Plot summary By the Bog of Cats

1 plot summary

1.1 act one
1.2 act two
1.3 act 3

plot summary
act one

at beginning of play, hester dragging dead black swan across snow , ice @ bog of cats. ghost fancier has come collect her, realizes hester still alive. ghost fancier exists , says return @ later time. hester’s neighbor, monica, enters , attempts convince hester accept impending marriage between hester’s former lover, carthage, , younger bride, caroline cassidy. upon marriage, carthage inherit cassidy’s father’s farm. while digging grave swan, hester talks catwoman how mother, big josie, left in swan’s lair infant, , claimed: “that child…will live long black swan, not day more, not day less. during conversation, audience learns hester has been waiting on bog of cats mother, big josie, since abandoned @ age 7. catwoman urges hester not wait longer mother, hester refuses leave bog. in next scene, josie (hester , carthage’s daughter) , grandmother, mrs. kilbride, play cards , discuss carthage’s upcoming wedding. mrs. kilbride cheats granddaughter @ cards , talks disparagingly of hester because of hester’s lack of fortune , inferior “tinker” blood. meanwhile, caroline cassidy visits hester in wedding dress , attempts convince hester allow marry carthage without disruption , leave house on bog, hester has signed on carthage. hester scorns caroline , reminds hester once babysitter. hester challenges caroline carthage , claims: “carthage kilbride mine , mine. he’s been mine since sixteen. think ya can take him me? wrong. wrong. out of me sight. following caroline’s visit, carthage visits hester in wedding clothes , attempts convince leave house. hester reminds him money bought first land , accuses him of “sellin’ me , josie down river few lumpy auld acres , notions of respectability. xavier cassidy, caroline’s father, visits hester urge leave. hester refuses listen of visitors , insists staying on bog of cats until mother returns her.

act two

this act depicts marriage of caroline cassidy , carthage kilbride, disrupted various individuals, both real persons , ghosts. ghost of joseph swane, hester’s murdered brother, returns , talks catwoman , hester find out why hester killed him. father willow, officiant, , catwoman talk of going on vacation together. mrs. kilbride, carthage’s mother, wears white dress wedding , poses in pictures son bride , groom. interrupts bride’s father’s toast in order make own speech son. scorn caroline , carthage’s insult of coming house in wedding clothes, hester appears @ wedding in wedding dress carthage had bought 9 years ago, along promises marry her. mrs. kilbride , xavier cassidy attempt violently eject hester wedding, while hester’s neighbor monica chides them being hard on hester. hester lashes out in anger against wedding guests , pleads them, insisting: “i can’t lave till me mother comes. i’d hope she’d have come before , wouldn’t come this. don’t make me lave place or somethin’ terrible’ll happen. when forced leave wedding, hester swears revenge , yells: “you’re lavin’ me no choice vicious war against ya.

act 3

the final act characterized death , destruction. hester talks ghost of brother, joseph swane, , explains did not kill him money; rather, envied relationship mother. hester informs him carthage took joseph’s money, used buy land himself, , left hester woman. hester’s neighbor, monica, interrupts conversation tell hester house on fire. hester, having set fire herself, indifferent. monica begs hester leave, , hester insists still waiting mother. xavier cassidy comes chide hester ruining wedding. shortly after xavier, carthage arrives , outraged see fire destroying home , livestock. hester angrily accosts carthage role in brother’s death. carthage swears take josie away hester having declared unfit mother. due ghost fancier’s visit, hester knows fated die. when josie begs hester not leave her, hester slits throat in order spare same fate of living without mother. ghost fancier performs slow death dance hester, both fade off stage.