THE QUALITY OF MERCY
A drama by Barry Smoot
“What do you want me to say? What possible thing can I tell you that will make this alright? I am mute. I am done. We chose to fall apart. All of us. And none of us has even had the courage to speak about it. Nobody abandoned him. Nobody left him to die. He did this all by himself. Fuck him for it. It’s cowardly. It’s shameful. My tears mean nothing. I have nothing left.”
—Drew, The Quality of Mercy, Act 2
THE PLOT
A family, estranged by the betrayal of the family patriarch, are united at the funeral of their wayward brother. The play explores how their childhood dynamics have not only molded who they are as adults, but how this has clouded relationships with subsequent generations.
THE CHARACTERS
JAMES HOLMES (43)—DREW and EMMA’s brother. Second born. A complete fuckup. Demanding and brutal. He is seen only in the prologue and epilogue. He is the deceased.
DREW HOLMES (45)—An artist. Brother to EMMA and JAMES. His life is in no way what he expected it be. Rebellious and straightforward. Somewhat aloof. He is a very proud father.
MARIA HOLMES (42)—DREW’S wife. She has ruled over their son, RO his entire life. Somewhat overbearing but with a good heart. Her job keeps her busy supporting their family.
RO HOLMES (21)—Son to DREW and MARIA. Just graduated college. All his life he has been a “golden child” but he has made some very bad decisions. He is the peacemaker. He is his Grandmother’s favorite and was very close to his grandfather.
EMMA HOLMES WALLACE (40)—A politician and former lawyer. Sister to DREW and JAMES. She has a substance problem.
EDWARD WALLACE (45)—EMMA’S husband. A military pilot. He plays by the rules. He thinks he is likable even though he is not.
MIA WALLACE (18)—EMMA and EDWARD’S daughter. Quiet and withdrawn. A damaged soul. We do not know why.
TRAVIS HOLMES (25) –The youngest child in the HOLMES family. An “accident.” Usually forgotten and pushed aside.
LOIS HOLMES (65)—Mother to TRAVIS, DREW, EMMA and JAMES. She is RO and MIA’S grandmother. She would do anything for her family. DREW is her favorite.
THE SETTING
The Holmes family home. It is a sturdy but weathered place, overgrown with things—mementos, pictures, furniture and remnants if the Holmes children. There is a living area that leads to dining area. It is dark, sturdy and feels strangely like a museum. Everything is in its place.
WRITER’S STATEMENT
THE QUALITY OF MERCY is based on my own experiences growing up in a dysfunctional family. After both my parents died when I was very young, the dynamics between the remaining children took an (expectedly) sharp turn.
Grief consumes people in different ways—it bring some families boundlessly together, but it shatters some families completely because they do not understand the quality of mercy and the true nature of love.
Where we come from has everything to do with where we are going. Our lives are full of tiny little moments that define us in unexpected ways. These seemingly inconsequential decisions shape the path that our lives will take and most of us don’t even realize that. It’s not bold strokes that define us, it’s the small quiet choices we make that reveal who we are and define our souls.
I wanted to write a play about family dynamics and the importance we have to place on compassion in order to have a fruitful life. Grief is just an equalizer. How we respond to both loss and to triumph defines us. For good or for bad, It will forever effect those around us.
In their grief, the Holmes family exposes one of those jarring moments of realization that expose them for who they truly are.
Warning: This play contains mature matter and language and is recommended for audiences 18+.
THE QUALITY OF MERCY is a work-in-progress
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