CCSS
R.1, R.2, R.3, R.4, R.6, R.7, W.3, SL.1, L.5, L.6
The Tell-Tale Heart
A play based on Edgar Allan Poe’s creepy story of madness and murder
Art by Lisa K. Weber.
PROLOGUE
antrik71/Shutterstock.com
All ravens: Caw, caw, caw!
R1: Long before zombie movies and vampires on TV . . .
R2: Back in the days of carriages and candlelight . . .
R3: A man named Edgar Allan Poe wrote stories.
R4: Scary stories . . .
R1: One of them is about a man who lost his mind.
Madman (interrupting): Lost my mind? I am not crazy!
R2: Not crazy? Ha!
Madman: I am not! I will prove it.
All Ravens: Caw, caw, caw!
R3: And so our tale begins . . .
SCENE 1
R4: An old man sits up in a big wooden bed. He does not know that his roommate is crazy.
Old Man: Would you please bring me some tea?
Madman: Of course.
Old Man: You don’t look well. Did you not sleep last night?
Madman: I’m fine.
Old Man: Do you have a headache? I’ll fix you something.
Madman: No, no. Here is your cup of tea.
Old Man: Thank you.
R1: He is such a kind old man.
Madman (to the audience): It’s true. He has never done me harm.
R2: But . . .
Madman: He has this one sickly eye.
R3: It is pale blue, with a film over it.
Madman: When it looks at me, my blood runs cold.
R4: That revolting eye.
Madman: I cannot stand that eye!
R1: That evil eye.
Madman: I must get rid of that eye!
R2: So he makes up his mind.
Madman: I must kill the old man and be rid of the eye . . .
All Ravens: Forever!
Art by Lisa K. Weber
LOOK OUT, OLD MAN!
The madman has decided that he must kill the old man and his evil eye.
SCENE 2
R3: It is late at night.
R4: The old man is snoring.
Old Man (snoring): Sssssnnnnuuuhh.
R1: The door opens very slowly.
R2: The madman tiptoes in with a lantern.
Madman (to the audience): Night after night, I creep into the old man’s room.
R3: He shines a light onto the man’s face.
Madman: But every night the eye is closed.
R4: So he waits.
Madman: After all, the man does not bother me.
All Ravens: It is his ghastly eye!
Madman: But then, on the eighth night . . .
R1: The madman bumps into a chair.
R2: The old man sits up.
Old Man: Who’s there?
R3: The madman freezes.
Madman: For an hour, I stand still in the dark.
R4: The old man listens for noise.
Old Man (scared): Ohhhh . . .
Madman: Then I shine my light on the eye.
All Ravens: It is open!
Madman: Wide open! And then I hear it.
Heart: Thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump.
Madman: It is the beating of the old man’s heart.
R1: It beats faster and faster.
R2: Louder and louder.
Heart: THUMP-THUMP, THUMP-THUMP, THUMP-THUMP.
Madman: I can stand it no longer. I leap. Ahhhhhh!
All Ravens: Ahhhhhh!
Old Man: Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!
R3: The light goes out.
Madman: The deed is done.
All Ravens: The old man is dead.
SCENE 3
R4: The sun is rising.
R1: There is a loud knock at the door.
R2: The madman hums as he walks to the door.
R3: He opens it to find two police officers.
Madman: Good morning.
Officer 1: We received a call.
Officer 2: A scream was heard . . .
Madman: A scream?
Officer 1: Like this, “Ahhhhhh!”
Officer 2: Is everything OK?
R4: The madman smiles.
Madman: I must confess . . .
R1: The officers raise their eyebrows.
Madman: The scream was mine. I had a bad dream.
Officer 1: May we come in?
Officer 2: Look around?
Madman: Yes, of course.
R2: The officers enter.
Madman (to the audience): I am not worried. I hid the body well.
R3: He taps his foot.
Madman: Under the floor.
Officer 1: Who lives here with you?
Officer 2: And why isn’t he here?
Madman: The old man went on a trip. Would you like to see his room?
Officer 1: We would.
Officer 2: Yes, please.
SCENE 4
R4: The officers find nothing out of place.
Officer 1: Everything looks fine to me.
Officer 2: Quite normal.
Madman: Would you like a cup of tea?
Officer 1: Yes, please.
Officer 2: Lovely, thanks.
R1: The madman leaves the room.
Officer 1: Nice fellow.
Officer 2: Quite friendly.
R2: The madman returns with a tray.
R3: He has a strange smile on his face.
Madman (to the audience): They are drinking their tea on the spot where I hid the body.
Officer 1: Ah, this is fine tea.
Officer 2: Warms the bones.
Madman (to the audience): They don’t suspect a thing.
Art by Lisa K. Weber
Tick-tick, tick-tick
The madman is driven crazy by the sound of the old man’s beating heart. But the police don’t notice!
SCENE 5
R4: After a while, the smile fades from the madman’s face.
R1: He wants the officers gone.
R2: See how he fidgets.
R3: See how he sweats.
Madman: Why won’t they leave?
Officer 1: The fall season is here.
Officer 2: Yes, leaves fall in the fall.
Madman: My ears start ringing.
R4: There is a ticking sound.
Heart: Tick-tick, tick-tick.
R1: The ticking gets louder.
Heart: Tick-tick, tick-tick.
R2: The madman looks around.
R3: Where is the noise coming from?
R4: The madman stands up.
R1: Can’t the officers hear it?
Heart: TICK-TICK, TICK-TICK.
R2: The sound is like a watch.
R3: Or a clock.
All Ravens: Or a bomb.
Madman (to the audience): Yet they go on as if nothing were wrong!
Officer 1: I like walking on fallen leaves.
Officer 2: Crunch, crunch, crunch.
Heart: THUMP-THUMP, THUMP-THUMP.
Madman: How can they not hear it?
R4: The madman grabs his head.
R1: He covers his ears.
Heart: THUMP-THUMP, THUMP-THUMP.
R2: The madman looks up.
Madman: Of course! Now I understand. They know!
R3: About the old man!
R4: About the murder!
Madman: Yes! They are mocking me with their smiles.
Heart: THUMP-THUMP, THUMP-THUMP.
Officer 1: Well, we really should be going now.
Officer 2: Thank you for the tea.
R1: The madman’s face is bright red.
R2: He feels he must scream.
R3: Or die.
Madman: Ahhhhhh!
R4: The officers stare at the madman.
Madman: I did it! I killed him!
R1: The madman drops to his knees.
Madman: He’s under the floor. Tear it up! Make the sound stop!
Officer 1: The sound?
Officer 2: What sound?
Madman: The beating of the dead man’s heart!
All Ravens: Caw, caw, caw!
R2: The madman collapses.
R3: The lights go dark.
