Look Back in Anger by John Osborne
Look Back in Anger, a play by John Osborne. The play was first produced by the English Stage Company at the Royal Court Theatre on 8 May 1956. Look back in Anger was published in 1957.
The play centers on the marital conflicts of Jimmy and Alison Poter.
John Osborne
- John Osborne was a British playwright, screenwriter, and actor who was born in London on December 12, 1929.
- Osborne is best known for his play “Look Back in Anger,” which was first performed in 1956 and is considered a key work of the “Angry Young Men” movement in British theater.
- Osborne’s plays often featured characters who were disillusioned and frustrated with society, and they often explored themes of class conflict, love, and relationships.
- In addition to “Look Back in Anger,” Osborne’s other notable plays include “The Entertainer,” “Inadmissible Evidence,” and “A Patriot for Me.”
- Osborne was also a prolific screenwriter, and he wrote the screenplays for several films, including “Tom Jones” (1963) and “Luther” (1973).
- Osborne was known for his outspoken and controversial personality, and he often made headlines for his outspoken views on politics and social issues.
- Osborne was married five times, and he had four children.
- In 1965, Osborne was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his contributions to the arts.
- In the 1970s, Osborne turned his attention to acting, and he appeared in several stage productions and films.
- Osborne’s work has been translated into numerous languages and has been performed around the world.
- Osborne received several awards and honors throughout his career, including the Evening Standard Award for Best Play (twice), the Tony Award for Best Play, and the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play.
- Osborne died on Christmas Eve 1994 at the age of 65.
- In 2006, a biographical film about Osborne’s life, “John Osborne: The Angry Young Man,” was released.
- A number of Osborne’s plays have been adapted for film and television, including “Look Back in Anger,” “The Entertainer,” and “Inadmissible Evidence.”
- Osborne is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential playwrights of the 20th century, and his work continues to be studied and performed around the world.
John Osborne Plays
- ‘The Devil Inside him’ was staged in 1950.
- ‘Personal Enemy’ was written in 1955
- ‘Epitaph for George Dillon’
- ‘The Entertainer’ in 1957, a highly realistic play
- ‘Inadmissible Evidence
- ‘A patriot for me’
- ‘Play for England’
- ‘A Bond Honoured’
- ‘A sense of Detachment’
- ‘The End of Me Old Cigar’
Look Back in Anger Characters
- Jimmy Porter: The protagonist of the play, Jimmy is a working-class man who is deeply disillusioned with society and the people around him.
- Alison Porter: Jimmy’s wife, Alison is a middle-class woman who is trying to find her place in the world.
- Cliff Lewis: A friend of Jimmy and Alison’s, Cliff is a more easy-going and laid-back character who tries to act as a mediator between Jimmy and Alison.
- Helena Charles: A friend of Alison’s, Helena is an upper-class woman who is engaged to be married to a man named Charles.
- Colonel Redfern: Alison’s father, the Colonel is a retired military officer who is distant and aloof.
- Mr. Baldwin: A friend of the Colonel’s who visits the Porters’ home.
- Mrs. Tanner: A neighbor of the Porters who is nosy and gossipy.
- Mrs. Whitehead: Another neighbor of the Porters who is a bit more compassionate and understanding.
- Mr. Slater: A man who works at the local pub and is friends with Jimmy.
- The Vicar: A local clergyman who visits the Porters’ home to try to offer spiritual guidance to Jimmy.
- A postman: A minor character who delivers mail to the Porters’ home.
- A milkman: A minor character who delivers milk to the Porters’ home.
- A newsboy: A minor character who sells newspapers in the neighborhood.
- A young boy: A minor character who appears in the final scene of the play.
Facts
- “Look Back in Anger” is a play by British playwright John Osborne that was first performed in 1956.
- The play centers on the character of Jimmy Porter, a working-class man who is deeply disillusioned with society and the people around him.
- “Look Back in Anger” is considered a key work of the “Angry Young Men” movement in British theater, which emerged in the 1950s and was characterized by a sense of disillusionment and frustration with the status quo.
- The play made a significant impact on the development of contemporary British drama and is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential plays of the 20th century.
- “Look Back in Anger” has been adapted for film, television, and stage numerous times, and it continues to be produced and studied around the world.
- The play explores themes of love, relationships, class conflict, and the human condition.
- In addition to its impact on theater, “Look Back in Anger” also had a significant cultural impact and helped to define the attitudes and values of a generation.
- “Look Back in Anger” was the first play produced by the Royal Court Theatre in London, and it launched Osborne’s career as a playwright.
- In addition to “Look Back in Anger,” Osborne’s other notable plays include “The Entertainer,” “Inadmissible Evidence,” and “A Patriot for Me.”
- Osborne was also a prolific screenwriter, and he wrote the screenplays for several films, including “Tom Jones” (1963) and “Luther” (1973).
