Sinner Resource Pack

8/14/2019 Sinner Resource Pack

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16 o 7 n 2009

By James HoggAdapted by Mark Thomson

educAtion

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cepAck


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By James HoggAdapted by Mark Thomson

3 About the Author:James Hogg

4 SynopSiS

7 A brief bAckgroundto Calvinism

8 cASt& Company

9 chArActerS

11 themeS And motifS:Doubles

12 themeS And motifS:Religious Fanaticism & its Relevance Today

13 productionDesign

14 coStumeDesign

16 interviewwith Mark Thomson

18 drAmA Activity: Gil-Martin and Robert

19 further Study: Questions

contentS


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Born 1770

Died 1835

Hogg was born near Ettrick in the Scottish Borders and becameknown as the Ettrick Shepherd. He was largely sel-taught andhighly inuenced by olk tradition and religion.

Edinburgh had a great inuence on Hoggs lie. It was when he moved to Edinburgh

that he seriously embarked on his literary career, and the literary circle oEdinburgh made a defnite impression on him. Figures rom the literary circuit,especially Sir Walter Scott, were both riends and inspiration to him, and continuedto be ater he moved back to the Borders.

Edinburgh also unctioned in stark contrast to the rural lie o the Borders and it was in the city that Hogg recognised both the chance or proessionalgrowth and also the threat o social competition. Edinburgh eatures inConessions o a Justifed Sinneras the ground or the conict between Robertand George, the site where their respective liestyles and belies clash.

Bibliography:

The Mountain Bard(1807)

The Queens Wake (1813)

The Brownie o Bodsbeck (1818)

The Surpassing Adventures o Allan Gordon (1818)

The Three Perils o Man (1822)

The Three Perils o Woman (1823)

The Private Memoirs and Conessions o a Justifed Sinner(1824)The Brownie o the Black Haggs (1828)

The Domestic Manner and Private Lie o Sir Walter Scott (1834)

Tales and Sketches o the Ettrick Shepherd(1837)

About the Author:

James Hogg


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Act OneScotland in the 1800s. Rabina, a young Calvinist woman is married to aprotestant Scottish Laird. Their tumultuous marriage soon ends, leaving a son,George, to be raised by the Laird and his mistress Mrs Logan, and another son,Robert, to be raised by the pious Rabina and the Reverend Robert Wringhim.

Robert is brought up in a household holding strict Calvinist views. We learnthat both the Reverend and Rabina believe themselves and Robert to have been

chosen by God to be saved, making their sinul actions on Earth inconsequential.

Robert soon meets Gil-Martin, a mysterious fgure who is able to adopt a physicallikeness to anyone he encounters. Gil-Martin claims to be a ellow believer in theCalvinist doctrine and they strike up a close riendship. Gil-Martin encouragesRobert not to idly accept his position as one o the saved, but to work activelyas the Sword o the Lord, and destroy the enemies o the Calvinist Church.Robert reluctantly adheres to Gil-Martins instructions, and subsequently embarkson a mission o violence against non-believers and non-ollowers o Calvinism.

The scene moves to Edinburgh, where the Reverend has been summoned to assist

in political aairs, accompanied by Robert and Gil-Martin. In Edinburgh the youngmen encounter Roberts brother George. Gil-Martin encourages Robert to continuehis work in destroying the enemies o Calvinism, instructing him that it is his dutyto God to kill his brother and ather, arguing bonds o the esh are not as strong asbonds o spirituality. During a tennis match between George and his riend Drummond,Robert interrupts the play to antagonise his brother. A fst-fght ensues during whichGeorge realises Robert is his brother, and ater initial anger, attempts to strike upa sense o civility between them. Robert publicly decries his brother or his sins,resulting in his arrest or disturbing the peace.

