Blood brothers willy russell

Blood Brothers
Willy Russell
Revision – To prepare for the literature exam

Exam date:
Length of exam: 2 hours
What will be on the exam?
Section A: Contemporary Drama
Section B: Literary Heritage Prose
Each section is split into 2 parts:
a) A short extract of text followed by
a question.
Time: 20 mins
a) A choice of two essay-style
question.
Time: 40 mins
Blood brothers will be the first question you will find in the literature question
booklet.

2 questions
Q.1 EXTRACT question (10 marks
= 20 minutes)
Q.2 WHOLE TEXT question (20
marks = 40 minutes)

AO1 (B - C Mark scheme) - Candidates:
• make more detailed reference to text;
• discuss thoroughly, and increasingly thoughtfully,
characters and relationships;
• probe the sub-text with increasing confidence;
• select and evaluate relevant textual details;
• understand and demonstrate how writers use ideas,
• themes and settings to affect the reader;
• convey ideas clearly and appropriately.
A02 (B - C Mark scheme) - Candidates:
• see how different aspects of style and
structure combine to create effects;
• show increasingly clear appreciation of how
meanings and ideas are conveyed through
language, structure and form.
A01 (A - A* Mark scheme) - Candidates:
• make increasingly assured selection and
incorporation of relevant detail;
• are able to speculate/offer tentative judgements;
• are able to evaluate characters/relationships and
attitudes/motives;
• at the highest level, consistently handle texts with
confidence, have an overview and ability to move
from the specific to the general:
• convey ideas persuasively and cogently with apt
textual support.
•
A02 (A - A* Mark scheme) - Candidates:
• show appreciation of how writers use
language to achieve specific effects;
• make assured exploration and evaluation of
the ways meaning, ideas and feeling are
conveyed through language, structure and
form;
• at the highest level, make assured analysis of
stylistic features.
Assessment objectives for this section of the exam:
AO1 Respond to texts critically and imaginatively; select and evaluate relevant textual detail to illustrate and support
interpretations.
AO2 Explain how language, structure and form contribute to writers' presentation of ideas, themes and settings.

Mrs Johnstone
Mickey. Don’t shoot Eddie. He’s
your brother. You had a twin
brother. I couldn’t afford to
keep both of you.
New shoes on the
table, take them off…
“They say I’m
incapable of controllin’
the kids I’ve already
got.”
I’ll have a look in the
catalogue next week.
We’ll see what the
bikes are like in there.
He’s gone, he’s gone
up to heaven,
love.
“I love the bones of
everyone of them.”
I’d spend it. I’d buy
more junk and
trash; that’s all. I don’t
want your money.
“But like they say at the
Welfare, kids can’t live
on love alone.”
“couldn’t I keep
them together for a
few more days,
please, please,
they’re a pair, they
go together.”
Mickey:
‘Oh thanks, mam. I
love y’

Personality Role
o Naturally maternal character, embracing new life and being a
caring person.
o Rash decision on impulse. For example, she buys lots of items
from a catalogue on credit despite knowing she probably
won’t be able to pay for them later.
o Strong, generous character knowing almost instinctively
what’s right and wrong,
o Largely unselfish because she is shown only to have concern
for the child, foreseeing a more comfortable life for him.
o Naturally a kind and loving mother
o Hard to discipline her children and keep them under control.
o Lively and has a zest for life. This can be clearly seen in her
love of dancing, but also in her general attitude,
o Happy-go-lucky, follows her instincts.
o At the start of the play she is working for Mrs Lyons, she finds that
she is having twins.
o At first she refuses Mrs Lyons attempts to bribe her but she agrees
under extreme pressure.
o She is dismissed, she disapproves of Mickey & Eddie's friendship,
and she gives Eddie the locket before he goes.
o She rejoices due to the fact that she is being re-housed.
o She jokes about Sammy getting suspended from school for burning
the school down and blames it on the school "silly gets play with
magnesium"
o Later on when Mickey & Eddie meet again she doesn't stop them
from becoming friends. When Mickey goes to jail she convinces
herself that it is only a light romance between Eddie & Linda.
o Just before they die she tells them the truth.
Development Other Information
o 25 years old at the start of the play and has already had seven
children.
o Refuses Mrs Lyons’ attempts to bribe her showing that she
values people above money
o Does agree under extreme pressure to give Mrs Lyons one of
her children.
o Superstitious "shoes on the table" sign of bad luck.
o Lacks concern for the education of her children, taking little
interest when Mickey & Sammy are suspended from school.
o She does not really concern herself with causes or
explanations of the events in her life, instead accepting them
as they happen.
o Religious rulings against contraception?
o Circumstances make it hard for her to be a straightforwardly ‘good’
person.
o When Sammy burns the school down instead of scolding him she
casually jokes that it was the school’s fault for letting ‘the silly gets
play with magnesium’.
o Uneducated and does not value intellectual or academic pursuits.
o Poor & trapped by poverty. This makes it very difficult for her to
care for her children and is ultimately the reason that she gives
Edward away to Mrs Lyons.
o Sacrifice any youthful enjoyment for the life she has.
o Superstitious

