ABSTRACT
The audience have witnessed the uncovering of Mrs Railton-Bell real identity and background, revealed through the simple device of a newspaper article which he is at pains to keep from the residents. One way of interpreting her actions in the extract is to see her as seeking to create another ‘false identity’ for the Major. The use of disguise or false identity draws attention to an essential element of all drama. The withholding of the information adds to the dramatic effect and focuses the audience on what from now on will be one of the play’s central concerns. The audience have been aware of the deceit from the beginning so the dramatic irony throughout the play is intense. The drama centred on the concept of uncovering the real identity, not in the sense of replacing one simplistic version with another, but of creating more complexity and depth.
