Blood Brothers Study Guide

By Anthony Markham

Blood Brothers, the award-winning musical play by Liverpudlian playwright Willy Russell, revolves around twin boys (Mickey and Edward) who are separated at birth and brought up in completely different environments in the city. This study guide is an essential companion to examination success under any examination board. Containing character studies and insights, practical examinations, a trivia quiz, and guides on how to study for maximum success. The guide also contains previous examination questions (2021 / 2022) as well as the marking criteria used by the examination board.

This guide is a must for any student studying this amazing play.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Anthony Markham
• Release date: Jan 9, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215610831

Book preview

Contents

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Contents

A Brief History of Liverpool in the 20th Century

CHARACTERS

Mrs Johnstone

Practical Exercise: Mrs Johnstone

Mrs Lyons

Practical Exercise: Mrs Lyons

Mickey

Practical Exercise: Mickey

Edward Lyons

Practical Exercise: Edward

The Narrator

Practical Exercise: The Narrator

Linda

Practical Exercise: Linda

Themes

Themes: Class & Inequality Versus  Nature & Nurture,

Practical Exercise: Themes - Class and Inequality Versus  Nature and Nurture

Themes: Fate and Superstition

Practical Exercise: Themes - Fate and Superstition

Sample Examination Questions

Examiner’s Marking Criteria

Blood Brothers Trivia Questions

Blood Brothers Trivia Answers

Revision Tips

A Brief History of Liverpool in the 20th Century

At the turn of the 20th Century, the population of Liverpool was around the mark of 685,000 people. Between the years of 1904 and 1920, most of the now iconic riverfront buildings were built - the tower building in 1910, the Cunard building in 1916 and the world-famous Liver Building in 1911, at the same time as the Cunard Building. During the First World War (28th July 1914 - 11th November 1918), over 13,000 Liverpudlians had died in the war. This was an age of extreme poverty. In 1928 a survey showed that nearly 14% of the city’s population was living in abject poverty. It is worth noting that at this time there was no National Health Service or benefits system of any kind. Poverty at this time meant living from hand to mouth on a daily basis. Disease and malnutrition were rife.

The conditions that people lived in were of a similar appalling standard. Houses were hard to come by, and slums were prevalent throughout the city. Overcrowding was customary. Sanitisation was poor and ill health common. Adding to this problem, the Great Depression that commenced in the late 1920s made things much worse. It is estimated that as much as a third of adult males in the city were unemployed at this time.

During the Second World War (1939 - 1945), Liverpool, as a hugely significant port city suffered greatly from German bombing. Nearly four thousand people died in the air raids and more than 10,000 houses were destroyed. This presented a huge