What does J.B. Priestley's use of stagecraft contribute to the Overall dramatic effect of 'Inspector Calls'
What does J.B. Priestley's use of stagecraft contribute to the Overall dramatic effect of 'Inspector Calls' John Boynton Priestley was born in Yorkshire in 1894. He knew from a very early age that he wanted to become a writer, but decided that he would not go to university as he thought he would get a better feel for the world around him away from academic education. Instead, he became a junior clerk with a local wool firm at the age of 16. When the First World War started, Priestley joined the infantry and escaped death on several occasions. After the war was over he went on to study and gain a degree at Cambridge University. Soon after he moved to London and became a freelance writer. He wrote many successful articles and essays and published the first of many novels, The Good Companions in 1929. He completed his first play in 1932 and went on to write fifty more. Much of his writing was groundbreaking and controversial. He included new ideas about possible parallel universes and strong political messages. 'An Inspector Calls' was written in 1945 but like another of his plays was set in 1912. The play was first performed in two theatres in Moscow in 1945. However the following year it came to the stage in London. 'An Inspector Calls' is known as a well-made play. Its progression is from ignorance to knowledge, not just for the audience but for the characters
What is Alfieri's function in 'A View from The Bridge'?
What is Alfieri's function in 'A View from The Bridge'? Arthur Miller was born to a Jewish family in New York in 1915. His grandparents had come from Poland to Brooklyn, in America, where A View from the Bridge is set. Between his years as a journalist and making his name as a writer, Miller worked in the Brooklyn shipyards for two years, where he befriended the Italians he worked alongside. He heard a story of some men coming over to work illegally and being betrayed. The story inspired A View from the Bridge, which was written in 1955. It was originally a one-act play, but Miller re-worked it into a two-act play the following year. Most of his work is set in America and deals with political and moral issues along with the idea of Greek tragedy. Miller uses the sense of inevitability and powerlessness that tragedy's have in Catherine, Rodolfo and Eddie's situation, in
Who's to blame for Eva smith death in inspector calls?
Who's to blame for Eva smith death in inspector calls? Mr Berling is the first person the Inspector confronts with the responsibility of the young women^s death. Mr Berling is the type of character that thinks that Titanic is unsinkable and that there will never be a war which is a dramatic irony. Eva had been employed at Mr Berlings factory but had been sacked for leading a strike to get the workers more pay. At first Mr Berling will not accept responsibility which is shown when he says "Still, I can't accept any responsibility. If we were all responsible for everything that happened to everybody we'd had anything to do with, it would be very awkward." Mr Burling shows in this way, that he has a lot of power to say if the workers have a steady income or not and does not care about the consequences. The Inspector thinks that Mr Berling is partly to blame for Eva being so depressed that she killed herself. ^She was out of work for the next two months. Both her parents were dead, so that she^d no home to go back to. And she hadn^t been able to save much out of what Berling and Company had paid her. So that after two months, with no work, no money coming in, and living in lodgings, with no relatives to help her, few friends, lonely, half-starved, she was feeling desperate.^ The second person questioned by the Inspector was Sheila who is the only one who
Why is 'Hamlet' seen as such a unique play even though it is part of the English revenge tradition in drama?
Hamlet Why is 'Hamlet' seen as such a unique play even though it is part of the English revenge tradition in drama? (Literary Tradition) Hamlet is arguably one of the greatest plays of all time and it is said that Hamlet is performed around the world every 5-10 minutes. Initially, Hamlet comes across as a typical revenge play of the Elizabethan times but when looked at in more detail Hamlet is a unique play even though it was part of the English tradition in drama. The Elizabethan audience understood the conventions of revenge tragedy at least as well as we today grasp the complicated rules of spy fiction. Once Hamlet raised the suspicion that he knew that Claudius is a murderer he is in danger of not only being killed by the tyrant but of being damned himself, 'Burned by God in hell!' Hamlet decides not to kill Claudius (Act 3 Scene 3) and by failing to kill Claudius, Hamlet comes off the revenge treadmill and becomes hunted rather than the hunter. Hamlet is seen as a revenge play but it has more than revenge, there are themes and messages running through it all. Hamlet and his fathers' relationship is very important in the play. His brother Claudius; who was having an affair with the Queen; killed King Hamlet when the King was asleep by putting rat poison in his ear. As a result of the King being killed Claudius was crowned king of Denmark. Hamlet
"A Doll's House"
Henrik Ibsen was born in 1828 on the coast of Norway into a middle class family. When he was 6 years of age, due to financial loss, his family were forced to move to a smaller house in the country and his education was disruppted. Ibsen had to work as an apprentice and study in the evening this alienated him from his family and he was never to reunite with them. In 1849 his first play was published and was a disaster. Ibsen altered his style of writing to accommodate the trend of the era which was romanticism. His second play the "The Warrior's Borrow" was a success. Ibsen then acquired a job as "Dramatic Author" at the Norwegian Theatre which included all parts of the theatre production directing, designing sets and costumes as well as financial and business aspects. At this point in time, Ibsen was successful as light comedy, romanticism and melodrama were the main subjects he wrote about. By 1860 he was disillusioned with those and wanted to deal with real issues about everyday life in society, which his middle class audience could relate to. Being a socialist, Ibsen's realistic for of writing made his audiences think and even examine their own life's this made his realistic plays extremely successful with the public but the critics thought other wise. In 1877 "The Pillars of Society" was his naturalistic play but still contained a happy ending. Then only two years later "A
"A Doll's House" deals with the position of women in matters of marriage and society in the 19th century. To what extent do you agree that these ideas were ahead of their time?
