1. .

Page1 ONE-ACT PLAYS THE BEAR Anton Chekhov Question# 1 Discuss

the title of the play? Anton Chekhov is the most eminent Russian
playwright who is universally regarded as the greatest Russian
storyteller and dramatist of modern times. “The Bear” is one of his
highly cherished comic works. This one–act play is written with the
purpose of exposing the hypocrisy, pretension, falsity and artificiality of
the feudal class of his country. It is light heartedly presented to set
focus on a deep social trend. The title is ironic. The heroine of the play
rebukes the hero and calls him, “a coarse bear, a bourbon! a monster.
But at the end she accepts his love and is driven into his arms
forgetting all her claims of love for her late husband and her proposed
dislike for SMIRNOV… the bear. Bear is thought to be a greedy,
impertinent and totally uncontrollable animal. So the bear may
symbolically point towards the hero of the play. SMIRNOV is ill
mannered and violent but at the same time he is a very passionate man.
He is haughty and boorish. His attitude with POPOVA is very harsh and
impolite that reveals his bear like nature. So the title is meant to
represent Mr. SMIRNOV and his true nature. Question# 2 What is Luka
telling POPOVA? POPOVA is a young lady whose husband has died
seven months ago. She is in mourning and is wearing black dress. She
has shunned every relation with the outside world and is confined to
the four-walled grave of her room. She has a servant named Luka. Luka
is very sincere to his mistress and has deep concern for her welfare. As
the play starts in POPOVA’s drawing room, Luka is trying to convince
his mistress to abandon her prolonged mourning and come out of her
cocoon of so-called grief. He tries to make her realize that she is
wasting her life in a futile way. He rightly says that one cannot die with
the dead. People come and go but life goes on. He tells her that she
was still young and beautiful and could easily settle down in her life by
marrying a young officer. She should take interest in life and its
pleasures. She should go out and see other people. These words of
Luka produce a very irritating effect on her and she asks him not to talk
to her in that way because she can never think of leaving her husband’s
memory and that she would remain true even to his grave. All these
claims of POPOVA prove flimsy and they collapse as soon as the very
first man knocks at the door of her heart Question# 3 Why did SMIRNOV
come to POPOVA’s house? POPOVA was a young lady whose husband
had died seven months ago. Her husband had been in the farm business
and used to buy oats from a man called SMIRNOV. There was some of
his money still unpaid so he came to get that money back. He was in a
desperate need of money because he had to pay the installments on his
mortgaged land. He visited all his creditors but could not get anything.
Then he travelled seventy miles from his home to Nicolai Mihailovotch’s
village. There he was confronted with
2. 2. Page2 Nicola’s widow, POPOVA, who did not want to pay him
anything. Thus ensued an exchange of bitter and cynical remarks that
concluded at the decision of marrying each other. Question# 4 What did
POPOVA think of her late husband? POPOVA was married to Nicolai
Mihailovitch, who died seven months ago. She remained in mourning for
a long time and had shut herself in the four walls of her own room. She
 broke every relation with the outside world. While talking to her
servant, Luka, she revealed her views about her late husband. She said
that he was a faithless and treacherous husband who had love affairs
with many other ladies. After his death she discovered a whole drawer
full of love letters. She said that he betrayed her, made fun of her
feelings and made love to other woman. He spoiled her money, youth
and life. She had very adverse feelings about him. She was in mourning
only to show that unlike him, she was a faithful wife who was loyal to
her husband even after his death. She wanted to show it to her late
husband as well as to the world that she was an emotional and loving
wife. But the reality contradicted all her claims of loyalty and show that
how petty and artificial she was. She had hypocritically simulated an
outward show of love and loyalty when at heart she had some other
motives. SMIRNOV rightly mocked at her by saying that her mourning
was just a false show and that she wanted to present herself as a
mysterious and romantic “Tamara” before the world. Question# 5 What
were SMIRNOV’s views about ladies? SMIRNOV is a retired army officer
and a respectable landowner of a nearby village. He comes to
POPOVA’s house to get his money back that he has lent to her late
husband. In the course of their discussion, they start arguing about the
character of ladies and men. POPOVA holds the view that all the men
are scoundrels and they exploit ladies for their own purposes. She cites
the instance of her own late husband who has been cruel and disloyal.
