Block 1

Introduction to One-Ad Pbys
UNIT 1 INTRODUCTION TO ONE-ACT

PLAYS
'Structure
1.0 Objectives
1.1 Introduction
1.2 The Parts of a Play
1.2.1 Plot
1.2:2 Dramatic Rhythm
1.2.3 Action
1.2.4 Conflict
1.2.5 Characterisation
1.2.6 Dialogue
1.2.7 Structure
1.3 A Brief History of One-Act Plays
1.4 Glossary
1.5 Suggested Reading
1.6 Summing Up
1.7 Answers to Self-check Exercises
1.0 OBJECTIVES
At the end of your study of this unit, you will be able to
define a One-Act Play
state the constituent parts of a play.
1.1 INTRODUCTION
What is a orie-act play?
Plainly stated, it is a play in one-act. This simple definition conveys all that is to be said
about one-act plays. Let us analyse this bald statement.
9) It is a play-that is, it is meant to be performed or enacted.
b) It is a short play (of one act) as distinct from a long play (of three or five acts).
c) What is an Act?
An act is a distinct main section of a play. This implies that a one-act play deals with
one single, dominant dramatic situation. Therefore, a one-act play is not a
condensation of a long play (which consists of a series of situations, where each
situation arises out of what had preceded it). On a similar logic, we can also say that a
one-act play cannot be elongated into a 3-Act or a 5-Act play.
d) A one-act play is short. A short play requires a short span of time to act it out. So to
I produce the maximum effect, a one-act play calls for the greatest artistic unity and
economy. The playwright has to say what he wants to say in less time than.what the
full length play requires. Precision, economy of words and action, tight structure
and pruning of extraneous or superfluous details are the chief merits of a one-act
play
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e) This implies that the attention of the audience has to be at once seized and held out. It
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is analogous to a 100 mts sprint. A swift take-off and a sustained maintenance of that
speed are essential for a win in this short distance race. Similarly from curtain rise to
curtain fall, the tempo has to be maintained in a one-act play.
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I 1.2 THE PARTS OF A PLAY
1.2.1 Plot
As pointed out in 1.1, one-act play cannot accommodate multiple plots or.situations. The
One-Ad mys-1 selection of the material for the plot has ti, limit itself to a single interesting episode. It can
be from everyday life or from history or from an incident out of a story or a novel. If you
read the plays prescribed for this course, you will observe that the plots are not necessarily
complete stories, but they are either incideats from everyday happening or events taken out
of a novel. For instance:
THE BISHOP'S CANDLESTICKS is an adaptation of the story of the encounter between
a convict and a bishop from Victor Hugo's novel Les Miserables.
THE MONKEY'S PAW is a horror play which is also an adaptation from a short story by
W.W. Jacobs.
REFUND is a satire on the anomalies of the modem educational system.
HOW HE LIED TO HER HUSBAND makes an original play out of the hackneyed
situation involving a husband, wife and lover.
THE DEAR DEPARTED is a very amusing little play which makes good fun of the petty-
rnindedness and complacency of a middle class family.
FUMED OAK is remarkable as an effective and satirical comedy on human relationships
with strings attached.
HELLO OUT THERE is a moving short play'on the hypocrisies of a society that fails to
understand the call of one human being to another out there.
The plots of one-act plays are simple and easily comprehensible. The basic plot formula is
that of a beginning, a middle and an end, where the end is distinctly different from the
@ginning. This is what lends to a play its dramatic quality.
1.2.2 Dramatic Rhythm

What do we mean by 'dramatic'? The term is not used in the colloquial sense of being
'sensational' or 'shocking'. In drama, it is used in the sense of effecting a marked change at
the end from what was in the beginning.
The basic rhythmical pattern associated with drama involves building up of tension and its
release. The dramatic element thus is an important constituent part of a play. In the absence
of the dramatic rhythm, the play loses its vitality. There will be no tempo and the play
becomes tedious and monotonous.
1.2.3 Action
The change in the end-what is technically known as 'happening'-constitutes the core of
the play. Something ishappening in the play continuously to effect this change. In other
words, the play is seen to move from the beginning to the end. This forward advance is
brought about by Action. The term'action' should not be confused with 'acting' where the
players, enact the play on the stage. Action is Dramatic Action which helps the plot to
move forwards. While plot gives an account of the event taking place, action is the
propelling (moving) force of the event. From beginning to end, there is action in a play.
Remember that you are witnessing action on the stage. There is no action before the play
begins nor is there any action'after the play ends. That is, action is coterminous with the
play. So long as the play is on, there is action. In other words, action takes place always in
the present. For the audience it is 'here' and 'now'. Even if action narrates (or deals with)
the past, that narration takes place only in the present before our eyes. This action in the
present presses the play into the future and the situation undergoes a change.
Thus action helps the play to progress or to evolve frqm beginning to end. Action need not
necessarily involve physical movement, but it includes shifts in the attitude of.the
characters, change in their emotions, a sudden discovery of truth and development of an idea
or thought or argument (whereby the dramatist.directs our perceptions).
Self-check Exercise 1
Write a brief note on plot, dramatic rhythm, and action with respect to one-act plays.
J.2.4 Conflict lntroduehion to One-Act Plays
II The essence of drama is conflict. The central figure (hero) in a play is called the protagonist.
The middle term agon in Greek means struggle or conflict in which an individual is
engaged. (It can be a single individual or a group.) The conflict can be of two kinds-the
outer and the inner.
outer conflict takes place between two men or two groups of men; or between man and
I society; or between man and a superior force like fate or gods or deemonic powers.
Inner conflict takes place within the mind or self of an individual. You can easily understand
as to why it is easier to present outer conflict on stage than inner conflict.
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Conflict gives rise to action in drama. This action culminates in a marked change at the end
of the play.
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1.2.5- Characterisation
Conflict and action can take place only through characters: Drama originally in Greek meant
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'to do', 'to act' or 'to play'. This definition is still valid. Both conflict and action centre
round characters. Characters or dramatis personae have to initiate action that will give rise
to conflict in a play. Recall what we discussed in 1.2.4 about the protagonist. From that
I discussion you must have learnt that in any kind of a play-whether it is a full length play or
a one-act play, characterisation is of great importance. A play is good depending on the
depth of its characterisation. It is not easy to penetrate into a character in a one-act play to
the extent that can be done in a longer play.
We shall now discuss the essential requisites for good characterisation in a one-act play.
They are :
1) Characterisation should be based on careful and sympathetic observation of people and
life in general. More important is that the characters in a one-act play should be human.
There is not sufficient time or space to present a larger than life portrayal in this form of
drama. The characters cannot be faultless like angels nor fiendish like the demons.
2) Since a one-act play deals with one single situation, characterisation has to be within
that limit, for it has to evolve within the framework of that single dramatic event.
Whatever the characters do or say in relation to that particulaf event cannot be very
different from what could have transpired before or what is likely to follow. In short,
there should be no inconsistency in characterisation. consistency of characterisation is
the cardinal principle in a play to lend credibility to the event presented. This assertion
upon consistency in characterisation, taken in conjunction with our definition of the
dramatic gives rise to the question as to how to reconcile the tw-i.e., how to effect a
change without compromising on consistency? Even if there is a change at the end in
the characters' attitude or behaviaur, care should be taken to show evidence of such
possibilities from the beginning. The motives and circumstances that work the change
in the characters must be carefully and convincingly shown.
1.2.6 Dialogue
Dialogue in drama is the principal medium by which the play moves and characters reveal
themselves. The story is deduced from the conversations among the characters. Dialogues
are of two kinds-prose dialogues and verse dialogues. The most important thing is that the
dialogues should be clear and crisp in a one-act play where the shortness of time and limited
plot scope do not allow lengthy speeches. In a short play a succession of speeches of
unequal length may retard action and produce monotony for the viewers. Lines should not
be complex for the actor to render them with ease and effectiveness and enable the audience
to get to the rdot of the play in quick Succession. The dramatist puts the dialogue to good
use. If there are just two characters, a verbal duel between the two is as good as a duet. It
can also prove an alternative to a straight fight by working out rituals of domination and
submission. The effectiveness of one-act play primarily depends on the verbal exchange
between the characters.
li2.7 Structure
The structure df a one-act play is basically linear with a beginning, a middle and an end.
One-Ad Plays-I There is no question of division as it is a play in one-act. If there is scenic division, that is
indicated by the arrival of a new character on the stage. The change that takes place is often'
marked by a change in the lighting. There can be no breaks in a short play and the tempo has
to be sustained.
Within this basic structure of a beginning, a middle and an end, the play should contain
(i),exposition (ii) complication (iii) climax and (iv) denouement.
Exposition explains the situation, introduces the characters and tells us of action prior to the
situation on hand.
Complication makes it difficult for a resolution of the situation. It introduces fresh factors
that heighten the tension and suspense. At the climax the play reaches the height of
intensity. The emotions are pitched to the highest levels and it marks the beginning of
culmination.
Denouement is the final unwinding of the plot soon after the climax. In many one-act plays
the two come together.
The speeches and action of the play relate to these four aspects of structure.
k BRIEF HISTORY OF ONE-ACT PLAYS

