NICKY
I didn’t like those soldiers.
NICOLAS
They don’t like you either, my darling.
Blackout.
Lights up. Night.
NICOLAS sitting. GILA standing. Her clothes are torn. She is bruised.
NICOLAS
When did you meet your husband?
GILA
When I was eighteen.
NICOLAS
Why?
GILA
Why?
NICOLAS
Why?
GILA
I just met him.
NICOLAS
Why?
GILA
I didn’t plan it.
NICOLAS
Why not?
GILA
I didn’t know him.
NICOLAS
Why not?
Pause.
Why not?
GILA
I didn’t know him.
NICOLAS
Why not?
GILA
I met him.
NICOLAS
When?
GILA
When I was eighteen.
NICOLAS
Why?
GILA
He was in the room.
NICOLAS
Room?
Pause.
Room?
GILA
The same room.
NICOLAS
As what?
GILA
As I was.
NICOLAS
As I was?
Pause.
GILA
(Screaming)
As I was!
NICOLAS
Room? What room?
GILA
A room.
NICOLAS
What room?
GILA
My father’s room.
NICOLAS
Your father? What’s your father got to do with it?
Pause.
Your father? How dare you? Fuckpig.
Pause.
Your father was a wonderful man. His country is proud of him. He’s dead. He was a man of honour. He’s dead. Are you prepared to insult the memory of your father?
Pause.
Are you prepared to defame, to debase, the memory of your father? Your father fought for his country. I knew him. I revered him. Everyone did. He believed in God. He didn’t think, like you shitbags. He lived. He lived. He was iron and gold. He would die, he would die, he would die, for his country, for his God. And he did die, he died, he died, for his God. You turd. To spawn such a daughter. What a fate. Oh, poor, perturbed spirit, to be haunted for ever by such scum and spittle. How do you dare speak of your father to me? I loved him, as if he were my own father.
Silence.
Where did you meet your husband?
GILA
In a street.
NICOLAS
What were you doing there?
GILA
Walking.
NICOLAS
What was he doing?
GILA
Walking.
Pause.
I dropped something. He picked it up.
NICOLAS
What did you drop?
GILA
The evening paper.
NICOLAS
You were drunk.
Pause.
You were drugged.
Pause.
You had absconded from your hospital.
GILA
I was not in a hospital.
NICOLAS
Where are you now?
Pause.
Where are you now? Do you think you are in a hospital?
Pause.
Pause.
What do we have upstairs?
GILA
No nuns.
NICOLAS
What do we have?
GILA
Men.
NICOLAS
Have they been raping you?
She stares at him.
How many times?
Pause.
How many times have you been raped?
Pause.
How many times?
He stands, goes to her, lifts his finger.
This is my big finger. And this is my little finger. Look. I wave them in front of your eyes. Like this. How many times have you been raped?
GILA
I don’t know.
NICOLAS
And you consider yourself a reliable witness?
He goes to sideboard, pours drink, sits, drinks.
You’re a lovely woman. Well, you were.
He leans back, drinks, sighs.
Your son is … seven. He’s a little prick. You made him so. You have taught him to be so. You had a choice. You could have encouraged him to be a good person. Instead, you encouraged him to be a little prick. You encouraged him to spit, to strike at soldiers of honour, soldiers of God.
Pause.
Oh well … in one way I suppose it’s academic.
Pause.
You’re of no interest to me. I might even let you out of here, in due course. But I should think you might entertain us all a little more before you go.
Blackout.
Lights up. Night.
NICOLAS standing. VICTOR sitting, VICTOR is tidily dressed.
NICOLAS
How have you been? Surviving?
VICTOR
Yes.
NICOLAS
Yes?
VICTOR
Yes. Yes.
NICOLAS
Really? How?
VICTOR
Oh …
Pause.
NICOLAS
I can’t hear you.
VICTOR
It’s my mouth.
NICOLAS
Mouth?
VICTOR
Tongue.
NICOLAS
What’s the matter with it?
VICTOR
Pause.
What about a drink? One for the road. What do you say to a drink?
He goes to bottle, pours two glasses, gives a glass to VICTOR.
Drink up. It’ll put lead in your pencil. And then we’ll find someone to take it out.
He laughs.
We can do that, you know. We have a first-class brothel upstairs, on the sixth floor, chandeliers, the lot. They’ll suck you in and blow you out in little bubbles. All volunteers. Their daddies are in our business. Which is, I remind you, to keep the world clean for God. Get me? Drink up. Drink up. Are you refusing to drink with me?
VICTOR drinks. His head falls back.
Cheers.
NICOLAS drinks.
You can go.
Pause.
You can leave. We’ll meet again, I hope. I trust we will always remain friends. Go out. Enjoy life. Be good. Love your wife. She’ll be joining you in about a week, by the way. If she feels up to it. Yes. I feel we’ve both benefited from our discussions.
