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The Turn of The Screw
By Benjamin Britten
The Drury Theater
The Cleveland Play House
Prologue
The character, Prologue, relates a story written long ago by a woman once employed as the governess of two orphaned children in Bly, hired on the condition that she would never contact their guardian uncle in London, who was too busy to concern himself with them.
Act I
The Governess travels to Bly with apprehension. Her two young charges, Miles and Flora, and the housekeeper, Mrs. Grose, await her arrival. When the children welcome the Governess to the estate, she feels reassured about her decision to accept the job.
Mrs. Grose gives the Governess a letter stating that Miles has been expelled from school, which causes the Governess to momentarily recall her anxieties about Bly. Mrs. Grose says that Miles can be wild, but that he is not bad. As the Governess and Mrs. Grose watch the children innocently singing, they decide that the school officials are mistaken. The Governess resolves that she will not tell the children's guardian.
The Governess, increasingly enchanted by the children, strolls the grounds of Bly. Yet she has heard cries during the night and footsteps outside her door. Suddenly, she is startled at the sight of a man standing on the tower of the house.
As Flora and Miles ride a hobbyhorse, the Governess describes the apparition to Mrs. Grose. Mrs. Grose tells the Governess of the master's former valet, Peter Quint, his strange influence on the children, and his involvement with Miss Jessel, the former governess, who left pregnant and subsequently died. Mrs. Grose adds that Quint, too, later died, after a fall on an icy road. The Governess vows to protect the children.
The Governess is giving Miles a Latin lesson when he sings her a mysterious, plaintive rhyme.
As the Governess and Flora sit by a lake in the park, Flora names the seas she knows, ending with the Dead Sea. She sings to her doll while the Governess reads a book. When the Governess sees the figure of Miss Jessel across the lake, she hurries Flora away.
At night, Peter Quint and Miss Jessel try to lure the children outside. The ghosts disappear when the Governess and Mrs. Grose arrive. Miles tells the Governess, “You see, I am bad.”
Act II
Miss Jessel and Peter Quint reproach each other and discuss their desire for revenge. The Governess reflects upon the evil she fears.
In the churchyard, Flora and Miles sing a mock-Benedicite. Mrs. Grose comments upon the children's sweetness, but the Governess tells her of their bizarre conversation and behavior. Mrs. Grose urges the Governess to write their guardian, but she refuses. As Flora enters the church, Miles lingers to ask the Governess when he will return to school. When he makes mention of "the others," the Governess realizes what she is up against and decides to leave Bly.
The Governess enters the schoolroom to find Miss Jessel seated at her desk, lamenting her suffering. When the Governess challenges Miss Jessel, she vanishes. The Governess then decides to remain at Bly, but writes to the guardian.
The Governess tells Miles that she has written to his guardian. Quint's voice calls out to Miles, causing him to shriek. His candle goes out. Quint hovers over Miles, encouraging him to steal the letter before it can be sent. Miles slinks off to the schoolroom and takes the letter back to his bedroom.
In the schoolroom, Miles plays the piano for the Governess and Mrs. Grose while Flora makes a cat's cradle. When Flora slips away, the Governess and Mrs. Grose go off to find her. Miles exults in his successful ruse.
The Governess and Mrs. Grose find Flora at the lake. Miss Jessel appears, but only the Governess sees her. Flora, shouting abuse at the Governess, is led off by Mrs. Grose. The Governess regrets Mrs. Grose's desertion.
After hearing Flora's evil ravings during the night, Mrs. Grose decides to take her away from Bly. Mrs. Grose reveals that Miles stole the Governess' letter. The Governess, now alone with Miles, questions the boy, but Quint tells Miles not to betray their secrets. Miles becomes hysterical and admits stealing the letter. When the Governess urges the boy to reveal the name of his tormentor, he implicates Quint. His power destroyed, Quint vanishes, as Miles falls dead.
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