Willy Russell's "Our Day Out"
Willy Russell has written many plays over the last thirty years, but
there is one feature that is common to all of them: the issue of
social and cultural background. This is the situation of the
characters; their surroundings; their class; the society in which they
are brought up, and the culture of that society. It is this that can
lead to the behaviour, feelings, opinions and general outlook of the
characters. Russell explores the effects that society and culture can
have on people in all his plays, but in none is it so poignant as in
'Our Day Out', the story of what happens when Mrs Kay takes her
Progress class out of inner-city Liverpool on a school trip to Conwy
Castle, Wales.
Throughout 'Our Day Out' the issue of social and cultural background
is ever-present, but it is discussed and conveyed in many different
forms; the colloquial dialect Russell uses; the symbolism that is
featured; the behaviour and attitudes of the children; the way that
people react to these children, and the insights we get into their
family lives.
Willy Russell himself said that he writes for the theatre because
'it's concerned with the spoken rather than the written word'. In 'Our
Day Out' we see the importance of the spoken word through the language
that the children use. Having grown up and taught at a Comprehensive
school in Liverpool, Russell knows the Liverpudlian dialect perfectly,
and he uses his knowledge to give a truly representative feel to the
play. The children use words such as 'agh'ey', 'ooer', and 'nott'n',
and the authentic language that the children use help to make the play
feel more real. Because Russell writes the words as they would be
spoken in a Liverpudlian acce...
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...ry isn't. The poignancy and intensity of the play is somewhat
masked in places by the comedy, but we do catch glimpses of the
hopeless, desperate situation these children are facing. As Mrs Kay
says, 'Ten years ago you could teach them to stand in a line, you
could teach them to obey, to expect little more than a lousy factory
job. But now they haven't even got that to aim for. There's nothing for
them to do, any of them; most of them were born for factory fodder,
but the factories have closed down.' Throughout the play this is the
underlying tone, and the subtle way that Russell conveys this message
heightens the effect when it comes. This day out is simply an oasis;
one day of fun out of their whole lives, and at the end of it we see
how the glimmer of something bright and beautiful makes it all the
harder to turn your eyes back to the grey and mundane.
Moments like these and many more made this such a well- rounded and fantastic play and won many awards in the highest honors that was bestowed on a dramatic work. The awards that were given for this play were well deserved because it had all the elements that makes a play great. Humor, drama, realistic, imaginary etc, are all components that this play has along with delivering a powerful
Everyone knows the story of Hamlet: Hamlet’s father is killed, Hamlet’s mother marries the evil Uncle, everyone thinks Hamlet has gone mad, and almost everyone dies at the end. In David Tennant’s version of Hamlet, the use of the characters’ physical antics, interactions with each other, the stark similarities between the characters, and the way they dress, changes how the audience interprets each character’s actions and contribution to the play as a whole, which then determines how successful this version of Hamlet is.
Comedy in Our Day Out by Russell In this assignment I am going to look at the ways in which Willy Russell has created humour within the play 'Our Day Out'. I will pay particular attention to the characters, their dialogue and the events that take place Willy Russell was born in a town near Liverpool, he left school at fifteen with no idea what he wanted to do and nothing but an O'level in English. ' Our Day Out', 'Blood Brothers' and 'Educating Rita' are a reflection of Russell's own experience of education.
The way he carries himself and his voice inflections really make the viewer feel like they are in the time period and can envision themselves in the scene of the play. The actor himself really seemed to believe in the play. The way he stormed out of the Ballyhoo scene, it was obvious that he was passionate about the play and really bought into the role. At other times, he spoke to everyone like a true gentleman. The kissing scene was a soft spot in the play, and he did a great job of the whole kiss and the speaking leading up to it. In addition, the actor did a great job of using a different voice in the play. Eastern European Jews were known for speaking differently that German Jews, and his voice was unique and correct for the time
not one of character, but one of attitude. At the end of the play, we find
One of the most difficult feelings is being a teenager - as some believe Hamlet to be - and not yet understand how you are supposed to react to certain situations. In act 2, scene 2, Hamlet sees one of the players perform a dramatic monologue to showcase his talents. His performance is very dramatic and filled with emotion. At the end of the scene in Hamlet's soliloquy, he reveals he cannot believe that an actor can muster up more emotion about a story than he can about his real life. "What would he do / Had he the motive and [ the cue ] for passion / That I have? He would drown the stage with tears" { 2. 2. 540-42 }. What if the player had on his mind what Hamlet does? Would he kill Claudius? Hamlet appears to conclude that indeed he wou...
