Adding A New Plot To Jez Butterworth`s Jerusalem

JOHNNY stares at the tall oak tree in front of him. JOHNNY rests his head on the oak tree and closes his eyes for a moment. JOHNNY then makes his way back to the caravan. PHAEDRA slowly approaches JOHNNY.

PHAEDRA. It s time to go home right?

JOHNNY. No. Now listen to me.

JOHNNY pours vodka in a mug he found on the floor. PHAEDRA sits down next to the rusty swing ball set.

JOHNNY. Your dad, Arthur, fought against weak little boys like TROY. He ain t no saint. Arthur grew up around here but never dared to touch the shit I sell to these rats but he helped me around with me business.

PHAEDRA. What really happened to him? Why is he still in prison? You told me he was innocent!

JOHNNY lights a cigarette and drinks the remaining vodka.

JOHNNY. He is.

PHAEDRA. Then why is he in prison?

JOHNNY. 1985, Brixton, he was only doing people good but those bloody bastards (beat) let s just say that

PHAEDRA. Say what?

JOHNNY. It wasn t his lucky day.

PHAEDRA looks down. Sounds from the fair become louder and laughter is heard. JOHNNY stands up and crouches down in front of PHAEDRA and wipes her tear.

End of Act Two.

Commentary

In this extract I tried to emulate Butterworth s style of writing and create a scene that takes place at the end of Act Two where Phaedra exits the caravan and she is shaking and trembling due to the heated argument between Johnny and Troy. One of the ways in which Butterworth adds more complexity to his characters is by his symbolic use of props. Therefore, I placed an oak tree in front of Johnny to further emphasise his cultural background and his deep connection with English folklore. & &The fact that Johnny rests his head on the oak tree connects this scene to Act Three where Johnny tells Phaedra about how he heard an oak tree cry . This shows that Johnny receives comfort and safety from the tree which is what an oak tree often symbolises because it is ancient and permanent. The rusty swing ball set also shows how Johnny provides a safe environment for Phaedra even though his place is considered unsafe by people showing how Johnny is perhaps trying to make Phaedra more comfortable and protect her. Butterworth also uses the rusty swing ball set in Act One which is linked to childhood. The adjective rusty also shows how Johnny s state of life is decaying every day and emphasises his isolation in society. The swing ball set also highlights Phaedra s innocence and once again reminds the audience that she is more vulnerable because of Troy s attitude towards her.

I also tried to adapt Phaedra s idiolect to this scene where she starts to use double or triple interrogatives which highlights her curiosity and also reinforces how vulnerable she is. This is because Butterworth also uses interrogatives which is why I used then why is he in prison? or what really happened to him? to highlight her curiosity. I also emulated Johnny s idiolect based on Act Three and his conversation with Phaedra. Johnny uses short sentences which shows how quickly he replies to Phaedra to avoid further questions which can uncover his secrets& this is also the language technique Butterworth uses. Therefore, his quick responses show how Johnny uses this technique as a defence mechanism. Johnny also uses little to no profanity in front of Phaedra which portrays him as a father figure and also a person who deeply cares about her. However, I introduced profanity which is Johnny s typical language where he starts to get frustrated by remembering a memory where he leads his sentence with bloody bastards , which is the first time he uses profanity in front of Phaedra but he stops and that s where I used a beat . Butterworth uses this technique where a character decides to change his tone or make a sudden decision but this time I used a beat to show how Johnny decides to stop his story to avoid hurting Phaedra s feelings which further highlights how protective he is over her and her fragile state. Therefore, after the beat , Johnny calms himself and cuts to the chase by saying it wasn t his lucky day which is followed by ellipses to further highlight his desire to keep Phaedra safe.

To make this scene more dramatic and add more complexity to Johnny and Phaedra s relationship, I introduced a new character, Arthur. He is Phaedra s biological father who was involved in Johnny s business but he was never involved in using the drugs which portrays him as a suitable father compared to Troy. His name is also inspired by king Arthur to add a legendary background to his life which is what Butterworth often uses for each character to shape their identity. Arthur s legendary background is linked to the incident that lead to his downfall by getting involved in the riot taking place in Brixton. However, his presence in this riot highlights his brave side and how he fought for his rights in juxtapose to Troy. The significance of this story further juxtaposes him to Troy and also reassures Phaedra that his real dad is a virtuous person which comforts her.

Butterworth also uses diegetic sounds to highlight Johnny s isolation from society which is why I decided to add sounds from the fair to create intimacy between Johnny and Phaedra. The last stage direction is inspired from Act Three where Johnny and Phaedra are dancing together which shifts their relationship status from having a father-daughter relationship to a possible romanticised relationship. The fact that Johnny crouches down to wipe her tear away shows how much he cares about her but this time more than a protective father figure. The verb crouches shows how Johnny is making himself more exposed and reinforces the idea of the intimacy created followed by the sounds from the fair which creates isolation to make this scene more private.