Class

The theme of class is explored as a fluid and contested social construct, rather than a fixed identity. Through the characters of Hirst, Spooner, Foster, and Briggs, the play examines how class distinctions intersect with power dynamics, personal insecurity, and the performance of social identity. The characters’ interactions reveal how class boundaries can be both rigidly enforced and subtly undermined, leaving everyone in an ambiguous social "no man’s land."

At the start of Act One, the characters’ costumes immediately signal their class distinctions. Hirst, dressed in expensive, upper-class attire, embodies wealth and privilege, while Spooner’s shabbier clothing marks him as lower class, despite his articulate, loquacious speech. This contrast sets up an initial power imbalance, with Hirst appearing dominant and Spooner adopting a deferential but ingratiating tone. Spooner’s verbosity, however, complicates this dynamic. His sophisticated language and self-proclaimed status as a poet allow...