A Gray Play Book by Alasdair Gray sampler

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16 JONAH SCENES 1) Outside Nazareth in Palestine 2) The deck of small trading ship 3) Inside a very big fish 4) The King of Nineveh’s council chamber 5) A hilltop overlooking the city of Nineveh 1: OUTSIDE NAZARETH Backdrop shows a village of low white flat-roofed buildings among fields with date palms here and there. The sky is clear blue. JONAH sits crosslegged on a grassy mound under a palm, head bent over folded arms, hand holding a short tobacco pipe. He is either meditating or asleep. MRS JONAH enters, over her head a shawl swathing the baby her left arm holds, in her right hand a hoe that she flings down. Jonah lifts his head. She points at him accusingly. MRS JONAH There sits a bone-lazy man who sits all day in the shade while I toil all day in the fields with his child on my arm! A dreamer! An idler! A parasite! JONAH knocks ash from his pipe and pockets it while saying calmly – JONAH I have told you before, Maggie, that some must work with their hands and some with their heads. My work is prayer and meditation. MRS JONAH The result of my toil is in my purse – coins to buy food for us in the market. Where is the result of yours? JONAH [tapping his brow] Here! I have been searching for God’s being in words He gave to Moses, words I know by heart, then seeking Him in His designs as they appear in all things from the tiny dewdrop up to the mighty sun evaporating it. MRS JONAH I asked for the result of your work. JONAH I realised again that my spirit is too feeble for His pure essence, and until He seeks me, I must accept His dim reflection in both His words and His creation. MRS JONAH No doubt I can make us a good meal out of that! JONAH [springing to his feet] Woman! You are lacking in respect for a Prophet of the One and Only God! MRS JONAH [overawed] I did not mean to be that, but ... but ... but ... [she weeps and turns away] What’s the use of talking to you? He goes to her. JONAH [tenderly] Talking helps. MRS JONAH But I’ve said it all before! JONAH [leading her to the mound] I know – please say it again. Sighing, she sits down beside him. MRS JONAH When very young I felt different from other girls – their hopes and dreams seemed stupid and ordinary. I wanted my life to be special, but women can only be special by marrying a special man, and I didn’t know any! Other girls were crazy about ordinary men with nothing but handsome faces, or money, or important jobs. I could only admire some skilled craftsmen, but their shop-talk bored me stiff. JONAH [preening a little] Then you met me! MRS JONAH Yes! Neither young, handsome OR rich, a poor scholar with no useful trade, but our Rabbi whispered that you might be a Prophet of the Lord. JONAH [firmly] He was right. MRS JONAH Who thinks that now apart from you? Why should I still believe it? JONAH Because I am listening for God’s word as patiently as when we first met, and can do nothing until He commands me. I was a child when the stories of Abraham and Joseph, Moses and Joshua filled me with knowledge that my life would be joined to theirs. I am now too old to help Israel conquer another land as Joshua did, or slay thousands like Saul or tens of thousands like David. I will be less wise than Solomon whose wisdom has been nothing but a list of proverbs since his followers split the chosen people’s kingdom in two. I will also be less terrible than Elijah who was sometimes very cruel. I am glad that my book in our Scriptures may be the smallest. JONAH stands up. So does MRS. JONAH MRS JONAH [pleading] But one day God will command you? JONAH He must, and soon. I’m growing old. MRS JONAH [defeated] I’ll go and get your dinner ready. JONAH [absentmindedly] You’re a good wife, Maggie. MRS JONAH leaves. JONAH They also serve who only ... [yawns and stretches arms] ... only sit ... [he looks at the bench, then sits on ground where he sat before ...] only relax a little, while waiting. JONAH stretches full length and seems to sleep. The blue sky turns deep indigo. There is a faint flicker of lightning, then three seconds later a faint rumble of thunder. The sky goes black and at once a SOUND: thunder crash. JONAH sits up, staring upwards. SOUND: organ note THE VOICE OF GOD Arise, Jonah, son of Amittai!
