The Admirable Crichton ppt
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J.M. Barrie was a Scottish writer best known for his play 'Peter Pan' and the social satire 'The Admirable Crichton.' The latter explores themes of class hierarchy and leadership dynamics as characters from the English aristocracy find themselves stranded on a deserted island, with the butler Crichton emerging as their natural leader. Through character development and situational irony, the play critiques the British social system and highlights the adaptability of individuals when faced with new challenges.
The Admirable Crichton ppt
- 2. J M Barrie (May 9, 1860 - June 19, 1937) Early Literary Work 1. Writer, playwright J.M. Barrie was born on May 9, 1860 in Kirriemuir, Forfarshire, Scotland. 2. After graduating from Edinburgh University in 1882, Barrie worked as a journalist. 3. He published his first novel, Better Dead, in 1887. 4. Barrie soon had a string of popular novels set in Scotland, including A Window in Thrums (1889). 5. After success with fiction, Barrie began writing plays in 1890s. 6. His play, Walker London, was warmly received. The comedy poked fun at the institution of marriage. 7. He got married in 1894 to actress Mary Ansell, but it didn't turn out to be a happy union. (The couple later divorced.) 8. Perhaps to escape his difficult home life, Barrie took long walks in London's Kensington Gardens, where he met the five Llewelyn Davies brothers in the late 1890s. 9. He found inspiration for his best-known work—Peter Pan—in his friendship with the Davies family. (Barrie would later become the boys' guardian after death of their parents.) Sir James Matthew Barrie was a Scottish dramatist, best known for the play Peter Pan.
- 3. Peter Pan 1. The famous character of Peter Pan first appeared in the 1902 book The Little White Bird. 2. Two years later, his play Peter Pan premiered on the London stage, became success. 3. Barrie also wrote a book based on the play called Peter and Wendy, which was published in 1911. The book earned raves from critics. Later Work 1. After Peter Pan, Barrie continued writing plays aimed at adults. 2. Several of his later works had a dark element to them. 3. The Twelve-Pound Look (1910) offers a glimpse inside an unhappy marriage and Half an Hour (1913) follows a woman who plans on leaving her husband for another man, but she decides she must stay when her husband severely injured in a bus accident. 4. His last major play, Mary Rose, was produced in 1920 and centred on a son visited by his mother's ghost. Death and Legacy 1. J.M. Barrie died on June 19, 1937, in London, England. 2. After his death, Barrie's beloved characters were transformed into animated figures in the Disney classic Peter Pan (1953). The story was also the basis for the 1991 film Hook. 3. Barrie's most famous play continues to be a favourite with young and old alike.
- 4. J. M. Barrie: The Admirable Crichton (1902) Genre: Play. Country: Scotland. J.M. Barrie's The Admirable Crichton is the work of a son of a Scottish weaver, born in a tiny low-built house a few miles from Glamis Castle, where the writer would later come to entertain members of the Royal family at Princess Margaret's fourth birthday party. For Barrie the English upper classes were an endless source of fascination and humour – the ideal target for his social satire, beneath the veneer of which lies a greater, philosophical exploration of the nature of society, civilization and the will-to-power. The idea for the play may have been prompted by Arthur Conan Doyle, who suggested to Barrie that if a king and an able seaman were wrecked together on a desert island for the rest of their lives, the sailor would end as king and the monarch as servant. The title was borrowed from James Urquhart about the accomplishments of James Crichton as “The Admirable Crichton”
- 5. Barrie began jotting down ideas on this theme in his notebooks under various working titles including “The Island” and “The Case is Altered”. Like so many of his plays, The Admirable Crichton is built around altered circumstances, and considers how identities change when placed in different environments. The elaborate stage directions with three or four pages at the beginning of acts– establish another characteristic of Barrie's drama. There are many different versions of The Admirable Crichton that were staged during his lifetime. Much of the dialogue and commentary of The Admirable Crichton adopts a teasing relationship with its audience, making its statements and provoking its ideas indirectly. About the play: The Admirable Crichton is a comic stage play deals with the questions of social hierarchy and personal loyalty, and with the problems of human behavior and the ordering of human society. Barrie's suggestion that the British social structure might be flawed, that the lords and ladies might in some ways be inferior to mere servants, seemed subversive to Barrie's audience, and caused minor sensation. The theatre-going public saw his portrayal of weak, foolish aristocrats as a critical attack on the British social system. The play causes no such sensation today in the democratic United States. But the theme of the natural selection of leaders is found in the most ancient works of literature and is as relevant today as when Barrie's play was first performed.
