The Elephant Man (Masterplots II: Drama, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Bernard Pomerance
- First Published: 1979
- Type of Plot: History; biographical
- Time of Work: 1884-1890
- Setting: London, with one scene in Belgium
- Principal Characters: Frederick Treves, Carr Gomm, John Merrick, Ross, Nurse Sandwich, Bishop Walsham How, Mrs. Kendal
- Genres: Drama, Biographical drama, History play
- Subjects: Nineteenth century, Alienation, Doctors, Surgery or surgeons, Death or dying, Identity, Disabilities or physically challenged persons, Nursing or nurses, Diseases, Hospitals, Tumors, Victorian era or Victorianism, Human anatomy, Face or faces, Birth defects, Mutations or mutants
- Locales: London, England, Belgium
The Play
The Elephant Man depicts the difficult life of Joseph “John” Carey Merrick, a real person who lived from 1862 to 1890. Because of his extreme bodily and facial deformities, he was nicknamed the Elephant Man. Until rescued by the physician Frederick Treves and given a home at the London Hospital in Whitechapel, Merrick earned his living as a freak attraction in a traveling sideshow. The play’s twenty-one scenes depict selected episodes from the last six years of Merrick’s life and emphasize Merrick’s strength of spirit and the hypocrisy of Victorian...
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See Also:
See Also:
- - The Elephant Man summary and study guide in the eNotes.
- Add The Elephant Man to your favorites