Breath, and Other Shorts
Samuel Beckett
Breath
and other shorts
Books by Samuel Beckett
Published by Faber and Faber
WAITING FOR GODOT
EH JOE
ALL THAT FALL
PLAY
ENDGAME
KRAPP'S LAST TAPE and EMBERS
HAPPY DAYS
FILM
OUR EXAGMIN A TION ROUND HIS
FACTIFICATION FOR INCAMINATION
OF WORK IN PROGRESS
(Samuel Beckett and others)
Published by Calder and Boyars
MURPHY
WATT
MOLLOY
MALONE DIES
MOLLOY, MALONE DIES, THE UN NAMABLE
HOW IT IS
IMAGINATION DEAD IMAGINE
POEMS IN ENGLISH
PROUST AND THREE DIALOGUES
WITH GEORGES DUTHUIT
COME AND GO
NO'S KNIFE
LESS NESS
MORE PRICKS THAN KICKS
THE LAST ONES
T HE SAMUEL BECKETT READER
SAMUEL BECKETT
BREATH
and other shorts
FABER AND FABER
3 Queen Square
London
First published in 1971
bv Faber and Faber Limited
3 Queen Square London WC I
Reprinted I972 and 1975
Printed in Great Britain by
Whitstable Litho Ltd., Whitstable, Kent
All rights reserved
ISBN 0 571 09795 2 (paper covers)
ISBN 0 57 I 09777 4 (hard bound edition)
Applications for the performing rights of the dramatic
works included in this volume should be addressed to
Curtis Brown Ltd., 13 King Street, Col'ent Garden,
London. W.C.2.
CONDITIONS OF SALE
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by
way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise
circulated without the publisher's prior consent in any form of
binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser
© Samuel Beckett I958, 1967 and 1971,
Grove Press /958 and I960
© This collection Faber and Faber /97I
The first British performance of Breath was at the Close
Theatre Club in Glasgow in October 1969.
Act Without Words I (Acte Sans Paroles) was first performed in Great Britain at the Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, London, on 3rd April 1957, as part of a
double bill with Endgame. It was played and directed by
Deryk Mendel with music by John Beckett.
From an Abandoned Work was first broadcast by the
B.B.C. in the Third Programme on 14th December 1957.
It was spoken by Patrick Magee; and the producer was
Donald McWhinnie.
ACK NOW LE DG EME NTS
The English text of Act Without Words II
was first published in New Departures I.
Contents
BREATH
page 9
COME AND GO
A Dramaticule
13
ACT WITHOUT WORDS I
A Mime for one Player
23
ACT WITHOUT WORDS II
A Mime for two Players
31
FROM AN ABANDONED WORK
37
7
Breath
CURTAIN
I. Faint light on stage littered with miscellaneous rubbish.
Hold about five seconds.
2. Faint brief cry and immediately inspiration and slow
increase of light together reaching maximum together in
about ten seconds. Silence and hold about five seconds.
3. Expiration and slow decrease of light together reaching
minimum together (light as in I) in about ten seconds and
immediately cry as before. Silence and hold about five
seconds.
CURTAIN
RUBBISH
No verticals, all scattered and lying.
CRY
Instant of recorded vagitus. Important that two cries be
identical, switching on and off strictly synchronized light
and breath.
BREATH
Amplified recording.
MAXIMUM LIGHT
Not bright. IfO =dark and 10 = bright, light should move
from about 3 to 6 and back.
II
Come and Go
A Dramaticule
for John Calder
GHARACTERS
Flo
Vi
Ru
(Ages undeterminable)
Sitting centre side by side stage right to left FLO, VI and RU.
Very erect, facing front, hands clasped in laps.
Silence.
VI: When did we three last meet?
RU: Let us not speak.
Silence.
Exit VI right.
Silence.
FLO: Ru.
RU: Yes.
FLO: What do you think of Vi?
RU: I see little change. (FLO moves to centre seat, whispers
in RU's ear. Appalled.) Oh! (They look at each other.
FLO puts her finger to her lips.) Does she not realize?
FLO: God grant not.
Enter VI. FLO and RU turn back front, resume pose. VI
sits right.
Silence.
FLO: Just sit together as we used to, in the playground at Miss
Wade's.
RU: On the log.
Silence.
Exit FLO left.
Silence.
RU: Vi.
VI: Yes.
RU: How do you find Flo?
19
VI: She seems much the same. (RU moves to centre seat,
whispers in VI's ear. Appalled.) Oh! (They look at each
other. RU puts her finger to her lips.) Has she not been
told?
