Let and shrink to a soft n before I.
There is blood in the water, and I let the witness swim on.National Theatre Live: Prima Facie · 2022 — 第 2 / 22 章 · 4'01" · C1
Ensler Corners the Witness, Explained：blood in the water
She lets a witness feel in control, then circles the box until one question lands. It sounds like a polite clarification. It is not. "There is blood in the water, and I let the witness swim on." The judge and the other lawyers already cringe for him; he still thinks he is the cat.
あらすじ
In court, the accused's barrister narrates the questioning. She lets the witness feel safe, flicks through pages, and circles until one question breaks him. The prosecutor's eyes warn him too late. The judge makes Mr Bateman answer, then tells Ms Ensler she already has it. She submits there is no case to answer, and notes the rule: a winner does not flaunt it. Barristers call a loss coming second.
注目の表現
blood in the waterjust to clarifyin his elementkeep your wits about you
00:00 / 04:01Space 再生 · ← → セリフ移動 · R リピート
いま
このシーンの表現
blood in the water
a weakness is already showing
She says it while he is still swimming, cold rather than shocked.
There is blood in the water in that draft, so read the last page slowly.
このシーンの他の表現
- just to clarify
a polite preface before a harder point
- in his element
at home in a setting that suits him
- keep your wits about you
stay sharp and do not get tricked
- fucked
ruined, with no clean way out
- no-brainer
so obvious it needs no debate
このシーンのメモ一覧
74 行のセリフに 33 件のメモ
flip through as if it hardly matters
Stop, flick through some pages.see the bad turn before it lands
The judge and the other lawyers, they know what's coming.left dislocation: The people are named first, then they point back.
The judge and the other lawyers, they know what's coming.wince on someone else's behalf
They know, they cringe for him.no idea at all — Fine in private anger, not to a judge.
Still, no fucking clue!a polite preface before a harder point
The polite preface arrives after the circling, and it is sugar on a closing net.
'And, I'm sorry but, just to clarify,see how the whole story fits picture means the whole story, not a drawing
'it will help me get the full picture.'a contemptuous roll of the eyes — Fine for disdain, not for a formal record.
Was that an eye roll from him?participle phrase: turning tells which lawyer, instead of a new sentence.
But if he was watching the prosecution counsel, the guy turning his head down to the table,unreal conditional: The if-clause is unreal: only a less cocky man would notice.
If he wasn't so sure, so cocky, he'd feel it. Danger.arrogantly sure of himself — Use it for swagger, not in a written review.
If he wasn't so sure, so cocky, he'd feel it. Danger.on the verge of doing it
Something is about to go down but no, he's in his element.at home in a setting that suits him
Danger is already there, and the line still puts him at home in the witness box.
Something is about to go down but no, he's in his element.Keep to short after about, and do not stress it.
Something is about to go down but no, he's in his element.a brief uneasy look
I ask my question. A strange flicker across his face.stay sharp and do not get tricked
The prosecutor cannot speak, so the narration lends his eyes a warning.
His eyes are straining, trying to say, 'Don't. Don't. Keep your wits about you. Don't fall into this trap.'walk into a trap already set
His eyes are straining, trying to say, 'Don't. Don't. Keep your wits about you. Don't fall into this trap.'Slide from about into you without a breath.
His eyes are straining, trying to say, 'Don't. Don't. Keep your wits about you. Don't fall into this trap.'Make each bang shorter than the one before.
Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.total collapse not physical destruction; the witness is demolished
Face, shock. Utter annihilation.Let the t in utter tap, and do not stop dead.
Face, shock. Utter annihilation.a stupid fool, said in anger — A hot insult, not something you say in public.
You fucking idiot!watch someone squirm in public sweat means panic, not necessarily real sweat
But here I am. Watch the witness sweat.not until this moment
Now for the first time, he actually sees me.patience is used up
The judge has had enough, the man is destroyed, he knows my tactics.the questioning stops here
I do. 'Thank you, Your Honour, I have no further questions.'no use doing it again
No, there is no point digging his witness in further. It's a no-brainer.bury your own witness deeper dig in means trapping the witness, not digging soil
No, there is no point digging his witness in further. It's a no-brainer.ask the judge to throw the case out
I submit 'there is no case to answer', call for a dismissal.not allowed to show the win off
The barristers' rule is the winner can't flaunt it.content clause: What follows is the rule; that is simply left out.
