Play on Words

dramatic · any · ~1 min · 123 words

Jessamy monologue (Act 5) — The Contrast

Yes. It comprises every possible display of jocularity, from an _affettuoso_ smile to a _piano_ titter, or full chorus _fortissimo_ ha, ha, ha! My master employs his leisure-hours in marking out the plays, like a cathedral chanting-book, that the ignorant may know where to laugh; and that pit, box, and gallery may keep time together, and not have a snigger in one part of the house, a broad grin in the other, and a d----d grum look in the third. How delightful to see the audience all smile together, then look on their books, then twist their mouths into an agreeable simper, then altogether shake the house with a general ha, ha, ha! loud as a full chorus of Handel's at an Abbey-commemoration.

Public domain — free to perform in auditions, showcases and productions.