Follow the tasks below and post to your blogs when you've finished:
The Brothel Scene
1. The appeal of this
scene on Page 12 is essentially visual. Even with only a basic grasp of French
you can work out roughly what is going on (the scene is translated in your
study booklets)
2. Part of the humor
of this scene is the subtext, implications of what the students, Hector,
Headmaster might be really thinking as they talk aloud. Bennett’s skill as a dramatist is that the
conversation is loaded with hidden meaning, we can imagine what the characters
are really thinking when they talk aloud.
3. Hector agrees to
the risqué suggestion from the sexually provocative Dakin that the setting for
the exercise that day should be a brothel.
The boys parody (mock in exaggerated form) life in a brothel.
4. Scripps plays the
music from La Vie En Rose (Life in the Pink) – This is an example of Bennett
giving these sixth-formers from the 1980s knowledge of popular culture from a
time more relevant to the playwright himself. They are perhaps not realistic
sixth-formers but those created by Bennett to convey his interests and
entertain a theatre audience.
Tasks
Task 1: Think back to our discussion last week of
Hector as a teacher and a character. How is this scene typical of his character
and his relationship with the boys?
This scene is known as
farce. The Headmaster is represented as
the fall guy.
Task 2 Look up the terms farce and fall guy and find
out their definitions then explore the points in this scene where these terms
make sense.
The scene helps to
create humour and establish some of the main characters’ motives in the play.
Task 3 As you re-watch the clip, first of all try to
work out what is going on at a visual level and what clues are provided about
the different personalities of the characters involved.
Watch is without the
translation, as this will make you focus on the non-verbal communication.
Write down some
suggestions against this list below:
Headmaster
Hector Irwin
Scripps Dakin
Posner Akthar
Crowther Timms
Task 4: Try to explore
the subtext of this scene. Look at the plain English translation and discuss
what the characters may really be thinking to explore characterisation more
deeply. A subtext represents the real
mind of the characters – what they are thinking as they say something – reading
between the lines.
It won’t apply
throughout the scene, but think about what the characters’ real motives /
thoughts might be. Think also about who volunteers for parts – that will tell
you a lot about their personalities.
Extension:
If you finish all of these tasks, start thinking about the following interpretation and try to develop a PEE paragraph which explores this:
Irwin's interruption of Hector and the boys acting out the brothel scene is a way for Bennett to polarize the two characters. How far do you agree with this? Is there any other evidence to suggest this? Support your points with evidence from the text.
Extension:
If you finish all of these tasks, start thinking about the following interpretation and try to develop a PEE paragraph which explores this:
Irwin's interruption of Hector and the boys acting out the brothel scene is a way for Bennett to polarize the two characters. How far do you agree with this? Is there any other evidence to suggest this? Support your points with evidence from the text.
