Hobsons Choice.

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Hobsons Choice was written in 1915 by a cotton industry salesman named Harold Brighouse. He was born in 1882 in Eccles, Salford in Lancashire. His father also worked in the cotton industry. Brighouse only wrote plays in his spare time away from his hectic job as a salesman. He wrote about local working class people. He later resigned from his cotton industry job and became a full time playwright once he realised his potential. At the time of publication it was fashionable to write about northern people because of the unique humour that they posses.

The play was performed in local theatres at first but later toured Britain in order to give the British public a chance to see Brighouse's work. Hobsons choice is set in the early 1880s, this is at the main time of the Victorian era, and it was set in Salford, Brighouse's hometown. It shows the audience how much people have changed in such a short period of time. The 1915 audience would find the characters of the play amusing because of their 'silly' old-fashioned ways. Hobson is a symbol of an old Victorian man. His old fashioned ways would entertain the audience of the time. Maggie is a symbol of a modern Victorian woman; she breaks all of the 'rules'.

The way a woman behaves differently than she should have done would amuse the audience. In the Victorian era it was normal for men to be the 'boss' of the family. Men chose their daughters marriage partners, women practically belonged to men. Women were meant to obey the Victorian men. The audience of 1915 would find this amusing because of the boss role being reversed. They would laugh at Hobsons determination to be in charge, Maggies courage against her farther and also the way Willie was controlled by Maggie.

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Through out the play we see lots of examples of how Maggie was an un-stereotypical woman of the Victorian era. Within the play we see Maggie cleverly devise plans. She arranges for her sisters, Vickey and Alice to marry Freddie and Albert. She cunningly does this when Hobson drunkenly falls down Beanstocks cellar. She tells Albert to write up plans to fine Hobson for damage to the

stock. The money from the fine was then used as marriage settlements in order that Vickey and Alice could be married. We also see her arrange plans for ...

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