Explain the all characters of The Dearb Departed
Answers
Characters
Sisters …………………………………………………… MRS. SLATER
MRS. JORDAN
Their Husbands ………………………………………..HENRY SLATER
BEN JORDAN
A girl of ten, daughter of Amelia and Henry Slater…… VICTORIA SLATER
Grandfather of Victoria Slater…………………………... ABEL MERRYWEATHER
About the Characters
Abel Merryweather - Mr. Merryweather is over seventy, he is bright and vigorous with a twinkle in his eye. He believes in eating, drinking and being merry he is frank and straightforward. He takes the wise decision of disowning his children and start making his life more comfortable by remarrying at the age of past seventy.
Amelia Slater - She is the elder daughter of Mr. Abel Merryweather. She is a greedy, stingy and materialistic woman. Mrs. Slater can stoop down to any level to satisfy her greed. She is a dominating wife and a vulgar woman, prepared to do any amount of straight talking to get her own way.
Elizabeth Jordan - She is the sister of Amelia Slater and the second daughter of Mr. Abel Merryweather. Like her sister, she too has no feelings for her father nor for her sister. She is stout, complacent, impassive and has an irritating air of being always right.
Henry Slater - Henry Slater is Amelia’s husband and is far more scrupulous than any other person in this play. He is more sensible than the other characters of the play.Hence, he gives the logical suggestions while talking about the obituary notice to be given in the paper. He is a henpecked husband.
Ben Jordan - Ben Jordan is the husband of Elizabeth and he is a jolly little man with a chirpy voice. Accustomed to be humorous but at present he is trying to adapt himself to the regrettable occasion.
Victoria Slater - A girl of ten, Victoria is an obedient child. Very fond of her grandfather and she has genuine feelings of love towards him. She is a precocious child. The presence of this young girl in the play comes as a whiff of cool breeze in the stuffiness generated by the adults’ scheming, quarrelling and scrupulosity.
Vigorous – strong
stoop - lower one's moral standards so far as to do something wrong
vulgar – immoral
straight talking - be frank and blunt
stout – fat
complacent - very pleased and satisfied with their own achievements
impassive - not feeling or showing emotion
scrupulous - extremely honest
obituary - a notice of a death
hen-pecked husband - Dominated and ordered about by his wife
chirpy – cheerful
accustomed – usual
humorous – causing laughter
precocious child – having developed certain abilities or inclinations at an earlier age than is usual or expected.
Scrupulosity - guilt about moral or religious issues