Question

How are the two sisters exposed in the play "the dear departed"

Answer 1

The two sisters in the play lived by double standards. Each of them tried to surpass the other. Amelia tried to steal the bureau before Elizabeth’s arrival whereas Elizabeth was late because she wanted to reach there in mourning dress. She was in no hurry to reach her father’s house even after hearing the news of his death. Both of them laid more stress on getting materialistic gains from Abel’s death as Amelia wanted to steal the clock whereas Elizabeth wanted grandfather’s watch. Their hypocrisy reached its height when at tea, they discussed about newspaper announcement even before confirming his death. But when Abel came down, both of them were shocked. Further they got a terrible blow when their father announced his marriage to Mrs. Shorrocks and the change of his will.

Answer 2

$\large{\bf THE \: DEAR \: DEPARTED }$

In The Dear Departed, written by Stanley Haughton, poet uses vary literally devices to criticise basic human characteristics. He uses a mixture of dramatic irony, sarcasm, simultaneous speech, humour and twist in the plot to criticize human traits. The characters in the story are two - dimensional and there is no development. This allows us to easily see through their character and understand their actions.

In this short play, Haughton manages to portray irony in many different ways. Firstly, the title is already irony. The departed, Abel Merryweather, is not one bit dear and precious to them. The only thing the sisters are interested in is the money or valuables he owns.