HAMM: Whole thing.
CLOV: The general effect? Just a moment.
[He looks out of window. Pause.]
HAMM: Clov.
CLOV: [Absorbed.] Mmm.
HAMM: Do you know what it is?
CLOV: [As before.] Mmm.
HAMM: I was never there. [Pause.] Clov!
CLOV: [Turning towards HAMM, exasperated.] What is it?
HAMM: I was never there.
CLOV: Lucky for you.
[He looks out of window.]
HAMM: Absent, always. It all happened without me. I don’t know what’s happened. [Pause.] Do you know what’s happened? [Pause.] Clov!
CLOV: [Turning towards HAMM, exasperated.] Do you want me to look at this muckheap, yes or no?
HAMM: Answer me first.
CLOV: What?
HAMM: Do you know what’s happened?
CLOV: When? Where?
HAMM: [Violently.] When! What’s happened! Use your head, can’t you! What has happened?
CLOV: What for Christ’s sake does it matter?
[He looks out of window.]
HAMM: I don’t know.
[Pause. CLOV turns towards HAMM.]
CLOV: [Harshly.] When old Mother Pegg asked you for oil for her lamp and you told her to get out to hell, you knew what was happening then, no? [Pause.] You know what she died of, Mother Pegg? Of darkness.
HAMM: [Feebly.] I hadn’t any.
CLOV: [As before.] Yes, you had.
[Pause.]
HAMM: Have you the glass?
CLOV: No, it’s clear enough as it is.
HAMM: Go and get it.
[Pause, CLOV casts up his eyes, brandishes his fists. He loses balance, clutches on to the ladder. He starts to get down, halts.]
CLOV: There’s one thing I’ll never understand. [He gets down.] Why I always obey you. Can you explain that to me?
HAMM: No … Perhaps it’s compassion. [Pause.] A kind of great compassion. [Pause.] Oh you won’t find it easy, you won’t find it easy.
[Pause, CLOV begins to move about the room in search of the telescope.]
CLOV: I’m tired of our goings on, very tired. [He searches.] You’re not sitting on it?
[He moves the chair, looks at the place where it stood, resumes his search.]
HAMM: [Anguished.] Don’t leave me there! [Angrily CLOV restores the chair to its place.] Am I right in the centre?
CLOV: You’d need a microscope to find this – [He sees the telescope.] Ah, about time.
[He picks up the telescope, gets up on the ladder, turns the telescope on the without.]
HAMM: Give me the dog.
CLOV: [Looking.] Quiet!
HAMM: [Angrily.] Give me the dog!
[CLOV drops the telescope, clasps his hands to his head. Pause. He gets down precipitately, looks for the dog, sees it, picks it up, hastens towards HAMM and strikes him on the head violently with the dog.]
CLOV: There’s your dog for you!
[The dog falls to the ground. Pause.]
HAMM: He hit me!
CLOV: You drive me mad, I’m mad!
HAMM: If you must hit me, hit me with the axe. [Pause.] Or with the gaff, hit me with the gaff. Not with the dog. With the gaff. Or with the axe.
[CLOV picks up the dog and gives it to HAMM who takes it in his arms.]
CLOV: [Imploringly.] Let’s stop playing!
HAMM: Never! [Pause.] Put me in my coffin.
CLOV: There are no more coffins.
HAMM: Then let it end! [CLOV goes towards ladder.] With a bang! [CLOV gets up on ladder, gets down again, looks for telescope, sees it, picks it up, gets up ladder, raises telescope.] Of darkness! And me? Did anyone ever have pity on me?
CLOV: [Lowering the telescope, turning towards HAMM.] What? [Pause.] Is it me you’re referring to?
HAMM: [Angrily.] An aside, ape! Did you never hear an aside before? [Pause.] I’m warming up for my last soliloquy.
CLOV: I warn you. I’m going to look at this filth since it’s an order. But it’s the last time. [He turns the telescope on the without.] Let’s see. [He moves the telescope.] Nothing … nothing … good … good … nothing … goo – [He starts, lowers the telescope, examines it, turns it again on the without. Pause.] Bad luck to it!
