0 How far do you agree "Our Country's Good" is about the redemptive power of the theatre
How far do you agree "Our Country's Good" is about the redemptive power of the theatre
At the end of the play the prisoners have shaken of the mind forged manacles imposed on them by society, they finally see themselves as free. This can be highlighted by the way they see their futures at the end of the play, Sideway wants to start up his own theatre company, the others his actors, and Wisehammer wants to become a famous writer. They see themselves having a future at the colony, for they no longer want to escape by boat, as in the last scene Dabby says how she is escaping that night but the others don't want to and then she quickly changes her mind. This contrasts hugely with the start of the play where Wisehammer says, "we'll remember England together," at the start they see themselves as convicts not the colonisers that they come to see themselves as. The theatre essentially reforms them from convicts into citizens of the crown, it has given them a chance to contribute to society instead of annoying it.
At the start of the play Ralph is very ambitious and sees the play as a tool to further his career in the navy, he also has a pre conception of the women convicts that they are inferior, he says, "how can you treat such women with kindness?" Over the course of the play he becomes a father figure to the actors, for Liz says, "tell the lieutenant I didn't steal the food," the convicts desire the respect of Ralph and he comes to care for them. Ralph campaigns for Liz in her trial trying to get the truth for he accuses the soldier of lying when drunk. At the end of the play the actors say, "we'll do our best Mr Clark," the convicts yearn to please Ralph and he cares for them, for instance Duckling. He says "I'm so sorry Duckling," the theatre as changed him as a person for he also falls in love with Mary, from viewing them as animals he now sees them as them as his children.
At the end of the play the prisoners have shaken of the mind forged manacles imposed on them by society, they finally see themselves as free. This can be highlighted by the way they see their futures at the end of the play, Sideway wants to start up his own theatre company, the others his actors, and Wisehammer wants to become a famous writer. They see themselves having a future at the colony, for they no longer want to escape by boat, as in the last scene Dabby says how she is escaping that night but the others don't want to and then she quickly changes her mind. This contrasts hugely with the start of the play where Wisehammer says, "we'll remember England together," at the start they see themselves as convicts not the colonisers that they come to see themselves as. The theatre essentially reforms them from convicts into citizens of the crown, it has given them a chance to contribute to society instead of annoying it.
At the start of the play Ralph is very ambitious and sees the play as a tool to further his career in the navy, he also has a pre conception of the women convicts that they are inferior, he says, "how can you treat such women with kindness?" Over the course of the play he becomes a father figure to the actors, for Liz says, "tell the lieutenant I didn't steal the food," the convicts desire the respect of Ralph and he comes to care for them. Ralph campaigns for Liz in her trial trying to get the truth for he accuses the soldier of lying when drunk. At the end of the play the actors say, "we'll do our best Mr Clark," the convicts yearn to please Ralph and he cares for them, for instance Duckling. He says "I'm so sorry Duckling," the theatre as changed him as a person for he also falls in love with Mary, from viewing them as animals he now sees them as them as his children.
