Breath, and Other Shorts Read online

  Breath

  and other shorts

  Books by Samuel Beckett

  Published by Faber and Faber

  WAITING FOR GODOT

  EH JOE

  ALL THAT FALL

  PLAY

  ENDGAME

  KRAPP'S LAST TAPE and EMBERS

  HAPPY DAYS

  FILM

  OUR EXAGMIN A TION ROUND HIS

  FACTIFICATION FOR INCAMINATION

  OF WORK IN PROGRESS

  (Samuel Beckett and others)

  Published by Calder and Boyars

  MURPHY

  WATT

  MOLLOY

  MALONE DIES

  MOLLOY, MALONE DIES, THE UN NAMABLE

  HOW IT IS

  IMAGINATION DEAD IMAGINE

  POEMS IN ENGLISH

  PROUST AND THREE DIALOGUES

  WITH GEORGES DUTHUIT

  COME AND GO

  NO'S KNIFE

  LESS NESS

  MORE PRICKS THAN KICKS

  THE LAST ONES

  T HE SAMUEL BECKETT READER

  SAMUEL BECKETT

  BREATH

  and other shorts

  FABER AND FABER

  3 Queen Square

  London

  First published in 1971

  bv Faber and Faber Limited

  3 Queen Square London WC I

  Reprinted I972 and 1975

  Printed in Great Britain by

  Whitstable Litho Ltd., Whitstable, Kent

  All rights reserved

  ISBN 0 571 09795 2 (paper covers)

  ISBN 0 57 I 09777 4 (hard bound edition)

  Applications for the performing rights of the dramatic

  works included in this volume should be addressed to

  Curtis Brown Ltd., 13 King Street, Col'ent Garden,

  London. W.C.2.

  CONDITIONS OF SALE

  This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by

  way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise

  circulated without the publisher's prior consent in any form of

  binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser

  © Samuel Beckett I958, 1967 and 1971,

  Grove Press /958 and I960

  © This collection Faber and Faber /97I

  The first British performance of Breath was at the Close

  Theatre Club in Glasgow in October 1969.

  Act Without Words I (Acte Sans Paroles) was first performed in Great Britain at the Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, London, on 3rd April 1957, as part of a

  double bill with Endgame. It was played and directed by

  Deryk Mendel with music by John Beckett.

  From an Abandoned Work was first broadcast by the

  B.B.C. in the Third Programme on 14th December 1957.

  It was spoken by Patrick Magee; and the producer was

  Donald McWhinnie.

  ACK NOW LE DG EME NTS

  The English text of Act Without Words II

  was first published in New Departures I.

  Contents

  BREATH

  page 9

  COME AND GO

  A Dramaticule

  13

  ACT WITHOUT WORDS I

  A Mime for one Player

  23

  ACT WITHOUT WORDS II

  A Mime for two Players

  31

  FROM AN ABANDONED WORK

  37

  7

  Breath

  CURTAIN

  I. Faint light on stage littered with miscellaneous rubbish.

  Hold about five seconds.

  2. Faint brief cry and immediately inspiration and slow

  increase of light together reaching maximum together in

  about ten seconds. Silence and hold about five seconds.

  3. Expiration and slow decrease of light together reaching

  minimum together (light as in I) in about ten seconds and

  immediately cry as before. Silence and hold about five

  seconds.

  CURTAIN

  RUBBISH

  No verticals, all scattered and lying.

  CRY

  Instant of recorded vagitus. Important that two cries be

  identical, switching on and off strictly synchronized light

  and breath.

  BREATH

  Amplified recording.

  MAXIMUM LIGHT

  Not bright. IfO =dark and 10 = bright, light should move

  from about 3 to 6 and back.

  II

  Come and Go

  A Dramaticule

  for John Calder

  GHARACTERS

  Flo

  Vi

  Ru

  (Ages undeterminable)

  Sitting centre side by side stage right to left FLO, VI and RU.

  Very erect, facing front, hands clasped in laps.

  Silence.

  VI: When did we three last meet?

  RU: Let us not speak.

  Silence.

  Exit VI right.

  Silence.

  FLO: Ru.

  RU: Yes.

  FLO: What do you think of Vi?

  RU: I see little change. (FLO moves to centre seat, whispers

  in RU's ear. Appalled.) Oh! (They look at each other.

  FLO puts her finger to her lips.) Does she not realize?

  FLO: God grant not.

  Enter VI. FLO and RU turn back front, resume pose. VI

  sits right.

  Silence.

  FLO: Just sit together as we used to, in the playground at Miss

  Wade's.

  RU: On the log.

  Silence.

  Exit FLO left.

  Silence.

  RU: Vi.

  VI: Yes.

  RU: How do you find Flo?

