Betrayel

Jerry:So here we are, we've both be fools
Robert:Explain to me how I'm a fool, you had my wife now what was your tool?
Jerry:I had no need for tools, she loved me you see.
Robert:Whatever happened when we played squash?
Jerry:My Interest faded Robert though it was a laugh.
Robert:It was, you're right there!

Robert & Gerry

ROBERT & GERRY
ROBERT- I know about you and my wife Emma
GERRY- you know? How can you know...Emma told you.....
ROBERT-well obviously who else will tell moi?
GERRY-you don’t hate me do you?
ROBERT-why would I hate you? She’s a no good useless cow
GERRY-what do you mean don’t you love her?
ROBERT-lets have a game of squash

Robert and Jerry

The Setting- Robert and Emmas house


Jerry- The very thing your manner won't conceal?
Robert- Don't talk too much old friend dont over-step
Jerry- Low self-esteem is what your dear wife feels
Robert- Dear chap my manhood's all I've ever kept
Jerry- She senses when she's here that she's alone
Robert- I keep a very vigour-ridden home
Jerry- She dosen't put it that way on the phone
Robert- it feels to me that you have raised your tone
Jerry- Dont change the subject, please we need to talk
Robert- I've had enough of you, don't criticise
Jerry- Perhaps we should just pop out for a walk
Robert- Could play some squash, but that would not be wise
Jerry- Why not? it could be fun to lark about?
Robert- Should we not invite Emma, won't she pout?

emma and jerry

Emma: our love ,our lust was going to be a blast
Jerry: true,but all good thing must come to an end
Emma: I was seeking a love that was to last
Jerry: for me i wanted a part time girlfriend
Emma: oh,so you used me for weekend fun
Jerry: well it was more than just on the weekend
Emma: typical jerry always being so dumb
Jerry: but baby you knew it was gonna end
Emma: so our love was fake, you part time hubby
Jerry: i wasnt goin to work you knew that
Emma: i spent so long clinging to hope that maybe
Jerry: maybe id leave judith on the doormat
Emma: our love was once magical ,when we tried
Jerry: so then its fair to say the magic has died

Jerry and Robert

Jerry; It seems, you always had the luck? Correct?
Robert; Why yes, of course. But don't forget, I may-
Jerry; Forget what? Maybe, I should've checked.
Robert; But why? It's not that I-. I couldn't betray-
Jerry; Your dearest friend? Such hate of course, not that.
Robert; Been busy lately? Money, buisness-wise?
Jerry; The usual. I'm finding...a small flat.
Robert; Superb! For Emma then? Her little surprise?
Jerry; Indeed. Our paradise on Earth, for us.
Robert; Your heaven. Joy from me to you my friend.
Jerry; So equally felt, no distrust or fuss.
Robert; But knowing Emma, does she not intend..
Jerry; I assure you, intentions made, are true.
Robert; Good. To today, when worthless lives persue!

Robert and Jerry

Robert: So did you come here to tell me your side
Jerry: My side of what, what are you on about?
Robert: Jerry be a man and swallow your pride
Jerry: My pride! Robert what are you on about
Robert: We can sit here and play this game all day
PAUSE
Jerry: Look we didn’t mean to hurt anyone
Robert: But instead you led a lot of people astray
Jerry: What do I say the damage is now done
Robert: Sorry and an explanation will do
Jerry: Sorry! But what is there to explain
Robert: Why you deceived me? Why it was you?
Jerry: Our feelings, there was so much strain
Robert: why don’t you be a man and say your flaws
Jerry: But I still respect that this is too much to ignore

Robert: You lied, traitor, you call yourself a wife.
Emma:How can you judge, you don't know the whole tale.
Robert: I know the tale perfectly well. My life...
Emma: It's always about your life without fail.
Robert:You and the children are always put first.
Emma:You had no minutes for me on your clock.
Robert:Time for you when you and him have the worst.
Emma:You gave no pleasure it was you and scotch.
Robert:For five years, you both got a flat. Our son?
Emma:I promise you he's yours and only yours.
Robert:Out of my sight we are finished and done.
Emma: That's it,the end of it, end all the wars.
Robert:I hate you,fires of pure fury burns.
Emma:I love you, it is not yet our turn.

