The Dear Departed

Characters of the Play The Dear Departed

Sisters ……………… MRS. SLATER (AMELIA), MRS. JORDAN (ELIZABETH)

Their Husbands ………………………………………..HENRY SLATER, BEN JORDAN

Daughter of Amelia and Henry Slater…… VICTORIA SLATER

Father of Amelia and Elizabeth……………… ABEL MERRYWEATHER

About the Characters

Abel Merryweather is over seventy, he is bright and vigorous with a twinkle in his eye. He is often
called as grandfather in this play by every character.He believes in eating, drinking and being merry
he is frank and straightforward. He takes the wise decision of disowning his children and start making
his life more comfortable by remarrying at the age of past seventy.

Amelia Slater She is the elder daughter of Mr. Abel Merryweather. She is a greedy, stingy and
materialistic woman. Mrs. Slater can stoop down to any level to satisfy her greed. She is a
dominating wife and a vulgar woman, prepared to do any amount of straight talking to get her own
way.

Elizabeth Jordan She is the sister of Amelia Slater and the second daughter of Mr. Abel
Merryweather. Like her sister, she too has no feelings for her father nor for her sister. She is stout,
complacent, impassive and has an irritating air of being always right.

Henry Slater – Henry Slater is Amelia’s husband and is far more scrupulous than any other person in
this play. He is more sensible than the other characters of the play.Hence, he gives the logical
suggestions while talking about the obituary notice to be given in the paper. He is a henpecked
husband.

Ben Jordan- Ben Jordan is the husband of Elizabeth and he is a jolly little man with a chirpy voice.
Accustomed to be humorous but at present he is trying to adapt himself to the regrettable occasion.

Victoria Slater – A girl of ten, Victoria is an obedient child. Very fond of her grandfather and she has
genuine feelings of love towards him. She is a precocious child. The presence of this young girl in the
play comes as a whiff of cool breeze in the stuffiness generated by the adults’ scheming, quarrelling
and scrupulosity.

Summary of the Play

In the play The Dear Departed, Stanley Houghton satirizes the degradation of moral values in the
British middle class. In trying to grab the things belonging to their father, the children completely
disregard modesty, decency and obligation towards their family.
In the beginning of the play,Mrs. Slater goes to offer something to her father Abel Merryweather
and finds him quite cold, not responding at all. He is motionless. So, she declares that her father is
no more. Accordingly, her sister and her husband, the Jordans are informed about the sudden
demise of their father. Mrs. Slater and her husband are busy making arrangements for the
mourning. They are expecting the Jordans to join them. They start using the various belongings of
their father. Victoria, daughter of Mrs.Slater does not like all this but reluctantly she is helping her
parents in these matters.

Victoria is asked to keep a watch on the main door to inform her mother about the arrival of the
Jordans. Mrs. Slater is not willing to share her father’s belongings with Mrs. Jordan. When the
articles are being shifted, the Jordans arrive. The family members start a detailed conversation on
the deeds of their deceased father, planning the details of the obituary announcement in the papers
and the insurance premium payment. They start a discussion over the distribution of their father’s
belongings among them.

Surprisingly, at this point of time, the play witnesses a turn of events. Victoria who has been sent to
the grandfather’s room, returns very scared. She tells everyone that grandfather is alive. To
everybody’s surprise, grandfather is seen coming downstairs. He is surprised to find the Jordans over
there too. No one dares to tell him that he had been declared ‘dead’. While taking tea, the truth
comes out and he gets to know how his daughters have been in a hurry to divide his possessions
among them.

On knowing the harsh reality, he tells them that he would change his will. He would give his money
and things to the one with whom he lives. Both the sisters try to persuade him to live with them but
he says that it is a bit late. He declares that he will do three things on Monday next. He will go to
the lawyer and change the will, pay the premium and get married to Mrs. John Shorrocks who
keeps the Ring-o-Bells at St. Philips’ Church. He invites all of them to attend the ceremony.