Jennie Linden: Ursula Brangwen

Women in Love

Ursula Brangwen

Rupert Birkin: I abhor humanity, I wish it was swept away. It could go, and there would be no loss if every human being perished tomorrow.
Ursula Brangwen: So, you want everybody in the world destroyed?
Rupert Birkin: Yes, absolutely. Don't you yourself think it's a wonderful, clear idea? A world empty of people... just uninterrupted grass and a rabbit sitting there?
Ursula Brangwen: You don't seem to see much love in humanity. What about individual love?
Rupert Birkin: I don't believe in love any more than I believe in hate or grief. Love is an emotion. You feel or don't feel, according to your circumstances.
Ursula Brangwen: If you don't believe in love, what do you believe in? Just in the end of the world and rabbits?
Rupert Birkin: The point about L-O-V-E is that we hate the word, because we've vulgarised it. lt should be taboo, forbidden from utterance for many years... till we've found a new and better idea.

Ursula Brangwen: We must live somewhere!
Rupert Birkin: No, not somewhere! Anywhere! Not a definite place. Just you and me and a few others. Where we needn't wear any clothes! Where we can be ourselves without any bother.

Gudrun Brangwen: You don't think one needs the experience of having been married?
Ursula Brangwen: Gudrun, do you really think it need be an experience?
Gudrun Brangwen: It's bound to be possibly undesirable, but still an experience of some sort.
Ursula Brangwen: Not really. More likely to be the end of experience.
Gudrun Brangwen: Yes, of course, there is that to consider.

Gudrun Brangwen: Don't you find yourself getting bored with everything? Everything fails to materialise. Nothing materialises. Everything withers in the bud. Everything.
Ursula Brangwen: Frightening. Do you hope to get anywhere by just marrying?
Gudrun Brangwen: Well, it seems the inevitable next step. But you see... it's just impossible. The man makes it impossible.

Ursula Brangwen: Say you love me. Say, "my love," to me.
Rupert Birkin: Oh, I love you right enough. I-I just want it to be something else.
Ursula Brangwen: Why? Why? Why isn't it enough?
Rupert Birkin: Because we can go one better.
Ursula Brangwen: We can't. We can only say we love each other. Say "my love" to me. Say it. Say it!
Rupert Birkin: Yes, my love. Yes, my love. Let love be enough, then. I love you, then. I'm bored by the rest.

Ursula Brangwen: Yes! Yes, I am a fool. And thank God for it! I'm too big a fool to swallow your cleverness. You go to your women, your spiritual brides. Or aren't they common - fleshy enough? No. No, you're not satisfied, are you? You'd marry me for your everyday use... and keep your spiritual brides for tripping off into the beyond. Oh, yes! Yes. I know your dirty little game. You think I'm not as spiritual as Hermione. Well, Hermione is a fishwife. A fishwife! So you go to her. That's what I say. Go to her. In her soul, she's as common as dirt. And all the rest is just pretence!

Rupert Birkin: If all women are either wives or mistresses, then Gudrun is a mistress.
Ursula Brangwen: And all men are either lovers or husbands. Why not both?
Rupert Birkin: No. No, the one excludes the other.
Ursula Brangwen: Then I want another.
Rupert Birkin: No you don't.
Ursula Brangwen: Oh, yes I do.

Rupert Birkin: It almost breaks my heart. My beloved country. It had something to express, even when it made this chair. Now all we can do is to fish amongst rubbish heaps... for remnants of the old expression. There's no production in us anymore... just sordid and foul mechanicalness.
Ursula Brangwen: I hate your past. I'm sick of it.
Rupert Birkin: Not as sick as I am of the accursed present.
Ursula Brangwen: Well, I don't want the past to take its place. I don't want old things.
Rupert Birkin: The truth is, we don't want things at all. The thought of a house and furniture of my own is hateful to me.

Ursula Brangwen: [Driving up to a posh estate] Oh, so this is Hermione's country cottage.
Gudrun Brangwen: Well, there's one reason that Rupert's attracted to her.
Ursula Brangwen: Oh, do you think so? I don't think that.
Gudrun Brangwen: Lovers have sold their souls for far less, my dear.

Rupert Birkin: There is a golden light in you, which I wish that you would give me.
Ursula Brangwen: I always think I'm going to be loved - and then I'm let down.

Ursula Brangwen: Rupert, whatever did you mean? You, me and a few other people?You've got me!
Rupert Birkin: Well, I always imagined our being happy with a few other people.
Ursula Brangwen: Why should we be?
Rupert Birkin: I don't know? One has a hankering after a sort of further fellowship.
Ursula Brangwen: Why? Why should you hanker after other people? Why should you need them?
Rupert Birkin: Don't you need them? Or, does it just end with us two then?
Ursula Brangwen: Yes. What more do you want?

Ursula Brangwen: I think we've all gone mad!
Rupert Birkin: Pity we aren't madder!
[singing]
Rupert Birkin: Oh, you beautiful doll, you great big beautiful doll, let me put my arms around me...

Ursula Brangwen: You always seem to think you can - force the flowers to come out. People must love us because they love us. You can't make them.

Ursula Brangwen: Oh, say you love me. Oh, please. Please. Say you love me. Say it. Say it! Oh, say it. Oh, please. Oh, no. Oh. Oh! Oh! Say it. I do love you. I do. Oh. Oh.
Rupert Birkin: Must it be like this?

Gudrun Brangwen: What did Rupert say? Do you know?
Ursula Brangwen: He said it would be most awfully jolly. Well, don't you think it would be?
Gudrun Brangwen: I think it might be awfully jolly, as you say.

Ursula Brangwen: Do you love me?
Rupert Birkin: Far too much. I couldn't bear this cold, eternal place without you.
Ursula Brangwen: Oh, do you hate it then?
Rupert Birkin: If you weren't here, it would kill the very quick of my life.
Ursula Brangwen: It's good that we are warm and together.

Ursula Brangwen: You love it! Do you think I don't know the foulness of your sex life and hers. Well, I do. And its that foulness that you want!

Ursula Brangwen: You take back your rings and buy yourself a female elsewhere! I'm sure there'll be plenty of women who'll be quite willing to share in your spiritual mess!

Ursula Brangwen: Gudrun might rush into marriage like we have. Wouldn't that be nice?
Rupert Birkin: Rubbish! Gudrun is a born mistress, just as Gerald is a born lover.