The Verge

The Verge Summary | Act 1 Summary

The Verge is a three-act play, originally produced in America in 1921, which addresses the plight of a creative, sensitive woman during the onset of the Women's Movement in the early 1900's. As Act I opens, the stage is set with an unusual-looking plant upon which a bright beam of light is directed. The beam is coming from the direction of a trap door in the floor. Everything else is dark and the sound of wind is heard, which creates an ominous atmosphere.

A buzzer sounds with a very definite pattern as if by code. Anthony, a middle-aged man, enters from the trap door and answers a telephone. By Anthony's answers, it is discernible that the weather is becoming more extreme, and that Anthony is to check the temperature in the room immediately, so the plants will not be placed in jeopardy. Anthony acknowledges the directions and descends again into the trap door. The curtain closes.

Soon after, the curtain opens and the scene is the interior of a greenhouse on a sunny, snowy morning. Snow is seen blowing and piling up outside the windows, which are covered with icy patterns. Plants abound in the room and are placed on every available shelf and nook, but they are all dwarfed by one plant in particular. This unusual plant is huge, clings to the back wall, and is the first indication that this is not an ordinary greenhouse, but possibly some type of experimental lab.

Anthony is seen preparing soil, checking thermometers, and going about his work until a buzzer sounds again. The buzzer does not emit the same pattern as before, so Anthony ignores the sound and continues to work.

Suddenly, Harry Archer, the man of the house, enters the greenhouse in a gust of wind and snow. Anthony is annoyed to have been interrupted so rudely and is concerned that the cold temperature will have adverse effects on the plants. Harry asks Anthony why he didn't answer the buzz a few moments ago, to which Anthony can only reply that Claire, Harry's wife, has instructed Anthony to answer no buzz but hers.

Annoyed at this special buzz code and lack of attention to his own needs, Harry continues to question Anthony about why there is no heat in the house but that the greenhouse is very warm. Anthony can only reply that Claire has ordered that the heat from the house be diverted to the greenhouse so that the health of the plants is not jeopardized during this extreme weather.

There is a special plant inside called "The Breath of Life," which is about to flower, and Anthony has been given strict instructions to keep it alive at all costs. Harry wonders incredulously about his own welfare in favor of that for the plants and leaves the greenhouse in a swirl of snow blasting through the open door. Anthony does not look up and returns to the task at hand.

Soon after Harry leaves, Hattie, the maid, enters the greenhouse with the provisions to make breakfast at Harry's request. Anthony is surprised at yet another intrusion and cannot understand why the greenhouse plants have been placed at risk for these insistent mortals.

Harry returns to the greenhouse and assists Hattie in breakfast preparation for the house guests, Tom and Dick, who have been notified that the meal will be served in the greenhouse because the main house has no heat. Claire enters and is astonished that Harry has invited even more people to intrude upon the sacred space of the greenhouse.

Ignoring Hattie and Harry, Claire and Anthony launch into discussion of the plants, particularly the one called, "The Edge Vine." The plant is not thriving, and Anthony tries to divert Claire's gloom by reminding her that "The Breath of Life" will soon be opening. It is clear that these two plants are significant, but the reason is not yet clear.

Dick, he first house guest to arrive, engages in a convoluted discussion about salt for the eggs with Harry who realizes that the salt must have fallen into the snow on the journey from the main house. Uncomfortable with the state of the household in which he is a guest, Dick tries to maintain some sort of manners and asks Claire about her work with the plants. Claire tries to explain the significance that the plants have for her but is able to utter only stilted sentences which ends in her pushing one of the eggs off the table in her exasperation.

Claire retreats to an inner room while Harry and Dick discuss her odd behavior. Harry confides that he is considering asking a doctor friend of his to come to the house to observe Claire's behavior.

Tom arrives at the greenhouse door, which Claire has locked to eliminate any more intrusions and temperature fluctuations. Unfortunately, Harry and Dick have their backs to the door and cannot see Tom gesturing or hear his knocks to get into the room. Finally Harry and Dick do see Tom and try to gesture to him that they do not possess the key to unlock the door. Tom has a gun in his hand and makes comical gestures of shooting himself in an effort to get other men to sense his urgency to get the door unlocked.

Claire finally comes back into the main room and agrees to unlock the door but only after sending Tom back to the house to retrieve salt, so the door will not have to be opened any more times than necessary. Tom, unfortunately, returns with pepper but Harry, Dick, and Tom resign themselves to eggs without salt and continue on with their breakfast and more questions for Claire about her greenhouse activities.

Once more, Claire tries to explain herself and becomes increasingly exasperated when the men cannot grasp her meaning of the joy of just letting things grow whichever way they want without restriction. Claire leaves the men to their breakfast and leaves to help Anthony in another room.

Harry confides that he had hoped to get some advice from Tom and Dick about what to do with Claire, but Tom and Dick do not seem concerned with Claire's behavior and Harry fears that any dialogue from them will just encourage his wife. At last Tom tells Harry to just let Claire go on as she is, that her activities are harmless enough. Harry is annoyed that the other two men cannot grasp his frustration and leaves to smoke.

Tom confides to Dick that he loves Claire but knows that any return of the affection is impossible and has decided to leave for India. Another buzz of the phone brings word that Elizabeth, Claire's 17-year-old daughter from a previous marriage, has arrived for a visit. Tom tries to get Claire to come to the phone but to no avail, and Harry ultimately brings Elizabeth to the greenhouse.

Claire emerges halfway out of the trap door and awkwardly embraces her daughter. The two women are not comfortable with each other, Claire being more ill at ease than Elizabeth. Elizabeth is obviously well mannered and cultured and attempts to please Claire, who resists any show of affection. Claire is especially adamant about Elizabeth's not getting involved in the work with the plants.

Claire's frustrations rise again as she attempts to explain the significance of the plants in her own life. To Claire, it is enough that the plants grow with abandon and that they are new varieties although not necessarily bred to be superior. This concept is foreign to Elizabeth, who thinks that anything new should at least be better.

The fact that her own daughter cannot grasp her intent pushes Claire to the point of wanting "The Edge Vine" destroyed, and Claire continues to do just that, pulling the plant out of its pot, roots and all. Claire attempts to strike Elizabeth with the uprooted plant but Harry intervenes and escorts Elizabeth from the greenhouse. After they leave, Claire says that she feels light now and asks Tom to say something pleasant about God and cautions him to be careful because she knows that He is not far away.