Friel next uses the language of herbs in a conversation between Mabel and her sister Mary that reveals Mabel’s struggle of identity and loyalty between the English and Irish. When Mary brings Mabel seeds of her own to plant,
“Mary: … Don’t plant the fennel near the dill or the two will cross fertilize. Mabel: Is that bad?” (p. 22)
having eloped with O’Neill to Ireland, Mabel has betrayed her family and her heritage and is now burdened with the duality O’Neill faces from being brought up in both England and Ireland – ironically, her sister has implied the mix of English and Irish as bad, through the metaphor of herbs, to which Mabel questions. Mabel is a loyal character and fights for her marriage with O’Neill, their duality is perhaps what forms the deep connection between O’Neill and Mabel, they can both relate to each other on a level, which keeps them close through the upcoming events.
“O’Neill: What herb are you, Harry? What about dill? ‘Has a comforting and soothing effect.’” (p. 30)
O’Neill describes Harry as comforting and soothing, a subtle reminder of how highly O’Neill regards him. O’Neill also names Borage after the character O’Donnell,
“O’Neill: … ‘Inclined to include excessive courage, even recklessness.’ That’s O’Donnell. Isn’t it? Borage O’Donnell.” (p. 30)
The narrator has already described O’Donnell to the audience as “impulsive, enthusiastic and generous.” These attributes are similar to O’Neill’s description of borage and shows just how “sharp-minded” and “talkative” his character actually is.
Friel, through the language of herbs has shown a humorous and intelligent side to O’Neill, although the leader in him is still yet to show, throughout Act 1 he is shown as distracted and uninterested in his role as Earl and the jobs that he must fulfil, this indicates to the audience that he will most likely fail as a leader as he is more interested in his personal affairs.
The duality of O’Neill’s identity is played on and enforced throughout Making History through the use of stage directions. The narrator tells the audience at the beginning of the play that “He always speaks in an upper-class English accent except on those occasions specifically scripted.” When O’Neill becomes angry or tries to emphasise what he’s saying, the stage directions point out his use of Tyrone accent.
“O’Neill: (Very angry, in Tyrone accent) I think so. And this is my country. (Quietly, in his usual accent) I have married a very talented, a very spirited, a very beautiful young woman. …”
This sudden change of accent is a method of gaining presence and making a point for O’Neill, the use of his Irish accent shows he is in command and he is still in charge of his country. O’Neill’s outburst of anger is also whilst defending and justifying his marriage to Mabel – this really shows how loyal he is to her deep down and that he respects Mabel’s betrayal of her own country. O’Neill’s description of Mabel (“talented”, “spirited”) is very accurate and is how Friel portrays her throughout the play. Mabel is a unique character as she manages to stay neutral to both opposing factions, as a character she represents peace and harmony because of this.
Archbishop Lombard is described by the narrator, “By profession he is a church diplomat and his manner is careful and exact.” These careful choice of words tell the audience that Lombard is quite a sly character with a good sense of language and means to talk his way out or in to a situation well. He is not likely to be very religious but exploits his profession in order to gain himself an advantage. Lombard decides to write O’Neill’s history, and, true to his character, refers to history as a “story” (p. 8), avoiding O’Neill’s questions when asked if he will be telling the truth.
“Lombard: I’m not sure that ‘truth’ is a primary ingredient – is that a shocking thing to say?” (p. 8-9)
It is clear from this conversation that both O’Neill and Lombard have completely different stances on writing history. O’Neill believes it should be an accurate document of events whereas Lombard believes it should be twisted in order to become an entertaining tale based on events. This presents O’Neill with another pair of identities – Hero vs. the real O’Neill. How he will be portrayed through Lombard’s history will certainly not be the real, womanising, careless O’Neill, but a brave leader and hero of Ireland. These ideas Friel has implemented challenges the audience to think about what they would themselves prefer as history – the truth or a fairytale created to entertain in order to be passed down to others. Lombard’s rhetorical question (“… is that a shocking thing to say?”) shows he knows that it is slightly devious, but it’s the truth never the less.
