Molière, or The Cabal of Hypocrites and Don Quixote

Two Plays by Mikhail Bulgakov

Mikhail Bulgakov, Richard Nelson, Richard Pevear, Larissa Volokhonsky, Richard Nelson, Richard Pevear, Larissa Volokhonsky

• Publisher: Theatre Communications Group
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN: 9781559365376
• eBook ISBN: 9781559368612
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Drama
• Index: Literature

“Pevear and Volokhonsky are at once scrupulous translators and vivid stylists of English.” – James Wood, New Yorker

 

Best known for his novel The Master and Margarita, Mikhail Bulgakov had a knack for political allegory. Both Molière, or the Cabal of Hypocrites and Don Quixote were contentious in their time, written as a challenge to Soviet politics of the early twentieth century, especially Stalin’s harsh regime. Charged with cultural subtext and controversial intrigue, the plays in this exceptional new volume from TCG’s Russian Drama Series are given new light by the foremost translators of Russian classic literature, Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, in collaboration with renowned playwright Richard Nelson.

 

Richard Nelson’s many plays include The Apple Family: Scenes from Life in the Country (That Hopey Changey Thing, Sweet and Sad, Sorry, Regular Singing); The Gabriels: Election Year in the Life of One Family (Hungry, What Did You Expect?, Women of a Certain Age); Nikolai and the Others; Goodnight Children Everywhere (Oliver Award for Best Play); Franny’s Way; Some Americans Abroad; Frank’s Home; Two Shakespearean Actors and James Joyce’s The Dead (with Shaun Davey; Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical).

 

Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky have translated the works of Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Nikolai Gogol, Anton Chekhov, Boris Pasternak, and Mikhail Bulgakov. Their translations of The Brothers Karamazov and Anna Karenina won the PEN Translation Prize in 1991 and 2002 respectively. Pevear, a native of Boston, and Volokhonsky, of St. Petersburg, are married and live in France.

DON QUIXOTE

ACT ONE

Scene 1

A summer evening. Don Quixote’s yard, with stables, a well, a bench and two gates: one at the back of the stage, leading to the road; the other to the side, leading to the village. Also the interior of Don Quixote’s house. In Don Quixote’s room, a big bed under a canopy, an armchair, a table, an old suit of armor and a great many books.

Nicholas appears in the yard with barber’s paraphernalia.

NICHOLAS

Señora! Not here? (Goes to the house, knocks) Señor Quixano, may I come in? Señor Quixano! . . . Nobody’s home. (Goes into Don Quixote’s room) Niece! . . . Where is everyone? He said he wanted me to cut his hair! So—I’ll wait. I’m in no hurry. (Puts basin on the table, notices the suit of armor) Look at that! Where’d he get all this stuff? Must be from the attic. What an odd bird! (Sits down, takes a book from the table, reads) The Mir-ror of Kni-ight-hood . . . Hm . . . I can’t see what makes him love these knights!

QUIXOTE

(Offstage) Bernardo del Carpio! Bernardo del Carpio!

NICHOLAS

Is that him? It is. He’s coming. (Leans out the window)

QUIXOTE

(Offstage) The great Bernardo del Carpio throttled the enchanted Roldan at Ronceval . . .

NICHOLAS

(At the window) What’s this nonsense?

Quixote comes through the back gate with a book in one hand and a sword in the other.

QUIXOTE

Ah, if only I, the knight Don Quixote de la Mancha, in punishment for my mortal sins or in reward for the good I’ve done in my life, could finally meet the one I seek! Ah!

NICHOLAS

Who is this Don Quixote? Ehh, something’s not quite right about him.

QUIXOTE

Yes, if it were granted me to meet my enemy—the giant Brandabarbaran in his snakeskin . . .

NICHOLAS

Brandabar . . . Has our hidalgo gone completely loony?!

QUIXOTE

. . . I’d follow Bernardo’s example. I’d pick the giant up and throttle him in the air! (Flings the book aside and begins slashing the air with his sword)

NICHOLAS

Good God!

Quixote goes into the house. Nicholas hides behind the armor.

QUIXOTE

Is somebody here? Who’s here?

NICHOLAS

It’s me, Señor Quixano, sir, it’s me . . .

QUIXOTE

Ah, at last fate has allowed me the happiness of meeting you, my mortal enemy! Come out here, don’t hide in the shadows!

NICHOLAS

For God’s sake, Señor Quixano, what are you talking about? What kind of enemy am I?

QUIXOTE

Don’t pretend, your spells are powerless against me! I know you—you’re the cunning magician Friston!

NICHOLAS

Señor Alonso, get ahold of yourself, I beg you! Look at me! I’m not a magician, I’m a barber, your good friend Nicholas!

QUIXOTE

You’re lying!

NICHOLAS

For pity’s sake! . . .

QUIXOTE

Come out and fight with me!

NICHOLAS

What am I going to do, he won’t listen. Señor Alonso, come to your seses! This is a Christian soul before you, not a magician! Stop waving that sword around, señor!

QUIXOTE

Arm yourself and come out!

NICHOLAS

Dear God, help me! . . .

He jumps out of the window and runs off through the side gate. Don Quixote calms down, sits and opens his book. Someone walks by outside the fence. Strings twang, a heavy bass sings:

Oh, thy beauty, I opine,

Is brighter than a summer’s day!

Where art thou, señora mine?

Or has all thought of me flown away?

Aldonza comes into the yard carrying a basket.

ALDONZA

Señora, señora! . . .

QUIXOTE

Whose voice do I hear? Is it the sorcerer confusing me again? . . . It’s her!

ALDONZA

Señora, are you there?

She leaves her basket on the ground, goes to the house, knocks.

QUIXOTE

Is that her knocking? No, no, it’s my heart pounding!

ALDONZA

(Goes in) Ah! Excuse me, señor, I didn’t know you were here. It’s me, Aldonza Lorenzo. Is your housekeeper here? I brought some salt pork and left it downstairs in the kitchen.

QUIXOTE

You have appeared just in time, señora. I am setting out to meet the giant Caraculiambro, the ruler of the island of Mamendrania. I mean to vanquish him and send him to you, so that he can fall on his knees before you and beg you to dispose of him as you wish . . .

ALDONZA

What on earth are you talking about?

QUIXOTE

I want him to tell you about his clash with Don Quixote de la Manch...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Introduction
• Molière, or The Cabal of Hypocrites
• Don Quixote
• About the Authors