VICTOR mutters.
What?
VICTOR mutters.
What?
VICTOR
My son.
NICOLAS
Your son? Oh, don’t worry about him. He was a little prick.
VICTOR straightens and stares at NICOLAS.
Silence.
Blackout.
MOUNTAIN LANGUAGE
Mountain Language was first performed at the National Theatre on 20 October 1988. The cast was as follows:
YOUNG WOMAN Miranda Richardson
ELDERLY WOMAN Eileen Atkins
SERGEANT Michael Gambon
OFFICER Julian Wadham
GUARD George Harris
PRISONER Tony Haygarth
HOODED MAN Alex Hardy
SECOND GUARD Douglas McFerran
Directed by Harold Pinter
Designed by Michael Taylor
1
A Prison Wall
A line of women. An ELDERLY WOMAN, cradling her hand.
A basket at her feet. A YOUNG WOMAN with her arm around the WOMAN’S shoulders.
A SERGEANT enters, followed by an OFFICER. The SERGEANT points to the YOUNG WOMAN.
SERGEANT
Name!
YOUNG WOMAN
We’ve given our names.
SERGEANT
Name?
YOUNG WOMAN
We’ve given our names.
SERGEANT
Name?
OFFICER (To SERGEANT)
Stop this shit. (To YOUNG WOMAN) Any complaints?
YOUNG WOMAN
She’s been bitten.
OFFICER
Who?
Pause.
Who? Who’s been bitten?
YOUNG WOMAN
She has. She has a torn hand. Look. Her hand has been bitten. This is blood.
SERGEANT (To YOUNG WOMAN)
What is your name?
OFFICER
Shut up.
He walks over to ELDERLY WOMAN.
What’s happened to your hand? Has someone bitten your hand?
The WOMAN slowly lifts her hand. He peers at it.
Who did this? Who bit you?
YOUNG WOMAN
A Dobermann pinscher.
OFFICER
Which one?
Pause.
Which one?
Pause.
Sergeant!
SERGEANT steps forward.
SERGEANT
Sir!
OFFICER
Look at this woman’s hand. I think the thumb is going to come off. (To ELDERLY WOMAN) Who did this?
She stares at him.
Who did this?
YOUNG WOMAN
A big dog.
OFFICER
What was his name?
Pause.
What was his name?
Pause.
Every dog has a name! They answer to their name. They are given a name by their parents and that is their name, that is their name! Before they bite, they state their name. It’s a formal procedure. They state their name and then they bite. What was his name? If you tell me one of our dogs bit this woman without giving his name I will have that dog shot!
Silence.
Now – attention! Silence and attention! Sergeant!
SERGEANT
Sir?
OFFICER
Take any complaints.
SERGEANT
Any complaints? Has anyone got any complaints?
YOUNG WOMAN
We were told to be here at nine o’clock this morning.
SERGEANT
Right. Quite right. Nine o’clock this morning.
Absolutely right. What’s your complaint?
YOUNG WOMAN
We were here at nine o’clock this morning. It’s now five o’clock. We have been standing here for eight hours. In the snow. Your men let Dobermann pinschers frighten us. One bit this woman’s hand.
OFFICER
What was the name of this dog?
She looks at him.
YOUNG WOMAN
I don’t know his name.
SERGEANT
With permission sir?
OFFICER
Go ahead.
SERGEANT
Your husbands, your sons, your fathers, these men you have been waiting to see, are shithouses. They are enemies of the State. They are shithouses.
The OFFICER steps towards the WOMEN.
OFFICER
Now hear this. You are mountain people. You hear me? Your language is dead. It is forbidden. It is not permitted to speak your mountain language in this place. You cannot speak your language to your men. It is not permitted. Do you understand? You may not speak it. It is outlawed. You may only speak the language of the capital. That is the only language permitted in this place. You will be badly punished if you attempt to speak your mountain language in this place. This is a military decree. It is the law. Your language is forbidden. It is dead. No one is allowed to speak your language. Your language no longer exists. Any questions?
YOUNG WOMAN
I do not speak the mountain language.
Silence. The OFFICER and SERGEANT slowly circle her. The SERGEANT puts his hand on her bottom.
SERGEANT
What language do you speak? What language do you speak with your arse?
OFFICER
These women, Sergeant, have as yet committed no crime. Remember that.
SERGEANT
Sir! But you’re not saying they’re without sin?
OFFICER
Oh, no. Oh, no, I’m not saying that.
SERGEANT
This one’s full of it. She bounces with it.
OFFICER
She doesn’t speak the mountain language.
The WOMAN moves away from the SERGEANT’s hand and turns to face the two men.
YOUNG WOMAN
My name is Sara Johnson. I have come to see my husband. It is my right. Where is he?
OFFICER
Show me your papers.
