“He is not my husband.”
Why it's great
Five flat words destroy the marriage everyone has been questioning her about.
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Use it yourself
He is not my partner, so ask him yourself.
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Christine Denies She's His Wife, Explained
Witness for the Prosecution · 1957
Chapter 10 of 27 · 3'05"
Christine is not there to defend her husband so much as to put him at arm's length. Asked if she loves him, she stalls, then drops "He is not my husband." The woman who promised an alibi has just told the court the marriage may not count.
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 0:29–1:42
Christine Drops a Bombshell: 'He Is Not My Husband'
73s - 2:01–2:23
❝ Monologue · 6 lines the lawyer's desperate tally
A few short lines carry the case from suspicion to total defeat in one breath.
22s
Christine Denies She's His Wife, explained
What happens
At Sir Wilfrid's chambers, Christine Vole is questioned about her love for Leonard. Instead of answering, she asks whether she is already under oath, then states flatly that she is not his wife: she had a husband still living in East Germany. Before leaving, she promises Leonard an alibi.
What's really going on
Christine answers every question about love with a question of her own, and that deflection is the whole performance. When Sir Wilfrid tells her the prosecution means to hang her husband, she replies, "He is not my husband," calmly wielding the very point that could save him. Her marriage was only "a form of marriage"; back in the Russian zone she may already have a husband. So her promised alibi is not simple loyalty — it is a woman making sure she owes Leonard nothing, and saying so in language the court cannot easily punish. Sir Wilfrid senses it: "That woman's up to something. But what?"
Key lines & what they mean
- “He is not my husband.”
- Her flat refusal to be Leonard's wife. It shields her from testifying against him and hints she was never legally bound.
- “One can get very tired of gratitude.”
- Her answer to being told she should be grateful. Gratitude, in her mouth, is a debt she has decided she no longer owes.
- “Do not worry, Sir Wilfrid. I will give him an alibi and I shall be very convincing.”
- Her goodbye promise. It sounds helpful, but the confidence of 'very convincing' is exactly what makes Sir Wilfrid uneasy.
- “Leonard? He worships the ground I walk on.”
- She says he adores her completely, yet the tone is contemptuous, as if his devotion is a weakness she has outgrown.
Theme
- Lies — Christine's true marital status is a lie kept for survival, now turned into a courtroom weapon.
- Trust — Neither Sir Wilfrid nor the audience can tell whose side Christine is really on.
What this chapter teaches
Teaching points
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Language points
Click a card to jump to its moment in the videoGolden lines
A great line in its own right — why and how to use it“One can get very tired of gratitude.”
Why it's great
Turning gratitude into something you tire of says more about survival than ingratitude.
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Neutral
Use it yourself
One can get very tired of being told to be thankful.
“Do not worry, Sir Wilfrid. I will give him an alibi and I shall be very convincing.”
Why it's great
She promises an alibi with total confidence, which is exactly what makes it unsettling.
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Neutral
Use it yourself
I will give you a reference, and I shall be very honest.
“Leonard? He worships the ground I walk on.”
Why it's great
An idiom of devotion reveals both his adoration and her cool distance.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
Ever since they met, he worships the ground she walks on.
Monologue
One character carrying the scene — shadow the whole passage❝ the lawyer's desperate tally
That woman's up to something. But what? The prosecution will break her down in no time when she's in the witness box. This case is going to be rather like the charge of the Light Brigade or one of those Japanese suicide pilots. Quite one-sided. With the odds all on the other side. I haven't got much to go on, have I? The fact is, I've got nothing.
A few short lines carry the case from suspicion to total defeat in one breath.
Up next · 11on the chance thatThe scene: Wilfrid Photographs Vole in PrisonTakeaways
What you walk away with- Five words can void a marriage in court.
- Gratitude can wear out when it is demanded.
- A confident promise of an alibi is its own warning.
- The lawyers end the scene with nothing to go on.
People also search
Questions, then the linesIs Christine actually Leonard's wife?
By her account, no. She says they only went through a form of marriage, and that she still had a husband living in the Russian zone of East Germany.
Why does Christine say she will give Leonard an alibi?
She claims she can back up his whereabouts and be very convincing about it. Sir Wilfrid, however, suspects she is up to something else entirely.
Does Christine still love Leonard?
She never answers directly. Asked point-blank, she deflects, and describes his love for her while revealing nothing about her own feelings.
Why does Sir Wilfrid distrust Christine?
Her answers are all evasions, and her promise to provide an alibi sounds too controlled. He tells Brogan-Moore that she is up to something but he cannot tell what.
Why does Christine's testimony matter so much for Leonard?
He faces a capital charge. If she will not stand by him, or if her testimony is discredited, the prosecution's case to hang him becomes far stronger.