The last day of the year. Midday. Nora and the old Nurse. Nora, impelled by uneasiness, is putting on her things to go out. Anxious random questions of one kind and another give a hint that thoughts of death are in her mind. Tries to banish these thoughts, to turn it off, hopes that something or other may intervene. But what? The Nurse goes off to the left.—Stenborg enters from his room. Short dialogue between him and Nora.—The Nurse re-enters, looking for Nora; the youngest child is crying. Annoyance and questioning on Stenborg’s part; exit the Nurse; Stenborg is going in to the children.—Doctor Hank enters. Scene between him and Stenborg.—Nora soon re-enters; she has turned back; anxiety has driven her home again. Scene between her, the Doctor and Stenborg. Stenborg goes into his room.—Scene between Nora and the Doctor. The Doctor goes out.—Nora alone.—Mrs. Linde enters. Short scene between her and Nora.—Krogstad enters. Short scene between him and Mrs. Linde and Nora. Mrs. Linde goes in to the children.—Scene between Krogstad and Nora.—She entreats and implores him for the sake of her little children; in vain. Krogstad goes out. The letter is seen to fall from outside into the letter-box.—Mrs. Linde re-enters after a short pause. Scene between her and Nora. Half confession. Mrs. Linde goes out.—Nora alone.—Stenborg enters. Scene between him and Nora. He wants to empty the letter-box. Entreaties, jests, half playful persuasion. He promises to let business wait till after New Year’s Day; but at 12 o’clock midnight—! Exit. Nora alone. Nora (looking at the clock): It is five o’clock. Five;—seven hours till midnight. Twenty-four hours till the next midnight. Twenty-four and seven—thirty-one. Thirty-one hours to live.—
THIRD ACT
A muffled sound of dance music is heard from the floor above. A lighted lamp on the table. Mrs. Linde sits in an armchair and absently turns the pages of a book, tries to read, but seems unable to fix her attention; once or twice she looks at her watch. Nora comes down from the dance; uneasiness has driven her; surprise at finding Mrs. Linde, who pretends that she wanted to see Nora in her costume. Helmer, displeased at her going away, comes to fetch her back. The Doctor also enters, but to say good-bye. Meanwhile Mrs. Linde has gone into the side room on the right. Scene between the Doctor, Helmer, and Nora. He is going to bed, he says, never to get up again; they are not to come and see him; there is ugliness about a death-bed. He goes out. Helmer goes upstairs again with Nora, after the latter has exchanged a few words of farewell with Mrs. Linde. Mrs. Linde alone. Then Krogstad. Scene and explanation between them. Both go out. Nora and the children. Then she alone. Then Helmer. He takes the letters out of the letter-box. Short scene; goodnight; he goes into his room. Nora in despair prepares for the final step; is already at the door when Helmer enters with the open letter in his hand. Great scene. A ring. Letter to Nora from Krogstad. Final scene. Divorce. Nora leaves the house.[14]
Finally, here is the full scenario of a play which made a great success both in England and the United States and was seen by practically all the Continental countries, namely, Kismet. Notice how well it fulfils the requirements for a good scenario stated in this chapter, not because Mr. Knobloch had these rules in mind as he composed it, but because, as a trained dramatist, he instinctively gave these qualities to his scenario. Carefully studied in relation to the essentials of scenario writing just stated, it should remove all doubt in the mind of a student as to what a good scenario is and why it is an essential preliminary to a good play.
KISMET
or
HAJJI’S DAY
Scenario for a play in three acts, by
EDWARD KNOBLOCH[15]
CHARACTERS
(in order of their appearance)
| Original Names | Later Names |
| Hajji. | Hajj (as Hajji is Persian, Hajj Arabian). |
| A Priest. | Imam Mahmud. |
| Guide. | Nasir. |
| Sheikh of the Desert. | Jawan. |
| Young Beggar. | Kasim. |
| Sultan. | The Caliph Abdallah. |
| His Vizier. | Abu Bakr. |
| Shopkeeper I. | Amru. |
| Shopkeeper II. | Fayd. |
| Zira. | Marsinah. |
| Old Woman I. | Narjis. |
| Officer of Guard. | Captain of the Watch. |
| Executioner. | Mansur, Chief of Police. |
| His Scribe. | Turned into two characters: |
| Kafur, the Sworder. | |
| Afife, the Hunchback. | |
| Old Woman II. | |
| Executioner’s Wife. | Kut-Al-Kulub. |
| Gaoler. | Kutayt. |
| Peasant. Trial scene at | Cut out in final draft. |
| Two Wives. Sultan’s. | |
| Dancers, Soldiers, Courtiers, Women, the People. | |
ACT I