we're done — A curt way to end questioning.
- No, sir. - That's all.Paths of Glory · 1957 — 第 11 / 17 章 · 5'00" · B2
Dax's Final Plea at the Court-Martial, Explained：a stain on something
The trial ends with two speeches. The prosecutor keeps it short — "this case speaks for itself" — and asks the court to find the accused guilty. Dax then protests the court itself, calls the charges "a mockery of all human justice," and begs the judges to show mercy.
あらすじ
At the close of the court-martial, the prosecutor argues briefly that the case speaks for itself and asks for a guilty verdict. Colonel Dax, defending, protests that no witnesses, written charges, or stenographic records were allowed, then delivers a closing plea: the trial is the true disgrace, and the court should show mercy.
注目の表現
speak for itselfa stain on somethingfind someone guiltyself-inflicted
00:00 / 05:00Space 再生 · ← → セリフ移動 · R リピート
いま
このシーンの表現
a stain on something
a mark of shame
The prosecutor calls the failed attack a stain on the flag, dressing blame as national shame.
That mistake left a stain on an otherwise fine career.
このシーンの他の表現
- speak for itself
needs no explanation
- find someone guilty
declare someone guilty
- self-inflicted
caused by oneself
- a mockery of
a travesty of
- go off without a hitch
happen with no problems
このシーンのメモ一覧
66 行のセリフに 25 件のメモ
get out of the trenches
Corporal Paris, why didn't you leave the trenches?knocked me out
Major Vignon was shot, and he fell back on top of me, sir, and knocked me cold.knocked me out — Casual; used for a hard blow or accident.
Major Vignon was shot, and he fell back on top of me, sir, and knocked me cold.past continuous: The continuous shows a state held throughout the whole attack.
And were you lying unconscious in the trenches during the entire attack?people who saw it happen
Have you any witnesses to that?question without do: An older, formal question form: have comes first, no do-support.
Have you any witnesses to that?you may leave
- Thank you. You may stand down.give your statement
Mr. Prosecutor, you can make your plea now.Two thats in a row merge; the first is barely heard.
And I submit that that attack...a mark of shame
The prosecutor calls the failed attack a stain on the flag, dressing blame as national shame.
was a stain on the flag of France...cleft sentence: The cleft puts the weight on us; the duty falls on us, not on others.
It is to us that the sad, distressing...declare someone guilty
The prosecutor formally asks the court to convict the accused and sentence them under military law.
I ask this court to find the accused guilty...lay out one's argument
since the court never allowed me a reasonable opportunity to present my case.passive gerund: Being prevented is a passive gerund, the object of protest against.
I protest against being prevented from introducing evidence...crucial to the defense
that I consider vital to the defense.a travesty of
Dax sums up the defense: the charge against these men makes a joke of human justice.
The case made against these men is a mockery of all human justice.keep troubling each of you
would be a crime to haunt each of you...For is reduced to a quick unstressed fer.
I can't believe that the noblest impulse of man — his compassion for another— can be completely dead here.be merciful to someone
show mercy to these men.Link mercy into to so it sounds like one word.
show mercy to these men.right there and then
And if the trouble doesn't subside at once, the prisoner will be shot on the spot.happen with no problems
Before the execution an officer orders that everything run smoothly with no mistakes.
Everything must go off without a hitch with the least possible delay...The t in hitch tends to drop before with.
Everything must go off without a hitch with the least possible delay...believe me — Spoken emphasis, often a mild threat.
But you can take it from me that I shall pass on any blame — and with interest「Dax's Final Plea at the Court-Martial」を読み解く
What's really going on
The scene is built on contrast. The prosecutor needs only a few lines because the verdict is already decided: "this case speaks for itself," he says, as if the outcome had nothing to do with him. Dax answers with a long, disciplined protest, listing everything the court refused — no witnesses, no written charges, no record — and then reverses the prosecution's language: the attack was not the stain, this court-martial is. His plea rises to 'a mockery of all human justice,' and he ends by asking the judges to show mercy, knowing they will not. The tragedy is in the tone: everyone in the room understands that the speeches are not deciding anything.
