| Comparisons to Other Works Read in Class Though many characters in Clarke's play could be related to characters from other novels we read in class, one of the strongest ties would be between the authors. Lady Clarke, Christina Rossetti and Jane Austin were all female writers during a time period when women were expected to be submissive to men's commands and wishes. In The Irishwoman, Clarke uses Mrs. O'Gallagher to represent a woman's ability to do a masculine duty. Mrs. O'Gallagher was proven to be a "Match for a Lawyer." Jane Austin used the main character in her novel Emma to show how it is very possible for women to live without having a husband. In her poem The Goblin Market, Christina Rossetti used Lizzy to show how a female can also be a savior or hero. These three authors used their female characters to speak out about the repressions women were going through and to speak out against how they were expected to obey without question. All three of these works were written around the same time and all three have a theme of independent, strong minded women. |
| About the Author Lady Olivia Clarke, formerly Olivia Owenson, published one piece in her career as a writer. Her play, entitled The Irishwoman, is a comedy in five acts. When Clarke wrote this play, tensions were high between the Irish and the English. Irish-French conspiracies were at the forefront of gossip and Catholic Emancipation motions had recently been issued by the Whigs, following the Act of Union in 1800. Clarke's play was first performed in Dublin at the Theatre Royal, where it received mixed reviews. The Theatre Royal, previously named Smock Alley, was the first Dublin playhouse to be built after the Restoration. Rarely were original productions staged there, but with a strong repertoire the theatre was able to put on over fifty shows a year. The most popular of the presented works were those of English playwrights. Works by Irish dramatists were more likely to be played only after they had succeeded on the English stage. Smock Alley entertained the people of Ireland for more than one hundred years until competition forced it to close in 1786. In 1819, when Clarke's play was first produced, the theatre had been reopened with the name of the Theatre Royal. Not much has been written about the life of Lady Olivia Clarke. She seemed to live most of her life in the shadow of her father's and older sister's fame. Her sister, Lady Sydney Morgan was a revered novelist, poet, biographer, and travel writer. Her father, Robert Owenson, was an actor-manager and musician. He also possessed a "typical Irish" sense of humor, and was described as "happy-go-lucky." Her mother, Jane Hill, was a rather prim Methodist, and died in Olivia's younger years. Even though not much is known about Clarke, one is able to make assumptions about her character after reading her play. She was probably very witty, and quite daring for a woman in her time. She seems well aware of the English anxieties surrounding the Irish and she is not afraid to poke fun at politics. It is a tragedy that her work was overshadowed by the many accomplishments of her father and sister. Unfortunately, The Oxford Companion to Irish Literature, published in 1996, still deems The Irishwoman as "a particularly bad play." With this feeling of rejection, as well as seclusion from the rest of her family, Clarke could really sympathize with Mrs. O'Gallagher in her own play. However, Mrs. O'Gallagher ends up on top in the end. It is only hoped, but not certain, that the same happened for Lady Clarke in her lifetime--that she was able to reap some of the benefits of an appreciated work. |
| Analysis of the Contemporary Reception of the Play When The Irishwoman was first performed in Dublin the audience really liked it. Lady Clarke even mentioned this fact in her letter to the reader at the beginning of the play. She writes: "This dramatic effort has met with the most flattering reception from a Dublin audience, which is acknowledged to be both discriminating and impartial." I was able to locate two very different reviews of the play. The first review was published in New Monthly Magazine and had only good things to say about The Irishwoman. The reviewer called it "a real comedy," and said, "Its gaiety... is never broken by anything unduly serious." The reviewer praised the play for offering simple, funny entertainment, and had complimentary words for nearly all of the characters. The writer also paid a compliment to Ireland when he said that Mrs. O'Gallagher had "all the shrewdness and all the heart which distinguish her country." He ended his review by saying, "The piece does honor to the Dublin stage, where it was received with great applause, and would, we think, meet with equal success at one of our London theatres." The second reviewer, however, had a much different opinion. He claims in his article