Mrs Warren’s Profession

V

A Woman of No Importance

Compare the presentation of Mrs Warren and Mrs Arbuthnot. Mrs Warren Mrs Arbuthnott

•Tells hers story and accepts it•Stays in England and admits what she did•Not as ashamed as Mrs Arbuthnot.•She says it is only good manners to be ashamed for what she has done- does she feel different deep down?•Tells her story in a first person, where mrs arbuthnot in third making us feel sympathetic.

•Tells her story by saying “there was once a girl”. Ashamed of it•Escapes her past by going to America•Hides her past more than Mrs warren, conveys her shame.•Very fatalistic and wont accept forgiveness.•Uses religion and other peoples views to make her feel worse about her past•Both admired by their children at the end.

Compare the reactions of Gerald and Hester to Mrs Arbuthnot’s admission to the reaction of Vivvie to her mother’s

admission.

•They are both determined that their opinion on the matter is correct. Gerald believes that his mother should marry his father and Vivie believes that Mrs Warren had a choice and that she could have saved money•Both Gerald and Vivvie are melodramatic.•Both listen to their mothers explanations and are filled with understanding, and reasoning. •Gerald polite and supportive whereas Vivvie more rude and abrupt.

Prepare a role play: Charles Dickens, Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw. Charles Dickens interviews the two playwrights for a show called: How we treat our “Fallen Women”

Homework

Compare how Wilde and Shaw present their fallen women in “A Woman of No Importance” and “Mrs Warren’s profession”. Focus on their disclosures of their pasts.

• The way they speak• The nature of their past• Their own level of repentance/guilt• Their love for their children• How you think the writer wanted us to respond to

them