Introduction
The Drunkard by William Henry Smith was first staged at the Boston Museum in 1844 and shown 144 times within one year. Being a mass media, the theater reached a large audience and the drama was a great success. At the time the drama was staged, the temperance movement was at the peak of its popularity and success. Today the Boston Museum is regarded as the birthplace of American temperance drama. In 1850, when the play had already achieved national recognition, B. T. Barnum staged The Drunkard at the famous American Museum on lower Broadway. On October 7th 1850 the audience was able to watch the 100th consecutive performance of the play. “Barnum’s production of The Drunkard heralded the entry of temperance narratives into mainstream theatre and immediately became the standard against which all other temperance dramas were measured” (Frick 113).
In this paper I will first present a short historical survey of the temperance movement. At a time when drinking alcohol was part of every day life and the negative consequences that resulted from alcohol abuse were severe and obvious, the goal of the temperance movement was to achieve a social reform in the long term. The aim was to put an end to moral decline, crime, poverty and diseases. Alcohol addicts should be persuaded to stop drinking and supported in their effort. They should sign the pledge and abstain from alcohol.
The melodrama The Drunkard or The Fallen Saved is an excellent example of the way the theater was used as a means to present the social, moral and personal consequences of intemperance to the audience. The main focus of this paper will be on the criticism of alcohol abuse in The Drunkard. By close reading I will analyze how Edward Middleton’s and his family’s life changes due to the fact that Edward starts drinking too much alcohol and becomes an addict. But, as the title suggests, the drama also shows that alcohol addicts can be saved and rebuild their lives if they are strong enough and stop drinking. Thus, The Drunkard is a perfect example of the theatricalization of temperance propaganda. The theater was the ideal means to communicate the temperance message of abstinence, and the audience was entertained and received a moral lesson at the same time. The Drunkard was “by far the most prominent and influential […], a play destined to become one of the most popular and best-known temperance dramas of all time” (Frick 113).
Table of Contents
I. Introduction
The Drunkard as a drama of the temperance movement
II. Main part
1. The temperance movement
2. Criticism of alcohol abuse in The Drunkard
2.1. Edward’s life before he drinks alcohol
2.2. Edward slowly becomes addicted to alcohol
2.3. Edward’s life as an alcohol addict
2.4. Edward at the peak of his addiction and his rescue
2.5. Edward’s life after he signed the pledge
III. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Themes
The academic paper explores the cultural and social significance of William Henry Smith's play "The Drunkard" as a prominent artifact of the 19th-century American temperance movement, focusing on how theater functioned as a tool for moral reform and social propaganda.
- The historical context and influence of the American temperance movement.
- The structural and thematic portrayal of alcoholism in 19th-century melodrama.
- Character development as a didactic tool to depict moral decline and redemption.
- The intersection of popular entertainment and social reform agendas.
- The symbolic role of the theater in promoting the pledge of total abstinence.
Excerpt from the Book
2.4. Edward at the peak of his addiction and his rescue
In Act IV the tension rises until the crisis and the climax of the drama. In scene 1 the stage directions describe Edward’s most shabby outer appearance in the whole play. It is “early morning” and Edward is “lying on the ground” “near a tavern”, “without hat or coat” his “clothes (are) torn”, his “eyes (are) sunk and haggard” and his “appearance (is) horrible” (288). When Edward wakes up, he does not know where he is. His soliloquy reveals that he is very confused. He wishes again that he were dead. He admits that he feels better when it is night, because then he is “half-hidden from himself” (288). This statement proves that he is ashamed of himself. But he also confesses that he is “not so ashamed, so stricken with despair when he is drunk” (289). This means that he needs alcohol to fuddle his senses so that he can forget his misery. Furthermore, the audience learns that Edward is haunted by nightmares when he is asleep. He is afraid that these “horrid dreams” (289) might return to him while he is awake. One of his first thoughts in the morning is dedicated to liquor. He wakes up and immediately needs alcohol to overcome his withdrawal symptoms. He feels a “dreadful pain” (289), he trembles and “Sinks down in agony” (289). In the following dialogue between Edward and the landlord, who enters the scene, the landlord tells Edward that he used to be respectable (see 289), but now has “fallen past rising” (289), and asks him, what has brought him in his “beastly condition” (289). Edward answers him that he, the landlord, and alcohol are to blame for his misery. He accuses the landlord to be the “common poisoner of the whole village” (289) and says that he “plunder(s) the pockets of your (his) fellow” and that he “deal(s) forth death in tumblers”(289). Moreover he claims that from the tavern “goes forth the blast of ruin over the land, to mildew the bright hope of youth, to fill the widow’s heart with agony, to curse the orphan, to steal the glorious mind of man, to cast them from their high estate of honest pride, and make them — such as he is” (289).
Summary of Chapters
I. Introduction: This chapter contextualizes "The Drunkard" within the 19th-century American theater scene and outlines the paper's intent to analyze the play as a medium for temperance propaganda.
II. Main part: This section provides a historical overview of the temperance movement and performs a character-based analysis of Edward Middleton’s descent into alcoholism and his eventual path to sobriety.
III. Conclusion: The final chapter synthesizes how the play functioned as a powerful instrument of social reform, confirming the success of the temperance movement in leveraging theater to reach mass audiences.
Keywords
The Drunkard, Temperance Movement, William Henry Smith, P.T. Barnum, 19th-century drama, Alcoholism, Melodrama, Social Reform, Moral Suasion, Abstinence, The Pledge, Redemption, Washingtonians, Theater History, American Culture.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental subject of this academic paper?
The paper examines the play "The Drunkard" as a key instrument of the 19th-century temperance movement, exploring how it utilized theatrical conventions to discourage alcohol consumption.
What are the central themes discussed in the work?
The core themes include the social and personal devastation caused by alcoholism, the role of community support in recovery, and the function of mass media in promoting moral and social reform.
What is the primary objective of the research?
The primary goal is to analyze how the play reflects the goals of the temperance movement and serves as a vehicle for educating the public on the benefits of total abstinence.
Which scientific or analytical method is employed?
The author uses a close reading approach, analyzing stage directions, character soliloquies, and the narrative progression of the protagonist to evaluate the play’s didactic impact.
What is covered in the main section of the paper?
The main part traces the biographical narrative of the protagonist, Edward Middleton, from his life before addiction through his physical and moral deterioration to his final rescue and redemption.
Which keywords best characterize this study?
Key terms include Temperance Movement, The Drunkard, Melodrama, Social Reform, Alcoholism, and Moral Suasion.
How does the play utilize dramatic irony regarding the character Cribbs?
The audience is aware of Cribbs' manipulative intentions to ruin Edward, creating dramatic irony as the protagonist initially trusts his antagonist, thus heightening the tension before his eventual rescue.
What is the significance of the "deus ex machina" moment in the play?
The unexpected appearance of Rencelaw functions as a "deus ex machina" that resolves the dramatic crisis, reinforcing the movement’s message that aid is available for those who seek to reform.
- Citar trabajo
- Julia Stenzinger (Autor), 2004, The Drunkard as a Drama of the Temperance Movement, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/52166