The one-act play is by no means a 20th century invention. What needs to be stressed is that
90% of English one-act plays have been written during the last 50 years.
The origin of one-act plays can be traced to the satyr plays of the Greeks of the 4th century
B.C. which were intended to provide relief at the end of the performance of serious
tragedies. The modem one-act plays and the Greek satyr plays share a common trait-both
can be enjoyed without too much of expense of effort or of time.
In the Middle ages (in the 14th and the 15th centuries), there were short plays which dealt
with Christian subjects and scriptural themes. These were called the medieval miracle and
mystery plays. There was also another of a similar category called the Morality play, of
which the outstanding examples was Everyman. Written in the 15th century, Everyman,
fits in well with the one-act plays of modem times.
The 16th century saw the rise and glory of great English drama. The Elizabethan drama was
written for professional actors and professional theatre. But in the second half of the 16th
century short interludes were written to be performed between two long miracle or mystery
plays or between the courses of a banquet. These were truly one-act plays requiring just a
few actors and capable of being performed in less than half an hour's time.
In the 18th century Fielding's Tom Thumb and Sheridan's The Critic deserve to be
mentioned in any account of one-act plays.
From the above account it is evident that one-act play is not unique to the 20th century, but
since the end of the First World War, there has been a proliferation of this kind in the
English theatre world. Two reasons can be attributed for this large output of one-act plays-
the rise of the amateur drama and the demands of radio and television.The selections in your
course are from the 20th century writings.
GLOSSARY
Superfluous :more than is needed
Extraneous : not related
Anomalous : different in some way from what is normal; imgular
Coterminous : having a common boundary
Duet : a musical composition for two performers
Denouement :the unravelling of a plot Introduction to One-Act Plays
Banquet : elaborate meal, usu. for a special event, at which speeches are made
Amateur :One who is not a professional; who engages in art or sport purely for pleasure.
self-check Exercise 2
1) Write short notes on the following with respect to one-act plays;
a) Conflict b) Characterisation c) Dialogue d) Structure
2) Write a note on the history of one-act plays.

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One-Ad Plays-I
1.5 SUGGESTED READING
Kelsall, Malcolm : Studying Drama :An Introduction, London: Edward Arnold, 1985.
1.6 SUMMING UP
In this unit, we have given you a brief introduction to One-Act plays. You have learnt about
the distinction between a Qne-Act play and a long play
the different parts of a One-Act play and
a brief history of One-Act plays.
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1.7 ANSWERS TO SELF-CHECK EXERCISES
Self-Check Exercise 1
Read Sub-sections 1.2.1-1.2.3 carefully and attempt all answers.
1) Refer Sub-sections 1.2.4 to 1.2.7
2) Read Section 2.3
UNIT 2 THE BISHOP'S
CANDLESTICKS-1
Structure
Objectives
Text of 'The Bishop's Candlesticks'
2.1.1 Study Guide
2.1.2 Note on the Author
2.1.3 Glossary
2.1.4 Chronological Sequence
2.2 Structure of the Play
2.2.1 Exposition
2.2.2 Complication
2.2.3 Climax
2.2.4 Denouement
2.3 Suggested Reading
2.4 Summing Up
2.5 Answers to Self-check Exercises
2.0 OBJECTIVES
In this unit we will help you in studing a short play entitled The Bishop's Candlesticks,
provide you with a glossary of difficult words and set you simple comprehension exercises
to test your understanding of the play. After completing this unit, you will be able to
recognise the plot and structure of the play, appreciate the hidden meanings of the play,
appreciate the hidden meanings of the dialogues and read on your own any other similar
short one-act play.
2.1 TEXT OF 'THE BISHOP'S CANDLESTICKS'
-2.1.1 Study Guide

This is a simple play, linear in its movement-i.e., it moves on a straight line with no
deviations in the story. The play takes about 30 minutes in performance and the scene is set
inside the Bishop's cottage. The letters 'R'and 'L' of the stage directions are,those of the
actors and not of the audience.
Read the play once to get the story. Go back to the play a second time with the help of
glossary to understand the dialogues better. Read it a third time so that you are familiar with
the sequences of the events and recognise the hidden meanings of the dialogues.
THE BISHOP'S CANDLESTICKS

