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Characterisation
Fiona and Kate
The character Fiona fits the role of the generally weaker and more submissive figure that exists within society. Fiona Carter is the younger sister of Kate Mason and is married to Kenny Carter. Fiona has always been dominated by the other people that exist in her life. Despite her brave choice to leave her abusive husband, she still doesn?t maintain enough assertiveness to do this the way she wants to and rather is pushed around by both her sister and Sergeant Dan Simmonds. This is also evident when Fiona
is pressured to show her bruises to the police. Although she had already obtained a medical report, her sister wished to humiliate her. Kate does this for tow main reasons: one, because she wished to step over Fiona and used humiliation from her pathetic husband to boast her own self ego; and two, to gain perverse sensual pleasure. This also reflects the character of Kate as it shows us the reason why she wishes to dominate Fiona so much. We can see that it is actually a power struggle where Kate?s power is coming from feeding off the power of her younger sister. There is also a jealousy factor concerned where everybody knows that Fiona is sexier and better looking than Kate, and Kate doesn?t like this. Although sexual power is quite an advantage for women, we find Fiona is quite incapable of using it. As a result, she retains little to no power, which is why she is easily stepped over. Also, Fiona?s status concerning wealth and her husband is considerably lower than that of Kate?s. This also adds to Fiona?s vulnerability, and Kate is aware of this. This leads us to Kate?s character. Kate Mason is quite arrogant and believes that she is better off than Fiona because she has a wealthy husband and lifestyle. Although she cares about Fiona and wishes to remove her from her abusive husband, she does this in a way which almost exposes her sister as a no-good whore. Kate draws her power in the play thought undermining Fiona and also through sexual means by attracting Simmonds. Kate and Simmonds are parallel in their roles as they both have control over their counterparts: Simmonds over Ross and Kate over Fiona. At first, they both use their power to have things their way. Simmonds puts down Ross as well as humiliates Fiona, which he did because Kate wanted him to. Kate used her sexual power to get Simmonds to exploit Fiona, but then at the end she rejects Simmonds? sexual advances. As a result, Simmonds begins to exploit Kate. This greatly upsets Kate and she chooses to leave the scene. So, we can see that it is a close power struggle between the characters and that powerful people can still find themselves powerless.
Everyman figure/ the Removalist
The removalist is perhaps the most underestimated character in this play. He has a na�ve character and is indifferent to the deeds going on around him. His character is representative of the Australian audience and acts as an observer in the happenings of the play.He has an attitude that is self-centred. He only cares about himself and treats others with contempt. Sarcastic and annoying, he is often showing off
about his job, how he can remove furniture with expert skill and his $10,000 machinery. There is a total lack of care for others as he just does his job without the smallest question of the events. He just wants to get his job done. Always after self-gain, as shown by his enthusiasm for extra moey after a request of an extra removalist, the removalist is very selfish. Compared to the ?everyman? figure who is traditionally one who is caught in the dealing between good and evil and is involved with it, The removalist chooses to ignore the fight going on. In this way, his position in the play is the everyman figure. In the true sense, he is an everyman figure as he ?goes with the flow? and show his reluctance to help or get involved in t e
events. Williamson uses this character to show the general na�ve attitude of Australians who are ?not bothered? to intervene in unjust situations and stand for their sense of right and wrong. This inaction makes the removalist an accomplice to the beating of Kenny. Imagine the effects if he hand intervened by calling more police! The removalist is also used as a humour device with his sarcastic attitude and the repetition of his ?$10,000 machine?. He interacts with Ross, Kenny and Simmonds and in each
conversation shows a little humour.
Language
Question One
As always language is a powerful tool in conveying aspects of power, and especially as this is a play, the context and sub-texts are specifically constructed so words are not wasted. In addition it is not just the words that are important but the ability to express them that reflects the ?power? of the characters. As you
read the play it is important to tune into the general mood of the situation to truly understand the message that is conveyed by the character. When we examine the play we see two characters, Kate and Simmonds, emerge almost instantaneously as the powerful ones. This achieved by their domineering and lengthy speech, drawing attention to them and establishing the high status. This is not only reflected by their verbosity but the clarity and character of their expression. Simmonds has a bellowing, confident voice, and Kate is the opposite of the submissive Fiona. Throughout the play both Simmonds and Kate dominate the conversation. This is scene straight of in the first scene through Simmonds? treatment of Ross. His language is specifically condescending, and his questions, prying into Ross?s personal life, are in order to pinpoint weaknesses he may exploit later on. He deliberately dwells on uncomfortable subject, establishing outright control. His tone of questioning is not simply inquiring, it is demanding, signifying his
belief that he has the right to extract explicit information from Ross. Simmonds? explicity is drawn
out throughout the play, and this aspect of language, with sayings such as ?One of those braless birds, eh??, adds a sensual air to the scene, and shows Simmonds? confidence in the ability to utter such things. The explicity of the language gives the speaker control over the others, as they are made specifically uncomfortable by atmosphere caused, and hence they can be taken advantage of. Power is most
