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ONE ACT PLAYS

B.A. ADP-PART-1

1. THE BEAR

REFERENCE:

These lines have been taken from the play “The Bear” written by “Anton Chekhove”.

CONTEXT:
The play is powerful farce. The writer has exposed the feudal mentality through a
delightful comedy. Popova, the heroine, is a beautiful young widow. She is in deep
mourning for her husband who died seven months ago. She wants to show the world
how faithful a wife she is. She has shut herself up in her bower refuses to see
visitors. Smirnov, a middle-aged landlord, calls on her for recovery of a loan taken
by her husband. She tries to put him off. He insists to see her. So she has to see
him. He asks for his money. She tells him to come day after tomorrow. Bitter
quarrels follows. During the quarrel Smirnov suggests that she should marry
instead of wasting her life away for her disloyal husband. Popova gives in because
she does not like to lose such a good offer.

QUESTIONS
(Q.1) Prove the play a farcical comedy portraying the behaviour
of the feudal?
Answer:
Anton Chekhove was not only a dramatist but also a great short story writer. The
present play “The Bear” is a farce, full of fun, fury and boisterous noisy laughter.
The play revolves around two main characters and the behaviour of the characters
is ridiculous, funny, and sentimental.
Popova‟s husband has died and she has cut herself off from society. She has
closed herself in the four walls of her house and is leading a completely secluded
life when the play opens, Luka, her servant, is seen advising her to take part in the
activities of life. She announces that since the death of her husband, life has lost all
its meaning for her. Through their conversation, we come to know that Popova‟s
late husband had not been a nice fellow. He had not treated Popova well. Still
Popova is bent upon showing the soul of the dead husband how faithful she is. So
she rebukes Luka for advising her to take full interest in life, as it‟s a saying:

“There are women who love their husbands as blindly, as enthusiastically

and as enigmatically as nuns their cloister.”
The writer has exposed the feudal mentality through a delightful comedy. Smirnov,
a middle aged landlord, calls on Popova for the recovery of a loan taken by her

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 husband. The servant, Luka, brings the message. She refuses to admit Smirnov.
But he insists on seeing her. So she has to see him. Smirnov asks for his money.
She tells him to come day after tomorrow. Smirnov says he will not leave the house
without money. He would rather stay in the house till the day after tomorrow. A
bitter quarrel follows. During the quarrel Smirnov suggests that she should marry
instead of wasting her life away for her cruel, disloyal husband. He presses this
point home and succeeds in persuading her to marry him. Popova gives in because
she does not like to lose such a good offer.
The play is a delightful satire on utilitarian morality as well. Smirnov marries
Popova for her wealth and status. She too sees her own advantage. Smirnov is not
only a jovial fellow but also a landlord. It is thus an equal bargain for both of them.
Apart from this serious theme the play is remarkable for its superb humour of
dialogue and situation. So the play is a good farce and has farcical situation.
(Q.2) Draw woman nature discussing Popova‟s character.
Answer:
Popova is a rich young widow of feudal class. She is true representative of her class.
She is foolish, frivolous and selfish. She loves to show off even in sorrow. She wishes
to be honoured as a faithful wife. That is why she seems to take her husband‟s death
seriously. She is hypocrite because she does not love her husband so much as she
pretends. She is a very talkative lady and it is through her continuous talk that we
are able to guess that most of the time she is telling lies and is, in fact quite
unfaithful and insincere. She says:
“I shall be true till death and show him how I can love.”
Smirnov, a friend of her husband, has come to collect his bill but she refuses and
says that she will pay the bill, the day after tomorrow. Smirnov asks her to pay
immediately. So they decide to fight a duel with each other. But she does not
know how to fire a shot, and says to Smirnov:
“Before we fight you must know to fire. I have never held a pistol in my
hands before.”
Smirnov who is as perfect a shot as one who,
“ Can put a bullet through a coin tossed into the air as it comes down”
Smirnov begins to tell her and on the other hand he himself declares that he is “going
to fire in the air” because “its‟ my affair”. Meanwhile the moody Smirnov falls in
love with Popova. He kneels before her and says:
“I love you as I have never loved before! I have refused twelve woman,
nine have refused me, but I never loved one of them as I love you.”
At first she shows hatred towards him. He gets up and quickly goes to the door
but she stops him. “No, stop … No … go away, go away I hate you”, “yes, yes
go away”. All of a sudden we see popova lowering her eyes and they embrace
each other most passionately.
Through the character of Popova, the writer has described and shown the nature
of woman. Like ladies of her class Popova is very emotional. She flies into a rage
whenever something happens against her desire. She cannot stand defiance.
Popova has no character. She is often in conflict with herself. For instance she
vows never to forget her husband, but at the same time she admits that he was not
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 good husband. Popova easily falls for temptation. So she accepts
Smirnov‟s offer readily. She is a complex character because she is not what
she seems. All in all she is a truly feudal character showing the woman‟s nature.

