Plot Character

ACT 1: The Narrator gives an overview of the story. We preview the Mickey The lower-class twin. He is honest, sincere and goodhearted. He impregnates Linda, gets laid off, is
end- Mickey and Edward both die. Mrs Johnstone sings about how arrested for Sammy’s crime and ends up in prison and addicted to anti-depressants. His rage at Linda &
her husband left her with seven children and she can't afford to feed Edward for having an affair drives the play’s finale.
them. Mrs J goes to clean at Mrs Lyons' house. Mrs J finds out she is Edward Is also good-natured but the higher-class twin. His sheltered upbringing makes him innocent but
pregnant with twins. Mrs L persuades her to give her one of the because of class he gets good opportunities e.g. university and a good job. His good-natured manner
babies. The babies are born. Debt collectors repossess Mrs leads to the play’s final scene.
Johnstone's belongings. Mrs Lyons takes one of the babies then fires
Mrs J, telling her that both boys will die if they ever find out they are Mrs. Biological mother of the twins and a horde of other children. Left by her husband she gets a job as a
twins. Johnstone cleaner. She is the moral centre of the play; is tortured by guilt and regret.

Mrs. Lyons Opposite of Mrs J whom she employs as a cleaner. She adopts Edward as her own child. Is haunted by
When the twins are seven, Mickey and Edward meet, play and bind as the original act of a mother giving up her child. The guilt turns into suspicion and paranoia. She
blood brothers. Mrs J is horrified, she tells Edward to leave and not to announces the affair and contributes to the murder of her adopted son.
come back. Mickey goes to see Edward but Mrs L sends him away.
Edward is angry, swears and Mrs L hits him. Edward sneaks out to Linda . Begins as a tomboyish young girl but both twins fancy her from an early stage. She only has eyes for
play with Mickey and Linda. Mrs L tells her husband that they need to Mickey as a teenager but later turns to Edward for comfort and support, which turns into an affair.
move away, but he's unconvinced. Soon afterwards, a policeman Despite this, she loves both twins and is a sympathetic character.
catches the children misbehaving, which persuades Mr L to move his Narrator All-knowing and always slightly menacing- takes many roles throughout the play. Narrator constantly
family. Edward goes to Mrs Johnstone's house upset about moving. reminds the audience of the terrible choice that began this chain of events. Frequent mentions of fate
She gives him a locket with a picture of her and Mickey in it. The and superstition but the Narrator claims it was class, not fate.
Johnstones find out that they're being moved to Skelmersdale.
Sammy When they are younger, Mickey just wants to be like Sammy. Quickly becomes a juvenile delinquent;
even attempting to rob a bus as a teenager- he ends up in prison with Mickey.
ACT 2: The Johnstones are happier in Skelmersdale. When Edward is
fourteen, he is suspended from his boarding school. Mickey and Linda Mr. Lyons Married to Mrs Lyons- away so Mrs L can adopt Edward. Grows increasingly concerned about his wife’s
are also suspended from their comprehensive school. Back home, mental health and wellbeing.
Mickey and Edward meet and recognise each other. They renew their
friendship. Mrs L sees the boys together. She tries to bribe Mrs J to Themes
move away. When she refuses, Mrs L tries to attack her with a knife.
Mickey, Edward and Linda meet and the play moves through scenes Education Due to class, education is offered differently to the two boys- with Edward being in a private, boarding
in which they age from fourteen and eighteen. Edward reveals his love school and Mickey a comprehensive school where Mickey is poorly educated.
for Linda but then encourages Mickey to ask her out. Edward leaves
for university. Mickey and Linda get married because Linda is Superstition The audience is constantly reminded of this, as well as the superstition Mrs Lyons creates. The narrator
pregnant. Mickey loses his job and has to go on the dole. Edward also refers to other superstitions throughout the various songs in the play.
comes home from university. Mickey resents him and they fall out.
Edward asks Linda to marry him. Linda admits she has feelings for Violence The children play with toy guns and violent games out in the street. This foreshadows the violent path
him but tells him she's married to Mickey. Sammy persuades Mickey Mickey takes and the ultimate violent ending to the boys’ lives.
to act as a lookout for a robbery but it goes wrong and Sammy shoots
Money Mrs J can’t afford to feed an extra two children and ends up getting her furnishings on the catalogue being
the petrol station attendant. Mickey's sentenced to seven years in
taken away whilst pregnant. The children have broken toys which compares to Mrs L who can afford all of
prison. He becomes depressed and is put on pills.
the luxuries when Edward is born.
Mickey is released early but he is still depressed. Linda begs him to Class
stop taking the pills. Linda gets them a new house and a job for Mickey has less opportunities, poor education and an unsecure job- he is involved in drugs, depression
Mickey. Mickey knows that Edward, who is now a local councillor, is and crime because of his poverty. Edward has all the opportunities: a good education, university and a
responsible for both. Linda and Edward kiss. Meanwhile, Mickey stops good job. Both boys are also treated differently by society and authoritative figures.
taking his pills. Mrs L shows Mickey that Edward and Linda are Fate The idea that because of class, the boys’ fate was always decided and instead it was fate, not superstition
together. Mickey takes Sammy's gun and goes to confront Edward at
that caused their death.
the Town Hall. Mrs J tells the boys they are brothers. Mickey loses
control and accidently shoots Edward. The police shoots Mickey in
Friendship There are close friendships between the boys as well as Linda which strengthens and suffers at different
response.
times, specifically as the boys get older as one gets everything he wants and the other does not due to
their social classes.
Key images Context
(Written 1980s – set 1960s)
Opening and circular ending:
WILLY RUSSELL: Russell was brought up
Peter Pan: Symbolises childhood- not wanting to grow up- Eddie not having to and Mickey having to.
in a working class family in Liverpool
Locket: Symbolises the bond between the twins. Edward treasures the locket, even getting into trouble by refusing to remove it at school. where his Dad had various jobs with
Mrs L tries to get it removed. one being a miner and was an
Guns: Foreshadows deaths from the beginning. Childhood games involving guns as well as Mr L gifting a toy one to Edward. A gun is also alcoholic. Russell was interested in
used in the crime Sammy commits with Mickey. class as his mother aspired to be of a
Piggy in the middle: Linda always being in the middle of Mickey and Eddie at an older age. They are both in love with her as she is with higher class. Russell feared he would
them. Mrs J is also in the middle; whether to tell the boys they are twins or not as well as the threats that stop her from communicating with end up like his father but felt saved by
Edward. his in-laws who nurtured him, hence
his interest of nature vs nurture.