Mrs Lyons
There’s no such thing as a
bogey man. It’s a
– a superstition.
Mrs Johnstone, nobody
must ever know.
Therefore we have to make
an agreement
…just for a while I came
to believe that he
was actually mine.
“I don’t want her to hold
the baby, Richard. She’s...
I don’t want the baby to
catch anything.”
“We made an
agreement, a
bargain. You
swore on the
bible.”
July… and my husband
doesn’t get back
until, the middle of July.
He need never guess.
Wherever I go you’ll be
behind me. I know
that now…always and
forever like, like a shadow.
“You gave your baby away. Don’t
you realise what a crime that is?
You’ll be locked up. You sold your
baby.”
“They say... they say
that if either twin learns
that he once was a pair,
they shall both
immediately die.”
Even when – when he was a tiny baby I’d see
him looking straight at me and I’d he think, he
knows…he knows. (pause.) You have ruined
me. (Pause.) But you won’t ruin Edward! Is it
money you want?’

Personality Role
o lonely housewife,
o cold character who finds it difficult to be affectionate
towards others.
o self-centred character who uses others for her own
gain.
o Over-protective mother, who is always anxious about
Edward,
o At the start of the play, she is the one who Mrs
Johnstone works for.
o Manipulates Mrs Johnstone's superstitious mind into
giving her one of the twins, then dismisses her.
o When she finds out that Edward has befriended
Mickey she moves away to the country because of her
'health.'
o When she reunites with Mrs Johnstone she bribes her,
but Mrs J refuses, then she grabs a knife and
threatens her.
o When Edward has an affair with Linda she is the one
to tell Mickey the truth, but she was only doing this to
cause trouble.
o Once Mrs Johnstone has handed over Edward, she no
longer needs her and cruelly discards her,
manipulating her through preying on her uneducated
and superstitious mind.
o overcome by anxieties and suspicions in later scenes,
o results of excessive loneliness and a loveless life.
o unreasonable and is possibly mad when she attacks
Mrs Johnstone
o circumstances certainly haven’t helped: she and her
husband are unable to have children naturally and her
husband spends long periods at work away from
home.
o Tries to keep Edward away from Mickey because she
doesn’t want him ‘mixing with boys like that’
o "If either learns that they were once a pair, they shall
both immediately die," Mrs Lyons to Mrs Johnstone

