THE FOURTH ACT
EVENTS OF SUMMER
Is that you, old Isak?
How nice of you to call.
No, you're not disturbing me. I was just sitting with my eyes closed.
Sleeping? You know I never sleep.
Everyone's abandoned me.
It's the annual excursion to the outer cliffs.
Gustav Adolf doesn't change plans, even if it's raining cats and dogs.
When they left at 1 0:00, the weather was fine,
but clouds have gathered over the mainland.
There's not a soul here.
Won't you come out here for once?
Come now, don't be so stubborn.
You can't sit in your awful shop the whole summer.
You want me to come to you?
I've sat here three days with a sprained ankle.
I was playing hopscotch with Jenny, so I've only myself to blame.
I'm not complaining. I'm very comfortable.
What did you say?
There's such static on the line, I can't hear what you're saying.
It's thundering somewhere, but it doesn't seem to be coming this way.
Yes, exactly, my friend.
Actually I'm very worried.
No, we haven't heard anything.
Emilie only told us she'd be staying in town all summer.
This isn't good, Isak.
I feel sick when I think of that big house with its thick walls.
It's no place for children in the summer.
I can't hear a word you're saying.
It's hopeless.
Isak, can you hear me? You sound very far away.
I'm going to hang up now. I'll call you back in an hour.
I wonder if it isn't time for a little cognac.
Yes, I think it is.
- Good day, Mrs. Ekdahl. - Why, it's Maj! How nice.
Come in, dear child.
I hope I'm not disturbing you.
Not at all. Give me a kiss.
That's nice.
Very pretty. Did you make it yourself?
Yes.
A pretty pattern.
So you didn't go on the excursion?
No, I wouldn't fit in the boat with my big belly.
Nonsense.
Is something wrong? - I'm silly to worry.
Let's sit here.
You're worried about the children?
Alexander and I agreed to write.
I've written seven letters.
And you've received no reply?
One postcard three weeks ago.
"Dear Maj. We are well.
Uncle Edvard took us to..."
The botanical gardens.
"We learned about rare flowers."
"Thank you for your letters. I'll write when I get some time.
Love from Alexander.
Fanny sends her love."
We mustn't underestimate Emilie.
She's perfectly capable of looking after her children.
We're worrying for no reason.
I came to the family before Fanny was born.
They're my children too.
You're going already?
I wanted to speak with you, since I knew you were alone.
Stay a moment.
Thank you for your kindness,
but I promised to have dinner ready when they came home.
I haven't put the steak in the oven yet.
Dear child, are things that bad?
Yes.
- Is it the café? - That too.
Has Gustav Adolf been pestering you?
I don't want to hurt him. He's so kind.
What worries me most is the children.
I'm sorry to be crying. I'm behaving badly.
Forgive me.
Supper time.
Then you are to go straight to bed.
The tray can be left until tomorrow.
Mrs. Tander sent some cookies for you.
I'll be upset if Miss Vergerus finds out I gave these to you.
Hasn't Mother returned?
No, your mother has not returned.
She said she'd be back this evening.
Oh, dear, I don't know what to say.
Why do you keep sighing like that?
I haven't been in this house long, thank goodness...
but Mrs. Tander, who's been here since the first wife,
could tell you a thing or two.
Would you like a cookie?
- Yes, thank you. - What does Mrs. Tander say?
That it was the same in the first wife's day.
Only worse.
Poor children. - You mean us?
No, I don't mean you.
I mean the poor little ones who found their grave in the dark river outside.
Their mother tried to save them,
but she was pulled down by the current.
They found them later by the bridge.
They clung tightly to each other
as if they were one big body.
The arms had to be sawn off to get the bodies into separate coffins.
Mrs. Tander says that since then, it has never been quiet in this house.
There are no ghosts.
I don't mean to frighten you...
but this house does funny things to you.
Look at my hand.
Skin's been completely ripped off, stripped down to the flesh.
I was taking his grace his coffee.
When I grabbed the doorknob, the skin stuck and ripped off.
