Blood Brothers - Form and Technique Flashcards
A didactic play
A drama which intends to teach, especially with regard to morals. Tussell wants to teach people about attitudes towards the working class.
Tragedy
An event causing great suffering, destruction and distress. Mickey and Edward die. Mickey’s downfall is tragic — pills, loses best friend, his job and his wife. Tragic end = consequences of decisions made by Mrs Johnstone (fuelled by poverty), Mrs Lyons (fuelled by jealousy), Mickey (decision to join in with the robbery) and Edward (decision to have an affair).
Parallels and contrasts
Parallels — similarities
Contrasts — differences
Mrs Johnstone and Mrs Lyons can be contrasted — one has 9 children whilst the other is childless. One is poor whilst the other is wealthy. Parallels can be drawn between Mickey and Mrs Johnstone as both are poor and unsuccessful in adult life, for example, Linda gets pregnant young as did Mrs Johnstone.
The rise and fall
Significant rise until the second half of Act Two — bond between blood brothers is cemented. Prior to this it seems as though the workings of fate, superstition and Mrs Lyons cannot separate them of break their friendship. However, in the second half of act Two, Mickey’s life takes a dramatic downward turn with all events conspiring to the tragic end.
Narrator
A person who gives the spoken account of something. Omniscient to remind the audience about the ending of the play.
Stage directions
An instruction in the text of the play indicating the movement, the position or tone of an actor, or the sound effects and lighting.
Song
A single work of music that is typically intended to be sung by the human voice. It is through the songs that the characters reveal their true thoughts and feelings
Dialogue
A conversation between two or more people.
Accent and Dialect vs Standard English
Standard oEnglish is any form of the English language that is accepted as a national norm. Accent is a distinctive way of pronouncing a language. Dialects is a particular form of language which is peculiar to a specific range or social group. Edward speaks using Standard English and Mickey speaks with an accent and colloquial dialect.
Foreshadowing
A warning or indication of a future event. For example, a magpie for sorrow and broken bottles on the beach.
Symbols and motifs
A thing that represents or stands for something else. Marilyn Monroe was symbolic for the ideal women and then the demise of Mickey. A motif is a dominant or recurring image of idea. For example, dancing to represent being carefree, spiralling out of control etc.
Montage
A series of short sequences are edited into a sequence to condense space. The summer sequence is a montage showing how the friendship between Mickey, Linda and Edward continues as they grow up.
