Men Should Weep
Published on Feb 04, 2016
An introduction to Ena Lamont Stewart's 1956 play 'Men Should Weep,' with background information and an overview of the main themes.
Further links/info in the notes to each page.
MORE DECKS TO EXPLORE
PRESENTATION OUTLINE
Happy, middle-class childhood
- Ena was the daughter of a minister, and her childhood was a secure one.
- Her father's parish, however, was a poor one - and that was how she became exposed to the kind of slum life explored in 'Men Should Weep.'
Photo by Lubs Mary.
adult life
- Ena worked as a receptionist in a hospital for sick children
- Later on she became a librarian
- She married an actor, Jack Stewart, and they had a son.
- Jack encouraged her to become a playwright.
Photo by timefornurses
1930s Glasgow
'The corpse of an industrial city'
This picture is from the Daily Record in 1933.
It shows crowds of people fleeing a gang-fight, a familiar scene in a city which bore the brunt of the post-WWI economic depression.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/scottishhistory/modern/intro_modern2.shtml
It shows crowds of people fleeing a gang-fight, a familiar scene in a city which bore the brunt of the post-WWI economic depression.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/scottishhistory/modern/intro_modern2.shtml
Glasgow's Problems
- Male unemployment
- Bad housing
- Poor health
Find the quotes in the text which illustrate each of these problems.
"One evening in the winter of 1942 I went to the theatre. I came home in a mood of red-hot revolt against cocktail time, glamorous gowns and under-worked, about-to-be-deceived husbands. I asked myself what I wanted to see on stage and the answer was Life. Real life. Ordinary people."
Ena Lamont Stewart
Photo by miss mass
Characters
- Maggie (mum) and John (dad)
- Auntie Lily and Granny
- Alec, Isa and Jenny
- Edie, Ernest and the younger children
- The neighbours
reception
- 'This is essentially a woman's play.'
- 'The bitter, vitriolic tirade against the male of the species is the play's biggest weakness.'
- The play offers 8 strong female characters, 'and only 2 men, both weaklings...here, the scales are tipped too heavily in favour of the female.'
Is this 'essentially a woman's play'? Why or why not?
Does the play fail to recognise the plight faced by John and other men like him?
What is Ena Lamont Stewart's purpose in writing the play? Think about the play's attitudes to men and women.
Does the play fail to recognise the plight faced by John and other men like him?
What is Ena Lamont Stewart's purpose in writing the play? Think about the play's attitudes to men and women.
'A bitter, vitriolic* tirade against the male of the species'?
*critical, savage
main Themes
- Poverty
- The role of women
- Conflict
- Family
also:
- Corruption (Alec)
- Resilience of youth
- Community
Stage map
l - left r - right u - upstage d - downstage