On his release, the Reverend has managed to turn public opinion against Georgerather than Robert, leaving George a social outcast. One day while George islamenting his predicament, Mrs Logan sends him on a walk up Arthurs Seat toclear his head, where he is once again ollowed by Robert. A mysterious womanurges Robert to reconsider his intentions, but to no avail. The attempted attack ailsonce again. That night George, his ather and Drummond are out celebrating theapparent disappearance o Robert while Robert and Gil-Martin lurk mysteriously inthe background. George and Drummond argue, and it appears Drummond has killedGeorge in a ft o rage; the Laird deends Drummond but is soon ound dead himsel.The scene ends with Mrs Logans promise that she will fnd the culprit o the murders.

SynopSiS


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Act TwoRobert has inherited both the title and the riches o his ather, the Laird o Dalcastle.He is accused by a woman called Mrs Keeler o having seduced her daughter and odrunkenly harassing her or months, something he has no recollection o. A lawyer,that Robert has no recollection o contacting or dealing with, settles the dispute inhis avour, leaving the woman in his debt.

The scene changes to Mrs Logan visiting Bel Calvert ater being summoned to her

jail cell. Mrs Logans initial hostility changes when she realises Bel Calvert was thewitness to Georges murder. Bel reveals she was brought to Edinburgh and orcedto work as a prostitute in a brothel requented by George in order to provide or herdaughter. She recounts the night o the murder, and her encounter with Georgesparty. She tells how Gil-Martin, in the guise o Drummond, initiated the fght, allowedGeorge to gain the upper hand, and how Robert, believing his riends eignedhelplessness, rushed in and stabbed his brother. Bel explains she did not go to courtas no one would believe her that the man with Robert, who to all appearances wasDrummond, was in act a dierent man altogether.

The scene returns to Robert, now in his bed being tended by a servant, Samuel,

whom he does not recognise. Asking or his old servant he learns that the man hasbeen dead or six months, and that the man he does not recognise has been workingor him ever since. He learns that his companion Gil-Martin has let or Glasgow withthe Reverend, that his mother has been missing or some time, and that he is duein court with numerous accusations against him. He does not seem perplexed byhis loss o six months, nor by the disappearance o his companion or mother.

When Robert goes out walking, Gil-Martin suddenly reappears, resembling George,and reveals to Robert that it was Robert himsel who killed both his mother andMrs Keelers daughter. Again Robert has no recollection, and argues he hasshunned emale company and so could not have murdered the two women.

When the lights go up again, Robert is once more with his servant, who reveals tohim that people compare his belies to those o Satan, causing Robert great distress.Samuel recounts the story o Auchtermuchty to cheer him, telling him o the religiouservour that was aroused by a mysterious preacher, who turned out to be a hooedprophet o evil, urther upsetting Robert who makes his excuses and goes out ora walk.

SynopSiS


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Act Two continued...Robert is once again joined by Gil-Martin, still resembling George. Bel Calvertand Mrs Logan see them rom aar, and disbelievingly pronounce Gil-Martin tobe George. They agree to return to make sure o what they saw. Robert, clearlyaected by Samuels story oers to ease Gil-Martins limbs with water; a guiseto ensure Gil-Martins body is that o a human. The two discuss Mrs Logan asftting or their next target, and as soon as Robert seems convinced, Gil-Martinsends him in the direction o the women. The women overpower him, accuse him

o the murder and leave him bound on the ground. He unties himsel and sits withGil-Martin, until Samuel enters, warning him his mothers body has been oundand he should ee. Robert ees, ollowed by a guard and a mob searching or him.He seeks reuge rom numerous sources, all unsuccessully. Robert seems tofnally understand he is beaten, and takes his only comort in the knowledge thathis companion and he are so amalgamated that he will not be alone in his downall.He accepts he has gone too ar to repent and the inevitability o his demise.

SynopSiS

Activity: Chart Gil-Martins journey and disguises. Who doeshe disguise himsel as and why?

Question: Who is ultimately to blame or Roberts demise? Considerthe characters o Gil-Martin, Reverend Wringhim and Roberthimsel. What role, i any, does Fate play in Roberts downall?


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Calvinism is the name commonly given to thebelies o the Reormed Protestant Church. Thename comes rom John Calvin, an early leadero the reormed Church. One o the centralbelies o Calvinism is that o predestination.