In Hamlet, the motif of a young prince forsaken of his father, family, and rationality, as well as the resulting psychological conflicts develop. Although Hamlet’s inner conflicts derive from the lack of mourning and pain in his family, as manifested in his mother’s incestuous remarrying to his uncle Claudius, his agon¬1 is truly experienced when the ghost of his father reveals the murderer is actually Claudius himself. Thus the weight of filial obligation to obtain revenge is placed upon his shoulders. However, whereas it is common for the tragic hero to be consistent and committed to fulfilling his moira,2 Hamlet is not; his tragic flaw lies in his inability to take action. Having watched an actor’s dramatic catharsis through a speech, Hamlet criticizes himself, venting “what an ass am I! This is most brave, that I, the son of a dear father murdered, prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell… [can only] unpack my heart with words” (Hamlet 2.2.611-614). Seeing how the actor can conjure such emotion over simple speech, Hamlet is irate at his lack of volition and is stricken with a cognitive dissonance in which he cannot balance. The reality and ...
As the play’s tragic hero, Hamlet exhibits a combination of good and bad traits. A complex character, he displays a variety of characteristics throughout the play’s development. When he is first introduced in Act I- Scene 2, one sees Hamlet as a sensitive young prince who is mourning the death of his father, the King. In addition, his mother’s immediate marriage to his uncle has left him in even greater despair. Mixed in with this immense sense of grief, are obvious feelings of anger and frustration. The combination of these emotions leaves one feeling sympathetic to Hamlet; he becomes a very “human” character. One sees from the very beginning that he is a very complex and conflicted man, and that his tragedy has already begun.
...d that he's been insulted for being stupid. Hamlet uses his intelligence and morbid sense of humor to portray the show how sad the play really is.
Through this, he satisfies the qualities of melodrama. Romeo and Juliet wrings a good cry out of audience members probably every time it is performed. That is because it is easy to identify with the "star-crossed lovers" and the fact they are kept from what they want most. Empathy plays a major role, as much as any of the characters. It almost makes the audience part of the play. The spectator is part of the action in essence, rooting for the good guys, for "us," and not "them," the bad guys.
The most riveting moment in the play in my opinion was when Hamlet had the Actors in the play reenact his father’s murdering front of
Hamlet's "To be, or not to be" soliloquy is arguably the most famous soliloquy in the history of the theatre. Even today, 400 years after it was written, most people are vaguely familiar with the soliloquy even though they may not know the play. What gives these 34 lines such universal appeal and recognition? What about Hamlet's introspection has prompted scholars and theatregoers alike to ask questions about their own existence over the centuries?
most enjoyable character in Twelfth Night. He has the ability to divert attention back to the
Hamlet is one of the most often-performed and studied plays in the English language. The story might have been merely a melodramatic play about murder and revenge, butWilliam Shakespeare imbued his drama with a sensitivity and reflectivity that still fascinates audiences four hundred years after it was first performed. Hamlet is no ordinary young man, raging at the death of his father and the hasty marriage of his mother and his uncle. Hamlet is cursed with an introspective nature; he cannot decide whether to turn his anger outward or in on himself. The audience sees a young man who would be happiest back at his university, contemplating remote philosophical matters of life and death. Instead, Hamlet is forced to engage death on a visceral level, as an unwelcome and unfathomable figure in his life. He cannot ignore thoughts of death, nor can he grieve and get on with his life, as most people do. He is a melancholy man, and he can see only darkness in his future—if, indeed, he is to have a future at all. Throughout the play, and particularly in his two most famous soliloquies, Hamlet struggles with the competing compulsions to avenge his father’s death or to embrace his own. Hamlet is a man caught in a moral dilemma, and his inability to reach a resolution condemns himself and nearly everyone close to him.
...ay with words. His use of clever metaphors and puns make Hamlet a well-crafted work.