CHARACTER SKETCH OF SMIRNOV

Smirnov is a middle-aged landlord. He is a very intelligent and clever man. He knows

how to make his way in the world. He knows the psychology of a woman. That is why he is
not disturbed by the hostile attitude of popova. He knows how to handle her.
Smirnov has no respect for others. He openly condemns Popova‟s husband. He
does not mind speaking indecently about the dead man. His conversation with
Popova is not polite. He seems to have no manners. But actually he is very clever.
He wants to achieve his object. And he knows that is the best way to achieve it.
Woman likes a bold and outspoken man. So Smirnov deals with her, as Smirnov is a
man of the world and a businessman. He is very much like the heroes of Bernard
Shaw.

The delightful humour of speech and action in the play owes its origin to the odd
speech and manners of Smirnov. Even in a furious mood, his speech carries a
note of humour, because his fury is the fury of a foolish man. We cannot help
smiling at his irritation.

Smirnov behaves like a fool but he is not really a fool. He is rather a shrewd
businessman who pretends to be a rude intruding fool. Popova is really taken in by
his trick. He knows that she will fall for it. She pretends to be angry but in fact she
likes the bold manner of Smirnov. So we see that Smirnov succeeds in his purpose.

(2) THE BOY COMES HOME

REFERENCE:
These lines have been taken from the play “The Boy Comes Home” written
by A.A. Milne.

CONTEXT:
The play is a fateful event in the family affairs of Uncle James, a successful
businessman who believes in strict discipline. Philip, the young nephew of
Uncle James, comes home after four years of active war services in the army.
He is now a mature young man though only 21. He gets up late against the
strict orders of his uncle to get up early. Uncle James is angry to see that
Philip has violated the strict rules of his discipline. He presses Philip to join
him in his jam business. But Philip refuses to do so, holding that he would
prefer to be an architect. His uncle refuses to give him the money for that
job. Philip takes out his revolver. Uncle James gives in. but suddenly
Philip announces to join the business of his uncle. It is a favourable change
for the family.

QUESTIONS
Q.1 The play discusses generation gap. Is it true? Answer:
The play may be described as a light comedy. It is witty and amusing

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 throughout. The characters are flesh and blood, and true to life. We find a
touch of universality in this play. We come across such fellows and such
situations, sometimes they turn out to be tragic unfortunately. The play is
about a fateful event in the family affairs of Uncle James, a successful
businessman who believes in strict discipline.

