Anton Checkov’s “The Lottery Ticket”
Scene
1 at Home
Narrator: Ivan Dmitrich is
a middle class man with a satisfactory salary of 12 hundred per annum. He and
his family always have a wanting mind.
[The
camera opens with the lottery ticket and the show dims with Ivan reading a
newspaper]
Mrs.Ivan : I forgot to
look at the newspaper today. Look if our ticket number is there.
Ivan : It’s yours
.[Mrs.Ivan scoffs] she knows nothing about money and so she is stingy. If she
won it she would give me a hundred roubles and put the rest away under lock and
key
Mrs.Ivan : what’s the
number!
Ivan : [reads without wearing
his glasses] series 9,499 number 26.
Mrs.Ivan: what? [asks with
excitement]
Ivan: yes! It’s 9499 and 26
[doubtfully squeezing eyes] what’s in that?
Mrs.Ivan : Ivan, that’s
our number, no no no my number.
Ivan : Are you sure?
Mrs.Ivan: yes! It is.
[Mr.Ivan
gets up from sofa and looks as if he gets a lot of ice into his stomach]
[unable
to believe drops the newspaper and reads again]
Mr.Ivan : Marsha! It is
9499. So, you mean, we are rich. It’s our series. A 75 thousand prize amount.
We got the capital power, the power of money.
[Around them numbers
9499 & 75000 fly. Russian Currency falls on them]
[ Ivan walks corner to corner.]
Mr
Ivan (aside) : she will lock the money
up as soon as she gets it. she will look after her relations and grudge me
every farthing
Mrs.Ivan: It’s no use
waiting here. Come let us go and get the money from the office.
Ivan: come, we will go. Take
the tickets. Where it is?
Mrs.Ivan: it’s in the
kitchen. Go, get your keys first.
Ivan : yes, go.
[Ivan
rushes to the keyholder and takes it. Mrs.Ivan runs towards the kitchen and
takes the ticket from the salt box, and then they both meet at hall]
Mrs.Ivan: shall we leave?
Ivan: yes ! we shall.
[They
move towards the office with a very huge bag to carry the money.]
Scene 2 at the lottery ticket office
Officer: welcome sir,
welcome.
Ivan: I’m Mr Ivan and we have
got the lottery. [talks with hesitation]
Officer: oh ….sir, is that
you who purchased the ticket?
Mrs.Ivan: No! that’s me, who
bought it.
[Mr.Ivan
becomes blue and feels bad with anger.]
Officer: thank you, mam
and congratulations mam.
Mrs Ivan: thank you, where
is the money?
Officer: wait, a little
mam. Do you need a cup of tea or coffee?
Mrs Ivan: no, no . it’s
ok.
[A large sum of money is given to them, both
of their faces glow out of happiness. Mrs. Ivan catches the bag very tightly]
[Camera zoom into money
and faces.]
[Both
getting the money come out of the office. Ivan kicks the bike…. It is not
started.]
Mrs.Ivan: we must buy a
car dear? How long will you kick like a donkey?
[Ivan
stares.]
Scene 3 In front of Ivan’s house.
[The
scene opens with both of them getting out of the car. Their children, a
daughter and son also.]
[all
their way of costumes change. Mrs Ivan wears a very costly gown and mr.Ivan wears
a decent looking shirt and pant that made him look rich.]
Mrs.Ivan: should we buy an
estate of our own?
Ivan: sure, we would. But, before
that we must pay back our debts. let me call them.
Mrs.Ivan: ok.
[Phone rings]
Lender [split screen]:
hello…
Ivan: hello! If I could meet you, I would repay my debts.
Lender: is it? Atlast you
did my repayment. Where shall I meet you?
Ivan: just come to my
home.
Lender: sure, I would
[lender
enters]
Mrs.Ivan: welcome, please
be seated.
[looking
at the worn out sofa, he doesn’t sit]
Lender: thanks, if I could see mr.Ivan.
Lender : yes! He would
come now.
[offers
him an apple juice]
lender [looking at it]
[Mr.Ivan
enters with a bag of money in it]
Ivan: here is your
money.
Lender: mm. new car, new
dress…Ivan …lucky you’re.
Ivan: yes, I’m. see
you.
Mrs.Ivan: what next?
Ivan: look at our home,
does it look good? filled with old furniture like a garbage dump.
