Dead Hands

Howard Barker

• Publisher: Oberon Books
• Year: 2012
• ISBN:
  9781849433648
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Littérature
• Subtopic: Théâtre britannique

A young man rushes to reach the bedside of his dying father, but arrives too late. His younger brother was present at the death, but his attitude is strangely ambiguous, and the elder brother becomes suspicious. The intentions of the dead man's mistress are also unclear. The mourners become increasingly consumed by feverish imagining, building a powerfully tense atmosphere as their characters start to disintegrate. This new play by international dramatist, poet and theorist, Howard Barker, toured in a production by The Wrestling School theatre company in 2005.

An open coffin on a table. A man enters.

EFF: What a journey

(He sits.)

What a journey oh

(Pause.)

What a journey let us begin with things of little or no consequence the weather for example

(Pause.)

The weather which characterized this journey was unremittingly

(Pause.)

No

No

No it did remit on leaving somewhere the unremitting vileness ceased the road began to steam in glaring sunshine birds became vociferous insects swarmed

(Pause.)

This was the only instance of alleviation I recall otherwise

(Pause.)

A vile journey

(Pause.)

Your mistress what a look she has I met her on the stairs this little mouth and hands which dart from here to there her neck her thighs her hair hands like an infant's old but infantile

(Pause.)

Infantile but aged hands immediately I knew I'd sleep with her if not today tomorrow

(Pause.)

What a look however

(Pause.)

Cruel is not the word

Flint

Brick

Broken glass for eyes

I looked away I could not tolerate her stare I blushed I muttered shifting my weight from one foot to the other I wanted her whole cunt in my mouth the flesh the fluid and the hair stiff hair I imagined and if she pissed so much the better she said we were united in our grief

(Pause.)

What grief

(Pause.)

What grief

(Pause.)

In what grief united if she comes in now I'll drag her skirt over her thighs lean lean on my father's corpse while I

(Pause.)

Grief is not a river is it sometimes the riverbed is dry years might elapse before the rain arrives you might be laughing in a public place when the storm bursts

(Pause. He rises from the chair.)

Or never

Never

Ever

Grieve

At

All

(Pause.)

She won't come in

(Pause.)

She won't

(Pause.)

She won't come in

(Pause. He sits.)

Despite the profoundly mischievous impression she conveyed I think it most unlikely she would intrude upon a moment of such tenderness as this

(Pause.)

Marching in here naked for example

(Pause.)

Marching in here naked but for shoes

(Pause.)

Such an act for all its exquisite insolence must be contemplated in the context of her reputation

(Pause.)

What is her reputation?

(Pause.)

Her reputation might in any case be one she longs to lose the discreet how they dream of indiscretion the flagrant how they wish they could disguise their brutal moves

(Pause.)

On the other hand

(Pause.)

On the other hand

(Pause.)

Do you mind this do you mind this incorrigible speculation it comes from you of all the many gifts bestowed on me by you this mode of argument is the most precious if argument itself is precious one might dispute its value possibly I don't however I don't dispute it on the other hand I don't dispute it at all on the other hand on the other hand is it not the tragedy of women that they are obliged to weigh the pleasures of an inspiration against the mounting sarcasm of a contemptuous world breathtaking magnificent religious religious yes religious as it would be to march in here now naked but for shoes can she avoid reflecting on the possibility that passing time would render such an apotheosis of her sexuality comic absurd or even I flinch from speaking the word even

(Pause.)

Grotesque possibly?

(He rises suddenly.)

She's coming

She's coming

She

(Pause.)

Ha

(He shakes his head.)

Ha

(He sits.)

Ha

(He sits shaking his head.)

I'm alone

In the world and in my imagination

Utterly

Utterly

I blame you

Utterly

Blame and thank you simultaneously

Utterly

Alone

Father

(Pause.)

Father

(Pause.)

Funny word

(He rises and walks.)

Rather than attending on her whim rather than passively anticipating an action she almost certainly has never even contemplated let alone possesses the courage to perform might not I

(Pause.)

Father

(Pause.)

Funny word

(Pause.)

Fling back the door and calling down the stairs say

(He shrugs.)

Say what?

Say nothing do not say utter utter rather utter the appalling words

Naked

In

Shoes

(Pause.)

Funny word father because like the word God God who also was a father God who lacked the woman but still assumed the title like God father is a word the speaking of which induces in me why this should be I don't know a certain nausea I enquired of my colleagues at the university I call them colleagues I cannot call them friends if they experienced a similar disgust in uttering this word none did and whilst all confessed to feelings of rage resentment or hostility in contemplating the individual to whom the word referred they claimed the word itself was not the cause so once again I found myself not only isolated but the object of pity and contempt I prefer the army to the university paradoxically the army is less critical of

(A woman enters, naked beneath a coat. She walks to the coffin. She leans across it as if stricken with grief. The coat slips from her shoulders. Pause.)

My brother

(Pause.)

How typical of my brother not to be here and he lives streets away whereas I I who have every reason to be late or absent altogether I subject myself to the exigenci...