Blood Brothers Marilyn Monroe

Social/Historical context What information can we glean from the song ‘Marilyn Monroe’ about Mrs Johnstone and her life? What evidence is there here to suggest she belongs to a particular class? What is Russell telling the audience about the role of working class women at the time? What can we understand about the class system in Britain between the 1950s and the 1980s? What evidence is there in the way Mrs Johnstone and Mrs Lyons speak to set them apart?

1980’s – Margaret Thatcher’s Britain

1980 - John Lennon assassinated

1981 11 April 1981 Racial tensions spark Brixton riots 29 July 1981 Prince Charles marries Lady Diana Spencer

1982 Economic recession leads to high unemployment Argentina invades the Falkland Islands

1983 1983 Madonna's debut album is released Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher is re-elected by a landslide 1983 Madonna's debut album is released

1984 Twelve-month 'Miners' Strike' begins IRA bomb Conservative conference in Brighton

1985 3 July Live Aid concerts take place simultaneously in London and Philadelphia to raise funds for famine relief in Ethiopia

1986 Space shuttle Challenger explodes Chernobyl nuclear disaster

1987 DNA First Used to Convict Criminals 11 June 1987 Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher wins a third term DNA First Used to Convict Criminals

1988 First ever Red Nose Day for Comic Relief 41 arrested for hooliganism at Arsenal v Millwall game

1989 November 1989 Berlin Wall falls Tim Berners-Lee invents the World Wide Web November 1989 Berlin Wall falls

1990 Introduction of new local taxes sparks 'poll tax' riots in London Margaret Thatcher resigns and John Major becomes prime minister

Homework – for Tuesday 30th June. 1 Family tree In your book make a family tree for the Johnstone and Lyons families 2 Superstition Complete the superstition table in your book 3 Mini essay: How far does superstition have an influence on the events of the play? You can write up to 500 words, using brief quotes.

Timeline for Blood Brothers Mr and Mrs Johnstone got married probably in the late 1950s (Marilyn Monroe is mentioned in the song) Mrs Johnstone was probably around 18 when she got married Mrs Johnstone pregnant with eldest child She has seven children by the time she is 25 (but looks like 42) 25/26 when the twins are born mid 1960s She is working for Mrs Lyons who has been married for 10 years so probably aged 30. Mickey and Eddie meet aged 7 – early 1970s- Sammy is 10 Eddie and Mickey turn 14 (act 2) late 1970s Edward goes to university aged 18/19 – early to mid 1980s Linda gets pregnant (about 18) Mickey gets sent to prison Linda and Mickey’s daughter, Sarah is at school by the ending – late 1980s

How does Willy Russell use the character of Mrs Johnstone to explore ideas about class in Blood Brothers? Social context of the play – when it is set and when it was written Political influences on the writer How Mrs Johnstone and her family represent the ‘working-class’ Superstition used as a tool to manipulate Mrs Johnstone Living conditions of Mrs Johnstone as an indicator of a rigid class system Use of speech (dialect) to show differences in class Contrast to ‘middle class’ values in the story

“An did y’ never hear of the mother so cruel, Mrs Johnstone “An did y’ never hear of the mother so cruel, There’s a stone in place of her heart? Then bring her on and come judge for yourselves How she came to play this part.”

“And do we blame superstition for what came to pass? Or could it be what we, the English have come to know as class?”