God preordained a part of the human race, withoutany merit of their own, to eternal salvation, and another

part, in just punishment of their sin, to eternal damnation. John Calvin

Calvinists believe that all humanity is born into the world already aected by sin, and sohuman beings are incapable o wholly understanding Gods ways and are inclined to actsinully and in their own interests. People are thereore incapable o choosing to ollowGod and be saved; it must be a choice that is made or them by God.

Limited Atonement and PredestinationCalvinism taught that Jesus sacrifce has already atoned or some peoples sins,

and so as he was punished or those sins, the people who committed them cannotbe punished again. This meant that the select group o people whose sins Jesusdied or must be saved, and so are guaranteed salvation.

Predestination is the belie that all humanity, regardless o their actions during theirlives, already has their ate decided by God, and that regardless o piousness or religiouscommitment over the course o a lietime, they are incapable o aecting this decisionmade by God.

Calvinism in Scotland

Calvinism played a signifcant role in the development o Christianity in Scotland.The Scottish Reormation in 1560 the ormal break between Scotland and theVatican was initiated by John Knox, a Calvinist, and rendered Protestantism,specifcally Presbyterianism, the countrys dominant religion. Presbyterianism isthe term given to a number o Churches adhering to the teachings o Calvinism.

Calvinism and Conessions o a Justifed SinnerWhen James Hogg wrote The Private Memoirs and Conessions o a Justifed Sinner,the Scottish Church was going through many changes. The inux o Irish Catholicsto Scotland gave Catholic minorities a larger base with which to challenge thePresbyterian majority. Thus during the 1800s, there was a great deal o dispute

over the diering branches o Christianity. Hoggs novel shows the negative sideo belie in predestination the result o a lack o responsibility or ones own actions.

A brief bAckground

to Calvinism


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Robert Ryan Fletcher

Gil-Martin Iain Robertson

Laird/Reverend Blanchard/Samuel Scrape/Shepherd Lewis Howden

George/Young Man John Kielty

Rev Wringhim/Guard/Johnny Dodds Kern Falconer

Young Preacher/Drummond/Linkum/Guard/Policeman

Kenny Blyth

Mrs Logan/Witness/Prostitute/Mrs Keeler/Policewoman

Wendy Seager

Rabina/Bel Calvert/Woman In White/Mrs Dodds Rae Hendrie

Director Mark Thomson

Set and Costume Designer Neil Murray

Lighting Designer Malcolm Rippeth

Composer and Sound Designer Philip Pinsky

Fight Arranger Raymond Short

Voice Coach Ros Stern

Deputy Stage Manager Dan Travis

cASt

& Company


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Robert WringhimAs the narrator, we are inclined to accept Roberts version o the story. Robert believeshe is one o the chosen whose soul has been saved by God. He is ashamed o hisblood relatives, who he sees as sinners, and is impressionable and led easily by peoplehe respects. As he believes he is one o the chosen he does not accept the rules osociety, and believes he is above earthly punishment.

Robert eels a sense o wrong, but no great ear o consequence. His hesitationsare easily pushed aside by the reassurances o his companion Gil-Martin. Roberts

impressionable nature oten makes him appear to be a conused young man; indeedhis eelings towards predestined ate initially seem rather negative and conicted.

I did not care for this. I did not care to walk the earth with all myactions meaningless against an end point of damnation. I did not

fancy the life of an outcast on Gods earth or his heaven.Robert Wringhim

It is ater he becomes sure o his own salvation and his conviction o being a part o thereligious elite that his character loses this sense o humanity. His mental deterioration

may be madness, or it may be the result o the mysterious Gil-Martin; however it is clearthe acts he commits are not without consequence to him personally.

Gil-MartinGil-Martin is a mysterious character, he seems to be human but has supernaturalabilities. He has no constant orm, but continually adapts his physical likeness tocharacters around him. Indeed, other characters in the play fnd him indistinguishablerom whoever he chooses to personiy. There are suggestions that Gil-Martin isotherworldly: he mocks Robert or being aected by the woman warning him againstattacking his brother, but his mocking o her as a vision highlights the inconsistencyo his own orm and suggests he himsel may be a vision.

