by the same author

DAVID GREIG
OUTLYING ISLANDS
SAN DIEGO
PYRENEES
THE AMERICAN PILOT Dunsinane
YELLO\V MOON
DAMASCUS
MIDSUMMER (A PLAY \VITH SONGS)
THE STRANGE UNDOING OF PRUDENCIA HART
THE MONSTER IN THE HALL
THE EVENTS
SELECTED PLAYS 1999-2009
(San Diego, Outlying Islands, Pyrenees, The American Pilot,
Being Norwegian, Kyoto, Brewers Fayre)
adaptations
CAMUS'S CALIGULA
EURIPIDES' THE BACCHAE
AUGUST STRINDBERG'S CREDITORS
with Suspect Culture
CASANOVA
Published by Methuen
DAVID GREIG PLAYS: I
(Europe, The Architect, The Cosmonaut's Last Message
to the Woman He Once Loved in the Former Soviet Union)
VICTORIA
ff
/aber and/aber
 First published in 2010
\ ~
by Faber and Faber Limited
Acknowledgements
74-77 Great Russell Street, London wc1B 3DA
Typeset by Country Setting, Kingsdown, Kent CTI4 SES
Printed and bound by CPI Group (UK} Ltd, Croydon, cRo 4YY
All rights reserved I would like to thank the following people
© Front Step Ltd, 2010 who participated in workshops in Pitlochry 2008
and Edinburgh 2009. Their work was invaluable
The right of David Greig to be identified as author of this work
has been asserted in accordance with Section 77 of in creating the shape of this play:
the Copyright, Designsand Patents Act 1988 David Ireland, Tom McGovern, Ferdy Roberts,
,1
All rights whatsoever in this work, amateur or professional, Danny Sapani, Samantha Young, Ramin Gray,
are strictly reserved. Applications for permission for any use Jennifer Black, Craig Conway, Brian Ferguson,
whatsoever, including performance rights, must be made in advance, Kieran Hill, Antony Strachan and Stephen Wight.
prior to any such proposed use, to Casarotto Ramsay & Associates Ltd,
Waverley House, 7-12 Noel Street, London WlF 8GQ. I would also like to thank Dr Fiona Watson,
No performance may be given unless a licence has first been obtained. Jeanie O'Hare and Roxana Silbert for their help
This book is sold sub;ect to the condition that it shall not, in preparing the script for production.
by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out
or otherwise circulated without the publisher's prior consent David Greig, February 2010
in any form of binding or cover other than that in which
it is published and without a similar condition including
this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser
A CIP record for this book
is available from the British Library
ISBN 978--o-571-2602I-8
~-=-
MIX
/J,
!~ FSC-C0138CM
19
 Characters
Siward
an English general
Osborn
his son
(,,, J
Macduff
his Scottish lieutenant
Egham
his English lieutenant
The Sergeant
The English Army
Gruach
the Queen
Gruach's Women
A Scottish Soldier
A Scottish Boy
Malcolm
the King of Scotland
McAlpin
Moray
Kintyre
Luss
Clan Chiefs of Scotland
The Boy Soldier
The Hen Girl
Boy Prisoners
 1,: )
DUNSINANE
'What wood is this before us?'
Shakespeare, Macbeth
l •_1 )
Siward He is a farmer, who is alive, with a family who
will now be able to work for you and serve you and pay Egham I just wanted to check that you were comfortable
now.
taxes and-
Gruach For the time being.
Malcolm Is he mine?
Siward I will not kill a man for doing a reasonable thing. Egham Do you have everything you need-clothes -
things?
Malcolm Of course. Gruach Yes.
Of course. You're right.
Egham The cup you mentioned.
I'm sorry, Siward, you have to forgive me, sometimes I The silver cup.
forget. The thinking in this country is so full of traps, you I found it.
have to walk around in such circular paths, sometimes
Egham shows her the silver cup.
I forget that another type of thinking even exists.
Gruach Where was it?
Straight.
Egham I took it.
Do what you think is right.
I took your dothes.
I'll do everything in my power to help you.
Siward exits. Not to wear but to give to my soldiers to take back to
their wives and daughters.
Malcolm talks with some of his men.
I took these things because we won.
Malcolm Donald. You understand.
Donald Sire. Siward wants peace.
Malcolm Send out two men. Find this man. Kill him and But I want money.
his family and divide his possessions amongst the villagers.
I just want you to know where I stand. ·c
Malcolm's men take weapons and leave.
Gruach Thank you.
*
Egham I want you to see that I will be honest with you.
Gruach's women prepare the Queen's new rooms. Gruach You will be honest with me - about the fact that
Egham enters. you are dishonest.
·Egham Excuse me, My Lady. Egham If we both know where we stand. Perhaps we can
help each other.
Gruach Egham. What do you want?
1know you don't want us tobe here.
