Antonio and wonderfully so.
They kiss again.
Duchess so let’s not complicate what should be straightforward.
She starts to put the ring on his finger, he pulls it back.
Antonio your brothers –
Duchess we won’t tell them. We won’t tell anyone for a while
you’ll be my husband here only in my room.
Antonio and outside?
Duchess still my servant, for now.
He looks at her.
He puts a hand to her cheek.
Antonio a secret wedding?
Duchess can you bear it?
She puts the ring on him.
it’s already on your finger, it’s too late
Antonio I will be everything you need me to be, I’ll talk when you want and be trustworthy, and attentive
Duchess I know
Antonio and will laugh at everything, even if I don’t find it funny, actually especially if I don’t find it funny and when your feet are cold and wet in winter –
Duchess Antonio?
Antonio yes?
Duchess you can kiss me now
He kisses her again.
His glasses fall off.
Antonio sorry
They both laugh.
Her maid Cariola appears.
Duchess we’re getting married
Cariola you’re mad
Duchess witness it for us, will you
Cariola if I do, it is an absolute contract
Duchess last chance, any doubts?
Antonio she’s right, you’re mad, you realise, you have lost your head
Duchess I know. Utterly.
She gets a book and throws it at Cariola.
read it out
Cariola bless heaven this sacred Gordian which let violence never untwine, are you sure?
Duchess keep going
Cariola and your own sweet affections, like the spheres be still in motion
Duchess hurry up
Cariola okay, and quickening and make the like soft music
it’s quite nice language, don’t you think? Okay, not interested
blah blah, okay here
man and wife.
They kiss.
Antonio that’s it?
Cariola well once you have signed, and technically you are supposed to consummate –
Antonio what does that mean?
Cariola fuck each other’s brains out
Antonio very good
Duchess excellent
Cariola can you wait at least until I have left the room –
Antonio I doubt this service would have been prettier if it had been in a church
Duchess let me put kisses in your hair instead of flowers.
Cariola I never know whether you are more ruled by a spirt of greatness or of woman
Antonio greatness
Duchess woman
Cariola fearful madness
Antonio love
Duchess determination
Antonio triumph
Duchess don’t worry, Cariola, stop frowning
Cariola I am not worried, but heavens, lady!
Duchess there are days for caution and days to throw it back at the wind.
what do you want me to do, wait and let my brothers trap me into another loveless match? Or worse, hide myself away forever?
Antonio dear love?
Duchess yes
Antonio you said, we had to make this binding.
Antonio picks up the Duchess and carries her off.
She squeals in delight. Cariola is left wondering the sense in all of this.
TWO: THE CARDINAL
The Cardinal is standing in his office. A woman, Julia, is with him.
Cardinal I don’t suppose you’d suck my cock?
Beat.
Julia what?
Cardinal surely it’s crossed your mind?
Julia what on earth got in to you tonight?
Cardinal sorry, I thought that was what you were thinking. As you were, you came here to ask for absolution, I will write to the Pope. Have we finished now?
Julia my husband is here, back in town
Cardinal I know, and you love him.
Julia you married us
Cardinal well at least tell me that you do love him and put me out of my misery
Beat.
you know I pine for you.
Julia you lust for me
Cardinal I lust for you, I pine for you, the effect on me is the same
Julia I think it will pass
Cardinal yes, it will pass, but let’s make it pass together
Julia you’re out of sorts
Cardinal is wanting some comfort from you so bad?
Julia you’re troubled that’s all.
a little vein on your forehead is sticking out
He grabs her.
Cardinal yes, I am troubled, you trouble me
you trouble me very much
Julia me?
Cardinal let me hold you, please
I’m back to Rome before the end of the week, and Rome is so tedious, let me sustain myself at least with the smell of you
She holds him.
say you will be my mistress –
Julia I can’t
Cardinal but why? You sucked my cock once – do it again –
Julia listen –
Cardinal so what do you intend, to make me sore with longing?
Julia of course not
Cardinal then think of it this way and that and roundabout the problem. You are here, I am here, what more is there –
Julia I only came to ask about the Bible, to tell you that my husband
Cardinal your husband your husband
do you have to talk about him so much?
Beat.
I want you to be mine, Julia, is that so bad?
Julia but I am taken.
Cardinal then don’t come here and lift my hopes –
Julia the structure we are in
what is right or wrong, it confuses me
He comes over to her.
He kisses her tenderly.
Cardinal confusion, we can do something about.
enjoyment and loving is never wrong, there’s the
answer
trust me. Okay? And kiss me again?
He undoes his flies.
