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Marat/SadeClosing scenes 31-33
or The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat
as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton
under the Direction of The Marquis de Sade (1964)Peter Weiss
Author's Note on the Historical Background to the Play
Characters Glossary
Marat/Sade: Opening scenes 1-8
Marat/Sade: Closing scenes 31-33
Literal Verse Translation of the Original Text from the Four Singers
[MARAT raises himself up high. The cloth falls from his shoulders. CORDAY moves closer to him, swaying. Her left hand is stretched out as if to caress. In the right band she holds the dagger under the neckcloth.]
CORDAY:I am coming Marat
You cannot see me Marat
because you are dead
MARAT: [crying out, raising himself up high, half naked]CORDAY stands immediately before MARAT. She moves her left hand close to his skin over his chest, his shoulders, his neck. MARAT sits arched over the back of the bath, a pen still in his hand. CORDAY pulls the dagger from her neckcloth. She holds it with both hands and raises her arms high to strike.Bas
Take this down
Saturday the thirteenth of July seventeen hundred and ninety three
A call to the people of France
HERALD blows shrilly on his whistle. All players remain motionless in their positions. CORDAY sinks back into herself. MARAT sits quietly, leaning forward.]31.INTERRUPTUS
HERALD:
Now it's a part of Sade's dramatic plan
to interrupt the climax so this man
Marat can hear and gasp with his last breath
at how the world will go after his death
what happens once he is no more
events with which all of you are familiar[points at the audience. Music starts with a lively military march. The FOUR SINGERS step forward.]
FOUR SINGERS:In the Vendeé the battle rages
with deeds both cruel and courageous
between out men and the king's supporters
and we drive them from their quarters
With flying banners we march along
an avenging army with fire and song
called Regiment Marat in your renown
and with it we mow our enemies downMarat the things you bade us do
we now with all out strength put through
Our foes lie beaten in the sand
or take their lives with their own hand
And with cannon and horse we march along
and storm the counter-revolutionary throng
in Lyon where for example's sake
we send three thousand to the stakeAnd now through Nantes our army passes
where we drown citizens in masses
and every house where a rebel is found
we raze relentlessly to the ground
And at last with flying banners we come
to the traitor city of Toulon
and with us is one whose star is ascending
who can lead us an to victories unendingYou see Marat how we advance
and now we begin to thin our own ranks
Just as you told us so must above all
the weak and incapable go to the wall
But then it is Danton bound and trussed
who's head is ready to roll in the dustThe Jacobins now under Robespierre's lead
pursue the rich and their boundless greed
But however many of them we kill
they won't let go of their realm until
with their gold and their iron they lead our nation
happily toward restoration
Look Marat how they prosper and grow
while even Robespierre is brought lowAlso perished has Jacques Roux
who's word in these circles was taboo
Marat to comfort you let us now state
that another great again is holding our fate
With fanfare and drum rolls and looking smart
a living example of well earned reward
here comes Bonaparte from Corsica
like you or is it SardiniaHe's promised us peace eternal
and given us work in his arsenal
and in honor of the our revolution
he calls himself emperor Napoleon
It is we can tell you a feast for the eye
and with rumbling bellies we watch it go by
We stand and we stare
and the holy men
and the holy men
and the holy men
bless us in prayer32. THE MURDER
[HERALD signals with his staff.]
HERALD:The murder
[CORDAY, suddenly wide awake raises her hand high for the blow and plunges the dagger into MARAT'S chest. A collective scream by all PATIENTS. SADE stands bent forward, triumphant, shaken by silent laughter. All surround the bathtub in a heroic tableau, its composition as follows: MARAT'S right arm hangs over the side of the bathtub as in David’s classic painting. In his right hand he holds the pen, his left hand holds papers. CORDAY still holds the dagger. The FOUR SINGERS hold her from behind and pull back her arms with such force that her cloth opens and her breasts are revealed. SIMONNE is leaning over the bathtub in horror. DUPERRET lies on his knees. Roux stands behind the bathtub erect on a bench.]
33. EPILOGUE
[The ORCHESTRA starts to play soft ceremonious music.
SISTERS step forward and take charge of CORDAY who now sinks into herself. They put the neckcloth around her and lead her and lead her to SADE.
CORDAY hands SADE the dagger.
Other SISTERS hold a large white sheet in front of the bathtub. Behind the sheet MARAT leaves the bathtub.
The HERALD steps forward and raises his staff.
Music ends. ]HERALD:
Enlightened ladies men of reason hear
We've cast a glance into a bygone year
and fix our gaze once more upon the present
which even if its prospect be not pleasant
instills in each of us or at least in some
the hope that better times are yet to to come
Before you leave alas the hour grows late
allow us briefly to recapitulate
the meaning we've been trying to convey
in the songs and speeches that make up this play
And so we shall restore once more to life
the man you just saw murdered with a knife[The cloth is lowered.