Scott Francis "A Doll's House" deals with the position of women in matters of marriage and society in the 19th century. To what extent do you agree that these ideas were ahead of their time? The inspiration for A Doll's House came from the tragic events that happened to Laura Kieler a young woman Ibsen met in1870. Laura asked Ibsen to comment on a play she was writing and they became close friends. Some time later her husband contracted tuberculosis and was advised to visit a warm climate. Unfortunately they lacked the financial means so she acquired a loan. Repayment was demanded and Laura had to forge a cheque. This was soon discovered and her husband treated her like a common criminal, despite the fact that she had these actions for his sake. She suffered a nervous breakdown and was committed to a public asylum. Eventually she begged him to take her back for the sake of the children. Ibsen then began to write A Doll's House. A Doll's house was first performed in Copenhagen on the 21st of December 1879. From the very start of the play we are introduced to an attentive, compliant and submissive wife, Nora. As the play continues the audience begin to see that there is something more to Nora, she is not simply Torvald's pet, a "little skylark twittering". My essay will attempt to show that the character of Nora was a very bold one that was not easily digested by the general
"A Doll's House" Henryk Ibsen.
Question 1) The relationship between Nora and Torvald is a strange one by our standards but when the play was written it would have been quite usual. In the beginning of the play it seems to be an almost childish relationship in the sense that he uses words like scamper and fritter and calls Nora Squirrel and little bird. He also sees her as childlike and defenceless, a view held by men about women then. He blames women for the morality of the children and for the purity of the world through their influence in the home. She plays along with his games and is a loving wife although later we learn she has an ulterior motive. Nora and Torvald both fell in love with the conceptions of each other, not their real selves. It turns out to be money that drives the relationship especially in Nora's case as she was constantly trying to get money and wishing for a richer lifestyle. It is not an equal relation ship as seen in an idyllic world because Torvald does not see Nora as a equal but as a lesser being, a role to which Nora submits to. Question 2) In the dialogue when Nora plays flirtatiously with Dr Rank we can see her character in more depth and see potential flaws. We can see that she has no regard for others and is only interested in having fun and enjoying life. This is because she has such a sheltered home lifestyle in which she cannot fully accept the reality of the outside
"A Dolls House" feminist critics and the social conventions Of marital life.
"A Dolls House" feminist critics and the social conventions Of marital life. In Ibsen's symbolic play "A Doll House", Nora is the bird, and her marriage is the cage. A bird may have beautiful wings, but within a cage, the beautiful wings are useless. Within the cage, the bird is not fulfilling the potential for which it was created - it is merely a household decoration. Externally, Nora is a beautiful creature entertaining her husband with the beautiful images of an obedient wife, but internally, she is a desperate creature longing to explore her potential outside the cage of her marriage. In a society dominated by the expectations of men, Nora must choose between the obligations determined by her role as wife in disagreeing to the obligations of self, in determining her true identity and Christine's identity within the social convention of marital life. Nora's flight to personal freedom is considered useless to some feminist critics, due to the decision of Christine to re unite with Krogstad. However Nora is praised for leaving Torvald. In some ways I agree with this statement though both Christine and Nora's characters differ immensely allowing them to take different actions according to their character. The role of women in late 19th century marriage was very stereotypical, providing your husband with children, and caring for one's family, the perfect mother and wife,
"A Kestrel for a Knave" and "Our Day Out" both raise the issue of social stereotyping. With close reference to the texts explore to what ends and effects this issues is raised.
"A Kestrel for a Knave" and "Our Day Out" both raise the issue of social stereotyping. With close reference to the texts explore to what ends and effects this issues is raised. To socially stereotype someone you discriminate them based on things like their background, their financial status or the area they live in. Both stories; "A Kestrel for a Knave" and "Our Day Out" raise the issue of social stereotyping and both are set against a poverty stricken, working class background. "Our Day Out" is set in a poor, run down area of Liverpool in a working class community. The children all attend a secondary modern school in the 70's. They have no prospects and are all expected to be "factory fodder". "A Kestrel for a Knave" is set in a working class mining community near Barnsley. As with "Our Day Out" the children who attend the school are seen as hopeless, but instead of the children being fodder for factories the majority end up working in the local mines. Billy's estate is overlooked by a middle class area called Firs Hill. Hines uses Firs Hill to represent a contrasting world to Valley Estate. Billy's home. Barry Hines doesn't portray Billy as a stereotype; he is a very realised character. Billy is however a product of his own social background, for example, he steals chocolate from Mr Porter's shop, eggs and orange juice from the milkman, and he commits acts of vandalism by
"A view from the Bridge" - Arthur Miller Examine the ideas of manliness, hostility and aggression in the play. How are the ideas connected?
"A view from the Bridge" - Arthur Miller Examine the ideas of manliness, hostility and aggression in the play. How are the ideas connected? The play "A view from the Bridge" written by Arthur Miller is set in the 1950's in the back streets of New York. The play shows how the desire for the American dream can tear families apart and destroy relationships. The writer illustrates how too much love for your family can create tension and jealousy with other people claiming their love. Manliness and aggression play a key part in this play resulting in tragic consequences. Eddie, the protagonist, has very strong ideas about what is considered manly. His first impressions of Marco and Rodolpho are that Marco is a 'real' man; he is muscular, headstrong and looks out for his family. When giving his views on Marco he says: "He goes around like a man" (page 35) This clearly shows he is complementing of Marco and also displays his respect towards him. Eddie realises nobody messes around with Marco and along with the rest of the long shore men leaves him to get on with his own business. "Nobody kids Marco" (page 35) This gives the impression that Marco is dominating and mentally strong, and won't allow other people to insult him in any way. On the other hand, Rodolpho is feminine and does not have a muscular build. He sings like a bird and does not have a family of his own.