Norman McKinnel
Characters
The Bishop
The Convict
Persome, the Bishop's sister, a widow
Marie
Sergeant of Gendarmes
Time-The beginning of last century
Plact-France, about thirty miles from Paris
Scene: The kitchen of the Bishop's cottage. It is plainly but substantially furnished. Doors R.
and L. and L.C. Window R.C. Fireplace with heavy mantelpiece down R. Oak settle with
writing materials and crucifuc (wood). Eight-day clock R. of window. Kitchen dresser with
cupboard to lock down L. Oak dining table R.C. Chairs, books, etc. Winter wood scene
without. On the mantelpiece are two very handsome candlesticks which look strangely out of
place with their surroundings.
(Marie and Persome discovered. Marie stirring some soup on thefire. Persome laying the
cloth, etc.)
Persome: Marie, isn't the soup boiling yet?
Marie: Not yet, madam.
Persome: Well, it ought to be. You haven't tended the fire properly, child.
Marie: But, madam, you yourself made the fire up.
Persome: Don't answer me back like that. It is rude.
Marie: Yes, madam.
Persome: Then don't let me have to rebuke you again.
Marie: No, madam.
Persome: I wonder where my brother can be. It is after eleven o'clock (looking ai the clock)
and no sign of him. Marie!
Marie: Yes, madam.
Persome: Did Monseigneur the Bishop leave any message for me?
Marie: No, madam.
Persome: Did he tell you where he was going?
Marie: Yes, madam.
Persome: 'Yes, madam' (imitating). Then why haven't you told me, stupid!
Marie: Madam didn't ask me.
Persome: But that is no reason for your not telling me, is it?
Marie: Madam said only this morning I was not to chatter, so I thought.....
Persome: Ah, mon Dieu, you thought! Ah! It is hopeless.
Marie: Yes, madam.
Persome: Don't keep sayingGYes,madam', like a parrot, nincompoop.
Marie: No, madam.
Persome: Well. Where did Monseigneur say he was going?
Marie: To my mother's, madam.
Persome: To your mother's indeed! And why, pray?
Marie: Monseigneur asked me how she was, and I told himshe was feeling poorly.
Persome: You told him she was feeling poorly, did you? And so my brother is to be kept out
of his bed, and go without his supper because you told him she was feeling poorly. There's
gratitude for you!
Marie: Madam, the soup is boiling!
Persome: Then pour it out, fool, and don't chatter. (Marie about to do so.) No, no. Not like
that, here let me do it, and did you put the salt-cellars on the table... the silver ones.
Marie: The silver ones, madam?
Persome: Yes, the silver ones. Are you deaf as well as stupid?
Marie: They are sold, madam.
Persome: Sold! (With horror.) Sold! Are you mad? Who sold them? Why were they sold?
Marie: Monseigneur the Bishop told me this afternoon while you were out to take them to
Monsieur Gorvais who has often admired them, and sell them for as much as I could.
Persome: But you had no right to do so without asking me.
Marie: But, madam, Monseigneur the Bishop told me (with awe).
Persome: Monseigneur the Bishop is a...ahem! But, but what can he have wanted with the
money?
Marie: Pardon, madam, but I think it was for Mere Gringoire.
Persome: Mere Gringoire indeed! Mere Gringoire! What, the old witch who lives at the top
of the hill, and who says she is bedridden because she is too lazy to do any work? And what
did d e r e Gringdhe want with the money, pray?
Marie: Madam, $was for the rent. The bailiff would not wait any longer and threatened to
turn her out today if it were not paid, so she sent little Jean to Monseigneur to ask for help
and...
Persome: Oh, mon Dieu! It is hopeless, hopeless. We shall have nothing left. His estate is
sold, his savings have gone. His furniture, everything. Were it not for my little dot we, 'I'he Blshop*~Candlesticks-l-
should starve, and now my beautiful ...beautiful (sob) salt-cellars. Ah, it is too much, too
much. (She breaks down crying).
Marie: Madam, I am sorry, if I had known ...
Persome: Sorry, and why, pray? If Monseigneur the Bishop chooses to sell his salt-cellars he
may do so, I suppose. Go and wash your hands, they are disgracefully dirty.
Marie: Yes, madam (going towards R.)
[Enter the Bishop, C
Bishop: Ah, how nice and warm it is in here! It is worth going out in the cold for the sake of
the comfort of coming in. (Persome has hastened to help him off with his coat, etc. Marie
%s dropped a deep curtsy.) Thank you, dear. (looking at her) Why, what is the matter? You
have been crying. Has Marie been troublesome, eh? (shaking hisfinger at her) Ah!
...
Persome: No, it wasn't Marie but, but ...
Bishop: Well, well, you shall tell me presently. Marie, my child, run home now, your
mother is better, I have prayed with her, and the doctor has been. Run home! (Marieputting
on cloak and going.) And, Marie, let yourself in quietly in case your mother is asleep.
Marie: Oh, thanks, thanks, Monseigneur.
(She goes to door C., as it opens the snow drives in.)
Bishop: Here, Marie, take my comforter, it will keep you warm. It is very cold tonight.
Marie: Oh, no, Monseigneur! (shamefacedly)
Persome: What nonsense, brother, she is young, she won't hurt.
Bishop: Ah, Persome, you have not been out, you don't know how cold it has become. Here,
Marie, let me put it on for you. (does so) There! Run along, little one.
[Exit Marie, C .
Persome: Brother, I have no patience with you. There, sit down and take your soup, it has
F e n waiting ever so long. And if it is spoilt it serves you right.
Bishop: It smells delicious.
=Persome:I'm sure Marie's mother is not so ill that you need have stayed out on such a night
as this. I believe those people pretend to be ill just to have the Bishop call on them. They
have no thought of the Bishop!
Bishop: It is kind of them to want to see me.
Persome: Well for my part I believe that charity begins at home.
Bishop: And so you make me this delicious soup. You are very good to me, sister.
Persome: Good to you, yes! I should think so. I should like to know where you would be
without me to look after you. The dupe of every idle scamp or lying old woman in the
parish.
Bishop: If people lie to me they are poorer, not I.
Persome: But it is ridiculous, you will soon have nothing left. You give away everything,
everything! !!
Bishop: My dear, there is so much suffering in the world, and I can do so little (sighs), so
very little.
Persome: Suffering, yes, but you never think of the suffering you cause to those who love
you best, the suffering you cause to me.
Bishop (rising):You, sister dear? Have I hurt you? Ah, I remember you had been cryingi
Was it my fault? I didn't mean to hurt you. I am sorry.
Persome: Sorry. Yes. Sorry won't mend it. Humph! Oh, do go on eating your soup before it
gets cold.
Bishop: Very well, dear. (sits) But tell me...
Persorne: You are like a child, I can't trust you out of my sight. No sooner is my back turned
than you get that little minx Marie to sell the silver salt-cellars.
Bishop: Ah, yes, the salt-cellars. It is a pity. You, you were proud of them?
Persome: Proud of them, why they have been in our family for years.
Bishop: Yes, it isg pity, they were beautiful, but still, dear, one can eat salt out of china just
as well.
Persome: Yes, or meat off the floor, I suppose. Oh, it's coming to that. And as for that old
wretch Mere Gringoire, I wonder she had the audacity to send here again. The last time I
slaw her I gave her such a talking to that it ought to have had some effecb
Bishop: Yes! I offered to take her in here for a day or two, but she seemed to think it might
distress you.
Persome: @stress me! !!
Bishop: And the bailiff, who is a very just man, would not wait longer for the rent,
so...so...y ou see I had to pay it.
Persome: you had to pay it. [Gesture of comic despair.
Bishop: Yes, and you see I had no money so I had to dispose of the salt-cellars. It was
fortunate I had them, wasn't it? (smiling)But I'm sorry I have grieved you.
Persome: Oh, go on! go on! you & incorrigible. You'll sell your candlesticks next.
Bishop (with real concern): No, no, sister, not my candlesticks.
Persome: Oh! Why not! They would pay somebodfs rent, I suppose.
Bishop: Ah, you are good, sister, to think of that, but, but I don't want to sell them. You see,
dear, my mother gave them to me on...on her deathbed just after you were born, and...and
she asked me to keep them in remembrance of her, so I would like to keep them, but perhaps
it is a sin to set such store by them?
Persome: Brother, brother, you will break my heart (with tears in her voice). There! don't
say anything more. Kiss me and give me your blessing. I'm going to bed.
[They kiss.
(Bishop making sign of the Cross and murmuring blessing.)
(Persome locks cupboard door and turns to go.)
Persome: Don't sit up too long and tire your eyes.
Bishop: No, dear! Good night! Persome exits R.
Bishop: (comes to table and opens a book, then looks up at the candlesticks):They would
pay somebody's rent. It was kind of her to think of that.
(He stirs thefire, trims the lamp, arranges some 6ooks and papers, sits down, is restless,
shivers slightly, clock outside strikes twelve, and he seitles to read. Music during this. Enter
the Convict stealthily, he has a long knife a d seizes the Bishopfrom behind.)
Convict: If you call out you are a dead man!
Bishop: But, my friend, as you see, I am reading. Why should I call out? Can I help you in
any way?
Convict (hoarsely):I want food. I'm starving. 1haven't eaten anything for three days. Give
me food quickly, quickly, curse you.
Bishop (eagerly):But certainly, my son, you shall hive food. I will ask my sister for the
keys of the cupboard.
[Rising.
Convict: Sit down!!! (The Bishop sits, smiling.) None of that, my friend! I'm too old a bi
d
to be caught with chaff. You would ask your sister for the keys, would you? A likely story!
You would rouse the house too. Eh? Ha! ha! A good joke truly. Come, where is the food? I
want no keys. I have a wolf inside me tearing at my entrails, tearing me; quick, tell me
where the food is.
Bishop (aside):I wish Persome would not lock the cupboard. (aloud)Come, my friend, you
have nothing to fear. My sister and I are alone here.
Convict: How do I know that?
Bishop: Why I have just told you.
(The Convict looks long at the Bishop.)
Convict: Humph! I'll risk it. (Bishop, going to door R.) But mind! Pay me false and as sure
as there are devils in hell I'll drive my knife through your heart. I have nothing to lose.
'
Bishop: You have your soul to lose, my son, it is of more value than my heart. (At door R.
calling.) PersorneTPersome!
(The Convict stands-behind him with his knife ready.)
Persome (within):Yes, brother.
Bishop: Here is a poor traveller who is hungry. If you are not undressed will you come and
open the cupboard and I will give him some supper.
Persome (within):What, at this time of night? A pretty business tmly. Are we to have no
sleep now, but to be at tly beck and call of every ne'er-do-well who happens to pass?
Bishop: But, Persome, the traveller is hungry.
Persome: Oh, very well, I am coming. (Persome enters R. Sees the knife in the Convict:s
hand.) (Fightened) Brother what is he doing with that knife?
Bishop: The knife, oh, well, you see, dear, perhaps he may have thought I...I had sold ours.
(Laughs gently.)
Persorne: Brother, I am frightened. He glares at us like a wild beast (aside to him).
Convict: Hurry, I tell you. Give me food ar I'll stick my knife in you both and help myself.
Bishop: Give me the keys, Persome, (she gives them to him) and now, dear, you may go to
bed.
(Persome going. The Convict springs in front of her.)
Convict: Stop! Neither of you leave this room till I 80.
(She looks at the Bishop.)
Bishop: Persome, will you favour this gentleman with your company at supper? He The BhbqPs c.ndkstidrsd
evidently desires it.
Persome: Very well, brother.
(She sits down at table staring at the two.)
Bishop: Here is some cold pie and a bottle of wine and some bread.
Convict: Put them on the table, y ~ stand
d below it so that I can see you.
(Bishop does so and opens drawer in table, taking out knife and fork, looking at the
knife in cdnvict9shand.)
Convict: My knife is sharp. (He runs hisfinger along the edge and looks at them
meaningly.) And as for forks (taking it up) faugh! steel. (he throws it away) We don't use
forks in prison.-
Persome: Prison?
Convict (cutting off enormous slice, which he tears with hisfingers like an animal, then
starts): What was that? (He looks at the door.) Why the devil do you leave the window
unshuttered and the door unbarred so that anyone can come in (shutting them)?
Bishop: That is why they are left open.
Convict: Well, they are shut now!
Bishop (sighs):For the first time in thirty years.
(Convict eats voraciously and throws a bone on thefloor.)
Persome: Oh, my nice clean floor!
(Bishpppicks & the bone and puts it on plate.)
Convict: You're not afraid of thieves?
Bishop: I am sorry for them.
Convict: Sorry for them. Ha! ha! ha! (drinksfrom bottle) That's a good one. Sorry for them.
Ha! ha! ha! (drinks)(suddenly)What the devil are you?
Bishop: I am a bishop.
Convict: Ha! ha! ha! A bishop. Holy Virgin, a bishop. Well I'm damned!
Bishop: I hope you may eyape that, my son, Persome, you may leave us, this gentleman
will excuse you.
Persome: Leave you with...
Bishop: Please! My friend and I can talk more freely then.
(By this time, owing to his starving condition, the wine has affected the Convict.)
Convict: What's that? Leave us. Yes, yes, leave us. Good night. I want to talk to the Bishop.
The Bishop. Ha! ha!
(Laughsas he drinks and coughs.)
Bishop: Good night, Persome.
(He holds the door open and she goes out R., holding in her skirts as she passes the
Convict.)
1 Convict (chuckling to himself):The Bishop. Ha! ha! Well I'm ....(suddenly very loudly)
D'you know what I am?
Bishop: I think one who has suffered much.
Convict: Suffered (puzzled),suffered? My God, yes. (drinks)But that's a long time ago. Ha!
ha! That was when I was a man, now I'm not a man; now I'm a number; number 15729; and
I've lived in hell for ten years.
Bishop: Tell me about it...about hell.
Convict: Why? (suspiciously)Do you want to tell the police...to set them on my track?
Bishop: No! I will not tell the police.
Convict (looks at him earnestly):I believe you (scratching his head). but damn me if I know
why.
Bishop (laying his hand on the Convict's arm): Tel? me about the time...the time before you
went to...hell.
Convict: It's so long ago I forgot, but I had a little cottage, there were vines growing on it
(dreamily),they looked pretty with the evening sun on them and, and...there was a
woman... she was (thinking hard)...she must have been my wife...y es. (suddenly and very
rapidly)Yes. I rememberkhe was ill, we had no food, I could get no work, it was a bad
year, and my wife, my Jeahette, was ill, dying, (pause)so I s t i k ta buy her food. (Long
pause. The Bishop gently pats his hand.).They caught me. I pleaded tothem, I told them
why I stole, but they laughed at me, and I was sentenced to ten years in the prison hulks,
(pause) ten years in hell. The night I was sentenced the gaoler told me ...told me Jeanette.was
dead. (sobs, with fury) Ah, damn them, damn them, God curse them all.
(He sinks on the table sobbing.)
Bishop: Now tell me about the prison-ship, about hell.
Convict: Tell you about it? Look here, I was a man once. I'm a beast now, and they made
me what I am. They chained me up like a wild animal, they lashed me like a hound. I fed on
filth, I was covered with vermin, I slept on boards and I complained. They lashed me again.
For ten years, ten years. Oh God! They took away my name, they took away my soul, and
they gave me a devil in its place. But one day they were careless, one day they forgot to
chain up their wild beast, and he escaped, He was free. That was six weeks ago. I was free,
to starve.
Bishop: To starve?
Convict: Yes, to starve. They feed you in hell, but when you escape from it you starve.'They
were hunting me everywhere and I had no passport, no name. So I stole again. I stole these
rags, I stole my food daily, I slept in the woods, in barns, anywhere. I dare not ask for work,
I dare not go into a town to beg, so I stole, and they have made me what I am, they have
made me a thief. God curse them all.
(Empties the bottle and throws it into the fireplace R., smashing it.)
Bishop: My son, you have suffered much, but there is hope for all.
Convict: Hope! Hope! Ha! ha! ha! [Laughs wildly.
Bishop: You have walked far, you are ti~ed.Lie down and sleep on the couch there, and I
will get you some coverings.
Convict: And if anyone comes?
Bishop: No one will come, but if they do, are you not my friend?
Convict: Your friend (puzzled)?
Bishop: They will not molest the Bishop's friend.
Convict: The Bishop's'friend.
(Scratching his head, utterly puzzled.)
Bishop: I will get the coverings. [Exit L.
Convict (looks after him, scratches his head): The Bishop's friend! (He goes tofir;e to warm
himself and notices the candlesticks. He looks round to see if he is alone, and takes them
down, weighing them.) Silver, by God, and heavy. What a prize!
(He hears the Bishop coming, and in his haste drops one candlestick on the table.)
[Enter the Bishop.
Bishop (see what is going on, but goes to the settle up L. with coverings): Ah, you are
admiring my candlesticks. I am proud of them. They were a gift from my mother. A little
too handsome for this poor cottage perhaps, but all I have to remind me of her. Your bed is
ready. Will you lie down now?
Convict: Yes, yes, I'll lie down now. (puzzled) Look here, why the devil are you ...ki ...kind
to me. (suspiciously) What do you want? Eh?
Bishop: I want you to have a good sleep, my friend.
Convict: I believe you want to convert me; save my soul, don't you cal: it? Well it's no
good, see? I don't want any damned religion, and as for the Church, bah! I hate the Church.
Bishop: That is a pity, my son, as the Church does not hate you.
Convict: You are going to try to convert me. Oh, ha! ha! that's a good idea. Ha! ha! ha! No,
no, Monseigneur the Bishop. I don't want any of your Faith, Hope, and Charity, see? So
anything you do for me you're doing to the devil, understand (defiantly)?
Bishop: One must do a great deal for the devil, in order to do a little for God.
Convict (angrily):I don't want any damned religion, I tell you.
Bishop: Won't you lie down now, it is late?
Convict (grumbling):Well all right, but I won't be preached at, I...l...(on couch). You're
sure no one will come?
Bishop: 1don't think they will. but if Uuy d ~ . . . ~ oyourself
u have locked the door.
Convict: Humph! I wonder if it's safe. (He goes to the door and tries ir, then turns and sees
the Bishop holding the covering, annoyed.)
'
Here! you go to bed. I'll cover myself. (The
Bishbp hesitates.) Go on, I tell you.
Bishop: Good night, my son. [E*it L.
(Convict waits till he is ofi then tries the Bishop's door.)
Convict: No lock of cburse. Curse it. (Looks round and sees the candlesticks again.)
Humph! I'll have another look at them. (He takes them up and toys with them.)Worth The Bishop's Candlesticks-1
hundreds I'll warrant. If I had these turned into money they'd start me fair. Humph! The old
boy's fond of them too, said his mother gave him them. His mother, yes. They didn't t h i i
of my mother wben they sent me to hell. He was kind to me too...but what's a bishop for
except to be kind to you? Here, cheer up, my hearty, you're getting soft. God! wouldn't my
chain-mates laugh to see 15729 hesitating about collaring the plunder because he felt good.
Good! Ha! Ha! Oh my God! Good! Ha! ha! 15729 getting soft. That's a good one. Ha! ha!
No, I'll take Gs candlesticks and go, if I stay here he'll preach at me in the morning and I'll
get soft. Damn him and his preaching too. Here goes!
(He takes the candlesticks,stows them in his coat, and cautiously exits L.C. As he does
so the door slams.)
Persorne (without):Who's there? Who's there, I say? Am I to get no sleep to-night? Who's
there, I say? (Enter R. Persome.) I'm sure I heard the door shut. (looking round.)
No one here? (Knocks at the Bishop's door L. Sees the candle-stickshave gone.) The
candlesticks, the candlesticks. They are gone. Brother, brother, come out. Em,murder,
thieves!
[Enter Bishop L.
Bishop: What is it, dear, what is it? What is the matter?
Persome: He has gone. The man with the hungry eyes has gone, and he has taken your
candlesticks.
Bishop: Not my candlesticks, sister, surely not those. (he looks and sighs) Ah, that is hard,
very hard, I. L..he might have left me those. They were all I had.
(Almost breaking down.)
Persome: Well, but go and inform the police. He can't have gone far. They will soon catch
him, and you'll get the candlesticks back again. You don't deserve them, though, leaving
them about with a man like that in the house.
Bishop: You are right, Persome. It was my fault. I led him into temptation.
Persome: Oh, nonsense! Led him into temptation indeed! The man is a thief, a common
scoundrelly thief. I knew it the moment I saw him. Go and inform the police or I will.
(Going, but he stops her.)
Bishop: And have him sent back to prison (very softly), sent back to hell! No, Persome. It is
a just punishment for me; I set too great store by them. It was a sin. My punishment is just,
but oh God, it is hard, it is very hard.
(He buries his head in his hands.)
Persome: No, brother, you are wrong. If you won't tell the police, I will. I will not stand by
and see you robbed. I know you are my brother and my bishop and the best man in all
France, but you are a fool, I tell you, a child, and I will not have your goodness abused. I
shall go and inform the police (going).
Bishop: Stop, Persome. The candlesticks were mine, they are his now. It is better so. He has
1 more need of them than I. My mother would have wished it so had she been here.
Persome: But .......... [Great knocking without.
Sergeant (without):Monseigneur, monseigneur, we have something for yon, may we enter?
Bishop: Enter, my son.
(Enter Sergeant and three Gendarmes with The Convict bound. The Sergeant carries
the candlesticks.)
Persome: Ah so they have caught you, have they?
Sergeant: Yes, madam, we found this scoundrel slinking along the road, and as he wouldn't
give any account of himself we arrested him on suspicion. Holy Virgin, isn't he strong and
didn't he struggle? While we were securing him these candlesticks fell out of his pockets.
(Persome seizes them, goes to table, and brushes them with her apron lovingly.) I
remembered the candlesticks of Monseigneur the Bishop, so we brought him here that you
might identify them and then we'll lock him up.
(The Bishop and the Convict have been looking at each other. The Convict with
dogged defiance.)
Bishop: But, but I don't understand, this gentleman is my very good friend.
1 Sergeant: Your friend, monseigneur! Holy Virgin! Well!!
Bishop: Yes, my friend, he did me the honour to sup with me to-night and I...I have given
him the candlesticks.
I
~ m - ~Pchtp I Sergeant (incredulously):You gave him, him your candlesticks? Holy Virgin!
Bishop (severely):Remember, my son,that she is holy.
Sergeant (saluting):Pardon, Monseigneur.
Bishop: And now I think you may let your prisoner go.
Sergeant: But he won't show me his papem, he won't tell me who he is.
Bishop: I have told you he is my friend,
Sergeant: Yes, that's all very well, but...
Bishop: He is your Bishop's friends, surely that is enough.
Sergeant: Well, but ...
Bishop: Surely'?
( Apause, the Sergeant and the Bishop look at euch other.)
Sergeant: I...I......Hurnph! (to his men) Loose the prisoner. (they do so) Right about nun,
quick march!
(Exit Sergeant and Gendarmes. A long pause.)
Convict(very slowly, as ifin a dream): You told them you had given me the candlesticks,
give me them. By God!
Persome (shaking herfist at him and hugging the candlesticks to her breast):Oh you
scoundrel, you pitiful scoundrel, you come here and are fed, and warmed, and...and you
thieve; steal from your benefactor. Oh you blackguard.
Bishop: Persome, you are overwrought. Go to your room.
Persome: What, and leave you with him to be cheated again, perhaps murdered. No, I will
not.
Bishop (with slight severity):Persome, leave us. I wish it.
(She looks hard at him, then turns tawarris her door.)
Persome: Well, if I must go at least I'll We the candlesticks with me.
Bishop (more severely): Persome, place the candlesticks on that table and leave us.
Persome (defiantly):I will not!
I Bishop (loudly and with great severity): I, your Bishop, command it.
(Persome does so with great reluctance and exits R.)
Convict (shameface~ly): Monseigneur, I'm glad I didn't get away with them, curse me, I
am. I'm glad.
Bishop: Now won't you sleep here? See, your bed is ready.
Convict: No! (looking at the candlesticks)No! no! I daren't, I daren't ...besides I must go on,
I must get to Paris, it is big, and L..can be lost there, they won't fmd me there and I must
travel at night, do you understand?
Bishop: I see...y ou must travel by night.
I
Convict: I...I...didn't believe there was any good in the world...one doesn't when one has
been in hell, but somehow I...I...know you're gnod and, and it's a queer thing to ask but...but
could you, would you bless me before I go...I...I think it would help me. I .....
(Hangs his head very shamefacedly.)
(Bishop makes sign of the Cross and murmurs blessing.)
Convict (tries to speak, but a sob almost chokes him): Goodnight.
[He hurries towards the door.
I
Bishop: Stay, my son, you have forgotten your property (giving him the candlesticks.)
I Convict: You me=...you want me to take them?
Bishop: Please, they may help you. (The Convict takes the candlesticks in absolute
amazement.) And, my son, there is a path through the woods at the back of this cottage
which leads to Paris; it is a very lonely path, and I have noticed that my good friends the
gendarmes do not like lonely paths at night. It is curious.
Convict: Ah, thanks,thanks, monseigneur, I...I... (he sobs) Ah! I'm a fool, a child to cry,
but somehow you have made me feel that ...that it is just as if something had come into
me...as if I were a man again and not a wild beast.
I
(The door at the back is open, and the Convict is standing in it.)
Bishop (putting his hand on his shoulder): Always remember, my son, that this poor body is
the Temple of the Living God.
Convict (with great awe): The Temple of the Living God. I'll remember.
(The Bishop closes the door and goes quietly to the prie-dieu in the window R., he sinks on
his knees, and bows his head in prayer.)
SLOW CURTAIh
18
2.1.2 Note on the Author The Bishop's Candlesticks-:
Norman Mckinnel is better known as an actor than a dramatist for he has written only two
more plays besides this. He began his stage career in 1894 and has acted in the plays of
Shakespeare, Bernard Shaw and Galsworthy. This play is an adaptation of the story of an
encounter between a convict and a Bishop, taken from Victor Hugo's novel Les Miserables.
2.1.3 Glossary
Candlestick : A portable (easily carried) stand for candles
Substantially : amply (well furnished)
Crucifix : a figure or picture of Christ fixed to the cross
Monseigneur :a title in France given to a person of high birth or rank, esp. to bishops
imitating :copyingJmimicking
Mon Dieu :my God
Nincompoop : a simpleton, a weak and foolish person
Bedridden :confined to bed due to old age or sickness
Bailiff : an agent or land steward
Comforter : a long. narrow woollen scarf
"They have no thought of the Bishop" : they have no consideration for the Bishop
Dupe :One who is deceived or cheated
Scamp : idlerlrascal
Minx : a pert (impertinent) young girl
China : porcelain
Audacity : impudenceboldness
Talking to : reprooflrebuke
Incorrigible : beyond correction or reform
Set store by :to value greatly
call out :to summon for help
Hoarsely :speaking in a rough and husky voice as though from a cold
Entrails : inside of the body
"Wolf inside me tearing at my entrails": feeling severe hunger pangsJsevere starvation
At the beck and call: subject to someone's will
Unshuttered :shutter (cover for the windows) not drawn down
Unbarred :not closed
Voraciously :eating greedily or in large quantities
4 am sorry for them" : I feel a pity for them
Holy Virgin :reference to Mary,mother of Christ. Here the convict jeers (mocks)at the
Bishop's expression of compassion even for thieves. Contrast the convict's reference to the
"Holy Virgin" with his earlier question, "What the devil are you?"
Damned : a curse meaning eternally sentenced to be in hell
Vines :Plants that produce grapes
Pause :a temporary stop
Hound : a dog of a kind used in hunting
Vermin : a collective name for obnoxious (despicable) insects
Molest : annoy, vex, interfere in a troublesome way
"Faith, Hope and Charity" :they would give me a good start in life/they would give me
good money to start my life
Collaring :seizing
Temptation :enticing (leading to) to evil
Abused : (here) as opposite of "used"
Gendarmes : French military policemen
Overwrought :overstrained/overworked/overexcited
Write a brief note on the plot of 'Bishop's Candlesticks'.
2.14 Chronological Sequence

