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Authors: Peter Handke

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Kaspar and Other Plays (11 page)

BOOK: Kaspar and Other Plays
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When I am, I was. When I was, I am. When I am, I will be. When I will be, I was. Although I was, I will be. Although I will be, I am. As often as I am, I have been. As often as I have been, I was. While I was, I have been. While I have been, I will be. Since I will be, I will have been. Since I have been, I am. Due to the fact that I am, I have been. Due to the fact that I have been, I was. Without having been, I was. Without having been, I will be. So that I will be, I have been. So that I will have been, I have been. Before I was, I was. Before I had become, I am. I am so that I will have become. I will have become so that I was. I was as soon as I will have become. I will have become as soon as I will be. I will be while I will have become. I will have become while I had become. I became because I will have become. I will have become because I became. I became because I will have become. I will have become because I am.
I am the one I am.
I am the one I am.
I am the one I am.
Kaspar stops rocking.
Why are there so many black worms flying about?
The stage becomes black.
XXVIII
As it grows light again after several
moments of quiet, the prompters
speak once more:
You have model sentences with which you can get through life: by applying these models to your sentences, you can impose order on everything that appears chaotic: you can declare it ordered: every object can be what you designate it to be: if you
see
the object differently from the way you
speak
of it, you must be mistaken: you must say to yourself that you are mistaken and you
will
see the object: if you don't
want
to say that to yourself, then it is obvious that you want to be
forced,
and thus do want to say it in the end.
It has now become very bright.
Kaspar is quiet.
XXIX
You can learn and make yourself useful. Even if there are no limits: you can draw them. You can perceive: notice: become aware in all innocence: every object becomes a valuable. You can develop in an orderly fashion.
It becomes even brighter. Kaspar
is even quieter.
XXX
You can quiet yourself with sentences: you can be nice and quiet.
It is very bright. Kaspar is very
quiet.
XXXI
You've been cracked open.
XXXII
The stage becomes dark suddenly.
After a moment:
You become sensitive to dirt.
XXXIII
It becomes bright, but not very.
Kaspar is sitting in the rocking
chair. A second Kaspar with the
same kind of face-like mask, the
same costume, comes on stage
from the wings. He enters,
sweeping with a broom. He quickly
cleans the stage, each movement
being made distinctly visible, for
example, by the spot. In passing he
gives the closet door a shove, but it
won't stay shut. He cleans carefully
under the sofa. He sweeps the dirt
into a pile at the edge on the side
of the stage. He walks across the
stage to fetch the shovel. He walks
back to the pile of dirt and sweeps
the dirt onto the shovel. He does
not succeed in sweeping the dirt
onto the shovel with a single swipe
of the broom, nor quite with the
second swipe. By zigzagging
backwards across the stage,
between objects, without however
bothering the first Kaspar, he
continues to try to sweep the rest
of the dirt onto the shovel. He
sweeps and sweeps until he
disappears backstage. At that
moment the stage darkens.
XXXIV
After a moment:
Become aware that you are moving.
XXXV
It becomes bright. A third Kaspar
appears on stage from the wings,
accompanying a fourth Kaspar,
who walks on crutches, dragging
his legs, moving very very slowly,
almost imperceptibly. The third
Kaspar repeatedly increases his
pace somewhat, but each time has
to wait for the fourth Kaspar to
catch up with him. That takes
time. They walk across stage front,
Kaspar 3 nearer to the audience
than Kaspar 4. Kaspar 3 to some
extent adopts the gait of Kaspar 4,
but in part retains his own manner
of walking and therefore still has
to wait for Kaspar 4 to catch up
with him. So both are lurching, as
they say, almost “unbearably”
slowly across the stage, past Kaspar
1. When they have finally gone,
the stage darkens instantly.
XXXVI
After a moment:
What you can't deal with, you can play with.
XXXVII
It becomes bright. Two further
Kaspars come toward each other
across the stage from different
directions. They want to get past
each other. Both step aside in the
same direction, and bump into
each other. They step aside in the
other direction, and bump into
each other again. They repeat the
attempt in the first direction, and
almost bump into each other.
What looked awkward and
unnatural at first gradually
assumes a rhythm. The
movements become more
rapid and also more regular. The
two Kaspars no longer walk into
each other. Finally they move only
the upper part of their body, then
only their heads jerk, and finally
they stand still. The next moment
they make a wide, elegant curve
around each other and walk off
stage to the left and right.
During these attempts at
circumnavigation, Kaspar 1 has
tried to fold an unfolded road
map. He does not succeed. Finally
he begins playing with the map, as
though it were an accordion, say.
Suddenly the map lets itself be
folded thus, and that is the
moment when the other Kaspars
leave the stage and it darkens.
XXXVIII
After a moment:
To become aware that everything falls back into order of its own accord.
XXXIX
It becomes bright. Another Kaspar
steps out of the wings. He steps in
front of the sofa, on which there is
a thick cushion. He pushes
with one fist into the cushion and
steps aside. The audience sees the
cushion slowly regain its original
shape. This can also be projected
on the backdrop. With a final tiny
jolt, the cushion regains its original
form. The stage darkens at once.
XL
After a moment:
Movements.
XLI
Another Kaspar steps on stage. He
has a ball in one hand. He places
the ball on the floor and steps
back. The ball rolls off. Kaspar 1
puts the ball where it was first. The
ball rolls off. Kaspar holds his hand
on the ball for a considerable
period of time. He steps back. The
ball rolls off. The stage darkens.
XLII
After a moment:
Pains.
XLIII
It is still dark; the audience sees
two matches being lit on stage.
When it grows bright again,
Kaspar 1 is sitting in the rocking
chair, the other Kaspar on the sofa.
Each is holding a burning match
between his fingers. The flames
touch the fingers. Neither Kaspar
emits a sound. The stage darkens.
XLIV
After a moment:
Sounds.
XLV
As it becomes bright, Kaspar 1 is
alone on stage, standing by the
large table. He takes the
broad-necked bottle and pours a
little water into the glass standing
next to the bottle. The sound of
pouring water is distinctly audible.
He stops pouring. Quickly he
pours the water from the glass back
into the bottle. He takes the bottle
and pours water slowly into the
glass. The sound of pouring water
is even more distinct. When the
glass is full, the stage darkens.
XLVI
After a moment:
A tone.
XLVII
When it becomes bright, even
more quickly than before, another
Kaspar is standing at the side of
the stage while Kaspar l is standing
by the table. He is holding a thick
roll of paper which is held together
by a rubber band. Slowly but surely
he forces the rubber band off the
roll. The band snaps off, a tone is
heard. At once the stage darkens.
XLVIII
After a moment:
A view.
XLIX
The audience hears a noise while
the stage is still dark. When it
becomes bright, Kaspar 1 is again
alone on the stage, sitting by the
table with the plastic fruit on it.
He is holding a partially peeled
apple in his hand. He continues
peeling, the peel growing longer
and longer, and stops peeling
shortly before the apple has been
completely peeled. He places the
apple on top of the decorative
fruit. The peel hangs way down.
The stage darkens.
L
The prompters remain silent.
LI
It becomes bright. Kaspar is standing in the center of the stage, between the table and the closet. With one hand he is forcibly opening the other hand, which is a fist, finger by finger. The fist resists more and more tenaciously. Finally he wrenches open the hand. It is empty. The stage darkens.
 