HAMM: More complications! [CLOV gets down.] Not an underplot, I trust.
[CLOV moves ladder nearer window, gets up on it, turns telescope on the without.]
CLOV: [Dismayed.] Looks like a small boy!
HAMM: [Sarcastic] A small … boy!
CLOV: I’ll go and see. [He gets down, drops the telescope, goes towards door, turns.] I’ll take the gaff.
[He looks for the gaff, sees it, picks it up, hastens towards door.]
HAMM: No!
[CLOV halts.]
CLOV: No? A potential procreator?
HAMM: If he exists he’ll die there or he’ll come here. And if he doesn’t …
[Pause.]
CLOV: You don’t believe me? You think I’m inventing?
[Pause.]
HAMM: It’s the end, Clov, we’ve come to the end. I don’t need you any more.
[Pause.]
CLOV: Lucky for you.
[He goes towards door.]
HAMM: Leave me the gaff.
[CLOV gives him the gaff, goes towards door, halts, looks at alarm-clock, takes it down, looks round for a better place to put it, goes to bins, puts it on lid of NAGG’s bin. Pause.]
CLOV: I’ll leave you.
[He goes towards door.]
HAMM: Before you go … [CLOV halts near door] … say something.
CLOV: There is nothing to say.
HAMM: A few words … to ponder … in my heart.
CLOV: Your heart!
HAMM: Yes. [Pause. Forcibly.] Yes! [Pause.] With the rest, in the end, the shadows, the murmurs, all the trouble, to end up with. [Pause.] Clov … He never spoke to me. Then, in the end, before he went, without my having asked him, he spoke to me. He said …
CLOV: [Despairingly.] Ah …!
HAMM: Something … from your heart.
CLOV: My heart!
HAMM: A few words … from your heart.
[Pause.]
CLOV: [Fixed gaze, tonelessly, towards auditorium.] They said to me, That’s love, yes yes, not a doubt, now you see how –
HAMM: Articulate!
CLOV: [As before.] How easy it is. They said to me, That’s friendship, yes yes, no question, you’ve found it. They said to me, Here’s the place, stop, raise your head and look at all that beauty. That order! They said to me, Come now, you’re not a brute beast, think upon these things and you’ll see how all becomes clear. And simple! They said to me, What skilled attention they get, all these dying of their wounds.
HAMM: Enough!
CLOV: [As before.] I say to myself – sometimes, Clov, you must learn to suffer better than that if you want them to weary of punishing you – one day. I say to myself – sometimes, Clov, you must be there better than that if you want them to let you go – one day. But I feel too old, and too far, to form new habits. Good, it’ll never end, I’ll never go. [Pause.] Then one day, suddenly, it ends, it changes, I don’t understand, it dies, or it’s me, I don’t understand that either. I ask the words that remain – sleeping, waking, morning, evening. They have nothing to say. [Pause.] I open the door of the cell and go. I am so bowed I only see my feet, if I open my eyes, and between my legs a little trail of black dust. I say to myself that the earth is extinguished, though I never saw it lit. [Pause.] It’s easy going. [Pause.] When I fall I’ll weep for happiness.
[Pause. He goes towards door.]
HAMM: Clov! [CLOV halts, without turning.] Nothing. [CLOV moves on.] Clov!
[CLOV halts, without turning.]
CLOV: This is what we call making an exit.
HAMM: I’m obliged to you, Clov. For your services.
CLOV: [Turning, sharply.] Ah pardon, it’s I am obliged to you.