i) The play begins with the dialogue between Marie and Persome
ii) The Bishop's entry and then the dialogue between Personbeand the Bishop
iii) Persome's exit, followed by the Convict's entry and the dialogue between the Bishop
and the convict
One-Act Plays-I iv) Persome's entry and the conversation among the three
V) Persome's exit and the dialogue once again between the Bishop and the convict
vi) Convict's exit, Persome's entry followed by the arrival of the sergeant and three
gendarmes with the convict. The Bishop and the sergeant confer
vii) Sergeant and Persome exit and the final dialogue between the Bishop and the convict.
From the above sequence, you can recognise that the entire play takes place within the
Bishop's cottage. No scenic change is needed. This is what we call unity of place in drama.
When we use this phrase with reference to one-act plays. we use it in the sense of no change
in pictorial or stage scenery.
While reading the play, you must have observed that all the events take place at night. Can
you specify the time at the commencement of the play? The action of the play covers no
more t h ~ na few hours. The play thus has unity of time as well.
Unity of action which is nothing other than compressing a story within a limited compass by
dealing with one single situation is yet another feature of a one-act play. The Bishop's
Candlesticks has been organised on the lines of the three 'unities' of place, time and action
which give an organic unity to the entire play.
2.2 STRUCTURE OF THE PLAY

