The Plough & the Stars

The Plough & the Stars

1. Opening

   • Humorous
     • Mrs. Gogan with Nora's hat
     • Fluther - giving up alcohol, use of 'derogatory, his 'deathly cough'
       • Humour quickly replace by anger with the political situation & the issue of poverty. More accurate depiction of general vision of the play
     • Peter - description of his face - 'lozenge', his uniform, Mrs. Gogan's comments p.8
     • Humour used to relieve tension but also intensifies tragic/bleak overall vision at the heart of play

2. Characters

   • negative view
     • The Covey - Socialist, preaches Jenersky's Thesis, humiliates Rosie Redmond p.39, looting p.66
     • Peter - Proudly wears Forester's uniform, 'pilgrimage' to Bodenstown, speech p.36, afraid to loot 7 then condemns their actions p.69, self centred tries to lock out women
       • Hypocrisy & shallowness from people who profess the highest ideals
     • Jack - 'leaves' ICA for his wife, seems preoccupied with them however, abandons his wife
   • posturing, selfishness, cowardice cause suffering & hurt for others
   • positive view
     • Bessie - heroine
     • Fluther - courageous

3. Parenting

   • Mrs. Gogan
     • Appears to neglect Mollser at times
       • we learn this is out of necessity, The Covey p.80
     • affectionate towards Mollser
       • Act 3, 'me little Mollser'
   • influence of circumstance, vision of despair

4. Politics

   • Political divisions can destroy communities, divide society & bring about destruction. People die. Political turmoil contributes to negative atmosphere.
     • O'Casey highlights impact of rousing political speech. Convinces men to die for IRE. He is critical & disaproves
   • heroic worship of dead patriots p.53
     • ability to make impoverished people believe they could become martyrs
   • People without a voice easily influenced by by patriotic rhetoric
   • politics linked with religion (voice of man)
     • Declaration of Jack, Langon, Brennan p.53 O'Casey depicts this as vanity
   • Voice of man - glorifies bloodshed p.34/6
   • Jack died in a 'gleam of glory p.83
   • Mollser quote p.32

5. Poverty

   • O'Casey's description in Act 1
     • no longer fit for purpose 'struggling for life'
   • Bessie accuses of Nora of putting a lock on door for fear she'd be robbed
     • highlights claustrophobic living conditions, everyone knows each others business
   • Nora's need to share her home with Covey & Peter
     • affects her privacy & surely her marriage
   • Rosie Redmond has to work as a prostitute to survive
   • Mollser represents the harsh poverty of the time
     • she's a victim of illness & lack of proper care p.80
   • description of hard life creates a dark & depressing view of society at the time.