The second act contrasts entirely with the first. Only eight months have passed in the play, but the Battle of Kinsale has been lost and O’Neill is now living in poverty, “He is using a wooden box as a table …” the narrator describes. “O’Neill: Have you any food?” (p. 43) The mood is now desperate and sinister, O’Neill is no longer the charismatic and talkative character he was eight months ago, but now an ageing man with growing regret, his rich and happy life no longer apart of him but now placed with a criminal identity. Wanted by both the Irish and English, both of O’Neill’s identities have abandoned him.
The end of Act 1 Scene 1 announces the death of both Mabel and her baby – the ‘cross-breed’ that Mabel’s sister Mary had warned her about. Friel’s use of herbs have also pre-empted the inevitable fate of Mabel and the baby.
“O’Neill: (Almost in a whisper) Yes, I think I’ll take some of that whiskey now, Hugh. Just a thimbleful, if you please. And no water. Oh, dear God… (Quick black.)” (p. 54)
The stage directions that show O’Neill almost unable to speak after hearing the shocking news shows how unexpected it is for him. The quick black tells the audience it is the end of the scene and also adds further dramatic effect to the abrupt news – the way this is delivered most probably leaves the audience is a state of shock also.
Scene 2 is set in Rome, “many years later” (p. 54), O’Neill and the others have been forced to flee, where they are no longer welcome in both Ireland or England. The narrator tells us he has a “volatile” and “bitter” temper, carries a walking stick and has begun to lose sight in his eyes. This image paints the picture of an elderly, dishevelled man burdened with the regret of many terrible mistakes. Throughout most of this final scene O’Neill is scarcely sober, this indicates he must be very unhappy with his life and how it has ended up for him to drink so much.
“O’Neill: (He bumps into a stool and knocks it over. As he straightens it) Forgive me.” (p. 54)
As O’Neill drunkenly bumps into a stool and then apologises to it for knocking it over, you feel instantly embarrassed and sympathetic for O’Neill. He is now a shadow of his former self, no longer his bubbly, talkative and distracted character. It appears to the audience that O’Neill has lost sense of any identity he once had, which isn’t hard to believe considering he has been banished from not one but both of his homes, and now resides in a foreign country that has been alien to him most of his life.
“O’Neill: You said Mabel will have her place. That place is central to me.” (p. 63)
As the play draws to an end we see a scene shared by Lombard, Harry and O’Neill, O’Neill desperately trying to convince Lombard to tell the truth in his history, about his failure and corruption, and most interestingly to include Mabel. This shows how deeply he cared for her and enforces the idea of the bond they had over their dual identities. This must have comforted O’Neill and made him feel at home, to lose that was really the turning point in his personality, almost as if when Mabel died she took his identity with her, as she was the last thing holding it together and making sense from it all.
Act 2 Scene 2 reaches a close as O’Neill finally accepts defeat and realises Lombard will write the history how he wants it, Lombard continuously asks “What changes do you want me to make?” But despite the details O’Neill wants included, Lombard will still tell it in a way that is entertaining. Lombard begins to read the history as O’Neill starts to cry and mourn for Mabel, “(O’Neill is now crying. Bring the lights down slowly.)” (p. 71). The slow fade of lights signifies the end of the play.
Friel presented identity by portraying a man who had everything, and slowly stripped him of every last meaningful thing he had in order to convey the message of what makes us who we are. O’Neill lost both of his countries, and his wife and baby, the loss of Mabel being pivotal - she was the one person he could relate to and feel close to, and the baby symbolised a new beginning where the English and Irish could live in harmony together. Through Lombard’s history we will not learn about O’Neill’s duality, his close friend Harry or wife Mabel that helped shape his character, but a Hero who fought a tough battle for Ireland, fled with the Flight of the Earls, and shall be “king for the span of his life” (p. 71), thus telling us that identity exists in many forms.