HAMM: It’s we are obliged to eac
h other. [Pause, CLOV goes towards door.] One thing more, [CLOV halts.] A last favour. [Exit CLOV.] Cover me with the sheet. [Long pause.] No? Good. [Pause.] Me to play. [Pause. Wearily.] Old endgame lost of old, play and lose and have done with losing. [Pause. More animated.] Let me see. [Pause.] Ah yes! [He tries to move the chair, using the gaff as before. Enter CLOV, dressed for the road. Panama hat, tweed coat, raincoat over his arm, umbrella, bag. He halts by the door and stands there, impassive and motionless, his eyes fixed on HAMM, till the end. HAMM gives up.] Good. [Pause.] Discard. [He throws away the gaff, makes to throw away the dog, thinks better of it.] Take it easy. [Pause.] And now? [Pause.] Raise hat. [He raises his toque.] Peace to our … arses. [Pause.] And put on again. [He puts on his toque.] Deuce. [Pause. He takes off his glasses.] Wipe. [He takes out his handkerchief and, without unfolding it, wipes his glasses.] And put on again. [He puts on his glasses, puts back the handkerchief in his pocket.] We’re coming. A few more squirms like that and I’ll call. [Pause.] A little poetry. [Pause.] You prayed – [Pause. He corrects himself.] You CRIED for night; it comes – [Pause. He corrects himself.] It FALLS: now cry in darkness. [He repeats, chanting.] You cried for night; it falls: now cry in darkness. [Pause.] Nicely put, that. [Pause.] And now? [Pause.] Moments for nothing, now as always, time was never and time is over, reckoning closed and story ended. [Pause. Narrative tone.] If he could have his child with him … [Pause.] It was the moment I was waiting for. [Pause.] You don’t want to abandon him? You want him to bloom while you are withering? Be there to solace your last million last moments? [Pause.] He doesn’t realize, all he knows is hunger, and cold, and death to crown it all. But you! You ought to know what the earth is like, nowadays. Oh, I put him before his responsibilities! [Pause. Normal tone.] Well, there we are, there I am, that’s enough. [He raises the whistle to his lips, hesitates, drops it. Pause.] Yes, truly! [He whistles. Pause. Louder. Pause.] Good. [Pause.] Father! [Pause. Louder.] Father! [Pause.] Good. [Pause.] We’re coming. [Pause.] And to end up with? [Pause.] Discard. [He throws away the dog. He tears the whistle from his neck.] With my compliments. [He throws whistle towards auditorium. Pause. He sniffs. Soft.] Clov! [Long pause.] No? Good. [He takes out the handkerchief.] Since that’s the way we’re playing it … [he unfolds handkerchief] … let’s play it that way … [he unfolds] … and speak no more about it … [he finishes unfolding] … speak no more. [He holds the handkerchief spread out before him.] Old stanched [Pause.] You … remain. [Pause. He covers his face with handkerchief, lowers his arms to armrests, remains motionless.]
[Brief tableau.]
CURTAIN
Happy Days
A play in two acts
First performed in New York on 17 September 1961 at the Cherry Lane Theatre. First published in 1961 by Grove Press Inc., New York. First published in Great Britain in 1963 by Faber and Faber Limited.
CAST
WINNIE a woman of about fifty
WILLIE a man of about sixty
ACT ONE
Expanse of scorched grass rising centre to low mound. Gentle slopes down to front and either side of stage. Back an abrupter fall to stage level. Maximum of simplicity and symmetry.
Blazing light.
Very pompier trompe-l’oeil backcloth to represent unbroken plain and sky receding to meet in far distance.
Embedded up to above her waist in exact centre of mound, WINNIE. About fifty, well-preserved, blonde for preference, plump, arms and shoulders bare, low bodice, big bosom, pearl necklace. She is discovered sleeping, her arms on the ground before her, her head on her arms. Beside her on ground to her left a capacious black bag, shopping variety, and to her right a collapsible collapsed parasol, beak of handle emerging from sheath.
To her right and rear, lying asleep on ground, hidden by mound, WILLIE.
Long pause. A bell rings piercingly, say ten seconds, stops. She does not move. Pause. Bell more piercingly, say five seconds. She wakes. Bell stops. She raises her head, gazes front. Long pause. She straightens up, lays her hands flat on ground, throws back her head and gazes at zenith. Long pause.
