that it must be some mistake. I have never seen the man before and don’t know who he is. I don’t understand the meaning of this nightmare theatre.

inquisitor It is all very simple. You have been recognized and identiﬁed as no other and no one less than lord Fermain Clancharlie, baron of Clancharlie och Hunkerville, marquess of Corleone of Sicilien and peer of England. Gentlemen. (takes off his hat and bows to Gwynplaine. All present follow his example and rise if they have been seated.)

Gwynplaine (stutters, completely at a loss) I… can’t understand anything. I am just a disﬁgured clown.

inquisitor Collect yourself, lord Clancharlie. It’s just the logic of fortune which has completed an equation which may seem inextricable and complicated, but which anyway adds up more than well.

Master notary, may I ask you to present the evidence. a notary (a mouldy ﬁgure covered in a wig with glasses covering the eyes, appears with the ship parchment, which he unfolds with meticulous carefulness.)

Ähm. Item. (clears the throat) "We on board the Matutina on the 29th of January 1690 hereby declare ourselves guilty of having left a child on the beach of Portland Bill in the intention to allow it to die. This child was the only son of the late lord Linnaeus Clancharlie, peer of England but republican and unpleasant to his majesty king James II, why this child was sold to us, who then was two years old, for the purpose that we as Comprachicos would destroy him. We decided to endow the child with a ”laughing mask”, an advanced surgic operation which would result in the child carrying laughter in his face throughout his life. The only one who could perform this operation was our comrade Hardquanonne, who has been arrested and is kept prisoner in the Southwark prison. The operation was unique, no one else

has been able to perform it, and lord Fermain Clancharlie is the only one who has ever been subject to it. As only two years old and anaesthetized according to the safe method of Hardquanonne, which is known only to him, the child could have no memory or disability resulting from the operation except his unremovable mask. Our price for the child was 10 pounds sterling, the bargain included the condition that we must never reveal the child’s identity or the king’s part in the bargain, and we kept the child for ourselves without selling him on since we ourselves took advantage of his apparent and inner talents. We consider ourselves absolved from all these obligations since we now face inescapable death by shipwreck in the Pasages bay in the bay of Biscaya in a hard gale of snow. At the back of this document you ﬁnd the king’s letter of licence for the bargain and both his own seal and judge Jeffrey’s signature.” (He turns the document and demonstrates the royal seal.) ”Which is hereby proved. Signed. Doctor Gerardus Geestemunde.”

Gwynplaine I remember him. An old gloomy man. I was always afraid of him. notary "Anunción". A cross and beside it "Barbara Fernay".

Gwynplaine Yes, there were two women. I remember them. notary "Captain Gaïzdorra".

Gwynplaine Yes, their leader. I remember them all. They were seven. notary Another three signatures. Under them two sailors’ signatures as witnesses. It is added, that the captain ahd already been ﬂushed over board.

Gwynplaine Alas! And the king of England allowed this?

notary I proceed. ”This explanation is written by us on the back side of the royal order which was granted us to ensure us freedom from punishment for the child bargain.”

Gwynplaine But how has this document found its way here?

Barkilphedro (comes out from the shadows in a courtier’s full attire) Allow me to present myself, the king’s own ofﬁcer with responsibility for all bottle posts to be found on the shores of Great Britain. This particular bottle had the name Hardquanonne intertwined with a red thread in the wicker plaiting of the bottle. Sometimes, lord Clancharlie, providence could actually transform the most horrendous injustice into its contrary.

inquisitor And Hardquanonne is the man who lies here prostrate in front of us, who refused to utter one word about his criminal activities until he saw you. Speak, Hardquanonne! Stand up to your crime, or your torture will be carried on until you expire in extreme pain!

Hardquanonne (after a moment’s silence) I have sworn to keep my silence, between criminals there is an unwritten law more sacred than any written one, there is honour also in hell, but I have done with it now. Yes, I confess to in league with the king having transformed this lord into a laughable freak. Go on, poor monster, and laugh forever in competition with every deathskull! (bursts out in roaring laughter again and keeps on laughing until he chokes.)

A clerk He has confessed.

Inquisitor Yes. Release him. He is now good for hanging. (Hardquanonne’s chains and shackles are removed, bu the does not move.) inquisitor (kicks him) Rise, you child hawker! You are free!

Another clerk, examines Hardquanonne, holds a mirror to his nose) Master inquisitor, he is dead.

Inquisitor Dop he laughed himself to death. He got away cheaply. Remove the corpse immediately from here. The case is closed.

(Hardquanonne’s body is taken care of and carried away.)

Barkilphedro (to Gwynplaine) You are trembling. You are sweating. But the worst is over now. You wake up to a new life. You have slept for twenty-ﬁve years, but you can now leave the nightmare behind. Forget Gwynplaine. You are lord Clancharlie. Forget the people. You

belong to the aristocracy. Forget your poverty. You are fabulously rich. Forget the gutter. You own several castles. Forget your former life and start living.

Gwynplaine Who are you, who made yourself accountable for this total revolution of my life?’

Barkilphedro My name is Barkilphedro, at your service, and it is my sincere pleasure to install you in all your ofﬁces and obligations as a peer of England, as a legislator, as the equal of princes and the emperor, with the same right to wear purple and ermine as the queen of England, and with the right and duty to marry no one of lower rank than a duchess.