The barristers' rule is the winner can't flaunt it.relative clause: who picks out the person who loses tomorrow.
Every winner might be the one who loses the next day.「Ensler Corners the Witness」を読み解く
What's really going on
The courtesy is the weapon. She lets him lean back and feel safe, then tip-toes in and flicks through pages so the strike looks like a clarification. "There is blood in the water, and I let the witness swim on." The judge and the other lawyers already cringe and lean forward; the jury and the gallery have no idea; the man in the box still has no clue. He thinks he is the cat and she is the mouse. The prosecutor's eyes try to say "Keep your wits about you." Then shock, dawning, hatred. She stays professional, uses her sweetest voice because he will not answer, and smiles when the judge makes him speak into the microphone. Out loud she thanks the court and submits there is no case to answer. "It's not emotional for me. It's the game." Winners must not flaunt it. Any of them might lose the next day, and they do not call that losing. They call it "coming second."
Theme
PowerShe lets the witness feel safe, then corners him while the lawyers watch and the gallery has no idea.
DeceptionA polite just to clarify hides the strike, and she calls the whole cross-examination a game rather than a feeling.
発音のポイント
- and I let — Let and shrink to a soft n before I.
- about to — Keep to short after about, and do not stress it.
- about you — Slide from about into you without a breath.
- Bang. Bang. Bang. — Make each bang shorter than the one before.
There is blood in the water, and I let the witness swim on.She can already see the witness is wounded, and she deliberately lets him keep talking until he swims into the trap.
He thinks he is the cat and I am the mouse.The witness is sure he is the predator and she is the prey, which is exactly the mistake she wants.
What just happened? It's not emotional for me. It's the game.Once he is destroyed she refuses to treat it as feeling. For her, this is a game of law.
The barristers' rule is the winner can't flaunt it.Even after she wins, the code of the bar is that the winner does not show off.
Every winner might be the one who loses the next day.Any winner can lose the next day, so nobody's victory is safe enough to parade.
We don't call it losing. We call it 'coming second'.Inside this profession a loss is renamed second place, a softer word that still admits the ranking.
このシーンについての質問
Why does she let the witness feel safe?
The confidence is the trap. There is blood in the water, and she lets him swim on, lets him feel his control, then tip-toes closer. If he were less cocky he might sense the danger. Instead he thinks he is the cat and she is the mouse.
Why do the other lawyers cringe when the jury does not?
They know what is coming. The judge and the other lawyers cringe for him and still lean forward because they love it. The jury and the people in the gallery have no idea, and the man in the witness box has no clue.
Why does the prosecutor not re-examine?
There is no point. The prosecutor stands, but does not go on. Digging his witness in further would only make it worse, and the narration calls that a no-brainer.
Why is the winner not allowed to flaunt it?
It is the barristers' rule. The winner cannot flaunt it, because every winner might be the one who loses the next day. They do not call that losing. They call it coming second.
ナショナル・シアター・ライブ2022／プライマ・フェイシィ · 全 22 章
すべて見る →
次のチャプター · 第 3 章What's new?Tessa Comes Home After the Win
第 1 章play it coolEnsler Lets the Witness Talk
再生中 · 第 2 章blood in the waterEnsler Corners the Witness
第 3 章What's new?Tessa Comes Home After the Win
第 4 章crème de la crèmeThe Dean's Induction Warning
第 5 章manoeuvred his way aroundEveryone Is Watching at the Party
第 6 章ethical tightropeSophie Walks the Tightrope
第 7 章burn the midnight oilAfter Hours in Chambers
第 8 章get under their skinTessa Baiting the Sergeant
第 9 章her word against hisJenna's Word on Trial
第 10 章justify the costTessa's Date Ends in Vomit
第 11 章legal truthTessa Asks for the Police Station
第 12 章no armourTessa Enters Court Without Armour
第 13 章get someone offsideTessa's Police Interview
第 14 章in the hands ofTessa Agrees to Testify
第 15 章psyche myself upTessa Is the One on Trial
第 16 章go through with thisUp to the Witness Stand
第 17 章put it down toTessa Runs into Julian
第 18 章cross-examining myselfCross-Examining Herself in Court
第 19 章in the darkWitness Faces the Cross-Examination
第 20 章fall for itTessa Remembers on the Stand
第 21 章news to meTessa Loses Faith in the Law
第 22 章litmus testWitness Calls Out the Rape Law第 2 / 22 章 · 残り約 69 分