In response, SMIRNOV badly ridicules ladies and their ways. He says
that ladies are false and artificial… they hook a man by nose to fulfill
their vested interests. He tells that he himself has a great experience
with ladies and knows their true nature. The ladies only make an
outward show of their affection and never love anyone truly. Ladies
easily shift their affection from one person to another. He further says
that ladies behave like crocodiles and they shed tears to attract and
trap a man. They can love a lap dog but not a man. They are soft from
outside but from inside they are very cunning, wicked and cruel. He
even goes further and criticizes POPOVA herself and makes fun of her
mourning dress and her make up. He also laughs at her for being locked
up in her home. All these remarks show that he has very negative views
about ladies. Question# 6 What is the end of the play? This play
presents a blend of contradictory situations. Although it begins with a
sad note but its middle and specially its end is very sudden and
surprising. POPOVA is shown in deep mourning at the start and she
recalls her husband with inconsistent emotions. SMIRNOV comes to her
home to get his money back. He needs money to pay the interest on his
mortgaged land otherwise that may be confiscated but POPOVA cannot
do so as her steward isn’t in the town and she herself has no spare
cash. Here starts a fierce verbal war…they criticize each other. They
both abuse each other in a harsh way. SMIRNOV makes fun of POPOVA
and the ladies in general while POPOVA condemns men. He feels like
breaking her head and she calls him very offensive names. They decide
even to shoot each
3. 3. Page3 other. But… without any forewarning, SMIRNOV falls in love.
He expresses his love in his natural insolent style and proposes her. On
 the other side POPOVA is in a conflict…she doesn’t want to lose
SMIRNOV but at the same time she doesn’t want to shun her
ostentatious image of a faithful widow. She oscillates between “yes”
and “no” asking him to go at once and then shouting, “Where are you
going”. Finally she turns away from her pretension and is driven into his
arms. Quite unexpectedly they accept each other as life partners.
Question#7 This play is a criticism on the hypocritical attitude of upper
class. Discuss Chekhov often uses the drama to reveal the variety of
attitudes in the society, his main concern being the hypocrisy of feudal
class and the pragmatism of newly emerging economic sector. This
play revolves around two characters that accidentally come face to
face. Both belong to the landed gentry of Russia…both are single.
SMIRNOV is shown without a wife while POPOVA’s husband has died
seven months back. They go through a disagreement on matter of the
payment of some money. During their negotiations, they reveal their
true personalities before the reader or audience. The heroine of the
play is an affected lady who tries to give an artificial show of modesty
and innocence. She vehemently asserts her loyalty with her late
husband but in the same breath she unlocks a profound bulk of
complaints against him. She cries and faints in an artificial way. She is
all in all a hypocrite because she exploits her husband’s death as an
occasion to affirm herself as mysterious goddesses of devotion and
fidelity. She treats her guest very rudely and starts a proper brawl with
him…. calls him names and is ready even to shoot him. She pretends to
dislike him but at heart she cherishes tender feelings for him. Her
attitude is full of contradictions…she says “yes” and “no” at the same
moment. She represents the ladies of upper class who have dual
personalities and hide their true self in the curtain of false show of
humility and devotion. Their true motive is ease and material comfort
but apparently they take many sham stances. SMIRNOV is an
inconsistent person who too, like POPOVA, wavers badly in his
manners. He is agitated and disappointed. He needs money but he at
once forgets all about it and falls in love. A little earlier he has given
very adverse remarks about love and behavior of ladies but he takes no
time in practically refuting all that he has said earlier. He is rude in
handling a lady…loses temper and childishly challenges her to fight a
dual with pistols. Then quite unexpectedly he goes on his knees
offering his hand to the lady he was about to shoot moments ago. All
these factors point towards the superficial life style of upper class
where it is very hard to differentiate between real and false. People are
heartless and pragmatic; they even capitalize the circumstance caused
by some loved-one’s death. Question# 8 Draw the character sketches
of: a) SMIRNOV b) POPOVA