Gwynplaine You assail me with thunderstorms and imagine that I should survive and be grateful to you! How can I when you drown me in a ﬂood of graces, powers and authorities? My disformer was happy enough to die. I am the most miserable of beings who has to survive my own horrendous exoneration! (faints)

inquisitor He is ﬁnished. Take care of him, Barkilphedro. Barkilphedro (pleased) Trust me.

(He gives orders, Gwynplaine is taken care of and carried out, Barkilphedro gloats.)

Act IV scene 1. Before the curtain. Barkilphedro appears in full attire.

Barkilphedro I have made my fortune, but has the one by whom I made it made his? It’s too early to say. He has become a peer of England over one night, that is not normal, it is rather extreme, and it could affect his mind. In that case it’s just to let him slip back into the gutter, which the queen has the right to do if she ﬁnds it necessary. It all depends on how he will act in the House of Lords tomorrow as a peer. If I could guide him across that pass the rest will be easy, I have made his fortune and my own by just uncorking a bottle, and he will remain mine forever.

(The scene opens to show a luxurious room in a palace with ruche and plush and all imaginable artistic embellishments. Gwynplaine sits in an enormous armchair in silk clothes and embroidered morning wrapper, as beﬁts a royal equal during the baroque.)

(Barkilphedro enters cautiously, directs some servants who present a silver dresser with luxury courses and port wine, are careful about not waking Gwynplaine up, and leave after after having left the silver dresser.)

Barkilphedro (dares hardly to wake up the sleeper, cautiously) Mylord.

Gwynplaine (wakes up like in a dream) Where am I?

Barkilphedro You are at home in your own home.

Gwynplaine I don’t recognize myself. I am completely at a loss. I feel abducted. And you are that bureaucrat who uncorked the bottle of my producer. What am I doing here?

Barkilphedro Allow me to remind you that you are a peer of England and here by your own right. Apart from this palace you own another castle which is much more splendid, and you enjoy a yearly income of 40,000 pounds sterling in interests. You are here to be in immediate connection in the vicinity of the queen at the Windsor castle, as you tomorrow shall be presented as a peer in the house of lords. Her majesty the queen has shown a keen interest in your exoneration and sends you this purse with 2000 pounds for your immediate expenses.

Gwynplaine My father Ursus shall have it.

Barkilphedro As you wish. We can send a constable with it to the Tadcaster inn.

Gwynplaine I want to give it myself.

Barkilphedro Impossible.

Gwynplaine Am I not a peer of England. Why is it impossible?

Barkilphedro Mylord, you cannot step back. The most extraordinary secrecy has been observed in your case to avoid sensational hysteria, her majesty the queen doesn’t even know what you look like, extremely few know your story, they can be counted on one hand, and we must not jeopardize your installation. The queen has given you the chance of your life by approving your exoneration. It’s up to you if you succeed in accepting it or not. One wrong step, and the queen will drop you back into the gutter. You will only have one chance. If you bungle it you are lost, and your titles and fortunes will fall to your illegitimate half brother lord David Dirry-Moir instead, publicly known as Tom-Jim-Jack…

Gwynplaine (exclaims) Tom-Jim-Jack! My brother!

Barkilphedro And the duchess Josiane, who then will marry him, if she is not married to you.

Gwynplaine Josiane! That duchess!

Barkilphedro Precisely.

Gwynplaine When and how will it be decided?

Barkilphedro Tomorrow in the House of Lords, when you will make your ﬁrst appearance as a peer. The session will discuss a number of issues, and you have the right to join the discussion.

Gwynplaine What kind of issues?

Barkilphedro Your installation as the rightful lord Clancharlie among others.

Gwynplaine And if it is carried through my brother Tom-Jim-Jack will be ruined?

Barkilphedro Not at all. He will manage by his position as a counter-admiral.

Gwynplaine And the duchess Josiane?

Barkilphedro If she marries you she has nothing to worry about. Or else she will be impoverished.

Gwynplaine So she would have been married to Tom-Jim-Jack, if he would retain my title?

Barkilphedro Yes.

Gwynplaine And if she doesn’t want me?

Barkilphedro She has to. She has no choice.

Gwynplaine (considers) Anything else of importance to be discussed tomorrow?

Barkilphedro The most important issue is about an extra support for the duke of Cumberland of 100,000 pounds. A sheer formality. Nothing to discuss.

Gwynplaine Of the queen’s or the people’s money?

Barkilphedro It’s the same thing. The queen owns the people.

Gwynplaine (thoughtfully) I understand.

Barkilphedro I hope you understand, mylord Clancharlie. Gwynplaine is dead and must remain dead. You are instead lord Clancharlie with inalienable rights to take part in the legislation of the country. But you must live up to your new role. Or else it will be taken away from you and given to someone else. Everything depends on your willingness to be a peer of England or not. Are you willing?

Gwynplaine Yes.

Barkilphedro Then forget everything that belonged to your terminated life as Gwynplaine. I leave you alone with your reﬂections but stand at your service whenever and anywhere at all hours every day. (makes a deep bow and leaves.)

Gwynplaine So this is my life’s moment of truth. The question is: what shall I do with it?

