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Rosalind Franklin
A British physicist at King’s College. Lauded, established, and taken seriously by his colleagues in the community, Wilkins brings Rosalind Franklin to King’s College to assist him—not realizing that the woman he cruelly refers to as “Rosy” and “Miss Franklin” is determined to assist no one and to instead focus intensely on her own research. Wilkins is Rosalind’s foil and rival, but in spite of his occasionally thoughtless treatment of her and his occasionally sexist or antisemitic words toward her, there is a part of him that really wants to get through to her, win her trust, and build a sustainable professional working relationship. Wilkins is constantly trying to “begin again” with Rosalind and prove to her that he can be a good friend and colleague—but at a certain point, he realizes that it is too late to begin again, and that his relationship with Rosalind will never be anything other than the contentious, adversarial one it is. Wilkins, frustrated with Rosalind’s aloofness and her resistance to turning over a new leaf with him, turns to the Cambridge team of Watson and Crick for friendship and professional support. Wilkins shares with Watson and Crick important parts of Rosalind’s painstaking research, including the infamous Photograph 51, unaware that the two men are racing against the clock to develop their own model of DNA’s structure—a structure that Photo 51 reveals. In spite of his relentless attempts to connect with and ingratiate himself to others in his community, Wilkins privately admits his belief that science is “the loneliest pursuit in the world.” Beyond his old-guard chauvinism and his desire, seemingly, to maintain the status quos in both science and society, Wilkins does eventually express remorse for the callousness he showed Rosalind, openly regretting that he, too, failed to collaborate or support her as her research partner.
Maurice Wilkins Quotes in Photograph 51
The Photograph 51 quotes below are all either spoken by Maurice Wilkins or refer to Maurice Wilkins. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Photograph 51 Quotes
ROSALIND. (Writing the letter, cold and formal.) I require an X-ray generating tube. And a camera specially made so that the temperature inside it can be carefully controlled. Otherwise, the solution will change during its exposure, and, Dr. Wilkins, you know as well as I do that that just won’t do. Finally, if at all possible, I’d like to know when this order will be placed so that, if need be, I can request a few minor modifications. Yours sincerely, Dr. Rosalind Franklin.
WILKINS. Dear Miss Franklin, you are ever so ... …cordial.
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As Rosalind Franklin prepares to join the research team in the laboratory at King’s College, she writes to the man she believes is to be her equal and colleague, Maurice Wilkins, to frankly and simply let him know the materials she requires and expects. This passage establishes Rosalind’s straightforward, intense nature, and the ways in which she has learned to ask directly for what she needs. Rather than seeing his new colleague’s directness as an admirable virtue, Wilkins is disgusted and off-put by Rosalind’s letter—all because she is a woman. This passage introduces the thread of sexism that runs through Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non
ROSALIND. Dr. Wilkins, I will not be anyone’s assistant. (Beat.)
WILKINS. What was that?
ROSALIND. I don’t like others to analyze my data, my work. I work best when I work alone. If, for whatever reason, I am forced into a different situation, I should feel that I came here under false pretenses.
WILKINS. I see… […] Then perhaps we could think of our work together as a kind of partnership. Surely that will suit you?
ROSALIND. I don’t suppose it matters whether or not it suits me, does it?
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When Rosalind arrives at King’s College, she finds that the rug has been pulled out from under her, so to speak. She believes that she’s been brought to London to work as an equal alongside Maurice Wilkins in the study of proteins—but upon her arrival, he informs her that in order to keep up with the worldwide “race” to uncover the structure and behavior of DNA, the lab’s priorities have shifted, and Rosalind will be working under him on a project other than the one she believed she’d be pursuing. Rosalind is indignant, to say the least, and expresses her Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae ea
ROSALIND. I’ll have you know that nuclear force is not something of which I approve.
WILKINS. Then I suppose it’s good no one asked you to work on it. […] At any rate, you lot never do seem to approve of it.