  19

  VI: She seems much the same. (RU moves to centre seat,

  whispers in VI's ear. Appalled.) Oh! (They look at each

  other. RU puts her finger to her lips.) Has she not been

  told?

  RU: God forbid.

  Enter FLO. RU and VI turn back front, resume pose.

  FLO sits left.

  RU: Holding hands ... that way.

  FLO: Dreaming of ... love.

  Silence.

  Exit RU right.

  Silence.

  VI: Flo.

  FLO: Yes.

  VI: How do you think Ru is looking?

  FLO: One sees little in this light. (vi moves to centre seat,

  whispers in FLO's ear. Appalled.) Oh! (They look at

  each other. VI puts her finger to her lips.) Does she not

  know?

  VI: Please God not.

  Enter RU. VI and FLO turn back front, resume pose.

  RU sits right.

  Silence.

  VI: May we not speak of the old days? (Silence.) Of what

  came after? (Silence.) Shall we hold hands in the old

  way?

  After a moment they join hands as follows: VI's right

  hand with RU's right hand, VI's left hand with FLO's left

  hand, FLO's right hand with RU's left hand, VI's arms

  being above RU's left arm and FLO's right arm. The three

  pairs of clasped hands rest on the three laps.

  Silence.

  FLO: I can feel the rings.

  Silence.

  CURTAIN

  20

  NOTES

  Successive positions

  1

  FLO

  VI RU

  2 {FLO

  RU

/>   FLO

  RU

  3

  VI FLO RU

  4 {VI

  RU

  VI RU

  5

  VI RU

  FLO

  6 {VI

  FLO

  VI FLO

  7

  RU

  VI FLO

  Hands

  RU

  VI

  FLO

  �

  Lighting

  Soft, from above only and concentrated on playing area.

  Rest of stage as dark as possible.

  Costume

  Full-length coats, buttoned high, dull violet (Ru), dull red

  (Vi), dull yellow (Flo). Drab nondescript hats with enough

  brim to shade faces. Apart from colour differentiation

  three figures as alike as possible. Light shoes with rubber

  soles. Hands made up to be as visible as possible. No rings

  apparent.

  Seat

  Narrow bcnchlike seat, without back, just long enough to

  accommodate three figures almost touching. As little visible

  as possible. It should not be clear what they are sitting on.

  21

  Exits

  The figures are not seen to go off stage. They should

  disappear a few steps from lit area. If dark not sufficient

  to allow this, recourse should be had to screens or drapes

  as little visible as possible. Exits and entrances slow,

  without sound of feet.

  Ohs

  Three very different sounds.

  Voices

  As low as compatible with audibility. Colourless except for

  three "ohs" and two lines following.

  22

  Act Without Words I

  A Mime for one Player

  Translated from the original French

  by the author

  To Music by JOHN BECKETT

  Desert. Dazzling light.

  The man is flung backwards on stage from right wing.

  He falls, gets up immediately, dusts himself, turns aside,

  reflects.

  Whistle from right wing.

  He reflects, goes out right.

  Immediately flung back on stage he falls, gets up im-

  mediately, dusts himself, turns aside, reflects.

  Whistle from left wing.

  He reflects, goes out left.

  Immediately flung back on stage he falls, gets up immediately, dusts himself, turns aside, reflects.

  Whistle from left wing.

  He reflects, goes towards left wing, hesitates, thinks

  better of it, halts, turns aside, reflects.

  A little tree descends from flies, lands. It has a single

  bough some three yards from ground and at its summit a

  meagre tuft of palms casting at its foot a circle of shadow.

  He continues to reflect.

  Whistle from above.

  He turns, sees tree, reflects, goes to it, sits down in its

  shadow, looks at his hands.

  A pair of tailor's scissors descends from flies, comes to

  rest before tree, a yard from ground.

  He continues to look at his hands.

  Whistle from above.

  25

  He looks up, sees scissors, takes them and starts to trim

  his nails.

  The palms close like a parasol, the shadow disappears.

  He drops scissors, reflects.

  A tiny carafe, to which is attached a huge label inscribed

  wATER, descends from flies, comes to rest some three yards

  from ground.

  He continues to reflect.

  Whistle from above.

  He looks up, sees carafe, reflects, gets up, goes and

  stands under it, tries in vain to reach it, renounces, turns

  aside, reflects.

  A big cube descends from flies, lands.

  He continues to reflect.

  Whistle from above.

  He turns, sees cube, iooks at it, at carafe, reflects, goes

  to cube, takes it up, carries it over and sets it down under

  carafe, tests its stability, gets up on it, tries in vain to reach

  carafe, renounces, gets down, carries cube back to its place,

  turns aside, reflects.

  A second smaller cube descends from flies, lands.

  He continues to reflect.

  Whistle from above.