Revenge? A stupid and supercilious king drove my father into exile for being an idealist and sold his only son to a corrupter of children, exposed a child two years old intentionally to a lifelong ravishment to render an uncomfortable name innocuous for the future. But all my destroyers are dead, even the king who was ultimately responsible is dead, while I alone am alive as a living witness to the crime. The false triumph of the ravishment is mirrored in my imperishable death skull grin, which is the more terrifying for the death skull being alive. And shall I then appear as such in public tomorrow in a legislative assembly? I seem to have no

choice, and at the same time it is a godsend opportunity since I know the people and have lived in the gutter and know all society from the bottom. Does any of the aristocrats of the House of Lords have any trace of a similar advantage? Not one, if I know society correctly, which makes me more lonely than ever. Still I have to make an effort to do what I think is right. That’s the least of my duties as a peer of England. (a thought strikes him)

What about Dea then? My love! My only possible wife! Have I then completely forgotten my family, blinded by this splendour and wealth, this intoxication of sudden possibilities? Have I then permitted power to rise to my head? This palace belongs to my father Ursus and my only love Dea, they may be market clowns like I, the House of Lords and that creepy courtier may say what they want, but I cannot deny my closest of kin for the sake of a position. How they must worry about what could have happened to me! I must get back and out of here! (tries to ﬁnd away out but ﬁnd none) Is this then a prison? Am I imprisoned in my fortune and wealth? Has my position as a lord become lifetime shackles? (succeeds in opening a door, a new scene is revealed showing Josiane in linen and loose hair resting on a couch)

Josiane (wakes up) Is someone there? (Gwynplaine has stopped in astonishment, overwhelmed by her appearance) Is that you, Barkilphedro? Was there anything else? Or could it be Tom-Jim-Jack? He was also supposed to come here. Or some new trick by the fox Barkilphedro? Who is it? (rises and becomes suddenly aware of Gwynplaine)

But it is Gwynplaine! (embraces him at once passionately and spontaneously) How on earth did you get here? And even dressed up as a lord! Of course, it is quite appropriate, no clowns are more clownish than the lords. Don’t say anything. Explanation kills the unexplainable, which should be left intact as such. The point is that you have come. I love you. You are the monster I always dreamed of. Be my lover, now and forever! I am yours, saved by destiny for you, for I am a virgin and have always waited for the contrary to all that beauty and luxury and stylish splendour that always just bored me to death. I am the queen’s sister, do you know? I am really more legitimate than she, for she was not born of a king, while I had a real king for my father, which she can never forgive me. Let us forget her. Let us forget all the establishment with all its pretension and vanity and covert meanness, which is only masked inhumanity, and throw ourselves down into the forbidden abyss of gluttoning in emotions and the unmasking of the lying reality by your challenging elevation as a contrast to all falsity in the world! I love you, Gwynplaine, for your mask is in its extreme grotesqueness truer than all the lying hypocrisy of the world. Be my lover! Come! Take me! I offer you willingly my complete virginity, specially reserved for your monstrous truth!” (kisses him passionately. A prudent knock on the door.)

What’s now then? (a chamber maid brings a letter on a silver tray) maid From the queen, your grace. (curtseys and leaves.)

Josiane (grabs the letter) She must always disturb. Can you read, Gwynplaine?

Gwynplaine Yes.

Josiane Then read to me what cold showers my loathsome sister brings to me this time. Gwynplaine (reads trembling) "Sister, I have the great pleasure to inform you of the discovery of a legitimate son of the late lord Clancharlie, which means your engagement to David DirryMoir, our Tom-Jim-Jack, no longer is valid. This new lord Clancharlie was discovered among market clowns and has lived all his life unaware of his birth, degraded from the beginning by a facial surgery by Comprachicos, which turned him into a constantly laughing man, known among the people as Gwynplaine. It is our most gracious will and command that you marry him. In order for you to get to know each other better, I have made arrangement for you to be at the same place.

Your loving sister, queen Anne.”

(Gwynplaine lowers his hand with the letter, benumbed. Josiane has listened to the reading with mixed feelings of a tempestuous nature.)

Josiane (after some while) She will always ruin everything. That was the explanation then, the destruction of you and our relationship and the possibilities of our love. So you are my husband then. But I don’t want any husband. I only want a lover. Go! Get lost!

(Gwynplaine remains standing at a loss.)

So I will have to remove myself instead. I loved you as my lover. As my husband though I will never be able to more than hate you. (leaves hastily)

Gwynplaine The absurdities keep superseding each other in constantly increasing absurdity. Can a virgin be honourable as such who only wants a lover but no husband? Is a woman who can only love a freak in his degradation any real woman? Alas, how much higher does not Dea rank in her blindness than this perfectly beautiful woman of only despicability!

(determined steps are heard) A new guest in my absurd wonderland. (enter Tom-Jim-Jack dressed up with a sword as a dashing naval ofﬁcer.)

Tom Gwynplaine!

Gwynplaine Tom-Jim-Jack!

Tom How come you are here, Gwynplaine?

Gwynplaine And how did you get here?

Tom Ah, I see! Josiane! A whim! An abortion as a comedian was too irresistible for her. You have disguised yourself in order to get here.

Gwynplaine You are also disguised, Tom-Jim-Jack.

Tom But you are disguised as a peer. How is it possible?

Gwynplaine And you are disguised as a naval ofﬁcer. How is that possible?

Tom I don’t need to answer your questions, Gwynplaine.

Gwynplaine Nor I yours. Tom-Jim-Jack.

Tom Gwynplaine, my name is not Tom-Jim-Jack.

Gwynplaine Tom-Jim-Jack, my name is not Gwynplaine.

Tom This is my home. Once more, what are you doing here?

Gwynplaine No, this is my home. What are you doing here?

