Evaluate the success of the dramatic conflict in "Abigail's Party" by Mike Leigh

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    Evaluate the success of the dramatic conflict in  Abigail s Party  by Mike Leigh

         Abigail s Party  by Mike Leigh, is a black comedy. It is set in the early 70 s in a small living room, in times when social snobbery was everything. The play is a black comedy set in the social   realist genre. This genre was developed in the 1960 s and deals with everyday  real  people in normal domestic settings. Some early examples of this are  Coronation Street  and  Steptoe and son , which were about the lives of working class people. It addresses the themes of working class, social class and the changing attitude towards marriage and the changing roles of women.
        The play contains little so called action, however there are plenty of dramas throughout the constant, uncomfortable build up of tension and conflict. It is in fact, conventional that there is hardly a plot and not a lot of action in this drama because it is in the social realist genre. Beverly is the key instigator of conflict. She is a bully; she is, manipulative and she is intrusive and personal. Throughout the play, Beverly asks too many personal questions, for example about Susan s divorce, which Susan is clearly very uncomfortable with. Beverly is tactless and insensitive; she appears obsessed with the need to control those around her. For example, when Sue arrives at the party, she wants a sherry, which is stereotypically a  middle class  drink. Beverly clearly doesn t have any sherry, so she persuades Sue into having a gin and tonic.
        Much of the conflict in the play is centred on Beverly, with her need to manipulate and control the others around her. Beverly clearly valuhowever, Angela seems unaware and passive of what is going on, but just may feel powerless in the face of Beverly.
In act 2, the conflict between Beverly and her husband Lawrence comes out into the open, fuelled quite clearly by alcohol. Beverly s attack on Lawrence focuses on his masculinity, which she constantly undermines, and the audience become increasingly aware of the deteriorating state of their marriage.
        The play deals with the theme of class and the changing attitudes towards class and status in the 1970s. Lawrence s snobbish stuck-up attitude causes a great deal of conflict in the play. For example, Lawrence is constantly trying to assert his social superiority and middle class tastes on the group, particularly over Angela and Tony, whom he clearly regards as socially inferior. He establishes that Tony, unlike himself is not a professional, because Tony does shift work and often works on weekends, neither does he have a collage education, unlike Beverly s brother and Lawrence himself. Through Lawrence s snobbish attitude, the audience can see that he considers Angela and Tony working class. Lawrence constantly tries to ally himself with what he imagines to be, trying to prove himself as middle class to Sue. For example, nobody likes olives apart from Sue and Lawrence; olives represent a stereotypical  middle class  snack, which further portrays Sue s middle class status and Laurence s middle class aspirations.
        Lawrence s snobbery is also continued when he asks Sue if she thinks that the class of people in the neighbourhood is going down in standards. Of course, being an estate agent, Lawrence can see the changes to the area that they live in. This is rather offensive to Angela and Tony, as they have only recently moved into the area. Lawrence s attempts to impose superior taste on the group irritates Beverly and results in an escalating conflict between the two of them. Their marital conflict comes out in the open in all its ugliness when Lawrence begins to talk about art, showing off the Van Gogh painting on the wall. Beverly has recognised Lawrence s desire to show off and begins to compete with him, rushing upstairs to get her favourite painting, which Lawrence calls  pornographic trash . Lawrence follows, bringing further open conflict to the scene. Lawrence continuously attempts to insult Beverly but she bites back, fiercely saying:  yeah, well you re dead from the waist down anyway!  Angela and Tony get up to leave at this point but Beverly almost commands Tony to sit down and stay. They are forced to witness Lawrence s oncoming heart attack.
        The characters  personalities are conveyed through their language, for instance, Beverly very often speaks using imperatives and commands, also asking a lot of rhetorical questions. For example, when offering someone a drink, they have almost no choice in the matter. She forces gin and tonic on Angela and Sue whether they want it or not. Lawrence is excessively polite, obsequious and insinuating towards Sue, often repeating her name and trying to impress her with his extensive collection of middle class books. Sue is, in contrast, very different to Beverly who tries to adopt a middle class accent. However, Sue doesn t have to try; she has clearly been brought up and lives a middle class life. Furthermore, Angela is completely banal with no self-awareness, however, this may be because of how much she has drunk. This is a form of dramatic irony when the audience recognise what Angela cannot. An example of dramatic irony is when Angela tells Beverly about the time she made a fool of herself at a party when she was eight. The audience can see how she is making a fool of herself, but she is completely unaware.
        Black comedy is one of the sources of humour in this drama. When Lawrence for example, is having his heart attack, Angela asks if he has false teeth. Although funny, it is clearly the wrong joke because of what is happening. Another example of black comedy is when Beverly asks Angela if Tony is ever violent. Angela says  no, he s not violent, he s just nasty, like the other day, he said he d like to sellotape my mouth . The audience see this as black comedy because Angela waffles on about rubbish, constantly, and this would make anyone want to sellotape her mouth shut.
        The audience become involved in the drama for a number of reasons. For example, Beverly is very annoying and frustrates the audience, but we always want to know what crude insult she is going to say next. I see Tony as being only partially painted to the audience, only responding with a few words every time that he is spoken to. This leaves the audience questioning what Tony is really like, and whether he acts like this all of the time. The uncomfortable and embarrassing simmering tension in act one holds our attention. The audience feel like an invisible guest at the party. However, there is a sense of relief felt as the conflict in act two comes out into the open. Seeing the characters reveal their true selves is of dramatic interest to the audience. The climax of Laurence having a heart attack is treated as a black comedy, however, as none of the characters are very likeable, we feel distanced from the event and can enjoy the tragic-comedy. We feel satisfaction at seeing the other characters finally being able to say what they think to Beverly. Sue tells her to  shut up  and Tony shouts at her for blowing smoke into her dying husband s face. This, for the first time, makes Beverly seems reduced and powerless.



umour in this drama. When Lawrence for example, is having his heart attack, Angela a

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