Exiles · Chapter
Dramatis Personae explained
This chapter introduces the main characters and setting of the play: Richard Rowan, a writer; Bertha; their son Archie; Robert Hand, a journalist; Beatrice Justice, his cousin and a music teacher; Brigid, an old servant; and a fishwoman.
What happens
This chapter introduces the main characters and setting of the play: Richard Rowan, a writer; Bertha; their son Archie; Robert Hand, a journalist; Beatrice Justice, his cousin and a music teacher; Brigid, an old servant; and a fishwoman. The action takes place in the Dublin suburbs of Merrion and Ranelagh during the summer of 1912.
Characters to notice
- Richard Rowan
Introduced as a writer, the central male figure.
- Bertha Rowan
Introduced as Richard's partner and mother of Archie.
- Archie Rowan
Introduced as the eight-year-old son of Richard and Bertha.
- Robert Hand
Introduced as a journalist.
- Beatrice Justice
Introduced as Robert's cousin and a music teacher.
Key passages
“Dramatis Personae Richard Rowan, a writer Bertha Archie, their son, aged eight years Robert Hand, journalist Beatrice Justice, his cousin, music teacher Brigid, an old servant of the Rowan family A Fishwoman At Merrion and Ranelagh, suburbs of Dublin. Summer of the year 1912.”
The cast of characters includes Richard Rowan, a writer; Bertha; their eight-year-old son Archie; Robert Hand, a journalist; his cousin Beatrice Justice, a music teacher; Brigid, the Rowan family's longtime servant; and a fishwoman. The play is set in the Dublin suburbs of Merrion and Ranelagh during the summer of 1912.
This opening establishes the dramatis personae and setting for the play.