In Unit I, you have been given the basic ideas of the structure of this kind of drama.
Basically we have divided the one-act play into four parts comprising exposition,
complication, climax and denouement. You will remember also that the action in drama
presses forward the play into the future. The essential fact to bear in mind is the distinction
between a play and any other kind of literary writing such as a novel, an essay or a short
story or a poem. The play is not meant to be read but to be enacted or performed. While
reading a book you can turn the pages backward and forward, but while witnessing a play,
you can see only what is staged before you. There is no provision for you as a member of
the audience to go to the earlier part of the play if your mind had failed to register what had
happened at that time. In other words, the play is 'here' and 'now'. Hence the structure of a
play has to be fairly tight so that exposition at the beginning moves to the denouement
without the audience having to strain itself to follow the story line.
Let us turn once again to the chronological sequence. You can now understand how
important it is in a short play of little more than half an hour's duration to observe the
chronological sequence so as not to lose the thread of the events staged.
Recall what you had read about exposition. Can you identify this part in the play? To begin
with, try to see which sequences conform to exposition.
Attempt a similar identification of the other three parts-complication, climax and

denouement-and list the order of sequences. Check with our analysis given below. This
simple exercise will help you to read, understand and appreciate other one-act plays.
Analysis
Exposition .......... Sequences (i), (ii) and part of (iii)
Complication ..........I6part of (iii), (iv) and (v)
Climax .........." (vi)
Denouement .......... " (vii)
2.2.1 Exposition
The opening dialogue between Marie and Persome tell$ us what had happened before the
play began. In other words, it provides the background, introduces us to the main characters
and gives us an insight into their qualities and temperament. Sequence (i) tells us that the
Bishop had sold the silver salt cellars in order to help an old woman pay her house rent.
From Persome's remarks, we also learn that the Bishop had sold almost everything of his
possession to provide pecuniary assistance to the needy and the poor in his parish. The
Bishop's kindly disposition in contrast to Persome's unconcern and self-centredness are
evident from this f m t of the sequences. The second sequence confirms the generous nature he nishop9scandlestich-1
of the Bishop and Persome's indifference to others' misery and suffering.
I
I
t
The third sequence introduces us to the rough exterior of the convict and the Bishop's
concern for his physical state of starvation.
Thus the first three sequences fulfil all the aspects of exposition.
I
I1 2.2.2 Complication
The convict's deliberate aggressiveness, Persome's unfeeling harshness towards him and the
Bishop's gentleness in contrast sum up the fourth sequence. The dialogue between the
Bishop and the convict shows that the latter had been the unfortunate victim of harshness
! and cruelty in the hands of the administrators of law. He had been treated like an animal and
had become one at the end of his prison tenure. The Bishop spots the 'man' in him-the
human side of his animal exterior. The convict is touched by the genuine concern shown to
him by the Bishop, though with resoluteness he resists any soft feeling towards the good
man. The conflict between the 'human' and the 'animal' in the convict is complicated by the
sight of the silver candlesticks in the room. To steal or not to steal in the context of the godly
behaviour of the Bishop is what constitutes the complication in the play.
2.2.3 Climax
Sequence (vi) shows the actual stealing of the candlesticks by the convict and his capture,
confirming Persome's suspicions about him. But the real climax is seen in the Bishop's
effective dealing with the sergeant and getting the release of the convict by stating that the
latter was his good friend. The Bishop has once again touched the deepest chord in the
convict's heart. The climax of the play is reached when the Bishop tells the Sergeant, "He is
your Bishop's friend; surely that is enough."
2.2.4 Denouement
The last of the sequences shows the change of heart. In the previous Unit, you have read
about the dramatic element in a play-'dramatic' denoting a marked change at the end. At
the same time the convict's request to the Bishop to bless him only shows the assertion of
the human in Man which lies often buried deep within due to the pressures and oppressions
of the uncaring world.
2.3 SUGGESTED READING

The following three one-act plays similar to Bishop's Candlesticks
John Drinkwater : The Only Legend
Margaret Macnamara : In Safety
L. Housman : Brother Wolf
Answer the following questions briefly:
i) What is the time when the play begins?
..........................................................................................................................................
1
ii) Why has the Bishop not returned home so late in the evening?
..........................................................................................................................................
iii) Who sold the "salt cellars" Why?
iv) What did the Bishop want the money for?
V) Why does the Bishop give his comforter to Matie?

vi) Why are the candlesticks dear to the Bishop?
.............................................................................u
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vii) Why is Persome frightened at the sight of the canvict?

