Juno and the Paycock
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This article is about the play by Sean O'Casey. For the 1930 film by Alfred Hitchcock of the same name see Juno and the Paycock (1930 film).
Juno and the Paycock is a play by Sean O'Casey, the second of his well-known "Dublin Trilogy" and one of the most highly regarded and oft-performed plays in Ireland. It was first staged at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin in 1924. It is set in the working-class tenements of Dublin in the early 1920s, during the Irish War of Independence/Irish Civil War period (the "Troubles").
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[edit] Plot
Juno and the Paycock concerns the Boyle family, who live in the Dublin tenements. The father, "Captain" Jack Boyle (so called because of his status as a retired merchant sailor, his propensity for telling colorful stories of the sea, and his incessant wearing of his nautical-looking hat), constantly tries to evade work by pretending to have pains in his legs, and spends all his money at the pub with his "butty", Joxer Daly. The mother, Juno, is the only member of the family working, as the daughter Mary is on strike, and the son, Johnny, lost his arm in the Irish War of Independence. Johnny betrayed a comrade in the IRA, and is afraid that he will be executed as punishment. A distant relative dies, and a solicitor, Mr Bentham, brings news that the family has come into money. The family buys goods on credit, and borrow money from neighbours with the intent of paying them back when the fortune arrives.
In the third act tragedy befalls the Boyle family. Mr Bentham, who had been courting Mary, ceases all contact with the family, and it becomes apparent that no money will be forthcoming. As the goods bought with the borrowed money are being taken back, Mr and Mrs Boyle learn that Mary has been impregnated by Mr Bentham. "Captain" Boyle goes with Joxer to a pub to spend the last of his money and take his mind off of the situation. While he is gone, Mrs Boyle learns that her son, Johnny, has been killed, presumably by the IRA. Mary and Juno leave to live with Juno's sister and Captain Boyle returns to the stage drunk, unaware of his son's death.
[edit] List of Characters
- Juno Boyle
- Captain Boyle
- Mary Boyle
- Johnny Boyle
- Joxer Daly
- Jerry Devine
- Charles Bentham
- Robbie Tancred
- Mrs Tancred
- Two Irregulars
[edit] Quotes
"I ofen looked up at the sky an' assed meself the question - what is the moon, what is the stars?"-Captain Boyle, Act I
"Th' whole worl's in a terrible state o' chassis!"- Captain Boyle, Act III
“wore out the health insurance"
“wearin’ out the unemployment dole"
“creep” Joxer Daly “Drinkin in some snug or another"
“Never tired o’ lookin’ for a rest"
“dhrop of intoxicatin’ liquor"
Juno “nicely handicapped” by all of them
“There’ll never be any good out o’ him so long as he goes with that shoulder-shruggin’ Joxer"
“Fed up knockin around doin nothing"
“I’m done with Joxer…I’m a new man from this out"
"it's nearly time we had a little less respect for the dead, an' a little more regard for the living"
"Isn't all religions curious?-if they weren't you wouldn't get anyone to believe in them"
“hopeless till the end of his days"
“It’ll have what’s far better- it’ll have two mothers"
[edit] Adaptations
In 1930, a British film adaptation of the play was produced. It was directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and featured Edward Chapman and Sara Allgood.
A musical adaptation of the play, titled Juno, was created by Marc Blitzstein (music, lyrics) and Joseph Stein (book), and opened on Broadway in 1959. Shirley Booth starred as Juno Boyle, and Melvyn Douglas as the Captain. The musical version was a flop, closing after 16 performances, but Blitzstein's score was preserved on the original cast album and is today considered one of the composer's masterpieces. O'Casey gave his blessing to the project, but never saw the production.