- 6. Characters 1) William (Bill) Crichton - the butler to the earl of Loam 2) The Earl of Loam - Crichton’s liberal master & a widower 3) The Hon. Ernest Woolley - a nephew of the earl of Loam 4) Lady Mary - the eldest daughter of the earl of Loam 5) Agatha and Catherine - younger daughters of the earl of Loam 6) Lord Brocklehurst - Lady Mary has chosen to be her husband 7) Rev. John Treherne - athletic young clergyman 8) Tweeny - maid 9) Rolleston - the valet to the earl of Loam 10)Lady Brocklehurst - Lord Brocklehurst’s mother 11)Fisher - Lady Mary’s maid
- 7. Characters Discussed William (Bill) Crichton William (Bill) Crichton, the butler to the earl of Loam. Stuffy, honest, and efficient, Crichton has one complaint about his master: He is not contemptuous enough of his inferiors. While in England, Crichton believes that the established social order is absolutely correct. Stranded on an island, however, he believes in the natural selection of leaders. When everyone realizes how efficient he is, Crichton takes command; he is stern, fair, and almost regal in his deportment. The Earl of Loam The Earl of Loam, a peer of the realm and Crichton’s liberal master. In theory, the earl believes in the equality of all members of society. Once a month, he has his servants in for tea. When he has an opportunity to practice his theories in fact, he becomes an ardent believer in the supremacy of the aristocracy. When the yachting party of which he is host is cast away on a Pacific island, he proves completely ineffectual. For a time, he is his pompous self, until he realizes his utter incapability of leading the stranded party. After Crichton assumes command, the other castaways call him ‘Daddy,’ and he seems quite happy doing odd jobs around the camp. Lady Mary Lady Mary, the oldest daughter of the Earl of Loam. A part of a useless aristocracy, she is haughty, proud, and languorous. After the shipwreck, she shows herself to be adaptable and courageous. Unlike her former self in England, she becomes a useful member of the island society. The hunter of the group, she has the opportunity to wait on the “Gov.” (Crichton). If a rescue ship had not arrived, she would have been chosen to become Crichton’s wife.
- 8. The Hon. Ernest Woolley The Hon. Ernest Woolley, a nephew of the earl of Loam and a maker of brilliant epigrams. Ernest is a cheerful, egotistical young man about town with enough shrewdness to avoid work entirely. In London, he idles away his time making witty remarks. Soon after being stranded on the island, however, his talent for wit gets him into trouble with Crichton, now the leader of the party. With every epigram that Ernest makes, Crichton dips his head into a bucket of cold water, thus curing Ernest of a useless habit. Proving him to be very adaptable, he becomes a diligent worker. After returning to England, however, he reverts to type, and between epigrams he manages to write a book about his island experience, making himself the hero of the adventure. In the book, the contributions of the rest of the party, including Crichton, are dealt with summarily. Characters Discussed Agatha and Catherine Younger daughters of the earl of Loam. After being on the island for a time, they also learn to do things for themselves, and no longer do they depend on maids to answer their every whim. At first, the lack of domestic help is trying to them. Lord Brocklehurst Lord Brocklehurst, the man Mary has chosen to be her husband. He is a complete nonentity, a mother’s boy, humourless, pompous, correct, cold, and useless. Tweeny Tweeny, in England the “between” maid. When the earl of Loam decrees that the three sisters can have only one maid among them, she goes with them, mainly to be near Crichton. On the island, she proves to be a useful helper. Lady Brocklehurst Lady Brocklehurst, Lord Brocklehurst’s formidable, domineering mother. After the return of the seafarers, she tries to learn what really happened on the island.
- 9. Once every month, the philanthropic Earl of Loam gives expression to his views on human equality by forcing his servants to have tea with him and his family in the great hall of Loam House in Mayfair. It is a disagreeable experience for everyone concerned, especially for his butler, Crichton, who does not share his master’s liberal views. Summary Lord Loam alone enjoys the occasion, He orders his daughters and his nephew to treat his servants as he treats them. Lady Mary, his oldest daughter, is a spirited young woman who resents her father her indignation reaches a climax when Lord Loam announces that his three daughters are to have one maid among them on a yachting trip on which the family is about to embark. Lady Mary is furious, but she assumes that her maid, Fisher, will go along. When Fisher learns it, she promptly resigns. Lord Loam is left without any servants for his projected cruise, for his valet also resigns. Crichton finally agrees, out of loyalty to his master, to act as his valet on the trip. He persuades Tweeny to go along as maid to Lord Loam’s daughters. The cruise ends unhappily after 2 months the yacht (Blue Bell) is pounded to pieces during a violent storm in the Pacific, and the party is cast away on a tropical island. On the island all try to preserve as much as possible the class distinction that prevailed in England, but the attempt is unsuccessful. Crichton alone knows exactly what he is doing, and it is upon him that the others must depend. Crichton, the servant, becomes on the island the natural leader. The aristocrats worry over the rising authority of their former butler and the decline in their own prestige.