Someone laughed behind me.
I heard it clearly and turned around.
But there was no one there.
I feel sorry for anyone who -
I shouldn't chatter on like this.
I'll keep quiet.
I'll close the door now.
Don't worry.
Your mother will probably be back tomorrow,
and His Grace will personally release you from captivity.
- I've seen them. - Who?
The woman and the children.
Is that the truth?
Are you telling the truth, Alexander?
Word of honor as a Swedish citizen.
Where did you see them?
I had been in the library with that man who married my mother.
He'd been lecturing me.
I don't remember why.
I was passing through the dining room...
and it was unusually bright.
Then I saw a little girl in the doorway.
She ran past me without a sound.
Then I saw the older girl,
with the dark hair and big eyes.
She stopped and looked at me
and motioned to me to turn around.
And there in the bright sunlight...
stood the woman in her black dress.
She said in a faint, almost inaudible voice...
not to be afraid,
that she had something to tell me.
What did she say?
I don't want to frighten anyone,
but these were her very words:
"l want you to know our secret.
Your stepfather, my husband,
Iocked me and my children in the bedchamber.
For five days and nights
he kept us without food and water.
In our misery
we decided to escape.
We tied sheets together and tried to climb down
to the finger of land sticking out into the deep, swirling water.
My daughters went first,
but they fell headfirst into the water
and were dragged under.
I tried to save them
but was sucked down into a black whirlpool that grabbed my clothes.
Underwater I grasped my children's hands
and drew them to me."
That's devilish.
Get to bed.
I said get to bed.
What time is it?
His Grace has forbidden me to speak to you.
I'll be angry if you don't keep quiet.
Him and his stories!
Did you see that?
The lightning struck. - It was nearby.
I hope the damn cathedral went to hell.
What if God punishes you for saying that?
If a big know-it-all like him punishes a runt like me for so little,
then he's just the dirty bastard I suspect he is.
Listen, he's playing the flute.
If we concentrate on him dying, then he will.
But we have to start together.
One, two, three:
Die, you devil!
- He's still playing. - Let's try again.
One, two, three:
Die, you devil!
Mrs. Tander wants to know if Your Grace will have supper alone.
Tell her I don't want any supper.
A glass of milk and a sandwich in my room will be sufficient.
Thank you, sir. I'll tell her.
Was there something else?
I don't know.
I don't know how to say it. It's so unpleasant. It might seem -
Well?
Sir, I can't stand here in the doorway.
Come in, then, and close the door.
You said I was to keep an eye on the children,
Iisten to their conversation and tell you of anything unusual.
Well?
Alexander made up a terrible story.
Really?
It was about -
Oh, it's so awful I don't know how to get it out.
He says you locked your first wife up,
and she was drowned with her children when they tried to escape.
- That's all, sir. - You can go.
Yes, Oscar, that's how it is.
One is old and a child at the same time.
What became of those long years in between
that seemed so important at the time?
I sit here growing melancholy,
thinking time was all too short.
Your father used to say I was sentimental.
He wasn't known as a particularly sensitive man.
He was both angry and indignant when he died.
He never thought life was cruel
or unfair
or beautiful.
He just lived and didn't care to comment. He left that to me.
And when I went on about life,
he laughed and called me sentimental.
But I was an artist.
As an artist, I had a right to be emotional.
Oscar, my dear boy.
I may be worrying for no reason,
but when you have nothing to occupy your thoughts,
you immediately start worrying.
May I take your hand?
I remember your hand as a child.
It was small and firm and dry.
And your wrist was so awfully slender.
I enjoyed being a mother.
I enjoyed being an actress, too, but I preferred being a mother.
I liked having a big belly,
and I didn't give two shakes about the theater then.
It's all acting anyway.
Some roles are nice, others not so nice.
I played a mother.
I played Juliet and Margareta.
Then suddenly I played a widow or a grandmother.
One role follows the other.
The thing is not to shrink from them.
But what became of it all?
Can you tell me that, my boy?
