Changing the way you learn

DNA - Denis Kelly

Themes
1. Group mentality/Peer pressure
  1. Sometimes people react differantly if they feel that an action, they might not agree with, will up their status in a group.
2. DNA/Genetics
  1. Dennis Kelly uses Leah to ask the audience whether humans should be chimps or bonobos but he implies that humans actually have the choice. Shuld we be moral or should we drop morality to preserve a group?
3. Human Nature
Characters
1. Phil
  1. Phil is a chimp. He also turns out to be the head chimp because he chooses who can and can't be a part of the group. He chooses to to kick Adam out and kill him.
  2. Phil is mentally crule to Leah by completely blanking her
  3. Phil becomes increasingly physically violent throughout the play by threatening to throw stones at Brian.
    1. He also plans to kill dam with cathy, although we assume that it was actually either Brian r Cathy who phisically murdered Adam.
2. Leah
  1. Leah is the bannobo of the group, she doesn't like the conflict in the group and she also doesnt want to kill Adam.
  2. She feels insecure about her relatinship with Phil which is why she spends a lot of her time talking to him.
  3. Due to her insecureties, Leah decides to go against her moral code by killing her hamster and then trying to kill herself in front of him.
3. Cathy
  1. Cathy is most definatly a chimp. She finds Adams disappearance exciting and better than ordinary life.
  2. After Adam is finally killed, Phil refuses to be with the group and instead spends his time in the field. so, Cathy takes it upon herself to become group leader.
  3. Once Leah becomes the leader, Richard tells Phil that Cathy bit of a first years finger.
4. John Tate
  1. John is first thought to be a Chimp and a leader of the group due to his threats and violence towards other group members.
  2. However later in the play John finds God and decides that his time is better spent peacefully rather than by throwing abuse at the group and others around him.
5. Jan & Mark
  1. Jan and Mark always come as a pair and Kelly uses them to fill in any missing information that the audience might need at the start of every act, like the narrators.
  2. Jan and Mark are the greek chorus of the play. (AO3)
  3. They were the people who were most envolved in bullying Adam to the point where he fell down the grill.
6. Brian
  1. Brian doesn't really like what the group are dong
  2. The group use Brian to kill Adam and frame the postman.
  3. Brian is mentally unstable throughout the play.
7. Richard
  1. Richard is another potential leader at the start of the play. He is second to John Tate.
  2. Once Leah has left Richard talks to Phil in the field taking Leahs place
    1. Richard tells Phil what everyone is doing after Leah leaves and he tries to convince Phil to come back to the group.
Key Quotes
1. John Tate
  1. "Alright. New rule; that word is banned"
2. Phil
  1. "We'll throw rocks at you until you drop"
  2. "I'm in charge! Everyone is happier; what's more important one person or everyone?"
3. Leah
  1. "they kill to find a better possision in the social structure"
  2. "This is insane"
  3. "For years we thought that chimps were our closest living relatives but now they're saying it's bonobos"
4. Brian
  1. "I think we should tell someone"
  2. "Shall we eat the earth? What do you think the earth tastes like?"
5. Cathy
  1. Richard: "she bit a first years finger off"
  2. "Better than ordinary life"
  3. Richard: "She's insane!"
6. Jan and Mark
  1. "He was laughing harder than anything"

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DNA - Denis Kelly

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	Created by Mary Moss over 7 years ago