Strife

Strife by John Galsworthy

 

A DRAMA IN THREE ACTS

 

John Galsworthy first published in 1897 with a collection of short stories entitled “The Four Winds”.  For the next 7 years he published these and all works under his pen name John Sinjohn.  It was only upon the death of his father and the publication of “The Island Pharisees” in 1904 that he published as John Galsworthy.  His first play was The Silver Box, an immediate success when it debuted in 1906 and was followed by “The Man of Property" later that same year and was the first in the Forsyte trilogy.   Whilst today he is far more well know as a Nobel Prize winning novelist then he was considered a playwright dealing with social issues and the class system.  We publish here ‘Strife’ a great example of both his writing and his demonstration of how the class system worked at the time. He was appointed to the Order of Merit in 1929, after earlier turning down a knighthood, and awarded the Nobel Prize in 1932 though he was too ill to attend. John Galsworthy died from a brain tumour at his London home, Grove Lodge, Hampstead on January 31st 1933. In accordance with his will he was cremated at Woking with his ashes then being scattered over the South Downs from an aeroplane.

 

 

 

Index Of Contents
Persons Of The Play

ACT I

ACT II

ACT III

John Galsworthy – A Short Biography

 

 

PERSONS OF THE PLAY

 

     JOHN ANTHONY, Chairman of the Trenartha Tin Plate Works

     EDGAR ANTHONY, his Son

 

     FREDERIC H. WILDER, }

     WILLIAM SCANTLEBURY, } Directors Of the same

     OLIVER WANKLIN,       }

 

     HENRY TENCH, Secretary of the same

     FRANCIS UNDERWOOD, C.E., Manager of the same

     SIMON HARNESS, a Trades Union official

 

     DAVID ROBERTS,   }

     JAMES GREEN,     }

     JOHN BULGIN,     } the workmen's committee

     HENRY THOMAS,    }

     GEORGE ROUS,     }

 

     HENRY ROUS,       }

     LEWIS,                }

     JAGO,                 }

     EVANS,                } workman at the Trenartha Tin Plate Works

     A BLACKSMITH,  }

     DAVIES,               }

     A RED-HAIRED YOUTH. }

     BROWN                 }

 

     FROST, valet to John Anthony

     ENID UNDERWOOD, Wife of Francis Underwood, daughter of John Anthony

     ANNIE ROBERTS, wife of David Roberts

     MADGE THOMAS, daughter of Henry Thomas

     MRS. ROUS, mother of George and Henry Rous

     MRS. BULGIN, wife of John Bulgin

     MRS. YEO, wife of a workman

     A PARLOURMAID to the Underwoods

     JAN, Madge's brother, a boy of ten

     A CROWD OF MEN ON STRIKE

 

 

ACT I.  The dining-room of the Manager's house.

 

ACT II,

        SCENE I.  The kitchen of the Roberts's cottage near the works.

        SCENE II.  A space outside the works.

 

ACT III.  The drawing-room of the Manager's house.

The action takes place on February 7th between the hours of noon and six in the afternoon, close to the Trenartha Tin Plate Works, on the borders of England and Wales, where a strike has been in progress throughout the winter.

 

 

 

 

ACT I

 

It is noon. In the Underwoods' dining-room a bright fire is burning. On one side of the fireplace are double-doors leading to the drawing-room, on the other side a door leading to the hall. In the centre of the room a long dining-table without a cloth is set out as a Board table. At the head of it, in the Chairman's seat, sits JOHN ANTHONY, an old man, big, clean-shaven, and high-coloured, with thick white hair, and thick dark eyebrows. His movements are rather slow and feeble, but his eyes are very much alive. There is a glass of water by his side. On his right sits his son EDGAR, an earnest-looking man of thirty, reading a newspaper. Next him WANKLIN, a man with jutting eyebrows, and silver-streaked light hair, is bending over transfer papers. TENCH, the Secretary, a short and rather humble, nervous man, with side whiskers, stands helping him. On WANKLIN'S right sits UNDERWOOD, the Manager, a quiet man, with a long, stiff jaw, and steady eyes. Back to the fire is SCANTLEBURY, a very large, pale, sleepy man, with grey hair, rather bald. Between him and the Chairman are two empty chairs.

 

WILDER. [Who is lean, cadaverous, and complaining, with drooping grey moustaches, stands before the fire.] I say, this fire's the devil! Can I have a screen, Tench?

 

SCANTLEBURY. A screen, ah!

 

TENCH. Certainly, Mr. Wilder. [He looks at UNDERWOOD.] That is, perhaps the Manager, perhaps Mr. Underwood—

 

SCANTLEBURY. These fireplaces of yours, Underwood—

 

UNDERWOOD. [Roused from studying some papers.] A screen? Rather! I'm sorry. [He goes to the door with a little smile.] We're not accustomed to complaints of too much fire down here just now.

 

[He speaks as though he holds a pipe between his teeth, slowly, ironically.]

 

WILDER.