Philips, the young nephew of Uncle James, comes home after four years of
active war services in the army. He is no longer a shy young boy of 17. He is
now a mature young man though only 21. He behaves not as a child but as
master of the house. He gets up late against the strict orders of his uncle to
get up early. Philips asks for breakfast. The cook refuses to prepare
breakfast, because Uncle James does not allow late breakfast in his house.
The cook says that she would rather resign than to violate the discipline.
Philip at once pays her wages and dismisses her from service. The cook
can‟t bear the loss of her job, so she readily agrees to prepare breakfast for
him.
Uncle James enters, he is angry to see that Philip has violated the strict
rules of his discipline. He presses Philip to join him in his Jam business. But
Philip refuses to do so, holding that he would prefer to be an architect. His
uncle refuses to give him the money for that job. Philip takes out his
revolver. Uncle James is cowed down by this show of force. He agrees to
give Philip the money he needs. Then suddenly Philip announces his
consent to join the Jam business of his uncle. Thus he succeeds in
breaking down the mechanical discipline maintained by his uncle. It is a
favourable change for the family.
The author has thus discussed the generation gap in the play. He expresses
that old generation wishes to impose its rules and regulations on young
generation. But young generation refuses to follow such rules rather they
want to lead life and to select their career according to their own will. As we
see in the play. Uncle James tries to convince Philip to join him in his
business. He even uses force of purse for this purpose. As a result Philip
uses force of pistol against the force of purse. James agrees to all this
demands readily and Philip,
“Picking him up by the scruff, and helping him into the chair, says to
him, “Good man, that‟s the may to talk”.
Uncle James is now ready to face the facts of life as the new generation sees
them.
(Q. 2) Compare the powers, Power of Purse and Power of Pistol.
Answer:
Every play is based on some conflict, whether it is the conflict going within one
person or character‟s mind or between two characters in the play or between
two forces as a man and nature or between a man and society.
So for as this short one act play “The Boy Comes Home” is concerned,
conflict appears between the uncle and the nephew or in other words
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 between James and Philip or between two forces i.e. the force of money and
the force of arms. When the play opens, we see Philip the young man, who
has been in the army for four years asking the maid-servant to give him his
breakfast at 10‟O‟clock. It is his habit that is not liked by Uncle James, who
is a cold businessman, who stresses on punctuality, civility and respect.
James happens to come there, and grows angry on hearing that Philip is
having breakfast. He says that he wanted to talk to Philip about his coming
into business. Philip says that he should wait for him in the drawing room.
James sits in an armchair and dozes off. In his dream he warns Philip not to
smoke in the house. He says that he should understand, once for all while he
remains in this house that he must be punctual, civil and respectful. Philip
tells his uncle that he was leaving his house and taking rooms some where
else. He asks him to give him an allowance, or all the money his father had
left. James replies that he will not give him any money before he grows
twenty-five.
Uncle James says that Philip should join his business of making Jams.
Philip wants to become an architect. James says that Philip must have
learned to obey the orders and recognize authority. Philip does not show
any intention or inclination for that business. He flatly and frankly refuses
to join. But on other hand he is not free, because his money is in the
possession of James and James threatens to use the force of purse against
Philip. Philip has also grown up and well conscious of his worth, he takes
out a revolver and displays a bomb, telling James what harm may come, by
aiming at James. Here Philip uses the force of arms or pistol against the
force of purse and finally brings his uncle, James to his knees and finds
victory over him. His uncle is submissive and he agrees to join him in his
Jam business, of his own accord or free will. Uncle James is totally
frightened. “Now James opens his eyes with a start and looks round him
in bewildered way. He rubs his eyes, takes out his watch and looks at
it, and then stares round the room again. The door from the dinning
room opens and Philip comes in with a piece of toast in his hand.”
This is the real Philip who has actually arrived to have the proposed
meeting and, thanks to the dream, Uncle James is now a changed and
molded man, ready to understand the problems of the young man. Now the
mode of the dialogue has reversed and we hear such dialogue.
Philip: (surprised)…. Rather late I‟m afraid James: That‟s
all right (he laughs awkwardly)
Or
Philip: It‟s a bit late, isn‟t it?
James: Well, if you‟re four years behind so is e v e r y b o d y else.
The writer has in fact brought home a point to the readers, i.e. those who
threaten others with force are themselves defeated with other force. So a
social and moral lesson may also be got, that is we should not use force
against innocent dependants to exploit them, otherwise, we, ourselves may fall
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 a prey to their exploitation or threat, because.
“The time has always rights to do what is right”
In the play, James the bullying uncle, stiff necked arrogant and harsh turns
out to be the most submissive and humble one in no time, but on revolver
point, by no other than his nephew, who joins him in his Jam business of his
own accord or free will. As it is a light comedy and its job is to provide
delight and instruction to the audience, It not only amuses the readers but
also restores their shattered faith in life, by giving them moral support.
(3) SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT
REFERENCE:
These lines have been taken from the play “Something to Talk About” written by
Eden Philpotts.

