The document describes the characters in a one-act play set in a small post office. It introduces the main character, a gentle and polite young assistant, as well as several recurring customers who visit the post office, including Mrs. Smith, Mrs. Jones, a deaf old gentleman, and a farmer. It also mentions a fussy old lady, Mrs. Higgins and her naughty son Bertie, a mysterious foreign tourist, and a policeman. Finally, it outlines the typical four stages of a one-act play: exposition, conflict, climax, and denouement.

2. Mrs.A.Poornima Devi, Assistant Professor, VVVC
The Young Lady Assistant
● the most important character.
● gentle and polite.
● She is not annoyed when the deaf old gentleman
mistakes her words repeatedly.
● She is not angry even when her customers are angry at
times.
● Quite often people mistake her Post Office as an animal
clinic. But she patiently handles the situation.
● She believes in posting early for Christmas.
● She has high moral obligations.
● When her customer’s parcel is damaged she feels
responsible for the mishap and leaves the job.

3. Mrs.A.Poornima Devi, Assistant Professor, VVVC
Mrs.Smith
● Polite and gentle
● She believes in posting early for Christmas.
● She suffers from rheumatism.

4. Mrs.A.Poornima Devi, Assistant Professor, VVVC
Mrs.Jones
● impolite and rude
● Not punctual.
● When the assistant suggests that she should
have posted it earlier, she replies that it is her
own affair.

5. Mrs.A.Poornima Devi, Assistant Professor, VVVC
Deaf Old Gentleman
● Creates fun in the story
● Repeatedly mistakes the words of the assistant.
● Rude and impolite

6. Mrs.A.Poornima Devi, Assistant Professor, VVVC
Farmer
● Created and precipitated the crisis in the play
● Announces the news report about a time-bomb
discovered in London Post office.
● Tries to be a master in the situation and
frightens everybody.

7. Mrs.A.Poornima Devi, Assistant Professor, VVVC
The Fussy Old Lady
● Not aware of her surroundings.
● Mistakes the post office for an animal clinic.
● Once realizes that she says sorry.
● Buys stamps as an act of courtesy.

8. Mrs.A.Poornima Devi, Assistant Professor, VVVC
Mrs.Higgins and her Son Bertie
● Mother of naughty boy Bertie.
● Nagging.
● Fussy and gives too much importance to trivial
matters.
● Naughty child.
● Annoys his mother for engines and
ice creams.
● First notices the ticking sound of
the parcel.

9. Mrs.A.Poornima Devi, Assistant Professor, VVVC
Foreign Tourist
● He and his parcel are important for this play.
● Mysterious looking with strange accent.
● Leaves his gloves
● His parcel is damaged- goes to complain it to
postmaster general.

10. Mrs.A.Poornima Devi, Assistant Professor, VVVC
Policeman
● Irrational and insensitive.

11. Mrs.A.Poornima Devi, Assistant Professor, VVVC
Four Stages of One-Act Plays
1. The Exposition: introduction to the play
2. Conflict: action of the play develops
3. Climax: turning point of the play
4. Denouement: end of a play

12. Exposition

13. Conflict

14. Climax

15. Denouement