How Does Alan Bennett Reveal The Speaker in A Lady of Letters Essay Example For Students

How Does Alan Bennett Reveal The Speaker in A Lady of Letters Essay However basic these opening stage directions to A Lady of Letters may appear, they do in fact hint at the dominant theme of the monologue, loneliness. Alan Bennett uses stage directions minimally yet effectively throughout, on stage the actions speaking equally as loudly as the carefully chosen and structured words. The fact that Irene, the protagonist, is middle-aged and still a Miss hints at the idea of her being a lonely person, and in addition the simply furnished room physically displays the isolation Irene feels. With this lonesome atmosphere established it could be expected that the Bay window would be a refreshing opening to the outside world, from which Irene is clearly cut off. However instead, it acts as a barrier making Irene a prisoner in her own home. The dramatists use of a monologue is an effective vehicle for conveying loneliness, and clearly reflects it, as is alone on stage, the intensity of the focus is on Irene, and this allows her character to be developed and revealed fully, with a feeling of intimacy created with the audience. The character is speaking to them directly in the mode of a soliloquy, engaging the audience to the maximum. In using this form the playwright also creates audience/actress interaction, with the viewers playing the role of the confidant, and the speaker confiding in them, becoming the friends that are lacking in the speakers life. One of the many things Irene reveals to the audience is the death of her mother, the only person to provide her with a sense of belonging. My mother knew everybody in this street. This then brings the audience to realise that it was this bereavement that triggered Irenes obsessive letter writing, and that she subconsciously adopts this obsession as a means of gaining contact with the outside world, as well as gaining some kind of recognition. However in some instances her constant strive to be acknowledged accentuates a selfish element in her character. And, for example in the quotation below she sees the ramp as a monument to herself, not as an achievement for the disabled people whom it helps. Whenever I pass I think, well, thats thanks to you Irene, My monument that ramp. However Bennett does also use phrases like this to strike a desperate note in Irenes character. Furthermore his use of mimetic language and reported direct speech bring the dialogue of others into the monologue, so that the audience can see Irenes world in more detail, provoking both sadness and pity in them. Irene consciously confides the loss of her mother to the audience. However Bennet t discloses more about both Irene and her personality through what she says unconsciously, using ellipses and non-sequiturs to make the characters speech more life-like particularly in the form of humour. For example when being as suspicious as ever about a visiting vicar I was still a bit dubious, then I saw he had cycle clips on so I let him in Humour is used by the dramatist at many levels throughout the monologue, and in the case of the conscious, humour reveals far more about the speaker than she intends or realises. Even Irenes obsessive letter writing becomes hilarious as the distortion of proportion and the elevation of repetition becomes ludicrous. However as the playwright increases the entertainment value through humour he also increases the element of pathos, allowing the audience to hear what remains unspoken. This is demonstrated when she describes going to a funeral At least its an outing As well as tingeing the humour with pathos, Bennett also largely incorporates the shock factor into his humour, often creating a situation of unease within the audience as they do not know whether to laugh or not Were asking you because who was it who wrote the chemist saying his wife was a prostitute?.. Who was it gave the lollipop man a nervous breakdown? In instances like this Irene has unintentionally damaged others lives. Odysseus: A mere mortal, but purely moral EssayHer clothes are brightly coloured and less dreary, her hair is more bouncy and lively looking, as well as being in a more exciting lighter shade. Her gestures are more vigorous and expressive, and, she always has a smile on her face, even if it has taken going to prison to make her do so. Bennetts skill with words gives a great authenticity to whatever Irene says, whether it is before or after she goes to prison, with the tone of Irenes language before being cynical and depressive and after being cheerful and positive. It is this skill that convincingly depicts the redeemed and humbled Irene that develops within the freedom of the prison walls. Theres my little clock ticking and you can hear the wind in the poplar trees by the playing field and maybe its raining and Im sitting there. And Im so happy. Bennett also creates distinct contrasts between Irenes Life in and outside of prison. As where as trivial things such as whether the neighbours had a tablecloth on or not used to anger her. She now talks at ease about people swearing and smoking and has infact adopted using both, on occasion I mean, I shant be a full-time smoker,Im not that type.. but it means that if Im ever in a social situation when Im called on to smoke. I shant be put off my stroke. This finally confirms Irenes overcoming of her obsession of writing letters. However in a rather bizarre way this removes a key literary value from the text. This is because throughout A Lady of Letters Bennett uses contrasting language, adopting a s ophisticated language for Irenes formal letter-writing, alongside ordinary every day language, which separates Irene from her letters. This allows the audience to then see just how much of Irenes life is taken up by letter writing, and so although this clever contrasting use of language is no longer necessary, the viewer is extremely happy for Irene now that she is free of her burden, and in fact she is so busy in prison that she barely has time to write. I ought to be writing up my diary other girls cant think what to put in theirs, me I cant think what to leave out. Trouble is I never have time to write it up, Im three days behind as it is. This shows that Irenes unhappiness did indeed sprout from her obsession, as now that she has overcome it she is so happy. A tinge of pathos is again present in this statement as it infers that before prison she couldnt be happy. The audience greatly sympathise with Irene due to this, and Bennetts careful crafting of the final paragraphs allow them to almost feel her previous discomfort, and her newly found sense of belonging, invoking in them the compassion and insight to reali se that Irene was a victim. She had disconnected herself so greatly from the rest of the world that all she had left was her trusty platignum standing her in good stead and becoming her only real friend. Irene was a victim of circumstances, of changing times, of society, of narrow-mindedness and above all a victim of, herself. And by showing that Irene was suffering Bennett causes the audience to be delighted when she is paradoxically incarcerated, yet freed from her troubles allowing her to become the public spirited guardian of morals, she always had the potential to be.