Explore how effectively the first six pages of 'making history' prepare the audience for an understanding of the character of O'Neill. To the audience the opening scenes, portray different sides of O'Neill's persona

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Explore how effectively the first six pages of ‘making history’ prepare the audience for an understanding of the character of O’Neill.

To the audience the opening scenes, portray different sides of O’Neill’s persona which later become important, e.g. his preoccupation with the truth and the way he phlegmatically deals with certain issues. These aspects of his character are varied and although crucial at the end not so influential on the audiences perception of O’Neill.  

Hugh O’Neill, the main character, is introduced immediately to the audience as the high status leader of the Gaelic Irish. We of his importance because ‘The archbishop Lombard’ had to wait three days to see him and that many other high status characters would have his attention, for example ‘The lord Deputy’ or ‘The Lord Chief Justice.’ His importance is further later when we find that by the Irish he is referred to as ‘The O’Neill’ and that he was ‘crowned upon the crowning stone at Tully-Hogue(later destroyed by the English to erase the Irish royal heritage) .

In these opening moments we see O’Neill as a laid-back person who would rather tend to his flowers than attend to his duties as leader, although later we see how seriously he has taken his role, for example when talking to Mabel he says ‘I have spent my life trying to do two things…. Holding together a harassed and confused people…maintaining a life of dignity.’ This is an insight into O’Neill as a person he not only has do deal with politics but his personal life and juggling both is a difficult task. However O’Neill must not only deal with the politics of Ireland but also of Europe. He could even possibly be accused of taking his position of ‘The O’Neill’ for granted when he ignores the warnings from Lombard that the Spanish’s interest in Ireland is ‘practical and political’, and that they will only do what’s best for Spain.

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With that in mind it is not such a surprise that he ends this life as a ‘Soured emigree’ after loosing all he holds dear in the fateful battle against a victorious English army. Eventually unable to even afford a bottle of wine and yet he is still, in his mind at least, the high status man who held the attention of others of similar or higher status. A man who was once able to match Queen Elizabeth in financial matters at least, for example the finger watch that he bought Mabel, ‘the only other person who I know who ...

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