Gil-Martin is an agent o corruption in the play; he is an inverted preacher, teaching anunholy interpretation o scripture, shown to have even more inuence on Robert than theChurch or Reverend Wringhim. His purpose is to allow Hogg to show that interpretationo scripture can be varied and utterly awed, as Blanchard states,Theres nae errorwhich a man cannae weld intae a scripture in a bid to make it guid.

We are let wondering i Gil-Martin is real or imagined by Robert, or i Robert himselis lying about this fgure. Nevertheless Gil-Martin unctions as a personifcation ocorruption and a maniestation o the aws Hogg sees in Calvinist doctrine.

chArActerS


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George ColwanGeorge is portrayed as a relatively decent young man, he is popular, sociable and evenattempts to be riendly to his estranged brother. He is easier to relate to than Robertor Gil-Martin. The sense o him being likeable while being described as sinul by theWringhims and Gil-Martin raises the issue o what it is to be sinul. Hogg contrasts thislikeable, sociable young man, albeit with vices, to a murderer who believes he is carryingout Gods will and challenges the audience to side with the righteous Robert. This isHoggs way o exposing the double-standards he perceives in the idea o predestination.

George symbolises awed humanity, whereas Robert signifes the lack o any humanity,awed or otherwise.

RabinaRabina, despite her piousness, ails to impress either her son or the audience. Sheseems out o touch with society at large, and also unable to break into the erventlyreligious world o Reverend Wringhim and her son. Despite being a mother to bothGeorge and Robert she ails to ulfl the social expectations o a mother.

Mrs LoganMrs Logan, despite being reerred to as a mistress and a whore and not in act beinga mother, is the strongest maternal fgure in the play. She is shown to care deeplyor George, who she treats as her own son. She is independent and strong-willed,determined to fnd the murderer o both George and the Laird o Dalcastle. She is theembodiment o the maternal instinct that is lacking in Rabina. Where the Wringhimsstate that blood relations are o less importance than spiritual relatives, Mrs Loganshows a bond with her non-blood amily that is stronger than the spiritual ervour othe Wringhims. Mrs Logan however, as with all o Hoggs characters, has her own awsand is, much like Robert and the Laird, shown as a human but still imperect character.

Blanchard

Blanchard appears as a voice o reason in the play. He neither represents the worldo religious anaticism o the Wringhims nor the Colwans secular world o vice. He isa religious man who believes each person is accountable or his own actions, and ispossibly most representative o the general religious views o non-Presbyterian Scotso the time. However, Hoggs ate or the character means that even Blanchard is notlet o the hook, or despite his seemingly moral and honest character, he suers asmuch as anyone else in the play.

chArActerS


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Mothers Women Brothers FathersReligious

fgureheadsPreachers Sinners

Rabina Mrs Logan RobertReverend

Wringhim

Reverend

WringhimGil-Martin Gil-Martin

Mrs Logan Bel Calvert GeorgeLaird o

Dalcastle

BlanchardReverend

Wringhim

Robert

themeS & motifS:

Doubles

Double: two comparable counterparts. Doubles tend to be very similar characterswho display more than one decidedly dierent quality or personality trait. For example,the mothers, Rabina and Mrs Logan show opposite maternal characteristics.

Polar opposites need to be challenged. Characters are set up absolutely asopposites to help articulate the moral argument and the danger of extremism.Mark Thomson, director o Conessions o a Justifed Sinner

Question: What other doubles can you fnd in the play?

Think about the dierent ways o portraying characters as polar oppositesor doubles o one another on the stage.


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The Sword of Justice is Gods, and if princes and rulers fail to use it, others may.John Knox

The idea o justiying ones actions, however ruthless or violent, through religion is onethat existed long beore Hogg wrote The Private Memoirs and Conessions o a JustifedSinner, and one that is still apparent in the modern era. The language Hogg used, withRobert being reerred to as a Sword o Justice is similar to the language used in thedoctrine o anatics both locally and globally.

Justifcation o an action through belie in religion or in a higher purpose is evident inthe rhetoric o many fgures throughout history who have inicted suering on othersor believed themselves above the laws o society rom serial killers to dictators.