ROSALIND. I’m not sure I understand what you’re driving at. […]
WILKINS. Just that ... people ... worked hard to ... come up with these ways to save ... well, the Jews, and then all you hear back from them is how they don’t approve. It feels a little ...
ROSALIND. You’re absolutely right that the Jews should be in a more grateful frame of mind these days.
WILKINS. All right, Rosy.
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In this passage, Wilkins and Rosalind discuss Wilkins’s work on the Manhattan Project, the U.S.’s nuclear weapons development project during World War II. Wilkins doesn’t understand why “the Jews” aren’t more grateful for the work that led to their liberation—work that he was a part of. Wilkins might think that because he contributed to the project that ultimately led to the end of World War II (and of the genocidal Nazi Regime in Germany), he is incapable of saying antisemitic things. But here, Wilkins seems to believe (at least to some extent) that all Jewish people are the same, as Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui
ROSALIND. It’s absurd, isn’t it? Archaic! […] This business of the senior common room…
GOSLING. I suppose. But ... you can’t worry about it. […] It’s not like biophysicists have such great conversations at meals anyway. They tend just to talk about the work. They never take a break.
ROSALIND. But those are precisely the conversations I need to have. Scientists make discoveries over lunch.
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On her first day at the laboratory, Rosalind is informed she’ll be assigned to a specialty other than the one she believed she’d been brought on to research, condescended to on the basis of her sex and her religion, and, finally, excluded from joining her colleague Maurice Wilkins in the all-male common room for lunch. In this passage, as Rosalind expresses her frustration to her assistant Ray Gosling, Ziegler investigates the ways in which sexism perpetuates itself in the workplace as women are excluded from opportunities for community, collaboration, or advancement. This passage also gives insight into Rosalind’s unyielding commitment Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia
WILKINS. I almost went to see the very same performance. […] Our paths so nearly crossed. (Beat.) Was it any good?
ROSALIND. Oh yes. Very.
WILKINS. The great difference, you know, between The Winter’s Tale and the story on which it’s based—Pandosto—is that in Shakespeare’s version the heroine survives.
ROSALIND. John Gielgud played Leontes. He really was very good. Very lifelike. Very good. When Hermione died, even though it was his fault, I felt for him. I truly did.
WILKINS. And who played Hermione?
ROSALIND. I don’t remember. She didn’t stand out, I suppose.
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In this passage, Rosalind and Wilkins have one of their rare friendly conversations as they discuss their respective weekends. As Rosalind tells Wilkins about attending a production of The Winter’s Tale in the West End, one of the play’s central symbols emerges. The parallels between Shakespeare’s classic play and the storyline of Photograph 51 emerge, and the former play takes on a great metaphoric significance throughout the latter. In The Winter’s Tale, the jealous Leontes kills his wife, Hermione, when he suspects her of infidelity, only to later bring her back from the dead when he realizes the error of Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non invent
WATSON. It’s just incredibly exciting.
WILKINS. What is?
WATSON. To be born at the right time. There’s an element of fate to it, don’t you think? And I don’t believe in fate.
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As James Watson, a young, confident, brash American scientist encounters Maurice Wilkins at a conference in Naples, he approaches the older man and begins complimenting him on his work in hopes of securing a place in the laboratory at King’s College—and a mentor in the “race” to discover the structure of DNA. James is cocky and over-sure of himself, yet at the same time he exhibits a profound self-awareness of how lucky he is to have been “born at the right time.” As a man of science, he’s been trained not to believe in what he can’t see—and that surely Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessi
ROSALIND. (Condescendingly.) Flushed with pride, are we?
WILKINS. I beg your pardon?
ROSALIND. X-ray patterns you made?
WILKINS. It was just a manner of speaking. Everyone knows who’s on the team, that there is a team.
ROSALIND. Well, I don’t know which X-ray patterns you were looking at, but in the ones I took, it’s certainly not clear that there is a helix.
WILKINS. It’s like you’re unwilling to see it.