You're a good boy
to listen to your old mother's soliloquies, as Isak calls them.
Yes, you're a good boy, Oscar...
and I grieved terribly when you passed away.
That was a strange role to play.
My feelings came from deep in my body.
Even though I could control them...
they shattered reality, if you know what I mean.
Reality has remained broken ever since...
and, oddly enough, it feels more real that way.
So I don't bother to mend it.
I just don't care anymore if nothing makes sense.
Oscar, my dear boy?
- Yes, Mama. - Are you sad?
I'm worried.
About the children?
Yes.
Get up. Your stepfather wants to talk to you.
Get dressed. Your stepfather wants to talk to you.
Hurry up!
Who's there?
It's just me.
Alexander, my boy.
In the presence of your sister and Justina you have accused me
of having murdered my wife and children.
What?
Justina, please repeat what you told me.
Alexander said he had seen your first wife and children.
She spoke to him and said that the bishop
had locked them all up without food and water.
On the fifth day they tried to escape
but drowned in the attempt.
- Do you recognize the story? - No.
- So Justina has given false testimony? - She could have dreamt it.
Justina, are you prepared to confirm your statement under oath?
Yes, Your Grace.
Good, Justina.
Fanny, did you hear Alexander's story?
No.
So you maintain that Justina
was either lying or dreaming?
Yes.
Please come here, Alexander.
Are you prepared to swear to it?
Of course.
It's a mortal sin to swear falsely.
It's called perjury and is severely punished.
Really?
Lay your hand on the Bible and say after me:
"l, Alexander Ekdahl...
swear by Holy Writ and by the living God...
that all I have said, say and will say...
is the whole truth and nothing but the truth."
Alexander, my boy.
You remember that the two of us
had an important conversation about a year ago.
It concerned certain moral questions.
It wasn't really a conversation.
What do you mean?
The bishop spoke and Alexander said nothing.
And felt ashamed, perhaps, on account of your lies.
I've grown wiser since then.
You mean you lie better.
More or less.
I don't know what you imagine.
Do you think you can besmirch another person's honor with impunity?
Do you think you can lie
and get away with perjury without consequence?
Do you think this is a game, Alexander?
Or a play in which the children get to make up their lines?
I think the bishop hates Alexander. That's what I think.
Oh, so that's what you think.
I'll tell you something
that may come as a surprise.
I don't hate you.
I love you.
But the love I feel for you
and your mother and sister
is not blind and sloppy.
It is strong and harsh.
Do you hear what I say? - No.
You're hardening your heart.
Moreover, you misjudge the situation.
I am much stronger than you are. - I don't doubt it.
I mean stronger spiritually.
Because I have truth and justice
on my side.
I know you'll confess in a little while.
Your confession and punishment will be a relief to you.
You're a wise little man, Alexander.
You realize that the game is up...
but you are proud and stubborn...
and of course you are ashamed.
I've forgotten what I'm to confess.
Have you now.
What does the bishop want Alexander to confess?
You know I have means at my disposal.
I didn't, but I do now.
In my childhood, parents were not so softhearted.
They had the cane. I have one too.
It's an ordinary carpet beater, but it can dance a fine step!
If that didn't work, we had other effective means, namely castor oil.
There you see the bottle and a glass.
A few mouthfuls of this and you're more docile.
If that didn't help, there was a dark and cold cubbyhole
where you sat for a few hours until the rats started sniffing at your face.
Why must I be punished?
That is obvious, my boy.
You have a weakness in your character.
You can't distinguish lies from truth.
So far they are just child's lies, however dreadful they may be.
But soon you will be a grown man, Alexander,
and life punishes liars ruthlessly and indiscriminately.
The punishment is to teach you
a love of truth.
I confess I made it up about locking your wife and children in.
- Do you also confess to perjury? - I suppose so.
Now you've won a great victory.
A victory over yourself.
Which punishment do you choose?
Cane, castor oil or the dark cubbyhole?
- How many strokes of the cane? - Ten.
Then I choose the cane.
