Transcript Hay Fever by Noel Coward

Mallory Carty
TJ Preston
Kallie Jung
Kathleen Duke
 Summer
of 1920’s in Cookham, England. A
June afternoon to morning. In the Bliss’
house, the play is set mostly in their hall.
 Family
of four: David, Judith, Sorel, Simon
 Each member invites a friend for the
weekend
 David- Jackie
 Judith- Sandy
 Sorel- Richard
 Simon- Myra
 Family
tries to act civilized for their guests
 As the day unfolds, each guest looks to
another family member for comfort.
 The family soon shows their dysfunction,
which ends up scaring away their guests.
 Guests soon plot their escape only one day
into the weekend.
 When
the family member’s found out they
each invited a guest without telling anyone
 Immediately works up friction among the
family
 Tension doesn’t reside even when guests
arrive
 The
family and guests play a parlor game (a
form of charades)
 Craziness of the family starts to really show
Family issues- you can assume that this
particular family has a complex, twisted past
that interferes with their relationship today,
stemming from their differing personalities.
 Relationship issues/adultery- as the guests find
solace in a different family member that invited
them, relationships are torn apart and marriages
are ruined
 Line between sanity/insanity- we see how the
family as a whole covers up their insane attitude
from their guests for only a short time, and that
when revealed, the guests aren’t remotely
attracted to them.

 Communication
is key
 The family only falls into chaos because of
their miscommunication. The guests don’t
understand the family or anything they say,
which is the downfall of the weekend.
 Judith
(mother)- retired actress in her late
40’s, she wants to start theater back up.
Melodramatic and one for theatrics, she isn’t
concerned with solving the problems in an
argument.
 Simon (son)- early 20’s, unemployed, and a
control freak, Simon takes after his mother;
he’s passive aggressive and rather selfish
 Sorel
(daughter)- early 20’s, Sorel is more of
a daddy’s girl. She has anger issues, as she’s
always bickering with Simon, but cares for
her guests and wants the best for the family.
 Not
one person, like in most plays
 Whole family is the protagonist, since the
play focuses primarily on the family as a
whole
 The family itself is innocent in the play, and
the problem doesn’t stem from their
insanity; their insanity simply magnifies the
problem.
 Not
one person, like the protagonist.
 Guests as a whole are the antagonists. They
create the tension that ultimately fuels the
arguments the family has.
 Judith
monologue page 15
 Scene between 4 guests page 57
 Simon monologue page 21
 Scene between 4 family members page 60
 Scene between Myra/ David page 44
 Sorel monologue page 27
 Winsomely:
an engaging manner (mentioned
during game)
 Saucily: an impudent or impertinent
manner(mentioned during game)
 Diplomatist: an official engaged in
international negotiations (Richard’s
occupation)
 Dieppe: French city (they visited there,
shows they’re upper class)
 Slapdash: careless/reckless manner
(describes family
 Bohemian:
unconventional, especially in
appearance or behavior (Richard describes
the family as such)
 Blasé: nonchalantly unconcerned (Sorel
describes Simon as this)
 Magnanimously: generous and understanding
(Judith sarcastically described as this)
 Abject: showing humiliation/ submissiveness
(Jackie described as this)
 Affectation: a deliberate pretense or
exaggerated display (Myra’s relationship with
David
 Place
de Concorde: a road
 Rue St. Honore: a road
 Charlie Templeton: Canadian cartoonist
 Maiden Head: City in the UK
 Kallie
and Kathleen liked fast paced speed of
the show, TJ and Mallory didn’t.
 Liked how each family member was their
own type of crazy
 Liked the ending and how it shows the utter
insanity of the family
 Got kind of confusing at times
 Would recommend to a friend because it was
very funny, witty, and an overall good read.