Brian Friels Translations Essay -- Brian Friel Translations Essays

Brian Friel's "Translations" 'Translations' by Brian Friel can be appreciated and understood without knowledge of Irelands social, political and linguistic history. It can be enjoyed simply as a drama that incorporates comedy, tragedy and romance. However, with a greater understanding of Irelands history, such as the effect the 'great famine' had on the ordinary people of Ireland the play * In 'Translations' the people of Baile Beag show hostility towards the English army who have been sent to anglicise the place names of the area. For hundreds of years the English had made incursions in to Ireland. Many rebellions followed the conquest of Ireland, after which Queen Mary Tudor became the Queen of England and Ireland and the people of Ireland came under the control of the British government. There were attempts in the C16 to settle English colonies in Lenster and Munster but these were unsuccessful. In the C17 land was taken from Irish Earls and divided between Scottish Presbyterians. Rebellion followed in the reign of Charles 1 and this took the form of Catholic...