Textes & Scènes de Théâtre / Dialogues de Cinéma / Séries / Littérature / Philo / Poésie…
Scène finale de La Ménagerie de Verre de Tennessee Williams (The Glass Menagerie) : Tom Wingfield vit avec sa mère et sa sœur Laura, une jeune femme très fragile. Il présente un collègue à sa sœur dans l’espoir sincère de lui trouver un mari. Mais il s’avère que cet homme est fiancé. Terrible déception pour la fille ; et la mère, qui ne peut s’empêcher de laisser éclater sa colère sur son fils. Le texte en anglais (traduction à venir) est suivi d’un extrait vidéo du téléfilm de la BBC (1973) avec Katherine Hepburn dans le rôle d’Amanda.
AMANDA (faintly). Things have a way of turning out so badly. Well, well – well – Our gentleman caller was engaged to be married! Tom!
TOM (from back). Yes, Mother?
AMANDA. Come here a minute. I want to tell you something awfully funny.
TOM (enters). Has the gentleman caller gotten away already?
AMANDA. The gentleman caller has made an early departure. What a wonderful joke you played on us!
TOM. How do you mean?
AMANDA. You didn’t mention that he was engaged to be married.
TOM. Jim? Engaged?
AMANDA. That’s what he just informed us.
TOM. I’ll be jiggered ! I didn’t know about that.
AMANDA. That seems very peculiar.
TOM. What’s peculiar about it?
AMANDA. Didn’t you call him your best friend down at the warehouse?
TOM. He is, but how could I know?
AMANDA. It seems extremely peculiar that you wouldn’t know your best friend was going to be married!
TOM. The warehouse is where I work, not where I know things about people!
AMANDA You don’t know things anywhere! You live in a dream; you manufacture illusions! (Tom crosses to door.) Where are you going?
TOM. I’m going to the movies.
AMANDA. That’s right, now that you’ve had us make such fools of ourselves. The effort, the preparations, all the expense! The new floor lamp, the rug, the clothes for Laura! All for what? To entertain some other girl’s fiancé! Go to the movies, go! Don’t think about us, a mother deserted, an unmarried sister who’s crippled and has no job! Don’t let anything interfere with your selfish pleasure! Just go, go, go – to the movies!
TOM. All right, I will! The more you shout about my selfishness to me the quicker I’ll go, and I won’t go to the movies either!
AMANDA: Go, then! Then go to the moon – you selfish dreamer!