4. 4. Page4 SMIRNOV Grigory Stepanovitch SMIRNOV is a vibrant and
striking comic figure. His character has been delineated in a realistic
but compassionate way. He is a Russian landowner who has previously
been a lieutenant of artillery. He is not physically described but his
actions and manners show him to be an energetic fellow. He is violent
and hyperactive… breaks too many of POPOVA’s chairs. He is rude, ill-
mannered and can’t control his temper. In spite of his apparent hard
 surface he proves to be a very passionate man at the end. He is in dire
need of money because he has to pay the interest on his mortgaged
land. If he fails to pay the money he may lose his land. He goes to all
the people who are in his debt but none of them pays anything to him
rather they take him non seriously. So he can’t be called a successful
businessman. He rebukes all his debtors in an agitated way. Even he
behaves with POPOVA in a very impolite manner and makes fun of her
mourning. He goes too far in his demand of money and uses even
abusive words and threatening manners. But at the end forgets all
about money and interest. He keeps very bad opinion about women and
thinks them to be false and trivial. He says that a lady doesn’t know
what the love and sufferings are; they only enjoy the impatience of their
lovers and try to hook them hard by nose. They only make outward
show of love by crying and fainting while men give all the sacrifices in
love. He takes his indictment further and says that women can easily
shift their affection from one lover to another but they can truly love
their lapdogs only. He ridicules them by calling them “softer sex” in a
sarcastic way. He even makes POPOVA a prey of his criticism and
exclaims in a stinging way, “you may have buried yourself alive, but you
haven’t forgotten to powder your face!” This is a very serious
denunciation of women folk. He has a vast experience of love; three
times he has fought duals on account of ladies. He has refused twelve
women, and nine have refused him. He tells POPOVA that there has
been a time when he used to love and suffer like a young boy; he has
spent his emotions and money on such things. Now he claims to have
left all these things and has taken a vow not to love a lady any more…
but he can’t stand by his guarantee and falls in love with POPOVA. He is
trapped in the snare of her dazzling looks and her courageous dynamic
attitude. He expresses his love in an unusually rude way but is
accepted by his counterpart who too possesses an equally pulsating
personality. Thus it will not be an exaggeration to say that SMIRNOV’s
character cannot be easily erased from the memory of the reader or
audience. POPOVA POPOVA is a pleasantly conceived, multi-
dimensional character. She is young and very beautiful, “with roses in
her cheeks”. She is very careful about her looks and doesn’t forget to
apply cosmetics even in her mourning. Her husband has died seven
months ago and she has vowed not to go out and see other people in
her extended mourning. She has shut herself in the four walls of her
room. She pretends to be much moved at her husband’s death but infect
it is not more than eyewash. She is hypocrite in her attitude. She never
enjoyed good relations with her husband who used to betray her. He
had love- relations with other ladies and made fun of her feelings. He
used to leave her alone for weeks and wasted her money on other
ladies… but she wants to show his soul that she is not like him. She
tries to prove herself as a faithful wife. She unrealistically longs to bury
herself alive but the very first person, she meets, shatters her so-called
idealism and she readily agrees to marry a well to do land lord.
5. 5. Page5 Her servant Luka tries to make her realize the reality that she
may lose her chances in life by such an unrealistic attitude of cutting
herself off from everyone else. He says that her good looks will be
 finished in some years and then she will have to live a miserably
lonesome life. She reacts strongly and is not ready to listen anything
against her mourning but soon she forgets all of this and decides to
marry again. She is not a good housekeeper as none of her servants
except Luka is available to her. All have gone out without her
knowledge. She is a very rude and ill-mannered lady. She treats her late
husband’s friend very roughly who is under her roof as a guest. She
bluntly tells SMIRNOV that she can’t pay him money unless her steward
is back. She doesn’t try to understand his problem and goes on blowing
the trumpet of her critical “state of mind” due to mourning. She doesn’t
hesitate to start verbal row with a stranger and talks to him in an angry
manner. She uses very rough language and calls him, “bear, bear!