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After Maurice Wilkins delivers a lecture at King’s College which incorporates Rosalind’s research—but subtly passes her work off as his own—Rosalind confronts her difficult colleague. Wilkins gives into sexist tropes and behaviors as he attempts to tell Rosalind that she’s overreacting to his actions before insulting her professionalism and her research methods to boot. This passage shows how the pervasive patterns of sexism and petty cruelty Wilkins chooses to perpetuate in his relationship with Rosalind contribute to her desire to isolate herself from him, creating a vicious cycle in which both of their research is hindered, stunted, and prevented from Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Acc
CRICK. She’s really that bad?
WILKINS. Worse.
WATSON. The Jews really can be very ornery.
WILKINS. You’re telling me.
WATSON. Is she quite overweight?
WILKINS. Why do you ask?
CRICK. James is many things but subtle is not one of them. […] You see, he imagines that she’s overweight. The kind of woman who barrels over you with the force of a train. […]
CASPAR. (To the audience.) To Watson and Crick, the shape of something suggested the most detailed analysis of its interior workings. As though, by looking at something you could determine how it came to be ... how it gets through each day.
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At the height of his frustration with Rosalind, Wilkins seeks out the company of an old friend, Francis Crick, and Crick’s new research partner, the headstrong young scientist James Watson. As he vents to his male colleagues about his anger toward Rosalind, Watson and Crick chime in and begin discussing Rosalind in sexist, antisemitic terms. At the height of the men’s cruelty, Don Caspar—Rosalind’s soon-to-be assistant—steps in to defend her, explaining the ways in which the men’s scientific training has caused them to think in narrow, crude ways. These three men’s repeated verbal cruelty towards Rosalind causes them to think Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusant
WILKINS. But what are we celebrating??
GOSLING. It’s amazing, really—
ROSALIND. Have some faith in me. There is something to celebrate. Take a leap of faith.
WILKINS. (Bitterly.) As though you would ever do that. […] I mean, my God, can you even hear yourself? The irony?
ROSALIND. (Slowly.) I take a leap of faith every day, Maurice, just by walking through that door in the morning ... I take a leap of faith that it’ll all be worth it, that it will all ultimately mean something.
WILKINS. I don’t know what you’re talking about.
ROSALIND. No, you wouldn’t.
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After the discovery of what Photograph 51 may hold, Rosalind makes the controversial decision to put it away in a drawer and keep her findings from her research partner, Maurice Wilkins. Rosalind knows that if the photograph contains nothing and she is wrong about its potential, she’ll be laughed at and shunned. But she also knows that if it holds the key to DNA’s structure, it might be taken from her by Wilkins and passed off as his own achievement. When Wilkins walks in on Rosalind and Gosling resolving to celebrate, he wants to know what there is to celebrate—and Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic te
WATSON. Do tell us what our little ray of sunshine is keeping busy with these days.
CRICK. (Actually worried.) Wilkins, old boy. Are you sure you’re quite all right?
WATSON. Anything new on her docket? If you don’t mind sharing, that is.
WILKINS. I honestly couldn’t give two damns. I’m happy to tell you all I can remember.
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In this passage, Wilkins, frustrated by Rosalind’s closed-mouth approach to sharing her research and her unwillingness to collaborate, visits Cambridge to vent his anger to their colleagues Watson and Crick. Watson is eager for Wilkins to share the details of Rosalind’s vexing behavior for his own amusement, while Crick is “actually worried” about Wilkins’s mental state and stunted professional life. This illustrates the differences between Watson, who is more focused on professional success, and Crick, who is more focused on personal values. Of course, Watson and Crick are both motivated by the desire for professional acclaim and glory—and Wilkins is Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur magnam. Aliquid iste enim. Sequi aut maxime. Adipisci voluptate et. Voluptas suscipit alias. In et eveniet. Eaque et repellendus. Dolores aut voluptatibus. Voluptatem qui voluptatum. Voluptatibus sed placeat. Aut tenetur autem. Fugit voluptates in. Quidem impedit sunt. Excepturi ullam nobis.
