The Skin Game
A Tragi-Comedy.
(1920)
"Who touches pitch shall be defiled"
This play by Galsworthy deals with the class system and many social issues. Another of his plays in the same theme is Strife (1909).
This story is about the interaction between two very different families in rural England just after the end of the First World War. Squire Hillcrist lives in the manor house where his family has lived for generations. He lives there with his daughter, Jill, who is in her late teens, and his wife Amy, as well as servants and retainers. He is of "old money", although his finances are at a bit of low ebb. The other family is the "nouveau riche" Hornblowers, headed by the single-minded and rich industrialist Hornblower who throws old retainers the Jackmans out of their home (much to the Squire's disgust), and who plans to surround the Hillcrist's rural estate with factories.
CHARACTERS:
HILLCRIST, A Country Gentleman
AMY, His Wife
JILL, His Daughter
DAWKER, His Agent
HORNBLOWER, A Man Newly-Rich
CHARLES, His Elder Son
CHLOE, Wife to Charles
ROLF, His Younger Son
FELLOWS, Hillcrist's Butler
ANNA, Chloe's Maid
THE JACKMANS, Man and Wife
AN AUCTIONEER
A SOLICITOR
TWO STRANGERS
ACT I: HILLCRIST'S Study
ACT II: SCENE I. A month later. An Auction Room. SCENE II. The same evening. CHLOE'S Boudoir.
ACT III: SCENE I. The following day. HILLCRIST'S Study. Morning. SCENE II. The Same. Evening.
Unfold
SCENE I:
HILLCRIST'S study next morning.
JILL coming from Left, looks in at the open French window.
JILL. [Speaking to ROLF, invisible] Come in here. There's no one.
[She goes in. ROLF joins her, coming from the garden.]
ROLF. Jill, I just wanted to say--Need we?
[JILL. nodes.]
Seeing you yesterday--……
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