A Moon for the Misbegotten

8/14/2019 A Moon for the Misbegotten

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A MOON FOR THE MISBEGOTTEN

Eugene O'Neill (1888-1953) A Moon for the Misbegotten is published herewith with no revisions or deletions. It isan exact reproduction of the original manuscript which I delivered to Random House,Inc., on completing the play in 194 .

It has never been presented on the !ew "or# stage nor are there outstanding rights or plans for its production. $ince I cannot presently give it the attention re%uired forappropriate presentation, I have decided to ma#e it available in boo# form.

April, 1952

&. '(!.

)H*R*)+&R$

'$I& H'-*!

HI/ H'-*!, her father

0I & H'-*!, her brother

*0&$ +"R'!&, R.

+. $+&20*! H*R2&R

$)&!&$

*)+ '!&

+he farmhouse. *round noon. &arly $eptember, 193 .

*)+ + '

+he same, but with the interior of sitting room revealed5511 o(cloc# that night.

*)+ +HR&&

+he same as *ct 'ne. !o time elapses between *cts +wo and +hree.

*)+ 6'7R

+he same552awn of the following morning.
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$)&!& '6 +H& /*"

+he play ta#es place in )onnecticut at the home of tenant farmer, hil Hogan, between the hours of noon on a day in early $eptember, 193 , and sunrise of thefollowing day.

+he house is not, to spea# mildly, a fine example of !ew &ngland architecture, placedso perfectly in its setting that it appears a harmonious part of the landscape, rooted inthe earth. It has been moved to its present site, and loo#s it. *n old boxli#e,clapboarded affair, with a shingled roof and bric# chimney, it is propped up about twofeet above ground by layers of timber bloc#s. +here are two windows on the lowerfloor of this side of the house which faces front, and one window on the floor above.+hese windows have no shutters, curtains or shades. &ach has at least one panemissing, a s%uare of cardboard ta#ing its place. +he house had once been painted arepulsive yellow with brown trim, but the walls now are a blac#ened and weatheredgray, fla#ed with strea#s and splotches of dim lemon. ust around the left corner ofthe house, a flight of steps leads to the front door.

+o ma#e matters worse, a one5story, one5room addition has been tac#ed on at right.*bout twelve feet long by six high, this room, which is osie Hogan(s bedroom, isevidently homemade. Its walls and sloping roof are covered with tar paper, faded todar# gray. )lose to where it 8oins the house, there is a door with a flight of threeunpainted steps leading to the ground. *t right of door is a small window.

6rom these steps there is a footpath going around an old pear tree, at right5rear,through a field of hay stubble to a patch of woods. +he same path also extends left to

8oin a dirt road which leads up from the county highway about a hundred yards offleft: to the front door of the house, and thence bac# through a scraggly orchard ofapple trees to the barn. )lose to the house, under the window next to osie(s bedroom,there is a big boulder with a flat5top.


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ACT ONE

$)&!&55 As described. It is just before noon. The day is clear and hot.

The door of Josie s bedroo! opens and she co!es out on the steps, bending to a"oidbu!ping her head.Josie is t#enty$eight. %he is so o"ersi&e for a #o!an that she isal!ost a frea'$$fi"e feet ele"en in her stoc'ings and #eighs around one hundred andeighty. (er sloping shoulders are broad, her chest deep #ith large, fir! breasts, her#aist #ide but slender by contrast #ith her hips and thighs. %he has long s!oothar!s, i!!ensely strong, although no !uscles sho#. The sa!e is true of her legs.%heis !ore po#erful than any but an e)ceptionally strong !an, able to do the !anuallabor of t#o ordinary !en. *ut there is no !annish +uality about her. %he is all#o!an.The !ap of Ireland is sta!ped on her face, #ith its long upper lip and s!allnose, thic' blac' eyebro#s, blac' hair as coarse as a horse s !ane, frec'led,

sunburned fair s'in, high chee'bones and hea"y ja#. It is not a pretty face, but herlarge dar'$blue eyes gi"e it a note of beauty, and her s!ile, re"ealing e"en #hiteteeth, gi"es it char!.%he #ears a cheap, slee"eless, blue cotton dress. (er feet arebare, the soles earth$stained and tough as leather.%he co!es do#n the steps and goesleft to the corner of the house and peers around it to#ard the barn. Then she !o"es

s#iftly to the right of the house and loo's bac'.

