Class in Downton Abbey

1. Representation of class in TV
drama

2. Downton Abbey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lMjqSifg
AA

3. Mise en scene
Servants bedroom is small, plain and dull- could be
representative of their life, also cannot afford to have
decorations such as the ones in the house eg. Big bookshelves,
flowers, paintings which are very expensive
Daisy keeps looking up when walking through the house to
empathise the large size and her admiring the decorations,
however they are out of reach for her
Butler man wearing suit and neat hair, showing he is more
wealthy and has to keep up higher reputation by looking
presentable

4. Sound
• “Is the library tidy?” “Yes Mrs Hughes”
Working class taking orders from higher class,
Calling her Mrs Hughes not first name- she is higher
class than them they look up to her, they show
respect to higher class
• Bells ringing- “And they’re off” “No rest for the
wicked”
They are used to repetitive hard work and get few
breaks

5. Editing
• Zoom in onto William’s face when reading the
newspaper to empathise realisation
• Fast paced editing when servants are sitting at
the table then the bells start ringing meaning
they have to work. Highlights their work has to
be done quickly and creates a busy
atmosphere

6. Camera
• Long tracking shot of servant Daisy then the
man, no cuts, showing the difference between
them ( girl carrying bucket, man carrying
crystal glasses) but linking them together to
show that they are actually similar
• Close up of the keys then shows Mrs Hughes is
holding them- shows she is higher status &
more power and importance