You slay the tiger at the risk of yourlife; but who gets the striped skin you have run that risk for? Whereupon she vanishes, the lighting turns to daylight and the abyss is no more. Iremember Lilith, who came before Adam and Eve. Ha! When you have to snare the little tender birdsbecause it is too much trouble for her to chew honest food, how much ofa great warrior do you feel then? He need not. It is the horror of having to be with myself forever. EVE. 2) Methuselah also was the oldest of all known mankind. You are more her slave than Adam's ox oryour own sheepdog. [_Adam points to the fawn_]. Rebecca Sunshine performing a monologue 'The Serpent's Tale'. It was I whowhispered the word to you that you did not know. He says he is with the Prime Minister, who is married to his daughter and with General Aufsteig, who is really the Emperor of Turania, travelling incognito. Anybody couldbe the first man: it is as easy as to be the first cabbage. And I to him! Hope is wicked. We have to live here for ever.Think of what for ever means! ADAM. The first performances in England began at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre under the management of Barry Jackson on the 9th October 1923. She did not know then thatimagination is the beginning of creation. Zoo is the replacement. EVE [_joining him_] Oh! It cannothappen. The Holy Scriptures According to the Masoretic Text She belongs to a colony of long-lived people and has been assigned the task of protecting short-lived visitors. ADAM. You think too much. Oh! Why did it not tell Cain that? When they come, there isalways some new wonder, or some new hope: something to live for. Your hood is most lovely. [_She dusts her hands, and draws awayfrom it_]. Yet you are. That comes before everything. ha! Sheer fabrication, but so pleasing to the voters that he stayed in power for another fifteen years. Shaw also advocates what he calls homeopathy as a pedagogical method, arguing that society "can only be lamed and enslaved by" education. He lapses into tears and she puts in a call for help, saying she has encountered an unattended short-liver who is disoriented. EVE [_to Adam_] You think, perhaps, that his way of life may be betterthan yours after all. But youhave made the serpent our enemy: she has left the garden, or is dead: Inever see her now. PART I ADAM. The Archbishop is recognizably the Reverend Haslam, Savvy Barnabas' sweetheart, no longer callow, but dignified and confident and looking no more than fifty. Let that be enough for you. One's own body is the last of many dolls and it will be shed, as well. The Serpent Fusima Chloe M'el Dowd. _Adam throws down his spade, and stands looking darkly at Eve._. Asked why, he says life alone is true and meaningful and that marble remains marble, no matter how skilfully it is shaped. Acs, a three-year-old, tries unsuccessfully to comfort him, but Stephen insists on remaining disconsolate until he finds another partner. EVE [_interrupting him_] Perhaps not; but do not begin to boast of that.It is no credit to you. ADAM. The garden is full of voices sometimes. She enjoys the flirting, but rejects a rendezvous and breaks the connection. Quick. Ultimately he is asking if it would be expedient to hold elections now or better to put them off till spring. There no doubt are others that are not mentioned. Your hood is most lovely. I can never be alone.You always want to know what I have been doing. On his right, Eve sits on a stool in the shadowof a tree by the doorway, spinning flax. Both are speaking English, but their cultural backgrounds are so different that communication is not easy. Listen.I am old. It found that I wasmyself, and that it was for Abel to be himself also, and look tohimself. The Ancient leaves the children to their play. EVE. Their two greatest sculptors will show their latest masterpieces and be crowned with flowers, honoured with dithyrambs and have dances done around them. ADAM. BACK TO METHUSELAH A Metabiological Pentateuch by BERNARD SHAW 1921 Contents The Infidel Half Century The Dawn of Darwinism The Advent of the Neo-Darwinians Political Inadequacy of the Human Animal Cowardice of the Irreligious Is there any Hope Home - Books - Back to Methuselah by George Bernard Shaw This page contains affiliate links. That is what hasbrought me to my mother today. I have crept through the grass, and hidden, and listened to you. No: I am afraid of it. Consternation reigns behind them because the others realise than, with the secret out, other long-lifers, previously in hiding, will emerge to join them and form a colony that will seem a threat to short-lived people. The Voice of The Serpent (Original) . That is a dreadful thought. But he killed him. No voice is needed to make me feel that. She said it must never be again: that theburden of renewing life was past bearing: that it was too much for one.And when she cast the skin, lo! He