1. PHILADELPHIA, HERE I COME! BRIAN FRIEL

2.  Brian Friel was born on 9 January 1929 in Omagh, County Tyrone in Northen Ireland.  In addition to his published plays, he has written short stories; screenplays; film, TV and Radio adaptations of his plays.  Friel’s father was a native of Derry and a primary shool principal. His mother was from Donegal and she was postmistress of Glenties, County Donegal.

3.  In 1939, the family moved to Derry. His father had a teaching position at the Long Tower school. Friel attended the same school and then went on to attend secondary school at Saint Columb’s College, Derry. He attended the Republic of Ireland’s National seminary, Saint Patrick’s College, he gave up studying priesthood and he took a post-graduate teaching course in Belfast.  He started teaching in Derry in 1950 and wrote in the meantime.

4.  Many of his plays were set in Ballybeg, “ a remote part of Donegal.” They reside in the borderland of Derry, Donegal and Tyrone in which a largely Catholic community leads a reduced existence under the pressure of political and economic oppression.  In 1980, Friel helped to found The Field Day Theatre Company which aims to help the Irish explore new identities for themselves. His play Translations (was its first production.  Brian Friel married Anne Morrison in 1954 and has four daughters and a son.

5.  He was appointed to the Seaned Eiraan in 1987 and served until 1989.  He is often compared to Anton Chekhov and hailed as “Irish Chekhov”. Richard Pine calls him “this Irish Chekhov” and among the contemporary Irish playwrights, Brian Friel has learned the most from Chekhov’s themes and techniques and applied his lessons most subtly. He is also lauded as “the universally accented voice of Ireland”  Friel is best known for his plays such as Philadelphia, Here I Come (1964), Dancing at Lughnasa (1990)and Translations (1980).  Dancing at Lughnasa brought him grat acclain internationally.  His plays explore social, cultural and political issues, exploring how these impact upon individuals and families.  His plays deal with identity, the notion of truth and communication.  Language is associated with national identity.  Identity is formed through memory; both public and private.

6. PHILADELPHIA, HERE I COME!  The first performance of Philadelphia, Here I Come! was given at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin, on 28 September 1964.

7.  SETTING  All the action takes place within a period of a few hours on the evening of Gar’s departure, but it also includes flashbacks to Gar’s relationship with Kate, her father and Aunt Lizzie.  The play is set in Ballybeg. It is a place of narrow horizons and limited possibilities. The community represented in the play is small, their movement is limited and few possibilities of broadening their horizons exist.

8.  The life style is set and predictable and monotonous culture.  The play deals with such themes as love, shattered dreams, authority and nature of language.  The play is a tragicomedy, containing many comical scenes and a tragic tone.

9. CHARACTERIZATION  All the characters are stereotypes and characterizations are weak. But Gar must be excluded; although he does not change, he has a psychological depth. He can not decide to leave or not. He has an inner conflict between two psyches.

10. GAR O’DONNELL  The two Gars, Public Gar and Private Gar, are two views of the one man. Public Gar is the Gar that people see, talk to and talk about. Private Gar is the unseen man, the man within, the conscience, the alter ego, the secret thoughts, the id. Private Gar is invisible to everybody, always. Nobody except Public Gar hears him talk. But even Public Gar, although he talks to Private Gar occasionally, never sees him and never looks at him. One can’t look at one’s alter ego.

12. SATIRICAL DIMENSION  The family, the church, the educational system and politics are all criticized and stairized in the play.  Education- Master Boyle is an alcholic and not a role-model.  Church- The church does not offer comfort for people anymore. Canon is inefficient and inept.

13.  Private: […] because you’re warm and kind and soft and sympathetic- all things to all men- because you could translate all this loneliness, this groping, this dreadfulbloody buffoonery into Christian terms that will make life bearable for us all. And yet you don’t say a word. Why, Canon? Why, arid Canon? Isn’t this your job? – to translate? Why don’t you speak, then? Prudence, arid Canon? Prudence must be damned! Christianity isn’t prudent- it’s insane!(82)

14.  Politics- Senator Doogan is a materialist and looks for personal profit even in his daughter’s marriage.  Family-Gar is even isolated and alienated in his own house from his father. Kathy is dependent on his father’s choice of the man she is going to marry.  Social Structure- The boys are personal failures. They are unable to deal with the limitations of their life in Ballybeg. Women are subjected to limitations as they are controlled by socail conventions.