Take two cushions and put them on the table.
Pull your pants down.
Bend over.
Stand up.
- You have something to say to me. - No.
You must ask my forgiveness.
I won't.
Then I must cane you until you think better of it.
Can't you spare us both that unpleasant experience?
I'll never apologize.
You won't apologize?
No.
Bend over.
No more, please!
Will you ask forgiveness now?
Yes.
Button your pants and blow your nose. Lend him a handkerchief, Justina.
What do you have to say now?
Alexander asks the bishop for forgiveness.
Speak up. I want everyone to hear your regret.
Alexander asks the bishop for forgiveness.
For the lies and the perjury.
You do understand that I punished you out of love?
Yes!
Kiss my hand, Alexander.
- May I go to bed now? - Yes, you may.
But so that you may contemplate the day's events in peace and quiet...
you're to sleep in the attic.
Justina will provide a mattress and a blanket.
At 6:00 in the morning you will be let out. Understood?
Yes, Your Grace!
Helena, it's hardest on the children.
They're punished for the slightest misdeed.
His mother locks them up, puts them to bed in the middle of the day.
A week ago, Fanny refused to finish her porridge.
She had to sit there all night.
She threw up on the plate. At last she finished it.
He's mad with jealousy but doesn't realize it's mutual.
My poor Emilie.
How could I be so blind?
How could I feel compassion for that man?
I'm an actress. I should have seen through his pretense.
But I had lived practically alone since Fanny was born.
I hated my occasional emotional storms.
Oscar was my best friend.
You know that, Helena.
You know how fond I was of him,
how sincere my grief was
when he left us.
I don't blame you for anything.
I saw nothing, understood nothing.
He spoke to me of another life.
A life of demands,
of purity, of joy in the performance of duty.
I'd never heard such words.
There seemed to be a light around him when he spoke to me.
At the same time, I could tell he was lonely, unhappy...
haunted by fear and bad dreams.
He assured me I would save him.
He said together with the children we'd live in nearness to God.
In the truth.
The truth - that was the most important part.
I was so thirsty.
I know it sounds dramatic and overstrung, Helena...
but I thirsted for truth and felt I'd been living a lie.
I must go. A carriage is waiting at the gate.
I'm afraid something might have happened while I've been here.
I'm in constant fear that Alexander will say something to displease him.
Alexander is so foolhardy. I've tried to warn him,
but he can't see that his stepfather is a dangerous opponent
who's just waiting for the right opportunity to crush him.
You must leave him, Emilie.
I'm pregnant.
Nevertheless, you must -
Forgive me for interrupting.
I've asked him for a divorce.
He refuses.
I tell him that I'll leave just the same.
Then he explains in detail what will happen.
In a court of law, I'll lose on grounds of "desertion," as it's called.
The children will be taken from me, to be brought up by him.
I've written in secret to a friend of mine who's a lawyer.
He's confirmed what Edvard says.
I am shut in
and can no longer breathe.
I'm dying, Helena!
I hate that man so violently
that I could -
Don't mention that I've been here.
To anybody.
Mother.
Father.
If you're coming to visit...
please remember I'm scared of ghosts...
and that you're actually dead.
Don't sneak up on me from behind.
I might go mad from fear. You wouldn't want that, right?
I don't understand why I always have to see dead people
when it makes me sick.
Damn it!
Ah, hell!
My name's Pauline.
My sister Esmeralda is over by the crucifix.
She's mad at you, Alexander. - Why?
She wants us to punish you.
Why do you look so surprised?
You know very well why we're mad. - No, I don't.
You lied about our father.
You said he locked us up. That's not true.
The floodgates had been closed for several weeks,
and the river had frozen over.
We'd gotten new skates for Christmas.
But the ice broke, and we fell into the water.
Mother tried to save us, but the current dragged us under the ice.
Now you know the truth, wretched boy.
My sister and I thought we'd free our father from you and your hatred.
We'll scare the wits out of you so you end up in the hospital,
Iocked in a cell, chained hand and foot.
