short summary of if i were you class 9
Answers
Gerrard is a cultured playwright. He lives in a small cottage. He does meet many people. He is to go out soon, but before he does so, an intruder enters his cottage.
The intruder is a criminal and has a gun in his hand. He bumps accidentally against the table. Gerrard welcomes him with confidence.The intruder asks many questions to Gerrard. He answers his questions with wit, irony and humor.
The intruder wanted to murder him and live as Gerrard because he looked like him. Gerrard at once understood everything. He told the intruder that he was also a murderer. Therefore, the police were after him.
Gerrard explained that unfortunately one of his men had been caught. He was expecting trouble that night. He then made the intruder understand that it was good for him if he went with him.
He also told him that if it was a frame, he could shoot him in the car.
The intruder agreed. But when he was about to cross the door, Gerrard pushed him into the nearby cupboard. He then slammed it.
Thereafter, he telephoned the police for his arrest.
“If I Were You” by Douglas James is an interesting play that has mystery, suspense, surprise and humour. It is a story in which an intruder intends to kill Gerrard and impersonate him to escape the law but the tables are turned on him as he is trapped due to Gerrard’s presence of mind. The play thus brings out that intelligence and presence of mind can help us come out of trickiest of situations.
The play gives the message that over-confidence can lead to disastrous results. One should never consider oneself to be smarter than the opponent as is done by the intruder who thinks that Gerrard is no match for him. The play also conveys that intelligence, the presence of mind, and cool-headness can help us overcome the gravest of problems that we may encounter.Though the play deals with a criminal and a playwright caught unaware by him, there is a thread of humour in the very texture of the play. The humour is neither boisterous nor unnatural. It is refined and subtle. Gerrard’s cool-headedness and presence of mind make him come out with such witty and sarcastic remarks that the criminal feels irritated and the audience feels amused. When the intruder asks him to talk about himself, rather than panicking, he says he is happy to have a sympathetic audience. When the intruder proposes to live in his cottage, Gerrard, rather than being shocked, says, You have not been invited”. Talking about the intruder’s looks, Gerrard remarks, “You are not particularly decorative”. Such humour runs throughout the play and makes it a gripping and an amusing drama.