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Tess of the d'Urbervilles

Click to Buy Tess of the d'Urbervilles from Oxford University PressThis extract comes from near the end of the play. As a young girl, Tess, the daughter of a labouring family, was seduced by local landowner, Alec d'Urberville. Having gone away from home to escape the scandal, she met, fell in love with, and married Angel Clare, a parson's son. But he abandoned her when he learned that she was not a "pure woman". Now, having had a change of heart, he's come searching for her, to make amends. My use of a Chorus as a central dramatic device in the play, was derived from Thomas Hardy's own view of his novel as a kind of Greek Tragedy.
CHORUS 1: He takes the coach south to Sandbourne, travels all through the day
CHORUS 2: Arrives at night in the seaside town and begins his quest
CHORUS 3: Walking the quiet streets, from door to door, each time asking the same question
ANGEL: Is there a woman staying here by the name of Durbeyfield?
CHORUS 4: Each time receiving the same answer
CHORUS 5: I'm sorry, sir. There's no one of that name here.
CHORUS 6: But he doesn't give up, he goes on with his search, on and on as the night deepens
CHORUS 7: Always asking that same question
ANGEL: Is there a woman staying here by the name of Durbeyfield?
CHORUS 8: Until, at last, he receives the answer -
LANDLADY ENTERS TO ANGEL
LANDLADY: Durbeyfield, sir? No, not Durbeyfield. But perhaps you're mistaken. Perhaps you mean d'Urberville. There is a woman staying here by that name.
ANGEL: Miss d'Urberville, yes -
LANDLADY: No, sir. Not Miss. Mrs. Mrs. d'Urberville
TESS ENTERS. SHE STARES AT ANGEL IN DISBELIEF
TESS: Angel? She approaches him Is it you?
ANGEL: I've been looking for you - He makes a movement towards her, she flinches back Can you forgive me, Tess? Can you take me back?
TESS: Take you back?
ANGEL: I want to make amends -
TESS: You as well!
ANGEL: What do you mean?
TESS: Why didn't you come sooner? Why did you wait till now?
ANGEL: I'm sorry. I should have done -
TESS: But you didn't.
ANGEL: No. I didn't realise -
TESS: I waited and waited for you, but you didn't come. And I was so worn and weary, and it was all so hard, and I gave up hope, and he said you wouldn't come, he kept on saying you'd never come again and I believed him -
ANGEL: I don't understand -
TESS: And now it's too late -
ANGEL: No -
TESS: It is. It's too late. I've gone back to him.
ANGEL: Gone back - ?
TESS: He's here with me, now.
ALEC ENTERS
He's won me back.
LANDLADY STEPS FORWARD
LANDLADY: Will that be all, sir? Are you finished? I'm waiting to lock up, you see.
ANGEL: Yes. That's all. Thankyou. I'm quite finished.
ANGEL TURNS AND WALKS OFF. TESS STARES WITH LONGING AND DESPAIR AFTER HIM. ALEC WATCHES TESS WITH WRY AMUSEMENT. THE LANDLADY TURNS AND SPEAKS TO THE AUDIENCE.
LANDLADY: They seemed a very respectable couple. He was a religious man, and she had all the bearings of a lady. I had no cause for complaint against them, not until that night when the other gentleman, and after he'd gone, I heard...raised voices.
ALEC STEPS UP TO TESS
ALEC: So he did come back? I must say, it's something of a surprise. He must have been rather keen on you after all.
TESS TURNS ON HIM, SNAPS IN FURY
TESS: He's my husband!
ALEC: No, Tess. I am your true husband, in the eyes of God -
TESS: What has God to do with this! What has God to do with me!
ALEC: What's this? Anger? Fury? And from my docile little Tess -
TESS: He should have danced with me that time -
ALEC: What - ?
TESS: If he'd have danced with me, things would have been different. I think I knew it even then -
ALEC: What is all this?
TESS: If we'd danced together then I would never have had to lay eyes on you! Never have been - touched by you -
ALEC: You hate my touch, do you, Tess?
HE STROKES HER FACE WITH HIS FINGERS. SHE RECOILS FROM HIM
TESS: Yes! I hate you, and everything about you!
ALEC: Yet you came away with me. And you can't deny I've treated you well. And I see that your family doesn't go without. That's true, isn't it?
TESS: Yes -
ALEC: And you wear the expensive clothes I've bought you. And you're content to live with me as my wife -
TESS: Yes! But only because -
ALEC: What? Because what, Tess? Because part of you likes it? Because you can't help yourself?
SHE CRIES OUT AT HIM IN DESPERATION
TESS: Let me go to him! He's the better part of me...with him I am...truly myself...only with him...you'll never have joy from me, you know hat...you'll never have anything but...this. Please, Alec. I beg you, for both our sakes, let me go to him.
ALEC: Is that what you want?
TESS: You know it is. Yes!
ALEC: mocking Ah, Tess, if only I could. But it's impossible.
TESS: You won't?
ALEC: I can't. It would be... a blasphemy. In the eyes of heaven, you belong to me.
SHE STARES AT HIM, BECOMES SUDDENLY QUIET.
TESS: Yours first and last.
ALEC: Yes.
HE TAKES HER BY THE ARMS, KISSES HER SOFTLY ON HER FOREHEAD, THEN TURNS FROM HER TOWARDS THE AUDIENCE. TESS KEEPS HER EYES ON HIM
TESS: And only death will part us.
CHORUS 9 ENTERS, CARRYING A KNIFE. TESS WALKS ACROSS, TAKES THE KNIFE, TURNS BACK TO FACE ALEC. AS IF SHE'S BEEN WATCHING ALL THIS, THE LANDLADY TURNS ONCE MORE TO THE AUDIENCE.
LANDLADY: If I'd known what was going to happen, I'd have gone up to them. But I didn't know. How could I? I didn't discover it until the next morning, when I saw the door open, and looked inside - and then I saw him lying there, poor man, and I realised what she'd done, and wondered what kind of creature she could be.
TESS LOOKS AT HER. LANDLADY STARTS, FEARFULLY, AND GOES. TESS MOVES IN SLOWLY ON ALEC. HE REMAINS THROUGHOUT WITH HIS BACK TO HER
TESS: He was standing with his back to me, looking out of the window. There was a knife on the table. I'd been cutting bread with it earlier. I picked it up and went across to him. At any moment I expected him to turn round and take the knife from me and laugh that laugh of his. But he didn't. There was a full moon in the sky. Its light filled the room. And then I knew it was the moon that he was looking at, it was the full moon that held his gaze so long. And I knew that this moment alone was mine, that there would only ever be this one chance, so I took it, and raised the knife, and I struck.
TESS SLOWLY RAISES THE KNIFE, CLASPED IN BOTH HANDS, ABOVE ALECS HEAD BOTH HANDS, SHE HOLDS IT THERE FOR A MOMENT, THEN BRINGS IT DOWN BEHIND HIS BACK. HE LOWERS HIS HEAD.
CHORUS 9: And it was done.
The play was first produced at Weston Road High School in Stafford, just prior to publication, and has received several productions in schools around the country since then.
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All original material Copyright © 2002 David Calcutt.
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