..........................................................................................................................................
viii) Why is the convict sent to prison for the first time?
..........................................................................................................................................
w the Bishop secure the release of the Cbnvict?
ix) ~ b does
..........................................................................................................................................
x) Pick out two sentences to show the change of heart in the convict
2.4 SUMMING UP
In this unit, you have learnt to analyse the chronological sequences and establish the unity of
place, time and action in the play. YOU have also learnt to categorise the play info hs four
parts with the help of the chronological sequences.
-
ANSWERS TO SELF-CHECK EXERCISES -
Read the text thoroughly and give a sketch of the plot.
SeIf-Cbe$ Exercise 2
i) It is about eleven at night.
ii) He had gone to visit Marie's mother who was not feeling well and to give her moral
comf0R.
iii) He wanted the money to pay the rent of Mere Chingoire, an old w- of his parish.
iv) Marie sold the salt cellars because the Bishop asked her to do so.
v) Since Marie had to go out into the bitter cold night...
vi) They are the parting gifts of his mother to him.
vii) The convict's fierce looks and the knife in his hand frightened her.
viii) He stole to buy food for his ailing wife.
ix) He told the sergeant that the candlesticks were his gift to the convict who was his dear
friend.
x) a) -"and it's a queer thing to ask--but could you, would you bless me b e f m I go?"
b) "Ah! I'm a fool, a child to cry, but somehow you've made me feel that---that it is
just as if something had come into me+as if I were a man again and not a wild
beast."
UNIT 3 THE BISHOP'S
Structure
3.0 Objectives
3.1 Analysis of the different-parts of the play
3.1.1 Study Guide
312 Action
3.1.3 Conflict
3.1.5 Jhalogue
3.2 Summing Up
3.3 Ansders to Self-check Exercises
3.0 OBJECTIVES
In Unit I1 we discussed the play The Bishop's Candlesticks m terms of its plot and
structure. On the basis of youracquaintance with the play, we will help you in this unit to
increase your awareness by discussing the other four major components of a one-act
play--action, conflict, characterisation and dialogue. On the text of the prescribed play
we have included a few questions to set you thinking. Tq to frame yQur answers before
reading the explanationsgiven a little further down in the unit. This will enable you to
develop your critical response to a play through a total understanding of its different
constituents.
3.1 ANALYSIS OF THE DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE

PLAY
3J.1 Study Guide

The Bishop's Candlesticks is an adaptation of a single episode from the novel Les
Miserables. The episode stleqted, has dramatic potential as it easily lends itself to
presentation on stage. For this purpose the dramatist Norman McKiWeL has compressed the
narrative to include action (or movement) on stage without compromising on the essence
and spirit of the original.
The play essentially highlights the conflict between good and evil with the triumph of the.
former. So . hen the play is presented (recall unit I where we have defined a play as -
trasically written to be enacted or performed) there is always the danger of over-emphasis on
the goodness exemplified in the Bishop to the point of making the play sentimental and
meIodrarnatic.
Read the play carefully once again and pay attention to the four parts mentioned above.
3.1.2 Action
The word 'action' in drama is associated with performance. It can refer to a single deed or to
something that is taking place continuously on stage. Action, as we have noted (refer Unit I)
moves the plot forward ffom time present to time future. In other words it assists in the
movement of the play, whereby the situation undergoes a change. Everything happening on
stage bius has a purposive direction contributing to the sense of iontinuit. in the play. Let us
turn our attention to the seven movements we had listed in the previous Unit and trace the
:=tion through them in chronological sequence.
i) Marie and Persome are seen mov@g,onstage, Persome trying to lay-thecloth and Marie
hea9ng the soup on the tip.
Can you find any significhce in these actions of Marje and Persome. They suggest that
it is dinner time and they await the arrival of someone for dinner. Action thus sets the
time frame nf the nlav
ii) Marie is about to pour the soup into a cup. Persome intempts her in the middle and
asks for the salt cellars.
For what purpose is the salt cellar introduced?
It directs our attention to the fact that these salt cellars have been sold by Marie at the
behest of the Bishop. Here action serves as exposition and explains what had happenea
in the past.
It also gives a clue to the kind and generous nature of the Bishop. Look at the sequence of
action-
Heating the soup-pouring it into a cup-intenuption-explanation about the missing salt
cellars.
You can now understand how every action in a play helps it to move forward in a structured
Movement 11: The Bishop's entry...

i) The Bishop hands his comforter to the maid as she sets out to go home. Once again this
action is significant as it reaffirms the Bishop's kindly nature and his selfless acts of
coilcem and care towards fellow human beings.
ii) Read the following dialogue and make note of the sense of continuity:
Bishop: And the bailiff, who is a very just man, would not wait longer for the rent, so-so you
see I had to pay it.
Persome: You had to pay it. (Gesture of comic despair)
Bishop: Yes, and you see I had no money, so I had to dispose the salt cellars. It was
fortunate I had them, wasn't it? (smiling) But I'm sorry I have grieved you.
Persome: Oh, go on, go on. You are incorrigible. You'll sell your candlesticks next.
Bishop: (with real concern) No, no, my sister, not my candlesticks.
Persome: Why not? They would pay somebody's rent, I suppose.
If you carefully analyse the dialogue, you will recognise the tonal changes (for e.g., "I had
to pay it')'You had to pay it", ahere the Bishop adopts a matter-of-fact tone while Persome
sounds mocking and sarcastic). More significant is the value of dramatic action inherent in
these lines. It is to be noted that action in* past (the Bishop's payment of Mere
Gringoire's rent) and action i t the future (of gifting the candlesticks to the convict) both
evolve out of the present action of Persome noticing the absence of the salt cellars. Dramatic The ~ l ~ h o pCandlesticks-1
's
action infuses a sense of continuity which give the play its-unity.
Movement I11 & IV: "Persome's exit...and her entry...' '

i) Persome locks the cupboard and exits. The locking of the cupboard an. inconsequential
action in itself gains importance when the Bishop has to perforce call his sister back
into the room to open the cupboard and give food to the convict. Persome's presence at
this juncture is essential in order to highlight an effective contrast between her cold
unconcern for the convict's state of starvation and misery and the Bishop's solicitous
tenderness to feed him.
ii) Follow the convict's actions:
He throws the fork down and then he tears a huge slice of bread with his fingers.
He eats voraciously.
He throws the bone on the floor.
He shuts the window and the door.
He drinks wine in one gulp as though it is water.
Imagine yourself at the theatre and watching all these actions. What impressions do you
gather of the convict?
The convict's awesome presence with a knife in one hand, his menacing attitude and
threatening gesture reveal a harsh exterior. But his crude and uncivilis'ed behaviour while
eating and drinking seems to be deliberate and intentional as though he wants to mock at the
genteel and urbane manners of the Bishop and the fussy and artificial manners of Persome.
At the same time underneath all his bullying tactics, we recognise a nervous and frightened
man who is alarmed at the mere squeak of a sound. These first impressions about the convict
culled from his a c t i o n ~ af blustering bully who is nervous and frightened at the core- -- -/
- -
are important in order to understand the change that comes over him at the end of the play.
His later transition from an aggressive kind to a gentle human being does not therefore come
as a surprise.
One-Act Plays-I
Movement V: Persome's exit...