strongly portrayed through the demands and commands which are given out by Kate and Simmonds, they are literally barked out, as they assume they have the right to this. For example, Kate?s ??Show the sergeant your bruises, Fiona??, is a very explicit and daring statement, for such a choice should be left up to Fiona. This is almost a dare for Fiona to contradict her, yet she is so confident it won?t occur. Simmonds? language throughout the play is characterized with lengthy speeches, enlightening his character and degrading that of others around him, in as he attempts to assert himself with the women. His demands are repetitive and hence enforce his need for control His main victim is Ross who is subjected to commands to do all the dirty work: ??Arrest him Ross??, ??Handcuff him Ross??, ?? Take that chair Ross??, and his continuos ??Shut up Carter??, just like a master telling his dog to sit. Simmonds language is also highly exaggerated and very formal to reflect his superiority, once he begins to loose his flare, his power disintegrates. His ability to express himself, formulate his language holds the others as his prisoners for they cannot much his apparent level of language. Kate on the other hand maintains
control by focussing attention on herself continuously showing off. Language is a tool that is successfully manipulated, and the power is given to those characters who understand the underlying meanings of what is said and are able to use this to their advantage, hence there is a constant conspiracy being set up between Kate and Simmonds. The most important feature of language providing power is knowledge, or at least the illusion that you possess knowledge, and the ability to implicate this. Each character maintains power once he holds the advantage of knowledge, for example Simmonds over Ross in the way he pries in to his life making it uncomfortable. We see Kenny become very powerful at one point as
he reveals the truth behind Kate??s dark history and adultery. This knowledge and his use of bold and abusive language elevates his power, for he holds the other??s attention. Furthermore, the play presents violence as a primal exhibition of ones power, hence the language reflects this too. It is not intelligible arguing, but brutal and abusive, showered with condescending and crude expressions, and in relation
to the themes of violence, this type of language apparently gives power. Yet that is not often the case, as in this play we see that the manipulator and dominator in the word game is usually the powerful one.
Question Two
The Removalists is a dark comedy. The language is very sarcastic and hypocritical, with many themes constantly being brought up. Though these themes, such as relationships, masculinity, misogyny and especially violence are very serious, they are conveyed to the audience in a sadistically funny way. The
humour in play is portrayed through the characters, especially Simmonds, speaking very ironically and hypocritically. A blatant example is in Act 1 when Ross doesn?t want to tell Simmonds about his father?s job. Simmonds says ?You?ve got your problems, haven?t you? Bit touchy about certain things, eh?? Though we don?t realise it at the time, Simmonds? comment is much more suited to himself. However we can?t completely condemn him for it, because it also applies to Ross to a certain extent, though more understandably. This whole conversation between Simmonds and Ross is very funny, especially when we find out Ross? father?s occupation. Though Simmonds is being incredibly mean and unethical in his persistent questioning of Ross, it?s still very amusing for the audience to watch. Another funny moment is when Simmonds uses sarcasm to put Ross down; ?Next time you see a crim standing stock still with a target painted on his heart you tell me, Ross. They don?t prepare you for the realities. That?s what I?m
saying.? This situation is very funny when imagined. The crudity in the play disgusts the audience
more than amusing them. In this exchange it is Ross? somewhat innocent comment that makes Simmonds??s offensive comment seem funny; Simmonds - All I can say, Ross, is that you better start conserving your energy right now. I?m having the dentist?s wife. Snooty bitch but she goes for it.
No worries. Ross - (gravely) Gee. I hope Marilyn doesn?t find out. Simmonds mock courtesy to the other character?s, especially the women, is very entertaining though sickening at the same time. Such a situation is when Simmonds says to Kate; ?I wonder if you?d mind getting the key out of Constable
Ross?s back pocket, Mrs Mason.? This isn?t even a question, telling the audience that Simmonds isn?t being polite at all but condescending to Kate. This is also an example of Simmonds? misogyny.
Though the humour in the play is easy to laugh at, it?s not very humourous when looked at beyond the skin. The wording of the language cleverly veils the meaning and makes the play seem very humourous. However the watcher does not come away with the sense of having just seen a comedy.
Question Three
The misogyny in the play is created through the blatant or sometimes subtle dialogue and sub-text employed by the male characters. Simmonds especially is sarcastic and patronising in his term of ?ladies? which he constantly employs to emphasis that Kate and Fiona are indeed women, and therefore of lower
status. Simmonds covers this up by using the term in a way that could appear to be deferential to their status as complainants and their being only police officers bound to assist the public. However from other parts of the play it is obvious that Simmonds isn?t being deferential, but indeed showing misogynistic attitudes. Terms like ?lazy bitch?, ?bloody slut?, ?old bitch?, ?ugly sister?, ?little tart?, and ?You bloody
trollop? are used all by Kenny however. Simmonds is less direct in his misogyny, though he does use the words ?Little tarts?, ?Tarts? and ?Silly bitch? Simmonds however does stick up for the women during Kenny?s ranting, saying things like ?But there?s one thing I won?t tolerate and that?s a man with no respect for womanhood.? Simmonds is playing a duel game. He is sticking up for the women, but he himself only thinks of them in terms of what he can get out of them sexually. It is obvious to the audience that he is constantly weighing up the sexual possibilities of everything. He makes that clear with all of his terms and
most of his comments, which have deep sub-text. Kenny on the other hand is blatant in is disregard of women as anything but objects to cook, clean, look after the kids and to have sex with. Simmonds enjoys humiliating Kate, using the double standard that always applies to women. The language in this play is fraught with tension and the misogyny is often under this tension, but upon further inspection of the
language, women are not treated well in this play. Most of the language implies the male superiority and the derogatory attitude towards women. This is especially shown by Kenny and Simmonds.
