Jude (NHB Modern Plays)

Howard Brenton

• Publisher: Nick Hern Books
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9781788501774
• Topic: Literatura
• Subtopic: Arte dramático británico

About to be fired from her cleaning job for stealing a volume of Euripides, Jude turns her employer's outrage to shock by translating the ancient Greek on the spot. The employer, a Classics teacher, knows great talent when she sees it and the encounter kick-starts Jude's lifelong ambition to study at Oxford University. Entirely self-taught and possessing an astonishing gift for languages, Jude will stop at nothing to achieve her dream – but she remains oblivious to the hidden barriers that her background has placed in her path...

Howard Brenton's play, loosely inspired by Thomas Hardy's novel Jude the Obscure, is a modern day tale of unexpected genius and of our struggle to accommodate extraordinary talent.

Jude premiered at Hampstead Theatre in May 2019.

ACT ONE: At Waterlooville

Scene One

SALLY PHILLOTSON has discovered JUDITH NASRANI stealing a book. JUDITH hides it behind her back.

SALLY. What’s that?

JUDITH. What’s what?

SALLY. A book?

JUDITH. So?

SALLY. Oh for Godsake, if you want to – read something, ask and you can borrow it.

JUDITH. No I want to steal it.

SALLY. I’m sorry?

JUDITH. Stealing makes it better.

SALLY. Makes what better?

JUDITH. The book.

SALLY. Why?

JUDITH shrugs.

JUDITH. More tasty.

And grins.

SALLY. Look, if we’re going to understand each other – I mean your first day, I’d hoped – oh, give it to me.

With a sudden movement, JUDITH throws the book to her. Startled, SALLY catches it awkwardly. She looks at it.

Euripides? In Greek?

JUDITH shrugs, a movement of her right hand. It gives a contemptuous impression.

What was the idea, flog it on eBay? Well I don’t know what you’d have got for it, it’s not exactly a Marvel-comic shocker – though I s’pose, in its day, Medea – but – you were going to, what? Pilfer your way through my flat, then flit away, never to be seen again? You’ve really let me down, Judith.

JUDITH. It’s a disease.

SALLY. Petty thieving, a medical problem? I s’pose that’s some kind of sociological excuse –

JUDITH. Reading. It’s sick. That’s what my aunt says.

SALLY. What does this aunt do?

JUDITH with a shrug.

JUDITH. Works at the Payless.

SALLY. And she doesn’t like you reading? I mean you can re– sorry –

JUDITH. Fuck off.

SALLY. Yes, that was – of me –

But JUDITH rushes at SALLY, who flinches. JUDITH grabs the book, turns away and opens it. She reads – carefully – the first line of Medea.

JUDITH. Εἴθ᾽ ὤφελ᾽ Ἀργοῦς μὴ διαπτάσθαι σκάφος

SALLY is stunned.

But JUDITH begins to struggle with a translation.

How I – want – no, wanted, no – wished? Wished – the Argo – Argo! Jason’s ship, sexy beast, wan’t he – μὴ διαπτάσθαι, what’s that?

SALLY. Verb –

JUDITH. Yeah I know it’s a verb –

SALLY. To fly through. Past tense. And it’s negative. Can be about a journey.

JUDITH stares at the line, speaking it to herself. Then –

JUDITH. How – I wish – the Argo – had never – reached – the land.

A pause.

SALLY. All right. Was it your school, back in Syria? What, an elite, a party school?

JUDITH is looking at her in her shutdown mode.

I mean how did you learn Greek?

JUDITH. Church.

SALLY. Church?

JUDITH. My aunt goes to church. They have a jumble sale.

SALLY. But – aren’t you, I assumed – aren’t you Muslim?

JUDITH. You tell me.

SALLY. No, I mean –

JUDITH. I’m what you think I am, in’t I.

SALLY. And you think I think you’re – (Stops herself.) I don’t want this to get complicated. I just want my flat cleaned.

JUDITH shrugs.

So, jumble sale?

JUDITH. Yeah.

SALLY. And you – found Ancient Greek there.

JUDITH. There was this ‘Teach Yourself’ book. And an oinky old dictionary.

SALLY. Oinky?

JUDITH (shrug). Covers all buggered.

SALLY. And you bought them?

JUDITH, nothing.

Of course not.

JUDITH in her shutdown-and-stare mode.

A pause.

Did someone at the college put you up to this?

JUDITH. Up to the Greek?

SALLY. It’s Colin, isn’t it, bloody Colin. God keep us from men who are practical jokers – I mean I know he wants classical studies off the curriculum but – get me to go into a staff meeting and say ‘Little refugee girl stole my Euripides, I have found a genius?’ – Egg all over my face. So own up. That it? Mr Chalmers at Southsea College, he got you to fake knowing Greek?

JUDITH. Are you like – saying I’m faking?

SALLY. I mean – I’m asking –

JUDITH. Right! Fake! It’s all fake! The Greeks knew that, wake, fake, yeah even being awake, that’s fake! That’s what they say – don’t wake up, it’ll kill you! So fuck your stupid job and fuck you!

She slams the book down on the ground, kicks the cleaning equipment over and is leaving. But suddenly she turns on SALLY and shouts at her.

μῆνιν ἄειδε θεὰ Πηληϊάδεω Ἀχιλῆος

JUDITH exits.

And –

Scene Two

SALLY and PAT NASH.

SALLY. Can I smoke?

PAT. Not really.

A pause.

So, she shouted at you and left. And –

SALLY. I was – shocked.

PAT. Cos little foreign cleaners aren’t meant to know Ancient Greek.

SALLY. No. Yes. No.

PAT. What was it she shouted?

SALLY. The first line of the Iliad.

PAT. Which is?

SALLY. Obviously the police don’t read Homer.

PAT. No need, we see enough blood poured in the sand.

SALLY. ‘Sing Goddess of the rage of Achilles.’

PAT considers her for a moment.

PAT. What do you think she meant?

SALLY. ‘Sing Goddess of the rage of Judith Nasrani’? Look, that young woman has ruined enough of my life –

PAT. Really? I thought you ruined hers.

SALLY. Excuse me?

PAT. At Oxford?

SALLY. I tried to stop what happened. Wanted to stop it.

A pause.

‘Blood poured in the sand.’ You do know Homer.

A pause.

Why have I been brought here? Hotel room? I – I mean what is this?

PAT. You know what it is. You played with fire and now it’s playing with you.

SALLY. I’m not staying here to be –

A pause.

I mean you’ve not cautioned, arrested me or – maybe you can’t. If you’re –

A pause.

SIS have no powers of arrest, if that’s what you are?

PAT, still as a stone.

So I’m walking out of here, now.

She does not move.

A pause.

Poisoned cloak.

PAT. I’m sorry?

SALLY. I think I’m going to –

She is nea...