Identify lighting cues and sound cues in this scene below
Jack. Gwendolen!
Gwendolen. Yes, Mr. Worthing, what have you got to say to me?
Jack. You know what I have got to say to you.
Gwendolen. Yes, but you don’t say it.
Jack. Gwendolen, will you marry me? [Goes on his knees.]
Gwendolen. Of course I will, darling. How long you have been about it! I
am afraid you have had very little experience in how to propose.
Jack. My own one, I have never loved any one in the world but you.
Gwendolen. Yes, but men often propose for practice. I know my brother
Gerald does. All my girl-friends tell me so. What wonderfully blue eyes you
have, Ernest! They are quite, quite, blue. I hope you will always look at me
just like that, especially when there are other people present. [Enter Lady
Bracknell.]
Lady Bracknell. Mr. Worthing! Rise, sir, from this semi-recumbent
posture. It is most indecorous.
Gwendolen. Mamma! [He tries to rise; she restrains him.] I must beg you to
retire. This is no place for you. Besides, Mr. Worthing has not quite finished
yet.
Lady Bracknell. Finished what, may I ask?
Gwendolen. I am engaged to Mr. Worthing, mamma. [They rise together.]
Lady Bracknell. Pardon me, you are not engaged to any one. When you do
become engaged to some one, I, or your father, should his health permit
him, will inform you of the fact. An engagement should come on a young
girl as a surprise, pleasant or unpleasant, as the case may be. It is hardly a
matter that she could be allowed to arrange for herself . . . And now I have a
few questions to put to you, Mr. Worthing. While I am making these
inquiries, you, Gwendolen, will wait for me below in the carriage.
Gwendolen. [Reproachfully.] Mamma!
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Lady Bracknell. In the carriage, Gwendolen! [Gwendolen goes to the
door. She and Jack blow kisses to each other behind Lady
Bracknell’s back. Lady Bracknell looks vaguely about as if she could not
understand what the noise was. Finally turns round.] Gwendolen, the
carriage!
Gwendolen. Yes, mamma. [Goes out, looking back at Jack.]
Lady Bracknell. [Sitting down.] You can take a seat, Mr. Worthing.
[Looks in her pocket for note-book and pencil.]
Jack. Thank you, Lady Bracknell, I prefer standing.
Lady Bracknell. [Pencil and note-book in hand.] I feel bound to tell you that
you are not down on my list of eligible young men, although I have the same
list as the dear Duchess of Bolton has. We work together, in fact. However,
I am quite ready to enter your name, should your answers be what a really
affectionate mother requires. Do you smoke?
Jack. Well, yes, I must admit I smoke.
Lady Bracknell. I am glad to hear it. A man should always have an
occupation of some kind. There are far too many idle men in London as it
is. How old are you?
Jack. Twenty-nine.
Lady Bracknell. A very good age to be married at. I have always been of
opinion that a man who desires to get married should know either
everything or nothing. Which do you know?
Jack. [After some hesitation.] I know nothing, Lady Bracknell.
Lady Bracknell. I am pleased to hear it. I do not approve of anything that
tampers with natural ignorance. Ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit;
touch it and the bloom is gone. The whole theory of modern education is
radically unsound. Fortunately in England, at any rate, education produces
no effect whatsoever. If it did, it would prove a serious danger to the upper
classes, and probably lead to acts of violence in Grosvenor Square. What is
your income?
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Jack. Between seven and eight thousand a year.
Lady Bracknell. [Makes a note in her book.] In land, or in investments?
Jack. In investments, chiefly.
Lady Bracknell. That is satisfactory. What between the duties expected of
one during one’s lifetime, and the duties exacted from one after one’s
death, land has ceased to be either a profit or a pleasure. It gives one
position, and prevents one from keeping it up. That’s all that can be said
about land.
Jack. I have a country house with some land, of course, attached to it, about
fifteen hundred acres, I believe; but I don’t depend on that for my real
income. In fact, as far as I can make out, the poachers are the only people
who make anything out of it.
Lady Bracknell. A country house! How many bedrooms? Well, that point
can be cleared up afterwards. You have a town house, I hope? A girl with a
simple, unspoiled nature, like Gwendolen, could hardly be expected to
reside in the country.
Jack. Well, I own a house in Belgrave Square, but it is let by the year to Lady
Bloxham. Of course, I can get it back whenever I like, at six months’ notice.
Lady Bracknell. Lady Bloxham? I don’t know her.
Jack. Oh, she goes about very little. She is a lady considerably advanced in
years.
Lady Bracknell. Ah, nowadays that is no guarantee of respectability of
character. What number in Belgrave Square?
Jack. 149.
Lady Bracknell. [Shaking her head.] The unfashionable side. I thought
there was something. However, that could easily be altered.
Jack. Do you mean the fashion, or the side?
Lady Bracknell. [Sternly.] Both, if necessary, I presume. What are your
politics?
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Jack. Well, I am afraid I really have none. I am a Liberal Unionist.
Lady Bracknell. Oh, they count as Tories. They dine with us. Or come in the
evening, at any rate. Now to minor matters. Are your parents living?
Jack. I have lost both my parents.
Lady Bracknell. To lose one parent, Mr. Worthing, may be regarded as a
misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness. Who was your father? He
was evidently a man of some wealth. Was he born in what the Radical
papers call the purple of commerce, or did he rise from the ranks of the
aristocracy?
