Scene by scene analysis of "Equus"
Romany Watkins (Act 01 – Scene 01) This scene indicates us a first overview about the psychiatrist Dysart. The scene is a monologue of Dysart, in what he thinks about the boy and the horse. Here you can understand that Dysart wants to find the problem of the horse, or what Sun 12:12 Romany Watkins (Act 01 – Scene 01) This scene indicates us a first overview about the psychiatrist Dysart. The scene is a monologue of Dysart, in what he thinks about the boy and the horse. Here you can understand that Dysart wants to find the problem of the horse, or what is wrong in the horse, that Alan did the crime. But Dysart's main problem is he cannot understand the horse's head - "a horse's head is finally unknowable to me". He only handled children's heads. Scene 1 delivers insight into the whole story and about the exercise that Dysart has to do. (Act 01 – Scene 02) In scene 2 Hesther is coming to Dysart because of an urgent concern. Entering the room Dysart welcomes her with a kiss on her cheek. So what kind of relationship do they have, is not clear but it seems that they have a strong and close relation. Hesther tells him the problem with the boy Alan Strang. He would be going to prison if nobody helped him. Dysart is not interested in this case and tells her that he has enough patients. Hester goes on telling him the story of this boy and what the boy is about and
How does Pinter exploit the verbal and the visual in the Birthday Party
The Birthday Party is a play in which the visual and the verbal are carefully put together to create certain effects in the spectators. Pinter exploits both the verbal and the visual to show the personalities of the characters as well as their relationships, often with much ambiguity as the visual and verbal do not always match. Indeed, the contrast between the visual and the verbal can at times be very disconcerting for the spectators, creating an atmosphere of uncertainty and secrecy. Pinter also explores power, both verbal and visual, and how it is used to create fear and violence as well as the idea of secrecy. Obviously, the verbal and visual are very important for the characterisation, it is through what characters say and do that we are able to know more about them and the other characters. Petey is the first character that we see on stage, he is also probably the character that we doubt the least; for example, when he says that it is his chess night we are inclined to believe him. He is perhaps the only character, aside from Stanley, who is not taken in by Goldberg and McCann, which we see through his questioning their actions; "Where are you taking him?" He also is not seduced by Goldberg's speeches the way Meg and Lulu are, all he says after Goldberg talks about his childhood is "Well, we all remember our childhood". Petey's blunt manner here shows that he is not
Our Day Out
Our Day Out By Willy Russell Looking particularly at scenes 21 and 31, explain the serious message that Willy Russell tries to give us about the education and social deprivation. How does he use key characters and settings in order to do this? "Our Day Out" is a funny play but it also has some serious points. It tells us the story of a group of students who are taken on a day trip to Conwy castle in Wales. This play was written in 1977 by Willy Russell. It was set outside a school in Liverpool. With a group of students going on a school trip to Conwy castle in Wales. Mrs Kay was in charge of this trip, she is easy -going and motherly person. The headmaster then sends Mr Briggs along with them who is a much stricter teacher. They set of to Conwy castle and on they way end up going to other places as well. The café, zoo, Conwy castle and the beach. Throughout the day Mr Briggs continues to battle between himself and Mrs Kay over the behaviour of the students. They finish of the trip by going to the funfair where Mr Briggs mood changes and everyone is surprised. Mrs Kay took pictures of this day, she wasn't going to let Mr Briggs forget the day he was happy. Education in the 1970's was different from now. In 1970 students were able to leave school at the age of fifteen and find a job. Students would do there 11+ exam to go onto secondary school. There was a class for
Hobson's Choice - With particular reference to Act 1, show how Brighouse presents a comic but honest view of family life, set in late 19th century Salford.
