Jez Butterworth Reads The ‘Jerusalem’ Passage He Found Hardest To Write
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What passage did Jez Butterworth find hardest to write in 'Jerusalem'?
so the bit i'm about to uh read was at that point in 2009 the hardest thing i'd ever attempted to write and i don't really know why i just it was a massive challenge for me but that's where you want to be it happens a point in the play where rooster has just been savagely beaten by three or four of the villagers and as he's lying prone and damaged, his son, who has appeared earlier in the play, he was a very young boy, just reappears. And there's a short exchange before this, but he gets him to sit on a drum in the clearing, and he has, I think, probably just a couple of minutes to give him life advice, father to a son.
Marky sits on the drum. There.
How does the father-son dynamic unfold in the excerpt from 'Jerusalem'?
Now there's something I'm going to tell you. Your mum won't like this, so listen hard because I'm only telling it once. He lights a cigarette, wipes his nose and shows Marky. See that? That's blood. And not just any blood, that's Byron blood. Now listen to me and listen good because this is important. I used to jump across Wiltshire, Southwest, all over. One day here, 10,000 people showed up. In Stroyers Field, half a mile from here, they lined up 13 double-decker buses.
What life advice does Johnny 'Rooster' Byron give to his son Marky?
Fair day, like today, but wet, raining. The ground was soft as butter. Stroyers Field slopes left to right, and it's rutted. On the day, the wind was blowing straight down the field. And I raced down the ramp and I took off and I hit that last bus so hard my boots came off. That's what they want to see. They want to see you shatter some bones, swallow your top teeth, tongue. They want to get you out after an hour of four heart attacks and they want to see the ambulance get stuck in the mud halfway across the field. When I got to the hospital, they found something out. I've got rare blood, rarest there is.
How does Rooster's character reflect themes of myth and identity?
All Byrons have it. I've got it, and you've got it too. Listen to me now. This blood, it's valuable to doctors, hospitals. Every six weeks, I go up Swindon General, I give them a pint of my blood, and they give me £600. They need it, see? And I'm the only one that's got it. And when I sit in that waiting room, waiting to go in, they treat me like a king. I can sit there with all the other patients all around, and I can smoke, have a can, right there in front of all the nurses, and they can't touch me. People complain, they can't touch me.
What significance does blood hold in the relationship between Rooster and Marky?
They need me, see? They need me. So don't ever worry, because anywhere you go, if you're ever short, back to the wall, remember the blood. The blood. He kneels in front of the boy, clasps his shoulders, holds his eye. School is a lie. Prisons are a waste of time. Girls are wondrous. Grab your fill. No man was ever laid in his barrow wishing he'd loved one less woman.
What are the broader themes explored in Jez Butterworth's 'Jerusalem'?
Don't listen to no one and nothing but what your own heart bids. Lie, cheat, steal, fight to the death. Don't give up. Show me your teeth. You'll be fine. Johnny hugs Marquis. Now go and find your mother. Go on, get!
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What passage did Jez Butterworth find hardest to write in 'Jerusalem'?
0:06–0:59
2
How does the father-son dynamic unfold in the excerpt from 'Jerusalem'?
0:59–1:34
3
What life advice does Johnny 'Rooster' Byron give to his son Marky?
1:34–2:24
4
How does Rooster's character reflect themes of myth and identity?
2:24–3:05
5
What significance does blood hold in the relationship between Rooster and Marky?
3:05–3:36
6
What are the broader themes explored in Jez Butterworth's 'Jerusalem'?
3:36–3:57
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from Service95 Book Club With Dua Lipa
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