Consider the use of freils use of the radio in this extract
Dancing at lughnasa essay, Joe Simons
Reread act 2 from page 63 (“Music of anything goes”) to page 67 (Gerry:Bluffer) Consider friel use of the radio in this extract and elsewhere in the play
Brain Friel’s Dancing at Lughnasa is a play of memories and change in 1930s Ireland in a community dominated by Catholicism. It is set in the household of the Mundy sisters, each one with different personality traits and different ideas of how the family should be run. Recent arrivals of Gerry Evans and Father Jack offer threating outsider influence causing fractures in the structure of the home. One other outsider ‘pagan’ influence, is the wireless radio set Marconi, and its musical influence dictates throughout the play the sisters rare emotions and feelings.
In the extract from pages 63 to 67, there are many suggestions placed by Brain Freil and his stage directions to show the influence of the radio. Friel’s stage directions (Music of ‘anything goes’ plays softly on the radio) shows what view the society of Ballybeg might have on the Mundy household, With sister Chris having an illegitimate child to Gerry evens, this was seen as unacceptable by the catholic church and would have had major implications on the mundy sisters reputation. Also, these stage directions shows Father Jacks religious beliefs and his tolerance towards his new found paganism, a sense of ‘anything goes’ in his beliefs. Friel’s stage directions also show how the radio is a key catalyst for the sisters showing their feelings. After a scene of dancing between Agnes and Gerry, “(Chris: Suddenly turns the radio off)”. This is due to envy towards seeing Agnes and Gerry dancing and also shows Chris’ awareness of the danger the radio has on the household, a view shared by Kate. During this extract, Friel repeatedly uses his stage directions to show the aggressive and jealous emotions of Chris due to witnessing her sister and lover dance together (Chris:(Sharply) Not now. I wonder where Michael got
Reread act 2 from page 63 (“Music of anything goes”) to page 67 (Gerry:Bluffer) Consider friel use of the radio in this extract and elsewhere in the play
Brain Friel’s Dancing at Lughnasa is a play of memories and change in 1930s Ireland in a community dominated by Catholicism. It is set in the household of the Mundy sisters, each one with different personality traits and different ideas of how the family should be run. Recent arrivals of Gerry Evans and Father Jack offer threating outsider influence causing fractures in the structure of the home. One other outsider ‘pagan’ influence, is the wireless radio set Marconi, and its musical influence dictates throughout the play the sisters rare emotions and feelings.
In the extract from pages 63 to 67, there are many suggestions placed by Brain Freil and his stage directions to show the influence of the radio. Friel’s stage directions (Music of ‘anything goes’ plays softly on the radio) shows what view the society of Ballybeg might have on the Mundy household, With sister Chris having an illegitimate child to Gerry evens, this was seen as unacceptable by the catholic church and would have had major implications on the mundy sisters reputation. Also, these stage directions shows Father Jacks religious beliefs and his tolerance towards his new found paganism, a sense of ‘anything goes’ in his beliefs. Friel’s stage directions also show how the radio is a key catalyst for the sisters showing their feelings. After a scene of dancing between Agnes and Gerry, “(Chris: Suddenly turns the radio off)”. This is due to envy towards seeing Agnes and Gerry dancing and also shows Chris’ awareness of the danger the radio has on the household, a view shared by Kate. During this extract, Friel repeatedly uses his stage directions to show the aggressive and jealous emotions of Chris due to witnessing her sister and lover dance together (Chris:(Sharply) Not now. I wonder where Michael got