RU: God forbid.
Enter FLO. RU and VI turn back front, resume pose.
FLO sits left.
RU: Holding hands ... that way.
FLO: Dreaming of ... love.
Silence.
Exit RU right.
Silence.
VI: Flo.
FLO: Yes.
VI: How do you think Ru is looking?
FLO: One sees little in this light. (vi moves to centre seat,
whispers in FLO's ear. Appalled.) Oh! (They look at
each other. VI puts her finger to her lips.) Does she not
know?
VI: Please God not.
Enter RU. VI and FLO turn back front, resume pose.
RU sits right.
Silence.
VI: May we not speak of the old days? (Silence.) Of what
came after? (Silence.) Shall we hold hands in the old
way?
After a moment they join hands as follows: VI's right
hand with RU's right hand, VI's left hand with FLO's left
hand, FLO's right hand with RU's left hand, VI's arms
being above RU's left arm and FLO's right arm. The three
pairs of clasped hands rest on the three laps.
Silence.
FLO: I can feel the rings.
Silence.
CURTAIN
20
NOTES
Successive positions
1
FLO
VI RU
2 {FLO
RU
/> FLO
RU
3
VI FLO RU
4 {VI
RU
VI RU
5
VI RU
FLO
6 {VI
FLO
VI FLO
7
RU
VI FLO
Hands
RU
VI
FLO
�
Lighting
Soft, from above only and concentrated on playing area.
Rest of stage as dark as possible.
Costume
Full-length coats, buttoned high, dull violet (Ru), dull red
(Vi), dull yellow (Flo). Drab nondescript hats with enough
brim to shade faces. Apart from colour differentiation
three figures as alike as possible. Light shoes with rubber
soles. Hands made up to be as visible as possible. No rings
apparent.
Seat
Narrow bcnchlike seat, without back, just long enough to
accommodate three figures almost touching. As little visible
as possible. It should not be clear what they are sitting on.
21
Exits
The figures are not seen to go off stage. They should
disappear a few steps from lit area. If dark not sufficient
to allow this, recourse should be had to screens or drapes
as little visible as possible. Exits and entrances slow,
without sound of feet.
Ohs
Three very different sounds.
Voices
As low as compatible with audibility. Colourless except for
three "ohs" and two lines following.
22
Act Without Words I
A Mime for one Player
Translated from the original French
by the author
To Music by JOHN BECKETT
Desert. Dazzling light.
The man is flung backwards on stage from right wing.
He falls, gets up immediately, dusts himself, turns aside,
reflects.
Whistle from right wing.
He reflects, goes out right.
Immediately flung back on stage he falls, gets up im-
mediately, dusts himself, turns aside, reflects.
Whistle from left wing.
He reflects, goes out left.
Immediately flung back on stage he falls, gets up immediately, dusts himself, turns aside, reflects.
Whistle from left wing.
He reflects, goes towards left wing, hesitates, thinks
better of it, halts, turns aside, reflects.
A little tree descends from flies, lands. It has a single
bough some three yards from ground and at its summit a
meagre tuft of palms casting at its foot a circle of shadow.
He continues to reflect.
Whistle from above.
He turns, sees tree, reflects, goes to it, sits down in its
shadow, looks at his hands.
A pair of tailor's scissors descends from flies, comes to
rest before tree, a yard from ground.
He continues to look at his hands.
Whistle from above.
25
He looks up, sees scissors, takes them and starts to trim
his nails.
The palms close like a parasol, the shadow disappears.
He drops scissors, reflects.
A tiny carafe, to which is attached a huge label inscribed
wATER, descends from flies, comes to rest some three yards
from ground.
He continues to reflect.
Whistle from above.
He looks up, sees carafe, reflects, gets up, goes and
stands under it, tries in vain to reach it, renounces, turns
aside, reflects.
A big cube descends from flies, lands.
He continues to reflect.
Whistle from above.
He turns, sees cube, iooks at it, at carafe, reflects, goes
to cube, takes it up, carries it over and sets it down under
carafe, tests its stability, gets up on it, tries in vain to reach
carafe, renounces, gets down, carries cube back to its place,
turns aside, reflects.
A second smaller cube descends from flies, lands.
He continues to reflect.
Whistle from above.
