Our country's goodPlotAct one scene one-In scene one we see that there are some characters on a convict ship being transported

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Tom Muldowney

Our country’s good

Plot

Act one scene one-In scene one we see that there are some characters on a convict ship being transported to Australia to build a new colony, scene one allows the audience to know that the play is going to be very powerful, we see character Ralph Clarke flogging Robert sideways and then we see the area of space the convicts have to live in, we see that punishments are very serious and we do not know sideways is being flogged but we see he has been flogged fifty times.

Act one scene two-in act two we see the aborigines for the first time,he is on Australian land looking at the convict ship, they refer to everything as dreams, we see that they are very basic people because the aborigine call the convict ship a giant canoe, this scene shows the audience that the play is very complex and to understand the play you need to fit things together.

Act one scene three-this scene is all about crime and punishment, we see the characters debating weather or not hanging is a good idea. Straight away we see that the governor Arthur Phillips is against hanging “it is the spectacle of hanging I object to”, where as Captain Watkin Tech completely disagrees he thinks “the sooner (the hangings) the better” and Judge David Collins agrees with this.

Act one scene four- scene four starts with lieutenant Ralph Clark in his tent on Australian land writing in his journal about the way he feels about being inferior as only lieutenant. He talks about missing his wife when Harry Brewer interrupts him. Harry talks about seeing a ghost of a man he hanged, Handy Baker, this scene is very important to the play because it shows the audience the mentality of Harry and we see that Ralph Clarke is very interested about putting on the play.

Act one scene five- at the beginning of this scene we meet Meg Long, a smelly old prostitute who can not have a conversation with a man with out turning it into something sexual, this happens with Ralph Clarke when he trys to audition her for the play, we also find out that play Ralph is putting on is called The Recruiting Officer. We then see Robert Sideways come in and talk about how he misses London but how he would love to be in the play, then Dabby and Mary try to get in the play but Dabby dominates Mary and wont really let her speak to Ralph Clarke about the play, finally Liz Morden enters and there is tension between her and Dabby because they both wont to be the best woman on the ship, Dabby lets the audience know that Liz is gong to be hanged for a crime she committed “you don’t have to read the future to know Liz Morden is going to be hanged”

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Act one scene six-this scene the play has gone back in time and the men are discussing weather or not a play would be a good idea. Phillip, Ralph and reverend Johnson are all for the play and think it would make the convicts act and behave like civilized people, Ralph said, “it could change the nature of our little society and Phillips ses “the theatre is an expression for civilization”. Tech and Ross are against the idea, we see the hate Ross has for the convicts in this scene when he talks about them being treated like animals ...

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