The Moon of the Caribbees

The Moon of the Caribbees

By Eugene O’Neill

Characters—

Crew:

Yank

Driscoll

Olson

Davis

Cocky

Smitty

Paul

Lamps

Chips

Donkeyman

Big Frank

Dick

Max

Paddy

The First Mate

Girls:

Bella

Susie

Violet

Pearl

Synopsis—

On the deck of the Glencairn—a British tramp steamer—just off an island in the West Indies, the crew sits under the full moon as they listen to the song of the people on the island.  The crew finds the song particularly irritating.  Driscoll complains about not having anything to drink and that he is waiting for Bella, a native of the island, to return with liquor, even though it is forbidden to have liquor on board.  He warns the men that they need to keep quiet about the liquor so that the Mate does not know.  Paddy and Cocky get impatient, as it takes awhile for the girls to get on deck, and they start to fight, quickly separated.  The girls finally come on deck, and everyone goes into the forecastle so that they can drink without disturbing the Mate.  Smitty and the Donkeyman stay on deck, and Pearl has taken a particular interest in Smitty, though he prefers to be left to his own sadness.  The singing from the shore strikes up again and Smitty curses it, though Donkeyman appreciates the song.  Smitty dislikes the song because it brings up “beastly memories” for him and he resorts to drinking to forget them.  Donkeyman believes that Smitty is broken because of a woman, due to the way Smitty reacts to music.  Pearl comes back on deck to flirt with Smitty, but he turns her away.  She returns to the forecastle heartbroken.  Soon, the crew, in all drunkenness, pours out on to the deck, singing, dancing, drinking, and making a great deal of noise, despite Bella’s fear of being caught and losing her money.  When Paddy trips Cocky as they dance, a brawl breaks out that ends with Paddy unconscious on the ground with a knife wound on his shoulder.  The crew hurries into the forecastle before the Mate comes on deck.  The Mate concludes that Paddy’s knife wound was only a flesh wound and that he must have hit his head on the deck.  Seeing the liquor bottles on deck, the Mate sends the girls away without pay.  Smitty and the Donkeyman are left alone on deck once again as the song from the shore begins again.  The Donkeyman decides to go to bed, though he tells Smitty that the song is not as loud inside the forecastle.  They say goodnight and Donkeyman goes inside, leaving Smitty alone with his memories in the moonlight.