David Hare’s play centers on the fallout within a family following the death of its patriarch. Isobel, a principled graphic designer, attempts to maintain her integrity while caring for her father's alcoholic widow, Katherine. Her sister, Marion, is a junior minister in the Thatcher government who views life through the lens of market forces and efficiency. Marion’s husband, a Christian businessman, attempts to merge religious piety with corporate expansion. As Marion and her associates forcibly reorganize Isobel’s small business, the plot illustrates the collision between private altruism and the uncompromising individualism of the 1980s political climate.
Readers interested in the intersection of British politics and family dynamics study this text to understand how ideological shifts impact personal ethics. It appeals to those analyzing the psychological cost of uncompromising goodness in a world driven by profit and power. The audience gains a clear view of how systemic greed dismantles communal ties and how individual morality struggles to survive under the pressure of institutionalized selfishness. The play leaves the reader with a stark assessment of the human fragility inherent in political transitions.
- Published
- 1989
- Language
- EN
