Form, structure and language – WJECUse of language in Blood Brothers
Blood Brothers is a play - this has an impact on its language and structure. The dialogue emphasises the characters’ different classes, while the structure of the play tracks the twins’ development.
The language used in Blood Brothers is primarily naturalisticRepresenting something in a realistic way., to give a realistic impression of conversation between the characters. There is however some use of figurativeSpeaking or writing that is not literal; using figures of speech such as metaphors. language in the songs drawing the audience’s attention to important themes.
One of the key elements of Russell’s use of language in Blood Brothers is the difference between the way the working class characters speak and the way the middle class characters speak. When Mickey and Edward first speak, this contrast is funny for the audience. However, as the play progresses and the twins grow up, the differences between the way they speak emphasises how separate their lives and experiences are, due to their social classes.
The naturalistic way the characters speak means that their emotions are often revealed through how fluent their lines are. When characters are very upset or angry, they speak using a broken syntax, meaning that their sentences are fragmented, with pauses and incomplete moments.
The stage directions are also important to analyse as they show how the characters may be feeling when they speak; they also suggest tone to the reader.