CASPAR. Watson and Crick got hold of the paper Rosalind had written. It was confidential.
CRICK. It wasn’t confidential. Another scientist at Cambridge gave it to us. […]
WILKINS. Well it wasn’t published, that’s for sure. And it included [….] information that became critical to your work.
WATSON. I’m sure we would have gotten there sooner or later, even without it.
WILKINS. So would we have done, with the benefit of your work. You had ours but we didn’t have yours!
WATSON. There was no “we” where you were concerned. […]
GOSLING. Anyway, it doesn’t matter how they got the paper, only that they got it.
CASPAR. And that Rosalind didn’t know she should be in a hurry.
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In this passage, Ziegler allows her characters to step outside of time and space and address one another directly as they confront the betrayals, failures, and insufficiencies of their personal and professional relationships. As Watson and Crick essentially steal ideas from Rosalind’s careful research, Wilkins—who has, up to this point, had few qualms about sharing her materials with them—is at last able to see that they’re being cruel and unfair. Previously, he wasn’t even aware that Watson and Crick were still working on DNA research, so he didn’t suspect that they had an ulterior motive. But here, he calls them Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta
ROSALIND. I think I’m thinking about how I’ve come to the end of thinking. […]
WILKINS. We could talk it through. It might help. […]
GOSLING. For a moment, everything stopped. Different ways our lives could go hovered in the air around us. […]
ROSALIND. You know, I think I am going to call it a night. I haven’t been home before midnight for a fortnight and really what’s the point of being here and not getting anywhere? […]
GOSLING. And then there was only one way everything would go.
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In this passage, Maurice Wilkins walks in on Rosalind sitting in the laboratory late at night, puzzling over Photograph 51 and attempting to discern its meaning. Rosalind expresses her frustration with the photo, at which point Wilkins offers to help her—if only she’ll open up to him about her thoughts. “For a moment,” their assistant Gosling observes from the sidelines, the possibility that the two scientists might put aside their pride, their resentments, and their fears and at last collaborate in pursuit of a shared goal hangs in the air—but it dissipates as Rosalind turns Wilkins down, unknowingly making a Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non i
GOSLING. There’s no science that can explain it. Loneliness. […]
CASPAR. Rosalind? (She clutches her stomach.)
WATSON. It works, Francis. It works. (A very long beat.)
CRICK. It’s ...
WATSON. I can’t believe it.
CRICK. It’s life unfolding, right in front of us. (Rosalind doubles over in her chair, and gasps.)
CASPAR. Rosalind?
WILKINS. It’s the loneliest pursuit in the world. Science. Because there either are answers or there aren’t.
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In this scene, two different locations—and two very different happenings—are highlighted simultaneously. In Cambridge, Crick and Watson finalize their new model of DNA, which they’ve built using research cribbed from Rosalind’s lab. Back in London, Rosalind, who has finally consented to have dinner with her new research assistant, Don Caspar, experiences intense abdominal pain, which she’ll soon learn is due to a diagnosis of ovarian cancer. While Watson and Crick unfairly uncover the secret of life, Rosalind’s life begins coming to a swift and unfair end. There are thematic and circumstantial similarities to be found between the two scenes, even Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi nec
ROSALIND. We lose. In the end, we lose. The work is never finished and in the meantime our bodies wind down, tick slower, sputter out.
WILKINS. Like grandfather clocks.
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In the midst of her battle with ovarian cancer, which has taken the form of two large tumors, one in each ovary, Rosalind leaves the hospital in order to return to her laboratory at King’s College London and continue work—even though she’s ill, and even though Watson and Crick have already won the DNA “race.” Maurice Wilkins is surprised to see Rosalind back at work and asks her what she’s doing there. In response, Rosalind grimly states that there are still things she wants to accomplish before she dies, and then laments the frail, doomed nature of the human body. Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis.
ROSALIND. If I’d only ...
GOSLING. Been more careful around the beam.
WATSON. Collaborated.
CRICK. Been more open, less wary. Less self-protective.
