Play on Words

full length · drama

Plays : Second Series

by John Galsworthy

40 roles (0M / 0F / 40 any) · approx 213–295 minutes · 7 acts

Royalty-free Public domain — free to read, perform, and adapt. No licence needed.

Characters

Cokeson supporting 225 speeches
Falder supporting 124 speeches
Bill supporting 122 speeches
James supporting 121 speeches
Lady Cheshire supporting 115 speeches
Seelchen supporting 110 speeches
Frome supporting 107 speeches
Ruth supporting 99 speeches
The Governor minor 81 speeches
Dot minor 66 speeches
Walter minor 63 speeches
Freda minor 62 speeches
Lamond minor 59 speeches
Sir William minor 46 speeches
The Judge minor 41 speeches
Christine minor 34 speeches
Mabel minor 33 speeches
Felsman minor 27 speeches
Cleaver minor 26 speeches
Keith minor 25 speeches
Sweedle minor 24 speeches
Joan minor 22 speeches
Wooder minor 21 speeches
Latter minor 21 speeches
The Wine Horn minor 20 speeches
The Chaplain minor 18 speeches
Studdenham minor 18 speeches
The Cow Horn minor 14 speeches
O'Cleary minor 13 speeches
Wister minor 11 speeches
Dunning minor 8 speeches
Rose minor 8 speeches
The Doctor minor 7 speeches
Harold minor 7 speeches
Moaney minor 6 speeches
Cowley minor 6 speeches
Jackson minor 5 speeches
Judge minor 4 speeches
Instructor minor 4 speeches
Cokeson. Ye-Es minor 4 speeches

Read the play

Then as the blackness lifts, in the dim light of the false dawn filtering through the window of the mountain hut. LAMOND and FELSMAN are seen standing beside SEELCHEN looking down at her asleep on the window seat.

Felsman. [Putting out his hand to wake her] In a moment it will be dawn.

She stirs, and her lips move, murmuring.

Lamond. Let her sleep. She's dreaming.

FELSMAN raises a lantern, till its light falls on her face. Then the two men move stealthily towards the door, and, as she speaks, pass out.

Seelchen. [Rising to her knees, and stretching out her hands with ecstasy] Great One. I come! [Waking, she looks around, and struggles to her feet] My little dream!

Through the open door, the first flush of dawn shows in the sky. There is a sound of goat-bells passing.

The curtain falls.

JUSTICE

PERSONS OF THE PLAY

JAMES HOW, solicitor WALTER HOW, solicitor ROBERT COKESON, their managing clerk WILLIAM FALDER, their junior clerk SWEEDLE, their office-boy WISTER, a detective COWLEY, a cashier MR. JUSTICE FLOYD, a judge HAROLD CLEAVER, an old advocate HECTOR FROME, a young advocate CAPTAIN DANSON, V.C., a prison governor THE REV. HUGH MILLER, a prison chaplain EDWARD CLEMENT, a prison doctor WOODER, a chief warder MOANEY, convict CLIFTON, convict O'CLEARY, convict RUTH HONEYWILL, a woman A NUMBER OF BARRISTERS, SOLICITERS, SPECTATORS, USHERS, REPORTERS, JURYMEN, WARDERS, AND PRISONERS

TIME: The Present.

ACT I. The office of James and Walter How. Morning. July.

Act Ii. Assizes. Afternoon. October.

Act Iii. A prison. December. SCENE I. The Governor's office. SCENE II. A corridor. SCENE III. A cell.

ACT IV. The office of James and Walter How. Morning. March, two years later.

CAST OF THE FIRST PRODUCTION

AT THE DUKE OF YORK'S THEATRE, FEBRUARY 21, 1910

James How MR. SYDNEY VALENTINE Walter How MR. CHARLES MAUDE Cokeson MR. EDMUND GWENN Falder MR. DENNIS EADIE The Office-boy MR. GEORGE HERSEE The Detective MR. LESLIE CARTER The Cashier MR. C. E. VERNON The Judge MR. DION BOUCICAULT The Old Advocate MR. OSCAR ADYE The Young Advocate MR. CHARLES BRYANT The Prison Governor MR. GRENDON BENTLEY The Prison Chaplain MR. HUBERT HARBEN The Prison Doctor MR. LEWIS CASSON Wooder MR. FREDERICK LLOYD Moaney MR. ROBERT PATEMAN Clipton MR. O. P. HEGGIE O'Cleary MR. WHITFORD KANE Ruth Honeywill Miss EDYTH OLIVE

Monologues from this play