This is a play, which is made up of tragic and comic elements. Much of the comedy serves the function of highlighting the tragic features..[r]
(1)(2)1. Plot Overview 2. Genre
3. General Vision 4. Cultural Context
5. The play as reflection of social and personal influences
6. The Play’s Title vs. context :reference and relevance
7. Themes/Issues
(3) The play is set in the Dublin slums or
tenements in the years of the Irish Civil War 1922 and 1923.
The whole play centers on the Boyle family.
(4)Boyle is a useless and irresponsible drunkard who shuns the reality of work at every stage in the
play, and spends his time in the pub drinking with his friend Joxer Daly
The Boyles have two children Johnny and Mary.
Johnny is a sickly individual who has been
involved in the Republican movement but he ended up betraying a comrade by the name of
Tancred. Johnny spends his days locked up in the house fearful of his life
(5) Juno’s daughter Mary is deeply concerned
about appearances.
She is a shallow character who seems to
judge people and things from the outside.
When we meet her at the beginning of the
play, we learn she is on strike because of the dismissal of a young girl called Jenny Claffey. Yet we are told from Juno how Mary never
(6)The family is told that they will inherit money from a distant relative who has died.
Bentham is the solicitor who informs them of
this fact.
He begins to have a relationship with Mary
and she becomes pregnant.
Bentham shortly after this abandons her. The Boyles begin to borrow money and
(7) The legacy never materializes, and the Boyles
are forced to return the borrowed goods.
Johnny is dragged off to be shot for the
betrayal of Tancred.
Juno finally realizes that Boyle will never take
on his responsibilities as father and
(8)(9) The general vision is grim and sombre.
There is a subtle sense throughout the play
that war is futile and only contributes to the harsh quality of life.
Many of the characters represented in the
play are tragic victims of war and poverty.
The overall general vision seems to highlight
(10)The particular cultural context of this play is war torn Dublin in the years 1922/3 during the Civil war.
The play is set in the slums or tenement part
of the city. It is deeply rooted in poverty and the degradation consequent on war.
Illegitimacy is seen to be something, which
brings with it disgrace and the woman, is left humiliated.
The play also deals with working class Dublin