Major Lexical Diifferences
Edwards
(A very white inner room in BERNARDA's house. Thick walls. Arched doorways with jute curtains edged with tassels and flounces. Rush-bottomed chairs. Paintings of unrealistic landscapes with nymphs or legendary kings. It is summer. A great brooding silence fills the stage. When the curtain rises, the stage is empty. The sound of bells tolling. The servent enters.)
SERVANT. Those bells are making my head ache.
PONCIA. (enters eating bread and sausage). Two hours and more of all that wailing. Priests have come from all the villages. The church looks lovely. During the first response Magdalena fainted.
ACT I
Johnston
A gleaming room, convent-white. Thick walls. Doors curtained in richly textured jute with hanging tassels. Cane chairs. On the wall, paintings of fantasy and escape. The height of summer: silence and shadow throughout the house. The tolling of bells. The MAID enters.
MAID: My head's bursting with those bells.
LA PONCIA: (She enters chewing on bread and sausage.) They've been droning away for hours. There's priests from all over the place. The church looks gorgeous. The first response, Magdalena fainted.
Kline
(The bright white interior of Bernarda’s house. Thick walls. Arched doorways with canvas curtains edged with tassels and ruffles. Rush chairs. Paintings of non-realistic landscapes with nymphs and legendary kings. It is summer. A vast shadowy silence fills the scene. When the curtain rises the stage is empty. The tolling of bells is heard. The Servant enters.)
SERVANT: I can feel the tolling of those bells right between my temples.
LA PONCIA: (She enters eating bread and sausage) They’ve been making that row for more than two hours now. There are priests here from all the villages. The church looks lovely. During the first response Magdalena fainted.
PONCIA. Librada's daughter, the unmarried one, has had a child, and no one knows who by.
ADELA. A child?
PONCIA. And to hide her shame she killed it and buried it under some stones; but some dogs, with more heart than many a human being, rooted it out and, as if guided by the hand of God, left it on her doorstep. Now they want to kill her. They are dragging her down the street, and the men are running along the paths and from the olive-groves, shouting so loud they are making the fields tremble.
BERNARDA. Yes! Let them come with olive switches and pick-handles. Let them all come and kill her.
ADELA. No, no! Not kill her! No!
MARTIRIO. Yes! And let's go out there too!
BERNARDA. And let the woman who tramples on her decency pay the price.
Outside a woman's cry is heard and a great clamour.
ADELA. Let her go! Don't go out!
MARTIRIO (looking at ADELA). Let her pay the price!
BERNARDA (in the archway). Finish her off before the police arrive! A red-hot coal in the place of her sin!
ADELA (clutching her stomach). No, no!
BERNARDA. Kill her! Kill her!
ACT II
LA PONCIA: Librada's daughter - the one that's not married - she had a baby and no one knows who the father is.
ADELA: A baby?
LA PONCIA: To hide her shame, she killed it and put it under a pile of stones, but some dogs with more heart than most people pulled it out and, like they were guided by the hand of God himself, took it to her door. Now the people want to kill her. They're dragging her down the street and there's men running in from the fields shouting - the whole countryside's shaking.
BERNARDA: Yes, let them all come, with their sticks and scythes and rocks...let them come to kill her.
ADELA: No, no...not kill her, no.
MARTIRIO: Yes!... And we'll go too.
BERNARDA: A whore with not a shred of decency...she'll not get away with it.
The tumult grows. A woman screams.
ADELA: Let her be...don't go out!
MARTIRIO: (Looking at ADELA.) Time for her to pay.
BERNARDA: (In the doorway, bellowing into the street.) Finish her off before the police get here. Burn coals in the pit of her sin!
ADELA: (Clutching her stomach.) No! No!
BERNARDA: Kill her! Kill her!
LA PONCIA: Librada's daughter, the unmarried one, has had a daughter and no one knows who the father is
ADELA: A child?
LA PONCIA: And to hide her shame she killed it. and buried it under some rocks; but the dogs, with more heart than many a human creature, dug it up and, as if guided by God's hand, left it on her doorstep. Now people want to kill her. They're dragging her down the street, and there are men running along the paths, and out of the olive-groves, shouting loud enough to make the earth tremble
BERNARDA: That's right, let them bring olive branches and pick-handles, and let them kill her.