Bear”. She criticizes all men and specially her late husband. She takes
SMIRNOV’s insult of ladies very seriously and retorts with spirit. She is
a courageous lady and couldn’t be subdued by SMIRNOV’s aggressive
manners. She is willing to fight with him and brings her husband’s
pistols though she has never held a pistol in her hand before. She is in
conflict when SMIRNOV proposes her; she doesn’t want to let him go
but can’t immediately decide to stop him. She moves back and forth in
her desire to be loved and her ambition to be called a faithful widow. At
last she discreetly decides in favor of SMIRNOV and is ready to get
married again. On the whole she is an enjoyable figure who never fails
to amuse the reader though she has some negative aspects too. Her
beauty and vigour make her a treat for the reader and audience. The
Bear by Anton Chekhov Summary The play “The Bear” is a farce. It is
full of many absurd situations and remarks. There are three main
characters in the play and they all make us laugh with their absurd
behavior and comments. POPOVA is a widow. Her husband died seven
months ago, but she is still in mourning. Her servant, Luka advises her
to give up her mourning. He advises her to see her neighbors, but she
says that she will keep on mourning until her death. In the meanwhile,
SMIRNOV comes to take 1200 roubles from POPOVA. Her husband used
to buy oat from him. POPOVA tells him that her steward is out and she
will pay him the day after tomorrow. However, SMIRNOV insists on
taking the money that day. He behaves rudely. He even makes fun of
POPOVA’s mourning and her state of mind. POPOVA also becomes rude.
They speak against each other’s sex and use insulting words. SMIRNOV
thinks that he has been insulted. He challenges POPOVA to fight a duel.
POPOVA accepts the challenge and brings her husband’s revolver.
However, she does not know how to fire. She asks SMIRNOV to teach
her how to fire. The situation changes and SMIRNOV is impressed by
her boldness and beauty. He says that he does not want to fight the
duel. He expresses his love for her. He offers her his hand. First, she
insists on fighting, but then asks him to go. She changes her decision
repeatedly and then decides to marry him. When Luka returns with
other servants to beat SMIRNOV, he is surprised to see them touching
each other.
6. 6. Page6 Q1. Describe the reasons behind the marriage of POPOVA and
SMIRNOV. Both Popov and SMIRNOV had their own reasons of
marriage. We shall discuss them one by one. POPOVA had been
 mourning the death of her husband for the last seven months. She had
been leading a lonely and sad life since then. Seven months was a long
period. Now time had conquered her grief. Inwardly, she wanted some
change in her life. She did not want to continue this mourning any more.
Besides, it is human psychology that man gets sick and tired of doing
the same thing for a long period. The second reason may be the advice
of her servant Luka. He shocked her by making her understand that in
ten years’ time, she would not be beautiful anymore and no man would
look at her. It was shocking for POPOVA. The third reason was that
POPOVA had a very romantic nature. Her mourning the death of her
husband for seven months shows this. However, when SMIRNOV
assured her of his love, she was greatly moved. It was very romantic
that a man was on his knees, was offering her his hand, and was
speaking very romantic dialogues. SMIRNOV said, “…I’m on my knees
like a fool, offering you my hand…” It was all according to her romantic
nature. She could not resist it and accepted the proposal. SMIRNOV
decided to marry POPOVA because he fell in love with her. He was
greatly impressed by her beauty and boldness. He said, “But what a
woman!” and, “That’s the sort I can understand!” He further says, “I’ve
never in my life seen one like her!” He also says, “I love you as I’ve
never loved before!” Therefore, these were the reasons behind the
marriage of POPOVA and SMIRNOV. (289) Q2. What was the main issue
or conflict between SMIRNOV and POPOVA? When we go through the
play “The Bear”, we find that at first, the main conflict between them
was money, but later this conflict changed into another conflict – insult.
POPOVA’s late husband was to pay some money to SMIRNOV. He used
to buy oats for his horses. However, before paying the money he died.
Seven months had passed. Now SMIRNOV and come to POPOVA to take
his money. Unfortunately, POPOVA’s steward was not present.
Therefore, she was unable to pay his money that day. She plainly told
SMIRNOV about this situation. She promised that she would pay his
money the day after tomorrow. However, SMIRNOV insisted on taking
the money on that day. SMIRNOV talked to her rudely and in an
uncivilized manner. He made fun of her mourning. POPOVA also made
fun of him. She even abuses him and calls him a bear. She said, “You’re
a boor! A coarse bear! A bourbon! A monster!” SMIRNOV thought that
POPOVA had insulted him. On the other hand, POPOVA thought that
SMIRNOV did not know how to behave before women. She wanted to
kill him for that. This was the second main conflict between them. This
conflict between them grew serious and they decided to fight a duel.
POPOVA brought her late husband’s revolver. Therefore, we can say
that at first the main conflict between them was money. However, later
this conflict changed into another conflict – insult. Both of them
thought that they had been insulted. Luckily, these conflicts did not
bring any serious consequences. (254)
7. 7. Page7 Q3. The play “The Bear” is a farce (ridiculous situation).