Question Four
?Out of the force like a shot?- The force - a large body of armed men; the police force.
A shot - very quickly; like the action of a shot being fired form a gun.
This sentence is said by Simmonds to make Ross feel insecure in his new position as a policeman. Simmonds also wants Ross to respect him as an all-knowing superior and by telling Ross of other new policemen who were chucked out for well-meaning mistakes, Simmonds gets Ross to rely on him as a mentor. The sentence uses colloquialisms twice, both phrases having to do with police and guns. The language in this sentence is also very abrupt, and is like an onomatopoeia in this sense.
?You stupid great arse. You nearly ballsed that. We?ll be in like Flynn there tomorrow night. We?ll thread the eye of the old golden doughnut ? no worries.?
Stupid great arse - a derogatory term using two insults and a negative adjective all in the one phrase.
Ballsed - confusion arisen from a mistake; a mess.
In like Flynn - after Errol Flynn, famous Australian actor and known womaniser. He was never known to pass up the opportunity of speaking to and/or seducing a woman.
Thread the Eye of the Old Golden Doughnut - get lucky; to have sex with
No Worries - there is no need to have doubt about the likeliness of the said situation; it?s a sure thing
This sentence fortifies the audience?s feeling that Simmonds is not only helping out the two women as part of his duty. He is also putting down Ross yet again and degrading him and his lack of experience.
?I ain?t leavin? without me five dollars.? This sentence contains a number of commonly used grammatical variances. The removalist changes ?I am not? to ?I ain?t? shortening the number of syllables used
and therefore making it easier to say. He removes the ?g? from ?leaving? making it ?leavin? which is easier to say at a fast rate because it requires less movement of the tongue and lips. He also changes ?my? to ?me? making the whole sentence a collection of words that can be lazily rattled off at a fast rate.
?No. I?m doin? a line for you, you thick bastard.? In this sentence, Kenny is making wisecracks to insult the removalist. He is referring to when earlier he had threatened the removalist and the removalist had
asked if he was being threatened. This sentence carries irony and also includes a word in which the ?g? has been left off. The insult at the end; ?you thick bastard? is often heard in Australia and Britain but is not really an American insult.
?No. I was...er...talking to Kate.?In this sentence, Fiona is trying to cover up her knowledge of the plan and
her hesitance ?I was...er...talking to Kate? shows her nervousness. Fiona?s differing use of language is shown by the fact that she pronounces her ?g?s? in ?talking?.
?Listen, fair go, fellas.? Fair go - give a fair chance, used as a plea appealing to basic principles.
Fellas - contraction of fellows, the policemen in this case. This sentence is a large contraction upon what the meaning is. It?s an example of the short colloquial style employed by most people in society. This
statement as simple as it sounds, could also be unintelligible to people who do not understand
the Australian language.
?You?re a boorish, loud-mouthed, sickening little swine, and the sooner Fiona gets out of here the better.?
This is a long-winded way of saying that Kenny is disgusting and Fiona is better off without him. This is long winded, using a list of terms that all have similar ideas as opposed to the previous sentence which is a contraction. Therefore, these two examples show the differences in two styles of Australian forms of speaking.
?You?re mad Ross. You?ve gone right off. You?re in the shit I?m afraid Ross.? Gone Right off - in reference to meat spoiling, going off.
In the Shit - In a whole heap of trouble. The gone right off part of this speech of Simmonds is reiterating the You?re mad Ross, bit, it?s for emphasis, the same meaning but using different words.
You?re in the shit, can also be seen as a repetition of the basic idea of this sentence. Overall,
this sentence is an example of several phrases, that are simply repeating or compounding an idea, however to an uninitiated person the sentence would appear to have several different ideas due to the dissimilarity in the meaning of the words when taken out of context.
Question Five
The language in The Removalists is indicative of the way some Australians speak, it is most definitely the way middle to working class white
Australians from the seventies and eighties speak in the media, television, movies and plays. The slang terms that are used in the play were used widely around the time of the play?s
creation in the 1970's. These slang terms are, however, being replaced in the Australia of today by more Americanised terms such as cool, sick, wicked and cowabunga. In the time of the play?s creation, it would not be odd to hear
working class white males chatting about ?micks?, saying ?fair dinkum?, and cussing
like it was going out of style. The play portrays several working class males who, through
force of habit, speak incorrectly; leaving out words, letters and shortening terms to
make them easily spouted examples of everyday slang. Ross, Kenny, Simmonds
and the removalist speak in this way betraying not only their lack of precise education but also their class status. Ross, Kenny, Simmonds and the removalist all speak in the way of the working class and therefore fit the characters that David Williamson has created. Fiona and Kate, however, are thought to come from a
more wealthy and therefore more educated family and as a result they speak with fewer slang terms and with greater grammatical correctness. Kate is more eager to show her higher class status and the way she speaks stands out from the other characters as being unusually proper and formal. Kenny is the character with the most obvious working class connections. His small flat and meagre belongings betray his limited wealth and social stature. It is therefore fitting that he uses the
most amount of grammatical errors and Aussie working class slang. The play is representative of the way that the Australian characters portrayed in the play could be expected to speak.