'$I&55*h, than# -od. %he goes bac' to#ard the steps as her brother, Mi'e,appears hurrying up fro! right$rear. :

Mi'e (ogan is t#enty, about four inches shorter than his sister. (e is sturdily built,but see!s al!ost puny co!pared to her. (e has a co!!on Irish face, its e)pression

sullen, or slyly cunning, or pri!ly self$righteous. (e ne"er forgets that he is a goodatholic, faithful to all the obser"ances, and so is one of the -lite of Al!ighty od ina #orld of da!ned sinners co!posed of /rotestants and bad atholics. In brief, Mi'eis a 0e# ngland Irish atholic /uritan, rade *, and an e)tre!ely irritating youthto ha"e around.

Mi'e #ears dirty o"eralls, a s#eat$stained bro#n shirt. (e carries a pitchfor'. :

'$I&55;ad luc# to you for a slowpo#e. 2idn(t I tell you half5past elevenen as brass and proud of your disgrace. "oucan(t deny that, osie.

'$I&55I don(t. then o!inously : "ou(d better shut up now. I(ve been holding mytemper, because we(re saying good5bye. %he stands up. : ;ut I(m losing patience.

0I &55 hastily : ait till I finish and you won(t be mad at me. I was going to say Iwish you luc# with your scheming, for once. I hate im +yrone(s guts, with his %uotin(/atin and his high5toned esuit )ollege education, putting on airs as if he was toogood to wipe his shoes on me, when he(s nothing but a drun#en bum who never donea tap of wor# in his life, except acting on the stage while his father was alive to gethim the 8obs. "indicti"ely : I(ll pray you(ll find a way to nab him, osie, and s#in himout of his last nic#el=

'$I&55 !a'es a threatening !o"e to#ard hi! : 'ne more word out of you55 thenconte!ptuously : "ou(re a dirty tic# and it(d serve you right if I let you stay gabbinguntil 6ather came and beat you to a 8elly, but I won(t. I(m too anxious to be rid of you.roughly : -et out of here, now= 2o you thin# he(ll stay all day with the pigs, you

gabbing fool< %he goes left to peer around the corner of the house$$#ith real alar! :+here he is, coming up to the barn. Mi'e grabs the satchel, terrified. (e slin's s#iftlyaround the corner and disappears along the path to the #oods, right$rear. %he 'eeps#atching her father and does not notice Mi'e s departure. : He(s loo#ing toward themeadow. He sees you(re not wor#ing. He(s running down there. He(ll come here next."ou(d better run for your life= %he turns and sees he s gone$$conte!ptuously : I mighthave #nown. I(ll bet you(re a mile away by now, you rabbit= %he pee's around thecorner again$$#ith a!used ad!iration : /oo# at my poor old father pelt. He(s as spryon his stumpy legs as a yearling55and as full of rage as a nest of wasps= %he laughsand co!es bac' to loo' along the path to the #oods. : ell, that(s the last of you,0i#e, and good riddance. It was the little boy you used to be that I had to mother, andnot you, I stole the money for. This dis!isses hi!. %he sighs. : ell, himself will behere in a minute. I(d better be ready. %he reaches in her bedroo! corner by the doorand ta'es out a sa#ed$off broo! handle. : !ot that I need it, but it saves his pride.%he sits on the steps #ith the broo! handle propped against the steps near her right

hand. A !o!ent later, her father, /hil (ogan, co!es running up fro! left$rear andcharges around the corner of the house, his ar!s pu!ping up and do#n, his fistsclenched, his face full of fighting fury. :

