20 AQA A-Level Drama: Play Guide: Our Country's Good Scene 8: Duckling Makes Vows Duckling vows to an ill Harry that she will behave differently if he lives. She touches him and realises that he has died. She says she hates him, then that she loves him. She crouches down and cries. Scene 9: A Love Scene On the beach, Mary is practising her lines. Ralph joins her and replies in character. In a mixture of lines from The Recruiting Of cer and his own words, he asks Mary to bed him. They begin to undress. Scene 10: The Question of Liz The of cers discuss Liz, who didn’t defend herself at the trial. Collins points to the weaknesses of the case. Ross declares his contempt for the prisoners. Phillip says that, if she won’t speak, there is little they can do. Ralph encourages Liz to tell the truth. She nally says that she didn’t steal the food, but knew Kable was going to. It is decided that the play will go ahead and Liz will play her part. Scene 11: Backstage The Aborgine appears ill. The actors, including the grieving Duckling and freed Liz, prepare to go on stage. They practise their curtain call and Mary places herself in the centre. Dabby imagines that they can escape at the end of the play. Mary threatens to tell Ralph. Wisehammer now wants to remain in Australia where he feels that it won’t matter that he is Jewish. Sideway plans to start a theatre company, which others want to join. Ralph and Mary share a few affectionate words in private. Ralph offers the actors some last words of advice. Ketch threatens to hang Caesar, who has been brought in drunk, if he doesn’t go on stage. Ketch tells Liz he couldn’t have hung her. Wisehammer recites his prologue. Ralph says it is too political. The actors listen backstage to Kite’s rst speech, which is greeted with laughter and applause from the audience. 4Botany Bay, watercolour by Charles Gore, c1789 Task Summarise the play in no more than eight sentences. You will need to select the most signi cant events of the play. Consider what you feel is absolutely necessary and what you could leave out. Task In a small group, perform a threeminute version of the play, trying to capture its key actions. What do you discover about the characters’ relationships, moods and movements? Copyright: Sample material
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