22 AQA A-Level Drama: Play Guide: Our Country's Good as the script needs to be copied out. In the novel, he also seeks certain accents to represent country and city characters. During this scene, Ralph’s attitude towards the female convicts appears to soften. In Scene 6, he speaks of the reformative values of theatre, particularly in regards to Mary. In Scene 9, his thoughts are more confused, switching from affection for his wife to Proverbs from the Bible to the brutality of the camp. In the nal scene of the rst act, he is seen working against the many obstacles to rehearsing, often to comic effect, though Ross’s cruel interruption leaves the rehearsal in ‘shambles’ (page 54). In Act 2, Scene 1, Phillip exhorts Ralph to carry on with the play, pointing out both its and Ralph’s importance. After Scene 7’s disruption, Ralph is next seen on the beach at night, rehearsing privately with Mary, where the lines from the play and their own dialogue lead to Mary agreeing to Ralph’s request to ‘have part of my bed’ (page 80). In the nal scene, Ralph is a changed man, both in terms of his relationship with Mary and the other convicts, but also in his understanding of theatre and community: ‘The theatre is like a small republic, it requires private sacri ces for the good of the whole’ (page 92). Task 1 We are given a number of hints about Ralph’s relationship with his wife and his life in England. Note anything in the script that helps you to understand his point of view early in the play. For example, how experienced is he with women? What were his hopes for this assignment to Australia? 2 Create a pre-scene in which he writes a journal entry to his wife, saying how he feels about the journey, the prisoners and his prospects. Bring this understanding to rehearse Scenes 1 and 4. Task One of the keys to the development of Ralph as a character is his changing feelings about the women convicts, particularly Mary, which is supported by what is known about the historic Ralph Clark. Explore how the following lines could be performed to show Ralph’s evolving attitudes: • …to og with a rope Elizabeth Morden for being impertinent… which I was very glad to see – she has long been shing for it – (page 8) • But how could a whore play Lady Jane? (page 11) • That’s excellent, Brenham, very uent. (page 16) • There was one, Mary Brenham, she read so well, perhaps this play will keep her from selling herself to the rst marine who offers her bread – (page 24) • He gives her his will to indicate that he intends to take care of her. (page 71) • Silvia. Mary. (page 80) • I’ve never looked at the body of a woman before. (page 80) Tip The Study Guide for Our Country’s Good by Max Stafford-Clark with Maeve McKeown offers details on what happened to the historic Ralph Clark after the events shown in the play. Tip The historic Ralph Clark and Mary Brenham had a child together and, as suggested in the play, the baby was named Betsey Alicia after his wife. Tip Keep looking for different levels and nuances in the performance of Ralph. Are there moments when he: • is caught off guard or loses his control • behaves sel shly • is disappointed in himself? Copyright: Sample material
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