Juno and paycock as a Realistic play

Juno and paycock as a Realistic play

INTRODUCTION

Realism teaches that what we do with the world in our minds always has a purpose--it is either to have more respect or more contempt for it; and that this purpose does something to us. Sean O’ Casey has absolutely a practical purpose to show clear picture to Irish people about their actions and their misleading idealism. Realism adds something of yourself to the fact you are dealing with, or changes a fact you are dealing with, because of what you are, or what you are at that time And the way you can change a fact may be useful or it may be harmful." Result will be come according to the actions and intentions. Irish nation as whole and Boyle family particularly defines the circumstances and grim conditions and the responses of Irish people towards these war situations.

REALISM IN THE PLAY

It is urgent to study the difference between changing the facts in a way that is useful--even beautiful, as it is in art--and doing it in a way that is harmful, on the side of ugliness, cruelty, and even mental illness. This was only thing that hints and drives O’ Casey to come in action and show people their true picture that in which direction they are going and in what direction they should embrace.

The last act of Juno and the Paycock of 1925, by the Irish playwright Sean O'Casey.  And he was true to that purpose!  He used this play to show how O'Casey's imagination made for art, and to show, through this representative family of Ireland, how imagination works in our everyday thoughts. Mere Imagination and empty idealism throws the Irish comrades in the corner. People were in the want of freedom but were not ready to take any serious steps. In fact, they were avoiding day to day problems of life like poverty was a serious concern for them. The whole family except Juno is not working and earning money to run the family expenditures.

The Centralcharacter of this play is Captain Boyle, called the "Paycock", or peacock, for his strutting ways, who says he is unable to work because of "pains in my legs." His buddy is a neighbor, Joxer Daley, and together they have interesting chats about the state of the world—much to the irritation of Captain Boyle’s wife, Juno, who feels Joxer is a bad influence on her husband. They talk about different issues of the world but remain unaware about their conditions. They never takeanything serious throughout the play but doing the non sense things like drinking alcohol, dancing and singing etc.

Mrs. Boyle is nicknamed "Juno" because, as her husband says, she was born, married, and became a mother all in the month of June. Juno is the only character that faces realities of daily life and to earn money and feed her whole family. She possesses all such qualities which any pious lady does. She is probably the protagonist of the play. She insists her family to work but what God can do against the foolishness of man, she repeats such phrase again and again in the people.

 There is the son, Johnny, who lost an arm fighting against British occupation, and who is now ill and both terrified and guilty because--as we learn later--he has betrayed one of his comrades, Bobby Tancred, who is subsequently killed. After all is done yet he does not learn lesson from his mistakes rather two steps ahead and repeating and emphasing on his dull principles.

  And there is their daughter, Mary, who imagines that a man she cares for, Charles Bentham is trustworthy.  Bentham is a school teacher who has told the Boyle family they will inherit a large sum of money.  But in the last act, it is clear Mary didn't imagine him truly.  We learn that he has mishandled the writing of a cousin's will; and the family sees they will inherit almost nothing.  The furniture they bought on credit is repossessed, and Mary is deserted by Bentham, who doesn't know she is carrying his child. She rejects at first the proposal of Jerry but later on she was deceived by Bentham. This actually shows the less wisdom of females’ nature. She even does not work but sit on strikes and preaching and asserting that a principles a principle.

CONCLUSION

 From first to last act of Juno and the Paycock; becoming each character with depth and critical compassion.  And as Sean O’ Casey shows the realism present in a word, phrase, the dialog, and stage directions, he enabled us to better understand our the condition of Ireland of that time and how much struggles and sufferings Irish people faced during that time period just because of their stupidity and foolishness. This play absolutely evokes to Irish people from their deep slumber to think intellectually and practically about their independence and about their current problems.

REFERENCE

1-      irishecho.com/2011/02/ocaseys-juno-with-an-emphasis-on-realism-2

2-      goodreads.com/book/show/19284.Sean_O_Casey

3-      socialistreview.org.uk/364/juno-and-paycock

4-      enotes.com/topics/juno-paycock/critical-essays

5-      marionfennell.net/Imagination/Imagination_Does_Something.html