He takes her head and pushes her down to kneel.
fucking hell.
fuck off,
Julia who?
Cardinal someone is watching
Julia where?
He goes and looks out.
Cardinal out there,
out the window
Julia what?
Cardinal no don’t look
he’s mocking me
Julia I can’t see him
Cardinal oh because he stands back when you come to look
it’s an image of Christ I think
Julia Christ?
Cardinal yes Christ in rags
sent to scare me
remind me that all this is shallow
precarious
oi, ghost?
Julia I can’t see
Cardinal of course you can’t
it’s a plaything of my mind isn’t it
sent for my attention only
some loose connection
guilt or –
Julia who is it?
Cardinal I know who this is, no point even looking, it’s a dead man – a child I knew, grown man now
I had him buried seven years ago
Julia for a crime?
Cardinal yes murder –
they strung him up and ripped out his guts
why am I thinking about him tonight?
She goes over to the window.
Julia which direction are you looking?
She looks.
Cardinal I don’t believe in angels and demons, so get lost
oi yes, you ghost
I looked out for you onc
e but you lost your favour,
you don’t get to haunt me
Julia who did he murder?
Cardinal he slit throats for a living, how can I remember?
does it matter? He did what I told him
but now his ghost thinks he can haunt me
come away
oh suck my cock would you please, Julia, and let’s be done with it
Julia now?
Cardinal why not?
let’s let him see. Do you get your penis sucked in hell, spirit?
or are you still too much of a baby to get it up?
Julia stands next to him.
She is about to kneel down.
Julia is that the man you are talking about?
Cardinal in the shadows, yes
Julia but that’s not a ghost
Cardinal what?
He looks.
Julia that’s your brother
Cardinal Ferdinand?
well what the hell is he doing here?
THREE: FERDINAND
The Cardinal grabs Ferdinand and they go into a bar
Ferdinand what if we were too late in our advice?
Cardinal you look drunk –
Ferdinand not nearly enough, get me more –
Cardinal calm down
Ferdinand calm? She was laughing at us when you had gone
Cardinal what do you mean?
Ferdinand she didn’t listen to a word, not one.
Cardinal brother –
Ferdinand you were hardly out the door when she was talking about how boring her dead husband was in bed.
Cardinal no –
Ferdinand I fear she is already lost.
Cardinal she knows too much about the marriage bed
you see that’s the thing –
Ferdinand I went back to the palace, stood outside her room
the candle is lit in her bedchamber
Cardinal for God’s sake
Ferdinand she is entertaining
Cardinal I doubt it
Ferdinand she never keeps the candle lit, even when we were children and afraid of the dark –
Cardinal maybe she can’t sleep?
Ferdinand she has got someone with her, that is what it means
Cardinal so quickly?
Ferdinand take it from me, we need to do something before this goes too far
I am her twin, I feel what she feels.
even the way the breath goes into her body, and tonight –
Cardinal you need to calm yourself.
Ferdinand I think you need to excite yourself. Wake up. she is out of control.
a conversation here, a wise counsel there. It’s nothing.
she sees herself to be free.
she sees herself to be in charge
Cardinal she is a widow now, not the unmarried maid we had before –
Ferdinand go and stand outside her window.
Cardinal we have to think with measure this time.
Ferdinand your measure is not for me
Cardinal well, it should be, don’t you see your anger is dangerous?
Ferdinand I’m protecting our family. Our position.
Cardinal so am I.
Beat.
provided she just entertains then it’s no problem, we haven’t lost anything
Ferdinand I don’t care about the money, is it all about the money to you?
Cardinal what else is our family but money?
Ferdinand people, that is what we are
Cardinal exactly, and this town has lots of them
oi. Bring some water. Cold
Ferdinand get off me
Cardinal this man needs dunked.
Ferdinand away – cretin
Cardinal you need to sober up
Ferdinand you need to find some fire
Cardinal I have plenty fire
Ferdinand do something brother. Or fall with her.
Ferdinand slopes off. One of the people in the bar is watching.
Ferdinand snarls at them on the way out.
Cardinal watches him go.
He drinks something.
He thinks about what he has heard.
Bosola comes in.
The Cardinal looks at him.
He puts his drink down.
Cardinal oh, so you do haunt me.
FOUR: BOSOLA
Bosola grabs the Cardinal and has his head in a vice.
Bosola you can’t ignore me –
Cardinal get off –
Bosola you raised me
Cardinal the church raised you, not me, let go
Bosola you picked me up from the gutter, fed me, clothed me
Cardinal I had you killed
Bosola I don’t believe it
Cardinal believe it
Bosola I’m your man, you know I am
Cardinal I’ll bite you
Bosola I’ll take it as a sign of affection. I’ll bite you back.