Discuss. Describe the comic elements of the play “The Bear”. When we
go through the play “The Bear”, we find that it is a farce. A farce is full
of many absurd situations and remarks. These situations and remarks
make the readers laugh. There are three main characters in the play
 and they all make us laugh with their absurd comments. There are also
many absurd situations. When the play starts, we see that Luka is
advising POPOVA to leave her mourning and go out to see her
neighbours. However, his way of advising her is very absurd. He gives
the examples of cats, midges, and spiders. We simply laugh at these
examples. POPOVA looks at the photograph of her husband and calls
him a ‘bad child’. The word ‘bad child’ makes us laugh. When POPOVA
refuses to give SMIRNOV the money, he says, “I have not the pleasure
of being either your husband or your finance, so please don’t make
scenes.” These remarks are very funny and absurd and we laugh at
them. When POPOVA accepts the challenge of duel from SMIRNOV, he
says that he will bring her down like a chicken. The word ‘chicken’ is
very funny. We find the most comic and absurd situation in the play
when POPOVA brings her husband’s revolvers and asks SMIRNOV to
teach her how to fire. This is very absurd that she asks her enemy to
teach her how to fire. It is also very absurd that SMIRNOV starts
teaching her. What a funny and absurd situation it is! He not only
teaches her how to fire, but he also tells her the prices of different
revolvers. Another situation is very funny when POPOVA changes her
mind repeatedly. At one time, she asks him to leave and at another
asks him to stay. From the above discussion, we can conclude that it is
a farce and there are many comic and absurd elements in the play. The
writer has created comedy through funny comments and absurd
situations. (327) Q4. Discuss the title of the play “The Bear”. The title of
the play “The Bear” is quite justified. This title suggests the attitude of
SMIRNOV who is just like a bear. In everyday language, we call ‘bear’ to
a person who is rude, bad mannered and bad tempered. When we go
through the play, we find that SMIRNOV is bad-tempered and rude. On
his first appearance in the play, he calls Luka, the servant of POPOVA,
fool and ass. POPOVA tells him that her steward is not present and so
she cannot pay the money that day but SMIRNOV does not listen to her.
When POPOVA tells him that she is in a state of mind, SMIRNOV makes
fun of her state of mind. He even makes fun of her mourning. He makes
fun of her wearing lipstick and powdering her face. Then he talks
against women. POPOVA is right when she says that he does not know
how to behave before women. When Luka asks him to leave, he gets
angry and threatens him. He says, “Shut up! Who are you talking to? I’ll
chop you into pieces!” these words spoken by SMIRNOV clearly show
how bad- tempered he is. He is so rude that he challenges POPOVA to
fight a duel. Now it is very rude to challenge a woman to fight a duel.
He is ready to kill her and says, “I’ll bring her down like a chicken! I’m
not a little boy or a sentimental puppy; I don’t care about this “softer
sex.” Therefore, from the above discussion we can conclude that the
title of the play is quite justified. It suggests the attitude of SMIRNOV
who is just like a bear in his attitude. (280) Q5. Justify the end of the
play “The Bear”.
8. 8. Page8 No doubt, the end of the play “The Bear” is very sudden and
unexpected. We see that both SMIRNOV and POPOVA have revolvers in
their hands. They are going to fight a duel and to kill each other but
suddenly they decide to marry. This is unexpected. However, when we
 go through the play, we find that this sudden and unexpected end has
many reasons. We shall discuss them one by one. The reason of
POPOVA’s change of mind was that POPOVA had been mourning the
death of her husband for the last seven months. She had been leading a
lonely and sad life since then. Seven months was a long period. Now
time had conquered her grief. Inwardly, she wanted some change in her
life. She did not want to continue this mourning any more. Besides, it is
human psychology that man gets sick and tired of doing the same thing
for a long time. The second reason may be the advice of Luka, her
servant. He shocked her by telling her that in ten year’s time, she would
not be beautiful anymore and no man would look at her. It was shocking
for POPOVA. The third reason was that POPOVA had a very romantic
nature. When SMIRNOV assured her of his love, she was greatly moved.
