Berliner Ensemble Adaptations
Page 21
Joan No, not yesterday.
Maître Erard And the day before, my child?
Joan No.
Maître Erard You see, they have abandoned you, but the stake is ready. And here I have a document; if you submit and sign and recant, you will be released from prison.
Joan (in tears) I have done nothing wrong.
Maître Erard If you don’t recant, it will be the fire, dear sister. (At a sign from him the door is thrown open and the bells and the noise are heard)
Maître Erard Would you not rather stay with your mother, the church, for it is written, “The branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine.”
(Joan does not answer)
Maître Erard Joan, it’s to you I am speaking.
(At a sign from Massieu the door is closed)
Massieu Forgive me if I should be mistaken, but I believe I heard her say “Then I will.”
(All gather around Joan)
Massieu She says that if the Council at Basel decides she must sign she will do so.
Beaupère No, dear sister, you must do it now.
Joan I can’t get up.
Beaupère I’ll help you.
Chation Sign here.
Joan I can’t write.
La Fontaine I’ll guide your hand.
Chation Quick, sign.
Joan I’ve got to think it over.
Beaupère The executioner is outside. He’s got his torch ready.
La Fontaine Sign! Sign!
Joan I feel sick.
La Fontaine Courage, Joan.
Chation You must sign.
Joan Where? I can’t see.
(La Fontaine guides Joan’s hand. She signs)
Joan I’d sooner sign than be burned.
Bishop A great day, my girl. Your body and soul are saved. (To Brother Raoul) Give me the sentence.
Beaupère Your voices led you astray, my child.
Joan Yes, I guess they deceived me.
Bishop Give the prisoner women’s clothes.
(Two Nuns have entered. A screen is brought in. The Nuns dress Joan, who is tottering, in female clothes)
Bishop Brother Raoul, send a message to my lord that she has recanted. (Reads the sentence very quickly) You, Joan, having been repeatedly and patiently admonished by us, have now recanted your errors by word of mouth and publicly abjured them. Consequently, you are hereby readmitted to the church. However, since you have most gravely sinned against the church, we condemn you to imprisonment for life, to the bread of sorrow and the wine of tears, albeit constantly in the shelter of our compassion. This is the final decision of the court.
(The English Observer and the Adjutant have come in)
The English Observer Goddam! The witch has to be burned at once!
Adjutant What’s going on here?
Bishop She has recanted.
Adjutant This is high treason.
Bishop I’m being insulted. I demand satisfaction.
Adjutant You’re letting the girl get away.
Bishop That’s a lie.
Adjutant The girl must be executed at once.
Bishop That decision rests with me.
The English Observer No. (Goes out with His Adjutant)
Massieu Where is she to be taken?
Bishop Same place you took her from. (Out)
Massieu Take her back to prison. (Out)
Joan But you said I would be free!
Guard Just come along quietly, little girl. How pretty you look in your nice dress.
10
In the graveyard of Saint-Ouen an expectant crowd hears of Joan’s recantation.
Market place in Rouen. A crowd, waiting. English soldiers.
War Cripple Are they going to burn her today or not?
(An English soldier shrugs)
Second Soldier The time it takes. Do they expect us to eat our dinner out here?
First Soldier Goddam!
Sister-in-Law You can’t get her down, can you? She holds her head high.
Little Girl Why have the bells stopped?
Peasant Woman Don’t know.
First Soldier The “Red Lion” costs more, but at “St. Peter’s Catch” they cook with garlic.
Second Soldier They cook with garlic because they don’t want us.
(A third English soldier joins the other two and tells them something. They laugh)
Sister-in-Law What are the English soldiers laughing about?
(The soldiers go off, laughing)
Loose Woman Henry, what’s happened?
First Soldier You can all go home. Your Maid has recanted.
Second Soldier Not that she is one.
Legrain Some new piece of skulduggery.
Loose Woman It’s all over. The bells have stopped ringing.
Sister-in-Law You mean they’re not going to burn her after all?
Son How can she recant the truth? How can she betray us like this?
War Cripple She’s recanted all right.
Innkeeper To save her skin.
Peasant Woman Is this the end of it all?
Peasant She’s recanted. Let’s go home.
Peasant Woman Eugene.
Wine Merchant Ha, ha! Not that she is one. Ha, ha, ha! (He is jostled by the Son)
Fishwife What can they have done to the girl?