Look Back in Anger Question and Answer
These are popular questions and answers related Look Back in Anger by John Osborne. Most of the students search Look back in Anger MCQs. You can take a Look Back in Anger Quiz.
1. When was John Osborne born?
(a) 1920
(b) 1929
(c) 1925
(d) 1930
Right Answer – (b) 1929
2. Where was John Osborne born?
(a) New York
(b) Paris
(c) London
(d) None of these
Right Answer – (c) London
3. Who was his mother?
(a) Tanner
(b) Nellie Beatrice Grove
(c) Drury
(d) Mrs. Redfern
Right Answer – (b) Nellie Beatrice Grove
4. What was his mother by profession?
(a) Dancer
(b) Social worker
(c) Bar-maid
(d) Call-girl
Right Answer – (c) Bar-maid
5. Osborne was about……when his father died.
(a) twelve
(b) ten
(c) fifteen
(d) twenty
Right Answer – (a) twelve
6. In which boarding house was he sent for study?
(a) Fletcher College
(b) Bellmont College
(c) British College
(d) Salem House
Right Answer – (b) Bellmont College
7. When did Osborne leave the school?
(a) 1946 (b) 1940 (c) 1942 (d) 1944
Right Answer – (a) 1946
8. Which was Osborne’s most successful play?
(a) Hotel in Amsterdam
(b) The Entertainer
(c) Look Back in Anger
(d) Almost a Gentleman
Right Answer – (c) Look Back in Anger
9. When was ‘Look Back in Anger’ performed in?
(a) 1950 (b) 1956 (c) 1914 (d) 1945
Right Answer – (b) 1956
10. In which theatre was it enacted?
(a) Royal Court Theatre
(b) Globe Theatre
(c) London Theatre
(d) English Society Theatre
Right Answer – (a) Royal Court Theatre
11. Which dramatic company performed it?
(a) Royal Stage Company (b) English Stage Company
(c) British Stage Company (d) None of these
Right Answer – (b) English Stage Company
12. How old is Jimmy?
(a) 25
(b) 30
(c) 20
(d) 28
Right Answer – (a) 25
13. How old is Cliff?
(a) Twenty-nine
(b) Twenty-five
(c) Twenty-two
(d) Twenty-one
Right Answer – (b) Twenty-five
14. How old is Alison?
(a) Twenty one (b) Twenty three (c) twenty five (d) Twenty two
Right Answer – (c) twenty five
15. How old is Helena?
(a) Twenty five (b) Twenty eight (c) Eighteen (d) Twenty
Right Answer – (a) Twenty five
16. How old is Colonel Redfern?
(a) Fifty (b) Sixty (c) Fifty five (d) Sixty five
Right Answer – (b) Sixty
17. How many years has he spent as a soldier?
(a) Twenty (b) Twenty five (c) forty (d) Thirty five
Right Answer – (c) forty
18. The play presents the……period.
(a) Post-Second World War (b) Pre-First World War
(c) Post-First World War
(d) None of these
Right Answer – (a) Post-Second World War
19. Which game do Jimmy and Alison play?
(a) Chess
(b) Cards
(c) Bears and Squirrels
(d) Hide and seek
Right Answer – (c) Bears and Squirrels
20. The action of the play opens on……
(a) Sunday (b) Monday (c) Tuesday (d) Friday
Right Answer – (a) Sunday
21. Alison is always busy in……
(a) cooking (b) ironing (c) washing (d) dusting
Right Answer – (b) ironing
22. Who remarks: ‘She’s a beautiful girl, isn’t she?’
(a) Jimmy (b) Helena (c) Cliff (d) Redfern
Right Answer – (c) Cliff
23. Who makes a very moving appeal to all Christians to do all they can to assist in the manufacture of the H-Bam?
(a) Jimmy
(b) Bishop of Bromley
(c) Clift
(d) Hugh
Right Answer – (b) Bishop of Bromley
24. How much does Jimmy spend on the newspaper every week?
(a) Nine pence
(b) Four pence
(c) Ten pence
(d) Twelve pence
Right Answer – (a) Nine pence
25. What is Hallelujah?
(a) Song of loud noise (b) Song of praise to God
(c) Indiscipline
(d) A dramatic character
Right Answer – (b) Song of praise to God
26. Who was Madeline?
(a) Jimmy’s sister
(b) Jimmy’s mother
(c) Jimmy’s mistress
(d) Alison’s friend
Right Answer – (c) Jimmy’s mistress
27. How older was Madeline than Jimmy?
(a) Ten years
(b) Four years
(c) Five years (d) Eight years
Right Answer – (a) Ten years
28. Who calls Jimmy ‘little Marchbanks’?
(a) Helena (b) Cliff (c) Alisen (d) Redfern
Right Answer – (b) Cliff
29. Who is Nigel?