Please, don't frighten me!
- Give me the key! - Edvard has forbidden it.
Give me the key now!
Edvard has forbidden it!
You're hurting me!
Emilie, you can't!
Carl, don't forget the cognac.
There's none left.
Take your damn paint box!
Listen to me.
I told you, there's none left.
- Alma, we're to go up to see Grandmama. - What are you shouting about?
I'm just shouting!
Punch will do just as well!
The old girl's not here.
She's probably in the dining room.
Good evening, Mama. We came to see how you are.
I'm splendid.
I hope you aren't lonely.
Lonely? I love being alone.
Vega was bitten by a wasp.
A wasp stings, my dear.
It has a stinger just like your old man.
Don't pinch me.
And Petra fell in the lake and got soaked.
Where shall I serve supper?
I don't want any.
- How's the wasp sting? - Not worth talking about.
And Mama is busy with the old man's photographs.
How many thousands have you sorted by now?
Here's one of you and your brothers.
You couldn't have been more than five years old.
- You can already tell which brother - - Who is this beautiful woman?
Did it rain on you the whole time?
No, not at all, dearest Mama.
Not a cloud over the outer islands,
but we saw the rain over the mainland, and heard the thunder
It's rained all day here.
This woman with the low neckline was one of Papa's lady friends.
You're mistaken. We were at school together.
She married a count, had 1 2 children and became as big as a house.
I always admired your skillful way of handling Papa's little adventures.
We must be going.
Mr. Öhman and his lovely wife are going to stop by.
I'm going into town tomorrow. Anything I can do for you?
Thank you, Gusten. I don't need anything.
But I'd like to talk to you about Maj.
What the hell is it now? She's got it good.
Now I'm damned angry - if you'll excuse me, Mama.
Calm down, Gusten!
He loses his temper at the mention of Maj's name.
I just want to say -
You have to realize Maj is not your private plaything.
Thanks to Alma's broad-mindedness, she's a member of our family,
and she's expecting my grandchild.
In your dictatorial way, you've decided her future.
I don't give a damn -
I don't like it when you swear in your mother's presence.
You hear me, Gusten?
I like the girl. I wish her well.
I want to ensure her future.
I don't want her to be dependent on the family's benevolence if I die.
She's accepted my suggestions.
She doesn't need any protectors, especially against me.
Stop your twaddle!
Don't make me out as a dictator! Maj has decided it all herself!
I like her.
I'm kind to her. Alma's kind to her.
Now I'm hurt, let me tell you. Damned hurt!
There's no reason to side with Maj against me!
I'm fond of her. Alma's fond of her.
She is loved in the same way as Jenny, Petra and Putte.
Well, not exactly in the same way, but almost.
She's good to me.
She doesn't think I'm fat and old and disgusting.
Nobody thinks that, by the -
I've a soft spot for the ladies. What's to be done about it?
That's nothing to giggle at.
Maj is to go her own way through life,
and I'm going to give her solid ground to stand on.
That's enough said about that.
The opera singer said he would stop by with his wife and children. Come now.
Good-bye, Mama. Give me a kiss.
I don't want you and Alma to sit gossiping about Maj's future.
I'll see to that!
Or rather, she will.
Good night, Mama. Come, Alma.
- I'll be back in a couple of hours. - Like hell you will! Come on!
Calm down or you'll have a stroke.
I am calm. You're the one who's shouting.
I want an end to all that gossip between you and Mama!
Carlchen, you can't demand that I ask her.
Mama distrusts me and it's your fault. Therefore I can 't ask her.
I don't see how I can say anything.
- Tell her I 'm desperate. - You can tell her better yourself.
Make it clear I've been contemplating suicide.
Is that really true?
We can be poor together.
I will to work.
Idiot. Bonehead. Fool.
"l will work."
I'm sorry. I will work.
What do you want me to say, mein Carlchen?
Don't you have any imagination, you imbecile?
Say I look unhappy, that I've stopped eating,
that I lie awake at night.
