Analysis Of Brian Friel's Play 'The Freedom Of The City'

Originally, Brian Friel’s play, The Freedom of the City, was seen by many critics as being a story about the poverty-stricken areas of Northern Ireland. However, after reading Bernice Schrank’s critical analysis of the play, who argues that The Freedom of the City is not a political play; I as the audience think it is fair to say the script does in fact, deal with present-day political components in depicting the diverse monologues, both from an Irish and British point of view, that had played major roles in their contributing to the tragedies of the period. It is with this said, that the proposed purpose of this essay will be to examine and discuss the political and socio-political aspects of Friel’s play, through key elements such as the justice system in Northern Ireland at the time, the Catholics and Protestants and their struggle with identity, and the stand-out events that inspired Friel in his

With no family, no home of his own, and under no fixed employment; it would appear that the character of Skinner has developed, what us readers may consider, a social sense of morality. The third character representing a manner of social class is Michael. Of the three victims he is well educated, but had never saw himself as being better than those of any other social standing; he is the finest example of what it takes to aspire for accomplishment, as his overall objective is to unite all social classes into one. His values are more conservative. From reading the text we are shown that Michael has learned all of the slogans, that are used in the protests, off by heart. Michael naïvely believes, however, that no harm can come to him, Lily and Skinner; Skinners jokes about this. Mr. Dodd’s on giving the end of his evidence as a witness, argues because these people were from the social classes that they hailed from, that this was the reasons for their