The Cardinal struggles out of his hold.
Cardinal Jesus man, get a grip.
Bosola lets go of him.
The Cardinal looks at him.
what happened anyway, why aren’t you dead?
Bosola they sent me on a ship
I pulled on the oars for six years
Cardinal fucking hell. You were supposed to be hanged.
Bosola you would have done that?
Cardinal I did, I signed the warrant
I’ll do it again, you lay one hand on me.
Bosola I didn’t mention your name, I stayed silent
I took all the flak
Cardinal you fucked up
Bosola you fucked up
Cardinal but you got caught
Bosola I was loyal
Cardinal you are loyal because you thought your best chance was with me
Bosola no, I was loyal because I loved you.
Cardinal pffttt.
Bosola you’re the only family I have
Cardinal family?
The Cardinal laughs.
family? You are a different species, let alone family.
for God’s sake I can smell your breath.
Bosola please let me kiss your ring
Cardinal one step and I will call the guard.
I am the cardinal, you are a murderer.
Bosola where else can I go, sir?
If you send me away then where –
Cardinal I’ll send you to my brother. You want family. He has a job.
get up off your knees. You aren’t a child now, stop snivelling.
Bosola lets go of him.
Bosola what job?
Cardinal a job that will keep you from starvation. Nothing else.
Bosola I knew I could trust you
Cardinal my brother is a bastard, you won’t thank me
Bosola and Ferdinand.
Bosola whose throat must I cut?
Ferdinand ha, he said you were a thug –
Bosola not a thug, a steadfast servant.
is this honest work?
Ferdinand why does it matter what it is?
Bosola I prefer honesty now. If there is a choice, I mean. on the ship I had time to think.
Ferdinand watching for the truth and reporting it. Is there more honest than that?
Bosola the truth is good.
but there’s always a way that the devil gets in.
Ferdinand oh, so you’re clever? Alright, but no devil. You stay loyal to me.
Bosola I’m nothing but loyal, that’s my arrow
Ferdinand you tell me everything.
Bosola in utmost detail
Ferdinand can you ride horses by the way, this is harder if you can’t
Bosola who am I watching?
Ferdinand a woman. My twin. You’ll be a bishop to her horses
Bosola but a spy underneath?
Ferdinand in a word, yes, but for her own good. I want to know who she sees and when. Where she goes and when. What she does and when.
Bosola I am to be like one of your familiars then –
a little weasel that goes ahead and seeks out
Ferdinand do you want it or not?
Bosola I need it.
I have no other means of living. The Cardinal knows that.
Ferdinand very good. I’ll recommend you for the role.
Beat.
it’s not worth thanks
Bosola puts his hand out to shake.
Bosola a bishop to her horses? I like it actually. And at my judgement day I will say my corruption grew out of horse dung.
Ferdinand anyone ever told you your voice is irritating?
Bosola that was a joke only
Ferdinand it was my joke first, the bishop was my pun
Bosola you’re like me then, enjoy the comfort of words
Ferdinand take your hand away
Bosola why? I’m your creature now
Ferdinand what do you mean, ‘creature’?
Bosola servants take on the outer form of their masters didn’t you know? Like a boy grows from his father, a flower from a seed. Indeed as you have a slight lean to your body, and walk like there is a rod up your … spine, without being aware of it, before long I would have that stance myself, and as you stay up on your toes, more like a woman than a man in truth but before long I will start, look like this, or actually see your hair is that sickly flame, and nose too long, well, soon you watch I too – will walk like you and talk and think in just your way – and if you are given to spending money on let’s say women or men perhaps because I am not one to judge but –
FIVE: THE MAID
In the Duchess’s house, entrance hall. Cariola is putting on her make-up.
Cariola you talk too much
Bosola I was a long time silent, I find it makes me a little
Cariola verbose?
Bosola loquacious
Cariola circumlocutory
Bosola periphrastic
Cariola repeating
Bosola I was raised by a man of the church
Cariola where tedious repetition was the order of the day?
Bosola I heard there was a job here
Cariola you heard right
Bosola I have a good record, a reference –
Cariola it’s with the horses
Bosola I love horses
Cariola you won’t talk them to death?
Beat.
Bosola I was silent a long time as I told you.
whenever I am around people, and one like you,
I find words spew forward like –
Cariola boils?
He smiles.
Bosola boils yes.
The Duchess (of Malfi) Page 2