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035 Top Girls

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Study Guide by Arpita Karwa

Top Girls by Caryl Churchill

Win and Nell (Marlene’s co-workers at the agency) are


involved in an uninteresting conversation. Marlene
arrives. The two women congratulate her for getting the
promotion. Marlene and her colleague named Howard
were both in competition for the promotion but Mar-
lene managed to beat him.

m
Win interviews a lady named Louise who is wanting to
leave her job to ensure she has her personal life in place.
She also says that young men get promoted and that she
has bleak chances of getting promoted. Win agrees to

co
Caryl Churchill’s Top Girls revolves around Marlene and her statement.
is about finding out what is the definition of “successful
women” and their role in society. The play premiered at Angie comes to Marlene — who doesn’t recognise her.
London’s Royal Court Theatre in 1982 and draws a Angie asks for a place to stay and tells Marlene that she
parallelism between the women of the past and the pres- has not informed Joyce before coming. Mrs. Kidd,
a.
ent-day women. Marlene works at the Top Girls employ-
ment agency. She has been promoted and decides to host
her promotion party. She invites five women from differ-
Howard’s wife enters. She tells Marlene that Howard is
demoralised and not in a good state as he has lost the
promotion; she tells Marlene that he is a family man
w
ent periods in history. with many responsibilities on his shoulders and requests
her to give up the promotion. Marlene doesn’t pay any
Pope Joan is a woman who is believed to have disguised attention.
herself as the Pope. Next is Isabella Bird who is a writer
r

from the nineteenth century. The third girl is Patient Now, the play transitions and takes us three years back
Griselda. She plays the role of the obedient wife from when Marlene visited Joyce’s house for the last time.
ka

“The Clerk’s Tale” in Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales. That day, Joyce asked Marlene to move away from her,
The fourth guest is Lady Nijo who was once the Japanese their mother and Angie. Joyce said she will take care of
mistress of a king and is now a Buddhist nun. The fifth them. Marlene agrees and they continue talking.
woman is Dull Gret - a figure from a painting that insti-
gated women to enter Hell to fight evil. The sisters are discussing politics, marriages, lifestyles,
ta

etc. Their discussion makes it clear that neither of them


The common factor between all these women is that they is eyeing at getting into a serious relationship. Joyce goes
© Copyright 2020 by Arpita Karwa Education Pvt Ltd

have been oppressed in their own times and in different to bed. Marlene is awake and enjoying a drink. Angie
ways. Marlene tries to find the link between these women. who is asleep wakes up in the middle of the night. When
pi

The women are talking about motherhood, love, abuse, she calls out for Joyce but instead finds Marlene, she says
and adversity. Marlene comes to realise that their disap- “frightening”.
pointment arises from patriarchy.
ar

Marlene is interviewing Jeanine at the Top Girls employ-


ment agency. Marlene tells her that she doesn’t respect
women who are not particular about their career and only
want to marry and have children. She advises her to
present herself well so to keep up the standards of the
company.

Marlene’s sister Joyce has adopted Angie, a 16-year old girl


who is actually the biological daughter of Marlene. Angie
and Kit (Angie’s friend) are talking. Angie expresses her
desire to kill her mother and go to her aunt Marlene.

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Study Guide by Arpita Karwa

Mind Map

Kit
Angie’s only friend

Friend

Jeanine Angie
Young woman who wants to
Sixteen-year-old girl
earn money to get married
who feels lonely

Biologcal adopted
daughter daughter

intervievs
Marlene Joyce
Protagonist of the play Marlene’s sister

Sister
Coueners
Competitor

Win Nell Howard


A man who works
Young woman who works Young woman who works
at the Agency
at the Agency at the Agency

Wife
interwiwnt

Louise Mrs. Kidd


Forty-six year
old woman Wife of Howard

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