11
At the “St. Peter’s Catch” tavern, opinions are divided.
The “St. Peter’s Catch” tavern. The Innkeeper. The Fishwife. The Well-Dressed Gentleman. The Loose Woman.
Well-Dressed Gentleman I’m not for the English. I only said that it’s no good trying to crack a nut with a sledgehammer—you might need the nut. The tripe vendors and sewer workers are full of patriotic fervor, that’s fine. Jostling the English guards, splendid. But what will it lead to? After all, there’s no great difference between the door of a guardroom and the door of my hotel. The English are boors, not much culture, they’ve blundered unforgivably in their dealings with the population, I grant you that, but for the moment they are responsible for law and order.
Loose Woman (to Fishwife) Law and order, he says. I like that. He hasn’t paid my rent in weeks.
Fishwife (calms her) Take it easy, Blanche.
Well-Dressed Gentleman We’ve got to keep cool. What I say is: everything in its place. I don’t ask my butcher to cook my supper.
Loose Woman Pay my rent.
Legrain (enters) Monsieur François, un petit blanc! There’s been a riot in the harbor. The stevedores have refused to unload two siege machines from the corvette “Glorious.” The Duke of Bedford has let loose his watchdogs, but the dockers are fighting back.
Innkeeper Maybe I’d better close the place. They’ve already smashed it up once.
Fishwife (laughs) What will the Bishop do now?
Well-Dressed Gentleman How can you laugh, madame? I’ve had as much as I can take. I’m telling you straight: This town has got to be cleaned up. Sneers, whispering, dirty looks. Pretty soon it won’t be safe for a man to show himself in a clean shirt.
Loose Woman Especially if the laundress hasn’t been paid.
Well-Dressed Gentleman There you have it! Insurrection.
Loose Woman You mean you won’t pay?
Well-Dressed Gentleman These people are taking me for all they can get.
Innkeeper Say!
Loose Woman You aren’t that pretty. You think going to bed with you is a pleasure? And listening to your hogwash day and night? Pay up and clear out. A peasant girl! What does that make me? A dockside whore, I suppose. Pay if you want to have fun, pay, pay, pay!
Well-Dressed Gentleman Suppose I haven’t got it?
Loose Woman Pluck your hat and sell the feathers, you sissy.
Well-Dressed Gentleman Let me explain …
Loose Woman Don’t explain, pay!
Well-Dressed Gentleman That’s the last straw. There’s only one thing to be done with you scum, your Maid included: root out, burn to the ground, drown i
n blood, hang, crush underfoot, exterminate. (The Loose Woman slaps his face. He leaves)
Fishwife You shouldn’t have done that. He’ll give you a bad name in the taverns.
Loose Woman All this is getting me down.
Innkeeper You’re not the only one, mademoiselle. You’re not the only one.
12
Rioting in Rouen. The Bishop of Beauvais receives distressing news.
In the Bishop’s house. The Bishop at dinner. Massieu.
Bishop Those English blockheads don’t realize how well I’ve served them. They may know all about invading France, but they fail to understand the French mind.
Massieu Thanks to your great skill they have one less enemy, and the church has lost a martyr.
Brother Raoul (entering) Your Eminence. The city is in a turmoil. The people are crowding into the harbor and beating up the English sailors. Several guard posts have been attacked. The English are demanding satisfaction.
Bishop I can’t be bothered with street brawls. The English can reinforce their guards.
Brother Raoul Your Eminence, they’re putting the blame on us and the way we conducted the trial. I hear the Duke of Bedford is sick with rage.
Bishop The Duke of Bedford has all the doctors he needs. Besides, he’s always had trouble with his liver. It’s the life he’s been leading. Anything else?
Brother Raoul The English report that she put on men’s clothes this morning.
Massieu She must have heard about the riots on her account.
Bishop (aghast, puts his napkin down) Water!
(Brother Raoul hands him the bowl to wash his hands in)
13
The prison of La Tour des Champs. Joan has heard the voice of the people and resumes her struggle.
Prison. Joan, again in men’s clothes. Enter the Bishop of Beauvais and La Fontaine.
Bishop You are wearing men’s clothes again!
La Fontaine Why have you caused us this sorrow? Dearest sister, it’s too late to save you. You’ve broken your promise; you’ve relapsed, now you’re lost forever.
