Re-read Act 2 Scene 6 of Murmuring Judges. Discuss Hares presentation of the position of women in the police force and the legal profession in this extract and the play as a whole.

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Re-read Act 2 Scene 6 of ‘Murmuring Judges’. Discuss Hare’s presentation of the position of women in the police force and the legal profession in this extract and the play as a whole.

Throughout ‘Murmuring Judges’, women are portrayed in varying, often dichotomous ways, having either much or little power, and being either assertive or submissively coquettish.

        In Act 2 Scene 6, women are presented as having their own secret culture, running parallel to the dominant culture of the men pervading the police force. For example, after Sandra light-heartedly laments the fact that Irina has chosen to speak to a woman, the stage directions dictate that “For the first time they both smile.” The fact that the first time they smile is inspired by Sandra’s referring to a liaison exclusively between women evinces that the women have their own kind of female culture which they are aware of. In addition, the form of dialogue which is taken by the entire scene facilitates the presentation of a female secret culture as the only speakers in this scene are female, hence no males are involved, making this a purely female affair. Also, no other characters enter the scene as it progresses, so the conversation between Sandra and Irina, and the issues appertaining secrecy and injustice which it raises, are more well-received by the audience, who focus their attention totally on the speech and aesthetic expressions of the two women, and their meanings. For instance, towards the end of the scene, there grows “a real warmth suddenly between the two women,” building upon the aforementioned smile share between them, emphasising their rapport and so the matriarchal nature of their culture. In addition, the power possessed by the women is augmented by Hare’s use of setting: the women are granted power due to their physical oversight of the city; “Below her, London is laid out.” Their being above the city emphasises their righteousness as they seek to restore some of Gerard’s innocence by reducing his sentence, and this is salient to the audience as it is visually represented.

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        However, in other scenes, only the patriarchal culture is evident, such as in Act 2 Scene 3, in which Sandra instructs Barry to “just ask the boys, all women are [naggers].” Use of the plural noun, ‘boys’, portrays the police force as collectively male, thus conveying the notion that it is a heavily male-dominated environment.

        In contrast, in Act 1 Scene 2, wherein Irina is introduced, Sir Peter refers to Irina’s having “all the assets needed in a Bar,” to which Cuddeford replies,

“Yes, I see those. Most clearly.” The noun, ‘assets’, is commonly used as a euphemism for mammary ...

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*** 3 STARS Well written with some insightful comments. Takes into account setting and stage directions as well as dialogue. Explores the roles of men and women in the police force and is aware of how the playwright is manipulating audience reaction. Some repetition of words, phrases and ideas but overall the essay is an intelligent and thoughtful response to the question.