CASPAR. Or more wary, more self-protective.
WATSON. Been a better scientist.
CASPAR. Been willing to take more risks, make models, go forward without the certainty of proof.
CRICK. Been friendlier.
GOSLING. Or born at another time.
CRICK. Or born a man.
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In this brief passage, Rosalind thinks about the what-ifs of her life. Her male colleagues, acting as a kind of chorus, step forward to enumerate her regrets. One reading of this passage is that Rosalind’s colleagues (Gosling, Watson, Crick, and Caspar) are offering up their honest guesses as to how Rosalind might have attained professional glory. But another interpretation is that the men are somehow channeling Rosalind’s own curiosities about what she might have done differently over the course of her life, and how different choices along the way might have affected the outcome of her life. Up until this Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Qui
WILKINS. And they do. I love that Hermione wasn’t really dead. That she comes back.
ROSALIND. (Sympathetically.) No, Maurice. She doesn’t. Not really.
WILKINS. Of course she does.
ROSALIND. No.
WILKINS. Then how do you explain the statue coming to life?
ROSALIND. Hope. They all project it. Leontes projects life where there is none, so he can be forgiven.
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In the play’s final moments, Wilkins and Rosalind return to the one topic which allowed them to share some common ground during their uneasy partnership at King’s College. Suspended in time and space. Wilkins and Rosalind discuss The Winter’s Tale and their differing opinions on its fantastical ending offer a metaphysical reading of their own story. While Wilkins believes that Leontes’s grief and contrition succeeds in summoning his wife Hermione back from the dead, Rosalind believes Leontes merely “projects life” in order to ease his guilty conscience, then ultimately winds up alone in the end. This passage reveals Wilkins’ enduring Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates
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Maurice Wilkins Character Timeline in Photograph 51
The timeline below shows where the character Maurice Wilkins appears in Photograph 51. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Photograph 51
...as she photographed leaves in the yard, but at the height of her reminiscence, Maurice Wilkins steps in and begins a reminiscence of his own. As he begins to recall aloud...
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...her arrival detailing the materials she’d need. Rosalind reads the letter aloud—the letter, addressed to Wilkins is “cold and formal.” Wilkins writes back to Rosalind’s letter, addressing her as “Miss Franklin”...
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The action shifts suddenly. Rosalind is at King’s College with Wilkins, who informs her that she won’t be working on proteins, as promised, but instead on...
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...to work as anyone’s assistant—she likes to do her own research and works best alone. Wilkins encourages Rosalind to think of their work together as a “partnership.” Rosalind storms off, furious.
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...single moment” as soon as Rosalind realized she’d been brought to King’s under false pretenses. Wilkins tells him that he’s wrong, but Caspar agrees with Watson—Rosalind, he says, would never have...
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...nature of the lab, claiming that her working conditions in Paris were much more hospitable. Wilkins subtly chides Rosalind for “leav[ing] England when she needed [her people] most.” Rosalind coolly replies...
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...positions during the war, and then, finally, declares that she doesn’t “approve” of nuclear force. Wilkins retorts that Rosalind’s “lot” never does. Rosalind asks what he means, and Wilkins says, somewhat...
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...the afternoon—well past time for lunch. Rosalind agrees it’s time for a break and asks Wilkins where they should go to eat. Wilkins matter-of-factly states that he dines in the senior...
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Rosalind asks Gosling what Wilkins is like, knowing they’ve worked together for a long time. Gosling tells Rosalind that Wilkins...
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Wilkins returns from lunch. Rosalind blithely asks him how his meal was, adding how “glad” she...
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Several days later, Rosalind and Wilkins are back in the lab after the weekend. Wilkins asks Rosalind how her weekend was,...
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As their friendly conversation dies down, Wilkins asks Rosalind what she’s going to work on over the course of the morning. Rosalind...
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Wilkins steps forward, cutting the dark moment short. He begins telling a story about a conference...
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Watson tells Wilkins that he wants to learn crystallography and come to work with him. Watson talks at...
