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R.1, R.2, R.3, R.4, R.6, R.7, W.3, SL.1, L.5, L.6
The Tell-Tale Heart
A play based on Edgar Allan Poe’s creepy story of madness and murder
Art by Lisa K. Weber.
photo credit: Doug McLean/Shutterstock
photo credit: CURAphotography/Shutterstock
photo credit: Katarzyna Bialasiewic/iStock/Getty
photo credit: oneinchpunch/Shutterstock
PROLOGUE
antrik71/Shutterstock.com
All ravens: Caw, caw, caw!
R1: Long before zombie movies and vampires on TV . . .
R2: Back in the days of carriages and candlelight . . .
R3: A man named Edgar Allan Poe wrote stories.
R4: Scary stories . . .
R1: One of them is about a man who lost his mind.
Madman (interrupting): Lost my mind? I am not crazy!
R2: Not crazy? Ha!
Madman: I am not! I will prove it.
All Ravens: Caw, caw, caw!
R3: And so our tale begins . . .
SCENE 1
R4: An old man sits up in a big wooden bed. He does not know that his roommate is crazy.
Old Man: Would you please bring me some tea?
Madman: Of course.
Old Man: You don’t look well. Did you not sleep last night?
Madman: I’m fine.
Old Man: Do you have a headache? I’ll fix you something.
Madman: No, no. Here is your cup of tea.
Old Man: Thank you.
R1: He is such a kind old man.
Madman (to the audience): It’s true. He has never done me harm.
R2: But . . .
Madman: He has this one sickly eye.
R3: It is pale blue, with a film over it.
Madman: When it looks at me, my blood runs cold.
R4: That
Madman: I cannot stand that eye!
R1: That evil eye.
Madman: I must get rid of that eye!
R2: So he makes up his mind.
Madman: I must kill the old man and be rid of the eye . . .
All Ravens: Forever!
Art by Lisa K. Weber
LOOK OUT, OLD MAN!
The madman has decided that he must kill the old man and his evil eye.
SCENE 2
R3: It is late at night.
R4: The old man is snoring.
Old Man (snoring): Sssssnnnnuuuhh.
R1: The door opens very slowly.
R2: The madman tiptoes in with a lantern.
Madman (to the audience): Night after night, I creep into the old man’s room.
R3: He shines a light onto the man’s face.
Madman: But every night the eye is closed.
R4: So he waits.
Madman: After all, the man does not bother me.
All Ravens: It is his
Madman: But then, on the eighth night . . .
R1: The madman bumps into a chair.
R2: The old man sits up.
Old Man: Who’s there?
R3: The madman freezes.
Madman: For an hour, I stand still in the dark.
R4: The old man listens for noise.
Old Man (scared): Ohhhh . . .
Madman: Then I shine my light on the eye.
All Ravens: It is open!
Madman: Wide open! And then I hear it.
Heart: Thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump.
Madman: It is the beating of the old man’s heart.
R1: It beats faster and faster.
R2: Louder and louder.
Heart: THUMP-THUMP, THUMP-THUMP, THUMP-THUMP.
Madman: I can stand it no longer. I leap. Ahhhhhh!
All Ravens: Ahhhhhh!
Old Man: Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!
R3: The light goes out.
Madman: The deed is done.
All Ravens: The old man is dead.
SCENE 3
R4: The sun is rising.
R1: There is a loud knock at the door.
R2: The madman hums as he walks to the door.
R3: He opens it to find two police officers.
Madman: Good morning.
Officer 1: We received a call.
Officer 2: A scream was heard . . .
Madman: A scream?
Officer 1: Like this, “Ahhhhhh!”
Officer 2: Is everything OK?
R4: The madman smiles.
Madman: I must
R1: The officers raise their eyebrows.
Madman: The scream was mine. I had a bad dream.
Officer 1: May we come in?
Officer 2: Look around?
Madman: Yes, of course.
R2: The officers enter.
Madman (to the audience): I am not worried. I hid the body well.
R3: He taps his foot.
Madman: Under the floor.
Officer 1: Who lives here with you?
Officer 2: And why isn’t he here?
Madman: The old man went on a trip. Would you like to see his room?
Officer 1: We would.
Officer 2: Yes, please.
SCENE 4
R4: The officers find nothing out of place.
Officer 1: Everything looks fine to me.
Officer 2: Quite normal.
Madman: Would you like a cup of tea?
Officer 1: Yes, please.
Officer 2: Lovely, thanks.
R1: The madman leaves the room.
Officer 1: Nice fellow.
Officer 2: Quite friendly.
R2: The madman returns with a tray.
R3: He has a strange smile on his face.
Madman (to the audience): They are drinking their tea on the spot where I hid the body.
Officer 1: Ah, this is fine tea.
Officer 2: Warms the bones.
Madman (to the audience): They don’t suspect a thing.
Art by Lisa K. Weber
Tick-tick, tick-tick
The madman is driven crazy by the sound of the old man’s beating heart. But the police don’t notice!
SCENE 5
R4: After a while, the smile fades from the madman’s face.
R1: He wants the officers gone.
R2: See how he
R3: See how he sweats.
Madman: Why won’t they leave?
Officer 1: The fall season is here.
Officer 2: Yes, leaves fall in the fall.
Madman: My ears start ringing.
R4: There is a ticking sound.
Heart: Tick-tick, tick-tick.
R1: The ticking gets louder.
Heart: Tick-tick, tick-tick.
R2: The madman looks around.
R3: Where is the noise coming from?
R4: The madman stands up.
R1: Can’t the officers hear it?
Heart: TICK-TICK, TICK-TICK.
R2: The sound is like a watch.
R3: Or a clock.
All Ravens: Or a bomb.
Madman (to the audience): Yet they go on as if nothing were wrong!
Officer 1: I like walking on fallen leaves.
Officer 2: Crunch, crunch, crunch.
Heart: THUMP-THUMP, THUMP-THUMP.
Madman: How can they not hear it?
R4: The madman grabs his head.
R1: He covers his ears.
Heart: THUMP-THUMP, THUMP-THUMP.
R2: The madman looks up.
Madman: Of course! Now I understand. They know!
R3: About the old man!
R4: About the murder!
Madman: Yes! They are
Heart: THUMP-THUMP, THUMP-THUMP.
Officer 1: Well, we really should be going now.
Officer 2: Thank you for the tea.
R1: The madman’s face is bright red.
R2: He feels he must scream.
R3: Or die.
Madman: Ahhhhhh!
R4: The officers stare at the madman.
Madman: I did it! I killed him!
R1: The madman drops to his knees.
Madman: He’s under the floor. Tear it up! Make the sound stop!
Officer 1: The sound?
Officer 2: What sound?
Madman: The beating of the dead man’s heart!
All Ravens: Caw, caw, caw!
R2: The madman collapses.
R3: The lights go dark.
ACTIVITY:
Making an Inference
New York/The Granger Collection
The Author
Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) was known for his spooky tales.
You’ve just read “The Tell-Tale Heart” Now it’s time to try this activity.
Tip: An inference is something that isn’t stated but can be figured out from clues in the text.
What to do: Imagine that you are Zak, all grown up. You’re telling your son about the time you saw a spacecraft from another planet. Make inferences to answer each of his questions below with at least one complete sentence.
Why do the ravens say the madman is crazy?
Why does the madman insist that he isn’t crazy?
After the madman decides to kill the old man, why does he wait eight nights to do it?
The madman can hear the old man’s heartbeat, but the police officers can’t. Why?
What makes the madman confess to the murder as the police officers are leaving?