Hence today I believe that I am acting in accordance with the will of the AlmightyCreator: by defending myself against the Jew, I am ghting for the work of the Lord.Adol Hitler, Mein Kamp

In modern society, religious terrorism has been defned as having three characteristics.All three eature heavily in the inuence o Gil-Martin over Robert, showing the similaritiesbetween the religious anaticism Hogg saw in Calvinism, and religious extremists today:

The perpetrators use religious scriptures to justiy or explaintheir violent acts or to gain recruits.

Clerical fgures are involved in leadership roles.

Apocalyptic images o destruction are seen by the perpetratorsas a necessary outcome o their actions.

Much o the violence eecting the United Kingdom in modern history has been attributedto religious anaticism; rom the clashes o Protestants and Catholics throughout British

history (most recently in the sectarian violence in Northern Ireland and the West Coasto Scotland); the Holocaust; Sunni and Shia violence in the Middle East; to the September11th attacks in the United States and July 7th attacks in London. Hogg recognised thedanger o an individual assuming the right to inict violence, pain or suering in the nameo religion, and his warning o the danger o anaticism rom the 1800s is as relevanttoday as it was then.

themeS & motifS:

Religious Fanatacism & its Relevance Today

Task: Identiy parts o the novel/play that eature the three characteristicso modern anaticism identifed in the above text.


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Set designed by Neil Murray

The set design orConessions o a JustifedSinnercreates a dark andmysterious atmosphere.The basic stage is blackand white with simple,ominous-looking black

shapes used to createthe playing spaces. Ona practical level theseshapes are used as tables,walls o houses, doorways,etc. However, they are alsosymbolic o dark, loomingshadows and gravestones.

The plain colours usedin the set design enablethe lighting designer touse vivid colours to addto the symbolic nature othe set and enhance theatmosphere o the play.In the picture on the let,the designer shines a bluelight on the model box toshow what this might look

like. The blue light adds aspooky atmosphere to thedark, gothic design.

production

Design


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Theatre Fact: modeL boXA set designer meets with the director and ater drat drawings anddiscussions about the design he or she creates a model o the fnal set.The model is very detailed and, once built, the set must look identicalto the model. Plans and models are usually made at a scale o 1:25.

In the picture on the letyou can clearly see howthe colour red changes themood o the set. The colourred shining on the strikingset creates a dangerousand exciting atmosphere.

Task: Think about how you would design a set or Conessions o a JustifedSinner. Would you choose to create a traditional set or a symbolic set?How would you use lights to change the atmosphere o the stage?


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Costumes designed by Neil Murray

The costumes or Conessions o a Justifed Sinnerhave been designed to reectthe time that the novel was set in and the personalities o each character.

Female Characters:Rabina and Mrs Logan

The emale costumes are very similar in style. However, dierences between themhelp us understand more about the characters.

Rabinas costume is plain and a dull grey colour. Her skirt is long and her necklineis high. The colour and design o her costume symbolise her modest and conservativepersonality.

Mrs Logans character is much more lively and un-loving than Rabina. This isillustrated by her bright costume. Although her skirt is still long, which representsthe ashion and style o the day, her neckline is low. This lower neckline representsreedom o character, but can also suggest promiscuity. This is accentuated by thecolour red, which traditionally symbolises adventurousness, danger, love and lust.

coStume

Design


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Male Characters:Robert and Gil-Martin

The male costumes also mirror each other in style. Both men wear long coats,with big sleeves and buckled shoes. The dierence in colour again reects the moreconservative character o Robert compared to the bright, malevolent character oGil-Martin. Perhaps the act that Gil-Martins coat is buttoned up suggests he hassomething to hide? However, it is worth remembering that throughout the play,Gil-Martin appears in the guise o other characters.

coStume

Design


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Can you tell us whyyou wanted to adaptConessions o a

Justifed Sinnerandwhy you chose it orthe Lyceum season?I did my initialadaptation ten yearsago. I just loved

the story to be honest. Hogg is a brilliantsatirist, a person who was great at irony,these were the things I was interested inten years ago. I also wanted to explore thedarker aspects o the story, the tougheraspects o it. The reason I choose to do itagain is that I think one o the great earsI have, and that a lot o people have, is thato religious extremism creating horror,death and divisions and schisms

in society.