Scene 4 at the Furniture Shop
Salesman:
welcome sir ,welcome ma’am. What type of furniture do you need?
Mrs.Ivan: Show the
costliest sofa that would have high quality.
Salesman: sure, madam.
Ivan : we need brand
new, not the second hand things.
Salesman: sure sir. We
have all brand new furniture you’ll definitely like them.
Mrs.Ivan: Ivan, shall we
choose this? I like this one.
Ivan: sure, if you like
it, we shall take it.
Salesman: [aside] it seems,
he must have got lottery. Spending money like water.
Mrs.Ivan: we would take
this sofa [points the sofa that she liked]
Salesman: sure mam. Its
price is rupees 3000.
Ivan : fine. Where
shall we pay?
Salesman: come with me
sir. We will send the sofa to your address.
[Ivan
and salesman leaves]
Scene 5 at the new house
[ Sitting on one new sofa in his house.]
Ivan:
what next that you wish?
Mrs.Ivan
: a ground estate. That would be in Tula or Oryol provinces.
Ivan:
in the first place, we need a summer villa , it would always bring in an
income.
[Ivan makes a call]
Mrs.Ivan:
whom do you make a call?
Ivan
: to a dealer whom I know.
Hello….
Dealer[split
screen]: hello. Mr.Ivan. pleased to hear from
you.
[music –no dialogue]
Scene 6 at
summer villa
Dealer:
welcome, mr.Ivan welcome.oh welcome Mrs.Ivan and children welcome.
Ivan:
a warm welcome indeed. Thanks. the place looks cool.
Dealer
: hope, you would like the estate.
Daughter:
dad, the climate is wonderful.
Son
: I got a nice place to play.
[music
plays]
[Fishing, drinking and eating mushrooms]
[magazine reading ..Relatives rushing…bro, sis aunt, uncle]
Ivan:
wretched , destestable people.
Bro:
Ivan , my son has to pay school fees. If you give me 5000 , I will return it.
Sis:
Masha! All my lenders ask for money. I need to pay back and give me 10000. I’ll
return next week.
Uncle:
Ivan, you know my daughter’s marriage is next week.
Their in-laws ask for a new car. Could you
lend me your car?
Aunt:
Masha, your earring is so beautiful. Shall I borrow it for attending a wedding
Ivan:
[aside] They are such reptiles.
Mrs.Ivan : Ok I will Take
care of you.. You can leave now. [Exit]
Ivan
: Are you going to give them what they
ask for?
Mrs.
Ivan: Am I looking like a fool to you?
Ivan
: Ha Ha that is Masha ! I should go abroad, you know Masha, somewhere to the
south of France to Italy, to India.
Mrs.Ivan:
I should certainly go to abroad too.
Ivan:
[aside]
It
is pleasant to travel alone, she is a careless woman. she would be carrying a
multitude of parcels, baskets and bags. She would be sighing over something, complaining
that the train made her head ache, that she had spent so much money…At the
stations I would continually be running for boiling water, bread and
butter….she wouldn’t have dinner because of its being too dear….
she
would be grudge me every farthing, (with a glance at his wife).The lottery
ticket is hers, not mine ! besides, what is the use of her going abroad? What does she want there? she
would shut herself up in the hotel and not let me out of her sight…I know!
She had grown elderly and plain. She
was saturated through and through with the smell of cooking, while I was still
young, fresh and healthy and might well have got married again.(Showing a photo
of wedding)
“of course, all that is silly nonsense;
but ….why should she go abroad? I should be depended upon her.
[he looks at his wife, not with a
smile now but with hatred. She too glances at him with hatred and anger]
Mrs.Ivan
: I understood perfectly well what your dreams were. It is genuinely nice making daydreams at other
people’s expense!
I knew who would be the first to try to grab
my winning.
(Coming
into reality screen fades)
but
look at the number of the ticket
Ivan: series 9,499, number 46! Not 26!
Mrs.Ivan: what the hell?
[Both sit on the old sofa with gloomy
faces]
[Ivan
gets up and breaks the silence shouting]
Ivan
: What is the devil’s meaning of it? wherever one steps there are bits of paper
under one’s feet. The rooms are never swept! One is simply forced to go out.
Damnation take my soul entirely! I shall go and hang myself on the first aspen
tree!
