Swiss Family Robinson: A Place For All Of Us

Act 2 Scene 12: Altercations

Elisabeth: Didn't Jacqui say she was the one who started them talking about leaving?

Laurence: Jacqui told us she didn't hear the whole conversation.

Jacqueline: (Reentering) Here they come!

Laurence: Oh, no. Not right now.

Fritz: (Entering) Mother, do you know where Abi is?

Elisabeth: (Edgily) She's washing the supper dishes.

Fritz: Alright. (Turns) What's wrong, Mama?

Elisabeth: (Pointing to Emily) She's what's wrong!

Fritz: What?!

Elisabeth: You! You're the real problem! You're the one that's destroying our family!

Emily: What are you talking about?

Elisabeth: Jacqui's just told us that you're trying to get Fritz to leave the island with you!

Jacqueline: That...that's not what I-

Fritz: She's not forcing-

Elisabeth: Just stay out of this!

(Slowly Jacqui leaves, Laurence and Fritz watch, rather horrified)

Emily: I'm not forcing Fritz to do anything!

Elisabeth: Forcing and manipulating are two different things!

Emily: I am not manipulating him!

Elisabeth: Why else would he want to leave this island?

Emily: Maybe of his own free will! Why would he want to stay here?

Elisabeth: His family is here.

Emily: Well, that doesn't count for much, does it? You don't care about him!

Elisabeth: Well, why should he care if the stranger he found on the island wants to leave?

Emily: Stranger! If you think he would want to stay on this island where no one really cares about him, maybe you're more of a stranger to him than he is to me!

Elisabeth: How dare you suggest I don't know my own son?

Emily: Well, you sure don't understand him very well.

Elisabeth: I understand him perfectly, thank you.

Emily: That's not what he told me.

Elisabeth: I only let you stay with us because Fritz convinced me to. I understood him. I didn't have to let you stay.

Emily: Oh, so now I'm some ragamuffin you took in out of the middle of the jungle!

Elisabeth: I didn't have to let you stay with us in our nice, comfortable treehouse. And I wouldn't have if I'd have known you were going to cause so much trouble!

Emily: Trouble! What trouble have I caused?!

Elisabeth: You're taking my oldest son away from me! I never approved of you two...

Emily: Surely that's not completely my fault-

Elisabeth: If you had never come, it would never have happened! Fritz could be happily married to Ariana-

Emily: (Quietly) So I wasn't what you were hoping for?

Elisabeth: Oh, did you think that? We'd been writing to Ariana and her family for months. Her father, who owns a large orange plantation, was more than willing to betrothe the two of them as soon as we landed in Australia.

Emily: (Turning to Fritz) Did you know about this?

Fritz: I-

Elisabeth: (Looking victorious) Of course he did!

Fritz: And I told you I wouldn't marry a girl I'd never met!

Elisabeth: Ariana Wembern was perfect!

Emily: So those oranges are more important than your own son!

Elisabeth: No!

Emily: I see it all now. You and Mr. Robinson would live comfortably in Australia, rich with oranges from an arranged marriage.

Elisabeth: How dare you!

Emily: And what about the rest of your children? Perhaps Abigail will inherit you an apple orchard and Franz a banana tree farm, if they as well are subjected to your cruelty?

Elisabeth: (Hurt) Stop! Where would you get such an idea? I care only for my children! You know that!

Emily: (Embarrassed pause; she feels guilty for saying what she did) And what about me?

Elisabeth: You're not my daughter.

Emily: No, no of course not. (Climbs down the ladder and runs into the jungle)

Fritz: Emily- (Starts to go after her but Laurence holds him back gently)

Laurence: Wait a little while, Fritz.

Fritz: (Exits into the next room)