How we cite our quotes: (Act, Scene, Line)
Quote #1
BRADY (Reaching for a sympathetic ear, trying to find the loyal audience which has slipped away from him) My friends—Your Honor—My Followers—Ladies and Gentlemen— (II, II, 768-70)
This line is important because it's the first sign that Brady, even if he wins the case, has lost his audience. And since we know that attention is his real goal—not defending the law against evolution—we know that this line means a true defeat for poor old Brady.
Quote #2
BRADY. (Still erect on the witness stand) Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi…
(His voice trails off. He sinks, limp and exhausted into the witness chair.) (II, II, 803-06)
Taking the stand might have been a bad idea for Brady; it leaves him flapping on the shore like a fish out-of-water. He's no longer a big, strong bear, is he? The tides sure have turned.
Quote #3
MRS. BRADY (Taking his hand) Matt—
(BRADY looks about to see if everyone has left the courtroom, before he speaks.)
BRADY. Mother. They're laughing at me, Mother!
MRS. BRADY. (Unconvincingly) No, Matt. No, they're not!
Mrs. Brady is usually the wind beneath her Mister's wings, but even she can't convince him that people aren't laughing at him in this sad scene. Probably because, well, they are laughing at him. Yikes. We're a little disturbed by Mr. and Mrs. Brady's relationship dynamics in this play. They don't seem quite healthy. Someone call Freud …