Theme
JusticeThe verdict is fixed in advance, and Dax's protest shows the forms of justice being used as their opposite.
PowerThe prosecutor needs no evidence because rank and the court's procedure already decide the outcome.
このチャプターで学べること
- A closed case needs no argument when the facts speak.
- The prosecutor turns a failed attack into national shame.
- Dax lists every broken rule, then asks for mercy.
- One quiet line from Paris says more than the speeches.
発音のポイント
- that that — Two thats in a row merge; the first is barely heard.
- compassion for — For is reduced to a quick unstressed fer.
- mercy to — Link mercy into to so it sounds like one word.
- hitch with — The t in hitch tends to drop before with.
Corporal Paris, why didn't you leave the trenches?The question that frames Paris's defense: he has no witnesses, so his account of being knocked out must be taken on trust.
No, sir. I guess everybody was too busy to notice me.Paris's answer about why no one can confirm his story, which quietly shows how alone he is in the courtroom.
But this court-martial is such a stain and such a disgrace.Dax turning the prosecution's word back on it: the real disgrace is the trial, not the men on trial.
The case made against these men is a mockery of all human justice.Dax's core charge: the case is not justice but a travesty of it.
I can't believe that the noblest impulse of man — his compassion for another— can be completely dead here.Dax appealing to the judges' shared humanity, asking them to feel what they are about to do.
Gentlemen of the court, there are times when I'm ashamed...Dax's opening line of the defense, quiet and devastating, setting up his protest against the court.
このシーンについての質問
What does the prosecutor argue in his plea?
He keeps it very short, says the case speaks for itself, calls the attack a stain on France, and asks the court to find the accused guilty under military law.
What is Dax's main argument in the defense plea?
That the trial itself is the disgrace, not the soldiers. He protests the lack of witnesses, written charges, and records, and calls the case a mockery of human justice.
Why does Dax say he is ashamed to be part of the human race?
Because of the trial he is watching: he cannot believe that compassion for others can be dead in the court, yet the verdict is being decided without real evidence.
What does "a mockery of" mean?
It means a travesty or a make-believe version of something. Dax uses it to say the charges are a mockery of all human justice.
What does Dax ask the court to do?
He begs the judges to show mercy to the accused, while making clear that the trial has already been decided against them.
突撃 · 全 17 章
すべて見る →
次のチャプター · 第 12 章prepare for the worstThe Condemned Men Eat Their Last Meal
第 1 章out of the questionBroulard Pitches the Anthill Offensive
第 2 章armchair officerBroulard Visits Dax at the Front
第 3 章the last refuge of a scoundrelMireau Orders Dax to Take the Anthill
第 4 章my word against yoursParis Accuses Roget After the Patrol
第 5 章as clear as mudThe Night Before the Attack
第 6 章take responsibility forMireau Orders Fire on His Own Men
第 7 章set an exampleGenerals Choose Three Scapegoats
第 8 章draw lotsDax Prepares the Accused Soldiers
第 9 章no-man's-landFerol Testifies at the Court-Martial
第 10 章you mean to tell meArnaud Testifies at His Court-Martial
再生中 · 第 11 章a stain on somethingDax's Final Plea at the Court-Martial
第 12 章prepare for the worstThe Condemned Men Eat Their Last Meal
第 13 章harden your heartFather Dupree Visits the Condemned
第 14 章nothing to itDax Makes Roget Command the Firing Squad
第 15 章a perfect tonicDax Bargains for the Condemned Men
第 16 章brace yourselfThe Priest Comforts the Condemned Men
第 17 章make me the goatBroulard Makes Mireau the Goat第 11 / 17 章 · 残り約 18 分