The 39 Steps Play Guide For AQA GCSE Drama

COMPONENT 1 UNDERSTANDING DRAMA 28 Key characters You will need to demonstrate that you understand the characters in the play, including the different ways they could be characterised and performed. Although The 39 Steps has many characters, it is written so that it can be peformed by just four actors. One plays Richard Hannay, and the other three actors multi-role . The descriptions below summarise the main characters. KEY TERMS Multi-role: One actor playing more than one character (multiple roles). Protagonist: The leading character. Catalyst: Something or someone who starts a reaction or triggers events Subplot: A secondary storyline, less important than the main plot. Resolution: The point at which most plot elements have been settled. Double act: Two performers who work closely together. Antagonist: A character who opposes, works against or brings down the protagonist. Trilby: A soft, narrow-brimmed felt hat. Trench coat: A belted raincoat, usually in beige or tan. Comic relief: Light-hearted characters or interludes that provide a break from more intense, serious sections of a drama. Intonation: The rise and fall of pitch in the voice; the musicality of speech. Three characters usually played by one actor Several characters played by two ‘Clown’ actors One character played by one actor RICHARD HANNAY • Thirty-seven-year-old bachelor. • ‘Attractive’, ‘sound in wind and limb’. • Resourceful and adventurous. • The play’s protagonist . ANNABELLA SCHMIDT • An exotic German secret agent. • ‘Beautiful and nervous’. • There is romantic tension between her and Hannay. • Her death is a catalyst for the play’s actions. MR MEMORY • A performer in a London theatre. • Uses his remarkable memory to answers questions from the audience. • This skill forms part of the play’s resolution , as he knows the secret of the Thirty-Nine Steps. MILKMAN • A working-class Londoner. • Speaks in Cockney dialect: ‘Cor blimey’, ‘whatchoo’, ‘perfick’. • Tricked by Hannay into helping him escape. COMPERE • Part of a comic partnership with Mr Memory. • Introduces and supports his act. MARGARET • The Crofter’s wife. • An ‘incredibly pretty Scottish girl’. • Shy and attracted to Hannay. • Helps Hannay to escape. PAMELA • A train passenger. • ‘Breathtakingly beautiful’. • The progress of her and Hannay’s relationship is a subplot to the main secret agent plot. • She is the play’s love interest.