I decided to research a lot o the extremistcant o contemporary religious extremismwhether it be Muslim extremism,Christian undamentalism, extremeZionism, because I thought I might playwith the language, and what was amazingwas that the language used by Hogg in theearly 1800s is exactly the same as thelanguage being used in the 21st century.

Sword o Justice, all those sorts o termsare in Hoggs novel and theyre in thelanguage o religious extremism now,its not changed. So the reason I wantedto put it on at the Lyceum is a chanceor us to have a look within our owncultural context at something thats veryeloquent about the dangers and the earo holding onto God so extremely youactually end up holding onto the devil.

What challenges did you fnd in adaptingsuch a thematically heavy novel orthe stage?The biggest challenge in The PrivateMemoirs and Conessions o JustifedSinneris the two perspectives, the novelbeing divided between a kind o objectiveview the editors view and the view othe justifed sinner. Whereas a novel canset those side by side in its structure,it can be a clumsy structure theatrically.My biggest challenge was how todierentiate between the two perspectivesand present something that wasnt whollyobjective but still gives an audience thesense o both. The undamental thing thatthe novel does is put a question mark overwhether Gil-Martin is real, or whetherRobert is mad, or just lying.

Hogg deliberately doesnt give his ownopinion. Thereore, what Ive tried to do inthe adaptation is to not give the audienceabsolute security that Gil-Martin is thedevil and hes real, or that Robert is justbonkers. Im denying the audience an easysolution where they are able to just parktheir concerns and worries. In a way itdoesnt matter i Robert is mad or iGil-Martin is real, but both alternatives

need to be there.

How do you think a modern audiencewill relate to Robert as a narrator?Ive tried to create an experience or anaudience where they dont really knowwhats real, so in his encounters withGil-Martin, I havent set aside whatsomeone else sees necessarily, Ive justcreated incidences where peoples viewsseems to be dierent rom Roberts.

interview with mArk thomSon:

On his approach to adapting and directing

Confessions of a Justified Sinner


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I think people will recognise theScottishness, recognise traits in the likeso Robert and others that are very, veryScottish. Its important or me that thenovel works powerully in a global sense,it was the big reason or putting it on. Whatis happening in the world, the tensions oreligious extremism that threaten society this is why Im putting it on. Its less to dowith the particular extremisms oCalvinism, but thats what makes it scarybecause we see it in ourselves, and inpeople we know. We cant disengageourselves rom the acts o the protagonist.

As a director, what was your approachto the character o Gil-Martin?I wanted Gil-Martin and Robert to be verysimilar physically, and or that to eed the

ambiguity o his character. I the devilis a atterer, the devil atters you bypresenting you to yoursel as somethingattractive. Thats the devil, because thenyou get seduced by the idea o yoursel assomething special. So I thought o gettingthe two actors, not identical, not twins,but roughly the same size, the sameshape. Im interested in Gil-Martin beingan abstract brother, what the audiencewill actually see is that they could be

twins, almost.

Could you tell us a little about therelationship between the characters,how they mirror each other and the

eect this has on their standing asmoral or immoral characters.The really clear opposites like the Lairdand the Reverend Wringhim, are the mostobvious, as are the characters o Rabina

and Mrs Logan. What I like about Hogg isthat even though you look at the ReverendWringhim and Rabina and you think howrightening they are, I dont think Hogglets the Laird and Mrs Logan completelyo the hook either because o theirlaissez-airattitudes, I think theresa cost to that as well. Its hard becauseHoggs clearly got sympathies and hesclearly slightly more gentle with theLaird and Mrs Logan but I eel that hesays they arent perect either, there areconsequences to being the way the Lairdand Mrs Logan are. I always think aboutthe scene when Mrs Logan goes andmeets Bel Calvert and she says Im notdoing anything or you, youre a villain,then actually she is orced to ace the actthat she has no generosity, shes got her

own prejudices and judgements that arepotentially destructive and unair.

