Great Scot September 2019 Great Scot 157_September 2019_ONLINE | Page 46

Drama
JANE EYRE
– BRINGING A
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë was the PLC-Scotch Senior Play this
year, a coming of age story set in 18th century England which explores
the troubles of a tough and independent woman on a quest for love
and equality. The students from the two schools performed the play
in the new, state-of-the-art PLC Performing Arts Centre on 25, 26 and
27 July. We had the pleasure of working with a talented group of girls
from PLC, with whom we collaborated ideas and techniques to bring
this classic novel to life.
Jane Eyre is based on author Charlotte Bronte’s personal
experiences. In the Victorian period, the assertive character of Jane
creates a sharp contrast to a male-dominated society, where women
were viewed as acquiescent and powerless.
Jane is dealt an unfortunate hand of fate, forced into living with
her cousins, who ostracise and taunt her mercilessly. Following her
several years at the austere Lowood School, she finally musters the
courage to flee, and later finds work as a governess at the daunting
Thornfield Hall, where she first meets her wealthy and impetuous
employer, the Byronic hero, Edward Rochester. The story unfolds in a
complex though ultimately doomed romance between Jane and her
new employer. First published in 1847, the novel still resonates as an
assertion of gender equality and empowerment.
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Great Scot Number 157 – September 2019