31 Plays in 31 Days, #3 - "Make Men Afraid"

[breakinglight11]

I mentioned I wanted to draw on actual history for a lot of Mrs. Hawking part 6. My official stance on how I'm interpreting the facts of the murder is that if history has a position on the event, is there are facts that are publically known, I deferred to the facts. But anything that is either in contention or unknown, I allowed myself the freedom to interpret.

One thing I'm including is the presence of the canonical final Ripper victim, Mary Jane Kelly. She's going to be a character that appears onstage in the story. I did a fair bit of research into her and my plan is to depict her in a way that humanizes her beyond just a body. Bernie pointed out that your average person definitely knows who Jack the Ripper is, even though we don't actually know his name, but probably don't know any of the victims by name. I am including a fictional character in addition to Mary Jane who will not be murdered, so as to not have her death make the whole business feel hopeless, but I wanted to make Mary Jane a person to give her some narrative weight.



Day #3 - "Make Men Afraid"
From Mrs. Hawking VI
By Phoebe Roberts

VICTORIA HAWKING, lady's society avenger, late forties
MARY JANE KELLY, a prostitute in Whitechapel, mid twenties
Ensemble, a RUFFIAN
~~~

(Whitechapel. MRS. HAWKING lurks among the denizens in plain clothes. MARY JANE KELLY enters, followed by a rough man who is harassing her. The other people move away, but MRS. HAWKING goes on guard.)

MARY JANE:

Have off, then! I don’t want no trouble, I just want to know about the Ripper!

(MRS. HAWKING steps in and knocks the man down. He comes at her with a knife, but she disarms him and chases him off.)

MARY JANE:

Cor blimey! How did you—?

MRS. HAWKING:

No matter.

MARY JANE:

(Gasps) I know who you!

MRS. HAWKING:

I beg your pardon?

MARY JANE:

You’re the avenger they talk of. The one who looks out for women.

MRS. HAWKING:

What’s your interest in the Ripper? It’s not safe to dig into that.

MARY JANE:

It’s not safe anyhow! Ain’t like there’s anywhere to hide while he’s out there.

MRS. HAWKING:

What do you think you’re doing?

MARY JANE:

I’m trying to find him.

MRS. HAWKING:

Find him? Why?

MARY JANE:

Because he’s killing us. The coppers have done nothing. We can’t wait any longer.

MRS. HAWKING:

You’ve no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into.

MARY JANE:

But women are dying! Somebody’s got to put a stop to it.

MRS. HAWKING:

Someone is. Stay off the streets, and you’ll live through this.

MARY JANE:

And go where? I could help you!

MRS. HAWKING:

I don’t need help from the likes of you.

MARY JANE:

And what like is that? Poor girls? Or just whores?

(Pause.)

MARY JANE:

I know how they talk about you. I don’t care what you think of me, I’m on your side— if everything they say is true.

MRS. HAWKING:

What do they say?

MARY JANE:

That you make men afraid.

(Pause.)

MRS. HAWKING:

Who are you? Where did you come from?

MARY JANE:

Limerick. And some Cardiff.

MRS. HAWKING:

You don’t sound it.

MARY JANE:

I’ve been to school some. We weren’t all of us always trash.

MRS. HAWKING:

What brought you here?

MARY JANE:

I’m a widow. My husband died in a mining accident. My family sent me away.

MRS. HAWKING:

For losing your husband? What really happened?

MARY JANE:

(Sighing) There weren’t no husband. But I had a baby, see? And no one in the village would have anything to do with me. So the nuns took him, and I was on my own.

MRS. HAWKING:

And there was nothing else for you?

MARY JANE:

Some of ain’t lucky. Don’t mean we deserve to die.

(Pause.)

MRS. HAWKING:

What can you do?

MARY JANE:

I’ve found something. Something nobody else has. A woman who knew them. All four of them.

MRS. HAWKING:

All four of the victims? But no one knew all of them. There’s been no connection between them.

MARY JANE:

Nothing the coppers could find. But I did.

MRS. HAWKING:

How?

MARY JANE:

By looking! I know the streets around here— do you?

MRS. HAWKING:

Who is it?

MARY JANE:

If I tell you— will you let me help you?

(MRS. HAWKING considers and relents with a nod.)

MARY JANE:

Her name’s Violet Strallan. And she’s promised to talk.