Themes
Indifference to Suffering
The removalist represents the everyday man of society, the general face of society?s uncaring attitudes to suffering all around. The removalist is not even given a name to assert this. He constantly quips I got a machine ticking over in the driveway and time is money. The repetitious nature of this phrase builds suspicion as to its true meaning. It presents the idea that the removalist (society) senses the trouble brewing and occurring right before his eyes and refuses to get involved. The constant phrase is merely a superficial justification of his indifference. It is society?s way of saying that it knows what is happening but is too scared/ uncaring to get involved. It is this sort of attitude of taking care of one?s own business that is reflected in the removalist. The attitude of not caring enough to intervene in other?s people?s suffering is justified by the idea that it is not their business. Yet perhaps it roots from something else. Real issues of suffering in society often goes ignored. Is th
Simmonds is indifferent to suffering as he is too obsessed with the idea of asserting his power upon others, that he is oblivious to others_ suffering. Perhaps it is also through other people_s discomfort and suffering that he feeds off his power eg, when Fiona feels discomfort with the sexual undertones of Simmonds approach as he inspects her bruises, he gains sexual pleasure from his power over the situation, and when he punches Kenny around, he doesn't seem to care about the social injustice he is committing despite being an officer of the law.
Ross-- His obvious regard for Simmonds_s higher status plays the higher power in his indifference to suffering. Through his naivety and ignorance, he ignores the social injustice of Kenny_s beating and eventually takes part also, because of the impression that Simmonds's power had on him.
Katie-- Her material aspirations blinds her from the social injustice_s of Kenny_s treatment as she saw him as somewhat of a peasant status compared to her supposedly glamorous lifestyle as a professional_s wife. It is evident that Katie feels Kenny did not matter enough to care about as she sees him as the scum of society.
Kenny-- Kenny is the main victim of social injustice in this play and is treated harshly through the various characters_ indifference to his suffering. However the irony is that, although he was the victim of injustice, he still manages to take a jab at Ross_ training and takes part in the condescending mind game that Simmonds was playing on Ross_ naivety. This is a statement for the whole of society_s being indifferent to suffering, even those who are victims themselves.
Fiona-- Fiona ignored Kenny_s cries of _ He_s gonna beat the shit out of me if you leave_ shows her indifference to his suffering of injustice under Simmonds. Her weak character plays apart in this indifference as she is too timid and scared to stand up for injustice and fight it.
This play presents the idea that all in society are indifferent to each other's suffering. This play also presents the various reason_s as to why people could revert to such a behaviour. Each character could be seen as a face of society and their motives for being indifferent to others_ suffering:
-Simmonds represents those that are too obsessed with their own delusions of power
-Kenny represents those that have been victims too many times to care anymore about anyone else.
-Ross represents those that are naive and ignorant
-Kate represents those that are too blinded by superficiality and sees the ranks of society, in term of financial status, to be of considerably less worth than her and were not worth caring for.
-Fiona represents those that are too timid, weak and frightened to stand up to society_s injustices.
The overall representation of society_s indifference to suffering is embodied in the removalist.
Relationships
The theme of relationships in The Removalist is inextricably linked with that of power. Every character in the play either possess and crave for more power, or they are victims of those that possess power.
Fiona--possesses the least amount of power in The Removalist. She is timid and weak. Those that possess power find it easy to control Fiona. An example of this would be when Fiona was with Kate at the police station. She kept looking to Kate whenever she was asked a question. As if to ask if it was all right with Kate for her to answer, that is looking for support if not consent. This implies that Fiona has been so used to be controlled by those with power that she now immediately looks for permission from the people with power.
Removalist--does not have nay power except when he is _in the back of me truck, my word is law_. That is, the Removalist only has power when it is about removing the furniture. Though the Removalist has little power he is not directly a victim of those that possess it. This was his decision. For he turned a blind eye on the unjust bashings of Kenny. The removalists was just too scared and too worried about himself to offer help, for he believed that if he helped Kenny then he would be offering himself to be victimised by those with power. Thus, the removalist, trapped by his own fears, is indirectly a victim of those with power.
Ross--the play opens up with Simmonds heckling Ross, this immediately portrays to the audience that Ross plays the submissive role in this relationship. Throughout the play everyone orders around Ross. The Removalist, Simmonds and Kate treat him as inferior. The Removalist immediately starts ordering Ross to do all his work whilst Simmonds every so often bullies him. Kate treats Ross as inferior when at the station Simmonds suggest that Ross take on Fiona_s case. However, as the next quote portrays, Kate believes Ross to be incapable of doing what she had in mind,
SIMMONDS: I wonder if you_d mind if Constable Ross handled your case?
KATE: (smiling) I would prefer to deal with the person in charge.
Ross is ordered to do many things that are not in his job description and he is constantly insulted by Simmonds. However, Ross could not lash out. In the end, when Ross reached his breaking point he had to vent his frustration. Under all the pressure and frustration that had been building up Ross had to take it out on someone and it happened to be Kenny who was at that stage physically vulnerable.
