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Eugène Ionesco
HOME The transformation of the main character from an apathetic, alcoholic, man into the savior of humanity, against the rhinoceroses, which are a blunt symbol of man's inherent savage nature, consists the major theme of the play; Ionesco declares thar People must commit themselves to a significant cause in order to give a meaning to their life. | |||
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Eugène Ionesco
In this last scene of the play, Daisy is leaving Beranger to meet the rhinos, but Beranger who is the main character, he is determined not to obey the "rhinoceros" and remain human.[…] BERENGER: What a thing to say! Do it for me, Daisy. Let's save the world. DAISY: After all, perhaps it's we who need saving. Perhaps we're the abnormal ones. BERENGER: You're not yourself, Daisy, you've got a touch of fever DAISY: There aren't any more of our kind about anywhere, are there? BERENGER: Daisy, you're not to talk like that! [DAISY looks all around at the rhinoceros heads on the walls, on the landing door, and now starting to appear along the footlights.] DAISY: Those are the real people. They look happy. They're content to be what they are. They don't look insane. They look very natural. They were right to do what they did. BERENGER: [clasping his hands and looking despairingly at DAISY) We're the ones who are doing right, Daisy, I assure you. DAISY: That's very presumptuous of you! BERENGER: You know perfectly well I'm right. DAISY: There's no such thing as absolute right. It's the world that's right--not you and me. BERENGER: I am right, Daisy. And the proof is that you understand me when I speak to you. DAISY: What does that prove? BERENGER: The proof is that I love you as much as it's possible for a man to love a woman. DAISY: Funny sort of argument BERENGER: I don't understand you any longer, Daisy. You don't know what you're saying, darling. Think of our love! Our love... DAISY: I feel a bit ashamed of what you call love—this morbid feeling, this male weakness. And female, too. It just doesn't compare with the ardour and the tremendous energy emanating from all these creatures around us. BERENGER: Energy! You want some energy, do you? I can let you have some energy! [He slaps her face.] DAISY: Oh! I never would have believed it possible... [She sinks into the armchair.] BERENGER: Oh forgive me, my darling, please forgive me! [He tries to embrace her, she evades him.] Forgive me, my darling. I didn't mean it. I don't know what came over me, losing control like that! DAISY: It's because you've run out of arguments, that's why. BERENGER: Oh dear! In the space of a few minutes we've gone through twenty-five years of married life. DAISY: I pity you. I understand you all too well... BERENGER: [as DAISY weeps] You're probably right that I've run out of arguments. You think they're stronger than me, stronger than us. Maybe they are. DAISY: Indeed they are. BERENGER: Well, in spite of everything, I swear to you I'll never give in, never! DAISY: [she rises, goes to BERENGER, puts her arms round his neck] My poor darling, I'll help you to resist to the very end. BERENGER: Will you be capable of it? DAISY: I give you my word. You can trust me. [The rhinoceros noises have become melodious.] Listen, they're singing! BERENGER: They're not singing, they're roaring. DAISY: They're singing. BERENGER: They're roaring, I tell you. DAISY: You're mad, they're singing. BERENGER: You can't have a very musical ear, then. DAISY: You don't know the first thing about music, poor dear and look, they're playing as well, and dancing. BERENGER: You call that dancing? DAISY: It's their way of dancing. They're beautiful. BERENGER: They're disgusting! DAISY: You're not to say unpleasant things about them. It upsets me. BERENGER: I'm sorry. We're not going to quarrel on their account. DAISY: They're like gods. BERENGER: You go too far, Daisy, take a good look at them. DAISY: You mustn't be jealous, my dear. [She goes to BERENGER again and tries to embrace him. This time it is BERENGER who frees himself.] BERENGER: I can see our opinions are directly opposed. It's better not to discuss the matter. DAISY: Now you mustn't be nasty. BERENGER: Then don't you be stupid ! DAISY: [to BERENGER, who turns his back on her. He looks at himself closely in the mirror] It's no longer possible for us to live together. [As BERENGER continues to examine himself in the mirror shegoes quietly to the door, saying:] He isn't very nice, really, he isn't very nice. [She goes out, and is seen slowly descending the stairs.) BERENGER: [still looking at himself in the mirror] Men aren't sobad-looking, you know. And I'm not a particularly handsome specimen! Believe me, Daisy ! [He turns round.] Daisy ! Daisy ! Where are you, Daisy? You