Learning Objectives
- Understand the plot and characters of this one-act play
- Analyse the conflict between the intruder and Gerrard
- Identify the elements of suspense, wit, and irony
- Appreciate the role of quick thinking and intelligence in the play
- Practice drama-related vocabulary and dialogue analysis
Key Concepts
About the Play
Author: Douglas James. This is a one-act play (a play with a single act).
Genre: Thriller / Mystery with elements of dark comedy.
Theme: Intelligence and quick thinking can overcome physical threats. Appearances can be deceptive, and assuming things about people based on limited knowledge can be dangerous.
Characters
- Gerrard: A playwright who lives alone in a cottage in the countryside. He is witty, calm, intelligent, and quick-thinking. He wears spectacles and seems cultured. He does not panic even when threatened at gunpoint.
- The Intruder: A criminal who has killed a policeman and is on the run. He is flashy, confident, and menacing. He plans to kill Gerrard and assume his identity to escape the law. He carries a revolver.
Plot Summary
Gerrard is alone in his cottage, packing a bag and preparing to leave. An intruder enters with a revolver. The intruder reveals his plan: he looks similar to Gerrard, so he intends to kill Gerrard and take over his identity. Since the intruder is already wanted for murder, assuming Gerrard's identity would allow him to live freely.
The intruder questions Gerrard about his life. Gerrard remains remarkably calm and composed, answering questions with wit and humour. The intruder gets frustrated by Gerrard's lack of fear.
Gerrard then cleverly turns the tables. He tells the intruder a fabricated story: Gerrard himself is a criminal who is also wanted by the police. He claims that the police are about to arrive at the cottage to arrest "Gerrard." If the intruder kills him and takes his identity, the intruder will be arrested as "Gerrard" the criminal.
To make this story convincing, Gerrard shows the intruder his packed bag (proof that he was about to flee) and offers to show him an escape route through the back door. When the intruder steps towards the door, he finds it is actually a cupboard. Gerrard pushes him inside, locks the door, takes the revolver, and calls the police.
Gerrard's Intelligence
Gerrard's victory comes from his ability to think quickly under pressure, his skill at storytelling (he is a playwright, after all), and his calm demeanour. He uses the intruder's own plan against him — the intruder wanted to impersonate someone, so Gerrard made that identity seem dangerous.
Dramatic Techniques
- Suspense: Will Gerrard survive? How will he escape?
- Irony: The intruder ends up trapped, not Gerrard. The criminal becomes the captive.
- Wit and Humour: Gerrard's clever, calm responses in a dangerous situation create dark comedy.
- Peripeteia (reversal): The situation suddenly reverses — the hunter becomes the hunted.
Important Terms
- One-act play: A short play consisting of only one act
- Intruder: A person who enters a place without permission
- Impersonate: To pretend to be another person
- Revolver: A type of handgun
- Nonchalant: Calm and relaxed; not showing anxiety
- Playwright: A person who writes plays
Quick Revision
- Author: Douglas James; Genre: one-act play / thriller
- Intruder plans to kill Gerrard and assume his identity
- Gerrard stays calm, invents a story that he is also a criminal wanted by police
- He tricks the intruder into a cupboard, locks him in, and calls the police
- Theme: wit and intelligence triumph over brute force
- Irony: the intruder, who came to trap Gerrard, ends up trapped himself