Compare the ways Brian Friel presents ideas about divided identity in Making History with Michael Frayn in Spies

Divided individuation is shown in two Spies and Making Historyfrom the beginning. Stephen Wheatley has two voices, his aged(a) ego (Stefan Weitzler) and his younger self, which forms a prominent infr issue in his identity element. Hugh ONeills split self is displayed a little subtler in the stage directions. ONeill is described to speak in an upper-class side of meat accent except on those occasions specific ally scripted. The word scripted makes me conceive of acting and implies ONeills front is a affect identity he puts on. This could also show that he is perhaps embarrassed by his Irish root which contradict his betrayal of England subsequently on in the play.This relates to Spies as Stephen Wheatley speaks the side of meat language with an side accent, when he is actually (un whopingly) German. Stephen Wheatleys convey reminds me of ONeill in give c atomic number 18 manner as he is betraying his German background by working as an side of meat spy, some(prenominal ) interchangeable ONeill working as an Earl for England when he originates from the fence province Ireland. ONeill impinge onms to be un participati championd in the important events he needs to att abrogate, justmore focused onsuch as the superlatives hes decorating the room with and how he looks in his jacket.This gives the audience a first impression of ONeill he is more enthusiastic close to his innovative English wife rather than his (important) role. This lack of inte difference could show ONeill has a short tending span explaining, for example, his various affairs and marriages. This mercurial character reminds me of Keith in Spies he lucres out the enthusiastic attraction of the investigation into whether his mformer(a) is a spy or not, hardly loses interest as time goes on and matters become more serious. However, you could also say that Keith is much un wish the temperamental ONeill as he is much corresponding his father structured, organised and just abou t obsessive.Frayn shows this not only through how he was obsessing other his mother being a German spy, only when through the fact he constantly treasured control of the mission and got angry when Stephen showed initiative. Frayn draws a parallel between Keiths bedroom and his fathers garage Keiths toys, like Mr Haywards car, argon in perfect condition and atomic number 18 very rargonly played with. We attend to that Hughs habit of switching comes from his background fostered by Irish parents when young, he then lived with an upper-class English family who taught him to act properly so he could serve coffin nail Elizabeth as an Earl in Ireland.Thisblurring of culture, nationality and religion makes it difficult for ONeill to recognize who he really is is he English or Irish, Roman Catholic or Protestant? The fact hes just conjoin Mary Bagenal is significant as he is risking his friends (ODonnell calls her an juvenile bitch) and powerful rolefor his new love. ODonnells ignora nce towards Mabels origin reminds me of Mr and Mrs Haywards prejudice towards Stephen and the rest of the street they are shown to very rarely flat speak to Stephen and never socialise with their neighbours (besides Auntie Dee).The mode they speak to Stephen could be xenophobia as they could somehow know Stephens real nationality, however I think it is more likely that they just have a fear of the unknown. This could have been influenced by Mr Hayward who seems to be the in force(p) paranoid of the family carrying his protective bay wholenesst around everywhere. Flowers and plants are used frequently as metaphors in both the two texts to represent different identities. When Mary is lecture about seeds she states not to plant the fennel full the dill or the two with cross-fertilize oull end up with a seed thats uncomplete one thing nor the other. This represents the mixing of English Protestants and Irish Catholics, in other words the race between Mabel and ONeill. Additiona lly, this could relate to when we are t disused Mabel is enceinte the baby is the cross-fertilized, Irish/English, Protestant/Catholic seed. until now the props on stage ONeill is development are typic as they area Spanish broom, Genista. Spain was a Roman Catholic country at the time and they (ineffectively) fought with Ireland years on in the Battle of Kinsale, which is what the entire play is based around.The Genistas reminds me of Mr. Haywards obsessing over his roses, although a different, frightening, tension is portrayed with him doing this. Frayn uses repetition and lists when describing Keiths work on his garden (Keiths father worked and worked and as he worked he whistled or around the house, forever and a day digging and dunging, and trimming and pruning, forever undercoating and painting, and wiring and rewiring, forever making perfection even more perfect)to present the characters compulsive attitude.The attention of his gardening tends to be on the roses which could be symbolic in a firm way roses are a typical English flower and the way he is described to be planting them sounds like hes edifice a fort to keep out enemies (the German, Wheatley family). The privet flower (a misspelling of private by Keith) signified privacy, but had a suffocating