JONAH leaps to his feet, still staring upward. THE VOICE OF GOD Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up against me. JONAH [gladly] And what shall I cry against that great city? THE VOICE OF GOD Words I will put into your mouth. JONAH [exultantly] I will do it Lord! Yes, I have the strength to do it! SOUND: organ note. JONAH walks briskly up and down as the sky goes blue again. Enter MRS JONAH, running, child on arm MRS JONAH Jonah! Thunder and lightening on a clear bright day, was it? Was it? Was it ... JONAH [standing and nodding] Yes, it was Him. MRS JONAH You saw Him? JONAH Most of Him! [rubs his brow thoughtfully] Some of Him ... perhaps only a small part, but enough. Yes, enough. MRS JONAH What was He like? JONAH Huge! The whole sky reflected His face like a mirror. Or part of His face. It was as big as all Israel. MRS JONAH O! JONAH No, He was bigger than that, so big that the whole world was like a wee midge buzzing in the cavern of His left nostril! MRS JONAH Don’t tell me such things, they confuse me. He had a command for you? JONAH [with a positive nod] He did. MRS JONAH What must you do? JONAH I must arise, and go to Nineveh ... MRS JONAH That great city? The capital of the Assyrian Empire? JONAH [suddenly thoughtful] ... And prophesy against it. Their wickedness has come up before Him, you see. MRS JONAH About time too! How will you do it? JONAH I will go there, I suppose, and ... er, walk up and down the streets denouncing the place. MRS JONAH [thrilled] Wonderful! They may cast you into a pit like Joseph, or into a lion’s den like Daniel, or into a fiery furnace like Shadrach, Mechek and Abednego! JONAH [after a pause] You’ve a hell of a morbid imagination, Maggie. MRS JONAH But nothing can hurt you when you’re doing God’s will! JONAH Abel did God’s will and so did Job and look what happened to them. And maybe He made a mistake. I’m a kindly soul, it’s not in my nature to go about cursing folk, that message should have gone to a different Jonah, son of another Amittai. They are both very common names. MRS JONAH God doesn’t make mistakes! JONAH He’s made a mistake about me. I’m leaving here. I’ll go to a land where they have other Gods. MRS JONAH The God of Israel is the only true God. JONAH [eagerly] And Israel is His chosen nation, but since Judeah split with Israel it is no longer a powerful nation! And the false gods of other nations are at least strong enough to protect them! I’ll go down to Joppa and take a boat to Tarshish – that should be far enough away. MRS JONAH [appalled] You’ll desert your God, your nation and – [she gestures to the baby] JONAH [wretchedly] I’m just a silly weak old coward, Maggie. At least I’m leaving you among good people. [he turns to go] You’ll have one less mouth to feed. MRS JONAH Will you not give the child your blessing? JONAH turns back, raises hand above baby’s head, speaks oracularly at first. JONAH In the name of God, Father of all Israel ... [shakes head, almost whispers] No. I cannot give the child my blessing. JONAH leaves. MRS JONAH sinks down on bench. MRS JONAH O Jonah, Jonah. 2: ABOARD SHIP The raised afterdeck of a small trading vessel, with bulwark along the back, steering wheel at right angles to it, a stay-rope tied to it. The entrance is by gangplank sloping down in from left. An open hatch to the right has an invisible ladder down to the hold. Behind the bulwark a backdrop shows harbour wall and, beyond it, the buildings of a seaport at the foot of a cliff. The CAPTAIN, pipe in hand, leans against the bulwark, smoking. SOUND of seagulls, fading as the CUSTOMS OFFICER comes up through hatch, a notepad in one hand, pencil in the other. CAPTAIN [affably] Well, what did you find, Mr Thomson? No hidden wee bottles of contraband hootch or packets of expensive lace? CUSTOMS Your bales and barrels correspond to the bill of lading, Captain MacPherson, but what about the human cargo? 17 A PUPPET PLAY
Page 3: A GRAY PLAYBOOK
Page 6 and 7: First published in Great Britain 20
Page 8 and 9: 6 TABLE OF 9 HOW THIS BOOK GOT MADE
Page 10 and 11: 8
Page 12 and 13: 10 autobiography. When a radio or t
Page 14 and 15: 12 L IKE MOST BRITISH CHILDREN livi
Page 16 and 17: 14 JONAH nuclear war. (Historical n
Page 20 and 21: 18 JONAH CAPTAIN [scratching his ea
Page 22 and 23: 20 JONAH In the belly of Hell I rem
Page 24 and 25: 22 JONAH The GENERAL leaves. CHIEF

A Gray Play Book by Alasdair Gray sampler

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