"Murmuring Judges" by David Hare

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Unit 4 b

Prose-Modern Play

Emma Marshall

“Murmuring Judges” by David Hare

“Murmuring Judges” is a story of a young family man “Gerard McKinnon” who has turned to crime to survive, but has been caught and convicted.  The Play revolves around the roles the police, judicial system and prisons play in his life at this time as well as showing us some of the inner working of these institutions and the politics that goes on within them.  

The writer presents some valid criticisms against how the criminal justice system works.  Through a combination of characters on stage “David Hare” reveals how brittle the judicial system is and how it relies on prisons to feed the system so that the profession can be paid.  “Gerard” particularly points this out, what the judges do at works has no effect on them but can change one person’s life in an instant.  It shows that sometimes innocent people can be imprisoned for years, for a crime that they did not commit.  

GERRARD:        “These men, every one of them silver haired, judicious, informed,                   they will go home to their wives, to wine in fine glasses and the                           gossip of the bar, they will walk the streets and complain about their                   lives, and I. and I…”

The writer shows the lack of empathy shown from the barristers and lawyers and in this instance, prejudice because of this person’s heritage.  Gerard is imprisoned because he’s young, Irish and didn’t want his family to starve.

GERRARD:         “One big wave and I’m gone. Every week I just survive and no more.                   Then Barbara was pregnant again. I was asked to do this job; I                            thought okay, just the once. What every one needs is a lump of                           money. And the waves will be up to my chest.”

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The Police are shown to be very over worked and under paid, being pressured into achieving the targets set for them and looking good to the public.

JIMMY:        “Some pen –pusher comes down from upstairs and, says, look, the                   local press are on to us, we need a nice clear up graph.   

David Hare portrays the prison itself as a Victorian, out of date institution in which the prisoners have to share cells with two or sometimes three other convicts.  

The writer shows the over crowding state the prisons are in using very clear language,

GERRARD:        “They ...

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