Major trends in 20th century British Drama

 Development of the English Drama in the 20  th   Century  - The first decades of the 20 th century are not very influential. - Shaw and Eliot wrote some of their plays at this time.

Sean O’Casey - an Irish dramatist. He wrote both tragedies and comedies. - He persuasively depicted tragic Irish women caught in a political struggle they are not responsible for. The Shadow of a Gunman - it deals with the persecution of Irish Republicans.

John Osborne - he belonged to the Angry Young Men. - He is known for his sharp criticism of modern British life.

Look Back in Anger

- It is about rebellion against traditional manners. - It is regarded as a landmark in post-World War II British drama. - The action takes in a midlands town. In the one-room flat of Jimmy and Alison Porter. - Their marital conflicts appear to arise from Jimmy’s sense of their social incompatibility. - He is a jazz-playing university graduate, but sells sweets. - His dissatisfaction is turned to Alison. - She is a colonel’s daughter and a submissive and passive woman. - He cannot forgive her coming from a higher social class. - His anger involves the whole society. It is also caused by his inability to do something positive with his life. - He is by turns violent, sentimental, weeping, self-pitying, and sadistic. - He is the prototype of a man who is in permanent opposition to everything. - He represents the old hypocritical establishment. 1) - Alison stands ironing the clothes of Jimmy and their lodger Cliff. 2) - Alison’s friend Helena attempts to rescue her from the disastrous marriage. - Alison leaves with her father and Helena starts an affair with Jimmy. - He agrees, although he previously despised Helena. 3) - Helena is ironing. Alison returns after she has lost a baby she was expecting. - Jimmy and Alison reconcile through humiliation and begin playing a fantasy game in which they pretend to be animals.

The Entertainer - it presents the decline of Britain’s place in the world. - It deals with the problems of an elderly actor who cannot relate sincerely to anyone around.

Arnold Wesker - his first plays were written in the fashion of a working-class drama. Chips with Everything - it depicts class struggle in the British Army. - At an RAF center, the son of a banker Pip Thomson tries to make the other soldiers revolt. - He gradually changes into a typical representative of the same ruling class as the officers.