"There were three bollocks in a cell in Lebanon. An Englishman, an Irishman, and an American. Why they were in that cell was anybody's guess, and why they were in Lebanon was their own guess." (p. 17)

This is how one of the characters describes their own situation. It sounds like the beginning of a joke and indeed, humour-light hearted as well as black-gets its fair share in McGuinness play. But it never truly manages to conceal the desperateness of their situation.

Having been kidnapped for political reasons unknown to them, by people who are only referred to as 'Arabs' or 'the Enemy', the three hostages have to cope with the daily challenge of fear and monotony. While their captor's strength 'depends on silence' as one of the characters observes, their own depends on communication. There are savage fights between the three as well as gentle understanding, uproarious laughter and deep grief. The play takes the audience on a rollercoaster journey through the horrors of captivity, the balm of memory and the unbreakable strength of friendships forged in dire circumstance.

The play is inspired by the true story of Brian Keenan from Northern Ireland, who was kidnapped in 1986 shortly after taking up his position as a lecturer of English at the American University in Beirut. He was released in 1990 after talks between the Irish and the Iranian government. Most of the four years and five months in Lebanese captivity he spent together with John McCarthy, a British journalist. McCarthy had in fact come to Beirut to make a documentary about the hostage situation and was kidnapped shortly after Brian Keenan. The two men became close friends. When Brian Keenan was released he said that to leave behind his co-hostage was 'like losing an arm'. John McCarthy was not released until August 1991 after more than five years in captivity.

"Factory Girls" by Frank McGuinness is an excellent play about five strong and independent women- Ellen, Una, Vera, Rosemary and Rebecca who struggle to keep their jobs in a Shirt Factory in Donegal. Ellen who is the ring leader faces up to the boss,the union and to the women in order to continue being the mother hen!! Throught the play the women rely on Ellen to fight their cause but suddenly they realise that they can and have to do without Ellen. The language used throughout the play is synonmous of working class women. The two male characters(the boss and the trade union man) are small and weak parts but the female superiority really makes up for this. After a threat of reduncacy the women decide to take over the manager's office and refuse contact with the outside world. The story depicted is truely realistic and is an absolutely excellent read. I most enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anybody who is game for a laugh!!! An excellent book.

In "Plays One," all of Frank McGuinness' major plays are offered in their entirity, edited by the playwright himself. Compared to legendary Irish playwright Sean O'Casey, McGuinness' plays are simutaneously striking and complex, and inspire tremendous reflection within the reader. With the exception of the rather simple "Factory Girls," the remainder of McGuinness' plays included in "Plays One" are filled with layer after layer of substance, likely to inspire even the most simple and passive of readers to consider the playwrights many feasible intentions. Whether one is a scholar of Irish Literature or not, it is unlikely that anyone could be disappointed with McGuinness plays. In "Plays One," Frank McGuinness proves that the comparisons to O'Casey are not unwarranted.

I read this play first for pleasure and years later for a English composition II class several years ago and as I read some of the reviews before writing and posting this one I can see that a lot of reviewers that came before me didnt understand the play at all. This play took place over a hundred years ago. The choices for women then were limited plus Nora and Tovald lived In Norway whose laws are sgnificantly different from ours due to time and culture. Nora certainly had her faults but sometimes we are just found stuck in roles society gives us. And what would take more courage to remain in a bad role after a moment of self discovery is made or to walk out of that role and try to grow as a person and discover things about yourself on your own? Nora's choices were very limited. It was stated in the play that by walking away from the marriage she would also have to disclaim any rights to her children in Norway. She had no choice but to give up the rights to her children. Neither Nora nor Tovald knew who she was very well. Sometimes it is much better for the children if a marriage ends because it is bad and has no foundation. But Nora is a very strong and determined character. She forged a bank note to save her husbands life when no one else could. She saves and earns money to pay back the loan. But also she is trapped in the facade of her marriage with Tovald who neither respects her or knows who she really is. Lies beget lies and it is out of the lie of the marriage she is in that she is made to conceal what she did to save her husbands life and tell lies herself. Finally after her husband finds out and is so consumed with how it will look to others that he tells her that the marriage for now on will just be a cover for the benefit of the outside world but he can no longer trust her nor shall she be trusted with her children etc a self discovery moment occurs. Nora and Tovald didnt really know each other nor was the marriage real in any meaning of the word. But when something happens and he has a change of heart about Nora in the blink of an eye Nora realizes that the whole marriage was a lie and in a moment of strength and determination she decides to leave the situation to find something better and grow as a person. But here is the rub Tovald said that she can not be trusted after what she did was revealed to him and that she has lost his respect but this is just a circumstance we are made well aware of in the play . Tovald shows us that he never did trust or respect Nora in the first place so what she is rejecting is a fruadulent marriage. She refused to go on living in that lie any longer. And that decision takes more courage , strength and determination than anyone who has never been in that place will know. I say three cheers for Nora for finally waking up and doing what she had to do!

The Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen subjects his writing to the intricacies of marriage time and time again. He seems to have an omniscient power and ability to observe the sacrament itself, along with the fictional characters whom he creates to engage in these marital affairs. Such is the case with his classic drama, A Doll's House.

The play raises questions about female self-sacrifice in a male-dominated world. Nora is a "wife and child" to Torvald Helmer, and nothing more. She is his doll, a plaything on display to the world, of little intellectual value and even less utility in his life. Thus it is logical for Helmer to act so shockingly upon his discovery that Nora has managed financial affairs (typically a family responsibility reserved for the patriarch) without so much as his consent or knowledge. What, then, is the play saying about women by allowing Nora to act alone and independently, all the while allowing her to achieve little success in doing so?

Such an apparent doubt by the playwright of the abilities of women is quickly redeemed by Nora's sudden mental fruition, as though she, in the course of a day or so, accomplishes the amount of growing up to which most persons devote years and years. She has developed the intuition and motivation to leave behind everything she has lived for during she and Helmer's eight years of marriage in exchange for an independent life and the much-sought virtue of independent thought. Nora suddenly wishes to be alone in the world, responsible for only her own well-being and success or failure. She is breaking free of her crutches (Helmer, her deceased father, the ill-obtained finances from Krogstad) and is now appetent to walk tall and proud.

Through the marital madness of Helmer and Nora, Ibsen is questioning the roles of both husband and wife, and what happens when one person dominates such a relationship in a manner that is demeaning to the other, regardless of whether such degradation is carried out in a conscious, intended frame of mind. Ibsen is truly a master playwright, and his play A Doll's House is truly a masterpiece.

Henrik Ibsen in one of the most famous Norwegian writers thoughout the world. And he is known for his plays where he gives a critical view upon the society.
In this play, everything happens around the main character Nora. She is innocent, naiv and has no education at all, just like most women of her social rank had at that time. Her husband, Torvald, is well known in the city, and his wife is just a "doll". She isn't supposed to have opinions on anything, just smile and look pretty in this male dominated world.
When Torvald Helmer finds out that his wife has "stole" money from her father to be able to pay for a health insitution for him, he's shocked. Nora, not understand what she might have done wrong, was only trying to help her husband, and yet protect her dying father. She wakes up, starting feel independant, wanting to discover herself...
Ibsen was a master of showing different sides of the social levels, and giving a critic view on what he didn't like. He has done it yet again, focusing on the marriage of these two people. Supression and a male dominated world is central aspects, and also the growing feminisme.
The book is worth reading for anyone how loves to read. It is truly one of Ibsen's best plays!