HAY FEVER

BY
NOEL COWARD
Mallory Carty
TJ Preston
Kallie Jung
Kathleen Duke
SETTING
Summer of 1920s in Cookham, England. A
June afternoon to morning. In the Bliss
house, the play is set mostly in their hall.
PLOT SUMMARY
Family of four: David, Judith, Sorel, Simon
Each member invites a friend for the
weekend
David- Jackie
Judith- Sandy
Sorel- Richard
Simon- Myra
PLOT SUMMARY CONTINUED
Family tries to act civilized for their guests
As the day unfolds, each guest looks to
another family member for comfort.
The family soon shows their dysfunction,
which ends up scaring away their guests.
Guests soon plot their escape only one day
into the weekend.
INCITING INCIDENT
When the family members found out they
each invited a guest without telling anyone
Immediately works up friction among the
family
Tension doesnt reside even when guests
arrive
CLIMAX
The family and guests play a parlor game (a
form of charades)
Craziness of the family starts to really show
THREE MAJOR ISSUES
Family issues- you can assume that this particular
family has a complex, twisted past that interferes
with their relationship today, stemming from their
differing personalities.
Relationship issues/adultery- as the guests find
solace in a different family member that invited
them, relationships are torn apart and marriages
are ruined
Line between sanity/insanity- we see how the
family as a whole covers up their insane attitude
from their guests for only a short time, and that
when revealed, the guests arent remotely
attracted to them.
THEME
Communication is key
The family only falls into chaos because of
their miscommunication. The guests dont
understand the family or anything they say,
which is the downfall of the weekend.
CHARACTERS
Judith (mother)- retired actress in her late
40s, she wants to start theater back up.
Melodramatic and one for theatrics, she isnt
concerned with solving the problems in an
argument.
Simon (son)- early 20s, unemployed, and a
control freak, Simon takes after his mother;
hes passive aggressive and rather selfish
CHARACTERS CONTINUED
Sorel (daughter)- early 20s, Sorel is more of
a daddys girl. She has anger issues, as shes
always bickering with Simon, but cares for
her guests and wants the best for the family.
PROTAGONIST
Not one person, like in most plays
Whole family is the protagonist, since the
play focuses primarily on the family as a
whole
The family itself is innocent in the play, and
the problem doesnt stem from their
insanity; their insanity simply magnifies the
problem.
ANTAGONIST
Not one person, like the protagonist.
Guests as a whole are the antagonists. They
create the tension that ultimately fuels the
arguments the family has.
SCENES AND MONOLOGUES
Judith monologue page 15
Scene between 4 guests page 57
Simon monologue page 21
Scene between 4 family members page 60
Scene between Myra/ David page 44
Sorel monologue page 27
VOCABULARY
Winsomely: an engaging manner (mentioned
during game)
Saucily: an impudent or impertinent
manner(mentioned during game)
Diplomatist: an official engaged in
international negotiations (Richards
occupation)
Dieppe: French city (they visited there,
shows theyre upper class)
Slapdash: careless/reckless manner
(describes family
VOCAB CONTINUED
Bohemian: unconventional, especially in
appearance or behavior (Richard describes the
family as such)
Blas: nonchalantly unconcerned (Sorel
describes Simon as this)
Magnanimously: generous and understanding
(Judith sarcastically described as this)
Abject: showing humiliation/ submissiveness
(Jackie described as this)
Affectation: a deliberate pretense or
exaggerated display (Myras relationship with
David
UNFAMILLIAR REFERENCES
Place de Concorde: a road
Rue St. Honore: a road
Charlie Templeton: Canadian cartoonist
Maiden Head: City in the UK
COMMENTS
Kallie and Kathleen liked fast paced speed of
the show, TJ and Mallory didnt.
Liked how each family member was their
own type of crazy
Liked the ending and how it shows the utter
insanity of the family
Got kind of confusing at times
Would recommend to a friend because it was
very funny, witty, and an overall good read.