Mickey Johnstone
Sammy:
‘Look at y’ Mickey. What
have y’ got? Nothin’, like
me Mam. Where y’ takin
y’ tart for New Year?
Nowhere.’
Edward – To Mrs
Lyons
‘I like him more
than you.’
‘we were born on
the same
day….that means
we can be blood
brothers.’
‘See this means
that we’re blood
brothers, an’ that
we always have to
stand by each
other.’
Edward: (awed) ‘Pissed off.
You say smashing things
don’t you? Do you know any
more words like that?
Yeh, I know loads of words
like that. Y’know like the “f”
word.
Mickey:
‘there’s very little to
celebrate, Eddie.’
Erm… well, the
thing is.. Linda,
I’ve erm.. Linda
for Christ’s sake
will you go out
with me?
Aah… take
no notice.
We’ve been
caught loads
of times by
policemen..
haven’t we
Linda?
Round here if
y’ask for a
sweet, y’have
to ask
about twenty
million times.
“he’s feelin’ fifteen
years older/And his
speech is rather
slow...you’d think
he was dead”
“Why didn’t you give me away! I could have been... I could
have been him!”

o Personality Role
o Friendly, excitable boy
o Likes to play adventure games with others and sneak
off to pull pranks.
o Shy about his emotions
o Feels the need to impress Sammy
o Likes Edward’s generosity and, in turn, enjoys being
able to show him new things
o "I could've been him."
o He is the twin that stays with Mrs Johnstone, the
working class twin.
o He meets Edward when he was 7 and both their
parents want them to stay away from each other.
o He moves away as his family is being re-housed.
o He meets Edward again, gets suspended from school,
gets a job.
o Marries Linda who is pregnant, gets fired by Mr
Lyons.
o Bribed by Sammy, ends up in jail, gets addicted to
anti-depressants, Mrs Lyons tells him about Edward
& Linda (who are having an affair)
o Gets Sammy's gun, misfires and shoots Sammy, the
police shoot him.
o Becomes even more withdrawn after becoming
unemployed.
o More interested in getting a job.
o Edward gives Mickey a chance to shine and be a
leader and escape the oppression he feels from his
brother, school and general poverty
o He feels like his friendship with Edward is fading
because of their different social backgrounds, e.g.
when he loses his job Edward can't understand
because it's never happened to him
o Looks up to his older brother Sammy and often feels
like a cast-off in comparison to him.
o Not very well educated.
o Does not show interest in his schooling
o Suspended for ridiculing his teacher

Edward Lyons
I thought you didn’t
like me. I thought you
weren’t very nice. But
I think you’re
smashing.
I’ve always loved you,
you must have known
that. (To Linda)
It’s just a secret,
everybody has
secrets,
don’t
you have
secrets?
“Don’t you
know what a
dictionary is?
Mickey
“Course I do...
It’s a, it’s a
thingy innit?”
To Linda
“If I could
stand inside
his shoes
I’d say,
How can I
compare
thee to a
summer’s
day”
On university
“It’s fantastic. I
haven’t been to
so many parties
in my life.”
“Why... why is a
job so
important?”
“I wish I could believe in
all that blood brothers
stuff. But I can’t, because
while no one was looking
I grew up. An’ you
didn’t, because you
didn’t need to; and I
don’t blame you for it”
(Micky to Eddie)
“I’ve got money, plenty of it. I’m back, let’s forget about bloody jobs, let’s go and get
Linda and celebrate.”

Personality Role
o Friendly, generous character.
o Feels restricted
o Revels in Mickey’s liveliness, bad language and risky
games.
o Impulsive character and one who doesn’t think too
deeply about the consequences of his actions.
o Lack compassion and does not sympathise with
Mickey’s unemployment worries.
o He was the twin that was given to Mrs Lyons.
o He was raised in a middle class school, met Mickey
when he was 7, moved away to the country because of
his mother’s 'health.'
o Went to a posh boarding school, got suspended for not
taking the locket off, meets Linda and Mickey again at
14.
o Goes to university, when he returns Mickey is
miserable as he is unemployed, tries to cheer him up,
instead Mickey gets annoyed at how he can never
know how he's feeling.
o When Mickey goes to jail, he helps Linda, they have
an affair (or a 'light romance' according to Mrs
Johnstone.)
o He is a successful businessman, councillor Edward
Lyons.
o He is shot by Mickey
o Naively offers him sweets in an attempt to impress
him.
o Unselfishly tries to get Mickey to express his love for
Linda
o Tells Mickey to use his dole money to live like a
‘Bohemian’.
o He arranges for Mickey to have a job, but does so
o When he moves away Mrs Johnstone gives him a
locket with a picture of Mickey, Mrs Lyons later
mistakes the picture of Mickey for Edward.
o Raised in a middle-class home and is educated at a
private school.
o Easily influenced by Mickey and Linda?