NATURE VS NURTURE DEBATE: Focuses

on the idea of what will happen if a
Key Quotations person’s character is determined by
their genetics or upbringing.
 ‘Havin’ babies, it’s like clockwork to me’ Social class determines life chances.
 You never put new shoes on the table Cycle of poverty.
 But y’know the devil’s got your number
 Mouths to feed. You’re expecting twins
 They say that if either twin learns that he was once a pair, they will both immediately die MARILYN MONROE: Famous and
 glamorous Hollywood movie star who
There’s a girl inside the woman, She’s waiting to break free, She’s washed a million dishes, She’s always making tea Mrs J is compared to. Mickey is also
 This means we’re blood brothers and that we’ll always have to stand by each other compared to the actress as Mickey
 ‘I don’t want you mixing with boys like that’ becomes addicted to antidepressants
 You’re great you are mam mirroring Monroe’s own addiction
 Leave me alone will y’? I can’t cope. struggles.
 (Screaming) You! Why couldn’t you have given me away?
 It’s just a secret, everybody has secrets, don’t you have secrets? ARTISTOTELIAN ETHICS: Russell drew on
 Why… why is a job so important? Look…come on… I’ve got money, plenty of it the conventions of tragedy – having a
 That was all just kids stuff change of fortune, suffering, realising
 the cause of misery.
The devil’s got your number, he’s knocking at your door
 But a debt is a debt, and must be paid
 POLITICS: Margaret Thatcher was the
You say the most smashing things
first female Prime Minister-
 I wanna fornicate with y’! responsible for lots of working class
 While no one was looking I grew up. An You didn’t, because you didn’t need to people (including miners) losing their
 I could’ve been, I could’ve been him jobs. During her time in power,
unemployment rates were raised
higher than ever before. She turned
the economy further from production
Context cont into finance – benefitting the middle
classes.
LIFE IN LIVERPOOL: A major port and the centre for trade providing lots of jobs at the docks.
During the Industrial decline, Liverpool became very vulnerable as the docks were shut and unemployment rates soared.
YOUTH CULTURE: Teenager became a
properly recognised age group. It was
Some men turned to crime and gangs in order to support themselves and their families. There were also riots in 1980s.
widely accepted that young people
Liverpool depended heavily on traditional industries, so it was badly hit by the industrial decline in the late twentieth century. The city’s working-class areas
had their own culture (music, fashion
were very poor and things went from bad to worse.
and hobbies) and ways of behaving,
which made them different to adults
Divorce was easier, but single mothers were looked down upon in this era. Society expected people to marry before they had children and thought badly of
and children. Growing up is a time to
those who didn’t. Women were expected to give up work and look after the children.
celebrate.
There was a tiered education system – secondary modern, grammar school and private school.