Rough for Theatre II by Samuel Beckett. Short summary

5 seconds

Morvan and Bertrand pour out the papers from the briefcase. They record the client’s entire life: statements from his spouse, neighbors, and random passersby. They decide whether their client should live or jump out the window.

1 minute

In the middle of the scene is a window. The time of day is night. There are two tables on the stage. One has a briefcase and a lamp, the other only has a lamp. The main characters Bertrand and Morvan come out. The men pour out the contents of the briefcase and begin to rummage through the papers.

It is clear from the dialogue that the heroes are unhappy with their free work. They speculate about the weather, whether or not there is a full moon outside the window, what planet is shining through the window, and about whether or not their client should jump in. The briefcase contains testimony from a variety of people. It is about the breakup of a marriage, his wife’s multiple abortions, and the refusal of intimacy. Nothing but sadness, anguish and pity.

One character tries to find something positive in the papers. For example, a big win. But it turns out that it wasn’t the customer who pulled the ticket. Bertrand and Morvan try to read the papers. It describes how the man, as a child, repeatedly ran away from home. The heroes decide that the past is dark as soot and the future is hopeless. They come to the verdict that the man needs to jump.