Italian drama -- Translations into English; Pirandello, Luigi, 1867-1936 -- Translations into English
DI NOLLI. Come in! What's the matter? What are you all
doing?
FRIDA. Oh God! I'm frightened! I'm going to run away.
(_Makes towards exit at Left_).
DI NOLLI (_restraining her at once_). No, no, Frida!
LANDOLPH. My Lord, this fool here ... (_indicates
Berthold_).
BERTHOLD (_protesting_). Ah, no thanks, my friends, no
thanks! I'm not stopping here! I'm off!
LANDOLPH. What do you mean--you're not stopping here?
HAROLD. He's ruined everything, my Lord, running away in
here!
LANDOLPH. He's made him quite mad. We can't keep him in
there any longer. He's given orders that he's to be
arrested; and he wants to "judge" him at once from the
throne: What is to be done?
DI NOLLI. Shut the door, man! Shut the door! Go and close
that door! (_Landolph goes over to close it_).
HAROLD. Ordulph, alone, won't be able to keep him there.
LANDOLPH. --My Lord, perhaps if we could announce the
visitors at once, it would turn his thoughts. Have the
gentlemen thought under what pretext they will present
themselves to him?
DI NOLLI. --It's all been arranged! (_To the Doctor_): If
you, doctor, think it well to see him at once....
FRIDA. I'm not coming! I'm not coming! I'll keep out of
this. You too, mother, for Heaven's sake, come away with me!
DOCTOR. --I say ... I suppose he's not armed, is he?
DI NOLLI. --Nonsense! Of course not. (_To Frida_): Frida,
you know this is childish of you. You wanted to come!
FRIDA. I didn't at all. It was mother's idea.
DONNA MATILDA. And I'm quite ready to see him. What are we
going to do?
BELCREDI. Must we absolutely dress up in some fashion or
other?
LANDOLPH. --Absolutely essential, indispensable, sir. Alas!
as you see ... (_shows his costume_), there'd be awful
trouble if he saw you gentlemen in modern dress.
HAROLD. He would think it was some diabolical masquerade.
DI NOLLI. As these men seem to be in costume to you, so we
appear to be in costume to him, in these modern clothes of
ours.
LANDOLPH. It wouldn't matter so much if he wouldn't suppose
it to be the work of his mortal enemy.
BELCREDI. Pope Gregory VII.?
LANDOLPH. Precisely. He calls him "a pagan."
BELCREDI. The Pope a pagan? Not bad that!
LANDOLPH. --Yes, sir,--and a man who calls up the dead! He
accuses him of all the diabolical arts. He's terribly afraid
of him.
DOCTOR. Persecution mania!
HAROLD. He'd be simply furious.
DI NOLLI (_to Belcredi_). But there's no need for you to be
there, you know. It's sufficient for the doctor to see him.
DOCTOR. --What do you mean?... I? Alone?
DI NOLLI.--But they are there (_indicates the three young
men_).
DOCTOR. I don't mean that ... I mean if the Marchioness....
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account