He turns, sees second cube, looks at it, at carafe, goes to
second cube, takes it up, carries it over and sets it down
under carafe, tests its stability, gets up on it, tries in vain
to reach carafe, renounces, gets dowil, takes up second
cube to carry it back to its place, hesitates, thinks better
of it, sets it down, goes to big cube, takes it up, carries it
over and puts it on small one, tests their stability, gets up
on them, the cubes collapse, he falls, gets up immediately,
brushes himself, reflects.
He takes up small cube, puts it on big one, tests their
stability, gets up on them and is about to reach carafe when
26
it is pulled up a little way and comes to rest beyond his
reach.
He gets down, reflects, carries cubes back to their place,
one by one, turns aside, reflects.
A third still smaller cube descends from flies, lands.
He continues to reflect.
Whistle from above.
He turns, sees third cube, looks at it, reflects, turns aside,
reflects.
The third cube is pulled up and disappears in flies.
Beside carafe a rope descends from flies, with knots to
facilitate ascent.
He continues to reflect.
Whistle from above.
He turns, sees rope, reflects, goes to it, climbs up it and
is about to reach carafe when rope is let out and deposits
him back on ground.
He reflects, looks round for scissors, sees them, goes and
picks them up, returns to rope and starts to cut it with
scissors.
The rope is pulled up, lifts him off ground, he hangs on,
succeeds in cutting rope, falls back on ground, drops
scissors, falls, gets up again immediately, brushes himself,
reflects.
The rope is pulled up quickly and disappears in flies.
With length of rope in his possession he makes a lasso
with which he tries to lasso the carafe.
The carafe is pulled up quickly and disappears in flies.
He turns aside, reflects.
He goes with lasso in his hand to tree, looks at bough,
turns and looks at cubes, looks again at bough, drops
lasso, goes to cubes, takes up small one, carries it over
and sets it down under bough, goes back for big one, takes
it up and carries it over under bough, makes to put it on
small one, hesitates, thinks better of it, sets it down, takes
27
up small one and puts it on big one, tests their stability,
turns aside and stoops to pick up lasso.
The bough folds down against trunk.
He straightens up with lasso in his hand, turns and sees
what has happened.
He drops lasso, turns aside, reflects.
He carries back cubes to their place, one by one, goes
back for lasso, carries it over to the cubes and lays it in a
neat coil on small one.
He turns aside, reflects.
Whistle from right wing.
He reflects, goes out right.
Immediately flung back on stage he falls, gets up im-
mediately, brushes himself, tur
ns aside, reflects.
Whistle from left wing.
He does not move.
He looks at his hands, looks round for scissors, sees
them, goes and picks them up, starts to trim his nails, stops,
reflects, runs his finger along blade of scissors, goes and
lays them on smaii cube, turns aside, opens his coiiar,
frees his neck and fingers it.
The smaii cube is pulled up and disappears in flies,
carrying away rope and scissors.
He turns to take scissors, sees what has happened.
He turns aside, reflects.
He goes and sits down on big cube.
The big cube is puiled from under him. He fails. The big
cube is puiled up and disappears in flies.
He remains lying on his side, his face towards auditorium, staring before him.
The carafe descends from flies and comes to rest a few
feet from his body.
He does not move.
Whistle from above.
He does not move.
28
The carafe descends further, dangles and plays about his
face.
He does not move.
The carafe is pulled up and disappears in flies.
The bough returns to horizontal, the palms open, the
shadow returns.
Whistle from above.
He does not move.
The tree is pulled up and disappears in flies.
He looks at his hands.
CURTAIN
29
Act Without Words II
A Mime for two Players
Translated from the original French
by the author
NOTE:
This mime should be played on a low and narrow platform at back of stage, violently lit in its entire length, the rest of the stage being in darkness. Frieze effect.
A is slow, awkward (gags dressing and undressing),
absent. B brisk, rapid, precise. The two actions therefore,
though B has more to do than A, should have approximately the same duration.
ARGUMENT:
Beside each other on ground, two yards from right wing,
two sacks, A's and B's, A's being to right (as seen from
auditorium) of B's, i.e. nearer right wing. On ground beside
sack B a little pile of clothes (C) neatly folded (coat and
trousers surmounted by boots and hat).
Enter goad right, strictly horizontal. The point stops a
foot short of sack A. Pause. The point draws back, pauses,
darts forward into sack, withdraws, recoils to a foot short
of sack. Pause. The sack does not move. The point draws
back again, a little further than before, pauses, darts forward again into sack, withdraws, recoils to a foot short of sack. Pause. The sack moves. Exit goad.
A, wearing shirt, crawls out of sack, halts, broods, prays,
