Seascape

Seascape Summary | Act 1 Summary

Seascape opens on a beach where an older couple, Charlie and Nancy, has just completed a picnic lunch. The sound of a jet overhead interrupts their conversation as Nancy tidies their lunch items. Nancy is in awe of the aircraft but Charlie thinks that one will crash into a sand dune one day.

Content after his lunch, Charlie is prepared for a nap but Nancy is in a mood to talk about her love of the water and the desire to be near it forever. In fact, her ideal life would be to travel all over the world going from one beach to another. Charlie is less than enthusiastic about her dream, preferring to not do anything or go anywhere.

Angered by Charlie's blasy attitude, Nancy rants that life is short and they need to plan some adventures. If Charlie is unwilling to go along, Nancy will proceed with adventures of her own. Weary of this line of conversation, it seems as if Charlie may be content to go the way of a retirement home for some rest, while that is the last thing on Nancy's agenda.

A jet overhead again distracts the couple and Nancy steers the conversation back to finding their zest for life again. Nancy reminds Charlie of his childhood dream to live underwater. Stirred by this fond memory, Charlie relates how he used to hold two heavy rocks and let himself sink into the lake to see how long he could stay underwater. Despite Nancy's attempts to encourage Charlie to try this again, Charlie obstinately refuses, passing the idea off as childhood fancy.

Desperately trying to get some sort of reaction from her husband about anything, Nancy brings up the subject of their sex life, and the question of whether Charlie has ever had an affair. At one point when the couple had been married ten years, Nancy suspected Charlie's infidelity because of his indifference and tension. Charlie affirms that Nancy's suspicions are just that and there is no truth to the issue.

Satisfied for now, Nancy again brings up Charlie's dream of living underwater and urges him to try it again, even offering to go with him if he would demonstrate how to do it. Charlie refuses again and diverts the conversation back to their marriage, telling Nancy that she has been a good wife. Nancy replies with statements validating Charlie's merits as a good husband and father, but there is an edge of sarcasm and wistfulness in her tone. This hurts Charlie and the couple argues.

Nancy cannot comprehend that Charlie is content to spend the rest of their life together resting when there is so much to see and do in the world. Unbeknownst to the couple, a large lizard creature peeks out from a rock behind them. Nancy mentions the need to write postcards to the family and tries unsuccessfully to get Charlie to join her.

Now a female lizard joins the male lizard and the two peek out behind rocks. Sensing a presence behind him, Charlie turns to see the two lizards. Nancy's gaze follows his and she, too, sees the lizard creatures.

Nancy, who is in the mood for adventure anyway, is delighted at the sight of the creatures, but Charlie is afraid and urgently asks his wife to find a stick for defense against them. Nancy produces a very inadequate twig, which further enrages her husband. Only when the male lizard makes a frightening noise while clearing his throat does Nancy show any sign of fear.

Having located a more appropriate sized stick to use as a possible weapon, Charlie brandishes it above his head. The couple declares their love for each other as if they are in danger of imminent demise. Suddenly, the two lizards move forward a bit just as another jet flies overhead. The sound frightens the lizards back behind the rocks.

For a moment, Charlie and Nancy have a chance to collect themselves and Charlie feels sure that the creatures must surely be the result of having eaten rancid liver paste for lunch. Perhaps the whole scene had been a fantasy witnessed in the almost certain death that bad liver paste would cause. Nancy is not fazed by her husband's raving and is delighted when the lizards reappear.

At this point, Nancy is the clear-headed one and suggests lying on the ground to show submission so the lizards will not attack. Charlie's dignity completely affronted now, he agrees to lie on his back with his arms and legs extended in an animalistic gesture that he hopes will save them from whatever cruel fate the lizards could inflict. As one last effort, Nancy encourages her dour husband to smile and mean it.