After having read 'Hobson's Choice', by Harold Brighouse, I am to concentrate on the remarkable character of Maggie Hobson.
Hobson's Choice After having read 'Hobson's Choice', by Harold Brighouse, I am to concentrate on the remarkable character of Maggie Hobson. When we first get introduced to Maggie Hobson, we notice into the play that, she is very different from her two younger sisters, Alice and Vicky. The sisters are under the control of their father, but Maggie is independent around events and people in her life. She is the most controllable character in the whole play. The play is set in Salford, around the 1880's. The women were expected to keep quiet, while they did the housework. The readers and the viewers would be shocked to see a woman with such immense power, who is able to control the characters in the whole play. The play is based around a guy called Henry Horatio Hobson. He is a middle-class businessman who is expected to rule over his household. The men's role in the 1880's had a higher role in the society, than the women. The women were considered to be second-class citizen, in the society. As the play starts going, we can that Maggie isn't happy about women in the society. We can see this dominant role, when Albert Prosser enters the shop, to see his girlfriend, Alice. Maggie manipulates Albert by saying "This is a shop you know. We're not here to let people go without buying". After this scene, Albert leaves by buying a new pair of bootlaces and boots, and
How do you think the audience at the first London Performance of 'Hobson's Choice' in 1916 would have reacted to the Development of Will Mossop?
Bryony Hughes 10 RSW English Coursework How do you think the audience at the first London Performance of 'Hobson's Choice' in 1916 would have reacted to the Development of Will Mossop? In 1916, life was very different to how it is today. Status was a very important thing and people were very conscious of the reputation of their family name. The classes were very divided. For example, the people in lower class were treated with very little respect, however people in upper class were given respect by all classes. 'Hobson's Choice' is a comedy based around the battle of wills between Hobson, a hard-headed, domineering cobbler and his daughter Maggie, who defies him by marrying his most talented but timid and downtrodden worker, Will Mossop. She helps Will to develop his potential and together they turn the tables on Hobson himself. At the beginning of the play, we see that Hobson does not treat Will with a lot of respect and the difference between their classes is made very obvious. The way all of Hobson's workers are treated is of a very low standard. ' In the centre of the stage is a trap leading to the cellar where work is done.' This is where Will and all the other workers work, nobody ever goes down this trap, workers are always called up from it which signifies how little they are thought of. The change in Will's treatment changes
In Act two, Alice tells Maggie "I don't know what you're aiming at." She replies, "The difference between us is I do, I always did." Explain the differences between Maggie and her sisters. 'Hobson's Choice' is set in Salford in 1880
Beth Thompson In Act two, Alice tells Maggie "I don't know what you're aiming at." She replies, "The difference between us is I do, I always did." Explain the differences between Maggie and her sisters. 'Hobson's Choice' is set in Salford in 1880, at a time when women tended to occupy largely domestic roles. However, the leading character, Maggie Hobson, is a woman way ahead of her time. Unlike her sisters, she is a demanding and domineering character. She knows what she wants in life and is not afraid to strive for it. Alice and Vicky stand up to Hobson, their father, about small and trivial matters. After Hobson has complained about the bustles the girls wear, Alice says to her father: "We shall continue to dress fashionably, Father." However, Alice and Vicky are very intimidated by Hobson and so when it comes to bigger and more important matters the talking is left to Maggie. Jim Heeler calls on Hobson to take him to the 'Moonrakers'. This is a bar where he spends most of his time drinking a lot of alcohol. Whilst Jim is around, Hobson seeks some advice from him. He requires advice on how to manage the girls. In the end he decides to get Alice and Vicky 'wed'. After Hobson has told Alice and Vicky that he will be choosing husbands for them, the girls are extremely unhappy. They wish to choose their own partners: "Can we not choose husbands for ourselves?" But
Analyse the events of act one and discuss how the playwright, Harold Brighouse prepares the audience for the transformation of Will Mossop's character as seen in act four of Hobson's Choice.
