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Liliom

Chapter 3: LILIOM
By Ferenc Molnár
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Plays/Films/Dramas

About This Book

A volatile, charismatic outsider struggles with love and insecurity, whose destructive choices fracture his relationship with a devoted partner and jeopardize the child they expect. After a desperate act results in his death, he faces a bureaucratic, dreamlike vision of the afterlife and is permitted a brief return to earth to attempt a redeeming deed for his daughter. The drama alternates grounded scenes and surreal encounters across a prologue and seven scenes, meditating on love and cruelty, failed parenthood, social marginality, and the ambiguous possibility of moral restitution through a small, poignant final gesture.

LILIOM

SYNOPSIS OF SCENES

PROLOGUE—An amusement park on the outskirts of Budapest.

FIRST SCENE—A lonely place in the park.

SECOND SCENE—The photographic studio of the HOLLUNDERS.

THIRD SCENE—Same as scene two.

FOURTH SCENE—A railroad embankment outside the city.

FIFTH SCENE—Same as scene two.

SIXTH SCENE—A courtroom in the beyond.

SEVENTH SCENE—JULIE’S garden.

There are intermissions only after the second and fifth scenes.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

  • LILIOM
  • JULIE
  • MARIE
  • MRS. MUSKAT
  • LOUISE
  • MRS. HOLLUNDER
  • FICSUR
  • YOUNG HOLLUNDER
  • WOLF BEIFELD
  • THE CARPENTER
  • LINZMAN
  • THE DOCTOR
  • THE MAGISTRATE
  • TWO MOUNTED POLICEMEN
  • TWO PLAINCLOTHES POLICEMEN
  • TWO HEAVENLY POLICEMEN
  • THE RICHLY DRESSED MAN
  • THE POORLY DRESSED MAN
  • THE GUARD
  • A SUBURBAN POLICEMAN

THE PROLOGUE

An amusement park on the outskirts of Budapest on a late afternoon in Spring. Barkers stand before the booths of the sideshows haranguing the passing crowd. The strident music of a calliope is heard; laughter, shouts, the scuffle of feet, the signal bells of merry-go-round.

The merry-go-round is at Center. LILIOM stands at the entrance, a cigarette in his mouth, coaxing the people in. The girls regard him with idolizing glances and screech with pleasure as he playfully pushes them through entrance. Now and then some girl’s escort resents the familiarity, whereupon LILIOM’S demeanor becomes ugly and menacing, and the cowed escort slinks through the entrance behind his girl or contents himself with a muttered resentful comment.

One girl hands LILIOM a red carnation; he rewards her with a bow and a smile. When the soldier who accompanies her protests, LILIOM cows him with a fierce glance and a threatening gesture. MARIE and JULIE come out of the crowd and LILIOM favors them with particular notice as they pass into the merry-go-round.

MRS. MUSKAT comes out of the merry-go-round, bringing LILIOM coffee and rolls. LILIOM mounts the barker’s stand at the entrance, where he is elevated over everyone on the stage. Here he begins his harangue. Everybody turns toward him. The other booths are gradually deserted. The tumult makes it impossible for the audience to hear what he is saying, but every now and then some witticism of his provokes a storm of laughter which is audible above the din. Many people enter the merry-go-round. Here and there one catches a phrase “Room for one more on the zebra’s back,” “Which of you ladies?” “Ten heller for adults, five for children,” “Step right up”——

It is growing darker. A lamplighter crosses the stage, and begins unperturbedly lighting the colored gas-lamps. The whistle of a distant locomotive is heard. Suddenly the tumult ceases, the lights go out, and the curtain falls in darkness.

END OF PROLOGUE