Plot Summary
There are no actual scene breaks
in the play as events often roll relatively smoothly into one another. However
there are a clear breaks within the action, usually indicated by a lighting
change and a speech from Alfieri, that enable us to split the play up into a
variety of sections that I have called ‘scenes’ here.
Act 1
Scene 1(pg 11)
·
Eddie returns, comments on Catherine’s skirt length
and tells Beatrice that her cousins have arrived
·
We learn about Catherine’s job offer, Eddie is angry
but is eventually persuaded to let her go
·
Eddie stresses the importance of keeping the
Beatrice’s cousins a secret, remembers Vinny Bolzano
·
Eddie delivers a good luck speech for Catherine,
Beatrice is angry at him, Catherine lights his cigar
Scene 2 (pg 26)
·
Marco & Rodolpho arrive, Catherine is instantly
attracted to Rodolpho, Rodolpho & Marco talk about
·
Rodolpho wants a motorbike, he sings ‘Paper Doll’,
Eddie makes Catherine change out of high heels
Scene 3 – A few weeks later (pg 34)
·
Eddie waits for Catherine and Rodolpho to come back
from the cinema, Eddies calls Rodolpho ‘a weird’
·
Beatrice confronts Eddie about not sleeping together
for 3 months, Louis & Mike say Rodolpho is ‘humourous’
·
Eddie confronts Catherine about Rodolpho and says
Rodolpho only wants to marry her for immigration papers
·
Beatrice tells Catherine to grow up and start
standing up for herself
Scene 4 (pg 45)
·
Eddie visits Alfieri to see if there is anything he
can do about Rodolpho and Catherine’s relationship
Scene 5 (pg 50)
·
Marcos & Rodolpho talk about their trip to
Africa, and the greater sexual freedom in the
·
Eddie tells Marco about the late nights out and
Rodolpho is made to promise he will come home early
·
Catherine, in an attempt to rebel, dances with
Rodolpho
·
Eddie and Rodolpho box, Eddie punches Rodolpho hard,
Marco lifts the chair in a threatening manner
Act 2
Scene 1 – 23rd December (pg 59)
·
Catherine tests Rodolpho – would he still marry her
if they were to live in
·
Catherine says that she can’t just turn her back on
Eddie
·
Catherine and Rodolpho sleep together
Scene 2 (pg 63)
·
Eddie discovers Catherine and Rodolpho have slept
together and threatens to throw Rodolpho out
·
Eddie kisses Catherine, he fights Rodolpho, he kisses
Rodolpho and then throws him out
Scene 3 – 27th December (pg 65)
·
Eddie visits Alfieri one last time to check there is
nothing he can legally do to stop Catherine & Rodolpho’s romance
Scene 4 (pg 67)
·
Eddie phones the immigration office, he learns that
Rodolpho and Catherine are going to marry, says ok
·
Catherine and Rodolpho have moved upstairs with two
other immigrants, Lipari’s nephews
·
Eddie panics, the immigration officers turn up, Marco
spits in Eddies face and accuses him of ‘murder’
Scene 5 – Some days later (pg 77)
·
Rodolpho and Alfieri visit Marco in jail and bail
Marco in return for a promise that he will not hurt Eddie
Scene 6 (pg 80)
·
Beatrice is going to the wedding but Eddie says she
can’t until Marco apologises for ‘taking his name’
·
Catherine is angry at Eddie, but Beatrice realises
they are all to blame
·
Rodolpho warns Eddie that Marco is coming (to kill
him) and tries to apologise
·
Beatrice tells Eddie that he really wants Catherine,
but he can’t have her
·
Marco and Eddie fight, Eddie is stabbed