Little Women- Amy’s Lines

MEG: -It's so dreadful to be poor-

-And I don't think its fair for some girls to have plenty of pretty things, and other girls nothing at all-

JO. Well, there's a war on, and I think it splendid of Father to go as chaplain as he's too old to be a soldier. I wish I was a soldier!

I suppose we have to humor her.

JO: We don't have Father, but we have me and what we're going to do, girls, is to make our own kind of Christmas.

You aren't father.

JO. No, but I'm to take his place. He said. A homemade Christmas, I say. A Christmas of our own invention.

You pretend you're father because you wish you were a boy-

JO: So what if I do?

-and you want any excuse to boss us.

JO. It's almost ready. If you know your lines, Amy.

Well, I do know my lines.

JO: All right, we'll have the play… and that's not all.

Last Christmas we had plum pudding and cranberries and oysters and presents all around. This year we have corn pudding with raisins. Raisins, mind you. At least Jo and Meg are old enough to go out to parties, but Beth and I will have to stay here at home with our raisins.

JO. Well, pretend you're a poor foreigner just blown in from a storm or a spy under orders to attend parties!

And what is so wrong with parties?

JO. People ask you to dance, is what. And you're hurt if they don't, disgusted if they do and then you step on their feet.

Boys…

JO: If you're going to put a clothespin up there in the breeze, Amy, you might as well wash a handkerchief and hang it.

Some young man comes calling? And then?

BETH: Doesn't that hurt?

I don't care if it hurts. I want my nose to be extinguished, not flat and stumpy.

BETH: Extinguished?

"In every feature, delicate and extinguished."

JO. They marry you and then you cook and sew and take care to be sweet and pretty—in every feature extinguished—and your adventures are over and you may as well be dead.

Listen, Jo. Marmee married Papa.

Jo: Shoo, Beth. I'll let you see in a minute.

But I must go dressed raggedy everyday to school.

BETH. A Christmas present!

It's for me, isn't it?

JO. I bought it with my Christmas dollar.

You were supposed to spend that on yourself.

JO: I did. I spent it to please myself.

It's not for that new boy is it? Old Mr. Laurence's grandson? I know you like to watch him ride his horse.

JO: Bravo, Meg! Bravo, Beth!

And I-well, I-well-I kept my dollar.

MEG. It's all right, Amy. It's yours.

It's just I haven't decided how to spend it yet. If I'm to be an artist, I must have pencils. Faber's drawing pencils.

JO. Mmm, what a glorious smell from the kitchen! Must be pudding! Hannah, how's the pudding!?!

Don't shout, Jo.

JO: I'm working that in. Hannah, would you come watch our rehearsal? The fainting scene isn't right.

Hannah, what are you cooking?

HANNAH: You saw everything that went into it, dear.

Just corn pudding with raisins? Smells too delicious.

JO: Watch this, Hannah. When Amy faints, it's supposed to be shocking. A great lady has fainted and all that. So. A bell sounds. The curtains fly apart. The forbidding tower-there. The beautiful Zara stands in the tower. Zara? Amy?

How soon may we eat, Hannah?

JO: Oh, Zara! Beautiful Zara! I give you one final chance or you die!

Let me get set. Here I go. "I'm fainting!"

JO: You can't faint into a chair-you have to just drop. Look here-clasp your hands so- This is your line, Amy-Roderigo! Save me! Save me!

Roderigo! Roderigo!

JO: Amy, are you even trying?

Yes I'm trying-and you're not so brilliant. You don't look like any Hugo the villain.

JO. Well, wait 'til I put on my big, red boots. Observe the glint—of my sword!

And you sound like you've got a frog in your neck, and I don't want to rehearse this stupid old play.

MEG. A frog in her throat, Amy.

I'm bored to tears with it, even if you did write it!

JO: It's too late. When the audience laughs, don't blame me.

They won't laugh. They'll say I'm pretty!

JO: Marmee and Hannah will say you're pretty. And that's all you want out of life. Christopher Columbus!

Is not. And don't swear.

JO: I'll swear if I like, and what's more-

Don't, Jo-it's boyish! I detest rude, unladylike girls!

JO: Where are you going?

I have an errand.

MEG: Really girls, you're both to blame. Amy, sometimes you are entirely too prissy.

And how is Jo to blame?

MEG. She's on some mysterious errand.

Here I am. Merry Christmas, Marmee.

MARMEE. Handkerchiefs, hemmed with your own hands. Thank you, Beth. And from Amy.

It's the large bottle of cologne, not the small one, though I was terribly tempted by drawing pencils, but instead-see? It's the prettiest present of all-

MARMEE: Now, Amy-

—and I'm truly trying not to be selfish anymore!

JO: Hurrah for Hannah!

Hurrah for the pudding!

MEG: Yes, we'll give them our supper

Our whole supper?

MEG: Yes, we will go.

All right. I'll carry… I'll carry the pudding!

MEG: Don't tell her the plot, Beth. Promise, Amy?

I'll not reveal a word.

RODERIGO (JO): They call me Roderigo! And may I present the beautiful Zara?

Roderigo! Roderigo!

JO: Carry on, Amy. All the way to the top.

This doesn't feel very steady, Jo.

JO: All the way to the top, Zara!

I told you so! I told you so!

