The character of Willie Mossop or Maggie Free Essay Example

Select two or more moments from two different acts that show how the writer has developed the character of Willie Mossop or Maggie. How did you reflect this change in your performance? ” Hobsons Choice” is a play about how the life of middle and lower classes used to be like during the 19th Century. The play is set in Salford, Manchester and is based around the lives of the Hobson family and William Mossop. William Mossop is the boothand for the owner of Hobsons boot shop, Henry Hobson.

Early on in the play, Willie Mossop finds out, by the way of Maggie Hobson, he has an ability to make superb boots. Maggie, sees her future with Willie, and asks to ‘Wed’ him, telling him that they could set up their own business in another street. The two finally do this and run a very flourishing business, but at Hobsons expense, for his health and business falls and he is forced to seek help from Willie and Maggie.

I have selected, as the title asks, two acts from the play. I have chosen act one and act four.

I have chosen these two acts, because I felt that these two acts reflected, the most clearly, the ways in which Willie Mossop changed. In the first act, Willie Mossop is first seen, when he pops up from the cellar when Hobson shouts for him to meet Mrs Hepworth. We are told, that he comes out of the cellar, “reluctantly”, as if he is afraid of meeting Mrs Hepworth, an upper class, and well-dressed lady.

Our first sight of him makes us think of him as a man of lanky build, and a very shy person.

His clothes suggest he belongs to the lower class, and the stage directions tell us his clothes are “a poorer version of Tubby’s”, a fellow worker in the workshop. His accent suggests, he has been brought up in Lancashire. He uses a phrase, which shows this fact, “Eh, By Gum”. His actions throughout the first act prove to the reader, that he believes everybody is better than him. We can also see, that he is very dim-witted and simple. We can tell that he thinks this, by reading the play.

As he rises from the cellar, he comes face to face with Mrs Hepworth, a regular customer of Hobson’s boot shop. After Willie had admitted to making her boots, she hands him a card, along with the introduction, “Take that”. At this point, Willie bends down, expecting a blow, but then finds that she is handing him a visiting card. From this reaction of Willie, the reader can tell that perhaps Willie has suffered a brutalised childhood in which he has been physically hurt and perhaps he was used to people raising their fists and hands at him.

“Bending over the card, to read it he tries to spell out the words. ” Mrs Hepworth, stunned, says, ” Bless the man, can’t you read? “. Willie replies, I do a bit, only its such a funny print. ” The writing on the card is printed in italics, which tells the reader that Willie is not very good at reading. His reason for being unable to read the text is because in the 19th Century, working class education was very poor and working class people’s opportunities to learn were very limited.

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