Yes, you do lie awake with insomnia.
It damn well is insomnia!
Say that I've grown quiet, that I never laugh,
and when I do, it sounds dreadful. Understand?
Don't just come right out with it, damn it.
Lead her to suspect I've spoken of suicide.
Don't say that terrible word, or I'll start crying.
Stupid slut.
Do you think of suicide, mein Schatz?
Only when I look at you.
Why are you so cruel?
Don't go, goddamn it!
Where are you going?
Why the hell are you leaving?
I won't talk to your mother.
I'm going home. Du bist böse.
I have to cry.
You don't understand that I love you.
Now I'm crying, and I won't be able to stop.
Dear God, my creator,
why must I go on acting in this wretched farce?
Lydia, stop!
Let me help you.
Oh, goddamn it!
Just look at this.
Pick up your shawl.
Damn it all! My leg!
Grandma.
- Shouldn't you be in bed? - We sneaked out.
What will your mother say?
She won't find out. Unless Grandma tattles, of course.
What do you want from your old grandma?
Welcome home, Emilie.
You were gone a long time.
We almost began to worry.
Mrs. Tander wonders if you'd like something to eat.
I'm not hungry.
I'll let her know.
Will you be coming to bed soon? - When the children are asleep.
I'll be reading in the library. Please don't be long.
Good night, children.
We had actually decided
Alexander would sleep in the attic tonight.
But I understand that decision has changed.
Yes, it has.
Very well. Perhaps it's best.
Good night, Fanny. - Good night, Uncle Edvard.
Good night, Alexander.
Is he asleep?
No, I'm not.
Then you can also answer me when I bid you good night.
I can't.
You can't? What nonsense is that?
Alexander doesn't wish the bishop a good night.
You have a sense of humor. I like that.
Well, did you see your mother-in-law and relatives?
Was it a nice visit?
Did it rain? It rained and thundered here all day.
Well, a little moisture's good, at least for the farmers.
Alexander and I had a little review this afternoon.
The usual: He couldn't distinguish fantasy from reality.
But we clarified the concepts.
He's not stupid, that Alexander.
He's not stupid, but he's very unforgiving.
"Alexander doesn't wish the bishop a good night."
That's really priceless.
You're not saying anything. Are you mad about something?
You locked up the children.
A safety measure, Emilie. I wanted to guarantee you would return.
You abused Alexander.
You're so dramatic.
I punished him.
That's my duty as his guardian.
Besides, the punishment was mild in comparison to the offense.
He's bleeding, and the skin is broken.
I gave him a few lashes.
His buttocks will sting for a few days, but it's a healthy sting.
He'll think twice before fabricating new lies,
or fantasies, if that's the term you prefer.
And the humiliation?
Punishment given out of love can never be humiliating
in the deeper sense.
Love and respect have nothing in common,
and the language of love...
can be rather harsh.
You're one to speak of love.
You allow yourself to be contemptuous.
Shall we end this conversation
and go to bed?
You locked him in the attic.
Of course. He needed to be alone.
You know he's afraid of the dark.
The nights are bright this time of year,
and those with a clear conscience have nothing to fear.
I could kill you.
You'll harm the baby with thoughts like that.
Our baby will never be born.
Be careful of what you say.
You don't frighten me.
I must frighten you, Emilie.
But I do so with a heavy heart,
since I love you in spite of everything.
You're not strong, Emilie.
The pregnancy is draining your strength.
From now on you'll stay in a room
that we'll make as comfortable as possible.
Henrietta and my mother will take turns looking after you.
For the time being, your freedom will be somewhat limited.
But we must be very careful.
You should also know that the slightest attempt to rebel
or contact the outside world
will affect your children's welfare.
By being irresponsible, you've forced me to take responsibility,
not only for your children, but also for you.
It's a heavy burden.
I feel a terrible loneliness.
I'm an ordinary man with great faults,
but I exercise a powerful office
that always overshadows the person holding it.
A man becomes a slave to such an office, with no right to opinions of his own.