Jack. I am afraid I really don’t know. The fact is, Lady Bracknell, I said I had
lost my parents. It would be nearer the truth to say that my parents seem to
have lost me . . . I don’t actually know who I am by birth. I was . . . well, I was
found.
Lady Bracknell. Found!
Jack. The late Mr. Thomas Cardew, an old gentleman of a very charitable
and kindly disposition, found me, and gave me the name of Worthing,
because he happened to have a first-class ticket for Worthing in his pocket
at the time. Worthing is a place in Sussex. It is a seaside resort.
Lady Bracknell. Where did the charitable gentleman who had a first-class
ticket for this seaside resort find you?
Jack. [Gravely.] In a hand-bag.
Lady Bracknell. A hand-bag?
Jack. [Very seriously.] Yes, Lady Bracknell. I was in a hand-bag—a
somewhat large, black leather hand-bag, with handles to it—an ordinary
hand-bag in fact.
Lady Bracknell. In what locality did this Mr. James, or Thomas, Cardew
come across this ordinary hand-bag?
Jack. In the cloak-room at Victoria Station. It was given to him in mistake
for his own.
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Lady Bracknell. The cloak-room at Victoria Station?
Jack. Yes. The Brighton line.
Lady Bracknell. The line is immaterial. Mr. Worthing, I confess I feel
somewhat bewildered by what you have just told me. To be born, or at any
rate bred, in a hand-bag, whether it had handles or not, seems to me to
display a contempt for the ordinary decencies of family life that reminds one
of the worst excesses of the French Revolution. And I presume you know
what that unfortunate movement led to? As for the particular locality in
which the hand-bag was found, a cloak-room at a railway station might
serve to conceal a social indiscretion—has probably, indeed, been used for
that purpose before now—but it could hardly be regarded as an assured
basis for a recognised position in good society.
Jack. May I ask you then what you would advise me to do? I need hardly say
I would do anything in the world to ensure Gwendolen’s happiness.
Lady Bracknell. I would strongly advise you, Mr. Worthing, to try and
acquire some relations as soon as possible, and to make a definite effort to
produce at any rate one parent, of either sex, before the season is quite
over.
Jack. Well, I don’t see how I could possibly manage to do that. I can
produce the hand-bag at any moment. It is in my dressing-room at home. I
really think that should satisfy you, Lady Bracknell.
Lady Bracknell. Me, sir! What has it to do with me? You can hardly imagine
that I and Lord Bracknell would dream of allowing our only daughter—a girl
brought up with the utmost care—to marry into a cloak-room, and form an
alliance with a parcel? Good morning, Mr. Worthing!
[Lady Bracknell sweeps out in majestic indignation.]
Jack. Good morning! [Algernon, from the other room, strikes up the
Wedding March. Jack looks perfectly furious, and goes to the door.] For
goodness’ sake don’t play that ghastly tune, Algy. How idiotic you are!
[The music stops and Algernon enters cheerily.]
Lighting Cues:
- The scene begins with Jack and Gwendolen in a well-lit room, indicating a pleasant atmosphere.
- When Lady Bracknell enters, there may be a shift in lighting to highlight her presence and authority.
Sound Cues:
- The scene begins in silence, allowing the audience to focus on the dialogue.
- When Lady Bracknell enters, there may be a sudden, dramatic sound to grab the characters' attention and signify her arrival.
- Algernon playing the Wedding March in the other room adds a comical element and sets the tone for the absurdity of the situation.
Lighting cues:
- The scene takes place indoors, so the lighting would be artificial, usually provided by lamps or chandeliers.
- There is no specific mention of any changes in lighting throughout the scene.
Sound cues:
- The scene begins with characters speaking to each other, so the main sound is the dialogue.
- The sound of the characters blowing kisses to each other behind Lady Bracknell's back.
- The entrance of Lady Bracknell is signaled by her saying "Mr. Worthing!" which creates an auditory cue.
- The sound of Gwendolen going to the door and the door closing as she exits.
- The sound of Lady Bracknell sitting down and searching for her notebook and pencil.
- The sound of Lady Bracknell making notes in her book.
- The sound of Jack hesitating before answering Lady Bracknell's questions.
- The sound of Jack and Lady Bracknell exchanging dialogue.
- The sound of Algernon playing the Wedding March on the piano, which causes Jack to become furious.
In this scene, there are several lighting cues and sound cues that can be identified.
Lighting cues:
1. The entrance of Lady Bracknell is a lighting cue. As she enters, the focus of the scene may shift towards her, and the lighting may change to emphasize her presence and authority.
2. When Lady Bracknell and Gwendolen blow kisses to each other behind Lady Bracknell's back, the lighting may emphasize their secret exchange, highlighting their mischievous behavior.
Sound cues:
1. The sound cue of the Wedding March played by Algernon is an important cue. It serves as a commentary on the situation, adding an ironic and dramatic touch to Jack's frustration.
2. The dialogue between the characters also serves as sound cues. The tone, volume, and inflection of their voices can convey emotions and add depth to the scene.
3. The absence of any sound cue during certain moments can also be significant, such as when Lady Bracknell makes her disapproving remarks, creating a brief silence that draws attention to her words.
To identify lighting and sound cues in a scene, one can read the script or watch a performance. Paying attention to stage directions, dialogue, and the general atmosphere can help in identifying the cues. Additionally, watching or studying different interpretations or productions of the scene can provide insights into the specific choices that directors, lighting designers, and sound designers make to enhance the scene.