WINNIE: [Gazing at zenith.] Another heavenly day. [Pause. Head back level, eyes front, pause. She clasps hands to breast, closes eyes. Lips move in inaudible prayer, say ten seconds. Lips still. Hands remain clasped. Low.] For Jesus Christ sake Amen. [Eyes open, hands unclasp, return to mound. Pause. She clasps hands to breast again, closes eyes, lips move again in inaudible addendum, say five seconds. Low.] World without end Amen. [Eyes open, hands unclasp, return to mound. Pause.] Begin, Winnie. [Pause.] Begin your day, Winnie. [Pause. She turns to bag, rummages in it without moving it from its place, brings out toothbrush, rummages again, brings out flat tube of toothpaste, turns back front, unscrews cap of tube, lays cap on ground, squeezes with difficulty small blob of paste on brush, holds tube in one hand and brushes teeth with other. She turns modestly aside and back to her right to spit out behind mound. In this position her eyes rest on WILLIE. She spits out. She cranes a little farther back and down. Loud.] Hoo-oo! [Pause. Louder.] Hoo-oo! [Pause. Tender smile as she turns back front, lays down brush.] Poor Willie – [examines tube, smile off] – running out – [looks for cap] – ah well – [finds cap] – can’t be helped – [screws on cap] – just one of those old things – [lays down tube] – another of those old things – [turns towards bag] – just can’t be cured – [rummages in bag] – cannot be cured – [brings out small mirror, turns back front] – ah yes – [inspects teeth in mirror] – poor dear Willie – [testing upper front teeth with thumb, indistinctly] – good Lord! – [pulling back upper lip to inspect gums, do.] – good God! – [pulling back corner of mouth, mouth open, do.] – ah well – [other corner, do.] – no worse – [abandons inspection, normal speech] – no better, no worse – [lays down mirror] – no change – [wipes fingers on grass] – no pain – [looks for toothbrush] – hardly any – [takes up toothbrush] – great thing that – [examines handle of brush] – nothing like it – [examines handle, reads] – pure … what? – [pause] – what? – [lays down brush] – ah yes – [turns towards bag] – poor Willie – [rummages in bag] – no zest – [rummages] – for anything – [brings out spectacles in case] – no interest – [turns back front] – in life – [takes spectacles from case] – poor dear Willie – [lays down case] – sleep for ever – [opens spectacles] – marvellous gift – [puts on spectacles] – nothing to touch it – [looks for toothbrush] – in my opinion – [takes up toothbrush] – always said so – [examines handle of brush] – wish I had it – [examines handle, reads] – genuine … pure … what? – [lays down brush] – blind next – [takes off spectacles] – ah well – [lays down spectacles] – seen enough – [feels in bodice for handkerchief] – I suppose – [takes out folded handkerchief] – by now – [shakes out handkerchief] – what are those wonderful lines – [wipes one eye] – woe woe is me – [wipes the other] – to see what I see – [looks for spectacles] – ah yes – [takes up spectacles] – wouldn’t miss it – [starts polishing spectacles, breathing on lenses] – or would I? – [polishes] – holy light – [polishes] – bob up out of dark – [polishes] – blaze of hellish light. [Stops polishing, raises face to sky, pause, head back level, resumes polishing, stops polishing, cranes back to her right and down.] Hoo-oo! [Pause. Tender smile as she turns back front and resumes polishing. Smile off.] Marvellous gift – [stops polishing, lays down spectacles] – wish I had it – [folds handkerchief] – ah well – [puts handkerchief back in bodice] – can’t complain – [looks for spectacles] – no no – [takes up spectacles] – mustn’t complain – [holds up spectacles, looks through lens] – so much to be thankful for – [looks through other lens] – no pain – [puts on spectacles] – hardly any – [looks for toothbrush] – wonderful thing that – [takes up toothbrush] – nothing like it – [examines handle of brush] – slight headache sometimes – [examines handle, reads] – guaranteed … genuine … pure … what? – [looks closer] – genuine pure … – [takes handkerchief from bodice] – ah yes – [shakes out ha