i) The convict recounts the events that led to his arrest and imprisonment. There is a
perceptible change in his tone as he talks of his past. In the end he "sinks on the table
sobbing." Can you explain the change in the convict during his narration?
Despite his harsh and cruel exterior, the convict is basically a loving and caring
individual. He was forced to steal to buy food for his ailing wife. His bitterness and
anger towards the world result from a sense of injustice meted out to him by the cruel
and inconsiderate administrators of law and order. Both his action and words reveal the
human side of his personality. The dramatic importance is to be seen in the cohflict
between the human and the animal in the convict. The authorities had treated him as an
animal, and hounded him as though he was a wild beast. In the end, he was turned into
one such creature till the Bishop with his caring and loving gestures reverses the change
and makes him once again a human being. The convict's angry gesticulations,his
sinking on the table, his sobs and tears and his animal-like movements interspersed
through out his speech present the inner struggle in him.
ii) The convict takes the candlesticks from the mantlepiece and examines them with
admiration. The Bishop notices what is going on, but he does not suspect the convict of
any intended theft. Instead he tells him of the rich heritage his mother had left him.
After the Bishop's exit, the convict once again handles the candlesticks and "toys with
them." Why does he "toy with them"? Can you explain his action?
The convict hesitates to steal the Bishop's candlesticks. He finds himself in a strange ,
situation when he has to convince himself of the rightness of doing a wrong deed. Nohally
the temptation will be to steal, but here the convict is tempted to stay clear of the evil act. He
has to harden himself to commit the theft with logical arguments. The struggle within him-
to steal or not to steal is reflected in his action of "tovine with the candlesticks."
Movement VI: Convict's exit... The Bishop's Candlesticks-2
Persome discovers that the candlesticks are missing, but her. impulse to rush to the police is
checked by the Bishop who says that the convict has greatn need of the candlesticks than
him. You can well recognise the contrast betweerr the brother and the sister in their reactions
to the loss of the candlesticks. The actions in this movement lead to the climax of the play
when the sergeant enters with the convict and the candlesticks. The climax is resolved by the
Bishop who secures the release of the convict by claiming that the latter is his friend to '
whom he had earlier gifted the candlesticks. Observe the reactions of all the four people on
stage to the situation-the convict with an air of defiance, Persome with a display of
righteous indignation, the sergeant with an attitude of impassionate authority and the Bishop
with a look of calm compassion.
I Movement VII: The sergeant and Persome exit...
1 Let us follow the sequence of action in this last movement-Persome leaves the candlesticks
on the table as per the commands of the Bishop.
The convict hangs his head in shame and seeks the Bishop's blessings.
The Bishop makes the sign of the cross.
The Bishop gives the candlesticks to the convict.
The convict sobs y d acknowledges the Bishop's kindness that has transformed him into a
I
human being.
All the actions direct us to the marked change at the end of the play. The convict who at the
I beginning had resisted the Bishop's acts of graciousness and kindness, has changed into a
humble gentle being ready to receive and imbibe the christian values of hope, faith and
charity.
Action thus moves the play forward from beginning to end. It directs us to perceive the shift
i in the attitude of the characters as the play progresses. Persome, who, to begin with, is
i
domineering retreats to submission. The convict's beastly aggression gives way to
gentleness at the end. The catalyst of this change is the Bishop who rises still higher in
stature as he sinks on his knees in prayer. The Bishop's candhsticks shall be beacon light to
the convict to steer him through loneliness and darkness. ,
One-Act Plays-I
From the discussion on the action in the play, can you briefly summarise its different
functions?
3.13 Conflict
Conflict in drama is of two kinds-the outer and the inner conflict. The Bishop's
Candlesticks presents both types of conflict and therefore it is a successful stage-play. You
have read about the two types in Uait I, where we have defined outer conflict as the struggle
of the protagonist against another individual (or individuals) or a group or society or against
impersonal forces outside of him. We have pointed out that inner conflict, on the other hand
takes place within the protagonist.
What in your opinion is the outer conflict in this play? In this play, outer conflict arises
between two contrasting temperaments of the Bishop and the convict. The Bishop is-the
personification of Christian virtues of Hope, Faith and Charity. He has great faith in the
essential goodness of man, he has hopes of redeeming man when he falls and he pra~tises
the maxim of "malice towards none, charity to all" in every action of his in his daily life. In
contrast, the convict has lost faith in humanitjr and resists all hopes of being iedeemed. He
adopts a malicious and aggressive attitude towards the world to give vent to his anger and
sense of injustice on being punished unfairly. The dramatic conflict ensues as the two men
confront each other. From your study of the play, you know the outcome of this struggle.
Let us now dkcus8 the importance of this conflict in the development of the play. The
convict recognises the genuineness of the Bishop's kindly disposition towards him, but he
resists the latter's considerate actions and words lest he should be influenced to give up his
aggressive and militant posture. Every action of the convict is intentional to convey his
bitter cynicism of human goodness, love and charity which the Bishop exemplifies.
....
Convict: ...why the devil are you ki....kind to me? (su~piciously) What do you want? Eh?
Bishop: I want you to have good sleep, my friend.
Convict: I believe you want to convert me; save my soul, don't you call it? Well, it's no
good, see? I don't want any damned religion, and as for the Church, bah! I hate the Church.
Bishop: That is a pity, my son, as the Church does not hate you.
Convict: You are going to try to convert me. Oh! ha! ha! that's a good idea. Ha! Ha! Ha!
No, no, Monseigneur the Bishop. I don't want any of yop Faith, Hope and Charity, see? So
The Bishop's Candl&ticks3
anything you do for me you're doing to the devil, understand? (defiantly)
Bishop: One must do a great deal for the devil in order to do a little for God.
Convict: (angrily) I don't want any damned religion, I tell you.
The Bishop offers him food, shelter and protection. At the end, he offers him the
candlesticks to help him in his struggle against poverty and starvation. The struggle in the
convict is between acceptance and rejection of the Bishop's offer of Christian virtues of
Hope, Faith and Charity. The convict accepts food (he actually demands it), shelter, safety
and the candlesticks. In the process he embraces these Christian virtues and acknowledges
the truth of the Bishop's statement that every human body is the temple of the living God.
The inner conflict in this play is to be seen at two levels. In the convict, it is a distillation of
the outer conflict. The conflict within is between the human and the animal in him. It is not
simply a question of to steal or not to steal, but it is a case of the convict hardening his heart
to do the evil act. He has to persuade himself to walk off with the candlesticks in opposition
to the acts of kindness extended to him by the Bishop. It is ironical that the problem before
the convict is not how to resist, but how to yield to the temptation to steal. He chooses "evil,
be thou my good" to put an end to the struggle within him. But a little later, when the
Bishop secures his release, and also gifts him the candlesticks, we notice that the struggle
within the convict is over. He spontaneously acknowledges the goodness of the Bishop and
says:
I....I....didn't believe there was any good in the world....one doesn't when one has been
in Hell, but somehow I....I....know you are good and, and it's a queer thing to ask
but ....but could you, would you bless me before I go....I ....I think it would help me.
I-
H=is no longer possessed of the accursed devil, but is the blessed man who shall treasure
the living God within him.
On a secondary level is the conflict in the Bishop. The Bishop who had parted with many of
his possessions to raise money to serve the poor and the needy is particularly fond of the
candlesticks for he treasures them as the invaluable heritage left by his mother. He feels sad
I at the loss of the candlesticks, but his sense of the loss is momentary. He recognises the folly
of acquisitiveness and takes the blame on himself for leading the convict to temptation by
placing them within his reach. He tells Persome that it was his fault. "I led him into
temptation." The gifting of the candlesticks to the convict is not only a Christian act of
charity, but it is alsaan act of atonement for his momentary lapse into despair over their
loss.
Both the inner and the outer conflict lead the play to a crisis and to its resolution at the end.
The absence of any outer or inner struggle in the convict and the Bishop as the curtain falls
signifies the resolution of the play.
One way of doing the character study is to consider the questions given below. Try to write
the answers and then check with the explanations given to these questions. This will help
you to arrive at a fairly accurate analysis of the different characters in the play.
.i) Go through the list of the dramatis personae. Categorise them into major and minor
characters.
ii) Identify the dramatic function of each one of them. Is it possible to dispense with any of
the characters? This analysis will enable you to understand why the dramatist has
included each one of them?
iii) The title of the play is The Bishop's Candlesticks. Who, in your opinion is the hero of
the play,-the Bishop or the convict?
iv) The hero in the functional sense is the protagonist (the central figure). It is not
necessary that he should be a sympathetic character. Is the hero in this play a
sympathetic character?
v) Is there an antagonist in the play? Who is the manipulator of events in the play?
vi) What do you think of the minor characters?
i) Marie and the Sergeant are the minor characters, while Persome, the Bishop and the
convict are the major characters.
ii) Drzgnatic function of all the characters:
Marie: Marie is the maid in the Bishop's household. She attends to the kitchen duties. You
may mall our discussion on action in the opening movement. She serves the purpose of
exposition by relating what had happened before the play began. She is the beneficiary of
the Bishop's kindness and thereby mirrors the Bishop's generosity arid compassion.
Persome: She is a study in contrast to the Bisho-h, inconsiderate and unfeeling as
opposed to her brother who is gentle, considerate and compassionate.
She brings out the worst in the convict in contrast to the Bishop who kindles the human side
in him.
She is highly suspicious and trusts neither Marie nor the convict. She is peevish and
unreasonable in her anger. Her harshness is without a basis in contrast to the aggressiveness "
of the convi t who bears a justified grudge against a feelingless society that had ill-treated
him. F
Persome's irppudence and her overbearing attitude cannot counter the gentle but f m
authority of the Bishop. She has to obey the injunctions of the Bishop and leave the
candlesticks on the table at the end of the play. The change effected in her-from
dominance to submission, underlines the moral superiority of the Bishop. Her transition also
highlights the change in the convict from one of aggression to humbleness in the presence of
the Bishop.
The Bishop: One of the two principal characters in the play representing one eleient of th;
conflict---that of goodness and compassion. He is the touchstone of the three Christian
virtues of Hope, Faith and Charity. He acts as the catalyst to bring about a transformation iq
the convict's nature. He cannot claim the role of the protagonist in the play for he undergoes
no marked change'as is the case with the convict. He is dramatically important for effecting
the convict's transformation.
The Convict: It is obvious from the foregone discussion that he is the protagonist in all
respects. He initiates the action by his forceful entry into the Bishop's cottage, where he
disturbs the peace and calmness within. The whole play revolves rowid him and we can see
the dramatic rhythm in operation in the rise and release of tension centred through him. He
experiences both the inner and outer struggle and the resolution of the play rests on the
metamorphosis effected on him by the Bishop.
The Sergeant: He is a minor character whose appearance on stage is limited to a few