Tom Stop copying me. You can be ironic, but I can ﬂog you.

Gwynplaine No, you can’t. There must be a duel in that case, for I am a nobleman.

Tom You are going too far in your role play. I am counter admiral of England.

Gwynplaine And I am peer of England.

Tom (bursts out laughing) And when did you become that? When Josiane put you into that costume?

Gwynplaine I was always a peer of England, Tom-Jim-Jack.

Tom Her grace has apparently risen to your head. Forget Tom-Jim-Jack. My real name is lord David Dirry-Moir.

Gwynplaine Forget Gwynplaine. My real name is lord Fermain Clancharlie.

Tom (still merry) This is too crazy. Who has staged this freak show? Is it Josiane?

Gwynplaine It is no freak show, Tom-Jim-Jack. We are brothers.

Tom Yes, we are brothers, and therefore I forgive you. Se are brothers in the capacity of Josiane’s only two lovers. Be my guest in my palace for as long as you wish, Gwynplaine. (offers his hand)

Gwynplaine (accepts it) Be my guest in my palace as long as you wish, Tom-Jim-Jack DirryMoir.

(A curtain is opened, and Barkilphedro enters with following.)

Barkilphedro No, gentlemen, you are not her lovers but her true husbands both of you.

Tom Barkilphedro! Has the cat brought you back in here again!

Barkilphedro Not only me but a considerably higher ofﬁcial than me.

the other nobleman (bows three times to Gwynplaine) Mylord, I am the knight of the black staff and have come by the order of her majesty the queen to escort your grace to the House of Lords.

Tom (pants) So it’s true!

Barkilphedro All tales are true, lord David. (Barkilphedro and the nobleman escort Gwynplaine out.)

Tom (left alone) This is better than any ordinary play!

Scene 2.

Dea I know that Gwynplaine is gone, Ursus. Where is he?

Ursus I don’t know. I wish I knew. I followed the policemen but saw them disappear into a dark vault with Gwynplaine. I waited until midnight without seeing him come out again.

Dea It’s the ﬁrst time we are without each other.

Ursus We must make it, Dea, even if our entire show is wrecked for his sake. We must be patient. We know that he didn’t do anything. So he must come back.

Dea But when?

Ursus That’s the big question. (a knock) Come in! (Nicholas shows up.)

Master Nicolas! Come on in!

Nicholas I see that Gwynplaine hasn’t arrived yet.

Ursus Unfortunately your observation is quite right.

Nicholas May I speak with you privately, Ursus?

Ursus Would you pardon us, Dea? You could listen outside. (to Nicholas) She hears everything anyway. No one can fool her. We tried to make her believe that Gwynplaine was back by ventriloquism. Phoebe and Venus and everyone were fooled but not Dea.

Dea Don’t worry, master Nicholas. I will get out of hearing. I will learn everything anyway in time. (leaves)

Nicholas (when she is gone) Ursus, I know that Gwynplaine was fetched by the police this morning. He has not come back. You followed him to the Chatham prison. You came back empty-handed. The risk is that Gwynplaine will not be back.

Ursus What is your point?

Nicholas In that case the whole show is lost. Gwynplaine is your only star. Without him everything is lost.

Ursus And?

Niklas Your nearest competitor for the audience has asked me to make a proposition. He is willing to take over the Green Box, Phoebe and Venus, the horses and all the requisites for a reasonable price.

Ursus You must understand, master Nicholas, that I could impossibly take such a step before all hope was lost.

Nicholas I understand that completely. The proposition remains. You will probably rather soon have notice about Gwynplaine.

Ursus Most certainly. You may leave now.

Nicholas I’ll be back. (leaves)

Ursus Gwynplaine, my poor son, the greatest clown the world has seen, what could possibly be to the interest of the world to ruin the fun for a clown?

Dea (returns) I heard him. What did he want?

Ursus Our competitor wants to buy the Green Box.

Dea They try while Gwynplaine is gone. But they can’t overthrow Gwynplaine that easily. His star keeps shining without being disturbed by mundane intrigues. I know that he is not dead.

Ursus How do you know?

Dea I know.

Ursus So, you know without knowing how you know and without reason for your knowing. That’s in any case better than to live in uncertainty like all the rest of us.

Dea He has happened to something else, something weird, which he has to get through before he can return.

Ursus A trial? A new better employment? A try on a better stage? A chance of a career?

Dea Something like that.

Ursus If everyone were as clairvoyant as you no one would need any eyes any more in this world.

(Homo growls outside.)

Someone is coming again.

Dea Shall I leave?

Ursus Yes, Dea, leave, for if Homo growls in that manner it is an ofﬁcial without any good news. (a knock) Come in.

(Barkilphedro shows himself with police escort.)

Barkilphedro Master Ursus, philosopher?

Ursus Yes. Can’t you read on the door?

Barkilphedro I hope I am not disturbing.

Ursus Those are always the words of a disturbance.

Barkilphedro I come as someone who wishes you well.

Ursus So why have you brought the police?

Barkilphedro Master Ursus, I will be straight with you. You have made yourself known for subversive activities by delivering agitation messages to the people from the stage.

Ursus So do all theatres.

Barkilphedro Yes, and they all do it with ﬁnesse, so that no authority can prosecute them. But you have a wolf, and that is against the law.

Ursus What is your point?

Barkilphedro If you don’t leave the country immediately with your wolf, your wolf will be shot, and you will end up in prison.

