大象传媒

Setting: A remote Moravian village.聽聽
Following the deaths of her sons, the mill-owner Grandmother Buryja lives with聽her two orphaned grandsons, 艩teva and Laca.聽聽Their step-aunt, the Kostelni膷ka (or church warden), is foster-mother to Buryja鈥檚聽other orphaned grandchild, Jen暖fa.聽聽The Kostelni膷ka and Jen暖fa live at Grandmother Buryja鈥檚 mill, which 艩teva will聽one day inherit.聽聽

Act I

Jen暖fa has become pregnant by 艩teva. She waits anxiously to hear if 艩teva has been聽conscripted into the army.聽 Grandmother Buryja scolds her for not getting on with her聽work.聽 Laca, who has been in love with Jen暖fa since their childhood days, complains聽that his grandmother has never loved him, and favours 艩teva.聽 He is trying to carve a whip聽handle but complains that the knife is blunt.聽 He asks the Foreman to sharpen it.聽 Jana, a聽herdswoman, jubilantly announces that Jen暖fa has taught her to read.聽 The Foreman聽confirms that 艩teva has not been drafted into the army.聽 Jen暖fa is thrilled but Laca is聽desolate.聽 A group of villagers and soldiers arrive with 艩teva, who is drunk.聽 艩teva boasts聽about his wealth and popularity with the girls, then forces Jen暖fa to dance.聽聽The Kostelni膷ka arrives and scolds 艩teva for his drunkenness.聽 She recalls her own聽unhappy marriage to Grandmother Buryja鈥檚 alcoholic younger son T贸ma, who beat her,聽and tells 艩teva that he cannot marry Jen暖fa until he has managed to stay sober for a year.聽聽
Grandmother Buryja orders everyone away, and 艩teva and Jen暖fa are left alone.聽 Jen暖fabegs him for some reassurance.聽 Initially 艩teva scolds her for nagging him, but then relentsand praises her beauty, particularly her rosy cheeks.聽 Laca overhears him.聽聽When 艩teva has gone, Laca confronts Jen暖fa, criticizing 艩teva for his overbearing聽behaviour.聽 Jen暖fa refuses to hear a word against 艩teva.聽 As Jen暖fa and Laca argue, his knife聽accidentally slashes her cheek.聽 Full of remorse, he runs off.聽 The Foreman shouts that he聽cut Jen暖fa on purpose.聽聽

Interval

Act II
Five months have passed.聽 Jen暖fa has given birth to a baby boy, now a week old.聽 Ashamedof the baby鈥檚 illegitimacy, the Kostelni膷ka has hidden the mother and child away,聽pretending that Jen暖fa has gone to stay in Vienna.聽 The Kostelni膷ka arranges a meeting聽with 艩teva, in the hope of saving her stepdaughter鈥檚 reputation, and gives Jen暖fa a聽sleeping draft.聽 When 艩teva arrives, the Kostelni膷ka implores him to see his son, and to聽marry Jen暖fa.聽 艩teva assures the Kostelni膷ka that he feels sorry for Jen暖fa.聽 He says that he聽will provide money in secret, as no one must know the baby is his.聽 But he refuses to聽marry Jen暖fa: now that her face is scarred he no longer loves her, and in any case he has聽become engaged to the Mayor鈥檚 daughter Karolka.聽 The Kostelni膷ka continues to plead,聽and 艩teva runs away.聽 The Kostelni膷ka curses him and his son.聽聽
Laca appears.聽 The Kostelni膷ka confesses to him that Jen暖fa never went to Vienna, andtells him about the child.聽 Laca wants to marry Jen暖fa but is reluctant to take on 艩teva鈥檚baby.聽 The Kostelni膷ka quickly lies that the child has died.聽 Laca leaves, promising toreturn and propose to Jen暖fa when she wakes up.聽 In desperation, the Kostelni膷ka decidesto murder the illegitimate baby, and runs with it from the house.聽聽
Jen暖fa wakes, and panics when she cannot find her baby.聽 She hallucinates that hehas been taken from her by angry villagers, then, as her head clears, guesses that herfoster-mother must have taken him to the Buryja mill.聽 To calm herself, she prays.聽 TheKostelni膷ka returns and informs her foster-daughter that she has slept for two days,during which time her baby died.聽 She also tells Jen暖fa that 艩teva no longer loves her, andurges her to marry Laca.聽 Laca returns and begs Jen暖fa to be his wife.聽 Still stunned at theloss of her son, Jen暖fa agrees.聽 As the Kostelni膷ka blesses the couple and curses 艩teva, she聽has a terrifying vision of divine vengeance.聽 Jen暖fa and Laca support her as she collapses.聽聽

Interval

Act III
On Jen暖fa鈥檚 wedding day two months later, the Mayor and his wife comment on theKostelni膷ka鈥檚 frailty and nervousness, and Jen暖fa鈥檚 sadness.聽 Laca tells Jen暖fa how muchhe loves her, and how their relationship has transformed his life 鈥� he is even prepared toinvite 艩teva to their wedding.聽 艩teva and Karolka arrive.聽 While Karolka chats cheerfullyand flirts with 艩teva, he seems ill at ease.聽 A group of village girls come to sing a weddingsong to Jen暖fa, and Grandmother Buryja prepares to bless the couple.聽聽
The wedding celebrations are interrupted by Jana, who announces that the frozencorpse of a baby has been discovered in the river.聽 Jen暖fa recognizes the baby as hers.聽 The聽villagers accuse her of infanticide, and call for her to be stoned to death.聽 Laca attempts to聽protect Jen暖fa, but it is the Kostelni膷ka who manages to silence the crowd, by confessingher crime.聽 She kneels to beg Jen暖fa鈥檚 forgiveness and is stunned when Jen暖fa asks her toget up: she understands that her foster-mother only committed murder in an attempt聽to protect her.聽 The Mayor leads the Kostelni膷ka away and the crowd disperses.聽聽
Jen暖fa and Laca are left alone.聽 She tells him that he should not marry a disgraced聽woman, and praises his goodness, assuring him that she forgives him for slashing her聽cheek.聽 Laca insists that he wishes to remain with Jen暖fa.聽 Overwhelmed by his loyalty,聽Jen暖fa declares that she can at last reciprocate his love, and that they will try to go on聽to make a new life together.聽聽