CONTEXT:
The play is a delightful comedy. This is a satire on the mentality of
aristocratic English class. Wolf a notorious burglar enters stealthily the house of
Sydney‟s to take away their rich gifts of Christmas. The whole family comes
there and enjoys the presence of the burglar. They are very happy and treat
the wolf like an old friend. It is the burglar who is surprised, not the family.
This turning of the tables makes the story very amusing. Wolf puts all their
presents in a bag but leaves them, when Wolf is told about more precious gifts
in a neighbouring house. The Sydney‟s save their gifts and enjoy the presence
of Wolf.

QUESTIONS

Character and Ideas of wolf

Wolf is the central figure of the play around which all events take place. We
do not know his real name. He is notorious by the title of the Wolf. He is a
great burglar of England “The Terror of England” exclaims Lady
Redchester, very rightly when she recognizes him. He is so well known that
even Lord Redchester exclaims, “The wolf comes to our little place! Surely
not! Some imposter pretending to be the Wolf”. And when he becomes sure
about the identity of the wolf, he says, "Glad to know you” and shakes hands
with him. Wolf appears in the library of Tudor Redchester at 3‟O clock on
Christmas morning, wearing tight-fitting suit, a cap on his head, a black
mask over his eyes. He carries an electric torch in one had and a bag in
the other hand. He lets the torch travel over the room and finds the safe.
Wolf is an expert at opening the safes. No safe is „safe‟ from him. He is well
known for opening the safe within in no time. He is fumbling with the safe,
when Mr. Sydney comes into the library. He orders him to „hands up‟. He
asks Sydney if he knows the password of this safe. He is told that only his
father knows it and it contains valuable gifts of Christmas. He is amazed at
the information, given by Mr. Sydney. Wolf has exact information about
everything, especially about the safe. He claims himself before Lord
Redchester.
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 “I have a thousand secrete channels of information.”
Wolf is romantic by nature. When Guy asks his permission to call
Lettice, in there, he promptly says, “I never can say no to beauty”. He is
working on the safe when she comes to the library and utters these words:
“Oh! How brave of him! How thrilling! How do you do? (Shakes
hands). Do you think you can manage it? (Looks at safe).”
He becomes so involved with her that she takes the revolver from him
and puts it on the mantle piece.
His dialogue tells that he must be a well-educated man. When Bishop
advises him to leave criminal life Lettice says that he is “lost sheep in wolf
clothing‟. At that he at once counters her by saying that, “Wolves do change
their hair but not their hearts”. He is an intelligent fellow and has good
knowledge about his own field of practice. He is very vigilant. He is always
conscious of his own interest. He is active and smart. Again and again he warns
the Sydney to be silent otherwise he would
„plug‟ them. He is a little philosopher. When Lady Redchester talks about
Charles who is “so interested in the criminal classes”. He promptly says,
“There ain‟t no criminal classes, any more than virtuous classes. The
rogues and the rulers may both come from the gutter, or the palace. A
man may be in the House of commons today and the House of Detention
tomorrow, can‟t he?” This shows that he has deep knowledge of human
psychology and sociology. He is rather a greedy fellow and it is because of his
greed that he loses all the Christmas gifts of the Sydney‟s. Although he has
answered before that, “a bird in hand is better than two in the bush.” It
is actually the psychologically round approach of the Sydney‟s that they
are able to win him.
(Q): Portray Sydney‟s behaviour as a family thriving for some change.
Answer:
“Something to talk about‟ is a delightful comedy in one act by Philpotts. The
play is about a burglar and a rich family. It is a clever and pleasant
representation of the temperament of Modern English people, who might well
find nocturnal alarm a matter of objective entertainment. The members of the
family don‟t lose wits at the arrival of the burglar. They behave so politely,
confidently, light heartedly and sincerely that it is the burglar who is
bewildered at being treated with such genuine politeness. The comedy lies in
„the tables turned‟. It is the burglar who meets the unexpected.
The Sydney‟s are an interesting family. They represent the modern man who
loves thrilling situations. They are living an uneventful life. They want to have a
thrill so that they may become famous in the locality. They want publicity at
all costs. Therefore they welcome the wolf in their house. They are so hungry
for adventure that they are not afraid of the wolf. They were fed up with the
dull routine of their lives and wanted something unusual to happen in the
family. People always say that Sydney‟s are the oldest and dullest family in