LII
It quickly becomes bright. Another Kaspar is sitting on the sofa. Kaspar sees the other Kaspar. The stage darkens.
 
LIII
It becomes bright even more quickly. Kaspar is again alone on the stage, standing in front of the closet, his face to the audience. The stage darkens.
 
LIV
It becomes bright more quickly still. Kaspar looks down at himself. The stage darkens.
 
LV
Kaspar tries to catch himself. First he runs in a wide circle across the stage, then in smaller circles, spiraling in on himself until he turns on the same spot. He reaches for himself but, because he is standing on one spot, only seizes himself with his own arms … whereupon he becomes still and the stage darkens.
 
LVI
It becomes bright more quickly still. Kaspar is standing in front of the closet, his back to the audience. It darkens.
 
LVII
It becomes bright. Kaspar is in the process of closing the closet doors. He presses on them for some time. He steps back. The doors stay shut. The stage darkens.
 
LVIII
It becomes bright. It is very bright. Kaspar leans back against the closet. The stage looks harmonious. A chord. A spotlight is trained on Kaspar. He assumes various poses. He continues to alter the
position of his arms and legs. Say, his arms are akimbo, he shoves one leg forward, lets his arms drop, crosses his legs, puts his hands in his pockets, first in his pants pockets, then in his jacket pockets, stands there with his legs apart, finally crosses his hands over his stomach, puts his feet close together, finally his arms are akimbo again. His legs are still close together. He begins to speak:
BOOK: Kaspar and Other Plays
12.18Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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