Kate--though Kate has power over Fiona she obviously craves more. She sees Simmonds as someone who would be able to satisfy this desire. Kate tries t control Simmonds by presenting by presenting herself as more sexually attractive than Fiona.
SIMMONDS: (who has moved close to FIONA )
KATE: (noticing THE SERGEANT_S attention towards Fiona, and starting to compete)
These stage directions suggest that Kate is jealous of her sister and needs to pacify this jealousy by controlling Fiona. She uses her power to satisfy her own envious feelings towards Fiona by controlling every aspect of Fiona_s life. Kate obviously enjoys wealth. Money in itself has always been associated with power. Thus, the fact that Kate likes being wealthy and wants more wealth suggests that she likes power and craves for more power. This desire for power is further emphasised by her affair with the _car salesman_ who was actually _the marketing manager of one of our largest car manufacturers_. The word _manager_ should be noted. For a manager in any business is a high position but the fact that Kate_s _car salesman_ is the manager of the largest car manufacturer (the word largest should also be noted), only emphasises Kate_s need for power.
Kenny--he is a wife basher and a victim of police brutality. Kenny practices domestic violence on Fiona. This sort of violence is often suggested to be because the male often feels that he has no dominant and powerful role in his relationships with his wife and society in general. Thus, feeling he has no control over his life, he resorts to violence as has Kenny. A plausible reason as to why Kenny beats Fiona up is that Fiona comes from a wealthy background and Kenny who has obviously never had that kind of life feels as if he is not on an equal level with Fiona. Kenny resorted to violence, as if to prove that though Fiona may come from a richer family he is more powerful than her _ even though males are naturally more physically powerful than females.
Kenny_s relationship with Kate is almost like a game of tug-of-war, where the ribbon in the middle is Fiona.
KENNY: He_s going to beat shit out of me Fiona
KATE: (sharply) Don_t be so ridiculous!
(KATE drags a bewildered FIONA out to the taxi. ROSS returns. There is a pause)
This quote implies that both Kenny and Kate had enough power over Fiona to confuse her. That is, Fiona did not know whom to listen to as both Kate and Kenny played dominant roles in their relationships with her.
In Kenny_s relationship with Simmonds, though Kenny is physically disabled (he is handcuffed) Simmonds obviously feels threatened by Kenny. Whenever Kenny would comment on something, Simmonds would take the liberty in giving Kenny a beating _ almost as if he was afraid of what Kenny would say. Though Simmonds has physical power over Kenny, Kenny has the upper hand, as Simmonds feels threatened by him.
Simmonds--throughout the play, Simmonds power and desire for more becomes more and more apparent. Simmonds obviously feels threatened by those that have more money than him and lawyers. As was stated previously, money is often associated with power. Thus, those with more money than Simmonds would ultimately have more power than him. Also lawyers were not only considered as more important, but more powerful than police officers in that time. For the lawyers ultimately had the power to win a court case for their client, whereas police officers could only charge the defendants and see to it that sufficient evidence was provided to see that a charge is made. This apprehension towards lawyer is evident when Simmonds portrays lawyers as people that are detached form their clients. Whereas police officers are, _a social worker, a marriage counsellor, a psychologist, a friend _ you name it_. Simmonds tries to portray to Fiona and Kate that police officers are more personal and _better_, that is powerful, than a law
Simmonds_ relationship with the Removalist is both of power and respect. Though Simmonds may have control over the Removalist, when it comes to moving furniture the Removalist argued with Simmonds so that Simmonds could not but respect the Removalists_ own domain. Thus, Simmonds plays the dominant role in this relationship except when it comes to moving furniture, in which the roles are reversed.
Throughout the play, Simmonds plays the dominant role with Fiona. Fiona pacifies Simmonds need to be powerful. However, once Simmonds realises that Kate has all the power he is attracted to her. Simmonds finds Kate attractive because he believes that because she holds so much power that if he managed to bed her that would mean that he is more powerful than her. Thus, when he hears about Kate_s _car salesman_ he feels betrayed because her realises that he does not need to be more powerful than Kate to bed her.
Simmonds likes Ross. This is due to the fact that Ross gives him an ego boost. Ross, who is too naive to pinpoint the subtle insults from Simmonds, can only stand there dimly aware that he is being mocked. This is immediately put Ross into the submissive role in this relationship.
Kenny is young and virile with a beautiful wife. Simmonds envies this. For to Simmonds virility is just another form of power. Thus, Simmonds feels unarmed when he is around Kenny. Kenny is handcuffed and beaten at every opportunity by Simmonds. This in itself emphasises Simmonds need to have the dominant role in this relationship.
How does women's powerlessness work dramatically? By Joel Heenan
Shakespeare had very definate ideas about where women stood in his plays,
and as revolutionary, as he was their power was almost non-existent. It is
perhaps surprising then, that the women Williamson inhabits 'The Removalists
' with have striking similarities.
Shakespeare's women were in the play as observers, as the victims after the
deaths, the rejoicers after the victories, the observers delivering the
revealing soliloquies. They had no power as such, but they had spiritual
power in the form of being able to curse characters they don't like. They
were generally sharper than the men, and were much better judges of
character, but ultimately Shakespeare thought them to be weak. They were
easily persuaded, weak willed, and men could outmanoeuvre them with wit (as
when Richard III woos Anne). They remained completely true to their men, and
as far as their actions were are concerned acted as if they had no mind of
their own.
