English chapter of the dear departed ppt is created bt MERAJ ALAM studing in Rahul International School (R.I.S.) and staying in MUMBAI (Nallasopara (e) )

1. RTED
BY Meraj Alam
X-B ; 22
RA

2. ABEL MERRYWEATHER
(Grandfather)
HENRY FORD
Mrs. SLATER
BEN JORDAN
Mrs. JORDAN
HUSBAND &
WIFE
HUSBAND & WIFE

3. ABOUT THE PLAY
“The Dear Departed” was the
first of many to be reproduced
at the gaiety theatre. It is a
pungent satire on the moral
degradation of British middle-
class society. The two sister,
Mrs. Slater and Mrs. Jordan, are
so mean and materialistic that
instead. Of mourning over their
father’s death, they planned to
divide his belongings. When the
old man says that ,He will ,

4. A
B
O
U
T
T
H
E
W
R
I
T
E
R
Stanley Houghton (22 February
1881–10 December 1913) was an
English playwright. He was a
prominent member, together
with Allan Monk house and Harold
Brighouse, of a group known as
the Manchester School of
dramatists. His best known play
is Hindle Wakes. In every play he
sought to present an idea. He had

5. LET’S START ABOUT FROM THE
CHARACTERS OF THE PLAY

6. He is an old widower. Since the death of his wife, he has been living, by
turns, with his daughters Amelia Slater and Elizabeth Jordan. He is fun-
loving, jovial man who likes to go to the pub and have a drink. He is
quick-witted and too intelligent to be fooled by any show of affection by
his daughters. He knows them too well. But still, because they are his
daughters he was planning to leave them something in his will. However,
when he discovers however they behaved, believing him to be dead.
He decides to change his will, leave everything to the person he is living
with at d time of death, and also decides to marry a widow, Mrs.
Shorrocks, the keeper of "Ring-o-Bells". He is a likeable old man, much
better than his daughters.

7. Henry Slater, the husband of Amelia ,is a stooping ,
heavy man with a drooping moustache. He is not
mean like his wife but he has no strength to
contradict what his wife says.
When Amelia asks him to put on the slipper of
grandfather, he reluctant to do it. He is a selfish and
cunning, but not to the extent his wife is.

8. Mrs. Slater or rather Amelia is a very vigorous plump,
vulgar, selfish and a greedy type of lady.. She is
ready to do anything to do her work and she also
has no feelings for her father, rather she only has
concern about the belongings this shows that
Amelia is a very disgusting lady. She is ever ready
with a lie.

9. Ben Jordan is the husband of Elizabeth. He is a jolly
little man accustomed to be humorous. He has
bright Chirpy little voice. Chirpily he remarks, ‘We
have all got to die sometime or other’. Even on a
grave occasion, he humorously remark about the
grandfather ,”If there was one thing he couldn’t
bear ,it was water.”Internally he is very timid.

10. In the play, the "dear departed", Victoria is envious,
opportunist as well as very mean. She always were in search
of chances to grab their parents valuables. Rather than
being sad at heart to their so called dead father, they were
and chances to grab all the valuables and belongings. This
shows that both of the woman were not at all affectionate
towards each other nor did they follow their filial obligation
towards their parents and considered him as a burden.

13. OR YOU CAN
SAY,
A GIST OF THE
PLAY….

14. Play opens with Mrs. . Slater (Amelia) (daughter of Abel Merryweather &
wife of Henry Slater)
Mrs. Slater is preparing to receive her sister Mrs. Elizabeth Jordan with her
husband Mr. Ben Jordan
Though the ‘death’ has been discovered a few hours ago, Mrs. Slater hardly
seems grief-stricken.
She instructs her 10 year old daughter Victoria to change into a white frock
with a black sash (cloth belt)
Mrs. Slater grabs Grandpa’s new pair of carpet slippers asks her husband to
wear them( despite them being of a smaller size)
She also hastily shifts his new Bureau to her room and substitutes it with an
old, discarded and shabby chest of drawers.
REASON--- The Jordans are visiting the Slaters to “talk over” the father’s
affairs as the Slaters have informed them about the death of the old man.
REASON—if her aunt (Mrs. Jordan) were to discover her in a colorful dress
soon after her grandfather’s death, she would get sarcastic and taunting.

