Alienation (Social psychology) -- Drama; Didactic drama; Friendship -- Drama; Shepherds -- Drama; War -- Drama
THYRSIS and CORYDON: These costumes, in striking contrast to the
elegance of those of Pierrot and Columbine, should be very simple,
and very roughly made; short tunics of outing‐flannel or some such
material—fastened loosely over one shoulder,—one shoulder, as well
as most of the back and breast, exposed. Legs bare, or swathed from
the knee to the ankle in rough strips of the same material. Sandals.
Cloaks of heavier, cheap material fastened to the tunics in such a
way that they will appear to be simply flung over the shoulder, but
actually fastened very cleverly in order to avoid tripping the
shepherds, who are continually sitting down on the floor and getting
up again.
Thyrsis wears a dark grey tunic and cloak of raw bright red,—but not
a turkey‐red, as this color will kill the blue of Corydon’s cloak.
Corydon wears tunic of light grey and cloak of brilliant blue. There
must be no red or blue used anywhere in the entire play excepting in
the blue and red of these two cloaks. The two shepherds must be so
strong and vivid in every way that when Columbine comes in and says,
“Is this my scene or not?” it will seem to the audience that it is
she, not the shepherds, who is hopelessly out of the scene.
CHARACTERS:
PIERROT: Pierrot sees clearly into existing evils and is rendered
gaily cynical by them; he is both too indolent and too indifferent
to do anything about it. Yet in several lines of the play his actual
unhappiness is seen, —for instance, “Moon’s just a word to swear
by,” in which he expresses his conviction that all beauty and
romance are fled from the world. At the end of the play the line,
“Yes, and yet I dare say he is just as dead,” must not be said
flippantly or cynically, but slowly and with much philosophic
concentration on the thought. From the moment when Columbine cries,
“What’s that there under the table?” until Pierrot calls,
“Cothurnus, come drag these bodies out of here!” they both stand
staring at the two bodies, without moving in any way, or even
lifting their eyes. (This same _holding_ of the play is used several
times also by the shepherds,—for instance, always during the
off‐stage interpolations, they stand either staring at each other across
the wall, or maintaining whatever other position they may have had
when the off‐stage voice begins speaking, until the interruption is
over, when they resume their drama quite as if nobody had spoken.)
Columbine’s “How curious to strangle him like that” is spoken
extremely slowly, in a voice of awe, curiosity, and horror. For a
moment the two characters seem almost to feel and be subdued by the
tragedy that has taken place. They remain standing very quietly
while Cothurnus speaks his final lines off stage, and for a moment
after he has said, “The audience will forget”; then very slowly
raise their eyes and exchange glances, Pierrot nods his head curtly
and says, “That’s so”; they set their bowls gaily back on the table,
and the play begins again.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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