Ursus Extortion then, old downright extortion by the authorities against the private citizen, in this case an innocent philosopher outside society and simple actor in the entertainment business. How do you mean to accomplish anything good by this?

Barkilphedro I just present facts.

Ursus You said you wished us well. Are you doing us anything good by this?

Barkilphedro I give you a chance to survive with your wolf.

Ursus I don’t understand the motivation of your extortion. What harm have we done?

Barkilphedro You are in danger. I want to save you.

Ursus What is the danger? Gwynplaine?

Barkilphedro Yes.

Ursus You must understand that we can’t possibly leave the country without even any notice about him.

Barkilphedro He is dead. (Dea gives a short scream behind the scene.)

Ursus There you broke a heart. Your message is unacceptable without evidence.

Barkilphedro (produces a bundle and opens it: Gwynplaine’s used clothes.) Is this enough?

Ursus (examines them carefully) They are Gwynplaine’s clothes. There is no doubt about it. But it is not enough. If he was killed, why? I saw a cofﬁn being carried out from the Chatham prison. Was he the one?

Barkilphedro He was the one.

Ursus Where is he buried in that case?

Barkilphedro At the cemetery close by.

Ursus What did he die of?

Barkilphedro Master Ursus, I have to observe the obligation of silence, and you must respect it. I have made myself clear. You must leave the country today. There is a ship for Rotterdam tonight. Be on board, and you have saved everyone except Gwynplaine, whom you must give up as lost. You can’t have any hopes for buried bodies. I know that you have had a generous offer for your Green Box with your gipsies and horses and everything. Thereby you will get away with a safe capital and can carry on your activities as you wish in the Netherlands. That’s all. (rises, takes out a note from Gwynplaine’s purse. ) This is ten pounds from one who wishes you well. Good luck, master Ursus. (leaves with the police escort)

Ursus A coward ofﬁcial in the most rotten service of society only brings insults to people who try to be honest. Ten pounds. Is that a fair compensation for robbing us of Gwynplaine and our life?

Dea (enters, shattered) It must not be true. It cannot be true.

Ursus You heard it all?’

Dea Yes.

Ursus I would have spared you that if anything. Dea May I feel Gwynplaine’s clothes.

Ursus (gives them to her) There is unfortunately no doubt about it.

Dea (takes up the items one by one, feels them carefully, caresses them, folds them tenderly and puts them back)

What is he trying to tell me? What has happened to him? It’s not death, for he still lives in these clothes. He wants to return but can’t. Something holds him back. He has landed in a prison worse than the prison itself.

Nicholas (knocks and drops in again) Well, what about it? Did you learn anything?

Ursus We have no choice, Nicholas. They will murder Homo, the only human and innocent among us, if we don’t disappear with our unpleasantness from their world. Tell that opportunist that we accept his offer.

Nicholas I thought so. He has promised to take well care of Phoebe and Venus. Your circus couldn’t have landed in better hands.

Ursus Any hands are better than those of the so called justice.

Nicholas Could we ﬁnish the transaction at once?

Ursus Yes, Nicholas, for there is nothing I want more than to leave this country at once.

Act V scene 1. The House of Lords. Only wig dummies.

earl 1 There has been a rumour that the queen has found a real living lord Clancharlie in an abandoned foundling who made a career as a market clown.

earl 2 I know everything about it. The queen has commanded her half sister Josiane to marry him.

1 What does the duchess say to that?

She has answered the queen that she was earlier willing to marry lord DirryMoir and have the market clown for a lover. Now she is equally willing to marry the market clown and have lord Dirry-Moir for a lover.

1 A true duchess. What more do you know about that market clown?

2 He appears to suffer from some disability, but he seems to be well fashioned and be good-looking.

1 May we see him here?

2 He has been installed by the queen and should be here. He should be called on with the other lords about the increased support for the duke of Cumberland.

1 Just a matter of formality. No one could refuse the queen’s husband anything.

2 But all the lords called on have the right to freely express their opinion.

1 Do you think there will be any opposition?

2 Hardly. Rather the contrary. If anyone opposes it he will be laughed at.

1 To business. Now the proceedings commence.

(All the lords march in dressed up in red cloaks with ermine trimmings and take their seats with the lord chancellor, who acts as speaker.)

Lord chancellor May I ask the lords to take their seats so that we could have order sometime and start the processings. (hammers until everyone is seated. Gwynplaine has been assigned an obscure place and is hardly seen but is the lonely one without a wig. He has a felt hat though with plumes concealing his face,)

Order! Silence in the House! (hammers one last time) The matter concerned is 100,000 extra pound, baron Hervey. s for the queen’s husband the duke of Cumberland’s maintenance. First speaker is Mylord John, baron Hervey.

Hervey (rising) Approved. (is seated)

Lord chancellor Mylord Francis Seymour, baron Conway of Killultagh.

Conway (rising) Approved. (is seated)

lordkanslern Mylord John Leveson, baron Gower.

Gower (rising) Approved. (is seated)

lordkanslern Mylord Charles Montague, lord Halifax.

Halifax Approved. Prince George has an annual grant in the capacity of her majesty’s husband, another as prince of Denmark, a third as duke of Cumberland and a fourth as great admiral of England and Ireland, but he receives nothing in the capacity of highest commander of the army. That is unfair and an inexcusable omission!

Lord chancellor Mylord Christophe, baron Barnard.

Barnard (rising) Approved. (is seated)

Lord chancellor Mylord Fermain Clancharlie, baron Clancharlie and Hunkerville.