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 which nothing but weddings and funerals take place. As it is said “Change is
the law of nature and it is the nature of man to make changes.”
Guy even says to the burglar,

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 “…….? People always say we are the oldest and dullest family in the
country. Nothing ever happens to the Sydney.
The point to note here is that change seems to be the desire of human life. It
is not a height of irony that he is welcoming a burglar for the sake of change.
Later part of the play indicates that not only Guy alone, but also, all
members of the family have been suffering from the same disease for a long
time. As Guy says,
“ We never get into newspapers, we never even have accidents out
hunting, and no burglars, no fires; nothing but weddings and funerals.
But now all‟s changed!”
Lady Redchester calls him a new sort of “Santa Claus”. Bishop preaches him
that he should change and become God‟s sheep. Each one is amazed to see
the wolf. They are ready to assist him in robbing the safe. The Wolf is told all
details of the gifts, which are enclosed, in the safe. For the sake of fun, he is
told to try his luck by using gas cylinder to unlock the safe. They want to
amuse themselves with the help of Wolf. When he fails to do so; he is told
the exact code No. of the safe. All gifts of Christmas are brought out of the
safe. He checks them one by one and on requests of family members, they
are given to each of them. The necklace is given to the mother who is very
happy to wear it as it suits her; similarly each of them is happy to try their
ornaments and gifts and are thankful to their father who has brought them
for Christmas.
When the Wolf intends to take them back; they are reluctant. They request
him not to rob them of their gifts on such a sacred day; The Wolf says to them
that he has also a family to support. The clergyman, the uncle of Sydney,
plays a hideous trick on the wolf. He shows him the house of another rich
man with much more valuable things and the details of his safety to return
after theft. Thus the tables are turned. Lord Redchester sums up the situation
in these words,
Grand Fellow! Something to talk about at last.
The confidence of Guy, the child like happiness of Lettice, the dignified bearing
of Lord Redchester, Lady Redchester‟s calling the burglar a new sort of Santa
Claus. Fatherly behaviour of uncle Bishop and the humorous reaction of
Preston baffle the burglar and amuse the reader to a very delightful extent.
Thus is clearly shows Sydney‟s behaviour as a family driving for some change.
(4) SMOKE SCREENS

REFERENC:
These lines have been taken from the play “Smoke Screens” written by
Harold Brighouse.
COTEXT:
The play is a serious social comedy. Its story is a three-sided conflict.
Primrose, the young heroine is a modern girl. Her mother, Lucy Aston, is a

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 liberal lady divorced by her charming husband. Susan, her aunt, is a
conservative. Lucy does not like to interfere with her daughter‟s affairs.
Susan tries to warn her against the dangers faced by Primrose. Primrose
wants to marry a foot baller, John. Her mother and Susan are astonished.
Susan leaves the house in disgust. Her mother decides to let her marry. But
she says she will keep a vigilant watch over her daughter‟s husband through
the smoke screen of her taxi0car business. She does not like to lose her
daughter. But she is quite helpless.