ADELA: No, no, not kill her!
MARTIRIO: Yes, and let us go see.
BERNARDA: And may she who tramples on her honour pay the price.
(A woman's cry and a great uproar are heard outside.)
ADELA: Let them only release her! Don't go outside!
MARTIRIO: (Gazing at Adela) May she pay what she owes!
BERNARDA: (In the archway) Finish her off before the police come! A burning coal in the place of her sin!
ADELA: (Clutching her belly) No! No!
BERNARDA: Kill her! Kill her!
ACT III
ADELA. That's why you want to stop me going with him. You don't care if he goes with a woman he doesn't love. Neither do I! He can spend a hundred years with Angustias. But for him to embrace me is something you can't stand, because you love him too. You love him!
MARTIRIO (powerfully). Yes! Why should I hide my head in shame? Let my bitter heart burst open like a pomegranate! I love him!
ADELA (impulsively, going to embrace her). Martirio, Martirio, I'm not to blame.
MARTIRIO. Don't touch me! Don't try to soften the hatred in my eyes! My blood is no longer yours. I want to see you as my sister, but I can only see you as a woman.
(She pushes her away.)
ADELA. There's no solution here. Whoever must drown, must drown. Pepe el Romano's mine. He'll take me to the rushes at the edge of the water.
MARTIRIO. I won't let it happen!
ADELA. I can't stand the horror of this house any more, not after knowing the taste of his mouth. I'll be whatever he wants me to be. The whole village against me, burning me with their fingers of fire, hounded by those who claim they are respectable, and in front of them all I'll put on the crown of thorns that women wear who are loved by a married man.
MARTIRIO. Be quiet!
ADELA: That’s why you don’t want me to see him. You don’t care if he embraces someone he doesn’t love. Nor do I. He can live with Angustias for a hundred years. But it’s him embracing me that’s so terrible for you, because you love him, you love him too!
MARTIRIO: (Dramatically) Yes! I can say it without shame. Yes! Let my bitter heart split open like a pomegranate. I love him!
ADELA: (Impulsively, moving to embrace her) Martirio, Martirio, it’s not my fault.
MARTIRIO: Don’t touch me! Don’t try to soften my heart. My blood is no longer like yours, and even if I wish to see you as a sister now I only see you as the other woman. (She pushes her away)
ADELA: There’s no remedy here. Whoever must drown will drown. Pepe el Romano is mine. He will take me to the rushes by the shore.
MARTIRIO: He will not!
ADELA: I can’t stand the horror of living under this roof having tasted the sweetness of his mouth. I’ll be whatever he wants me to be. With the whole village against me; scorched by their tongues of fire, hounded by those who call themselves decent people, I’ll stand before them all with a crown of thorns on my brow, the one that a woman loved by a married man wears.
MARTIRIO: Be silent!
ADELA: That’s why you don’t want me to see him. You don’t care if he embraces someone he doesn’t love. Nor do I. He can live with Angustias for a hundred years. But it’s him embracing me that’s so terrible for you, because you love him, you love him too!
MARTIRIO: (Dramatically) Yes! I can say it without shame. Yes! Let my bitter heart split open like a pomegranate. I love him!
ADELA: (Impulsively, moving to embrace her)
Martirio, Martirio, it’s not my fault.
MARTIRIO: Don’t touch me! Don’t try to soften my heart. My blood is no longer like yours, and even if I wish to see you as a sister now I only see you as the other woman. (She pushes her away)
ADELA: There’s no remedy here. Whoever must drown will drown. Pepe el Romano is mine. He will take me to the rushes by the shore.
MARTIRIO: He will not!
ADELA: I can’t stand the horror of living under this roof having tasted the sweetness of his mouth. I’ll be whatever he wants me to be. With the whole village against me; scorched by their tongues of fire, hounded by those who call themselves decent people, I’ll stand before them all with a crown of thorns on my brow, the one that a woman loved by a married man wears.
MARTIRIO: Be silent!