Claira Reynolds 10H 21st December 2001 Analyse the events of act one and discuss how the playwright, Harold Brighouse prepares the audience for the transformation of Will Mossop's character as seen in act four. Hobson's Choice was set in the Victorian time of 1880. It was written in 1915 and is a Lancashire comedy that also refers to class. When Maggie marries Will, it is seen as a disgrace because Maggie is marrying someone of a lower class. Hobson's choice shows the rise of Will Mossop (a boothand) who is a nervous, unconfident man and how he changes when he marries Maggie, the daughter of Hobson. Maggie is the complete opposite of Will and she transforms him. It shows Hobson and others around them disagreeing with the wedding. In this essay, I am going to analyse the transformation of Will Mossop from act1 to act4 and say how he has changed. We first see Will Mossop when Mrs Hepworth, an important customer of Hobson's enquires about who made the boots that she has. "...Who made these boots?" Mrs Hepworth seeks the assistance of Maggie to find out who made the boots, after getting nowhere with Hobson. This puts Hobson out and he still tries to interfere and show his importance. He assures Mrs Hepworth that he will make the man that made them suffer if there is anything wrong with them. "...if there is anything wrong I assure you I'm capable of making the man
In Hobson's Choice, how does Harold Brighouse make the audience aware of the changes in Willie Mossop's character?
Twentieth Century Drama Rachel Cormack 10JGR/H1 "Hobson's Choice" by Harold Brighouse In Hobson's Choice, how does Harold Brighouse make the audience aware of the changes in Willie Mossop's character? In this assignment, I will be looking at the play "Hobson's Choice" which was written in 1914 by Harold Brighouse. I will scrutinize the way that the playwright makes the audience aware of the changes in William Mossop's character using quotes from the script. "Hobson's Choice" was a saying used in the late eighteen and early nineteen hundreds and to have Hobson's choice was to have no choice at all. Brighouse saw this as a title with scope for a play and wrote the script to fit the title. He set the play back in eighteen eighty, in Salford, Lancashire two years before he was born near Salford. "Hobson's Choice" tells the story of the Hobson family who live in Chapel Street, Salford and run a prosperous family boot making business. The head of the household is Henry Horatio Hobson, a widower with three daughters, Alice, who is twenty-three, the twenty-one, pretty Victoria and Maggie, the eldest at thirty. Maggie is invaluable to Hobson as she is an incomparable shop hand and obliging to the customers. The story begins with an argument occurring between Hobson and his daughters, concerning their manner towards himself. He proposes that, if their "uppishness" towards him
Character Study : Harry Hobson
Character Study : Harry Hobson Harold Brighouse Although a prolific and popular playwright and novelist during his lifetime, the reputation of Harold Brighouse today rests almost entirely on his play Hobson's Choice. Born in Eccles near Salford on 26 July 1882, his mother was a teacher and his father was in the cotton business. Despite gaining a scholarship to Manchester Grammar School, Harold was not a keen student; at seventeen he left school to start work in the textile industry. Henry Hobson, a boot shop owner in Salford, not a very successful one either. Henry has three children, all girls, Maggie, who is thirty, Alice, twenty-three and finally Victoria, known as 'Vickey' who is twenty-one. All of the girls work for Hobson, but do not receive any form of wage. Hobson treats the three girls with no respect whatsoever; we understand that this is true by the tone and aggression in Hobson's voice when he interacts with them. He is the most hypocritical man in 'Hobson's Choice'; this is proven by the change in his tone and body language when Ms Hepworth, a high classed customer, enters his shop. When Hobson greets Ms. Hepworth he immediately rushes to pull up a chair for her to sit on. Ms Hepworth questions Henry Hobson about who made her shoes, which she had recently purchased in this shop. Hobson does not give her a straight answer so Ms. Hepworth uses a different, more
Hobson's Choice - Why are the characters of Maggie and Will so popular to a modern audience?
Sian Dudley 09/02/03 Why are the characters of Maggie and will So popular to a modern audience? Maggie and Will are two of the main characters in "Hobson's Choice". Maggie works in her fathers shop for very little pay at all, as does Will, who is a shoemaker for Hobson and is very good at his job. Maggie married Will (being very dominant for a woman in those days) and they left Hobson's shop to start up a shoe business of their own because of the way Hobson exploits them. Will and Maggie eventually fall in love and Maggie manages to get her father to pay for her two sisters weddings and because of Hobson's drinking problem they decide to join business with Hobson so that Will can manage the shop and Maggie can manage Hobson. The play is set in the Victorian times (1880s). Maggie throughout the play has used her intellect and reasoned thinking to get ahead. This makes Maggie not only popular, but also, amusing as she is persistent which reflects on the play. In act one of the play she almost forces Albert to buy boots that he really doesn't want to buy "This is a shop you know. We're not here to let people go out without buying." This quote explains that in her eyes the business comes first like when she talks to Will about her marriage being a business opportunity "You're a business idea in the shape of a man." When Maggie gets the money from Mrs Hepworth and sorts
In Act 2 when Alice tells Maggie " I don't know what your aiming at..." she answers " The difference between us is that I do. I always did." Explore the differences between Maggie and her sisters in " Hobson's Choice."