It was all according to her romantic nature. SMIRNOV decide to marry
POPOVA because he fell in love with her. He was greatly impressed by
her beauty. When POPOVA accepted his challenge of fighting a duel, he
was greatly impressed by her boldness too. So, he changed his mind
and decided to marry her. The most important point in that it is a
comedy and the end of a comedy cannot be serious. Its end must be
funny and pleasant. Therefore, we can conclude that although the end
of the play is sudden and unexpected, yet it is quite justified. (318) Q6.
Both SMIRNOV and POPOVA have the same qualities of character.
Discuss. Both POPOVA and SMIRNOV are the chips off the same block.
Discuss. It is quite right to say that both SMIRNOV and POPOVA have
the same qualities of character. When we go through the play “The
Bear” carefully, we find that both are rude, romantic, quarrelsome and
hot-tempered. Both swear not to marry all their lives, but they change
their decision. When the play starts, we see that SMIRNOV comes right
in without getting any permission. He calls Luka fool and ass. Later, he
makes fun of POPOVA’s mourning and her state of mind. He speaks
against women and uses insulting words. It is also very rude to
challenge a woman to fight a duel. He threatens that he will chop Luka
into pieces. He is romantic by nature. He falls in love with POPOVA. He
tells POPOVA that he had fought duels three times because of women.
He changes his decision and decides to marry POPOVA. POPOVA is also
just like SMIRNOV. She is rude too. She abuses SMIRNOV. She talks
against men. When SMIRNOV challenges her to fight a duel, she at once
accepts the challenge. She goes and brings revolvers. SMIRNOV wants
to avoid the duel, but she insists on fighting it. This shows how
quarrelsome and hot-tempered she is. She is romantic by nature. She
mourns the death of her husband for seven months. She talks to his
photograph and promises to continue mourning until her death. This is
romantic but she also changes her decision of mourning until her death
and decides to marry SMIRNOV. Therefore, we can conclude that both
SMIRNOV and POPOVA are the chips off the same block and they have
the same qualities of character. (272)
9. 9. Page9 Something To Talk About Eden Phillpotts Question# 1 Discuss
the title of the play? This play is basically a clever piece of writing that
displays modern mentality. It represents the modern attitude towards
different events. The pace of modern life has increased tremendously
 and nothing seems novel today. The blessed faculty to “wonder” has
been snatched away from the modern man. He has become reckless
and bold. A well-bred family has been shown in this one-act play that
deals with the unexpected situation in an unexpected manner. They
claim to be the dullest family of the county. Nothing ever happens to
them, they never have accidents or any other event that can be
reported to a newspaper. Their family motto is “nec elata, nec dejecta”
which means neither happy nor dejected. In this situation when a
famous burglar comes to their home they call it, “manna in the
wilderness”. The head of the family Lord Redchester exclaims that at
last it is something that they can talk about. So the title shows the
importance of something new in life that one can talk to other people
about. It also indicates towards the modern life that lacks adventure
and novelty Question# 2 How do they behave with the Wolf? It is three
o’ clock at Christmas morning when the most famous burglar of England
enters into the Tudor Manor Redchester. He is dressed in black and is
fully equipped for his difficult task of burglary. He is fumbling at the
safe when Guy Sydney enters…. He has come to have some soda water
but is confronted with a crook who asks him to put his hands up. He is
not at all ruffled or confused to see the Wolf there. He behaves in a
proper manner and asks him to trust him and let him put his hands
down. He offers him a drink and shows great surprise and a sense of
being honoured by Wolf because of his expedition into their home. He
repeatedly assures him of the straightforward and trust- worthy
conduct of the Sydney family. When the Wolf starts his work, he asks
him to let his sister come who is much interested in the Wolf and his
exploits. Lettice is a nice looking girl and her manners and attitude too
set the Wolf on ease. She shows great interest in him and his tools of
burglary. Then there comes their butler, Preston who is however not
able to act in accordance with the attitude of rest of the Sydney family.
Lord Redchester, Lady Redchester and Bishop all come one by one and
express their pleasure and surprise at the Wolf’s presence in their
home. They cunningly win the trust of the burglar and later they
manage to turn the table through the positive impression that they have
cast on him. Some critics have considered the attitude of the Sydney
family as incredible. But they only represent the working of nice
breeding that enables them to behave in an ideal manner. They treat
the burglar without tremors and flaws. They do not lose their balance
thus controlling not only the situation but also the burglar himself.
