The Plough and the Stars

For other uses, see Starry Plough (disambiguation).

The Plough and the Stars
Written by	Seán O'Casey
Characters	Fluther Uncle Peter, Mrs Gogan, Bessie Burgess Nora Clitheroe The Young Covey Jack Clitheroe Mollser Cpl. Stoddart Sgt. Tinley, Captain Brennan, Lt Langon, Voice of the man
Date premiered	February 8, 1926 (1926-02-08)
Place premiered	Abbey Theatre, Dublin, Irish Free State
Original language	English
Subject	Easter Rising
Setting	Dublin: A tenement house and a pub

The Plough and the Stars is a play by the Irish writer Seán O'Casey first performed on February 8, 1926 by the Abbey Theatre in the writer's native Dublin.

It is the third of his well known "Dublin Trilogy" – the other two being The Shadow of a Gunman (1923) and Juno and the Paycock (1924).

Plot

The first two acts take place in November 1915, looking forward to the liberation of Ireland. The last two acts are set during the Easter Rising, in April 1916.

Characters

Residents of the tenement house:

• Jack Clitheroe: a bricklayer and former member of the Irish Citizen Army.
• Nora Clitheroe: housewife of Jack Clitheroe.
• Peter Flynn: a labourer, and uncle of Nora Clitheroe.
• The Young Covey: a fitter, ardent communist and cousin of Jack Clitheroe.
• Bessie Burgess: a street fruit-vendor, and Protestant.
• Mrs Gogan: a charwoman.
• Mollser Gogan: daughter of Mrs Gogan, dying from consumption.
• Fluther Good: a carpenter, and trade-unionist.

Additional characters:

• Lieutenant Langon: a civil servant, and lieutenant of the Irish Citizen Army.
• Captain Brennan: a chicken butcher, and captain of the Irish Citizen Army.
• Corporal Stoddard: a corporal of the Wiltshire Regiment of the British Army.
• Sergeant Tinley: a sergeant of the Wiltshire Regiment of the British Army.
• Rosie Redmond: a daughter of "the Digs," and a prostitute.
• A Bartender.
• Moira O'Hara- An upper class woman
• Ailis O'Hara- Daughter of Moira O'Hara
• The Portrait In The Window: Widely accepted as being Padraig Pearse.

Act I

The first act is a representation of normal working-class life in early twentieth century Dublin. The majority of major characters are introduced. The act opens with Gossip by Mrs Gogan; a catholic charwoman. Some other characters introduced are: Fluther Good: a trade unionist and a carpenter. "The Young Covey": an ardent communist and a fitter; Jack Clitheroe, The Covey's uncle and a former member of the Irish Citizen Army, at that time led by James Connolly. There is also Nora Clitheroe; Jack Clitheroe's wife. Later in this act, Captain Brennan knocks on the door of the Clitheroes' home and asks to see "Commandant Clitheroe", which surprises Jack Clitheroe, as he was not aware he'd been promoted. Nora begs him not to answer the door, but he does, and meets Captain Brennan; a chicken butcher and a member of the Irish Citizen Army. Captain Brennan hands Jack Clitheroe telling him that he and his battalion are ordered to join General James Connolly at a meeting. Jack Clitheroe asks why he was not informed that he was made commandant. Captain Brennan claims he gave a letter Nora Clitheroe explaining his new promotion.

Act II

This act was originally a single-act play, called The Cooing of Doves.

The setting is the interior of a public house. A political rally is in progress outside. From time to time an unnamed man is heard addressing the crowd. His words are taken from various speeches and writings of Patrick Pearse. Rosie Redmond, a prostitute, is complaining to the barman that the meeting is bad for business. Peter Flynn, Fluther Good and Young Covey come in and leave again at intervals, having a quick drink during the speeches. Bessie Burgess and Mrs. Gogan also come in, and a fight breaks out between them. After they have left, Covey insults Rosie, leading to a row between him and Fluther. Jack Clitheroe, Lieutenant Langon and Captain Brennan enter the bar, in uniform and carrying The Plough and the Stars flag and a green, white and orange tricolour. They are so moved by the speeches that they are determined to face imprisonment, injury or death for Ireland. They drink quickly and leave again in time to march their respective companies away. Fluther leaves with Rosie.

Act III

This takes place on Easter Monday, the opening day of the Easter Rising. Bessie gloats about the Rebels' imminent defeat. The characters loot the shops of Dublin. Brennan and Jack appear with a wounded rebel, but Jack ignores Nora's pleas to leave the fighting. She then goes into labour.

Act IV

This takes place later in the rising. Mollser, a local girl, has died of tuberculosis, while Nora has had a stillbirth. She is delirious, imagining herself walking in the woods with Jack. Brennan arrives and tells the others that Jack has been shot dead. Two British soldiers arrive and escort the men away — civilians are suspected of aiding a rebel sniper. Nora goes to a window, calling for Jack; when Bessie pulls her away, Bessie is shot in the back, mistaken for a sniper.

Reaction

W. B. Yeats famously declared to rioters against the play, in reference to the "Playboy Riots" (The Playboy of the Western World by John Millington Synge):  "You have disgraced yourselves again; is this to be the recurring celebration of the arrival of Irish genius?"

In performance

• The Plough and the Stars at the Internet Broadway Database

Adaptations

Elie Siegmeister used the play as the subject of his opera of the same name, composed in the 1960s. The opera was given its New York premiere at Symphony Space in October 1979 by the New York Lyric Opera.

In 1936, the play was adapted into a film by American director John Ford, starring Barbara Stanwyck and Preston Foster.

in 2011, BBC Radio 3 broadcast a production directed by Nadia Molinari with Elaine Cassidy as Nora and Padraic Delaney as Jack.

External links

• The Plough and the Stars at the Internet Broadway Database
• The Plough and the Stars at the Internet Broadway Database
• The Plough and the Stars at IMDb
• Sean O’Casey and the 1916 Easter Rising. from the International Communist Current (Bordigist)
• Academic play description