minutes towards the end. He provides the realistic substance to the play and carries out the
necessary stage business of bringing in the convict in chains.
iii) The Protagonist: We have already listed out the arguments in favour of the convict
claiming the status of the hero. (see answer to question (ii) in this sub-unit dealing with
characterisation.)
iv) The Antagonist: If the convict is the protagonist, then who is the antagonist? Certainly
it is not the Bishop. Why? The simple answer is that the convict is not raged against the
Bishop at any point in the play. He fights not the Bishop, but the devil within him that
dictates his action to steal the candlesticks. The play is a metaphorical dramatisation of
the perennial Christian conflict between the Church and the Devil. The convict, caught
between good and evil has deliberately chosen the devil's side in order to wreak
vengeance on a society that has shabbily treated him. Hence the antagonist is an
impersonal force-of-evil-which recedes into the background in the presence of
holiness and godliness exemplified by the Bishop. The convict thus appears a
sympathetic character who is not devoid of human quality which lies domafit and
conflicts with the animal passion in him to rise to the fore.
v) Minor characters: Marie and the Sergeant are the minor characters in the play. They
represent society on two strata-the maid belonging to the lower rung and the sergemt
to the higher rung of the ladder enjoying the power of authority. They carry out the
stage business and give a realistic substance to the play.
In the light of these discussions, it becomes clear thrit all characters and their actions are
human and there is no exaggeration in their presentation. Yet there is an inherent danger of
the play becoming sentimental if the Bishop's goodness is overplayed. In that case, the
Bishop tends to become an abstraction and therefore lifeless and unconvincing. It is here the
playwright has shown his dramatic skill. The Bishop who throughout the play practises in
words and action the Christian virtues of compassion, charity and tenderness is at no time The Bishop's Candlesticks-2
shown as an angel or a superhuman being. He is as human as any other character in the play.
He has his own momentary spells of despair over the theft of the candlesticks. What is
humanly convincing about him is that he utters the saving lie to get the convict's release. He
is not drawn as being sanctimonious and conscious of his moral superiority. The playwright
has thus given the right degree of human touch in his characterisation of the Bishop so that
the play does not become sentimental and unreal.
3.1.5 Dialogue
In 3.1.2 we had discussed the functions of action in a play. The other tool that the playwright
. . employs to unfold a story or situation is the dialogue. It is difficult to say whether action is
complementary to dialogue or vice versa. But what is certain is that the two together help
the play pmgress fmm its beginning to its end. If there are no words, the play becomes a
mime. If there is no action, there will be no drama. Neither the dialogue nor the action can
stand in isolation.
On the lines of our analysis of action through the seven movements, let us make an analysis
of dialogue and then define its function in the play.
The opening dialogue between Persome and Marie follows the predictable line of
conversation between an ill-tempered mistress and a servile maid. We have earlier shown
(3.1.2) how the opening Action sets the time frame of the play. Persome's words that follow
her action of laying the cloth specify the time as a little later than eleven at night. This is a
good example of the complementary mles played by action and dialogue to fix the time.
This dialogue reveals Persome's character. She is arrogant to the point of absurdity. She
repmves Marie both for chattering and no chattering.
Persome : ...Then why haven't you told me, stupid?
Marie : Madam didn't ask me. 2
Persome :That's no reason for your not telling me, is it?

Marie : Madam said only this morning I was not to chatter.
Persome : Ah mon Dieu, you thought...
(a little latter)
Persome :Then pour it out, fool, don't chatter.
Persome's abusive expletives for Marie like "parrot", "nincompoop", "fool" and "stupid"
, reflect her coarse and vulgar mind beneath a veneer of genteel superiority. Later in the play,
the convict sees through her pseudo-gentility and punctures it with the deliberate action of
throwing the bone on the floor prompting Persome's outburst, "Oh, my nice clean floor."
The opening dialogue also provides information regarding the Bishop's generous and
. selfless acts towards giving moral and financial support to the needy and the poor in his
bishopric. Thus this dialogue between Marie a d Persome sets the tone of the events to
i follow and makes the audience wait in expectancy of the Bishop's anival on stage.
I
I
In the second movement, the dialogue between the Bishop and Persome highlights the
contrast between the two. In the fact of nagging remarks fmm Persome, the Bishop remains
calm and unruffled. You will notice that the Bishop's replies are short-note more than a line
II or two-in contrast to Persome's vituperative volubility. She is a spitfire who pours out her
unreasonable anger in words to register her dominance over her brother. Let us now turn to
the last dialogue between the brother and sister (before the play comes to an end). You will
notice that Persome has considerably quietened. She is no longer garrulous and her remarks
are fewer and shorter till she is silenced into obedience by the moral authority of the Bishop.
The dialogue in given context proves an lternative to a straight fight to determine
dominmce and submission. - -- -
---__
'Yet another function of dialogue is of an anticipatory kind to suggest events that are to
fo114w. In the conversation between Persome and the Bishop, there is a reference to the
'caniilesticks. Persome's sarcastic remarks that the candlesticks would pay the rent of
b someone in the future has a ring of anticipation which comes true in the later part of the
play. The Bishop expatiates on the rich legacy that his mother had left for him.There is a
child-like innocence about him as he expresses.a fondness for treasuring the candlesticks
which moves even the hard-hearted Persome to say, "Brother, brother, you'll break my
heart."
In the third movement when the Bishop and the convict meet, the convict seeks dominance
over the Bishop through verbal power. The Bishop's replies are short and polite, though in
no way they display submissiveness or fear. The convict's irreverent and blasphemous
addresses to the Bishop such as "What the Devil are you?" do not provoke the Bishop who
replies with unmeasurable cdmness: "I am a Bishop9- a reply that provokes the convict to
mock at him further: "Ha! Ha! Ha! A Bishop. Holy Virgin, a Bishop. Well, I'm darned." It
is interesting that the Bishop never asks the convict who he is, but the convict on his own
volunteers information, beginning with a rhetorical question: "Well I'm-(Suddenly very
loudly) D'you know what I am?"
We have discussed the significance of the convict's confessional speech in 3.1.2. His speech
is simple, direct and moving. The convict's account of events that led to his arrest ten years
back lights up the real man in him beneath his rough and cruel exterior. Normally in a one-
act play, the dramatist avoids soliloquies and monologues which may arrest the tempo of the
movement. Even the somewhat long speeches given to the convict at this point in the play
form a part of the dialogue as they are interspersed with the Bishop's intervening
sympathetic questions and remarks. The Bishop in his quiet way has drawn out the gentler
side of the convict's personality. The measured words of the Bishop with no trace of anger
or bitterness have great potency to subdue the aggressive convict.
In all their exchanges, the Bishop shows hhlself to be the master of the art of repartee. We
have analysed their conversation a b u t Christian virtues and the convict's apprehensions
about being converted. (3.1.2) In everyone of their exchanges, it is the Bishop who has the
last effective reply. Read the following excerpts:
1) Convict : But mind. Play me false, and as sure there are devils in hell, I'll drive my
knife through your heart. I have nothing to lose.
Bishop : You have your soul to lose my son; it is of more use than my heart.
2) Convict : Ha! Ha! Ha! A Bishop. Holy Virgin, a Bishop. Well, I'm damned.
Bishop : I hope you may escape that, my son.
3) Convict : ...Godcursethemall.
Bishop : My son, you have suffered much, but there is hope for all.
Convict : Hope! Hope! Ha! Ha! Ha! (laughs wildly)
Bishop : You have walked far: you are tired...
4) Convict : I don't want any of your Faith, Hope and Charity-see?
So anything you do for me you're doing to the devil--understand (defiantly)
Bishop : One must do a great deal for the devil in order to do a little for God.
Towards the end of the play words fail the convict and sobs choke him. He repeats as though
in trance the Bishop's words: (the body) "is the temple of the living God." It is worth
recalling the convict's nervous queries soon after entering the Bishop's cottage: "Why the
devil do you leave your window unshuttered and the door unbarred?" The Bishop seems to
have kept the shutters and doors open for the convict to see the living inside.
What are the different functions of the dialogue in a play?
i) Describe the character of Persome and explain the dramatic value of the contrast in
character between her and-at opposite extremes-the Bishop and the convict.
ii) Is the play sentimental and unconvincing? If it is not so, explain how does it cany
conviction?
In this unit, you have learnt to analyse the play in terms of its action, conflict,
chs~acterisationand dialogue. A study of this unit in conjunction with unit 2 has helped you
to understand the play The Bishop's Candlesticks and integrate your responses to the text
of the play and to its stage presentation.
This has been.made feasible by the focus on acaon and dialogue in relation to the TM Bishop's dandldeks-2
development of the play.
3.3 ANSWERS TO SELF-CHECK EXERCISES

i) Action sets the time frame of this play.
ii) It helps in the exposition of the play which includes a recount of a past event and an
introduction to the major characters in the play.
iii) It infuses a sense of continuity in the play.
iv) It helps to bring forth the contrast between characters of opposing temperaments.
v) It presents the inner struggle in the convict.
vi) It leads the play from beginning to end through exposition, development, climax and
denouement.
vii) It directs our perspective towards the distinctive change at the end of the play.
i) Dialogue sets the time frame of the play.
ii) It helps to establish the nature of the characters.
iii) In a verbal exchange it helps the characters to acquire dominance.
iv) On the reverse: the loss of word power indicates submissiveness.
v) The Bishop's repartee in calm, measured tone is highly effective to subdue both
Persome and the convict.
vi) Dialogue is the principal medium to unfoldthe mry or situation in the play.
vii) Dialogue contributes to humour, irony, anticipation and suspense to the play.
i) Read the play carefully and refer Sub-section 3.1.4.
ii) After reading the play thoroughly, you should answer this question in your own words:

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Introduction to One-Ad Pbys

UNIT 1 INTRODUCTION TO ONE-ACT

1.2.2 Dramatic Rhythm

k BRIEF HISTORY OF ONE-ACT PLAYS

2) Write a note on the history of one-act plays.

2.1 TEXT OF 'THE BISHOP'S CANDLESTICKS'

-2.1.1 Study Guide

THE BISHOP'S CANDLESTICKS

2.14 Chronological Sequence

2.2 STRUCTURE OF THE PLAY

Attempt a similar identification of the other three parts-complication, climax and

2.3 SUGGESTED READING

iv) What did the Bishop want the money for?

V) Why does the Bishop give his comforter to Matie?

vii) Why is Persome frightened at the sight of the canvict?

3.1 ANALYSIS OF THE DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE

3J.1 Study Guide

Movement 11: The Bishop's entry...

Movement I11 & IV: "Persome's exit...and her entry...' '

Movement V: Persome's exit...

I Movement VII: The sergeant and Persome exit...

The Sergeant: He is a minor character whose appearance on stage is limited to a few

Persome :That's no reason for your not telling me, is it?

3.3 ANSWERS TO SELF-CHECK EXERCISES

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