10. 10. Page10 Question# 3 How do they turn the table? The Wolf tries hard
to enter into the family safe of Redchester family but can’t do so
because the safe is made of a new metal and is crook-proof. The Wolf is
disappointed but to his surprise, Lord Redchester tells him the
password and he gets the safe open in a second. The safe contains
Lord Redchester’s Christmas gifts that he has bought for his family.
They are very expensive and the Wolf is very happy to see them. The
Sydney family has treated Wolf in a decent manner and they have
carefully managed to make him believe in any word spoken by any one
of them. They have assured him that they are a very simple family
whose strongest suit is the rectitude. They successfully manage the
 propaganda and get their desired results. When the Wolf is ready to
depart with their valuable gifts, Bishop indirectly talks to him and says
that if he takes their presents, he will regret because in this way he
may lose a far superior advantage. This arouses the Wolf’s curiosity and
he gets interested. Guy and Bishop cunningly portray Lord Wallaby’s
wealth. They exploit the Wolf’s greedy nature and tell him about the
expensive things present in Lord Wallaby’s home. They tell him the way
to enter in that home easily. Thus they make him accept all that they
say. The Wolf naively believes in them and decides to give their
presents back to them. Thus they turn the table by wisely proceeding
step by step. Their repeated assurance of their honourable character
befools the Wolf and he is dodged successfully. Question# 4 Why does
Bishop want him to turn a new leaf from that day? Charles is Lord
Redchester’s brother and is the bishop of the Redchester Cathedral. He
is a clever man and can handle people easily. At the end of the play
when the Wolf relents the Christmas presents of Sydney family and is
ready to rob the Wallaby’s. At this point Bishop says that the Wolf
should turn a new leaf from that night. This is a very crucial remark
because the Sydney family has successfully saved itself from a burglar
and the burglar is planning to invade some other home the next night.
In this way they have provided him a chance to reconsider his trade of
robbing others. They want to give him time. It may be possible that they
report about all of this to police and the police may arrest him. When a
simple family has befooled the Wolf, he has opened the door of his
destruction. The Wolf has been considered as the greatest burglar of
England and all the police in England is after him… but he has been
dodged by a common family. Thus he has proved himself vulnerable and
this may prove to be his last adventure. So the reader can expect a new
leaf to be turned over in his life at that night. Question# 5 This play
shows the mental state of modern people. Illustrate. The Sydneys are a
well-bred modern family who behave in an appropriate way when
confronted with an unexpected situation. They don’t get confused and
hold the situation in their own hands. They try to feel the pleasure in a
dramatic situation. They are not worried at the Wolf’s presence in their
home rather they are jubilated to have something to talk about. Like
anyone else they too don’t want to be dispossessed of their valuable
gifts but they act in a sensibly different manner. Thus they represent
the mental state and attitude of the modern people who are badly bored
because of their monotonous everyday life. They want to have a break
from the tedious routine of life and want to revel in any adventure. They
want something different and dramatic. This play of course is an
exaggeration but it indicates towards a growing trend of modern life.
The stale day-to-day routine has
11. 11. Page11 made their senses numb and some break from it is always
welcome. So the family in the story presents the modern bent of mind
as well as the modern rational attitude in any unforeseen situation.