MEG: Thank you. And this is Amy-

Look, Jo. Smoked chicken! Look! Real, actual mincemeat!

LAURIE: You climb trees, don't you?

Don't answer that!

BETH: "For the little musician, from Old Mr. Laurence." What's this? From Jo?

It's not even her birthday.

BETH: What shall I play? Oh! Oh!

Look! Here's Meg! But she's supposed to be at her party.

MEG: I let them dress me up in borrowed frippery-

You wore a low-cut gown?

MARMEE: That's right, Jo. And either way, to be ready for duty and capable of joy. Beth and Amy, shall we fetch tea?

"I had a beastly time."

JO: Because Laurie's invited us to the theater this very afternoon! Here's my kind of social interaction!

Don't shout. We're standing right under your mouth.

JO: Wear whatever. We aren't in the show, we're the audience.

You'd just go off and leave Beth and me at home?

BETH: I want to be at home. My piano!

You must let me come too, Meg. I've got nothing to do and am so bored. I'll ask Laurie. He'll say yes.

JO: It's rude, after he invited only us, to go and drag Amy in.

I shall go, Meg says I may.

JO: Here's Laurie!

AMY: I shall go!

JO: We don't have time for this. We're coming, Laurie!

You'll be sorry, Jo March, see if you aren't.

BETH: I think I would

No, thank you.

MARMEE: Well. Goodbye, Amy

Goodbye.

MEG & JO: Good-bye!

AMY: Hello, Amy. Hello, Amy. Someone say "Hello, Amy."

MEG: Well, it was called The Hall of the Mountain King.

We know what it was called. You think you can see right through me, don't you? You think you know everything. You think you run the world.

JO: You've dumped my drawers out, haven't you? You've messed up with my pen and papers?

No I haven't. The play had a story?

JO: You've got it, haven't you? You know where it is, then?

No, I don't.

JO: That's a lie! Where is it?

I don't know where it is because it isn't anywhere.

MEG: Amy, how could you!

You know how mean she was!

BETH: Oh, Jo. Your lovely storybook. I'm sure she's sorry.

Well, all right, I am sorry.

JO: It doesn't matter if she's sorry!

Don't talk about me like I am not in the room. Meg-

MEG: Jo and I went off to the theater and Amy wanted to go, too, but wasn't invited. Jo was sharp about it-and so-

And so I threw Jo's book into the fire, and I feel like I murdered something and all I can say is I'm sorry.

MARMEE: I see. Well, Amy?

I am sorry. I'm truly, terribly sorry. Please forgive me, Jo. I'm very sorry.

MARMEE: Go with Laurie, dear. Don't think-just go.

I shall go, too.

MARMEE: Amy, do you really wish to make things worse?

I'm not invisible. I want to show her I'm sorry.

OLD MR. LAURENCE: Shall I fetch a doctor?

I'm fine! I'm fine!

MARMEE. Yes, my darling. Here's Amy, now.

Don't carry me, I'll stand. I'm so, so sorry Jo.

AUNT MARCH: I heard the littlest girl fell through the ice?

I'm all right now.

AUNT MARCH: But to fall through the ice!

Well it was dreadfully frightening. The edges of the ice were sharp and jagged. The water was as cold as Antarctica.

AUNT MARCH: I suppose to should take the girls home with me. It's a large home, but it contains many valuable and fragile items…

Aunt March, you are so very kind.

AUNT MARCH: Maybe I'll just take one girl, a small, pretty one with lovely manners.

Aunt March. You are the most kind. But it might cause jealousy and resentment if you took just one, and you can't take all. I fear it's not practical.

JO: And I shall be-

Father, uncle, and grandfather, all in one.

JO: We'll be gilded angels.

We will, we will!

MEG: Keep Beth there. We must get Amy out of the house.

Why?

BETH: Oh, Amy, I'm sorry. She is pernickety. But you manage her very well.

…Yes, I understand her.

LAURIE: I'll take Amy over in grandfather's carriage.

Good-bye, Beth!

RIGHT AFTER BETH'S DEATH, BEGINNING OF SCENE 4

I've been practicing Beth's carol. Laurie's helping me.

HANNAH: I've cleaned Father's study dusted all his books.

He won't arrive home today, Hannah. His letter said he'd arrive at Christmas.

HANNAH: A mere two weeks!

Father's tobacco!

(Brooke enters)

Mr. Brooke!

BROOKE: Forgive me for barging in-

You're home, Mr. Brooke! Is father with you?

BROOKE: No, he sent me on ahead. I bring his love and my love, and our extreme sorrow over Beth.

Yes, thank you.

BROOKE: Is-perhaps-anyone else at home?

Yes. Jo's home. Shall I call her?

BROOKE: Ah, no, no-just tell them all I'm home.

Your umbrella-

JO: Who was that?

Mr. John Brooke.

JO: And father?

Not yet. Father sent Mr. Brooke home ahead of him.

JO: Since when do we call him John?

He said he brings his love. He forgot his umbrella.

MARMEE: Girls! Someone's here to see you. Meg? Amy? Jo?

Yes, mother?

MEG: Oh my heavens, father!

It's Father!

FATHER: Hello, my dear Amy. Let's look at you, Meg.

Father, you're home! You're home!

MEG: I thought she was done with us forever.

Of course not. You just don't understand her.