Williamson's portrayal of women is more interesting in terms of modern
culture. With Fiona and Kate he is making a statement about feminism and
women's rights, issues that were big in the 70's. It is believed that women
have more power now, and in the 70's, than they have had in any other time.
Williamson acknowledges this, but also debunks the myth that blatant sexism
has been stamped out.
Fiona is a weak person, who has allowed her sister to dominate and control
her throughout her life. She is now in a marriage she doesn't like and is
mistreated in, and this mistreatment has made her even less sure of herself.
Dramatically, this creates and interesting situation for Simmonds because
Fiona is a very difficult person to handle, especially if he wants to get a
testimony out of her, and so needs to treat her with great care. Instead,
his attitude is one of patronism, and his tone is condescending and above
Fiona. This makes her further unsure of herself, something which the
sergeant is not really concerned about. And thus Williamson's comment on
modern society at this point is that women are treated with triviality, are
never really catered for by men, and if they do pay attention to the women
it is for sexual gains. Dramatically, this gives the text a strong sub-set,
which is controversial but still very much within the bounds of realistic,
which all comes back to entertaining and interesting the audience.
Kate, on the other hand, is in possession of power. Like the Sergeant she is
a domineering person, but there is an important distinction between the two
people. Because Kate is a female version of Simmonds, we are clearly shown
the differences between them. Kate is controlling of Fiona, but when it
comes to Simmonds she is happy to play the power game with him, rub
shoulders with him, but when it comes down to it she is accepting as the
place society places her as a woman (a sex object), and accepts that
Simmonds has authority over her simply because he is a man.
These characters are overly accepting of their status, because they are
exaggerations, parodies, of their sexes. Just as Simmonds sleaziness is
exaggerated, so is their accepting of being treated like nothing. Williamson
has seen a lot wrong with the world, things that were wrong back in
Shakespeare's time, and his method of dramatically portraying them is to
place exaggerated but realistic characters into this situation and allow
them to interact. Shakespeare used women dramatically to deliver commentary
in Richard III, to be traded amongst the characters and to parse on the
grief of a death. In both the women are almost nothing to the play, they are
cards which trade get passed around but don't really affect the action,
except in 'The Removalist' there is a strong sense of absurdity about this.
It is achieved through obvious examples of men abusing the situation, and
how justice is being obstructed by it. It is the powerlessness of women in
the 70's, and to a certain extent today, which has allowed Williamson to
create a play that has copious amounts of tension, drama, conflict, and
humour. It is the basis for the play, and is not the issue of the 70's but
the most controversial issue going into the 22nd century.
LANGUAGE
1. As always language is a powerful tool in conveying aspects of power,
and especially as this is a
play, the context and subtexts are specifically constructed so words are
not wasted. In addition it is
not just the words that are important but the ability to express them
that reflects the ?power? of the
characters. As you read the play it is important to tune into the
general mood of the situation to
truly understand the message that is conveyed by the charcter.
When we examine the play we see two characters, Kate and
Simmonds, emerge almost
instantaneously as the powerful ones. This achieved by their domineering
and lengthy speech,
drawing attention to them and establishing the high status. This is not
only reflected by their
verbosity but the clarity and character of their expression. Simmonds
has a bellowing, confident
voice, and Kate is the opposite of the submissive Fiona. Throughout the
play both Simmonds and
Kate dominate the conversation. This is scene straight of in the first
scene through Simmond?s
treatment of Ross. His language is specifically condescending, and his
questions, prying into
Ross?s personal life, are in order to pinpoint weaknesses he may exploit
later on. He deliberately
dwells on uncomfortable subject, establishing outright control. His tone
of questioning is not
simply inquiring, it is demanding, signifying his belief that he has the
right to extract explicit
information from Ross. Simmonds explicity is drawn out throughout the
play, and this aspect of
language, with sayings such as ?One of those braless birds eh??, adds a
sensual air to the scene,
and shows Simmond?s confidence in the ability to utter such things. The
explicity of the language
gives the speaker control over the others, as they are made specifically
uncomfortable by
atmosphere caused, and hence they can be taken advantage of.
Power is most strongly portrayed through the demands and
commands which are given
out by Kate and Simmonds, they are literally barked out, as they assume
they have the right to
this. For example, Kate?s ?Show the sergeant your bruises, Fiona?, is a
very explicit and daring
statement, for such a choice should be left up to Fiona. This is almost
dare for Fiona to contradict
her, yet she is so confident it won?t occur. Simmond?s language
throughout the play is
characterized with lengthy speeches, enlightening his character and
degrading that of others
around him, in as he attempts to assert himself with the women. His
demands are repetitive and
hence enforce his need for control His main victim is Ross who is
subjected to commands to do
all the dirty work: ?Arrest him Ross?, ?Handcuff him Ross?, ? Take that
chair Ross?, and his
continuos ?Shut up Carter?, just like a master telling his dog to sit.
Simmonds language is also
highly exaggerated and very formal to reflect his superiority, once he
begins to loose his flare, his
power disintegrates. His ability to express himself, formulate his
language holds the others as his
prisoners for they cannot much his apparent level of language. Kate on
the other hand maintains
control by focusing attention on herself continuously showing off.
