FREE ESSAY ON FOUR PLAY SUMMARIES

FOUR PLAY SUMMARIES

Play summary #1-
One flew over the cuckoo's nest.
Briefly Summarize the play.-
It takes place in a mental institution where a new patient has just arrived. This patient
ends up messing with everyone and creating chaos in the institution.
Briefly Outline the Plot-
R.P. McMurphy is a new patient at the mental institution, he is a charming devil, who
wants to serve a very short sentence in the mental institution instead of a long term
sentence in a prison. This is a mistake, he suddenly learns, for he runs into Nurse
Ratched, who can keep him institutionalized forever. He ends up taking over the ward,
controlling the rest of the patients, and to the astonishment to medical professionals,
he makes Chief Bromden, who was presumedly deaf and dumb, speak. He turns the other
inmates into more extrovert people by doing all sorts of things, from playing games,
arranging a party at midnight, or even staging a revolt so that the other patients can
watch the world series. Afraid that McMurphy will become more controlling than she is,
Nurse Ratched has McMurphy submitted to shock treatment. After he recovers, he is forced
to undergo one of the worst 'treatments' for his final correction, a frontal lobotomy.
However to save McMurphy from this, the Chief kills McMurphy, and escapes from the
institution.
List and Descrive the main characters in the play-
R.P. McMurphy- Patient, very loud and obnoxious, very controlling and caniving
Nurse Ratched- Very mean Nurse, likes to control all the patients in the institution, by
any means necessary
Chief Bromden- Deaf and dumb Indian, or pressumedly so.
Identify and explain a key line in the play-
It's not necessarily a key line during the play, its more of an instance during the play
the sends everything spiraling down. During the scene in which McMurphy has finally
pushed Nurse Ratched to her boiling point, and she turns him to shock treatment, then
schedules a frontal labotomy for him, which causes the Chief to kill him, and get the
other prisoners to escape.
Play Summary #2
Rent
Breifly summarize the play
This is a story that takes place on Christmas eve in New York City. Where Mark, a young
filmmaker, sets up his camera. His roomate Roger, a songwriter and ex-junkie, struggles
to pick out a song on his electric guitar. The story goes through a day in the lives of
these two men.
Outline the plot-
This is a story that takes place on Christmas eve in New York City. Where Mark, a young
filmmaker, sets up his camera. His roomate Roger, a songwriter and ex-junkie, struggles
to pick out a song on his electric guitar. The phone in their place rings, and it is an
old friend at a pay phone, but their call is cut short because he, Collins, gets mugged.
The phone rings again, but this time it is Mark's and Roger's landlord who wants their
overdue rent money. Collins is found beaten by a friend of Mark and Roger, named Angel, a
drag queen. Collins and Angel find a strange attraction between one another, and then
find out that they are both HIV-Positive. Roger, who is called by Mark's ex-girlfiend,
Maureen, asking if he can help her that night with some technical aspects of a
performance that she is to give later that night, and he agree's. Collins and Angel come
to Mark and Roger's place, inviting them to join him out for the evening, Mark joins, but
Roger doesn't. Roger is then visited by a neighbor of his, Mimi, who instantly takes a
liking to Roger. But Roger deflects all of her come on's. He later finds out that he and
mimi share a secret and an illness, their addiction to drugs, and they are both taking
AZT. Roger begins to take greater interest in Mimi. Later in the story Roger and Mimi
have become much more romatically involved, so have Collins and Angel. But it comes to a
tragic end when Angel dies. And when Roger later turns from Mimi and heads for Santa Fe.
Unbeknownst to him, Mimi, who is now extremely sick, returns later to Mark and Roger's
place. She now tells Roger that she loves him. And Roger, who has finally found his song,
is able to play and sing it for Mimi. There is a very touching scene where Angel appears
once again in a warm white light.
List and describe the main characters
Mark- Independant Filmmaker
Roger- Independant musician, who is an ex-junkie, is also in love with Mimi.