Gwynplaine (rises) Not approved.

(All turn around, try to catch sight of the lord in question, some mumbling rising.) a lord What is the meaning of this? Who brought this man into the House? Get him out at once!

Lord chancellor (hammers desperately) Order! Order! May we ask lord Clancharlie to remove his hat. You don’t wear a hat in parliament. (Gwynplaine immediately removes his hat, his long golden hair openly demonstrates his want of a wig, but you still don’t see his full face.)

Another lord (turns to Gwynplaine) Who are you and what do you want? Where do you come from? Do we know you?

Lord chancellor May we ask lord Clancharlie to elaborate his argument.

Gwynplaine Gentlemen, I don’t know you and you don’t know me, for I come from down the people, who know me and whom I know. Gentlemen, it is not fair that one of the richest

men of the kingdom should be additionally enriched at the cost of the state, that is the people, when there is a want of hospitals everywhere, when the country is overwhelmed by beggars who when they get old are scrapped at the almshouses, especially women and single mothers who non one cares for, when children are used for labour in the coal mines because they are cheaper to keep while the unemployment ﬁgures constantly are increasing… earl 1 (to earl 2) It’s him.

2 He is dashing, brave and eloquent.

1 Look at his mouth.

2 Good lord, he is laughing!

An impertinent lord Are you here to mock us? What is so funny?

Gwynplaine I mock no none, for I have been enough mocked all my life. another Isn’t that the market clown from the Green Box, which everyone goes there to laugh at him? Who has let him in here?` a younger lord He has the right to speak!

Lord chancellor (hammers impetuously) Silence! Order! Let lord Clancharlie ﬁnish his speech!

Gwynplaine (when the storm has calmed somewhat) You don’t understand. My father lord Clancharlie was a republican and obnoxious to king James II who exiled him and sold his only son to Comprachicos, mongers of children, for them to disﬁgure his appearance and turn him into a lifetime clown by remaking his face into a laughing mask. That is me, who spent all my life in the gutter but acquired from there a healthy and realistic perspective of all humanity. This living reality is alien to you, and that is your poverty. impertinent lord (demonstratively) Is he accusing us of poverty?

another What does he care about poverty when he himself is a lord belonging to the richest in the country?

An angry lorden arg lord Throw him out. We have had enough. another There is no room for gallows-faces in the parliament! The younger He has the right to conclude his speech! another He has no right at all! He has no education!

Gwynplaine I have a more thorough social education than any of you. Lord chancellor (hammers on in vain) Order! Order!

An evil lord What is that laughing face doing here? People pay to look at such monsters in the market, but here we decline grotesque freaks.

Gwynplaine Gentlemen, I am not laughing, I am crying! (not until now Gwynplaine’s face becomes fully visible with all lights on it, and more and more lords can no longer keep themselves from laughing) When I was abandoned by those who at the king’s orders had destroyed my face and life, the ﬁrst man I met was a hanged man in a gallows. That was my encounter with justice. The second human being I met was a dead mother in the snow with a child. That was my encounter with social reality. But the child lived, and that was my encounter with life in its most beautiful innocence and purity, for the child was born blind but more beautiful and wise than any seeing man. My next meeting was with a man who was good, bu the was an outcast and alone, and his only friend was a wolf. He brought me up as a market clown but not to make a fool of me but to delight people by his moralities and my illustration of them. We made a success. We delighted people, gave them inspiration and hope and not just ﬁts of laughter, which you, mylords, the highest legislative parliament of England, more and more seem to succumb to by the loss of all your self control.

A lord (laughs himself to incontinence) Throw him out before we collapse! This is too much! Another (roaring with laughter) He is better than in the market!

Gwynplaine (tries to shout down the turmoil) I deplore you! You don’t see what’s good for you! The enire people could turn against you!

lords Look how he laughs!

A good laugh extends the life!

It’s better than at the circus!

earl 1 (to 2) The queen probably made him a lord just to cheer u sup by a practical joke.

2 He is unbeatable as a practical joke. I have never seen such fun.

The angry lord Mister Speaker, I must insist on interrupting the proceedings. We can’t get back to order as long as that clown is allowed to dominate the performance!

The young lord He has the right to speak!

Lord chancellor (hammers in desperation) Order! Silence! Has lord Clancharlie anything further to add to his argument?

Gwynplaine Gentlemen, I find myself drowned by your ignorance. My ordinary audience at the Green Box do want to hear and listen, but you will neither hear nor listen. Instead you bellow to avoid hearing. I have only stated the case as it is. If you find it so unacceptable today I am afraid you will be compelled to swallow it in good time. I find it pointless to inform you of a reality which you refuse to admit, for you are not susceptible to education. I regret to have observe that all I did here was to throw pearls to swine.

(The laughing storm reaches its climax. It become impossible for anyone to make himself heard any more. The lord chancellor hammers on until he at last can make himself heard.)

Lord chancellor Order! Order! In view of the disturbance the proceedings are postponed until further. (breaks it up in haste. To a secretary:) Very unpleasant business! (vanishes) (Everyone breaks it up at the same time, still roaring with laughter. They wipe the sweat off their brows, they hold their stomachs, can’t get another word and leave one by one, until Gwynplaine is left alone. He dons his hat again, and the face is concealed.)

