Once Lavrenti has promised to add 200 piastres to the money I will be receiving, I will instantly cheer up, by taking my hands off my eyes and adopting my normal, less squeaked, tone of voice. I will then adopt a matter-of-fact manner, glaring at Yussup to complain that the money is still not enough. I will then turn towards Grusha, placing stress on the word ‘hope’ by saying it slightly louder than the other words to emphasise how much I want her to help me with the funeral expenses. When I come to the part of my speech about people finding out that Yussup’s end is near, I will speak more quickly, coming to a loud climax on the word ‘necks’. I will then threaten Lavrenti, that is to say that when I say ‘he mustn’t see the child’, I will wave my index finger in his direction, glaring at him, and with menace in my voice on the word ‘mustn’t’, because, essentially, I am telling him that I will be very angry if the monk sees the child and need to avoid this at all costs.
When I say ‘He’s just as good’, in reference to the monk, I will hesitate slightly, stammering on this phrase, as I don’t really mean it and know that I have hired a cheap monk to maximise the amount of money I gain. I will also look downwards in order not to meet Lavrenti’s eyes. I will then rush off, still avoiding his gaze, so I don’t have to discuss this manner further. I will ‘run’ – albeit slowly, and while hunched down still, so my actual running will not be very quick. I will also waddle while running, because I wish to convey the impression that I am fat and this may also have a comical effect on the audience.
When I find the priest and chastise him, I will do so while furrowing my eyebrows, baring my teeth and glaring at him, in order to concentrate my malice at him because he has been drinking. I will say my line in an angry stage whisper, as I am trying to avoid the other guests hearing what I have to say to him.
I will then turn to them, and my expression would change completely – I would give a pleasant smile and adopt a more honeyed tone, bowing formally. I would deliver my lines in a very calm manner while still smiling at the guests.
When I attempt to urge the Monk that my dead son is willing to get married, I will glare at him once more, giving him a surreptitious nudge with my elbow to hurry him along. I will also reproach him in an angry tone of voice when I say ‘nothing doing’ and comment on the wedding’s cost. I will then turn to Lavrenti and attempt to give him a charming smile, lowering my tone of voice as I do this, in order to make him forget the sum we had agreed. Later, when I threaten the monk about disclosing his tavern activities, I will speak slowly and in decisive, strong tones, emphasising my rhetorical questions while I bring my face very close to his threateningly because I wish to communicate that this ‘child’ does not exist.
I will address Grusha throughout my next speech more colloquially, nodding or shaking my head to coincide with my complains or affirmations. I will address this speech as though I’m not really looking at Grusha, so the audience can be given the impression that she isn’t actually interested in what I have to say.
When the musicians burst in, and I reproach the monk once more, I will exclaim my line loudly, as I am stressed, and wave my arms up heavenwards, as though asking God what I have done to deserve this. When I later throw them out, I will do this holding once by the scruff of his neck, and the other two by their ears. I will make two trips, as I wouldn’t be able to hold all three at once. I would drag them out of the door with a murderous look on my face, and give them a kick out of the door. I will then turn to face my silent guests, glaring at them so as to coerce them to speak.
When I chastise Grusha for making a scene in front of my guests, I will bend down to stage-whisper in her ear, talking in an upset manner to indicate to her that I am not please with the way in which she is behaving having hear news that does not concern me, or, so I think, her. I will then get up and give a forced smile at the guests to give the impression that things are still all right.
The next significant moment is when my son, Yussup, gets up. I will be amazed and incredulous as I believed my son’s end was night. To convey this, I would gape at him, standing rooted to the same spot, and then shake my head whilst my eyes where closed, then opening them once more and blinking twice to indicate that I cannot believe what I am seeing.
In the next part of the scene, when I tell Grusha that my son wants her, I will say the line while placing particular, mocking, stress on the word ‘peasant’ because I do not really see my son in this way but enjoy addressing him thus because I am quite a heartless person. When my son complains that his water is too cold, I will immediately say my line about fetching some hot water very quickly, because he is the kind of person that is easily upset, and I do not want to incur his wrath if possible.