Mimi- Neighbor of Mark and Roger, who was a junkie, and is in love with Roger.
Identify and explain a key line-
I have always loved you Said by Roger to Mimi. It's his realization of his true feelings,
and through all the chaos, and tragedy that has happened this finally begins to set
things right.
Identify and list any special production requirements-
Guitar
Play Summary #3
The Jest of Hahalaba
Sir Arthur gets an alchemist to call upon the spirit of laughter in order to be granted a
wish. It turns out that the spirit of laughter plays a joke on Sir Arthur that costs him
his life.
Outline the plot-
The story takes place on New Year's Eve, where Sir Arthur Strangeways has called upon an
Alchemist, who is shown in by Sir Arthur's Butler, Snaggs. The Alchemist makes it rather
apparant that he does not want to be there, but Sir Arthur is determined to get what he
wants. The Alchemist knows how to call upon spirits, whether it be the spirit of death,
the spirit of drought or in this case the spirit of laughter. However the Alchemist also
knows of the dangers involved in this, for spirits loath mankind, and plot against them
in every way that they can. Disreguarding the Alchemist's warning to specifically not
call upon the spirit of laughter, he does. But he asks for a simple thing, a file of the
Times newspapers for the year of 1929. This wish is granted by the spirit. And the spirit
disappears, but not before telling Sir Arthur that the newspaper will disappear within an
hour of midnight. Sir Arthur lunges into the papers, going directing to the stock reports
pages, making notes of all the good stocks to buy. The Alchemist all the while telling
him that he should not be doing this, and even though Sir Arthur is telling him that he
will be making millions, and even offering millions to the Alchemist if he helps, he
tries to leave. Sir Arthur lets him out. He then returns to his papers, looking at the
next days paper, he relaxes, only to find that someone has written in the paper the he
has died. He first takes this as a joke, but then he begins to gasp for air, he then
collapses and dies. Snagg's rushes in, finds out that Sir Arthur is dead, and calls up
the Times newspaper, telling them that Sir Arthur has died.
Main Characters-
Sir Arthur Strangeways- Greedy stockmarket played
Snaggs- Sir Arthur Butler
Alchemist- Strange person who knows about the supernatural world.
Hahalaba- The Spirit of Laughter.
Key Line
Be warned Master, and have none of him Said by the Alchemist to Sir Arthur, warning him
not to call upon the spirit of laughter. This is forshadowing the end of the play on how
it will not turn out to be good, and it also makes Sir Arthur want to call upon the
spirit of laughter even more.
Identify and list any special production requirements
White powder- Needs to be used for the calling up of the spirit of laughter, it must be
able to burn quickly when a match is set to it.
Play Summary #4
The Traveler
This is about a man traveling on a train, who is I believe somewhat of a successful and
well-known man. He is greeted almost immediately by the conductor of the train, they
begin a conversation. 
Outline of the plot
Mr. Mercer is a traveler on a train. He gets on the train and is greeted by Morton, the
porter. Morton introduces himself, and then Mr. Mercer introduces himself. Morton
recognizes who Mr. Mercer is, and immediately gets the conductor of the train. The
conductor comes and greets Mr. Mercer, and they begin a conversation about people they
both know, and places they have both been to. It becomes apparant that the conductor, Mr.
Barclay, is being extremely nice to Mr. Mercer. As the train nears its stop, Mr. Barclay
gets up in order to call out the stop of the train, and Mr. Mercer gathers his things. As
Mr. Mercer gets off the train, and says goodbye to his new friend, Mr. Barclay takes a
small address book out of his pocket and writes Mr. Mercer a friend of the company.
Characters
Mr. Mercer- A traveler on a train, a successful person
Mr. Barclay- Conductor of the train
Mr. Morton- Porter on the train
Key Line
I think it would be the 'Mr. Mercer a friend of the company.' line. Because it gives the
whole story a bit of a twist, and opens up the story a bit more.
Requirements-
Scenery for a train.