(ogan is fifty$fi"e, about fi"e feet si). (e has a thic' nec', lu!py, sloping shoulders,a barrel$li'e trun', stu!py legs, and big feet. (is ar!s are short and !uscular, #ithlarge hairy hands. (is head is round #ith thinning sandy hair. (is face is fat #ith a

snub nose, long upper lip, big !outh, and little blue eyes #ith bleached lashes andeyebro#s that re!ind one of a #hite pig s. (e #ears hea"y brogans, filthy o"eralls,and a dirty short$slee"ed undershirt. Ar!s and face are sunburned and frec'led. nhis head is an old #ide$bri!!ed hat of coarse stra# that #ould loo' !ore beco!ingon a horse. (is "oice is high$pitched #ith a pronounced brogue. :

H'-*!55 stops as he turns the corner and sees her$$furiously : here is he< Is hehiding in the house< I(ll wipe the floors with him, the la>y bastard= turning his anger

against her : Haven(t you a tongue in your head, you great slut you


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'$I&55 #ith pro"o'ing cal! : 2on(t be calling me names, you bad5tempered oldhornet, or maybe I(ll lose my temper, too.

H'-*!55+o hell with your temper, you overgrown cow=

'$I&55I(d rather be a cow than an ugly little buc# goat. "ou(d better sit down andcool off. 'ld men shouldn(t run around raging in the noon sun. "ou(ll get sunstro#e.

H'-*!55+o hell with sunstro#e= Have you seen himed he don(t remember a thing untilyou remind him. He(s done a lot of mad things, when he was that way, he was sorryfor after.

'$I&55 scornfully : hat drun# hasn(t< ;ut he(d never55 resentfully : I won(t have yoususpecting im without any cause, d(you hear me=

H'-*!55I don(t suspect him. *ll I(ve said is, when a man gets as %ueer drun# as im,

he doesn(t #now himself what he mightn(t do, and we(d be damned fools if we didn(tfear the possibility, however small it is, and do all we can to guard against it.

'$I&55+here(s no possibility= *nd how could we guard against it, if there wase #eepsyou awa#e instead of55 (e catches her gi"ing hi! a pitying loo'$$irritably : ;ut whatof it=

'$I&550aybe you had no woman in bed with you, for a change. It(s a terrible thingto brea# the habit of years.

+"R'!&55 shrugs his shoulders : 0aybe.

'$I&55 hat(s the matter with the tarts in town, they let you do it< I(ll bet the onesyou #now on ;roadway, !ew "or#, wouldn(t neglect their business.


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+"R'!&55 pretends to ya#n boredly : 0aybe not. then irritably : )ut out the#idding, osie. It(s too early.

H'-*!55 #ho has been ta'ing e"erything in #ithout see!ing to : I told you not toannoy the gentleman with your rough tongue.

'$I&55$ure I thought I was doing my duty as hostess ma#ing him feel at home.

+"R'!&55 stares at her again : hy all the interest lately in the ladies of the profession, osieed you couldn(t sha#e the whis#eyfrom your brains and get your head clear when you wanted. $ure, that(s always beenyour pride55and now loo# at you, the stupid ob8ect you are, mumbling and drooling=

H'-*!55 struggles up in his chair$$angrily : $hut up your insults= ;e -od, I can get

my head clear if I li#e= (e sha'es his head "iolently. : +here= It(s clear. I can tell youeach thing that happened tonight as clear as if I(d not ta#en a drop, if you(ll listen andnot #eep calling me a liar.

'$I&55I(ll listen, now I see you have hold of your wits.

H'-*!55*ll right, then. I(ll begin at the beginning when him and me left here, andyou gave him a sweet smile, and rolled your big beautiful cow(s eyes at him, andwiggled your bac#side, and stuc# out your beautiful breasts you #now he admires, andsaid in a sic# sheep(s voice@ ?2on(t forget our moonlight date, im.?

'$I&55 #ith suppressed fury : "ou(re a55= I never55= "ou old55=


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H'-*!55*nd he said@ ?"ou bet I won(t forget, osie.?

'$I&55+he lying croo#=

H'-*!55 (is "oice begins to sin' into a dejected !onotone. : e went to the Inn

and started drin#ing whis#ey. *nd I got drun#.

