DaL

DaL

1. Characters

   • Narrator Michael
     • Repeated use of 'when I cast my mind back' shows it is memory
       • 'when' suggests he has moved on
       • memories 'offer themselves to [him]
         • Michaels power and the power of memory
   • Boy Michael
     • has minimal dialogue
       • finds his voice after leaving
       • Lines are spoken by offstage adult Michael
   • Uncle Jack
     • Missionary - home from Africa
     • Difficulty adapting to life in Balleybeg
     • Grammatically incorrect speech - shows his
   • Gerry
     • Michael's absent father
     • English accent - despite living in Ireland and Wales
     • Personification of outside world
       • At first seems flirtatious and nice but is revealed to be manipulative
       • Temps Chris but is fickle
   • Kate
     • Teacher
     • Formal speech
     • Head of house
     • Represents tradition
   • Agnes
     • Looks after Rose
   • Chris
   • Rose
     • Mentally delayed
     • Childlike speech and mannerisms
       • Endearing and comic relief
   • Maggie
     • Comedic - used to relieve tension
     • Forgets punchline to joke - foreshadowing downfall as tension is not relieved
       • Nature of memory

2. Relationships

   • Rose & Danny Bradley
     • He is married and Rose is naive about what he wants from her
   • Gerry & Uncle Jack
     • Both migrants
     • Hat exchange
       • Shared experience

3. Context

   • Poverty and unemployment in 1930s Ireland lead to much migration
     • This situation is not explicitly referenced but implications are made
       • Opening of the factory leading to Rose and Agnes's job loss
         • Industrialisation
   • 1936

4. Religion

   • Catholicism
     • Kate - voice of tradition - believes the radio 'killed all Christian conversation in this country'
       • Outside influence
   • Paganism
     • Links to Uncle Jack's spiritual practices in Uganda
       • Native dances and scarifices
     • Play is set during pagen harvest ritual of Lughnasa
     • Michael's kites have mask-like faces

5. Dancing

   • Music
     • Marconi
       • Works sporadically
         • Temporary happiness
     • Gerry singing "Anything Goes" while dancing with Agnes
       • Sexually suggestive lyrics
         • Foreshadowing Gerry's secret wife & child
       • Carefree
       • Influence of world outside Balleybeg
   • Kate sees dancing as sexual freedom
     • Pagan ideals
     • Kate's dancing is reserved
   • Tribal Rituals