Robert And Jerry

Robert: Was this the way to repay me Jerry?
Jerry: What? I didn't mean for this to occur.
Robert: I the ice-cream and Emma the cherry?
Jerry: Nothing but now just a meaningless blur.
Robert: After all these years, our friendship remained.
Jerry: And will continue, things happen in life.
Robert: I thought of my tears, every time it rained.
Jerry: But on the bright side, she was still your wife!
Robert: Is this how you feel its alright to joke?!
Jerry: No humour, but just the cold hearted truth.
Robert: My anger is stern, don't try and provoke.
Jerry: Forget this please, what about our young youth?
Robert: Changing the subject will come of no use.
Jerry: Neither will Emma's efforts to seduce.

Emma & Robert (EDIT)

Robert: I can’t say that I’m shocked you were untrue.
Emma: the love we shared has passed its sell by date.
Robert: you tore my heart and now I’m filled with rue.
Emma: I longed to tell you but it was too late.
Robert: you went behind my back with my best friend!
Emma: he seemed to care more than you ever did.
Robert: for you I would have done a full back bend!
Emma: this pent up love you felt for me, you hid.
Robert: I see you are a cold hard stupid whore.
Emma: how dare you call me names it isn’t fair!
Robert: just pack your bags and walk straight out the door.
Emma: you fail to understand; see if I care.
Robert: please stay away and I will be okay.
Emma: I never wanted it to end this way.

Emma and Robert

Emma: Dear Robert is there anything to say,

Robert: There is nothing to say but this, Divorce.

Emma: Divorce! Could not there be another way,

Robert: No. Now is not the time to show remorse.

Emma: If not for me think of our lovely kin,

Robert: If you had cared, you would not have done IT.
Emma: I hadn’t control over the feeling within,

Robert: Ha! Feelings! Shut your mouth or I will hit-

Emma: That’s it use your big giant fists again,

Robert: How dare you answer back after all this?

Emma: And what you gonna to do get out a cane?

Robert: A little of respect wouldn’t go amiss.

Emma: I have now lost all the respect for you,

Robert: Ok then with this I bit you adieu.

Emma and Jerry (Edit)

Jerry: Why did you say you told him yesterday?
Emma: I don't know i was puzzled and afraid
Jerry: You were never a toy for fun and play
Emma: Then why did i feel constantly Betrayed?
Jerry: Without you my heart will completely die
Emma: Tell me, what did you ever see in me?
Jerry: I saw a gem in your small brownish eye
Emma: If I said marry me; would you agree?
Jerry: I couldn't it just wouldn't feel quite right
Emma: So what was all those afternoons for then?
Jerry: Our private afternoons? They were alright
Emma: I hate you sometimes...you typical men!
Jerry: Well atleast I admitted I love you
Emma: Then how come you could never say 'I do'?

Emma and Jerry

Jerry: Why did you say you told him yesterday?
Emma: I don't know i was confused and afraid
Jerry: Well did you even love me just one day?
Emma: Yes, Ofcourse your love was my cherry aid
Jerry: Without you my heart will completely die
Emma: Tell me, what did you ever see in me?
Jerry: I see a gem in your small brownish eye
Emma: If I said marry me; would you agree?
Jerry: I couldn't it just wouldn't feel quite right
Emma: So what was all those afternoonsfor then?
Jerry: Our private afternoons? They were alright
Emma: I hate you sometimes, your such a... grey hen!
Jerry: Well atleast I admitted I love you
Emma: Then how come you could never say 'I do'?

Emma & Robert

Robert: I can’t say that I’m shocked you were untrue.
Emma: the love we had has passed it’s sell by date.
Robert: you tore my heart and now I’m filled with rue.
Emma: I wished to tell you but it was too late.
Robert: you went behind my back with my best friend!
Emma: he seemed to care more than you ever did.
Robert: for you I would have done a full back bend!
Emma: this pent up love you felt for me, you hid.
Robert: I see you are a cold hard stupid whore.
Emma: how dare you call me names it isn’t fare!
Robert: just pack your bags; be gone out of the door.
Emma: you fail to understand, see if I care.
Robert: I won’t be hurt again on from this day.
Emma: I never wanted it to end this way.

robert & jerry

Robert: I thought us two, we were best friends matey
Jerry: who’s to say us two, cant be such a way?
Robert: your kindness cannot make me so weighty
Jerry: my kindness does not aim to make you gay
Robert: well then, please don't try to change my sad mind
Jerry: I just don’t think a girl can break us up
Robert: so now you have slept with my love, she isn't your kind?
Jerry: she was too young, she was only a pup.
Robert: how dare you choose to speak such a foul phrase!
Jerry: we had the flat for such a sinful thing!
Robert: are you naming my wife a one-night phase?
Jerry: but if she was, the birds, they wouldn't sing!
Robert: so now it seems my faith was just a trap
Jerry: my life was just a fake, a deadly trap.