Linda
I get depressed but I
don’t take those.
You don’t
need those, Mickey.
I suppose I
always…loved you, in a
way. (To Eddie)
Oh, leave him alone
you. Y’ big worm!
You better hadn’t do
anything soft, like him.
(To Mickey about
Sammy)
To Sammy, defending
Mickey “I’ll tell my mother
why all her ciggies always
disappear when you’re in our
house.”
On Mickey taking
tablets “I need you. I
love you. But,
Mickey, not when
you’ve got them
inside you.”
‘When you
die you’ll
meet your
twinny again,
won’t y’?’
Mickey:
Just one thing I had
left, Eddie – Linda –
an’ I wanted to keep
her’

Personality Role
o Naturally kind and compassionate
character.
o Feisty and humorous, joining
Edward and Mickey in their games
and often leading the way.
o Strong-willed and very supportive of
Mickey
o She meets Edward & Mickey when
she was 7, she is the leader of the trio,
and she comes at Mickey's aid
whenever needed.
o When Mickey ends up in prison she
goes to Edward as a last resort to
seek for guidance before having an
affair with him.
o Her circumstances have trapped her.
o Mickey’s aid both when he is
suspended from school and when he
is mocked by the other children.
o Tries to protect Mickey & keeps
pushing him to give up his drugs.
o Her betrayal of Mickey suggests that
she is in some ways untrustworthy
o Linda is from a poor family like
Mickey.
o Lack of education and money allows
her no real chance of happiness once
Mickey becomes a depressed drug
addict.
o She asks Edward for help before
having an affair with him

Sammy Johnstone
Sammy:
‘’Cos when we
swear…we cross our
fingers!’
Sammy:
‘Look at y’ Mickey.
What have y’ got?
Nothin’, like me
Mam. Where y’
takin y’ tart for
New Year?
Nowhere.’

Personality Role
o Aggressive and threatening.
o Enjoy making fun of others,
especially Mickey.
o When Mickey is 7, he makes fun of
him.
o When he is trying to get a bus pass
for school children, and the bus
driver says he's to old he threatens
him with a knife.
o When Mickey is redundant he
offers him a job as a look out.
o He kills a filling station worker
o He is presented as anti-social and
criminal,
o He has no outlet for his hostile
tendencies, he has no job or money.

Personality Role
o Distant figure to his wife and son
o Doesn't get involved in their affairs.
o Indifferent to the people whose lives he
can directly affect - his workforce
o When the bargain between Mrs Lyons &
Mrs Johnstone was made, he was working
away.
o He doesn't know the truth, but seems to like
to please his wife so he agrees to move
away.
o He makes Mickey redundant.
o Wealthy businessman
o Long periods of time away from his
family
o Mickey a heartless redundancy letter.
o Managing director of the factory where
Mickey worked before Mickey was made
redundant.
o Provides money and homes in wealthy
areas
o Expensive schooling for Edward

Social Class
• In this country, class effects how people are able to live
their lives and the situations they are in.
• In 'Blood Brothers' Mrs Johnstone lives in a poor end of
Liverpool, struggling to bring up eight children on her
own; she was forced to give one away to keep the others
clothed and fed.
• Mrs Lyons, whom she works for, lives in a large house,
very comfortably in a nice part of Liverpool. She wants
children but is unable to have any, even though she is
rich.

