- 104 pages
- English
- PDF
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF
Serjeant Musgrave's Dance
About this book
Set between 1860 and 1880, four deserters bring the body of a dead soldier back to his home town, a mining community in the grip of a coal strike and cut off by snow. Their leader, Serjeant Musgrave, plans to hold the town at gunpoint and confront its people with the realities of warfare. Arden's play questions the military principle of "Obey or suffer" and the cruelty and futility of war. Serjeant Musgrave's Dance was first performed at the Royal Court Theatre in 1959.This volume contains expert notes on the author's life and work, historical and political background to the play and a glossary of difficult words and phrases.
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Yes, you can access Serjeant Musgrave's Dance by John Arden, Glenda Leeming in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Literature & Drama. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.
Information
xxxivĀ
SERJEANTĀ
MUSGRAVE'SĀ
DANCEĀ
northernĀ
flavourĀ
ofĀ
Arden'sĀ
language'
(p.
164),
althoughĀ
ArdenĀ
himselfĀ
supervisedĀ
theĀ
translation.Ā
VisuallyĀ
theĀ
red-black-whiteĀ
schemeĀ
wasĀ
blurredĀ
becauseĀ
Brook'sĀ
productionĀ
'wasĀ
builtĀ
aroundĀ
a
grey-greenĀ
motif
(p.
166);
aĀ
grey-greenĀ
slabĀ
wasĀ
usedĀ
throughoutĀ
theĀ
playĀ
forĀ
tombstones,Ā
stableĀ
divisionsĀ
andĀ
soĀ
on,Ā
andĀ
atĀ
theĀ
endĀ
theĀ
dancingĀ
minersĀ
reappeared
after
theĀ
prisonĀ
sceneĀ
andĀ
afterĀ
Attercliffe's
lastĀ
lineĀ
aboutĀ
startingĀ
anĀ
orchard,Ā
thusĀ
leavingĀ
theĀ
audienceĀ
withĀ
theĀ
imageĀ
ofĀ
theĀ
trappedĀ
unchangingĀ
miners,Ā
insteadĀ
ofĀ
hope.Ā
ForĀ
Hunt,Ā
'BrookĀ
hadĀ
turnedĀ
Arden'sĀ
popularĀ
balladĀ
intoĀ
aĀ
statementĀ
ofĀ
mid-centuryĀ
despair
ā
theĀ
imageĀ
ofĀ
aĀ
nightmareĀ
thatĀ
nobodyĀ
canĀ
control.Ā
InĀ
doingĀ
so,Ā
heĀ
hadĀ
createdĀ
aĀ
brilliantĀ
theatricalĀ
experienceĀ
-Ā
butĀ
hadĀ
lostĀ
theĀ
pointĀ
ofĀ
theĀ
play'
(p.167).Ā
The
colliers'
clogĀ
danceĀ
(p.40)Ā
fromĀ
theĀ
1965Ā
revival
(Photo:Ā
Dominic)Ā
Table of contents
- Cover
- Contents
- John Arden
- Plot
- Commentary
- Further reading
- SERJEANT MUSGRAVE'S DANCE
- Notes
- Questions for further study