Discuss Look Back in Anger as a (monologue) play, with only one fully realised character

Look Back in Anger as a monologue play

Jimmy Porter, the principle talker dominates the whole monologue play, Look Back in Anger. He is evidently intended to be the chief focus on the stage and he does succeed in holding audience's attention most of the time.  Not only does he make the largest number of speeches in the play, but most of his speeches are extremely long . Nor is there any doubt that the other character pale insignificance beside him. He occupies a commanding position in the play.

As the author's intention is to show Jimmy as the spokesman of post-war youth ,he is to be portrayed in an elaborate manner.  The author could not have paid enough attention to the portrayed of the other characters on that account.  Jimmy had to be depicted from every angle and in all his relationships.Most of the speeches have to be made by him because he is to express his opinions and views on a variety of subjects and his speeches have to be long in order that can express himself adequately at the risk of boring the audience .The author has therefore no alternative but to reduce the scale of the portrayed of other characters. It is in this sense that sense that Look Back in Anger is a one - man play.

We cannot deny the fact that jimmy porter is the only fully realised character in the play .Even though most of Jimmy's speeches have been regarded by the critics as "tirades", there is no doubt that Osborne  took considerable pains in portraying this individual Jimmy is the protagonist who towers over all the other characters. Jimmy is made by the author to express his views on bishops,  class -distinction that prevailed at the time , his views on bishops,  class -distinctions that prevailed at the time,  his views on the hydrogen bomb, church -going,  religious practices and rituals , politics ,  the so- called "Posh" newspapers , Jazz and women in general , on suffering and other matters.

Jimmy's marital life and his attitude to his wife are one of the chief interests of the play.  We find that he is absolutely callous towards his wife,  and treats her in an almost brutal manner . His hatred of the middle -class finds an expression in his raging against his wife's parents and her brothers. 

Jimmy, like Hamlet,  is an intellectual dissatisfied with the contemporary set-up of society . He has his own ideas and notions ;he wants things to change,  something to happen.  But nothing changes , nothing happens. This makes Jimmy angry.  For all these reasons Look Back in Anger is Called a one - man play.