I think that, hopeully as the audiencewatches the play, they should think aboutRobert as you poor b****r, youve beendone by the devil, or yoursel, or society.Youve allowed yoursel to think it wasgreat un to do this and actually its not.When you commit a hideous act, theresan evil thats unleashed, and Robert cant

get away rom that, he cant disengagewith it, he has to keep on going andperpetuate it, which o course is similarto the thinking behind everything romcults to murderers. Once Im on thisroad, how do I get o? I dont believeanybodys 100% evil.


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Robert: There are degrees o sinning.

Gil-Martin: That disappoints me. Are you challenging the doctrine that we spoke o?

Robert: I dont think that I am.

Gil-Martin: Please orgive me, but is there not enough blood in Jesus to savethousands o entire worlds i it was or these that he died? The Saviourdied or you. How can you say there is not enough merit in His greatatonement to annihilate all your sins, even i they may seem atrociousand terrible to the ignorant world. Are you rejecting his git?

Robert: You misunderstand me.

Gil-Martin: Then is what I say not true?

Robert: It is true.

Gil-Martin: It is true. Im relieved. You make me happy again. I thought you had

strayed rom the Holy Scriptures as you and I understand them. God haschosen you or his champion on earth, his captain against the heathen,the sinner, the greed and stupidity o mortal man. How gratifed he musteel to have you here to carry His work and word like a trident in the holywar. He has chosen you. You or his sword. A soldier. But what work myriend. What great work lies ahead. I would like to help you, a humbleservant. Can I? Can I do that or you?

Working in Pairs:In the original novel o The Private Memoirs and Conessions o a Justifed Sinner, the storyis recounted rom the point o view o Robert. Consider the passage above in light o theollowing questions:

Is Robert a reliable source o inormation regarding the event he recounts?

Is Robert a religious anatic who imagines Gil-Martin?

Is Roberts recount real and a haunting account o the activities o a doppelganger?

Read the passage aloud as a dialogue between two people, then read the passage asthough Gil-Martin was a fgment o Roberts imagination, then read the passage asthough Robert were lying and attempting to justiy his actions.

How do the dierent ways o considering Roberts motivations aect the way you reador perorm the passage?

drAmA Activity:

Gil-Martin & Robert


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Here are some questions to help students analyse the Lyceums productiono Conessions o a Justifed Sinner

How does the set design contribute to the mood and tone o the perormance?How do you think a more conventional or naturalistic theatrical set (with lessambiguous scenery) would aect the overall perormance?

Think about the eect o lighting on the perormance. What kind o atmospheredoes it create?

Consider the use o costume. How does it help give insight to the characters?How does it help to contrast or show the relationship between characters?

How important do you think the actors physical stature is in the depiction o theircharacters and the relationships between them?

These questions are to help with urther study o the adaptation

Consider the other ways the story could have been staged. What choices do you think

are the most vital in adapting a novel into a play? How would you have staged the playdierently?

How much do you think the play relates specifcally to Scotland or to Presbyterianism?Which aspects o the play do you see as being Scottish, and which ones do you see asbeing universal?

Do you think Robert is mad, honest, or a liar? Why? What difculties do you think thereare in portraying these questions on a stage instead o in a novel?

How important do you think the power o suggestion is in the novel? Do you eel that

all the questions raised have to be answered? Why do you think both the authorJames Hogg and the director Mark Thomson fnd the ambiguities so important?

further Study:

Questions


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Acknowledgements

Conessions o a Justifed SinnerEducation Resource Pack was compiled by:Clare Stephen and Philippa Tomlin.

With thanks to Mark Thomson, Neil Murray and members o the company.

For urther inormation on workshops, events and a back catalogue o packs,please contact: Philippa Tomlin, Education Ofcer, on 0131 248 4834or email [email protected]

This pack was produced by the Lyceum Education Department.Any part o the pack can be photocopied or educational use.

The Lyceum is proud to have beenawarded the Quality Badge bythe Council or Learning Outsidethe Classroom.

Designed, edited & produced by www.redpath.co.uk

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