With particular reference to Act 1, show how Brighouse presents a comic but honest view of family life, set in late 19th century Salford. Hobson's choice is an interesting and enjoyable play, which uses a fair amount of comedy to keep the audience engaged. The audience can really connect with the characters, as they are very realistic and are placed in real-life situations. The comic element comes in regularly, in the form of just one-off, funny lines, or even complete comic situations and themes. Although the play is set in late 19th century, the themes are still relevant today, which shows that although some things may evolve over time, people and their opinions are still the same, and so the audience can relate to the play, which is another reason why Hobson's Choice is so enjoyable. "Hobson's Choice" is proverbial, stemming from the 17th century; to have "Hobson's choice" is to have no choice at all. I think that understanding this is a key element in understanding the play, as all of the themes of the play arise from one of the main five characters having "Hobson's choice". The play is set in late 19th century Salford, which although it does not tell you in the play, the audience can guess immediately, just from the setting. The play begins in Hobson's Boot Shop, which is a clue straight away, as boot shops are not very common today, and have been replaced by shoe
The Birthday Party, a comedy of menace (Pinter)
The Birthday Party: A "Comedy of Menace" How far do you agree with this description? "Comedy of menace" was a term first used to describe Harold Pinter's plays by the drama critic Irving Wardle. He borrowed the term from the subtitle of one of David Campton's plays, The Lunatic View: A Comedy of Menace. A comedy is a humorous play which contains variations on the elements of surprise, incongruity, conflict, repetitiveness, and the effect of opposite expectations and so on in order to amuse and make the audience laugh. A menace is something which threatens to cause harm, evil or injury which seems quite incompatible with the idea of a comedy. However, as The Birthday Party shows, it is quite possible for a playwright to create both humour and menace in the same play, and even at the same time, in order to produce certain effects and to transmit ideas to the audience. Comedy is present in The Birthday Party from the very first scene; it is a way of gently introducing the audience to the world which Pinter is trying to create. The humour is quite subtle at first, for example the exchange between Petey and Meg about whether Stanley is up or not plays on the words up and down: "Meg: "Is Stanley up yet? Petey: I don't know. Is he? Meg: I don't know. I haven't seen him down. Petey: Well then, he can't be up. Meg: Haven't you seen him down?". Although the repetitions in
What Made A Taste of Honey Dramatic
What made Delaney's play dramatic for its audience? A Taste of Honey was first produced at London's Royal Court Theatre in 1958. Britain in the 1950's was much different than it is now. During the 1950's single parents were a tiny minority of the population. Couples who were living together without getting married would have been condemned by society .Male homosexuality were a criminal offence and it was generally not safe for homosexuals to appear in public. Statistics show that in 1958 approximately 1 in 100 marriages ended in divorce compared to 1995 when approximately 1 in 3 marriages ended in divorce. Also in 1958 there were black communities in the United Kingdom in London, Bristol, Cardiff and Liverpool but they were not common elsewhere. In the 1990's approximately 1 in 20 British citizens is of African, Asian of Caribbean origin. The play A Taste of Honey explores all of the above themes which at the time in 1958 were controversial. The play confronts a range of social issues such as single motherhood, black and white, gay and straight and class. These issues are discussed in a frank manner and from a female point of view both of which were unusual for Britain in the 1950's.During the 1950's. The country was deeply religious quite unlike the Britain of today. During the 1950's the theatre going audience would largely have been made up of the upper classes. A
Through the selection of three characters in 'Journey's End' examine how Sherriff presents human weakness in the play.
Through the selection of three characters in 'Journey's End' examine how Sherriff presents human weakness in the play. 'Journey's End' is an anti-war play written by R. C. Sherriff. It deals with the effects of war on a select group of officers and has a static setting: the dugout of these officers. The play explores the way war affects men, the concept of masculinity, the exploitation of youth during the war, as well as class differences and other themes. One overarching theme, which encompasses how war affects men and masculinity, is that of human weakness. Sherriff questions contemporary and modern views of human weakness, as well as asking whether mental disturbance is intrinsically tied to war and whether this can be avoided. Sherriff's decision to write 'Journey's End' as a play may simply be due to his own preferences; he may simply have wanted to write a play as opposed to a novel. However it allows an intimate atmosphere to be created between the audience and characters. In presenting human weakness Sherriff has the advantage of being able to force the audience to experience life in a dug-out - the noise, the claustrophobia, the constant threat of attack - thus sharing the stress of the environment between the characters and audience, and demanding that the audience empathise with the experiences of the characters through this. Sherriff's gender directly influences
The History Boys. Consider the significance of finding your way in life, in relation to the characters in the play.