Language is a tool that is
successfully manipulated, and the power is given to those characters who
understand the
underlying meanings of what is said and are able to use this to their
advantage, hence their is a
constant conspiracy being set up between Kate and Simmonds.
The most important feature of language providing power is
knowledge, or at least the
illusion that you possess knowledge, and the ability to implicate this.
Each charcter maintains
power once he holds the advantage of knowledge, for example Simmonds
over Ross in the way he
pries in to his life making it uncomfortable. We see Kenny become very
powerful at one point as
he reveals the truth behind Kate?s dark history and adultery. This
knowledge and his use of bold
and abusive language elevates his power, for he holds the other?s
attention.
Furthermore, the play presents violence as a primal exhibition
of ones power, hence the
language reflects this too. It is not intelligible arguing, but brutal
and abusive, showered with
condescending and crude expressions, and in relation to the themes of
violence, this type of
language apparently gives power. Yet that is not often the case, as in
this play we see that the
manipulator and dominator in the word game is usually the powerful one.
Group 6: Power Comparison with Richard III
1. Examine which characters from The Removalist could be matched with
Richard III and his obsession with power. Similarities and differences
should be referred to texts.
The character that could be identified with Richard the III in Richard III
most is Simmonds. He is the character whom displayed the biggest obsession
with power.
� Richard could not court women and have relationships with them.
Comparative to his brother who could, Richard got jealous. He was enraged
that someone could do what he couldn't. "He capers nimbly in a lady's
chamber?But I, that am not shaped for sportive tricks" (I.1) = Simmonds
could not have sex with his wife because she had a weak kidney. He was
really frustrated because of that, for he had to restrain himself a lot. So
when he heard Kenny boasting his sex life with Fiona, Simmonds went crazy.
"She came five times in the one grapple?(THE SERGEANT goes berserk." (P90) =
Kate was jealous of her sister. While her husband was a successful and
respected man, he did not provide enough excitement for Kate. To quench this
jealousy she manipulated Fiona into leaving her husband. "(indicating KATE)
She's jealous." (p84)
� Richard had courted Anne who considered him to be her worst enemy. His
flirting and persuading skills were excellent. "Never came poison from so
sweet a place." (I.2) He who had killed her father and stuff had actually
got her to agree to his proposal. = Simmonds had started to flirt with Kate
and Fiona as soon as they had come in. He too had excellent courting and
flirting skills, being able to persuade Fiona to lift her skirts and reveal
her back. Also we can derive that he had attracted Kate into having sex with
him. "We'll thread the eye of the golden doughnut" p62.
� Richard was very arrogant and proud of himself. After he had courted Anne,
his soliloquy reveals his inner thoughts. He was overjoyed and excited to
find himself to be such a magnificent man. "Was ever woman in this humour
wooed?" (I.2) = Simmonds repeatedly bragged to Ross of his vast experience
and knowledge about everything, his skills at punching without bruising, and
his ability to control. "I've been round on this Earth?longer than you
have." P44 He was very pleased and proud with himself.
� Richard was never open about his evil nature and the devious plots to
other characters. He always had noble excuses for his wrongdoings. "Secret
mischiefs that I set abroach" (I.3) = Simmonds had called his beatings
lawful deeds, necessary for his and Ross's safety. "If that was dragging
your feet, I'd hate to see you punching someone." (p80) When he wanted to go
to Fiona's new flat for a party and have sex it was in the name of helping
out a lady abandoned with a man's job.
� Richard slandered his enemies in order to strengthen his power. He
libelled to Prince Edward about his uncles so that he may have the Prince's
trust. "Those uncles you want were dangerous" (III.1) = Kate felt superior
above Fiona and Kenny due to her husband's occupation. She generates an
insulting tone in her voice whenever she talks to Fiona. = Simmonds knows he
is stronger than Ross is. He wanted to stress this point so that his status
may rise higher. He always criticised Ross and his police training, pried
into his personal life and made fun of his experience. "?how long you've
been on the force, boy?half an hour." (P40)
� Richard used violence to achieve his means. If he wanted something or
something to be done, he used violence (except in the cases of the women).
He kidnapped Buckingham's son to blackmail, killed Hastings when he proved
to be difficult. "if I revolt, off goes young George's head" (IV.5) =
Simmonds used violence as one of his main weapons (except when dealing with
the women). He hit Kenny if he wanted him quite. = When Ross was insulted
and challenged by Kenny, he wanted something done. He wanted Kenny to stop
and prove him wrong. So he brutally attacked and killed him. "?you're the
bottom of the bloody barrel?ROSS knocks him on the floor" (p109) = Kenny
wanted his kitchen to be tidy. His male pride didn't allow him to do it
himself, so he ordered Fiona to do it. When she didn't, he physically abused
her.
2. Women in both plays are less developed and relatively powerless. Look
at, and compare, Anne with Fiona and Kate.
Anne from the play, "Richard III" by William Shakespeare is the young widow
of Prince Edward, who was the son of the former King, Henry VI. Lady Anne
hates Richard for the death of her husband, but for reasons of politics and
for sadistic pleasure, Richard convinces Anne to marry him. This shows a
weakness in Anne's character towards males and shows that Anne as a woman in
this play is less developed and relatively powerless.