Joan What did I promise you?
Bishop Have you heard your voices again?
Joan Yes.
Bishop And they told you …
Joan That I betrayed my cause.
Bishop But you have publicly recanted.
Joan Yes. Because I didn’t know what a public recantation meant. I only recanted because I was afraid of the fire. In battle I was never afraid of fire, because I wasn’t alone, I had my men around me. But then I doubted the people; I thought they wouldn’t care if I died, and would just go on drinking their wine. But they knew all about me the whole time, and nothing I did was in vain.
Bishop What does it matter what the coopers and fishwives know?
Joan Bishop, a day will come when the vintners of Touraine and the sailors of Normandy will sit together, and you people won’t be here any more.
Bishop In other words you are obstinate and guilty of a relapse.
Joan I am.
Bishop Joan, you have reverted to your old errors and trespasses as a dog returns to its vomit. The church can no longer defend you. Farewell, farewell! (Goes out with La Fontaine)
14
On May 30, 1431, Joan is handed over to the excutioner.
Prison. Joan. In the background The Executioner, a Nun, An English officer, English soldiers, the two Guards. Enter Massieu.
Massieu Joan, the Bishop of Beauvais has sent me to prepare you for death.
Joan Yes.
Massieu Are you afraid of death?
Joan Yes, very much afraid.
Massieu Then you repent?
Joan No.
Massieu Joan, in the face of death do you persist in considering your voices true?
Joan Yes.
Massieu But, Joan, haven’t those voices promised that you would be freed from prison forever?
Joan Won’t I be freed from prison forever today?
Massieu Joan, did they not foretell your impending release?
Joan Am I not being released from the fear of death? Am I not being released from fear of the powerful?
(Solemn entry of the Bishop of Beauvais with all the judges and assessors of the trial)
Bishop We have come to the end. Joan, have you anything more to say?
Joan Yes. If the fire were to be lit right now and the faggots were burning and the executioner fanning the flames, I would say nothing different from what I have always said.
Bishop Conduct her to the stake.
(The Executioner steps forward)
Massieu This is irregular, my lord. You must proclaim the reasons for your order.
Bishop Take her away, take her away!
(The Executioner takes Joan away)
15
In the market place of Rouen, in the presence of an immense crowd, the Maid is burned at the stake.
Market place in Rouen. A large crowd. English Soldiers.
Sister-in-Law She looks so little among the men.
Peasant Woman Lift the child up!
Son (to the curate) Do you think she’s afraid?
Young Curate We are afraid, she isn’t.
Child It’s daylight. Why has that man got a torch?
Older Nun That’s the executioner, little girl. He’s ready with his torch to light the fire for the witch.
Fishwife Look at the Duke of Bedford, he’s laughing and enjoying himself. Those twelve thousand pounds for the Maid have paid off.
Son Cardinals and dukes, birds of a feather. English and French lords, birds of a feather.
Peasant Hold your tongue.
Soldier Who was that?
Fishwife (drops her basket to cover up the flight of the young Peasant) My fish, my mackerel!
Wine Merchant (to the soldier) Someone pushed me from behind.
Young Curate That’s right, I saw it myself.
Loose Woman Henry, go home.
Bishop’s Voice We, Bishop of Beauvais, hereby declare you, Joan, a heretic and relapsed sinner and by this same declaration excommunicate you. At the same time we pray that divine judgment upon you may be mitigated after your death and the imminent destruction of your body.
First Soldier Took a long time!
(Church bells)
Second Soldier Don’t push. The wood’s piled high enough, everybody can see her.
Fishwife Swine! They’ve piled it high to make her suffer more.
Second Soldier Why do they let the people come so close?
First Soldier Don’t worry, you’ve got a pike. Let them get a taste of the smoke.
Loose Woman Now!
(Nuns recite the Hail Mary)
First Soldier It’s all over, let’s go home. What are you people gaping at? She can’t do any more than burn.
Peasant (to his wife) Don’t cry now. She can’t feel anything now.
Loose Woman She’s still screaming.
Second Soldier Got to sound off to the bitter end.
Sister-in-Law She’s stopped screaming.
16
Five years later the ultimate liberation and unification of France is initiated by the revolt of the people in Paris. At the head of the popular movement walks the legendary figure of little Joan of Arc.