can't do that to me! [He darts to the door.] Daisy! (He gets to the landing and leans over the banister.] Daisy ! Come back! Come back, my dear! You haven't even had your lunch. Daisy, don't leave me alone! Remember your promise! Daisy! Daisy! (He stops calling, makes a despairing gesture, and comes back into the room.] Well, it was obvious we weren't getting along together. The home was broken up. It just wasn't working out. But she shouldn't have left like that with no explanation. [He looks all around.] She didn't even leave a message. That's no way to behave. Now I'm all on my own. [He locks the door carefully, but angrily.) But they won't get me. [He carefully closes the windows.) You won't get me! [He addresses all the rhinoceros heads. I'm not joining you; don't understand you! I'm staying as I am. I'm a human being. A human being. [He sits in the armchair.] It's an impossible situation. It's my fault she's gone. I meant everything to her. What'll become of her? That's one more person on my conscience. I can casily picture the worst, because the worst can easily happen. Poor little thing left all alone in this world of monsters! Nobody can help me find her, nobody, because there is nobody left! I can't bear the sound of them any longer, I'm going to put cotton wool in my cars. [He does so, and talks to himself in the mirror.] The only solution is to convince them—but convince them of what? Are the changes reversible, that's the point? Are they reversible? It would be a labour of Hercules, far beyond me. In any case, to convince them you'd have to talk to them. And to talk to them I'd have to learn their language. Or they'd have to learn mine. But what language do I speak? What is my language? Am I talking French? Yes, it must be French. But what is French? I can call it French if I want, and nobody can say it isn't-I'm the only one who speaks it. am I saying? Do I understand what I'm saying? Do I? [He crosses to the middle of the room. And what if it's true what Daisy said, and they're the ones in the right? [He turns back to the mirror.] A man's not ugly to look at, not ugly at all! [He examines himself, passing his hand over his face.) What a funny looking thing! What do I look like? What? [He darts to a cupboard, takes out some photographs which he examines.] Photo graphs! Who are all these people? Is it Mr. Papillon-or is it Daisy? And is that Botard or Dudard or Jean? Or is it me? [He rushes to the cupboard again and takes out two or three pictures]. Now I recognize me: that's me, that's me! [He hangs the pictures on the back wall, beside the rhinoceros heads.] That's me, that's me! [When he hangs the pictures one sees that they are of an old man, huge woman, and another man. The ugliness of these pictures is in contrast to the rhinoceros heads which have become very beautiful. BERENGER steps back to contemplate the pictures.] I'm not good-looking, I'm not good-looking. [He takes down the pictures, throws them furiously to the ground, and goes over to the mirror.] They're the good-looking ones. I was wrong! Oh, how I wish I was like them! I haven't the pity! A smooth brow looks so ugly. I need one or two got any horns, more's the pity! A smooth brow looks so ugly. I need one or two horns to give my sagging face a lift. Perhaps one will grow and I needn't be ashamed any more-then I could go and join them. But it will never grow! [He looks at the palms of his hands.] My hands are so limp-oh, why won't they get rough! [He takes his coat off, undoes his shirt to look at his chest in the mirror.] My skin is so slack. I can't stand this white, hairy body. Oh I'd love to have a hard skin in that wonderful dull green colour-a skin that looks decent naked without any hair on it, like theirs ! [He listens to the trumpetings.] Their song is charming -a bit raucous perhaps, but it does have charm! I wish I could do it! [He tries to imitate them.] Ahh, Ahh, Bra ! No, that's not it! Try again, louder! Ahh, Ahh, Ber! No, that's not it, it's too feeble, it's got no drive behind it. I'm not trumpeting at all; I'm just howling. Ahh, Ahh, Brr. There's a big difference between howling and trumpeting. I've only myself to blame; I should have gone with them while there was still time. Now it's too late! Now I'm a monster, just a monster. Now I'll never become a rhinoceros, never, never ! I've gone past changing. I want to, I really do, but I can't, I just can't. I can't stand the sight of me. I'm too ashamed! [He turns his back on the mirror.] I'm so ugly! People who try to hang on to their individuality always come to a bad end! [He suddenly snaps out of it.] Oh well, too bad! I'll take on the whole of them! I'll put up a fight against the lot of them, the whole lot of them! I'm the last man left, and I'm staying that way until the end. I'm not capitulating! CURTAIN |