Fiona is the younger of the two sisters from the play, "The Removalists" by
David Williamsons. She is described to be the more attractive one out of the
two sisters. A quote from the play to describe Fiona is, "Fiona has an easy
and innocent sensuality about her that is most attractive and takes the edge
from her sisters more conventional beauty. Kate tends to be tense and
affected. Fiona is more relaxed and natural." Although she is described to
be a beauty, Fiona
is portrayed as relatively powerless and less developed in the play, "The
Removalists". This is shown early on in the play where she is humiliated
into showing the policemen her bruises and turned into a sex object instead
of being seen as a respectable woman. Another reason why Fiona
can be seen as weak and powerless is also by her situation in the play, she
is characterized as the weak woman who gets beaten by her husband.
Kate is the older of the two sisters from the play, "The Removalists" by
David Williamsons. She is described to be the more elegant one out of the
two sisters. A quote from the play to describe Kate is, "Kate Mason is more
expensively dressed and more elegant then her younger sister, Fiona Carter."
Although Kate is described to be elegant and respectable, Kate is
portrayed as relatively powerless and less developed in the play, "The
Removalists". This is shown in the confrontation between Fiona, Kate, Kenny
and the policemen. In the beginning of
the play Kate is portrayed as strong willed and respectable but later on the
audience discovers
that Kate has a weakness for the male sex. A quote from the play to show
this is, "Kenny: (to
the sergeant) She just can't resist a well packed fly." "?Kate: (angry) You
egged me on till I
made a fool of myself, then deliberately humiliated me. (Pause. She turns
to Fiona.) I've
left the children with a babysitter. If you don't mind I'll call a taxi."
All three women from the plays, "Richard III" by William Shakespeare and
"The Removalists" by
David Williamsons can be portrayed as less developed and relatively
powerless because they all
have a weakness towards the male sex. None of them can succeed the male
sexuality and because
of this cannot take complete power of themselves. All three of these women
are relatively
powerless because none of them can overcome their desire for the male
sensuality and thus become
followers of males. This can be considered as less developed because it is
an old ideal of the
women being the weaker sex then the men which has prevailed in both these
the stage.
Group Work ?The Removalists?, Group 6, Question 4.
In Shakespeare the play is longer and larger, does this change the
importance of power as a theme? How does, in fact, such a theme work
universally? Or does it ? Or does it work differently in each play?
One difference between ?the Removalists? and ?Richard the Third? is the
length of the plays, Shakespeare?s is much longer than Williamson?s play.
Both share the theme of Power. Greater length allows the theme more time to
develop and the progression of the play is therefore slower in ?Richard the
Third?. ?The Removalists? is forced to develop more quickly, exploring the
theme in a shorter time span. This does not mean that the value of the
plays may be judged by examining their comparative lengths, simply that this
difference is one of the reasons for other differences between the plays.
Each play explores the theme of Power using characters to show both sides
of this theme. In ?Richard the Third? it is only Richard who is determined
to obtain power, the other characters are mostly under his power and many
are powerless. Their status is low, this play has one high status
character, wreaking havoc in his quest to obtain power. ?The Removalists?
has fewer characters but instead of many characters under one powerful lead
character Williamson?s play features almost all the characters seeking to
attain power (with the exception of Fiona). Also most of these characters
are under the power of another, at least at some point in the play. Ross is
the best example of this. Characterisation is not a quality of drama which
relies on length, it may relies upon dialogue and body language. While
?Richard the Third? has detailed, language based, soliloquies to set the
scene as to who wants power. ?The Removalists? conversely relies on
dialogues and body language to achieve this end in a shorter amount of time.
Both plays use characters? language and action to display their theme,
this is done differently due to the length difference.
There are two types of character, the powerful and the powerless, in each
play. Both plays show women in the powerless position. A marked similarity
can be seen between Richard?s use of Anne to his own advantage, and
Simmonds? use of Kate for the same ends. The length and complexity of these
parallel encounters is very different however the end result is extremely
similar; the message that women are often used to obtain power is presented.
Power is used to create dramatic tension in each play, this tension is the
tool used to form many plays. Shakespeare draws out this tension in many
situations, always making the audience wait to see and using language to
illustrate the theme of power. Williamson directly confronts the audience
with action and dialogue illuminating the theme.
This Power theme is to a certain extent universal, everyone has experienced
it enough to understand it and feel confronted by the expose of the theme on
stage. The two plays show how the search for power leads to violence, the
princes and Kenny painful reminders of this. We see the power of males over
females and how those in power do not care for those below them in both
plays. These similarities in sub-themes are due to the shared theme of
power. Hundreds of years have not changed the nature of power. From this
we can see that this theme is in many ways universal.
Nothing is completely universal however, and while the shared theme creates
many similarities between the two plays there are also numerous differences.
?Richard the Third? relies on the spoken word to carry its message while
?The Removalists? uses more visual language because it is a shorter play
aimed at a different contemporary audience. While power is a universal
theme it can be presented in a multitude of different ways. In each play
the theme appears differently, yet many similarities may be seen with close
inspection. The importance of Power as a theme is equal in the two plays,
it is the main theme of each, however each play is unique and the two may be
appreciated for different reasons.
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