smell whenever Stephen was in the privet with mortal else there was often a stifled atmosphere. I think this smell indicated the un promiscuous stage at the start of puberty, where people start to discover their identities in more detail.The elder trees were outside the safe cul-de-sac, near to Uncle turncocks hideaway which similarly represent Stephenss admission into the adult world and puberty. In the first scene, ONeill presents Mabel with a ring which is symbolic as it was made in London the superior of the country Ireland are enemy with and the only soul to have one is the Queen of England, Elizabeth. This moment is like the initiation of Mabels new identity when Mabel changes we re a tough breed the upstarts to the ONeills being the tough breed.This is similar to Mrs Hayward exhausting her cravat to cover her abuse symbolising the initiation of her oppression. The second scene occurs about a year later in the same room and Mabel has undoubtedly added her match as it is described as more comfortable and colourful this perhaps indicates that she could have changed ONeill. In the first scene we saw that Mabel was quite truthful and had little knowledge of the Irish (she believed ONeills taunts of shaking hands with an archbishop reachs them black), and now we see not much has changed but in fact gotten worse.She is sit alone (showing she has not settled in or made any friends) and her reaction to horseplay (her eyes are shut tight. She sits frozen in terror for a few seconds even when it is self-evident that the screaming is horseplay) shows that she is belt up frightened of the Irish. She is almost desperate for her sister, Mary, to stay which once a gain shows her lack of company. It is apparent that Mabel is unhappy living in Ireland, however when Mary tries to hint for her to come home, her answers are uninterested as if she were satisfied in Ireland she uses maven words such as Yes. , Really? and Good. . in that location is a pathos felt for Mabels closing off in this scene which is similar to what is felt for Mrs Hayward when she is unbroken prisoner by her abusive husband in her own house. Mrs Hayward is especially shown in a harmonized light when the only person she can turn to is Stephen this involved downgrading herself to sitting down in a dirty privet bush wearing makeup and beat out c circuithes at an attempt to persuade him to serve up her. ONeill is not the only character with a divided identity in the play Mabel has one too.When talking with Mary she puts on a frontal that she is loyal to Hugh and the Irish, however when alone with him she disapproves of his politics or betrayal to England and tells him no t to go to war, and condemns his culture absentminded the tramps out of here, showing her misery. Whats more, we unexpectedly see that she has other abilities than being ONeills wife and doing delicate and complicated lacework Mabel seems very knowledgeable, wise and current in the areas of politics. Her divided identity reminds me a lot of Mrs. Haywards. Primarily, she is seen as the faultless, serene Mrs.Hayward who relaxes with her feet up and a book, but when we find out she is in love with Uncle lance this is disapproved of not just by Mr. Hayward, butthe rest of the street, like Mabels love is disapproved of by her siblings, England and Ireland. ONeills feelings change for Mabel the mistresses show that he is bored of her and he has apathy towards the fact she is pregnant. ONeill has a mercurial nature, which is perhaps the cause of all these different wives, loyalties (and disloyalties) to argue countries, and the arguments with Mabel and later with Harry.Act two begins w ith ONeill in a rougher location than the wealthy house were used to, with such lack of furniture that he has to use a wooden box as a desk. ONeill even tells ODonnell What you see is what I have showing the loss of all the materialistic things that he had before. For the audience, it is immediately made obvious that Ireland have lost the war and ONeill is symbolically on his knees as he is writing a letter to Queen Elizabeth begging for forgiveness and his old job.When Harry arrives in the scene, he comes with news of Mabels death through blood poisoning, which is representative that shes been poisoned by ONeills Irish blood. In Spies, there is a recurring theme, just like the blood in Making History, of the bowed stringed instrument get closer and closer which builds tension until finally Uncle Peter significantly killed by it. Frayn again uses repetition to ca-ca this suspense all throughout the book, from just mentioning the rail line to the intimidating huge thunder of the train when he is in the tunnel. My final point is of caterpillar tread about the making of the history itself.It is apparent from the start that Lombard was going to exaggerate in the book, but by the end we know he used ONeill so Roman Catholics could have an idol. This shows when the grieving (even later on many years) and drunken ONeill is staggering about his room, reading sentences like noblest son of noble etymologizing and that he grew in comeliness and urbanity, tact and eloquence, firmness and knowledge that supposedly describe him. Divided identity is the main theme of the play, whereas in Spies it is just one of the many readings of the novel. Why?