In Act 2 when Alice tells Maggie " I don't know what your aiming at..." she answers " The difference between us is that I do. I always did." Explore the differences between Maggie and her sisters in " Hobson's Choice." Hobson's Choice is a play written by Harold Brighouse and it is set in Salford in 1880. In those women were victims of the conventions of the day which meant they had to stay at home, cook their masters tea and were generally ordered about during their lives. However, in this play Maggie is a victim of no one and nothing. We see her as an individual, very strong headed and also very different from her sisters. Maggie transcends convention in order to get exactly what she wants, not only for herself but also for those around her. In this essay, I am going to explain what I feel the main differences between Maggie and her two sisters are and how I think they are portrayed in the play by closely studying Hobson's Choice. The play opens in Hobson's Boot Shop, Chapel Street, in Salford. We are introduced to Alice and Vickey who are sat behind the counter when Maggie enters. As the reader, I learn that Alice is expecting Albert Prosser that morning to come in and attempt to "woo" her. Alice is a very anxious character at this point in the play as her Father hasn't left yet for his daily trip to the Moonraker's, due to a late Mason's meeting the night
Hobsons Choice Assignment
Hobson's Choice - Talk about Willie This essay will talk about Willies steps from being a shoe maker to becoming the owner of a shop. Willie is an important character although he is one of the only working class characters in the play. (The other, his friend who also works in the shop.) The play focused on the key figure 'Willie' climbing the social ladder. Also his anxiousness towards the other characters. On his way up he even manages to insult his old master. He gains a father-in-law and two sister-in-laws. His old girlfriend Ada Figgins though he was not much to look at but Maggie still wanted to marry him. Mrs. Hepworth thinks Willie the boot maker is good at his trade. Hobson disagrees with her congratulating him. As Mrs. Hepworth says 'Did you make these boots.' Then Hobson remarks 'If there is anything wrong I'm capable of making the man suffer for it.' This shows Hobson thinks poorly of his staff, also Mrs. Hepworth thinks People should be praised for doing a good job. However, Hobson gets jealous of Willie because of this. Hobson doesn't pay his daughters waages but he does pay Willie's. Jim says '...and their wages?' Then Hobson says 'Wages! do you think i pay my own daughters wages?' 'I'm not a fool!' This is saying that Will
HOBSON'S CHOICE WAS WRITTEN TO REFLECT THE SOCIAL ROLES AND VALUES OF THE TIME. WITH REFRENCE TO THE PLAY, DISCUSS WHETHER YOU THINK THE STATEMENT IS JUSTIFIED?
HOBSON'S CHOICE WAS WRITTEN TO REFLECT THE SOCIAL ROLES AND VALUES OF THE TIME. WITH REFRENCE TO THE PLAY, DISCUSS WHETHER YOU THINK THE STATEMENT IS JUSTIFIED? The play 'Hobson's Choice' was written by Harold Brighouse in modern society but set in the Victorian times. It was written to reflect the social roles and values of its time. Social roles are duties, position, responsibilities or tasks that are expected of an individual by the public or a group of people while values are standards or principles considered important in life. Social roles and values was more of a belief and an integral part of the Victorian society and culture, therefore Brighouse understood the importance of social roles and value during this time and therefore exploits this principle and idea by creating characters that juxtapose the conventional customs and as a result comedy is produced. During the Victorian times, men were more favoured in every area of life because they were treated with more respect and honour compared to women. Also, status and class was very important during the Victorian times because it was believed that status was a 'thing of inheritance' and once you are born with it, you are destined to die with it and for this reason, the higher class never associated with the lower class and the lower class was bound to do the same; the lower class related to their own type. The