steals and kills for his food;and makes up idle poems of life after death; and dresses up histerror-ridden life with fine words and his disease-ridden body with fineclothes, so that men may glorify and honor him instead of cursing him asmurderer and thief. Simple primitive societies, he says, were easily governable while the civilized societies of the twentieth century are so complex that learning to govern them properly can't be accomplished within the human lifespan: People with experience enough to serve the purpose fall into senility and die. What did the Voice say to you when you thought all that? [_Hereplaces the hurdle across the passage_]. ADAM. EVE. When Ican bear no more, I go to our old garden, that is now a mass of nettlesand thistles, in the hope of finding the serpent to talk to. Youthful nurses are provided to tourists to keep that from happening but he has evaded Zozim, the one assigned to him. Fool: she makes you fight because you bring her the ornaments andthe treasures of those you have slain, and because she is courted andpropitiated with power and gold by the people who fear you. EVE. CAIN. And at last it would happento me too. No progress! Your flesh ceases to grow like man's flesh: itgrows like a fungus on a tree. On the west side stands a little classic temple and in the middle of the glade there is a marble altar, shaped like a table, and long enough for a man to lie on. Everything is possible. ADAM. ADAM [_releasing her_] That is true. She rears her head slowly from thebed of Johnswort, and speaks into Eve's ear in a strange seductivelymusical whisper. You have made the beasts afraid of us; and the snake hasinvented poison to protect herself against you. [_He turns quickly towards the serpent, and in doingso puts his foot on something sharp_]. I should be alone. They were first performed in 1922 by the New York Theatre Guild at the old Garrick Theatre in New York City[1] and, in Britain, at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre in 1923.[2]. EVE [_throwing herself on the ground beside him, and grasping his knee_]You must be careful. I will live athousand sets of the four seasons--. ADAM [_struck_] That must be true. THE SERPENT. You are hard enough to bear with as you are. He loved his brother. I tell you it must not be. Pah! The Voice does not speak to me as it does to you. I am very subtle;and I have thought and thought and thought. It, too, is most impressive with a show of eerie lighting in a measureless abyss. That is very true. You are not stronger: you are shorter in the wind: you cannotendure. ADAM. Tired of their talk with children, the Ancients go their separate ways. It is I who must conceive. The four rivers running withblood! He laughed at me; and then came my great idea: why notkill him as he killed the beasts? He cannotbear pain, nor take trouble with his body. EVE. But if I createanother Eve he may turn to her and do without me. ADAM [_uttering a grunt of disgust_]!!! CAIN. They do not grow very fast. Shaw's "homeopathic" educational method consisted of lying to students, until the students were able to see through the lies and argue with the teachers. A monologue of The Serpent from Back to Methuselah. That is true. They cannot renew themselves without Eves. EVE. You can feel nothing but atorment, and believe nothing but a lie. Ugh! ADAM. Lua was awoman-child when I bore her. Where? He replies: he makesthe Voice respect him: in the end he dictates what the Voice shall say. According to Louis Crompton in Shaw the Dramatist (pp. Skip to main content. ADAM [_to Eve, grumpily_] Why do you live on, if you can find nothingbetter to do than complain? What is the good of being careful? That is a great thought. ADAM. EVE. Adam and Eve, as avatars for aboriginal humanity, discover a fawn dead from a broken neck and realize they, too, will die eventually from some mishap, even though they are immune to aging. EVE [_snatching herself loose from Adam_] Do not make that odious noise,I tell you. THE SERPENT. If they learn to propagate they can make other humans to tend the garden and thus be free to escape from living when they wish. Then death will not matter: thissnake and that snake will die; but the snakes will live. No. Do. Dead. EN. Life is still long enough to learn to dig, short as they aremaking it. who have the labor of the child-bearing: I! When you fighters do notget killed in fighting one another or fighting the beasts, you die frommere evil in yourselves. sister projects: Wikipedia article, Wikidata item. Morning. EVE. EVE [_throwing herself down discontentedly and plucking at the grass_]That is so like a man. CAIN. If only there may be an end some day, and yetno end! Each has a say, in accordance with their characters, and Lilith prophesies an end of life's slavery to matter, whereupon the spectres vanish. [_He goes away roaring with laughter, which ceases as he cries from thedistance_] Goodbye, mother. the curses of despair!the shrieks of torment! Yes: that must not be. You must not remind me of unhappy things. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. 4004 is allegorical. ADAM [_picking up his spade and preparing to dig again_] Take yourselfoff then. THE SERPENT. But only some. If I can do that, what can I not do? In the glade, a group of youths and maidens, all appearing to be eighteen or older are dancing gracefully to music played on flutes. Find me a word for the story Lilith imagined and told you in yoursilent language: the story that was too wonderful to be true, and yetcame true. When you die, men will say, 'He was agreat warrior; but it would have been better for the world if he hadnever been born.' See[_she spreads a magnificent amethystine hood_]! It must not be, I tellyou. This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1928. Senior School Recitation finals Nov . You are very subtle. ADAM [_angrily_] Be silent, woman. It is especially. [_Hegathers its hooves in his hand and carries it away in the direction fromwhich Eve came, holding it as far from him as possible_]. EVE. Instead of breathing you sneeze, or coughup your insides, and wither and perish. Be silent, both of you. Both sit on theground_]. Their dread of death is overwhelmed by the yet more dreadful prospect of life unending, with its tedium and burdens, but they feel bound to live forever because Eden must be taken care of and they are the only ones available to do it. Be reasonable, boy. I made the word dead to describe my old skin that I castwhen I am renewed. EVE. This play is getting its first American production since the 1922 world premiere in New York. You think youcould, because you know that you will never have to make your thoughtgood. THE SERPENT. EVE [_slowly taking up her distaff_] If you were not a fool you wouldfind something better for both of us to live by than this spinning anddigging. Back to Methuselah Quotes Showing 1-7 of 7 "You see things; you say, 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say 'Why not?" George Bernard Shaw, Back to Methuselah tags: inspirational 3948 likes Like "You use a glass mirror to see your face; you use works of art to see your soul." George Bernard Shaw, Back to Methuselah That is why all this empty talk of yours, which tempted Adam justnow when he threw down his spade and listened to you for a while, wentby me like foul wind that has passed over a dead body. Whatdo I care? Then there is no such thing as divine justice, unless you arelying. [_She licks Eve's neck with her doubletongue_]. Whilst the east wind prevails Britain shall prosper. Burge-Lubin declines the offer. Bind the future by your will. Ifyou take a step towards your mother with that spear of yours I willstrike you with my spade as you struck Abel. I should not dare to sleep if there were no reasonwhy you should not make me die. EVE. Mine I call the Voice ofGod. Useless:nothing happened. The earth is fruitful. [_he seizes his spear and swings it muscularly_]. How did Lilith work this miracle? [_Shesits on the rock and pulls him down beside her, clasping him to her withher right arm_]. I do not want to be a bear. Without themcourage would have no sense. Adam has invented something new. Sticking in theold furrow. What is the matterwith its eyes? What have you made of yourselves? Will you die the moment you have made a new Eve? she says, "What else could I do for you?". A Glimpse of the Domesticity of Franklyn Barnabas, The Adventures of the Black Girl in Her Search for God, The Intelligent Woman's Guide to Socialism and Capitalism, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Back_to_Methuselah&oldid=1090077535, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Evolving stages in the future progress of humanity, This page was last edited on 27 May 2022, at 06:56. It is I who have thought of it. CAIN. No: they will not kill us: they will feel as I do. It is likely that he did not die as the world. Tell me this: who invented death? [_Rising and moving about in his agitation_]. Oh! You make my father here your mere convenience,as you call it, for that. ADAM. Man-eating! THE SERPENT. Listen to me, Eve; and you,snake, listen too, that your memory may hold my vow. [3] Neither Creative Evolution nor the Life Force were Shavian inventions. That is the word. They have come to consult the oracle about matters of utmost importance. THE SERPENT. EVE. But how? He who bearsthe brand of Cain shall rule the earth. Barnabas goes to meet the American inventor, who wants to use Records Office film footage to create a There is something else.We do not yet know what it is; but some day we shall find out; and thenwe will live on that alone; and there shall be no more digging norspinning, nor fighting nor killing. And then you,Cain, come to me with your stupid fighting and destroying, and yourfoolish boasting; and