I am resilient to your fits of anger.
In this scene from play script In the Wake of Smoke, Daphne rages at her boyfriend over how they aren’t living life to its fullest potential.
Featured Scene – In the Wake of Smoke
Enter Daphne with Morrison not far behind.
DAPHNE: Rage! It’s all a screaming rage!
MORRISON (barely audible): I know, I know, yeah –
DAPHNE (continuing): Like bloodhounds! They won’t stop sniffing you out! As if, as if, as if they don’t imagine, okay, not for a second, okay, that someone like me, little me, poor me, WHATEVER, would knock one of their stupid, tiny, insignificant f’cking heads clear off with a shank. NO, a sword – a f’cking samurai! In one SWIPE of my might. Swwoo! There! On the ground beneath everyone’s feet in the pub, and they can step over her while she still cries out with her mouth wide open and everyone ignoring her, of course, because it’s a pub and it’s loud, and nobody cares; they’re drinking Guinness and Scotch and listening to terrible music. But it sounds RAD, and that’s when I’d – I’d, I’d be HAPPY.
Daphne pours herself water from a silver water jug that rests on a coffee table in front of the couch.
She sits and drinks.
MORRISON (as Daphne sits and drinks): Well, I think –
DAPHNE (standing): Pathetic worms!
MORRISON: You’re right, but –
DAPHNE: But? But, what? There is no alternative to my, my, my –
MORRISON: Cause you know I speak the truth –
DAPHNE: IMAGINE!
MORRISON: I don’t speak the truth?
DAPHNE: You speak the truth when it’s at your convenience; otherwise you tell tales.
MORRISON: I don’t imagine for a second that anything you slander is as bad as you preach.
DAPHNE: F’ck off.
MORRISON: Drink your water.
Daphne sits and drinks.
…Daphne, I am a man passed his prime…
DAPHNE: For that I am uncertain.
MORRISON: I am. It’s happened. I have noticed changes, subtle changes, but changes nonetheless. Although I’ve kept my hair, I have noticed some receding at the front. When it comes to seeing things at a distance, my eyes have become somewhat strained. I can still make out objects and signs, but I have to squint. They’re not as sharp as my vision once was. We go on walks, and I get winded. I can still move, but I notice that I tire more quickly. While I remain strong and haven’t lost my resilience, I find that loud places irritate me. I’ve come to despise loud, crowded places; they make me feel pressed…anxious..but I deal with it differently, you see? I’ve become more patient and tolerant…whereas years ago, I’d lose my temper more often. Nowadays I am resilient to your fits of anger.
DAPHNE: Fits of anger?
MORRISON: Oh yeah, you haven’t slowed down at all.
DAPHNE: I refuse to slow down.
MORRISON: Good.
(pause)
DAPHNE: And if I get angry, that’s my right. I have feelings, you know, and I have the right to express my feelings.
MORRISON: You certainly do, don’t you?
DAPHNE: Are you being cute?
MORRISON: Not me.
DAPHNE: Say something back, you b’stard.
MORRISON: Like what?
DAPHNE: Something, anything, ARGUE WITH ME.
MORRISON: I refuse.
DAPHNE: Who was that blonde?
MORRSION: The one with the nice legs?
Daphne stands.
Take it easy, which blonde?
DAPHNE: The blonde you were talking to.
MORRISON: I wasn’t talking to any blonde.
DAPHNE: I saw, clear as day, you speaking with some blonde.
MORRISON: Oh! There was a brief exchange of a woman asking me to get out of her way to use the toilet. I was standing directly in front of the door, which, by the way, I kept getting pummeled by, because there was no other space to watch the band.
DAPHNE: Why did you go off?
MORRISON: To watch the band.
DAPHNE: You left me.
MORRISON: Daphne, you don’t get it – I went to get us another round and made a brief pit stop to see the band for literally two holy minutes.
DAPHNE: Two minutes too long, whether they were holy or not. You know I don’t like being alone. I started to feel looked at.
MORRISON: Well, we were in a crowded pub.
DAPHNE: I don’t mind a crowded pub so long as you are near me.
MORRISON: I don’t like a crowded pub.
DAPHNE: A man approached me.
MORRISON: Really?
DAPHNE: So hard to believe?
MORRISON: Of course not.
DAPHNE: A handsome man in his twenties, in his prime it appeared! Approached me and said I have a nice smile. I was flattered, at first, till I noticed his own smile and that he was missing teeth, which made me look down and notice his hands, they were dirty, which made me look down even further to notice his scuffed-up shoes. I told him I was married and to piss off.
MORRISON: You did? (laughing)
DAPHNE: Of course.
MORRISON: But this raises a question: What if he had good teeth, clean hands, and polished shoes?
DAPHNE: I’d have gone home with him.
MORRISON: I’m sure you would have.
Morrison lights a cigar.
- To read the full ePlay In the Wake of Smoke, find purchase button below:
Scene Summary
In the one-act ePlay In the Wake of Smoke, two lovers come together in order to figure out a path wherein they can find a common ground for existence.
- Genre: Drama
- Length: ~5 minute scene
- Characters: 1 woman, 1 man
- Themes: Daphne, Morrison
- Best For: drama scenes
FAQ
A: On Monologue Blogger you will find a scene from the play act titled In the Wake of Smoke, wherein the character Daphne is searching for a higher purpose of living.
A: Monologue Blogger has hundreds of short scripts that may be adapted into a short film by checking out there Scripts Hub.
Related Drama Scenes
Scene Source: In the Wake of Soke
In the Wake of Smoke is a drama play script by Joseph Arnone, 2026.