  He turns, sees second cube, looks at it, at carafe, goes to

  second cube, takes it up, carries it over and sets it down

  under carafe, tests its stability, gets up on it, tries in vain

  to reach carafe, renounces, gets dowil, takes up second

  cube to carry it back to its place, hesitates, thinks better

  of it, sets it down, goes to big cube, takes it up, carries it

  over and puts it on small one, tests their stability, gets up

  on them, the cubes collapse, he falls, gets up immediately,

  brushes himself, reflects.

  He takes up small cube, puts it on big one, tests their

  stability, gets up on them and is about to reach carafe when

  26

  it is pulled up a little way and comes to rest beyond his

  reach.

  He gets down, reflects, carries cubes back to their place,

  one by one, turns aside, reflects.

  A third still smaller cube descends from flies, lands.

  He continues to reflect.

  Whistle from above.

  He turns, sees third cube, looks at it, reflects, turns aside,

  reflects.

  The third cube is pulled up and disappears in flies.

  Beside carafe a rope descends from flies, with knots to

  facilitate ascent.

  He continues to reflect.

  Whistle from above.

  He turns, sees rope, reflects, goes to it, climbs up it and

  is about to reach carafe when rope is let out and deposits

  him back on ground.

  He reflects, looks round for scissors, sees them, goes and

  picks them up, returns to rope and starts to cut it with

  scissors.

  The rope is pulled up, lifts him off ground, he hangs on,

  succeeds in cutting rope, falls back on ground, drops

  scissors, falls, gets up again immediately, brushes himself,

  reflects.

  The rope is pulled up quickly and disappears in flies.

  With length of rope in his possession he makes a lasso

  with which he tries to lasso the carafe.

  The carafe is pulled up quickly and disappears in flies.

  He turns aside, reflects.

  He goes with lasso in his hand to tree, looks at bough,

  turns and looks at cubes, looks again at bough, drops

  lasso, goes to cubes, takes up small one, carries it over

  and sets it down under bough, goes back for big one, takes

  it up and carries it over under bough, makes to put it on

  small one, hesitates, thinks better of it, sets it down, takes

  27

  up small one and puts it on big one, tests their stability,

  turns aside and stoops to pick up lasso.

  The bough folds down against trunk.

  He straightens up with lasso in his hand, turns and sees

  what has happened.

  He drops lasso, turns aside, reflects.

  He carries back cubes to their place, one by one, goes

  back for lasso, carries it over to the cubes and lays it in a

  neat coil on small one.

  He turns aside, reflects.

  Whistle from right wing.

  He reflects, goes out right.

  Immediately flung back on stage he falls, gets up im-

  mediately, brushes himself, tur
ns aside, reflects.

  Whistle from left wing.

  He does not move.

  He looks at his hands, looks round for scissors, sees

  them, goes and picks them up, starts to trim his nails, stops,

  reflects, runs his finger along blade of scissors, goes and

  lays them on smaii cube, turns aside, opens his coiiar,

  frees his neck and fingers it.

  The smaii cube is pulled up and disappears in flies,

  carrying away rope and scissors.

  He turns to take scissors, sees what has happened.

  He turns aside, reflects.

  He goes and sits down on big cube.

  The big cube is puiled from under him. He fails. The big

  cube is puiled up and disappears in flies.

  He remains lying on his side, his face towards auditorium, staring before him.

  The carafe descends from flies and comes to rest a few

  feet from his body.

  He does not move.

  Whistle from above.

  He does not move.

  28

  The carafe descends further, dangles and plays about his

  face.

  He does not move.

  The carafe is pulled up and disappears in flies.

  The bough returns to horizontal, the palms open, the

  shadow returns.

  Whistle from above.

  He does not move.

  The tree is pulled up and disappears in flies.

  He looks at his hands.

  CURTAIN

  29

  Act Without Words II

  A Mime for two Players

  Translated from the original French

  by the author

  NOTE:

  This mime should be played on a low and narrow platform at back of stage, violently lit in its entire length, the rest of the stage being in darkness. Frieze effect.

  A is slow, awkward (gags dressing and undressing),

  absent. B brisk, rapid, precise. The two actions therefore,

  though B has more to do than A, should have approximately the same duration.

  ARGUMENT:

  Beside each other on ground, two yards from right wing,

  two sacks, A's and B's, A's being to right (as seen from

  auditorium) of B's, i.e. nearer right wing. On ground beside

  sack B a little pile of clothes (C) neatly folded (coat and

  trousers surmounted by boots and hat).

  Enter goad right, strictly horizontal. The point stops a

  foot short of sack A. Pause. The point draws back, pauses,

  darts forward into sack, withdraws, recoils to a foot short

  of sack. Pause. The sack does not move. The point draws

  back again, a little further than before, pauses, darts forward again into sack, withdraws, recoils to a foot short of sack. Pause. The sack moves. Exit goad.

  A, wearing shirt, crawls out of sack, halts, broods, prays,