52
53
 - So Siward says if they won't tel1 us which boy it is - - Yes, Sir.
we'll take all the boys. Egham Take him up to the field and bury him.
-So- -Yes, Sir.
-Well- - Shall we bring in the prisoners, Sir?
- Well we've still got to sort the rest of them - Egham Bring them in.
- lt's hard work- it's a hard day - The English Soldiers lead in a small group of teenage
- Fire and smoke. boys.
They boys are tied together in a chain so they can't
I; J
-Anyway. escape.
- It's long into the afternoon before we come to leaving Egham Only boys.
and that's when we realise.
- Siward said only take the boys.
-No Edward.
Egham What did you do with the men?
- I found him.
- Burned them.
- I found him.
*
- We both found him.
-A whole day he'd been lying there in the field. Siward's rooms.
Siward takes off his armour and his boots, and washes
- We put him on the back of the cart, but he was dead
by yesterday. the soot off his face.
The Boy Soldier attends to him.
- Poor Edward.
Egham You burned them?
- He didn't say a word that whole night.
Siward That's right.
- If ~e'd made a noise they would have heard us.
Egham Alive?
- But he didn't make a sound.
Siward Yes.
- Not a sound.
Egham Right.
Egham Must have hurt.
- Must have, Sir. Burned them alive?
Egham Poor Edward. Siward Yes.
93
92
 Malcolm Why on earth would you want to do that? Wine.
{.() Ease.
Siward To draw a line. Song.
Malcolm Stop. Silk.
While out there my boys are dying on your behalf.
Siward What?
Malcolm Just - You are corrupt, Malcolm.
Siward, please. Depthless.
You must stop.
Stop this. Weak.
This incessant You wallow in your own venality.
/! .J
Definition.
lt seems.
There are patterns of loyalty between us - there are
alliances - there are friends who say they're friends but Malcolm Mmm.
work against us and others who say they're enemies but
Do you ever ask yourself, Siward, if it's possible that I
quietly help us - there are networks of obligation between
might in fact want to create the appearance of wallowing
us - there are marriages and births between us - there are
narrowly balanced feuds between us - feuds that only in venality?
need the smallest breath of the wrong word spoken to tip
them into war - Does that thought ever occur to you?
There are patterns between us. Or is that thought too subtle - too corrupt - a bird for
And into that very delicate filigree y04 are putting your your wooden English hands to catch?
fist.
They bring me wine - the chiefs - they bring me
Siward I'm a soldier. I like clarity. women - they think - I'm corrupt - I'm weak - I wallow
in venality - they think - this King is easy - he won't
Malcolm Clarity is dangerously close to crudity.
cause trouble for us - all he wants is to be left alone to
Siward And subtlety is dangerously close to corruption. enjoy his wine and his women - let him be King- better
him than someone other - better him than someone
Malcolm Be aware that I am listening to the words you
choose very carefully. strong - someone with more - definition.
Let Malcolm stay - at least until someone better comes
Siward Good.
along... ·
Then listen to this.
You disgust me. But no one better will ever come along.
109
108
 And do you want to know why?
Siward A chief should pay tribute to the King. lt isn't the
' Because they'll all kill each other before they kill me. other way around.
Malcolm You madden me, Siward.
My weakness is my strength,
You must take gifts from the chiefs.
Siward That might be a plausible strategy, Malcolm,
were it not for the fact that you actually do want to be A king repays a gift tenfold.
left alone to enjoy your wine and your warnen - you By taking nothing you offer nothing.
actually are weak. It's not an appearance - it's true.
Siward I know the game.
Malcolm The best way to maintain the appearance of
something being true is for it to actually be true. lt's corrupt.
'.)
Siward This is all words, Malcolm. What do you want I ignored it.
me to do? Give up? Malcolm Siward, your insistence on governing by force
Malcolm I don't want you to stop your enthusiastic is making being king very difficult for me.
pursuit of the Queen, Siward. Siward If you find being king becoming tiresome there
I'm just asking you to accomplish it by more nuanced are chiefs who could take the position from you.
means. Malcolm Sometimes I find being alive becoming tiresome.
Siward I'm sorry. I don't know what 'nuanced means' Do you know anyone who can take that position from me?
means.
Siward You're drunk.
Malcolm Withdraw your men to Dunsinane for the
winter. Let your soldiers recover. Let me be weak for a Malcolm Join me.
while. Let the Queen start to make mistakes. If the chiefs Malcolm offers wine to Siward.
think she might win they'll soon statt to plot against her.
We can execute some little raids, assassinations. Let them Siward Maybe you'd prefer to go back to England?
spend winter in a world of uncertainty. Malcolm Lovely England.
Then when spring comes - see how they'll welcome us
back. No.
But maybe you would like to go back.
Siward What about our allies?
Malcolm Give them money. Siward Why?
