Contemporary Monologues for Men

Helen Edmundson

WHO Mark, early thirties, strong London accent, white.

TO WHOM Jane, late twenties, his wife.

WHERE The living room of Frances’s house in a village near Chennai, India.

WHEN Present day.

WHAT HAS JUST HAPPENED Before the play starts, Jane, having left her husband Mark and five-year-old son Joe without warning, has been travelling around India compelled to help those in need. When she arrives at Chennai Central Station she meets Srinivas, an Oxford-educated Indian man (to whom she is attracted), and goes to work in his shelter for street children. She is also taken in by Frances, a middle-aged English woman, an artist, who offers her somewhere to stay. Frances is worried about Jane. She has been clinging on to a white plastic carrier bag in which she says there is a baby. She is clearly disturbed. The play starts with Mark’s arrival at Frances’s house. Jane has asked Frances to contact Mark, and he has travelled from London in order to take her back home. Jane has been absent for seven weeks, and Mark wants to know why she left. She asks him if he has brought Joe with him. The speech that follows is made up of Mark’s share of their conversation.

WHAT TO CONSIDER

•	Mark’s inability to understand why Jane has needed to do what she has done. He holds the view that charity begins at home.
•	Mark expresses sexist and racist views. Be careful that you do not play him as a stereotype. It is important that we understand (if not agree with) his point of view.
•	He loves Jane and adores his son.
•	He is unable to cope with Jane’s depression.
•	He is fearful.
•	He is also vulnerable.
•	His jealousy is not altogether unfounded. He rightly suspects Srinivas of stealing his wife’s affections.
•	Read the play to find out whether Jane returns with Mark or decides to stay in India.

WHAT HE WANTS

•	To protect his son.
•	To assert himself.
•	To give vent to his feelings of anger and hurt.
•	To punish Jane. Note his attempts to ‘guilt-trip’ her.
•	To find out if there is somebody else.
•	To have his wife back.

KEYWORDS brought thought done lost fault bothered stupid

Mark

Have I brought Joe? Is that what you said? […] Have I brought Joe? […] Is that what you thought I’d do? Bring him halfway round the world to see some woman who might not even be his mother? […] Make him take malaria pills? Make him sit on a plane for hours and hours? No, I haven’t brought him. Funnily enough. He’s with my mum. He’s been with my mum a lot lately. Do you know how old my mum is? She’s sixty-five years old. She shouldn’t be looking after a five-year-old: taking him to school, collecting him from school, giving him his tea. She shouldn’t be putting him to bed, bathing him, bathing him while dad gets left with a TV dinner!

Pause.

Well? Aren’t you going to say something?

Pause.

What, that’s it is it? You’re just going to stand there? Have you any idea what you’ve done to us? What you’ve done to Joe? […]

He’s lost his mum, hasn’t he? He doesn’t understand any of this. He thinks it’s his fault. And what am I supposed to say? Because I don’t understand it either. Well?

Pause.

I don’t believe this.

Pause.

What’s going on, Jane?

Pause.

What’s going on? […]

I’ve had it with this. I’ve really had it with this. I tell you, I’d rather have found you dead, I’d rather be identifying your body in some morgue, in some mortuary than have you standing there like this. Just standing there like nothing’s happened. Are you seeing someone else? […]

Him is it? Jungle-book boy? […]

Are you pregnant? Is that what this is? […]

Were you pregnant? Because that’s what she thought. She didn’t say it but she thought it. You were pregnant and you had an abortion. […] Because if you did that, if you got rid of our baby because you can’t be bothered to bring up another kid… […] That would have been a brother or sister for Joe… […] Well, what’s this about a baby then? A baby in a bag? (He points to the carrier bag.) What’s that then? […]

Well? […] Don’t? Don’t? Don’t what? Don’t what? You stupid, stupid, selfish cow!