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Rebuffed by Wilkins, Watson approaches another scientist who takes him on and pairs him with Francis Crick, a...
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Back in the lab at King’s, Wilkins returns from his conference and exchanges cool pleasantries with Rosalind—pleasantries that dissolve when he asks...
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Later on, in another part of the lab, Wilkins asks Gosling how he’s supposed to get any work done if all his time is...
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The next day, Wilkins shows up to the lab with a box of chocolates for Rosalind. He hands them...
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Wilkins delivers a lecture in which he cites “his” research with X-ray patterns in the discovery...
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...other” but, due to Rosalind’s visual separation of the two, can now be seen separately. Wilkins is excited by the development, but he and Rosalind are still not speaking. They attempt...
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...simply focusing on determining what she could see. As the days go by, Gosling and Wilkins pressure Rosalind to hurry up and make a model—the other researchers in their field are...
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Wilkins grows frustrated with Rosalind’s stoniness and her unwillingness to collaborate, hypothesize, or make a model....
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...the week before, statements in which directly contradicted the model the men have now made. Wilkins agrees that the men’s model is incorrect, and suggests Watson return to America, “where theft...
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...puts Photograph 51 away in a drawer. Gosling asks if they should show it to Wilkins, but Rosalind doesn’t want to do so. As Wilkins enters the room and asks what’s...
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Rosalind and Wilkins begin arguing. Wilkins says he’s never encountered a woman of “such temerity,” and Rosalind suggests...
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...published—which is flawed in some ways but close to the truth in others—to Rosalind and Wilkins’s lab. Watson shows Rosalind the paper, and she laments that the “rush to publish” is...
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Watson goes down the hall to Wilkins’s office and vents to him about Rosalind being an “old hag.” Wilkins agrees that Rosalind...
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...double helix structure, and that they need to start building a new model right away. Wilkins and Rosalind, he says, have no idea that they are the ones with the answer...
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As Caspar arrives at the lab, Wilkins shows him around and introduces him, at last, to Rosalind—whom Wilkins calls “Miss Franklin.” Caspar,...
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A few days later, Crick invites Wilkins to come to Cambridge for dinner, and Wilkins accepts. When he arrives, he finds that...
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Watson switches the subject to DNA and asks if Wilkins has any new research to report. He says he doesn’t. Watson asks what Rosalind has...
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Crick and Watson encourage Wilkins to make his own model—he says that he can’t as long as “Rosy” is around,...
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...even without the paper, he and Crick would’ve been able to make their model anyway. Wilkins steps forward and says he and Rosalind would have been able to make their own,...
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That February, Watson and Crick invite their colleagues from all over England to Cambridge. Rosalind, Wilkins, Caspar, and Gosling all pay them a visit. Rosalind is in a good mood—she flirts...
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Hours later, Rosalind is alone in the lab staring at Photograph 51. Wilkins walks in and tells her she should go home and get some sleep. When Rosalind...
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Wilkins travels to Cambridge and examines Watson and Crick’s model. As he does, Rosalind steps forward...
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Rosalind returns to her office from the hospital to find Wilkins sitting in the dark. He asks what she’s doing out of the hospital, and she...
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Rosalind asks if Crick and Watson’s model is “beautiful.” Wilkins tells her it is. She tells Wilkins that the two of them were close, at...
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Rosalind then asks Wilkins why she didn’t get those days. She wonders aloud if she didn’t deserve them. She...
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...went to Leeds—she died that April at 37 years of age. As he continues speaking, Wilkins begs him to stop. Gosling says he can’t not report “what happened.” Wilkins begs to...
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Wilkins approaches Rosalind and says he has something to tell her. He confesses that on the...
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Rosalind and Wilkins have a similar conversation to the one they had earlier in the play, quoting The...
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There is a point in life, Rosalind says sadly, where one simply can’t begin again. Wilkins admits he has “spent [his] whole life in regret.” Rosalind, smiling sadly, says that perhaps...
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