The Plough and the Stars by Sean O'Casey
Synopsis
Ireland is still under the rule of Great Britain, and the Irish people are preparing to rebel. In a small tenement in one of Dublin’s working class neighborhoods live the Clitheroes. Jack Clitheroe used to belong to the Irish Citizen Army, and his wife, Nora, would do anything to keep him from returning to the dangerous cause. Her voice is an unpopular one; almost all of their friends and neighbors support the Nationalist cause. But as fighting breaks out in the streets, there is little that any of the tenement’s residents can do to stay unaffected by the violence of the rebellion. Centered around Dublin’s Easter Rising in 1916, The Plough and the Stars is one of playwright Sean O’Casey’s most renowned and poignant works. The play examines the powerful force of political idealism and the lives of those swept up in its tide. It is the final play in Sean O’Casey’s Dublin trilogy.
Featuring an introduction to the playwright, this book includes, a detailed analysis of the language, structure and characters of the play, and textual notes explaining difficult words and references.
Professor Murray's notes, to be read alongside the full playtext provided here, will enable students to better understand, appreciate, enjoy and write about O'Casey's greatest play.
About the Author
Sean O'Casey, original name John Casey, (born March 30, 1880, Dublin, Ire. —died Sept. 18, 1964, Torquay, Devon, Eng.), Irish playwright renowned for realistic dramas of the Dublin slums in war and revolution, in which tragedy and comedy are juxtaposed in a way new to the theatre of his time.