ndkerchief] – occasional mild migraine – [starts wiping handle of brush] – it comes – [wipes] – then goes – [wiping mechanically] – ah yes – [wiping] – many mercies – [wiping] – great mercies – [stops wiping, fixed lost gaze, brokenly] – prayers perhaps not for naught – [pause, do.] – first thing – [pause, do.] – last thing – [head down, resumes wiping, stops wiping, head up, calmed, wipes eyes, folds handkerchief, puts it back in bodice, examines handle of brush, reads] – fully guaranteed … genuine pure … – [looks closer] – genuine pure … [Takes off spectacles, lays them and brush down, gazes before her.] Old things. [Pause.] Old eyes. [Long pause.] On, Winnie. [She casts about her, sees parasol, considers it at length, takes it up and develops from sheath a handle of surprising length. Holding butt of parasol in right hand she cranes back and down to her right to hang over WILLIE.] Hoo-oo! [Pause.] Willie! [Pause.] Wonderful gift. [She strikes down at him with beak of parasol.] Wish I had it. [She strikes again. The parasol slips from her grasp and falls behind mound. It is immediately restored to her by WILLIE’s invisible hand.] Thank you, dear. [She transfers parasol to left hand, turns back front and examines right palm.] Damp. [Returns parasol to right hand, examines left palm.] Ah well, no worse. [Head up, cheerfully.] No better, no worse, no change. [Pause. Do.] No pain. [Cranes back to look down at WILLIE, holding parasol by butt as before.] Don’t go off on me again now dear will you please, I may need you. [Pause.] No hurry, no hurry, just don’t curl up on me again. [Turns back front, lays down parasol, examines palms together, wipes them on grass.] Perhaps a shade off colour just the same. [Turns to bag, rummages in it, brings out revolver, holds it up, kisses it rapidly, puts it back, rummages, brings out almost empty bottle of red medicine, turns back front, looks for spectacles, puts them on, reads label.] Loss of spirits … lack of keenness … want of appetite … infants … children … adults … six level … tablespoonfuls daily – [head up, smile] – the old style! – [smile off, head down, reads] – daily … before and after … meals … instantaneous … [looks closer] … improvement. [Takes off spectacles, lays them down, holds up bottle at arm’s length to see level, unscrews cap, swigs it off head well back, tosses cap and bottle away in WILLIE’s direction. Sound of breaking glass.] Ah that’s better! [Turns to bag, rummages in it, brings out lipstick, turns back front, examines lipstick.] Running out. [Looks for spectacles.] Ah well. [Puts on spectacles, looks for mirror.] Mustn’t complain. [Takes up mirror, starts doing lips.] What is that wonderful line? [Lips.] Oh fleeting joys – [lips] – oh something lasting woe. [Lips. She is interrupted by disturbance from WILLIE. He is sitting up. She lowers lipstick and mirror and cranes back and down to look at him. Pause. Top back of WILLIE’s bald head, trickling blood, rises to view above slope, comes to rest, WINNIE pushes up her spectacles. Pause. His hand appears with handkerchief, spreads it on skull, disappears. Pause. The hand appears with boater, club ribbon, settles it on head, rakish angle, disappears. Pause. WINNIE cranes a little further back and down.] Slip on your drawers, dear, before you get singed. [Pause.] No? [Pause.] Oh I see, you still have some of that stuff left. [Pause.] Work it well in, dear. [Pause.] Now the other. [Pause. She turns back front, gazes before her. Happy expression.] Oh this is going to be another happy day! [Pause. Happy expression off. She pulls down spectacles and resumes lips, WILLIE opens newspaper, hands invisible. Tops of yellow sheets appear on either side of his head. WINNIE finishes lips, inspects them in mirror held a little further away.] Ensign crimson. [WILLIE turns page, WINNIE lays down lipstick and mirror, turns towards bag.] Pale flag.