Essay « Most of the stuff poetry's about hasn't happened to us yet » Timms Essay question: Consider the significance of finding your way in life, in relation to the characters in the play. The History Boys is a play written Alan Bennett. It premiered on the 18th may 2004. The action of the play takes place in a all-boys grammar school in Sheffield, in the 1980's. It’s also important to keep in mind the fact that back then, England was under Thatcher’s conservative regime. The play follows a group of history pupils preparing for the Oxbridge entrance examinations under the guidance of three teachers (Hector, Irwin and Mrs Lintott) with contrasting styles. The play doesn’t just follow the boys is education, it also talks about love and there sexual inclinations. The writer's intention is to show the different opinions on education and the different ways of teaching. The opposite ways of teaching are represented by Hector and Irwin. Missus Lintott is a middle ground between the two. Alan Bennett also shows us what the education was like in the north of England in the 1980's. The aim of this book is also to prove that you can succeed, even if you are from a working class background. Bennett proves this with the fact that all the boys got in to either Cambridge or Oxford. Alan Bennett was inspired by his life when he wrote this novel because in some way, he has
Protagonists in Top Girls (Caryl Churchill)
SCHILD Amber TS1 LE essay: Who is/are the protagonist(s) in Top Girls? A protagonist is a term used to refer to a figure or figures in literature whose intentions and character are the primary focus of a story, the protagonist can also be seen as being the most important character in terms of giving meaning to the story and transmitting the playwright's messages to the audience. In ancient Greek drama there could only ever be one protagonist, with other important characters given names in relation to the main character such as the foil, the antagonist etc. We can wonder whether the idea of a single protagonist holds true in Top Girls, if there is one at all. Indeed, the story of Top Girls is not particularly evident, and if the play has no real story then it is impossible for there to be a protagonist according to the definition. If, however, there is a protagonist then we can wonder what exactly the roles of the other "main" characters are. There is very little action in Top Girls; almost all of what we see is dialogueare conversations, through which Churchill presents her characters' attitudes to themselves and the world in which they '"lived'". Indeed, this dialogue, which doesn't contribute to any real plot development, means that in Top Girls there is an abundance of storytelling but very little else. Although we could see Marlene's promotion as being
Comment on Sherriff's presentation of Stanhope in the first two acts of Journey's End.
Comment on Sherriff’s presentation of Stanhope in the first two acts of Journey’s End In the first two acts of ‘Journey’s End’, Sherriff presents Stanhope as a character who is, although in many ways the model war-hero, plagued by the flaws of alcoholism and mental decay. Throughout the first two acts of the play Sherriff shows these to change the audience’s understanding of, and feelings toward, him as events unfold. The audience is first introduced to the character of Stanhope in the conversation that takes place between Osborne and Hardy at the beginning of Act 1, which also provides insights into the men’s situation. The two accounts of Stanhope we hear are vastly different; while Hardy sees him as a ‘sort of freak’, telling stories about when he ‘drank a whole bottle [of whisky] in one hour fourteen minutes’ and ‘knocked all the glasses off the table’ after an argument, Osborne, established as his second-in-command, does not encourage Hardy’s gossip and clearly has great admiration for Stanhope, saying ‘I love that fellow. I’d go to hell with him.’ However, though the two characters have very different opinions of their commanding officer, Sherriff nonetheless provides the audience with some concrete facts about Stanhope’s character: most importantly, that he has been fighting in the war for ‘three years’, having come ‘straight