The Rose Tattoo

The Rose Tattoo Summary | Act 1, Scene 1 Summary

This play takes place in a village somewhere on the Gulf coast between New Orleans and Mobile. It is populated mostly with Sicilians. The first scene is evening and the stage is set with a cottage in need of some repair. The semi tropical location includes palm trees and pampas grass. The interior of the cottage is a bit gaudy with many religious articles and pictures; rose wallpaper and a rose carpet; everything is bright and overdone. There is a sign in the window that says "Sewing" and there are dressmaker's dummies inside the house.

As the scene opens, Serafina Delle Rose is sitting on the sofa waiting for her husband Rosario's return. She is a little plump and stuffed into her silk dress and she is wearing much jewelry. Her daughter, Rosa Delle Rose appears and tells her mother that she is catching lightning bugs. Suddenly, an old woman, Assunta appears and enters the house. She is an herbalist and practices alternative medicine from the old customs.

She tells Serafina that she has a powder to put in her husband's coffee to make him more potent and Serafina replies that he does not need that. Then she shares with the old woman how she knew that she had conceived just a few weeks ago. She had awakened with a burning pain on her left breast—a pain like a needle—quick, hot little stitches. When she turned on the light she saw the rose tattoo—Rosario's mark--and that is when she knew that she had conceived.

The old woman tells her that everything for her has to be different, that she needed signs and a wonder for all things, even talking to Our Lady. Serafina says that She gives her signs.

They return their talk to Rosario who is a truck driver and is making his last run tonight for the Brothers Romano. She is pleased he is quitting them because what he hauls underneath the bananas is not right even though he makes much money from it. Soon they will have their own house with all the modern appliances. She will be uneasy though until he returns tonight and she again smells the rose oil that he puts on his hair.

Assunta leaves and Serafina returns to the sofa rubbing her hands over her stomach luxuriously and exclaims that she is big with life! It is marvelous! Then a woman named Estelle appears and inquires about her sewing. She has a piece of silk from which she needs a shirt made by tomorrow. It is for her lover and she will pay double for the request and then offers even to pay her three times the normal rate.

Rosa yells out that the black goat is loose and Serafina steps outside to help. All alone in the parlor, Estelle takes the picture of Rosario, shoves it into her purse and runs from the house just as Serafina is coming back in.

Serafina yells to Rosa not to look at the Strega—the one they call a witch because she has a white eye and each one of her fingers is crooked. Even worse, she can give you the evil eye. She yells at her daughter to get into the house quickly as the old witch approaches. As she gets closer, Serafina crouches and covers her eyes while the old woman cackles. Serafina makes the sign of the horns with her other hand to ward off the evil eye.