Task 8: An iambic conversation

Firstly, PLEASE look carefully at ALL the poems from last week's task. It is SO important that you read other people's work and, even more crucially, the COMMENTS I have made. Each comment I write is NOT just for the student I am talking to; it is to teach ALL of you something about the task too.

Some of you have completely cracked IAMBIC VERSE now; some of you are VERY close to cracking it; and some of you still appear to be hitting difficulties.

Let me remind you of some basic rules to check when writing IAMBIC PENTAMETER in particular:

1. Number of syllables: perfect iambic pentameter will have 5 feet (or beats), each consisting of 2 syllables. Therefore, if ANY of your lines of iambic pentameter have more or less than 10 SYLLABLES, there is something wrong.
2. Even and Odd: it is only the EVEN numbered syllables (i.e. 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th and 10th) which should be emphasised when writing iambic pentameter; the odd numbered syllables should NOT be stressed (i.e. 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th).
3. Say it out loud: check your poem by reading it out loud; when you do so, DELIBERATELY put exaggerated emphasis on the even-numbered syllables - how does it sound? Do ANY of the words sound really weird? If they do, the chances are something is wrong somewhere.
4. Shuffle along: sometimes, when something is wrong with your iambic rhythm, it can simply be a case of SHUFFLING a word along one syllable in the line (either forward or backward) and then inserting a one-syllable word where there is a GAP.
5. First and last: remember that the FIRST syllable must NOT be stressed; similarly, you must END each line with a STRESSED syllable. If your line starts with a stressed syllable, or ends with an unstressed one, then there is something wrong.

Right, on to this week's task...

Now that you have seen Betrayal, it will come as no surprise that I would like your next task to be based on that play.

I would like you to choose TWO characters from the play (i.e. Jerry and Robert OR Jerry and Emma OR Robert and Emma), and then write an imaginary conversation between the two of them, to take place shortly after the last chronological scene of the play (i.e. in 1977, at some point after Jerry has had that awkward meeting with Robert).

However, your conversation must be written in the form of a SONNET, following all the rules of sonnet-writing:

1. 14 lines
2. Rhyme scheme = ababcdcdefefgg
3. Iambic pentameter throughout

In addition, I would like you to assign the lines alternately to each of your two characters. In other words, Character A will speak Lines 1/3/5/7/9/11/13; whereas Character B will speak Lines 2/4/6/8/10/12/14. In this way, the sonnet will show a conversation between the two of them.

Needless to say, the TOPIC of the conversation is pretty obviously going to be the topic which dominates the play: betrayal.

This is a VERY difficult task. Good luck!

If you want some help finding the right RHYME (as long as you use the site carefully and ONLY use words which still get across the PRECISE meaning you are looking for), try the 'rhyme generator' at www.rhymezone.com.

And if you are stuck finding ANOTHER word to express something you are trying to say, why not use the thesaurus at www.thesaurus.com. If you do this, however, (as with any thesaurus), when you do FIND a word, always check it in a dictionary first, before you use it, to make SURE it means exactly what you want it to.

Here is my attempt:

Emma: At first it seemed our passion would endure.
Jerry: But passion doesn't last, it burns and dies.
Emma: I thought my feeble heart had found its cure.
Jerry: I sought a panacea in your eyes.
Emma: Your love was just a fiction from the start.
Jerry: I loved you. We just wanted different things.
Emma: A vicious way to tear my life apart!
Jerry: How viciously the thwarted lover stings!
Emma: The "thwarted lover"? How are you so cold?
Jerry: Look, neither of us thought that this could last.
Emma: It seems to me you're easily consoled.
Jerry: Just looking to the future, not the past.
Emma: Betrayal charges a pernicious price.
Jerry: Our amorous inferno turned to ice.