Mary Shelly's Frankenstein act four :: rewritten

[electriic ink 1]

I've been reading a play version of Mary Shelly's Frankenstein so I decided to rewrite ACT 4:

 

ACT FOUR

 

Two years ahead. Monster?s bride lay on a table. Attached to her are endless amounts of wires, most of which lead to the roof of Frankenstein?s laboratory. Frankenstein is sat alone awaiting the return of Monster. He lights a candle and sits by it. The warmth makes him start to shiver. The look on his face gets increasingly nervous. Frankenstein peers out the window to check whether Monster has arrived and to check if the whether is stormy. It is. He rubs is hands together as Monster arrives through the door which he slams shut when he is in.

 

 

Monster (angry) Where is my wife?

 

Frankenstein (nervous) Soon, Monster, we are just waiting for the lightning to strike

 

Monster (demanding) I want my bride NOW!!

 

A bolt of lightning is heard, almost as if in response to Monster?s anger

 

Frankenstein Ahhh!

 

Bride awakens. Monster stands back in amazement.

 

Monster Ah my pretty one! Now we can go away from this ghastly land. Come.

 

Bride (alarmed in disgust) What? Be off with you! You are hideous!

 

Monster So are you!

 

Bride (feeling insulted) Look! (showing Frankenstein her reflection in a mirror hanging on the wall) See I?m, I?m (stuttering) awful! (smashing mirror) No no. That cannot be. This mirror, there is something wrong with it.

 

Frankenstein Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

 

Bride (frustrated) And am I not the beholder?

 

Monster Please, please my bride. Who cares of your looks?

 

Bride Bride?

 

Monster (persuading Bride) These people are outrageous, they detest our kind. I am the only of your kind and ergo a hope of a happy, caring a loving afterlife here.

 

 

 

 

 

Bride Are you implying that I am incapable of surviving myself?

 

Bride thinks in a devious manner and then turns round and mixes up a deadly beverage for them. She mixes up some non-toxic liquids in three jugs. Then she pierces herself and empties blood into two of the jugs. In hers, instead of blood she grabs a bottle of red wine which is in a cupboard amidst a few other various bottles.

 

Here, have a beverage.

 

She offers the toxic beverages to Frankenstein and his monster and gives herself the safe one. After several seconds Frankenstein and Monster follow Bride?s lead and sip the beverage.

 

Frankenstein Mmm. What do you call it?

 

Before Bride has the opportunity to respond, Frankenstein and Monster grab their hearts and slowly descend to the ground choking as they do so.

Bride gives an evil laugh as two red lights, each from either side of the stage centre on Bride. She gives an evil laugh as she walks through the bodies and towards the audience, kicking each of the bodies once.

The lights turn off as Bride hears Clerval and Elizabeth coming in on the other entrance. She rushes off convinced she has got rid of the only problems in her afterlife. You see Elizabeth enter as the door slams shut.

 

Elizabeth What was that? (looking at the floor) The monster! He killed Frankenstein.

 

Clerval (pointing to Monster laying on the floor) Look! (He points to table and finds hot wires with small strokes of steam that ease out of it.) Oh no! He.. he created another one!

 

Elizabeth Quick Clerval! Let us evacuate before he resuscitates and creates another beast!

 

Clerval stutters because he wants to stay and mourn over Frankenstein?s death but says nothing. He lets Elizabeth take him out of the room and some music play after which you return to the epilogue but with Clerval and Elizabeth instead of Frankenstein and Monster.

 

END OF ACT FOUR

 

So what do you think? Feedback appreciated?