Author: Tom Stoppard

Title: If you’re Glad I’ll be Frank

Editorial: faber & faber

Date of publication: 1969

Place of publication: Great Britain

Dramatis personae: Frank: is a man who works as bus driver. He had a wife, Gladys, who he had known dancing. He loses her wife and he hears the voice of the speaking clock and think that it’s the voice of her wife.

Gladys: is the wife of Frank. Gladys is as Frank calls the machine which treats the time, because he thinks that it is his wife.

1^st Porter: is a man called Thompson who works in the post office.

Myrtle Trelawney; Mr Mortiner; Mr Courtnenay-Smith; Sir John and Lord Coot: are workers of the post office.

Beryl Bligh: is the new secretary of 1^st Lord. She is known as Miss Bligh. She is sent from Directory Enquiries.

Operator: is a man who works in the speaking clocks.

Ivy: is a bus conductress which works with Frank.

2^nd Porter: is a man who works in the post office.

Plot:

Frank is a bus driver who have lost his wife. One day he recognizes the voice of the speaking clock as that of his long lost wife. He tries to see her but he never can. He goes to the post office the majority of the days, but the personal of the office don’t let him to see her.

One of the days he goes to the post office again and he asks for her wife, Gladys, but 1^st Lord tell him that the speaking clock is a machine.

The play treats about time all the time.

Spice time and another aspects: the scene of this play is the post office.

The time is the present and the majority of the scenes passes at morning.

The language is characterized by a colloquial, formal… language.

An important aspect in this play is the repetition of sounds such as “pip, pip, pip” .

Tom Stoppard has based his play in the time. In all moment he names the time and its importance.

Personal opinion: I think that it’s a strange play. It isn’t difficult to read, but in my opinion, It is a bit difficult to understand. This play is quick to read since it is very short. Although I don’t know very well which is the objective of Tom Stoppard with this play, I think that is an interesting play, for this reason I encourage people to read it!