- 10. Summary… When Lord Loam appears, after washing ashore with some wreckage, they urge him to take a stand of authority. Crichton takes full advantage of his newly acquired authority. Sharing none of the earl’s ideas about equality. Under Crichton’s rule the aristocrats are happy for perhaps the first time in their lives. The greatest change occurs in Lady Mary. She alone realizes that in any environment Crichton is superior to them all. Consequently she falls in love with the butler and does everything in her power to make herself his favourite. Lord Loam’s only recourse is to remove his little party to another section of the island apart from Crichton. Hunger, which the aristocrats by their own efforts cannot assuage, brings them meekly back. Crichton becomes the acknowledged leader of them all. Lord Loam, dressed in animal skins, is merely a harmless and rather genial old man with no particular talents, whom everyone calls Daddy. Crichton, attracted to the beautiful Lady Mary, considers making her his consort on the island. But after the rescue (Two years later, Lord Loam and his family return to their old habits of thought and behaviour. Crichton is again the butler. Ernest writes a book about their experiences on the island and makes himself the hero of their exploits. Crichton is barely mentioned. She expresses her view that something might be wrong with England, Crichton tells her that not even from her will he listen to a word of criticism against England or English ways. Lady Mary still recognizes Crichton’s superiority and tells him so frankly.
- 11. Places Discussed Loam House Home of the earl of Loam in London’s Mayfair district—one of the most expensive districts of London, where the cream of the English aristocracy maintained their town houses in the days before World War I. Loam House contains several reception rooms of varying quality, some of which are to be “lent for charitable purposes,” while those reserved for private use are lavishly furnished.
- 12. Island A mill wheel erected on the stream provides the cabin with electric light.
- 13. Setting The play opens in late nineteenth-century London, in a drawing room at the house of the Earl of Loam. Lord Loam has invited family members and guests to take tea with his household servants. The topic of conversation focuses on an upcoming trip aboard Lord Loam's yacht Bluebell. Loam, his three daughters, his nephew, and a clergyman are to make the sea voyage. The second and third acts occur on a deserted island in the Pacific. The castaways build a comfortable house lit with electricity and construct devices to signal any ship that might pass. The final act returns the action to Lord Loam's drawing room, where mementoes from the island—skins, stuffed birds, and hunting weapons—decorate the walls. After Crichton tell Lady Mary that he has in no way changed his faith in the natural order of things, he turns the light out and the play ends.
- 14. As a work of art, The Admirable Crichton is simple, consistent, and complete. Formally, it is dramatic comedy with a rather unusual twist at the end Literary Qualities Crichton and Tweeny are obviously members of society with whom the audience is meant to sympathize. On the island, life suddenly becomes more fundamental. A new society crystallizes, with the morally correct character as leader. The old, unreasonable rules have been replaced by more natural rules in a more significant society. Tweeny, the illiterate young servant, grows from being speechlessly shy in the presence
- 15. Social Sensitivity The Admirable Crichton deals with a single social problem: the natural selection of leaders in any society. Women are viewed as neither inferior nor superior to men. Lady Mary is easily the brightest, most competent woman in the play; and although her hunting ability surpasses that of Crichton, she does not quite match his talents generally. Tweeny, on the other hand, although illiterate, is easily a match for the men who pursue her; she quickly sees through Ernest and refuses his marriage proposal. The Admirable Crichton criticizes a society where leaders are selected on the basis of heredity rather than on the basis of ability.
- 16. Themes and Characters The characters in The Admirable Crichton fall into two categories: masters and servants. Crichton Crichton who is best able to provide for the group's survival. He can start a fire, build a shelter, hunt, fish, and cooking short, he can deal with this new environment. Crichton invented an electrically controlled device to set signal fires all around the island, signals the ship to their rescue. To be an indoor servant at all is to Crichton a badge of honour. Lady Mary The only one of the three sisters whose character Barrie develops, is more like Crichton. She is perceptive, strong-willed, and somewhat haughty. On the island, Lady Mary becomes the best hunter of the group. Although betrothed to Lord Brocklehurst, she wins Crichton's heart and accepts his marriage proposal.
