Act one page 34
I’ve only a piece of knotted string between my legs yet I still have a man’s mind.
He says this to Dr Scott it shows tremendous sexual desire and he can’t do anything about it.
In the first act there is a blend of black humour, medical drama and setting the scene in the hospital. Ken’s use of black humour masks his true feelings. However bad his predicament gets he still manages to cover up his real feelings except when talking to John. In act one for example he confides in John.
“You must be in charge of the compost heap. That’s where I should be.”
This shows he feels at ease with John and can reveal what he really feels to the friendly ward orderly. Ken’s character in the play is an interesting one. Before his accident he was a very talented sculptor. He is intelligent and has a broad knowledge. He has obviously thought his decision through clearly. In act two we find out he has distanced himself from his fiancée and his parents so he doesn’t hurt them. This knowledge helps the play be more interesting and gives us a bit of inside knowledge. Ken obviously feels isolated and on his own in his room and inside himself. We find more about this when he speaks to Mrs Boyle.
Act One Page 26:
Mrs Boyle: “My goodness they have improved this room it used to be really dismal. All dark green and cream. It’s surprising what a few pastel colours can do isn’t it? Really Cheerful.”
After this Ken replies.
“Yes; perhaps they should try painting me I’d hate to be the one that ruins the décor.”
This tells us that he almost feels a waste of space. He obviously feels useless and worthless. I think Ken also feels dismal and depressed.
In act one we get an introduction of the characters and the plot is going to start developing. The main characters that we are introduced to are ken, Dr Emerson, Dr Scott, Nurse Sadler and Sister. In this act we also find out that all the medical personnel have different feelings about Ken’s situation. The sister appears but does care for Ken.
Act one Page 3:
“If she still feels like that after five minutes with you, we’ll make a nurse out of her yet.”
Sister says this but it is obvious that she is joking. I think if she didn’t like Ken or was too professional then she would not do that.
Nurse Sadler is a new nurse and has had no previous experience with a patient like Ken therefore she does not know how to handle him and his condition and humour.
“Do you want some water?”
Ken replies to this with his usual cheeky sense of humour.
“That would be good… Chateau Ogston reservoir, I think with just a cheeky little hint of jeyes fluid fro the steriliser.”
This shows with Ken the simplest of things could turn into a joke which I imagine would be quite hard to deal with. Now we move onto Dr Scott she likes Ken and feels sorry for him but they are attracted to each other.
Ken to Dr Scott:
“You have lovely breasts.”
This shows he is sexually attracted to the play but doesn’t want to complicate things because at the end of the play Dr Scott asks to kiss Ken but Ken declines.
Dr Emerson is not very emotional and very professional sometimes overly.
Act One Page 19:
“But in spite of two qualified opinions, you accept the decision of someone completely unqualified to take it.”
This quote shows that Emerson is very professional and sometime come across a bit cold hearted.
In the second act shows a step upwards to the battle of Ken’s right to stop treatment and the right to die. In this section we see medical vs. legal professions clashing. The argument being put to the test is Emerson’s word and his word being challenged. In this act the play becomes less humorous and the clashes of opinions become more deliberate and obvious. Instead of having a long and drawn out court battle, Ken was advised to declare “Habeas Corpus.” This is Latin for you may have the body. This court case would be shorter and probably more successful. In this part of the play the language is more difficult and the dialogue is not spread between as many characters.
The tension in the play makes it more dramatic for a modern audience. The suspense of the court case in act two makes for a very interesting read as you don’t know what the outcome is going to be until the very last two pages. Also the court case and declaring habeas corpus is quite unusual and you don’t know how everyone is going to react including the judge, the psychologist and Dr Emerson. The other question is playing on the back of everyone’s mind when reading or watching the play is will Dr Scott and Ken get together and will Nurse Sadler and John get together. This makes the play more memorable and interesting because as well as all the medical drama there maybe romance as well.
In both the second and first acts the audience could lean towards Ken’s argument although they could latch onto Dr Emerson’s point of view or could switch between the two. The audience seeing this play would probably go through a range of emotions. At one point Ken’s humour and light mood about his injuries might make you think that Dr Emerson was right in thinking that Ken should live. However later on when Ken reveals his true feelings to John you can see why he wants to die and how depressed and alone he feels. In my class the feelings where mixed some agreed with Ken and some didn’t. However everyone changed their minds a least once and this shows how different parts of the play can effect the audience this makes the play more interesting, memorable and dramatic for a modern audience.
The eventual outcome of the court case was that Ken could refuse treatment and die. Dr Emerson’s attitude and no nonsense professionalism fall a little at the end. He agrees that Ken can stay in the hospital and die more comfortably than he would if he was on his own in a hotel or bed-sit. I think all the characters in the play and the audience are relieved to see Ken get his wish even if they don’t agree with euthanasia. Everyone has different views but all the medical staff have stuck with him from the beginning. All in all I think Brian Clark wrote an amazingly modern day play that may addresses all the issues in 2005.