Gwynplaine (when everything is perfectly quiet) No theatre was ever empty like this. The parliament has laughed for the last time, for I will never make another appearance here. I played my role as well as I could. Only the audience was wrong. The lord has done his duty. The lord may leave.

(All lights go out.)

Scene 2.

(Some younger lords try to get out.)

Tom (suddenly showing up) Hold it, you blackguards! I was in parliament! I heard everything! I was not permitted to speak, but I was allowed to be present in the capacity of possible lord. He was absolutely right, and you were absolutely wrong! The devil knows if I want to be a lord any longer, the way I am ashamed of my entire ruling class! You are so stupid that you don’t understand that lord Clancharlie behaved like a perfect lord while you acted like comedians! His laughter is no fault of his. You laughed at his laughter. You don’t laugh at someone’s misfortune. The entire parliament consisted of nothing but fools with one single exception, and all these fools were a shame to humanity in their cruelty! I have a mind to impale you all on my sword by duels! You have acted so shamefully against lord Clancharlie although you are lords like he is, but as Gwynplaine he also has a head and a brain in it, which you don’t. Well, may I have you all on duels? You may choose your weapons yourselves!

Gwynplaine (turns up from the shadows) Since this is about me maybe I also could have something to say about it.

Tom Gwynplaine! How excellent! I just made my self ready to ﬁght all England for your sake!

Gwynplaine Don’t waste your bravery, Tom. It will be needed for better purposes. I know now where I belong, and it is not in politics. I will go home to my own folk in the Green Box and return to those who laughed from felicity at Ursus’ plays and direction. You can be lord Clancharlie yourself, Tom. I decline all claims.

Tom Gwynplaine! You are needed in our society! Don’t desert us now just as you have started!

Gwynplaine I have greater duties to my family, Tom, than to society, and my family is the blind Dea, the misanthrope Ursus and his more than human wolf.

Tom Are you deserting me now, Gwynplaine, just as we became brothers?

Gwynplaine You are welcome back to the Green Box to chastize the audience again, when they ask for it.

Tom I am afraid the Green Box is ﬁnished.

Gwynplaine What are you saying?

Tom Barkilphedro.

Gwynplaine What has he done?

Tom I am afraid he has done something stupid.

(Gwynplaine immediately runs off.)

Tom (to the lords) Gentlemen, I am afraid this matter is constantly taking new turns, which compels us to cancel all duels until further. I hope you will not be disappointed. a lord Lord Dirry-Moir, we await with excitement the further developments of the astonishing parliamentary debate. (bows to lord David. All lords follow his example. Tom bows back to them, salutes them with his sword, and everyone spreads in different directions.)

Scene 3. On the deck of a ship.

Dea lies on a mattress, Ursus is sitting devastated beside her.

Ursus Don’t disturb her, for she is sleeping, and if you wake her up she will die. She can only still keep her dreams sleeping, her one and only dream in life was Gwynplaine which was a true dream, that gave her sight and life, and that dream only now exists in her sleep, for reality scattered it. Sleep, my heart, to avoid breaking more than it already has done, for it cannot take any more upsets. I hope we will have a peaceful crossing without storms, for Dea lies best on deck in the fresh air while she might suffocate below deck. But where is Homo? I don’t understand where my only other friend has gone.

Dea (slowly waking up) I am awake, Ursus, and hear you n o matter much you rather wished I was asleep. I cannot sleep any more, for it is the uncertainty about Gwynplaine that crushes me and drive me out of my senses by worries, for I can never accept that certainty of his death, which you seem to have accepted. He exists. He has only been lost, and like a mother is worried and tortured over a lost child, my heart’s concern grows worse and more dangerous the longer we don’t know anything. But where is Homo? Wasn’t he always with you, Ursus? Ursus Yes. He is also lost.

Dea Then he is searching for Gwynplaine. (rises half way) Perhaps our old ceremonies could call him back. If we perform “The Conquered Chaos” again he might perhaps suddenly reappear like a Deus ex Machina and make all things right again if we just ﬁnd the right formulas…

Ursus Dea, I beseech you, you must not press yourself, try to rest and take it easy, you can’t stand any more emotional strains…

Dea Is not my concern for Gwynplaine an emotional strain enough and worse in its kind than any? Where is Phoebe and Venus? Where is the Green Box? The audience is here, and it has expectations. We must not make disappoint them. (rises, almost in transcendent trance and ﬁnds her role again)

For the earth was only darkness and emptiness, there was no light, until truth arrived which was the word that found its place among us, but men did not know him although he came to his own, but only the outcasts and outlaws could take care of him.

Ursus (can’t avoid joining) For society is a heartless stepmother. Society is just the realm of the body, while nature is the realm of the soul. The former goes into the boards and ends there with the maggots, while the later rises to the enlightenment of the morning light and the bright skies of the ﬁrmament to constantly start all over again.

(Gwynplaine has unnoticed entered with Homo, comes now to Dea and ﬁnds his role again)

Gwynplaine For no darkness is so deep that light cannot overcome it, no human mistake is so unheard of that it cannot be forgiven, and no death is so ﬁnal and complete that life must not overtake it.

Dea Gwynplaine!

Ursus He is back!

Gwynplaine Ja, my beloved ones, I am back to stay to never desert you any more.

Dea It is really him, (feels and embraces him, makes her ﬁngers run through all his hairs,) I feel it, my fairy prince with golden lion mane, the most beautiful man in the world with the deepest soul and the sincerest empathy, the man who knows and loves man more than anyone else, I knew it, he is not dead, he cannot die!

