Six One-Act Plays

In Short

Margaret Scott Oliver’s 1916 collection brings together six concise stage works that explore vanity, conflict, and romantic deception across varied landscapes. The collection ranges from heavy dramatic encounters to light, stylized comedies. Scenes shift from an Arabian marriage tent and a Granada courtyard under Spanish rule to a strike-bound household and a chaotic park concession stand. Through taut dialogue and theatrical subversion, the collection reveals how vanity distorting human choices remains constant whether set in historical legend or modern city life. Its lasting appeal lies in its swift pacing, clear dramatic conflicts, and sharp, humorous view of human weakness.

The Story

The anthology opens with The Hand of the Prophet, an Arabian drama set during a four-day wedding celebration. The merchant Kodama hosts guests alongside his young bride, Halima. When Kodama’s desert-dwelling cousin Sindibad arrives, he turns away from the offered dancing slave and becomes obsessed with Halima’s beauty. Kodama attempts to dismiss his cousin’s passion with warnings and wine, but jealousy rapidly infects the household, ending in suspicions and dramatic sorrow.

In Children of Granada, set around 1609 during the Moorish expulsion from Spain, young Don Rodriguez plans a daring raid through a dry riverbed to capture the Moorish leader Hafiz ben Ali. He hopes to win the respect of his unyielding father, General Don Fernando de Lerma, and the heart of Lagrimas, a bull-fighter's daughter. Rodriguez succeeds in taking Hafiz, but his victory turns ash-gray. His father disowns him for refusing to abandon Lagrimas, while the captured Hafiz warns the arrogant General of Spain’s impending economic ruin without its skilled Moorish population. When Hafiz’s young son Tarik is injured while escaping, Lagrimas and Rodriguez care for him, leading the General to demand an immediate marriage to preserve family pride. Softened by the child’s plight and tired of hollow glory, Rodriguez and Lagrimas settle their differences quietly under the stars.

The Turtle Dove offers a stylized, comedic Chinese fable. The servant Chang-sut-yen woos Kwen-lin, the daughter of his master, by playing the fool to evade the old Mandarin’s anger. When Kwen-lin feigns death to avoid marrying a wealthy septuagenarian, Chang-sut-yen mourns passionately. The masked God of Fate steps in, restoring life and revealing that Chang-sut-yen is actually a noble heir. Choosing love over political power, Chang-sut-yen accepts his destiny to live happily as a "turtle dove."

In The Striker, domestic tension peaks in a modest dining room during a seven-week transit strike. Motorman John Quinn walks the streets in exhaustion while his practical wife, Mrs. Quinn, complains about their tightening finances and the hypocrisy of union leaders. Quinn's estranged daughter Molly returns after being abandoned by her musician husband, only to reveal that her arm was broken during a street disturbance. Quinn discovers that his own violent anti-strike-breaker actions caused his daughter's injury, forcing a painful reckoning with his temper.

The collection concludes with Murdering Selina, set in a park restaurant run by the sharp-tongued Miss Brown. Reporter Bart and editor King wallow in dramatic guilt, convinced their past rejections drove a woman named Selina to take her own life. When the real, very alive Selina steps behind a screen to flirt with another wealthy admirer while disparaging Bart, the men realize they have been thoroughly duped, leaving them free to celebrate their non-existent crime.

How It Unfolds

The desert feast begins Kodama celebrates his marriage with music, wine, and dancing, but the sudden arrival of his cousin Sindibad introduces immediate tension. Sindibad scorns the dancing girls and openly covets the bride, sparking a dangerous feud between the kinsmen.

A scheme in Granada Don Rodriguez plots a surprise attack on Hafiz ben Ali to prove his worth to his stern father and win Lagrimas. Though his military gamble succeeds, it yields no joy, as his father rejects him over his refusal to abandon his lowborn love.

Mercy across battle lines When the Moorish leader's little boy is hurt attempting to see his captive parents, Lagrimas and Rodriguez treat him with gentle kindness. Their shared compassion exposes the emptiness of the General's harsh pride and brings the lovers together.

A theatrical deception In an orchard garden, Chang-sut-yen pretends to lose his mind to fool his master while wooing Kwen-lin. The lovers stage a dramatic fake death to escape an unwanted marriage, calling down the God of Fate to resolve their troubles.

A broken household A transit strike leaves John Quinn bitter, idle, and short-tempered with his wife. When his injured daughter seeks shelter after her marriage fails, Quinn learns his own reckless violence on the picket lines directly caused her injury.