Question# 6 Draw the character sketches of 1-Wolf, 2-Guy WOLF Wolf is
a dangerous burglar who comes to rob the Sydney family. He is the
most famous burglar of England and all the police of England are after
him. He has been carrying on this trade for a long time that’s why he is
 quite well known. Often the newspapers report about him and tell some
mysterious stories about his conduct and behavior especially with
ladies. He behaves in a rude manner with the Sydney family and
repeats, “I’ll plug you” again and again. He is violent and often uses bad
language to others. He doesn’t believe any one and holds his revolver in
his hands all the time. He is very confident about his skills and proudly
declares that no safe in the world can beat him. He uses modern
technology for his purpose. He suspects the Sydneys and is not easily
ready to believe in them. He presents himself as a pitiless and cunning
fellow but in fact he is a dupe and greedy man. He suspects them in
little matters like he asks if Lord Redchester’s tobacco is doped. Then
he asks Guy not to make a strong drink for him but when it comes to
the serious business, they easily take him in. He seems to be an
educated man because he quotes some classical sayings. Lettice calls
him, “a lost sheep in wolf’s clothing”; he retorts immediately, “Wolves
do change their hair, but not their hearts”. When Lady Redchester
mentions about the criminal classes he says, “There ain’t no criminal
classes, any more than virtuous classes. The rogues and the rulers may
both come from the gutter, or the Palace. A man can be in the House of
Commons today and the House of Detention to- morrow, can’t he?” He
is attracted to beauty like any other man and welcomes Lettice. He
praises Lord Redchester’s gifts open heartedly. He claims to make a
clean sweep and behaves rudely in order to get the jewels back from
ladies. He gives many sarcastic remarks; when Bishop asks who he
is…. He says, “I am a piano tuner”. Again when Bishop asks him to join
the ranks of the honorable, virtuous and trustworthy…. He retorts, “Do
you want me to abandon my craft and start keeping rabbits”? He
professes to be a cunning man but proves to be a fool. He is greedy and
leaves the booty in hand in anticipation of an imagined treasure. He
himself said, “ One in hand is better than two in bush” but later forgets
it and goes for “two in bush” leaving the “one in hand”. The Sydney
family befools him and makes him leave their treasure. On the whole
this is a superb presentation of a modern crook. He is unusual and
dramatic and cannot be easily forgotten. GUY SYDNEY Guy Sydney is a
young boy who comes across Wolf in his study room. At the Christmas
morning he comes to have a drink, when he sees the Wolf. He controls
himself fully and doesn’t show any alarm or confusion. He behaves
nicely with Wolf and asks him to be polite. He reiterates his family’s
strong points forcefully. He tells him that his family is the most
straightforward and trust
12. 12. Page12 worthy family of the county. It is he who sets the attitude
of the whole family. His friendly manners make Wolf think that he is
among friends. He calls his family members one by one and perhaps he
prepares them for the situation. He is intelligent and self-assured. He is
active and controls the situation fully. He again and again gives him
drink and takes interest in his tools. He shows himself as caring and
asks many questions about Wolf’s life. At the end he assists uncle
Bishop in turning the table. He eagerly gives him the whole map of
Wallaby’s home. He tells him about the riches present in Wallaby’s
drawing room and dining room. He makes a whole list of expensive
things present there and even lets him know the location of these
things. He paints such a picture before Wolf that he is completely be
fooled. He leaves their gifts and is ready to intrude into Wallaby’s home.
Thus Guy Sydney can be called the main instrument of Wolf’s
destruction. He artfully plans the strategy from very first moment and
leads it to his desired objective. Something to Talk About by Eden
Phillpotts Summary The play “Something to Talk About” conveys the
idea that very rich people become sick of their monotonous lives. So
just for a change, they welcome everything, even burglary. Secondly,
we also see that it is very difficult to bear the loss of things, it does not
matter how rich a person is. To save his things he ready to harm others.
At three on Christmas morning the Wolf, a burglar, comes to Sydneys’
residence to steal Christmas presents. Lord Redchester is the head of
the family. Lady Redchester is his wife Guy and Lettice are his children.
Bishop is his brother. The Wolf is trying to open the safe when Guy
comes in. Wolf levels his revolver at him, buy Guy wins his confidence
with his clever talk. He takes his permission to bring Lettice there. He
tells him that Lettice wants to watch him at work. Preston, the butler,
comes there. The Wolf ties him. Guy promises that the butler will not do
anything wrong and unties him. Soon all the members of the family
come to room one by one. The Wolf tries his best to open the safe but
fails. Lord Redchester tells him the password “Sophy” and he opens the
safe in no time. He brings out all the presents one by one. Everybody
tries his gifts. The Wolf takes back the presents and decides to go, but
Bishop tries to exploit his religious feelings. Then he tempts him to
leave their presents and take more costly things of their neighbor. They
promise to help him in stealing. Buy describes the location. The Wolf
agrees and gives back their presents and leaves. Everybody shakes
hands with him. Q1. What is the theme of the play “Something to Talk
About”? The theme of the play “Something to Talk About” is the
attitude of very rich people. The theme is that very rich people become
so tired of their monotonous lives that just for a change or some
excitement they enjoy even a burglary. The title of the play also
suggests that. We also see that it is very difficult to bear the loss of
things. It does not matter how rich a person is. To save his things he is
ready to harm others.