you want me to tell you that it is all splendid,and that you are heroic, and that nothing but death or the dread ofdeath makes life worth living. The creations are a man and woman, noble in appearance, beautiful to look at and splendidly attired. At the end the Serpent whispersfor Eve's ears alonethe secret of reproduction, which Eve hears with greatly mixed emotions. My new word for having to live for ever. THE SERPENT. She asks if the child is ready to be born and Acis says the child is more than ready, that she has been shouting and kicking inside her egg and refuses to wait quietly. Both Burge-Lubin and Barnabas are considerably put off because they stand in awe of her although they deem her quite good-looking. My old trouble was heavy; but it wassimple. The sculptors, Arjillax and Martellus, arrive. EVE. For it whispers to me that death is not really death:that it is the gate of another life: a life infinitely splendid andintense: a life of the soul alone: a life without clods or spades,hunger or fatigue--. EVE [_shuddering_] Why do you remind me of it? The official database for Broadway theatre information . I am the old serpent, older than Adam, older than Eve. She looks seventeen years old. And that request was granted: "Go home, poor fool" the oracle replies repeating what she had said to Eastwind. Do you dig any better because you have been digging forhundreds of years? EVE. He humanizes them to the point of wishing to die for each other, then allows them to die. 4 myself, I was finding that the surest way to produce an effect of daring innovation and originality was to revive the ancient attraction of long rhetorical speeches; to stick closely to the methods of Molire; No: he, too, must desire and will. Back to Methuselah (Revival, Play, Comedy, Broadway) opened in New York City Mar 26, 1958 and played through Apr 19, 1958. ADAM. If you are content, like the bear, I am not. I do not know: the word came to me. If Lua naggedat me as you are nagging, and as you nag at Adam, I would beat her blackand blue from head to foot. If I am to die like the fawn, why should not the rest die too? By another thing, called birth. You her master! When Lilith told me whatshe had imagined in our silent language (for there were no words then) Ibade her desire it and will it; and then, to our great wonder, the thingshe had desired and willed created itself in her under the urging of herwill. Liar: you denied just now that it called on you to pay for Abel'slife with your own. ADAM. Look atthat thick roll of hard flesh on your strong arm! Things wear out by practice: they do not grow by it. He turns his face to his right and callsexcitedly. [_He sits down on the stone_]. I have imagined a glorious poem of many men, of more men thanthere are leaves on a thousand trees. Do you never think ofthat? Even a bear would not eat a man if it could gethoney instead. But I dream things that never were; and Isay 'Why not?' I know that it must not be. There is divine justice. promotional cinema showing sundry important Britons who have lost their lives by drowning, but who, with the invention's help, might not have perished. It is I who have to do the miracle. You and Adam. They can dream without sleeping. It is something greater than me: I am only apart of it. I heard a new voice. A housemaid announces the opportune arrival of Lubin and Burge, two prominent politicians with antagonistic viewpoints; they will serve as sounding-boards while the brothers present their case for the need of longer lifetimes. 7279, (Constable & Co., London, 1949. CAIN. You must. There ishero and superman. He is at his zenith now but realizes a time will come when the people will rebel and he will become the casualty. ADAM. It is that care thatwill prompt your imagination; inflame your desires; make your willirresistible; and create out of nothing. Let itnow give me certainty or go in fear of me. EVE. I spare you;but others may kill you. THE SERPENT. No one has ever uttered such a sound before. He need not. He has not noticedthe serpent on his left hand. EVE [_slipping her hand into his_] Wife and husband. Will they learn all the ways of all the stars in theirlittle time? Back to Methuselah (A Metabiological Pentateuch) by George Bernard Shaw consists of a preface (The Infidel Half Century) and a series of five plays: In the Beginning: B.C. ADAM. Undutiful! She, however, will live until she has a fatal accident, which, by the laws of chance, is inevitable for everyone. no adventures! That is whatmakes me sit brooding and silent and hateful. He has invented tomorrow.You will invent things every day now that the burden of immortality islifted from you. Martellus apparently brought nothing and Arjillax is jeered because he brought busts of ancients, which the children think are ugly; they want youthful beauties, like themselves. 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