The false guilt unravels Two vain newsmen sit in a park diner lamenting the tragic fate of a woman they believe died for their love. Their tragic posturing collapses into comedy when the woman appears nearby, completely healthy and laughing at their expense.

The People

• Kodama: A wealthy merchant of Riad whose boastful pride and initial generosity turn into dark, brooding jealousy when his younger cousin gazes too admiringly upon his new bride.
• Don Rodriguez: A eager Spanish lieutenant who seeks military glory to gain his father's approval, only to discover that honor and family pride are cold comfort compared to genuine love.
• General Don Fernando de Lerma: A rigid Spanish commander defined entirely by noble blood, religious zeal, and strict authority; he willingly disowns his own son rather than accept a common marriage.
• Hafiz ben Ali: A proud Moorish leader captured in Granada who fiercely warns his Spanish captors that expelling his people will destroy the nation's agricultural prosperity.
• Lagrimas: A sharp-witted, independent woman, daughter of a bull-fighter, who refuses to let romantic rhetoric trick her into a quick marriage before testing Rodriguez's true character.
• Chang-sut-yen: A clever youth disguised as a humble servant who uses exaggerated foolishness and dramatic declarations to court his master's daughter and claim his true heritage.
• John Quinn: An Irish-American streetcar motorman whose rigid commitment to his union strike turns into guilt when his physical anger harms the person he loves most.
• Mrs. Quinn: A practical, sharp-tongued wife who views political theories and strike manifestos with dry common sense, keeping her household grounded through hardship.
• Bart: A naive young newspaper reporter who inflates a minor acquaintance with a city woman into a grand, tragic romance, only to have his vanity crushed by reality.
• Miss Brown: A weary, plain-spoken park pavilion owner who has little patience for dynamic modern dances or the dramatic posturing of her male customers.

In Its Own Voice

"The blind man avoids the ditch into which the clear-sighted falls."

Kodama delivers this grim warning to his young cousin Sindibad as they drink forbidden wine, sensing the growing romantic obsession that threatens to destroy their domestic peace.

"Thou hast banished the Jews, thou hast given the rack, the gibbet and the stake to the Christian heretics, thou wilt kill and exile the Moors. But beware, we are the growers of rice and sugar, of cotton and silk, how will Spain live when these fail?"

Hafiz ben Ali speaks these harsh words directly to his captor, framing his personal defeat within the historical tragedy of Spain's self-destructive intolerance.

"A principle's a fine excuse now and then, for a bunch of men to fight behind."

Mrs. Quinn offers this blunt observation to her neighbor while sewing in her kitchen, cutting through the abstract union talk to highlight the real daily cost of her husband's strike.

What It's Really About

Beneath their varied settings, these plays explore how self-delusion and false pride distort human relationships. Whether dealing with high political conflict or quiet home life, the characters repeatedly construct grand narratives to justify their actions. The historical plays demonstrate that rigid ideology—whether the military pride of a Spanish general or the possessive jealousy of an eastern merchant—destroys families and isolates individuals from their own humanity. Meanwhile, the modern comedies target personal vanity. Characters like Bart and King transform ordinary social encounters into dramatic fantasies where they figure as irresistible, tragic figures. The collection argues that peace and clarity return only when individuals abandon their theatrical posturing, admit their shared vulnerabilities, and face practical truths directly.

Why Read It Today

Six One-Act Plays offers readers a lightweight, charming window into early twentieth-century American stage writing. Margaret Scott Oliver demonstrates a impressive command of distinct theatrical styles, moving effortlessly from high romantic melodrama to practical domestic realism and lively satire. Reading the collection feels like sitting in an intimate theater, watching a versatile troupe change costumes and sets between fast-paced scenes.

The book moves along at a crisp pace, making it an easy and engaging read for drama enthusiasts. Modern readers should anticipate the dramatic conventions of its era: early 1910s theatrical tropes, stylized orientalist settings in The Hand of the Prophet and The Turtle Dove, and written dialect in the working-class scenes. However, these period elements do not lessen the collection's humor or emotional clarity. Readers who enjoy brief, character-driven stage pieces will appreciate the author's sharp dialogue, structural economy, and persistent focus on exposing human foolishness across every walk of life.

<ElicitationsGroup message="Where would you like to go from here?"> <Elicitation label="Analyze the themes of self-delusion in 1910s American drama" query="Analyze how themes of self-delusion and vanity are portrayed in early 20th-century American one-act plays using examples from this collection."/> <Elicitation label="Compare the dramatic style of 'The Striker' with modern realism" query="Compare the domestic realism and dialogue of 'The Striker' with contemporary early-20th-century working-class plays."/> </ElicitationsGroup>