QUESTIONS
(Q. 1) Everyone is behind some smoke screens having his own to
grind, discuss.
Answer:
“Smoke Screens” is a beautiful play by Brighouse. It is a serious social comedy.
Its story is a three-sided conflict. Primrose, the young heroine, is a modern girl.
Her mother Lucy Aston is a liberal lady divorced from her charming
husband. Susan her aunt is conservative. She does not like the free social
contacts of her niece. She wants to give her a lecture but she does not listen to
her. Primrose thinks that she needs no lectures because she can look after
herself. The play is basically about a self-made woman who has divorced her
husband and successfully established herself in society. Perhaps while busy
in her fight against life, she has not been giving proper attention to her
daughter Primrose. The play also shows the generation gap. It also has a lesson
for the parents who try to crush the individuality of their Children and want to
tailor them according to their own liking. Lucy is living with her daughter
primrose of twenty in a well-furnished flat. She worked hard and
established a taxi cab business.
Her sister Susan comes to meet her she is a married woman of fifty.
When the curtain rises, Susan is seen in the room. The door opens and
primrose enters. She searches for her bag, which contains her lipstick and
three pounds cash. Susan asks her that she wanted to talk to her. She
says that she has no time for her and takes her bag and goes out. She has
been somewhat harsh to her aunt.
Lucy enters and Susan talks to her about Primrose‟s rudeness. Lucy
says she might have made some mistake Somewhere. Susan says that it
was not so. She thinks that Lucy was a splendid woman who had fought
life like a heroine. Lucy says that life is crook and fights back crooked.
Lucy could not be a domestic mother to Primrose while she was running a
business. Susan complains that primrose was a spoiled child. Lucy says that
each generation has its own techniques. When we want our children to be
like us, they want to be left alone to be themselves. She says that she
doesn‟t know whether Primrose is a mess, or just a nice kid with a hard
modern surface.
Clarice, a friend of Primrose, enters and paints a very ugly picture of

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 her brother John. Both the women don‟t understand why she was
presenting such a horrible picture of her brother. Just then Primrose enters
and announces that she was marrying John. She thinks that marriage is a
jolly fine institution. She says that Lucy had married a handsome man but
failed. Now she was marrying an ugly man out of love, not for his physical
charms.
Lucy admits that it is always a losing game to be a mother. She is
ready to see John, the future husband of her daughter.
Lucy exclaims, “The smoke Screens.” She expresses her determination that she
will shoot John if he is not kind to primrose. Because it is true that
“One of the most important things in life is to profit from your
losses.”
Thus Lucy remains behind the screen. Her handsome husband had
been a smoke screen of an ugly man. Ugly John is a smoke screen of a
nice man, rude and impertinent. Primrose is a smoke screen of a yielding
mother. Thus all the important characters of the play are smoke screens.
The writer has very successfully presented the human theme in the play.
(Q. 2) Children of broken families are difficult to handle. How?
Answer:
From this play we can gather that the children of broken families are really
difficult to handle as in this play we have seen through the character of
Primrose.
Primrose the young, beautiful and courageous heroine is a modern
girl of twenty. Her mode, manner, expression are bright and jolly, though
these are somewhat harsh and rude of her aunt Susan, who belongs to the
country side and being a rigid, conservative believes in old traditions and
moral values of
life. Primrose likes to mix up with the people of her age. She spends most of
her time outdoors. She goes out even at the odd time of night, to avail the
opportunities of life. She wants to enjoy herself each and every moment of
life. She does not like to poke her nose in the personal matters of other
people she does not allow others to interfere in her life. She does not feel it
necessary to remain a housewife once and for all. She is aware of the
effects of beauty that is why she tries to look attractive. She becomes
disrespectful to her aunt when she offends her. She also tries to remove the
doubts and apprehensions of her conservative aunt about going out of the
house all alone at night. New generation must be confident of her actions.
She convinces her mother for marrying an ugly football player Mr.
John.
The ideas of Primrose show her determination and cageyness in her
decision. She knows about the unhappy marriage of her mother. Although she
misses her father but she avoids talking about her father because she loves
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 her mother very much. She has no craze for money. She has love for family
life. She prefers married life to well-settled business of taxicabs.
Through her character we can also detect that the children of broken
families are often very much confident, self- reliant and dependable because
they get total freedom which may also spoil them.
Therefore, it is really a difficult task to handle a child of a broken family.

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