- 17. Lord Loam Themes and Characters… The radical earl who insists upon equality between noble and servant classes in London, is of no value as a leader on the deserted island. On the island he discards a hairpin in London he had no use for such things. Crichton points out, a hairpin could have been very useful in such a primitive place. He is washed overboard during the shipwreck because of his ineptitude. Tweeny Tweeny's name comes from her social status: she is neither the upstairs maid nor the kitchen maid, but kind of a helper in between. In London Tweeny is illiterate, shy, and speechless around her betters; but on the island, her skills and her pragmatism make her superior . Ernest Nephew to Lord Loam, is a self-centred young man, who, while entertaining enough in a London drawing room, is a time-wasting bore in the more primitive society of the island. Crichton has to soak Ernest's head in buckets of water to teach him not to spew forth endless epigrams. Become a productive member of the island family under the strict guidance of Crichton.
- 18. The play's theme is expressed several times througho ut the action. Lady Mary chides him for his assertiveness. He responds, "My Lady, I disbelieved in equality at home because it was against nature, and for that same reason I as utterly disbelieve in it on an island." The butler tries to explain that absolute equality is unnatural. He is a butler, not a nobleman; he cannot act like a nobleman, nor does he want to any more than he would like to act like a lower-class servant. On the island, when Crichton becomes aware that away from civilization the nobles are useless as leaders, he begins to overrule some of their futile, dangerous orders. Since Crichton, the only one who knows how to build a fire is cooking a pot of stew, the former rulers all return to sit at the feet of their new master, the one among them who can provide food. Following their rescue, all return to their old social positions. Lord Loam is once again the master, Ernest the self-centred playboy, and Crichton the butler. What makes Crichton ‘admirable’ is his devotion to the principles of nature. Crichton is selfless enough to disregard himself for the greater good of principle. Themes and Characters…
- 19. Critical Evaluation One of the best of Sir James Barrie’s comedies The Admirable Crichton was based in the make believe games he played with them, in which fantasies of being cast away on a deserted island played a major part. The immediate inspiration for The Admirable Crichton was Barrie’s relationship with the four sons of Arthur Llewellyn Davies. The games were fuelled by his memories of Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe (1719) and of such boys’ books derived from Defoe’s work as Johann Rudolf Wyss’s Der schweizerische Robinson (1812-1827; The Swiss Family Robinson, 1814, 1818, 1820) and R. M. Ballantyne’s Coral Island (1858). In all these tales the resourcefulness of the heroes invariably allows them to establish a comfortable lifestyle, thereby demonstrating the superior nature of British civilization. The title of the play is as ironic as its contents. The original Admirable Crichton, a sixteenth century Scots adventurer who died in a brawl at the age of twenty-two, is immortalized in Thomas Urquhart’s Ekskubalauron (1652). As a Scotsman from a poor background, Barrie was acutely aware of the delusions of the well-off Londoners among whom he had come to live.
- 20. Critical Evaluation… The silliness that moves along the plot is not as casually satirical as it seems; a depth of bitter feeling in it becomes increasingly apparent . Crichton, makes an obsession out of knowing his place and insisting that one’s rank reflects one’s worth. Crichton is a dutiful servant, but when the castaways are cut off from society, his true self emerges. Ability to see things as they are and to apply his common sense to them—which fits Crichton for the leader’s role on the island—is exactly the same ability that fits him to be a butler.His common sense sends him straight back to his former station when the party returns to Mayfair. A last inversion in the plot is Lady Brocklehurst’s interrogation of Crichton, who contrives to answer all her questions truthfully while giving a completely false picture of what actually transpired on the island. Barrie inserts a gratuitous (and inaccurate) note that “the man who could never tell a lie makes no answer.” The author carefully leaves it to the audience to make up their mind what he means by that remark. Crichton, as an honourable and admirable man, cannot refuse to fire the beacons that enabled his companions to be restored to their place in society. The audience is likely to wish Crichton good luck—but one does have to bear in mind the fate of the man after whom Crichton is named. Barrie took the title from the sobriquet (nick name) of a genius and athlete James Crichton.
- 21. THANK YOU S. Mohan Raj M.A., M.Phil, B.Ed., Assistant Professor, Indo -American College, Cheyyar. Available @ : 9751660760 E-mail: rajmohan251@gmail.com