That's what I was discussing with Luss and Kintyre just
Malcolm I don't know.
now. You just seem tired.
III
110
 Malcolm They told me.
•l
Malcolm People.
Siward With the son dead there is now no Moray claim
to the throne. lt's pointless for the chiefs to support her. Siward People?
Her surrender is inevitable. Malcolm Everyone.
l'll make a proclamation. Siward The boy confessed. He's dead. The head is proof.
Malcolm Yes. Malcolm Whatever that head is, Siward - it isn't proof.
Do.
Do that. Siward A knife is a knife, a neck is a neck.
He's dead.
,, ,! Si ward.
Did you order the boy's head tobe put on a stick? Malcolm I think it's more likely that by killing this boy
you have given him eternal life.
Siward Yes.
He will come back. He'll be seen in Orkney, or in some
Malcolm The one in the castle yard? hall in Norway, he'll come back from slavery in Ireland,
Siward Yes. or be found on the islands. As lang as I'm on the throne,
the Queen's son will haunt me until one day death takes
Malcolm That stick?
me and even if I die alone in my bed there will be people
Siward Yes. who will say - the Queen's son did it.
Malcolm I think you'd better take it down. Scotland does not accept his death.
Siward Why? Putting a head on a pole just makes me look like ... a
Malcolm lt doesn't Iook good. peasant in a room full of theologians.
Siward I don 't understand. Siward Same boy exists.
Malcolm The Moray do not accept that the dead boy is Existed.
hers.
Some boy came out of her womb.
Siward What? I think that boy was that boy.
Malcolm They saythe Queen's son escaped from Glen And that boy is dead.
Lyon.
Malcolm Mmm.
Siward No one escaped from Glen Lyon.
Siward Malcolm, I'm going to ask you a question and I
Malcolm That's what they're saying. want you to think hard. Find the best words you can -
Siward They? Who? the clearest. Find the words which best match the world
as it is out there - outside Dunsinane's ,walls.
I24
125
 The Boy Soldier places his weapon down on the
One Woman feeds a baby.
,., ground.
The Women sing a lullaby in Gaelic. One of the Women takes it.
Siward and the Boy Soldier walk across the ice to the Siward Where are your men?
island.
Gruach I'm guarded well enough.
Siward carries, on his back, the boy's body.
Siward I just walked across the lake.
Siward Is the Queen here? Nobody challenged me.
The Women stop their work. Gruach We knew you were coming.
I'm looking for the Queen. You spread your intentions around like mess, Siward.
' ,)
The Women don't speak. You're hard to avoid.
Is she here? What do you want?
The Women don't speak. Siward Your son is dead.
I was told this was the Queen's lake. I've brought him back to you.
I was told this was her island. I brought him back so you could bury him.
I was told this was her chapel.
The Women don't speak. Take him to Iona ...
I was told you are her women? Where the kings are buried.
The Women don't speak. You said that was your custom.
Why won't you answer? Gruach How did he die?
Gruach enters. Siward I killed him.
Gruach They don't speak English. Gruach Lulach.
Nearly a year here and you haven't yet learned our He was never a bold boy.
language. Startled by noises.
Siward Gruach. He would have been a careful king.
Gruach Tell your boy to put his weapon down. Siward I'm sorry.
This is a holy place. Gruach Why did you come here, Siward?
Siward Do as she says.
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130
 Siward I want to settle things between us. Let's talk.
druach You had that chance long ago. A man and a woman here in the snow - a man and a
woman who have to work out how best to organise their
Siward I made a mistake. world.
Gruach A mistake? Gruach Do you have a proposal?
You invaded my country. Siward No.
You humiliated mein front of my people. I want to hear your proposal.
You killed my son. Gruach Go home.
,, 1 Did you not know you were doing that? Siward You can't defeat me, Gruach, and I can't defeat
Siward Everything I did, I did because I thought that doing you.
it was for the best. I can't go home without a settlement.
Gruach What do you want me to say, Siward? The war's over for the winter but eventually spring will
Do you want me to forgive you? come and in the end we'll have to fight again unless we
find a way to end it.
Siward No.
What are your terms?
Gruach What then? Did you walk all this way in winter
just to open your mouth and close it, did you come to Gruach I have none.
sing y9ur apologies to the snow? Siward Lulach is dead. Malcolm is the unchallenged
Siward No. King. The Moray claim is over.
Gruach I should kill you now. What is there left to fight for, Gruach?
I should call down my men on you and have them skin I understand there is a dance of leaving.
you in front of me. Let's take the first steps together.
That's what I should do. Gruach There is a challenge.
Siward Why don't you? Siward What?
Gruach Honour. Gruach There is a challenge.
Siward Gruach. She calls a Woman forward.
I've come here without a weapon. She shows Siward the baby.
I came here to talk. You killed the boys in Glen Lyon.
1 33
132