A Matter of Husbands

Short Explanation:

This play shows the playful act of Famous Actress where she convinced Earnest Young Woman to believe that her husband is not in affair with Famous Actress. Though her husband Alfred was hiding in Famous Actress’s private room.

Characters:

1. Earnest Young Woman
2. Famous Actress
3. Alfred (Earnest Young Woman’s Husband)

Summary: read and understand the drama

Drama begins with the Earnest Young Woman waiting for Famous Actress. When Actress arrives Woman requests to return her husband (Alfred, a lawyer), who is in extra – marital affair with the Actress.
Actress denies the fact that she is having no affair with her husband. Then Woman claims that her husband is sending flowers to her address and paying for it. She found it at the florist’s.
After that actress says that she has been given the wrong information. To make it confirmed Woman shows a love letter written by Alfred, that she found on his desk.
Love Letter: Alfred has written addressing the actress ‘darling’. He wrote that he is unable to call at the theater that night due to urgent business (works). He also mentioned thousand apologies and ten thousand kisses. At last he has written his name ‘Alfred’
By reading the letter Earnest Woman starts crying and she explains why actresses are dangerous. She says that they wear beautiful dresses and look like a goddess one day and a royal princess another day. They use cosmetics and light to look attractive. They speak the speeches written by another person (Shakespeare). She says that actresses are more stupid than ordinary women but in case of alluring (attracting) men actresses are far better. She says that’s why her husband has fallen in love with the actress because she (wife) is not more attractive to her husband.
But the Actress (Sara) explains that this is a funny case/ event. She says that her husband is trying to fool her by making up a love affair with the actress. She says that Alfred is trying to make her jealous so that he could get extra love and care from the wife.
Actress explains that such case of fake love affairs happens to the beautiful and successful actresses many times. She says that theatre related personnel use fake love affair to get extra love of their wives or sweethearts. Actress also adds that she feels happy that by using her name many couples’ relationship began to grow well. She says that there is consolation that people don’t get divorced but their relationships get well after such fake love affairs.
After hearing such explanations of the Actress, Earnest Woman starts to believe that her husband was trying to make her jealous.
Actress also says that some people bribe (give money) hairdressers to get her things so that they can target their wives’ attention.
Earnest Woman also had a hair lock found at the drawer but she believes at last that her husband was making her jealous by inventing a fake love affair with the Famous Actress.
Actress says that if her husband requested her to write a passionate love letter she would have cried for many days. She also says that she is angry with Alfred for using her name without taking permission with her.
Actress also advises at last that if her husband keeps another love letter, other’s handkerchiefs, even her photograph, she doesn’t have to be fooled again.
Earnest Young Woman is convinced at last and thanks Sara for explaining that affair. She also requests not to tell her husband about the visit. Then she leaves the actress.
After some time Famous Actress calls out Alfred by saying that his wife has gone already and he could come out now. Because during the conversation he was hiding behind the door of the boudoir (private room).

Question Answer Section

1. What favour does Earnest Young Woman ask from the Famous Actress?

Answer: Earnest Young Woman asks/ requests The Famous Actress to stay away from Alfred (her husband) because evidences show that Alfred is having an extra marital affair with the Actress (Sara).

The Earnest Young Woman finds a love letter written by Alfred, she found a hair clip hidden in his drawer, and comes to know at the florist’s that he has been sending flowers to the Actress’s address. Disturbed by these discoveries, she goes to meet the Actress and requests her to stay away from the affair with her husband.

2. What, according to The Earnest Young Woman, are the indications that her husband has fallen in love with Famous Actress?

Answer: According to The Earnest Young Woman, The indications that her husband has fallen in love with Famous Actress includes sending flowers and a suspicious love letter. Her husband uses a messenger to send flowers to the Famous Actress. She learns about it from a florist who notifies her of the situation. One day, her husband forgets about the love letter on the table, in which he apologizes for not being able to see the Famous Actress and offers her ten thousand kisses.

3. Is Earnest Young Woman convinced by the argument of Famous Actress? How?

Answer: Earnest Woman is convinced by the arguments of Actress because Actress says that Alfred is playing a game to attain more love from the Earnest Young Woman. Actress explains that their relationship has been distant lately, so her husband created this game to get her jealous and to get him back he thought she will love him more.
Sara (actress) also says that such incidents regularly happen to popular and beautiful actresses. Love affairs are made up by many other artists of the theatre to gain the love of their wives or sweethearts. She says that people bribe to get her things from hairdressers. These cunning explanations made Earnest Young Woman believe her and she is convinced.

4. Where is the Earnest Young Woman’s husband hiding himself as they are talking about him?

Answer: When the Actress made the Woman convinced that her husband is playing comedy (game) to get more love by making her jealous. Woman thanks Actress and leaves the place.
During their conversation Alfred was hiding behind the door of her boudoir and was called to be out at last.