15. She makes sure all this is done hurriedly, with main door locked so that her
sister (Mrs. Jordan) doesn’t arrive and see.
 She also warns her daughter Victoria not to open the door even if the Jordans
arrive till the shifting is complete.
Henry Slater feebly attempts to stop her as all this does not appear ‘delicate’
to him (After-all grandfather had just died!)
Victoria also dislike s this ‘pinching’ (Stealing) but Mrs. Slater is hardly
bothered.
Mrs. Slater has just one thing on her mind---that that particular piece of
furniture should look like it had always been in her room and belonged to the
Slaters, because she didn’t want Mrs. Jordan to claim/bargain over it as part of
their father’s property.
She also grabs the grandfather clock.
Her mourning dress is not quite up to the mark and the fact that her sister
(Mrs. Jordan) might outshine her was a fact that was strongly playing on her
mind.
The Slaters are in for a shock----the Jordans arrive while they are in the
process of shifting furniture

16. The Jordans are dressed in complete and proper mourning outfits.
The sisters meet each other and pose that they are greatly disturbed. They
seem to be sniffing non-existent tears.
The Jordans then accuse the Slaters of not sending for a doctor if Mr.
Pringle ( the family doctor was unavailable)
The Slaters attempt to defend this.
The conversation moves on and Mrs. Slater informs how their father had
gone out early , soon after breakfast to pay the insurance premium.
She also declares how he had come back drunk and fallen asleep.
She further mentions how his dinner tray had to be kept on the Bureau as
he was asleep.
 She quickly realizes that they had shifted furniture and says the tray was
put on the ‘chest of drawers. She was relieved that nobody really noticed.
She then also tells how she found her father lying dead and cold in the bed
and how Henry was informed about it.
The Jordans who had come to the Slaters on the sad occasion of the father’s
death preferred to have tea before going to have a look at his dead person
to pay tribute.
In the meantime they also discuss the obituary note that they would like to
put in the newspaper.

17. It is indeed troublesome as a reader to notice that these characters are
all keen to have something ‘more for the look of it’ (about the obituary)
rather than as a content to express heart-felt grief.
Leaving the obituary topic undecided, Mrs. Jordan suggests that a list
of all grandfather’s assets should be drawn up.
In the same breath she claims that her father had promised his gold
watch to Jimmy, her son
Mrs. Slater expresses her doubt about this.
Ben brushes aside this topic and asks if the Slaters had the receipt of
the premium paid by Mr. Merryweather.
It is then that the grandchild Victoria informs that he didn’t go to the
town to pay the premium, but went to Ring-o-bells ( his favourite pub
run by John Shorroks widow)
This probability of his not having paid the premium upsets everyone
as they felt they would lose out on a lot of money.
To confirm this , Mrs. Slater sends Victoria to grandfather’s room to
‘fetch the keys’ to look for the receipt in the ‘bureau’

18. . In the meantime, the Jordans get suspicious about the ‘bureau’ and
ask a whole lot of questions and also examine it.
Before the truth of the bureau comes out, Victoria comes down to say
that Grandfather was getting up!!!
Immediately after this Abel Merryweather appears on the scene.
He is surprised to see the Jordans there.
He is equally puzzled and curious about their mourning outfits.
His queries are answered clumsily by all present
Soon after, they all settle for tea. Mrs. Jordan’s efforts to clarify things
make grandfather remember having a recollection of the fact that the
Slaters had come to his room to carry the ‘bureau ‘away.
He is shocked to see his bureau and the Clock in the sitting room.
Elizabeth Jordan tries to explain that the Slaters tried to rob him after
they thought him to be ‘dead’
Mr. Merryweather is amused to hear about his own death.
He, however expresses his shock at his daughters’ hurry to divide his
assets (property)

19. He then announces that he would make a fresh will naming all his
assets for whoever he would be living with then.
Both the sisters vie with each other to have the father with them.
Abel Merryweather gives them a shock by announcing that he
has three important things to do on Monday next—
Get his Will altered.
Pay his premium.
Get married to Mrs. John Shorroks.(Owner of Ring-o-Bells)
He also declares that he would move with bag ‘n’ baggage to
Ring-o-Bells along with the Bureau and leave everything to the
lady he was marrying.
He departs from them finally.