Class
• "He's a poshy "
• Sweet sharing
• "You’re not the same as him"
• Social class keeps them apart splits them and kills them
(Mickey and Edward)
• Police man isn't nice to Mrs J but is nice to Mr L
• Families

Class
Mrs Johnstone:
‘you’ve not had much of a
life with me, have y’?’
Mickey:
‘Don’t be stupid, course I
have. You’re great, you
are, Mam.’
Policeman
To Mrs J “And he was about to commit a
serious crime, love... You don’t wanna end
up in court again, do y’?”
To Mr L “it was more of a prank, really...
I’m not sure I’d let him mix with the likes
of them in the future. Make sure he keeps
with his own kind”
Mrs Lyons:
‘you see why I don’t want you mixing
with boys like that! You learn filth
from them and behave like this like a,
like a horrible little boy, like them.
But you are not like them. You are my
son, mine, an you won’t, you won’t
ever….’
Mrs Lyons (To Edward)
‘you’re not the same as
him.’

Poverty and Debt
• No money for milk man
• The kids are starving
• "living on the never never"
• No money to pay for the things bought out the catalogue
• "havn't got a hat to tilt at the world"
• Free school lunches
The debt Mrs L and Mrs J made by separating the twins.
Narrator:
‘But a debt is a debt, and must
be paid.’
Finance Man:
‘If y’ know y’ can’t
pay, y’ shouldn’t
bloody well sign.
Kid Two:
‘’Ey Mam, how come I’m on free
dinners?

Superstition
• Links to the Narrator
• Bogey man
• swearing on the Bible
• Fingers crossed
• Blood brothers pact
• Knocking the shoes off the table
• Magpie
• cracked glass
• spilled salt
• Spider window killed
• Full moon shining
• walking on pavement cracks
• devils got your number
• staring through windows
• creeping down the hall
• gypsies in the wood
Mrs Lyons:
‘There’s no such
thing as a bogey
man. It’s a – a
superstition. The sort
of thing a silly
mother might say to
her children – “the
bogey man will get
you”.’

Superstition
“do we blame
superstition for what
came to pass?/Or
could it be what we,
the English, have
come to know as
class?
Sammy:
‘’Cos when we
swear…we cross our
fingers!’
Mrs Johnstone:
‘never put new shoes on a
table…..You never know
what’ll happen.’
Edward: ‘It’s a
magpie, never look
at one magpie. It’s
one for sorrow…’
Narrator:
‘…the broken
looking glass.
Oh y’ know the
devil’s got your
number.’Narrator:
‘the reckoning day’
Mrs Lyons:
‘I curse the
day I met
you. You
ruined me.’
‘I curse you.
Witch!
Narrator:
‘someone said the
bogey man was seen
around the town.’
Narrator:
‘And maybe,
if you counted
ten and kept
your fingers
crossed…’
Narrator:
‘There’s a black cat stalking
and a woman who’s afraid’ (73)

Love
• Love is a theme, shown by the two women who love their
sons but show it in completely different ways. Along with
superstition, this is the basis of the whole story and is a
theme that continues throughout the whole play, the
consequences of most events can be traced back to
superstition and love.
• It is also the reason for the tragic end of the play.

Friendship
• Friendship between Mickey, Eddie and Linda; they are all
friends, but it gradually breaks apart.
• Mickey and Linda's friendship develops into love.
• Mickey and Eddie's friendship firstly breaks up when
Eddie is forced to move away by his parents, then again
later in the play when Mickey becomes depressed and
becomes jealous of Eddie (leading to the tragic ending)
• Hate then becomes part of the play, as Mrs Lyons comes
to despise Mrs Johnstone because of the situation both
women are in with the twins.

Guilt
• Mrs Johnstone is filled with guilt throughout most of the
play because of giving her son Edward away to Mrs
Lyons.
• However Mrs Lyons also feels guilty because she has lied
to everyone about Edward being her own son, she lied to
her husband, friends, family and even Edward himself.
Mickey also starts to feel guilty because he is so
depressed he cannot support himself or his family (Linda
and their child) and he has to rely on Linda and Mrs
Johnstone to support him.
Mickey:
‘I didn’t sort anythin’
out Linda. Not a job,
not a house, nothin’

Death
• Death of the worms
• Death of the brothers Mickey and Edward
• Death of the guy Sammy killed
• Mrs L trying to Kill Mrs J

Blood brothers willy russell

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