Summary
Scene 1
In the opening scene of Hwang’s The Sound of a Voice, the male character is seated inside the woman's house. She serves him tea and then offers him food, sensing he has been journeying for several days and wanting him to feel at home.
The woman inquires if the man is weary, to which he replies that he spent the previous night sleeping in the woods, near a roaring waterfall that broke the silence. Neither the man nor the woman enjoys silence. She mentions that she will sleep peacefully if he stays, as she will hear him breathing. When she asks for his name, he declines to provide one. In response, the woman says he can call her Yokiko, though she implies this isn't her true name. He comments on her kindness, and she notes his intelligence.
Scene 2
As the man dresses, the woman enters the room and senses he is about to leave. He explains that he has a long journey ahead. When she asks where he is headed, he offers vague descriptions, which she doubts. The woman discusses how she tends to her flowers. When he questions what she does, she says it's hard to explain. ‘‘It takes hundreds of words to describe a single act of caring,’’ she tells him. She then invites him to stay ‘‘as long as you’d like.’’ She yearns for his companionship, while he finds her nurturing nature appealing but is cautious about becoming reliant on her.
Scene 3
The man is chopping wood, a task he enjoys. He becomes self-conscious when he notices the woman staring at his midsection, aware of his lack of muscle tone, and he jokes about his physique. She scolds him, showing him how to appreciate his body, regardless of its condition. The scene concludes with the woman placing her hand on his stomach, and they gaze into each other's eyes, hinting at the beginnings of intimacy between them.
Scene 4
This scene unfolds without any dialogue. The man is resting on his sleeping mat in a room separate from the woman's. Suddenly, he raises his head, as if trying to catch a sound. In the background, he finally hears the faint melody of a musical instrument, specifically a shakuhachi, a Japanese flute, which quickly fades. He retrieves a flower he had hidden beneath his pillow, a flower he had taken from a vase that the woman has since removed from the room. He gazes at it intently. The music captivates him, yet the flower symbolizes something that frightens him. He has heard rumors about other men who visited this woman's house and never returned. Although his emotions for her are stirring, he is wary of being ensnared by her.
Scene 5
The scene begins with the man observing the woman as she scrubs the floor. He mentions that he heard her playing music the previous night and requests her to play for him. She feels embarrassed about her musical skills, fearing he might mock her unsophisticated taste in music. While cleaning, she encounters a persistent stain she has tried to remove since she moved in. The man joins her, and when he successfully removes the stain, he exclaims, "We are a team! You and me!" This scene symbolizes the couple's developing relationship.
The woman indicates her readiness to play the shakuhachi for him but explains that she typically plays for her own enjoyment, creating sounds resembling the human voice to alleviate her loneliness. By offering to play for him, she is opening up and making herself vulnerable to him.
Scene 6
Scene 6...
(This entire section contains 1699 words.)
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also contains no dialogue. It is nighttime once more. The man is asleep when he suddenly hears the woman's music again. This time, the sound is clearer, as she plays more loudly than before. He rises, puts his ear to her room's door, and slowly slides the screen open to glimpse her. He watches as she tends to her flowers, which are scattered throughout her room. She is dressed in a brightly colored robe, and the man is struck by her beauty. He then closes the door and returns to bed.
Scene 7
The following morning, the man is practicing his sword techniques. It's clear that he's not as skilled as he once was. When the woman arrives, he mentions hearing her playing music the previous night. She asks if he liked it and expresses her desire to play for him every evening. He interprets her offer as an attempt to lull him to sleep, making him feel like a child needing comfort. She urges him to stop belittling himself and explains that she enjoys playing to influence his dreams.
The man insists that she join him in sword practice and is completely surprised when she outmatches him. Her victory makes her feel awkward and "undignified." The man encourages her to try again, impressed by her abilities. However, the woman worries that her prowess makes her seem too masculine and fears it might diminish her attractiveness.
She is anxious that her skillful display might prompt the man to leave, having embarrassed him. She hints that her ability to outmaneuver men often drives them away, and now she's concerned he might react similarly.
The man reveals he's heard rumors about her being a witch who curses visiting men. He tells her she's beautiful, trying to convey that although he arrived with preconceived notions, living with her has begun to ease his fear of women.
The woman admits that some men have come to her with the intention of "killing the witch in the woods." She then realizes he might have had the same intention. He confesses to still being somewhat afraid of her, claiming he hears voices when he looks at the flowers she tends. He suggests that she has the power to trap spirits, describing their hum as: "It hums with the peacefulness of one who is completely imprisoned." This reflects his fear of the power of love and his reluctance to surrender to his feelings. She shares his fear, stating that both men and women suffer in love. In the past, when she has surrendered, men have left, taking pieces of her heart. She declares that if he intends to kill her, he should do so now, as she can't bear another heartbreak. The man assures her he would never leave, and she says she believes him.
Scene 8
The scene begins with the woman admitting she has never shed a tear in her life. She finds herself unable to release the anguish she has suffered. She wears a unique kimono, one the man has only glimpsed by sneaking a look into her room during the night. She suggests they might go out that day, perhaps just for a stroll. She expresses a desire to get something for him, but he is solely interested in practicing his sword techniques. After she exits the room, the man sits down, places the sword on the floor with its tip pointing up, and rests his chin on it. When the woman returns, she quickly lifts his head away from the sword, fearing he might harm himself. The man insists he was simply meditating. She warns him it's dangerous. He accuses her of treating him like a child. He explains that a friend taught him this meditation, saying one could "feel the line between this world and the others" by resting on the sword this way. His friend told him that if he saw something better in another world, he only needed to press his neck against the sword to reach it. One day, he discovered his friend dead, the sword piercing his throat. The man tells her his friend must have found something better, or perhaps he simply made the mistake of falling asleep on the sword.
The woman accuses the man of tormenting her, yet she tells him if he truly wishes to leave her, she could assist by pressing down on the back of his head. She adds that she would then take her own life to join him; however, she pleads with him to stop this form of meditation. He declines. She insists, and he warns that if she comes any closer, he will drop his head onto the sword. She slowly approaches, looks deeply into his eyes, then removes the sword and takes it away.
Scene 9
The woman enters the room and notices the man preparing to depart. She questions if he intended to slip away like a scared child. He responds that he cares for her, but he feels he must leave because she has humiliated him. He tells her he "came seeking glory." She inquires if achieving glory meant killing her. He doesn't answer directly but admits he was too weak to kill her and too weak to end his own life. He tells her she has conquered him. He indirectly confesses he has fallen in love with her, believing that this love has made him weak.
The woman urges him to end her life, but he cannot bring himself to do it. She expresses a desire for him to stay, suggesting they could find comfort in each other's presence. She believes that "the sound of a human voice" is both profoundly simple and yet difficult to retain. She would prefer to die at his hands than endure solitude in her home. He suggests she compel him to remain, but she refuses. However, she cautions him that he is treading on delicate ground. Leaving her would be like plunging into an endless abyss, constantly fearing the moment he might meet the bottom. She implies that, having experienced love, he can never return to his former way of living.
The woman exits the room. The man begins to follow her but then hesitates, rushing outside before turning back and slowly heading toward her room. He opens the door and looks inside. Returning to the main room, he rolls out his sleeping mat. He notices the shakuhachi, picks it up, and attempts to produce a sound. Suddenly, the woman’s room is illuminated, revealing that she has taken her own life. The flowers surrounding her have been "blown" apart, with petals scattered across the room.
