Student: José Martínez Hernández e-mail: jomarhe5@alumni.uv.es

English Philology. First cicle, first course.

English Theatre XIX & XX Centuries Group B ( evenings ).

Play: The web

Eugene O'Neill Complete plays

Editor: Travis Bogard. Publisher: Library of America

14 E 60 th street. New York. NY 1002 - 1006.

The main characters are:

Rose Thomas.

A woman portrayed as deathly pale, looking much older than she really is, for several reasons. She is ill with compsumtion, she is a prostitute, and she is poor and badly fed. All the money she makes is grabbed by her pimp. But a prostitute needs one for protection if only to keep other pimps away. In spite of all her problems and desperation, if needed, she is capable and willing to do anything for his child, as she is a loving mother and her child is all she has and all she cares about.

Steve ( a cadet ).

Rose's pimp. Having been in an orphanat when a child, he is a really an evil, mean, abusing character. He is a real scumbug. A filthy drunkard that instead of caring about her, gets angry because Rose looking ill is not a pleasant sight for him. Plus he is the kind of guy that prefers to spend all the money ( Rose's money ) gambling instead of keeping some to pay for the doctor Rose badly needs.

Tim Morgan ( a Yeggman ).

It is the " hero " of this play. Only he is not the traditional one. He was sent to a reform school as a kid for he was ( without being his fault ) involved in some stealing. He is portrayed as short and thick set, bullneck, manly and with the distinctive type of a criminal. Someone with courage and with good feelings, he is on the run, as he is commited a crime.

A policemen and the two plain clothes men are the characters that introduced the final stage of the play, when Rose is taken away. And obviously, there is the reference of the baby, too.

The plot is that Rose is keeping her child at home, a place that looks more like a pigsty. She is in bad shape, badly fed and really ill with compsumption. When Steve enters, he shows what a nasty man he is, and that he does not care at all about her. She asks him for a little money she needs to go to the doctor. He refuses, even more because he spent it all away gambling and drinking, like ususally. Then Rose ask Steve not to wake up the child, and a discussion starts. In it Steve abuse gets worse and worse, and he menaces her, but she says she does not care whther he kills her, as her life is worse than death. Later, Steve, that is fed up with the child being there, tells gives her the order the child is got to go, given away or whatever. Then she starts to beg him, as the child being taken away from her would a thousand times worse than the worse dead for her. In the discussion, Steve hits her, and Tim, that was listening from the next room, storms in holding a gun. Steve gets away shouting menaces. Then, Rose tells all her story and difficulties of living in her vicious circle and not being able to get a proper job ( she already tried ) to escape this life. Tim, feels a lot of simpathy for Rose, and tries to comfort her. He also tells his story, with a bad past as a child, and how he became a robber. Police is looking for him, as he did a " job " that gave him a lot of money. He gives the money needed for her and the child. Feelings grow by the minute, and they start to kiss with passion. But Steve returns, and from the window opens fire on Tim, that falls deathly hurt. When the police ( that was already on Tim's heels ) arrives, all clues ( including the money she has on her, seems to indicate she is the murderer. And even worse, as Rose is going to jail, the child will be taken away, under the custody of the authorities.

The very sad end is that the child calls his mama and the police says " I am your mama now ".

Outstanding the surge of gratitude, and friendship, ( all that developping towards good feelings and love ) in the worse possible conditions for it. Triggering all that is the figure of the baby, obviously the most inocent of the characters. It is not unusual in the author's play to have the figure of a baby or a child, represented as innocence, and often with very bad fate. Like many other times O' Neill hero is not a knight in an armour, but someone much lower class, in this case a criminal, although also worthy.

Like it is the custom, the characters have an unpleasant past that very badly conditions them.

All action takes places indoors, but for the killing of Tim, as Steve fires the gun from outside, through the window.

The settings are very poor, near a derelict site, or a pigsty.

The main sounds are the baby's cries and the shot of the gun.

A good but very sad play, in which a defenceless child has to suffer life's hazards.