in The Theatrical Inquisitor that other critics were paid to write good reviews of the play. He compares the play to Lazarus, saying it must beg "for the very crumbs of public opinion." The critic calls the play ?a trite medley of dull incidents, unnatural characters, and paltry diction; planned without fancy, constructed without judgment, and praised without consideration; fit only for the [dull, stupid] atmosphere of a Dublin audience." The writer notes that Lady Clarke thinks highly of her play, and says that if she ever sees his review she will probably "run it over with almost a frigid remark that we are scrubby fellows, and without an atom of the good old [Irish] gallantry that sets down a native authoress for one of the very greatest creatures in Christendom." He predicts that The Irishwoman, "will mount, beyond the chances of return, to a comfortable corner in the broad bosom of patriarchal oblivion." This closing comment is in my opinion the most horrible comment in the review, because it implies that Lady Clarke's play will be viewed by men as a forgotten sin. This gives us a glimpse of how many women writers were viewed at that time. Having a woman (especially such a bold woman) be the star of a play was a new idea at that time which still hadn't gained full acceptance. |
| Style The Irishwoman has both a prologue (written by Sir Charles Morgan) and an epilogue which are both written in verse form. Neither have anything to do with the plot, but instead serve their own function--to amuse the audience and gain it's praise. The play itself shows Lady Clarke's boldness and courage as she bucks tradition to stand up for her beliefs. She has a never-subltle and almost over-dramatic sense of humor. Her characters are very entertaining. Our group decided to use The Irishwoman for our Corvey Project because we liked the idea of an early 19th century comedy with a woman as the leading character. Reading and analyzing this piece has led to many interesting discussions within our group regarding the role of women in society.. All of the confusing connections between characters made it difficult trying to comprehend the many plots of deviousness within each act. It was both challenging and entertaining to see how each person was connected to the next. Clarke somehow was able to make almost every character have a relationship with someone else prior to where the script picks up. This aspect of the play gives all of the characters a form of depth and keeps the reader curious about what will happen next. |
| Themes A big part of the comedy is based on deception. In the play, people are not always who they appear to be. Examples of this inlcude Mrs. O'Gallagher pretending to be Miss Timirous' mother and Larry O'Gallagher pretending to be a doctor. Not all of the characters are quite as kind and good natured as Mrs. O'Gallager. Mr. Jones is constantly lying and cheating people out of their money and possessions for his own good. Even though people are not always what they seem to be and cannot always be trusted, in the end, truth prevails. |
| Staging and Costumes The Irishwoman takes place among a group of wealthy, high class people. This knowledge leads the reader to imagine that very extravagant sets and costumes would have been used for the play. The town in which The Irishwoman took place was probably quite nice as well. Here is how we imagined the set and costumes to be: The furniture would definitely be antique: large, detailed, wooden pieces. There is also a lot of color between flowers about in the rooms, the decorating of the walls and furniture, and the costumes. Overall it is a picturesque setting for the love triangles and deceit of this play to take place. The characters' personalities in this play make it very easy to picture what they may have looked like and what they'd have been wearing. Sir Toby is a somewhat uptight, serious fellow, and his dark, double breasted suit, a picture of conservatives, is quite fitting. Miss Timirous, a demure, strong minded orphan is petite and pretty in a pastel dress with lace. Fanchon, Miss Timirous loyal maid, is also quite pretty and small in her dark dress and white apron. Davey Jones, the villain, is suave and good looking in an expensive suit and slicked back hair. Captain Belgard and Lord Ancestor are opposites in every way. Belgard is a strong young man with a jovial smile and captain's suit, while Lord Ancestor has seen his better years and barely fills out the old gray pants and blazer he sports. Chatterton is in a cheap suit, obviously trying to be something he's not and Mackwhack really isn't trying to look any special way at all. Mrs. O'Gallagher, while money has never been abundant for her, still tries to look nice and has quite a colorful array of dresses and hats that she's acquired along the way, always changing and altering as to be on the top of fashion. |