DRAMA 1 : The Dear Departed ENGLISH [Communicative] - DRAMA 1 : The Dear Departed

 Mrs. Slater : yes, he’s gone. He was seventy-two a fortnight last Sunday. (She sniffs back a tear. Mrs. Jordan sits on the left of the table. Mrs. Slater on the right. Henry in the armchair. Ben on the sofa with Victoria near him.)
Ben : (chirpily) “Now, Amelia, you mustn’t give way. We’ve all got to die some time or difficult situations.

(i) Explain the phrase, ‘give way’.
(ii) What prompts the speaker Lo say these words?
(iii) What does he mean when he says ‘It might have been worse’?
(iv) What does it reveal about the speaker’s character?

Mrs. Slater : That was a near thing. Open the door, Victoria. Now Henry, get your coat on (she helps him)
Henry : Did we knock much plaster off the wall?
Mrs. Slater : Never mind the plaster. Do I look all right ? (straightening her hair in the glass).
Just watch Elizabeth’s face when sees we’re all in half-mourning. (The Dear Departed)

(i) In the extract what does, ‘a near thing’ mean? 
(ii) Why was Henry asked to wear his coat? 
(iii) Victoria was asked to open the door for whom? Why had the visitors come? 
(iv) What had been happening just before the speaker said the words given in the extract? 

They’re coming to talk over poor grandpa’s affairs. Your father sent them a telegram as soon as we found he was dead. (A noise is heard)Good gracious, that’s never them. (Mrs. Slater : hurries to the door opens it) No, thank goodness ! it’s only your father. (The Dear Departed)

(i) Who is speaking these words and to whom?
(ii) What is the ‘noise’ heard due to?
(iii) Which literary device is used in the last line?
(iv) Who are’they’mentioned here?

MRS. JORDAN: What bureau was that, Father? 
ABEL:  Why, my bureau the one I bought 
MRS. JORDAN: (pointing to the bureau) Was it that one. Father? 
ABEL:  Ah, that's it. What's it doing here? Eh? (A pause. The clock on the mantelpiece strikes six. Everyone looks at it.) 
Drat me if that isn't my clock too! What the devil's been going on in this house? (A slight pause.) 
BEN: Well, I'll be hanged. 
MRS. JORDAN:  I'll tell you what's been going on in this house. Father. Nothing short of robbery. 
MRS. SLATER:  Be quiet, Elizabeth. 
MRS. JORDAN: (rising) I’ll not be quiet. Oh, I call it double-faced. 
HENRY:  Now now, Elizabeth. 
MRS. JORDAN:  And you, too. Are you such a poor creature that you must do every dirty thing she tells you? 
MRS. SLATER: (rising) Remember where you are, Elizabeth. 
HENRY: (rising) Come, come. No quarrelling.

I What does the dialogue between Mrs. Jordan and Mrs. Slater reveal about their relationship? 

II What is Mrs. Jordan implying about Henry when she says, "And you, too. Are you such a poor creature that you must do every dirty thing she tells you?"

III How does Mrs. Jordan's accusation of ‘robbery’ impact the atmosphere of the scene in the extract? 

IV What does Abel’s reaction to finding his possessions in the living room suggest about his awareness of his daughters' intentions?

What is Stanley Houghton's primary purpose in employing irony in the play 'The Dear Departed?

Compare and contrast Henry’s character with that of his wife. Support your answer with evidence from the play.

What are the three things that grandfather plans to do on Monday next?

What change does grandfather make in his new will? What effect does it have on his daughters?

Ben appreciates grandfather saying ‘its’ a good thing he did’. Later he calls him a ‘drunken old beggar’. Why does he change his opinion about grandfather?

How does the spat between his daughters lead to grandfather discovering the truth?

Bring out the irony in the title of the play.

The Dear Departed is a satire on modern society which is devoid of moral values and full of insensitive, greedy and pretentious people. Comment.