Millicent Garrett Fawcett

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GCSE History

BLOOD BROTHERS: NOTES FOR REVISION

Characters and their relationships within ‘Blood Brothers’

Observing and discussing individual characters and their relationships with other characters is vital when gaining a thorough knowledge of a text.

Seeing the characters brought into realisation on the stage is an excellent way of gaining familiarity with these characters – and unlike many other film or stage productions, Blood Brothers has not been altered by the adaptation process, as it was written as a musical by Russell.

There are two main character relationships within the text where we can note a contrast between two characters. We of course see the immediate bond between Mickey and Eddie, and the notable differences between their separate upbringings. We also witness the turbulent relationship of Mrs Johnstone and Mrs Lyons, and here we can compare and contrast two very different characters.

Mrs Johnstone and Mrs Lyons

A large part of the tension throughout the text hangs on the superstition that Mrs Lyons uses to trap Mrs Johnstone into silence; that should Mickey and Eddie discover their brotherhood, they will both die.

Throughout the play we see the huge contrast between Mrs Lyons and Mrs Johnstone. At the beginning of the play, the Narrator describes Mrs Johnstone as ‘the mother, so cruel’ – but is this what we are led to think of Mrs Johnstone?

For instance, how do we react to the scene where Mrs Johnstone allows the boys to go to the cinema to watch the ‘Swedish Au Pairs’ film? We know that Mrs Lyons would not be as liberal. We see that Mrs Johnstone has a better understanding and acceptance of the fact that young boys will be sexually curious and she does not try to suppress their curiosity.

We see her as down-to-earth and the more approachable mother – she of course wins instant credibility with her two sons. This moment is also an example that indicates that happiness during upbringing is not assured by social status or wealth.

Rather than viewing Mrs Johnstone as a cruel character, we tend to sympathise with her dilemma. We see her handle her house full of children with endless patience and tenderness. Despite being trapped by her social position and her lack of funds, she is down-to-earth and does not see money as the answer to all of her problems. We see her refuse money from the desperate Mrs Lyons –

MRS LYONS: Thousands… I’m talking about thousands if you want it, and think what you could do with money like that.

MRS JOHNSTONE: I’d spend it. I’d buy more junk and trash; that’s all. I don’t want your money. I’ve made a life here. It’s not much of one maybe, but I made it.

In contrast, Mrs Lyons is very conscious of her social position and the above scene indicates that she sees money as a solution to the problems of Mrs Johnstone. Mrs Lyons is also portrayed as a cold woman who doesn’t show much emotion. She is very over-protective of Eddie and fears his bond with the Johnstones. Later in the play this fear becomes more evident and she appears as a neurotic, obsessive character who appears to be losing control – this is evident when she attempts to attack Mrs Johnstone with a kitchen knife.

Mrs.Lyons: She is a good woman, though she is made out to be mean. As her adopted child grows up, she gets increasingly paranoid that her secret will be found out, and she tries to control Eddie. The fact that she in not in control of this one situation in her life, takes over everything else in her life.

The challenging part in playing this role, is the fact that Mrs. Lyons is not on stage that much. So to portray her going from a genteel woman to an absolute psycho, effectively, while not being on stage too much, is pretty tough.

She's a very messed up woman, but of course it's the circumstances of the burden she has to shoulder on her own, that drives her to this. The paranoia of her secret being revealed, drives her completely nuts, and she is the one who actually, perhaps not expecting such a drastic outcome, causes the ultimate tragedy in the story.

Mrs.Johnstone: She's down and out with life, but has a great relationship with her children, and though life is very hard for her, finds a reason to smile.  

Mickey and Eddie

For the reader/audience, the delight of watching Mickey and Eddie’s friendship blossom is the knowledge that they are brothers, the fact of which they are unaware. This sense of dramatic irony is a point of humour throughout the play, but also a reminder of the superstitious curse that Mrs Lyons has inflicted – and the foreknowledge of what is going to happen.

In the first half of the show, Mickey appears as a childhood ringleader, and a hero-figure for Eddie, who is in awe of Mickey’s unrestrained energy. We watch as their natural bond unfolds, and as their inhibitions fall away, we notice that they appear more alike.

In contrast, we see Eddie becoming the role model towards the end of the show. We appreciate him more for his foundations – he holds a good job and is considerate of Linda when Mickey rebukes her. We see the brothers grow apart again, as Eddie prospers and Mickey faces imprisonment and falls into depression.

Mickey: Low class, soft-hearted, good natured and easily influenced.

The life of Mickey's character starts getting very hard, with him being married at 18 or 19, his wife expecting a child, and to make things worse, he realises that he knowingly or unknowingly is dependent on his best friend Eddie, for almost everything in his life, This, tied up with a few more unfortunate incidents, eventually pushes him into depression.

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From this absolutely bubbly kid with no care in the world, to a completely broken person.

Eddie: The other Johnstone twin, who is given away by his mother, and who grows up in the privileged Lyons household, is a very proper, sheltered, inhibited boy. But in reality, he wants to break away from his inhibitions and lead a life like Mickey's. In the first half of the play, his role is played almost to the point of caricature.

In a way, they both want to be like each other, but for very different reasons. While Eddie wants everything ...

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Millicent Garrett Fawcett
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  • Level
    GCSE
  • Subject
    History
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