Violence as a Central theme in Blood Brothers
Violence is a central theme in the play. Discuss this theme with close reference to the play. (20)
Contextually, the play ‘Blood Brothers’ was written by Willy Russell and is set in the 1980s in Thatcher’s Britain and is a social commentary of the ways in which different social classes were treated in the early 1980s, where money was short and families were considerably larger than you would expect to see today.
The story is told through the voice of the omnipresent narrator, who is presented as an especially pivotal character, a manifestation of one of the visible themes in Blood Brothers - the idea that life is a game.
Notably, he treats the characters as players of his game, manipulating their lives and playing off their superstitious beliefs. A Brechtian style is explored through the Narrator to make the audience reflect on unravelling themes and to unmask the naturalism of society at the time. The narrator is important within the play as he shows the movement and progression of time, ‘when you’re sweet sixteen.’ ‘At seventeen.’
Throughout the play, Russell explores various themes through the characters, the main being the differences in social classes and the effects on the lives of the characters. Although superstition, fate and violence, are presented as themes, the political message of the play seems to be saying that it is real-world forces that shape people’s lives.
Analytically, we first notice the violence within the play from the title ‘Blood Brothers,’ which instantly portrays a dark, violent feel to the play whilst also foreshadowing further events – when Edward and Mickey bond, ‘it’s Eddie my blood brother.’
Throughout the play, violence is often shown through the narrator, who is shown to have the ability to foreshadow future events, ‘how they were born and they died on the self-same day.’ This reference to death represents the darkness and violence within the play.
The play both begins and ends with the death of the twins; this represents the
Contextually, the play ‘Blood Brothers’ was written by Willy Russell and is set in the 1980s in Thatcher’s Britain and is a social commentary of the ways in which different social classes were treated in the early 1980s, where money was short and families were considerably larger than you would expect to see today.
The story is told through the voice of the omnipresent narrator, who is presented as an especially pivotal character, a manifestation of one of the visible themes in Blood Brothers - the idea that life is a game.
Notably, he treats the characters as players of his game, manipulating their lives and playing off their superstitious beliefs. A Brechtian style is explored through the Narrator to make the audience reflect on unravelling themes and to unmask the naturalism of society at the time. The narrator is important within the play as he shows the movement and progression of time, ‘when you’re sweet sixteen.’ ‘At seventeen.’
Throughout the play, Russell explores various themes through the characters, the main being the differences in social classes and the effects on the lives of the characters. Although superstition, fate and violence, are presented as themes, the political message of the play seems to be saying that it is real-world forces that shape people’s lives.
Analytically, we first notice the violence within the play from the title ‘Blood Brothers,’ which instantly portrays a dark, violent feel to the play whilst also foreshadowing further events – when Edward and Mickey bond, ‘it’s Eddie my blood brother.’
Throughout the play, violence is often shown through the narrator, who is shown to have the ability to foreshadow future events, ‘how they were born and they died on the self-same day.’ This reference to death represents the darkness and violence within the play.
The play both begins and ends with the death of the twins; this represents the