MARAT steps forward.]MARAT:
There is but one life this is my conviction
thus these words are no more than a work of base fiction
Only once as I've stood here among all of you
Could I deem myself master of all that I do
Only once was I lord o'er my steps and my voice
at this point I had to make my choice
What I saw was one world single and cold
ruled by nothing other than gold
yet those who had money were a tiny minority
while those who had none made up the majority
It occurred to me that the only recourse
was to break the law with force
and to topple the sated the greedy the fat
who in comfort wallowed in security sat
who explained that differences had always existed
that the striving for profit could not be resisted
As a corpse my value comes to naught
yet long shall live what I have taught
so that generations yet to come
continue what I have begun
until one day each person shall exercise the right
to stand guard over the common goods with sovereign mightCORDAY:
Once both of us saw the world must go
and change as we read in the great Rousseau
But change meant one thing to you I see
and something quite different to me
The very same words we both have said
to give our ideals wings to spread
but my way was true
while for you
the highway led over mountains of dead
Once both of us spoke a single tongue
of brotherly love we sweetly sung
but love meant one thing to you I see
and something quite different to me
so your brotherhood I was forced to rescind
and I saw no choice but to do you in
I killed one man but in doing so saved
the thousands I saw by this violence enslaved
And if I had the chance to repeat my deed
once more you'd all see Marat bleedRoux: [quickly stepping forward]
And had I not to disguise myself with my death
I'd warn you all of this person with my last breath[points to CORDAY]
Yes time and again we all must pay
for the likes of the treacherous Charlotte Corday
who speak of ideals purity the spirit no less
and who make common cause with those who oppress
More dangerous even than those of great wealth
is this one here on account of her stealth
The former can clearly be seen as the foe
But what Corday means we never quite know[On COULMIER'S orders, SISTERS and NURSES surround him. He is dragged off. ]
HERALD: [turns to SADE]
Marquis dear sir if you'd be so kind
please tell us what you had in mind
did you envision some concrete result that your play
should bring about for us here today
SADE:Our intent in creating such dialogues as these
was to experiment with various antitheses
to oppose each to each so that we might
upon our many doubts shed some light
In my mind I keep turning things over and over
but I can't seem to bring the play to neat closure
I myself for brute force did proselytize
yet conversing with Marat I've come to realize
that brute force in his sense is not what I propose
that his way is one I've come to oppose
On the one hand the urge with axes and knives
to change the whole world and improve people's lives
On the other hand the individual lost in thought
caught in the throes of the calamity he's wrought
Thus the question formulated in this play
remains open in the light of things todayCOULMIER:
But today we live in far different times
We have no oppressors no violent crimes
a total recovery's well under way
we have our coal and our bread today
and although we're at war anyone can see
it can only end in victory
[The ORCHESTRA strikes up the final march.
The PATIENTS in the background mark time.]FOUR SINGERS:
And if most have a little and few have a lot
you can see how much nearer our goal we have got
We can say what we like without favor or fear
and what we can't say we can breathe in your earCHORUS: [marking time as the music increases]
And though we're locked up we're no longer enslaved
and the honor of France is eternally saved
The useless debate the political brawl
are over there's one man to speak for us all
For he helps us in sickness and destitution
he's the one who completed the Revolution
everyone knows who we're cheering for
Napoleon our mighty Emperor[A transparency with an apotheosis of Napoleon is lowered. The music rises to a crescendo. The column of PATIENTS begins to march forward. SISTERS and NURSES try to restrain them. Repeatedly the column advances four paces and takes three paces back. The music and marching rhythm grow more violent.
COULMIER moves anxiously to the side and motions the PATIENTS away.]ALL:
Led by him our soldiers go
over deserts and through the snow
a victory here and a victory there
for the good of all people everywhere[With marching music resounding the column advances further, stamping some paces forward and some back.]
COULMIER: [shouting over the din]
Long live the Emperor and the Nation
long live our asylum
CharentonALL: [in confused but rhythmic shouts as they march]
Charenton Charenton
Napoleon Napoleon
Nation Nation
Revolution Revolution
Copulation CopulationRoux: [shouting over the din]
When will you learn to see
[The music, the shouting and trampling increase to a tempest. COULMIER flees to his rostrum and rings an alarm bell. The NURSES attack the PATIENTS with their batons. Roux springs forward.]
Roux: [to the PATIENTS and to the audience]
When will you learn to see
When will you finally understand[With his back toward the marching column he tries to forte it back but is swallowed by it and disappears from sight in the still advancing ranks. The PATIENTS are fully entranced by their mad marchlike dance. Many of them hop and spin in ecstasy.
COULMIER incites the NURSES to extreme violence. PATIENTS are struck down.
The HERALD is now in front of ORCHESTRA, leaping about in time to the music.
SADE stands upright an his chair, laughing triumphantly. In desperation COULMIER gives the signal to lower the curtain.]CURTAIN
Translated by Geoffrey Skelton; new portions translated by Robert Cohen;
portions of the epilogue translated by Daniel Theisen