She gives him a piece of paper. He examines it, turns to SERGEANT.
He doesn’t come from the mountains. He’s in the wrong batch.
SERGEANT
So is she. She looks like a fucking intellectual to me.
OFFICER
But you said her arse wobbled.
SERGEANT
Intellectual arses wobble the best.
Blackout.
2
Visitors Room
A PRISONER sitting. The ELDERLY WOMAN sitting, with basket. A GUARD standing behind her.
The PRISONER and the WOMAN speak in a strong rural accent.
Silence.
ELDERLY WOMAN
I have bread –
The GUARD jabs her with a stick.
GUARD
Forbidden. Language forbidden.
She looks at him. He jabs her.
It’s forbidden. (To PRISONER) Tell her to speak the language of the capital.
PRISONER
She can’t speak it.
Silence.
She doesn’t speak it.
Silence.
ELDERLY WOMAN
I have apples –
The GUARD jabs her and shouts.
GUARD
Forbidden! Forbidden forbidden forbidden! Jesus Christ! (To PRISONER) Does she understand what I’m saying?
PRISONER
No.
GUARD
Doesn’t she?
He bends over her.
Don’t you?
She stares up at him.
PRISONER
She’s old. She doesn’t understand.
GUARD
Whose fault is that?
He laughs.
Not mine, I can tell you. And I’ll tell you another thing.
I’ve got a wife and three kids. And you’re all a pile of shit.
Silence.
PRISONER
I’ve got a wife and three kids.
GUARD
You’ve what?
Silence.
You’ve got what?
Silence.
What did you say to me? You’ve got what?
Silence.
You’ve got what?
He picks up the telephone and dials one digit.
Sergeant? I’m in the Blue Room … yes … I thought I should report, Sergeant … I think I’ve got a joker in here.
Lights to half. The figures are still.
Voices over:
ELDERLY WOMAN’S VOICE
The baby is waiting for you.
PRISONER’S VOICE
Your hand has been bitten.
ELDERLY WOMAN’S VOICE
They are all waiting for you.
PRISONER’S VOICE
They have bitten my mother’s hand.
ELDERLY WOMAN’S VOICE
When you come home there will be such a welcome for you. Everyone is waiting for you. They’re all waiting for you. They’re all waiting to see you.
Li
ghts up. The SERGEANT comes in.
SERGEANT
What joker?
Blackout.
3
Voice in the Darkness
SERGEANT’S VOICE
Who’s that fucking woman? What’s that fucking woman doing here? Who let that fucking woman through that fucking door?
SECOND GUARD’S VOICE
She’s his wife.
Lights up.
A corridor.
A HOODED MAN held up by the GUARD and the SERGEANT. The YOUNG WOMAN at a distance from them, staring at them.
SERGEANT
What is this, a reception for Lady Duck Muck? Where’s the bloody Babycham? Who’s got the bloody Babycham for Lady Duck Muck?
He goes to the YOUNG WOMAN.
Hello, Miss. Sorry. A bit of a breakdown in administration, I’m afraid. They’ve sent you through the wrong door. Unbelievable. Someone’ll be done for this. Anyway, in the meantime, what can I do for you, dear lady, as they used to say in the movies?
Lights to half. The figures are still.
Voices over:
MAN’S VOICE
I watch you sleep. And then your eyes open. You look up at me above you and smile.
YOUNG WOMAN’S VOICE
You smile. When my eyes open I see you above me and smile.
MAN’S VOICE
We are out on a lake.
YOUNG WOMAN’S VOICE
It is spring.
MAN’S VOICE
I hold you. I warm you.
YOUNG WOMAN’S VOICE
When my eyes open I see you above me and smile.
Lights up. The HOODED MAN collapses. The YOUNG WOMAN screams.
YOUNG WOMAN
Charley!
The SERGEANT clicks his fingers. The GUARD drags the MAN off.
SERGEANT
Yes, you’ve come in the wrong door. It must be the computer. The computer’s got a double hernia. But I’ll tell you what – if you want any information on any aspect of life in this place we’ve got a bloke comes into the office every Tuesday week, except when it rains. He’s right on top of his chosen subject. Give him a tinkle one of these days and he’ll see you all right. His name is Dokes. Joseph Dokes.
YOUNG WOMAN
Can I fuck him? If I fuck him, will everything be all right?
SERGEANT
Sure. No problem.
YOUNG WOMAN
Thank you.
Blackout.
4
Visitors Room
GUARD, ELDERLY WOMAN, PRISONER.
Silence.
The PRISONER has blood on his face. He sits trembling. The WOMAN is still. The GUARD is looking out of a window. He turns to look at them both.
GUARD
Oh, I forgot to tell you. They’ve changed the rules. She can speak. She can speak in her own language. Until further notice.
PRISONER
She can speak?
GUARD
Yes. Until further notice. New rules.