5. When do you feel that Famous Actress is really good at acting?

Answer: I feel in the beginning that Actress was telling her right information that many actresses are accused of having affairs with the artists in real world. Actress convinced her by saying that such things are made by artists to make their wives jealous. Then she adds up that Alfred is playing the same game to get her affection back. She says that how could a lawyer leave evidence (love letter). But at last when I found Alfred coming out of her room I believed that Sara is really good at acting. I think she is good at acting. It shows actors/ actresses are not only good at acting in shows but also in real lives.
If she had become nervous when Earnest Woman accused her of stealing her husband, she would have been found out. But she acted boldly and added fake details to manipulate her. And when we found Alfred hiding behind her boudoir we understand that she acted so well and made Woman believe and convinced that Alfred loves her a lot.

6. How do we come to know that Famous Actress and the husband of Earnest Young Woman are in love?

Answer: When the play ends we are revealed the fact that Alfred was hiding behind the door of her private room. It directly proves that they are in real affair and Actress has outsmarted the Woman by making up stories. Alfred is called from the Famous Actress’s boudoir (private room) when the wife of Alfred left the place.

7. Write the character sketch of Alfred.

(Introduction of the character – character’s actions – judgements)

(For writing the character sketch make up 3 paragraphs. Describe the character in the first paragraph with it’s main features and key roles . Then describe what that character does inside the plot in the second paragraph. And at last explain the judgements you have upon him or her.)

Answer: Alfred is the husband of Earnest Young Woman. He has blond hair, he is short, he wears spectacles, by profession he is a lawyer. As well as he is having extra marital affair with Famous Actress Sara.
He has gone to meet Sara when his wife had arrived there to see the actress. He hid behind the door of boudoir. When his wife had left the place, Sara called him outside.
Alfred has bad character that he is in affair after all he is already married. He cheated his wife as well as he is afraid of his wife so he hides behind door.

In the same way try to write the character sketch of Earnest Young Woman and Famous Actress.

8. How does Famous Actress make a fool of Earnest Young Woman?

Answer: Famous Actress makes a fool of Earnest Young Woman through her excellent acting that made Earnest Young Woman believe that her husband is playing a game to make her jealous. She convinced Earnest Young Woman by giving fake instances like many people use beautiful actresses to make their wives and sweethearts jealous to get more love in return. She had rejected that she had received any flower and love letters and for the case of hair lock she said that people bribe her hairdressers. She made Earnest Young Woman believe that her husband loves her and want her affection.
However her husband was hiding in the boudoir so we can say that she acted in real life without being afraid on getting caught of relationship with Alfred. She handled that situation flawlessly via her excellent acting and makes the Earnest Young Woman a fool.

9. According to Famous Actress, men associated with theatre use the theatre actresses to make their estranged wives jealous so as to woo them back. Do you agree with her argument? Why? Why not?

–> No, I don’t agree with her argument because she has said it to confuse Earnest Young Woman’s accuse. She was trying to convince that Alfred was not in love affair with her. She wanted Earnest Young Woman to believe her that theatre actresses are used by men to regain their wives’ or sweethearts’ love.

She was just trying to make a fool of Earnest Young Woman because she has found some evidences that proved the love affair of Actress and Alfred. She says many theatre artists try to show that they are in love affair with the beautiful actresses to make their wives jealous. She was trying to prove that Alfred was only using her name to make Earnest Young Woman jealous so that she would love him more. But in reality, she was trying to persuade Earnest Young Woman.

Besides, actresses don’t want to link their names with any person because it gives them difficulties dealing with people. If they are written wrongly about their love affairs in the magazines they can have difficulties in getting work and public attentions that people start making fun or criticizing the affair. So they are always careful that nobody uses their names in fake relationships.

So, I do not agree with her statement because she was trying to fool Earnest Young Woman and said it. However Earnest Young Woman believed her and she became happy that her husband is just playing a game. In fact, Alfred was hiding in the boudoir of Sara (Famous Actress).

10. Write down the plot of the play 'A Matter of Husband'.

-> The plot of the play ‘A Matter of Husband’ can be explained in this way:

Earnest Young Woman found the evidences like love letter, hair lock, and Alfred sending flowers to Famous actress Sara
Then she goes to Sara and requests to return her husband; which means she wanted her to stop love affair with her husband.
Then Sara explains that her husband is playing a game to make her jealous to regain love.
Sara explains that such incidents always happen with beautiful actress that people use their name to make their wives jealous.
Earnest Young Woman believes her and thinks that Alfred loves her alot.
Then thanking Sara Earnest Young Woman leaves the place.
Unexpectedly, Alfred was hiding in the same room so Sara calls him to be out because his wife has gone.