Ursus Dea, take it easy, your tender heart must not break of joy nor of pain, yes, he is back, but let’s make the best of it and not exaggerate!

Dea What does it matter if we die? I know it now. We cannot die, for we love, don’t we, the prince of princes of all fairy tales? By your disappearance I saw darkness for the ﬁrst time in my life, for you were the only light of all human life enlightening the whole world and making it laugh of its heart’s delight just by your appearance…

Gwynplaine Dea, I am not just back, I have obtained a position and exoneration, I am peer of England and now have power and inﬂuence to be able to protect and favour all theatres and writers and poets, you don’t even have to leave England, I forbid it, and I will butcher that ridiculous ﬁddle-faddler Barkilphedro who has abused his authorities…

Ursus (to himself) Is he mad? We are already sailing.

Dea Yes, my beloved, we will always perform and delight the world with your beauty, so that the Green Box will become a real theatre, which will grow into a theatre palace, which will turn into ﬁnest castle in England… (falters, feels her heart)

Ursus Dea!

Dea I can’t breathe.

Ursus Her ecstasy went too far with her.

Gwynplaine Dea, you must not die now in the middle of the moment of triumph! Stay on! I command it!

Dea Not even you, Gwynplaine, can rule over death, but death does not rule over us. I will always remain with you and wait for you on the other side, where we all will ﬁnd a brighter light than even any blind man could ever see on earth…

Gwynplaine Dea!

Ursus (examines her quickly) She has left us. Her happiness became too much for her after all the disasters that vainly tried to break her heart…

Gwynplaine (embraces her desperately) Dea! Come back! I will never leave you! You were the only one I had! Alas, give me your blindness that I may still see you and ﬁnd you alive! Don’t interrupt the performance like this in the middle of its highest moment of truth!

Ursus Alas, Gwynplaine, the show is over. I can’t take any more. I cared for her unto death just for her to be allowed to die at the total recovery… (passes out)

Gwynplaine (releases Dea, rises in full size, all lights on him) Thank you, Dea, I see you. Now I understand your eyes. You always saw everything that the rest of us could never see with our eyes. I understand you. Now I know you. We will start again together, but then it will be in reversed roles, so that you will see me and I will no longer have any mask! We wander here on earth in the heavy mists of darkness and see everything distorted like in a laughing

mirror, but in the next show, Dea, we will see everything clearly, and then even the audience will understand me. We must have patience with all those who don’t understand and not even decline from throwing pearls to swine, for even swine could once become human. Dea, this shall be our device: da capo for ever!

(goes to the opposite railing and jumps over board without hesitation. Homo follows him but stops at the railing. Eventually Ursus wakes up, looks around, misses Gwynplaine, discovers Homo at the railing, goes up to him and takes care of him.)

Ursus (to Homo) Come, my friend, I am afraid that we missed the show.

Curtain.

When the actors receive eventual applause in front of the curtain, Gwynplaine is completely without any mask and Dea with quite ordinary seeing eyes.

Kaza-Keylong-Leh-Tingmosgang 4-14.8.2005, translated in May 2024.

The Dramatist Victor Hugo

Many are deterred by the extreme elements of Victor Hugo, but let us not forget that he started as a dramatist, his first play ”Cromwell” (1831) introduced the formidable golden age of French romanticism, and all his works bear the special brand of the dramatist of elaborate theatricalness. His first great novel "Notre Dame de Paris". Has never failed in its impressive impact in its often repeated and very much varied versions of profound human passionate drama, his play ”The Tyrant of Padua” became one of the most dramatic and colourful operas by Ponchielli’s ”La Gioconda", ”The King Amuses Himself”, another play, became Verdi’s first universal success by ”Rigoletto", also "Les Misérables" has made success on stage, while only the last two great novels, “Workers of the Sea” and “The Man who Laughed” never have been dramatized, “Workers of the Sea” for obvious reasons, the entire novel happens in a sea environment and the dialog is a minimum, while “The Man who Laughed” is perhaps his most theatrical work of all, ingeniously composed as the main story occurs during only three days which glide by in one continuous flow hardly even allowing the leading character any sleep.

It is above all by his deep human pathos that Victor Hugo always remains actual. Like his foremost predecessor the signature ’Shakespeare’ he has acquired insight into the deepest soul

mechanisms of the human nature, which all people have in common but which only few artists have been able to ﬁnd the key of. Like in Dickens and Dostoyevsky his human empathy is without limits, and he also has his deep social engagement in common with them. Unlike them Victor Hugo is a poet as well, and neither Dickens nor Dostoyevsky did ever become dramatists no matter how dramatic they could prove. Only Victor Hugo did in the 19th century prove himself an equal master of both the dramatic, epic and poetic arts, and his novel "Les Misérables" will perhaps appear the greatest or at least the most human novel of the 19th century. Victor Hugo was also passionately active in politics, which led to his long exile to the island of Guernsey during the second empire (1850-70) but also his triumphant return afterwards as a peer of France and maybe the father of the third French republic.

My dramatizations of Victor Hugo are partly a personal tribute to the great poet out of pure gratitude but also an effort to carry on his spirit and human mission. No theatre ever wanted my plays, which hasn’t impeded my lifelong love of the theatre and the dramatic art nor kept me from continuing to work with them. That penchant has rather only been spurred on, like Victor Hugo’s exile from France only spurred him to greater expressions in his novels of his love of France and all matters of humanity.