(a) Jimmy’s friend
(b) Jimmy’s brother
(c) Alison’s brother
(d) None of these
Right Answer – (c) Alison’s brother
30. Whom does Jimmy call Lady Pusillanimous?
(a) Alison
(b) Helena
(c) Alison’s mother
(d) Jimmy’s mother
Right Answer – (a) Alison
31. Who is Jimmy’s landlady?
(a) Mrs. Redfern
(b) Miss Drury
(c) Mrs. Tanner
(d) None of these
Right Answer – (b) Miss Drury
32. Who applies soap on Alison’s burn?
(a) Cliff
(b) Jimmy
(c) Helena (d) None
Right Answer – (a) Cliff
33. After……of married life, Alison is pregnant.
(a) five years (b) three years (c) two years
(d) six years
Right Answer – (b) three years
34. Who is regarded as a mouse?
(a) Jimmy (b) Nigel
(c) Cliff
(d) Hugh
Right Answer – (c) Cliff
35. Who does Jimmy love the most?
(a) Ya Hugh’s mother
(b) Alison’s mother
(c) Jimmy’s mother
(d) Cliff’s mother
Right Answer – (a) Ya Hugh’s mother
36. Who is Mrs. Tanner?
(a) landlady
(b) Hugh’s mother
(c) Jimmy’s mother
(d) Alison’s mother
Right Answer – (b) Hugh’s mother
37. When Jimmy plays the bear, Alison……
(a) squirrel
(b) she-bear
(c) fox
(d) sheep
Right Answer – (a) squirrel
38. Who comes to live with Alison?
(a) Colonel Redfern
(b) Nigel
(c) Helena Charles
(d) Mrs. Tanner
Right Answer – (c) Helena Charles
39. Who calls Jimmy’s house a menagerie?
(a) Helena
(b) Cliff
(c) Alison (d) Redfern
Right Answer – (a) Helena
40. What is a menagerie?
(a) A madhouse
(b) a place to collect wild animals
(c) A playground
(d) Ruined building
Right Answer – (b) a place to collect wild animals
41. To what year does the action of the play belong?
(a) 1924 (b) 1920
(c) 1930 (d) 1940
Right Answer – (a) 1924
42. In which year did Colonel Redfern leave England?
(a) 1920 (b) 1914
(c) 1925
(d) 1910
Right Answer – (b) 1914
43. Colonel Redfern served in the army of……
(a) East India Company
(b) The Burmese Police
(c) The Maharaja
(d) Indian Government
Right Answer – (c) The Maharaja
44. Who is worth half a dozen Helenas as to Jimmy?
(a) Cliff
(b) Alison
(c) Hugh’s mother
(d) Madeline
Right Answer – (b) Alison
45. Who remarks that Jimmy was born out of his time?
(a) Alison (b) Helena
(c) Cliff
(d) Redfern
Right Answer – (b) Helena
46. Who comments that Jimmy wants a kind of cross between a mother and a Greek courtesan……
(a) Helena (b) Cliff
(c) Alison (d) Redfern
Right Answer – (c) Alison
47. Who remarks: ‘They all want to escape from the pain of being alive’?
(a) Jimmy (b) Helena (c) Cliff (d) Alison
Right Answer – (a) Jimmy
48. Who says, ‘Don’t you see! I’m in the mud at last ?’
(a) Helena (b) Alison
(c) Cliff
(d) Redfern
Right Answer – (b) Alison
49. Jimmy stands frozen for a moment when……
(a) Helena slaps his face
(b) Alison collapses at his feet
(c) Alison leaves him
(d) Cliff leaves him
Right Answer – (b) Alison collapses at his feet
50. What does Alison say when Jimmy says pathetically “Poor Squirrels!
(a) Dear Darling
(b) Poor bears
(c) Love me
(d) Nothing
Right Answer – (b) Poor bears
51. In which scene does Helena appear in the play?
(a) Act II Scene 1
(b) Act II Scene II
(c) Act III Scene I
(d) Act III Scene II
Right Answer – (a) Act II Scene 1
52. In which scene does Colonel Redfern appear?
(a) Act I Scene II
(b) Act II Scene II
(c) Act III Scene II
(d) Act III Scene I
Right Answer – (b) Act II Scene II
53. In which scene does Cliff give up Jimmy?
(a) Act III Scene II
(b) Act II Scene I
(c) Act III Scene I
(d) Act II Scene II
Right Answer – (c) Act III Scene I
54. In which scene does Helena seduce Jimmy?
(a) Act I Scene I
(b) Act II Scene II
(c) Act III Scene I
(d) Act II Scene I
Right Answer – (b) Act II Scene II
55. In which Act do Jimmy and Alison play the Bears and Squirrels game?
(a) Act I
(b) Act II
(c) Act II
(d) None of these
Right Answer – (a) Act I
These are the Multiple-Choice questions and answers from Look Back in Anger.
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