'$I&55 e)asperatedly : I guessed that= *nd im got drun#, too. *nd then whaten tal# he(s tired of hearing,while you act shy as a mouse.

'$I&55 gi"es her father a bitter, resentful loo' : "ou(re full of sly advice all of asudden, ain(t you< "ou dirty little tic#=

H'-*!55 angrily : 2idn(t you tell me to get hold of my wits< ;e -od, if you want

me drun#, I(ve only to let go. +hat(d suit me. I want to forget my sorrow, and I(ve nofaith in your scheme because you(ll be too full of scruples. /i#e the drin#ing. "ou(resuch a virtuous teetotaller55

'$I&55I(ve told you I(d do anything now= then confusedly : *ll I meant was, it(s notright, a father to tell his daughter how to55 then angrily : I don(t need your advice.Haven(t I had every man I want around herey for you tohold my big ugly paw so tenderly. ;ut you(re welcome to it, if you li#e.

+"R'!&55I do li#e. It(s strong and #ind and warm55li#e you. (e 'isses it. :

'$I&55 tensely : 'ch, for the love of -od55= %he jer's her hand a#ay$$then hastily forces a jo'ing tone. : asting #isses on my hand= $ure, even the moon is laughing atus.

+"R'!&55!uts for the moon= I(d rather have one light on ;roadway than all themoons since Rameses was a pup. (e ta'es cigarettes fro! his poc'et and lights one. :

'$I&55 her eyes searching his face, lighted up by the !atch : "ou(ll be ta#ing a train bac# to your dear old ;roadway tomorrow night, won(t youy notions he wanted to sleep the way he is, and I let him sleep. #ith

forced roughness : *nd, be -od, the night(s over. I(m half dead with tiredness andsleepiness. It(s that you see in my face, not sorrow.

H'-*!552on(t try to fool me, osie. I55

'$I&55 her face hard and bitter$$gri!ly : 6ool you, is it< It(s you who made a fool ofme with your lies, thin#ing you(d use me to get your dirty greasy paws on the moneyhe(ll have=

H'-*!55!o= I swear by all the saints55

'$I&55"ou(d swear on a ;ible while you were stealing it= gri!ly : /isten to me,6ather. I didn(t call you here to answer %uestions about what(s none of your business. I

called you here to tell you I(ve seen through all the lies you told last night to get meto55 as he starts to spea' : $hut up= I(ll do the tal#ing now. "ou weren(t drun#. "ouwere only putting it on as part of your scheme55

H'-*!55 +uietly : I wasn(t drun#, no. I admit that, osie. ;ut I(d had slews of drin#sand they were in my head or I(d never have the cra>y dreams55

'$I&55 #ith biting scorn : 2reams, is it< +he only dream you(ve ever had, or willhave, is of yourself counting a fistful of dirty money, and divil a care how you got it,or who you robbed or made suffer=

H'-*!55 #inces$$pleadingly : osie=

'$I&55$hut up. scathingly : I(m sure you(ve made up a whole new set of lies andexcuses. "ou(re that cunning and clever, but you can save your breath. +hey wouldn(tfool me now. I(ve been fooled once too often. (e gi"es her a frightened loo', as if

so!ething he had dreaded has happened. %he goes on, gri!ly accusing. : "ou liedabout im selling the farm. "ou #new he was #idding. "ou #new the estate would beout of probate in a few days, and he(d go bac# to ;roadway, and you had to dosomething %uic# or you(d lose the last chance of getting your greedy hoo#s on hismoney.

H'-*!55 !iserably : !o. It wasn(t that, osie.


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'$I&55"ou saw how hurt and angry I was because he(d #ept me waiting here, andyou used that. "ou #new I loved him and wanted him and you used that. "ou used allyou #new about me55'h, you did it clever= "ou ought to be proud= "ou wor#ed it soit was me who did all the dirty scheming55"ou #new I(d find out from im you(d liedabout the farm, but not before your lie had done its wor#55made me go after him, get

him drun#, get drun# myself so I could be shameless55and when the truth did comeout, wouldn(t it ma#e me love him all the more and be more shameless and willing

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A Moon for the Misbegotten