Troy Maxson-45-55
Bono 45-65
Rose 45-55
Lyons 25-35
Gabriel 40-50
Cory 16-18
Raynell 7-10
Time 1957
Setting A street and a house. The play mainly takes place in the back yard
Flexibility-it's very specific to the area it's set and race specific
Flexibility-it's very specific to the area it's set and race specific
Place/City/Country Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Accents: General American. Dialects are flexible
Synopsis
Fences it's based in a black family home at the height of the black civil rights movement. Troy Maxson a proud black man, husband to Rose and father to Cory, is stuck in the past, refusing to move with the times. Having been restricted to playing in the 'Negro' baseball leagues Troy refuses to let his son Cory play football on a college scholarship. In the wake of this, Cory runs off to the Navy, only to return at the end of the play at Troy's funeral.
At the start of the play, Bono, Troys best friend warns him of looking at other women, other then his wife Rose. Troy plays it down. However in act two it is revealed that Troy is to be a father once more after sleeping with a younger women. Troy's "entitlement" of having a wife and young women on the side creates huge problems. Troys mistress dies in childbirth, leaving the child motherless.
Rose agrees to raise the child but only to tell Troy that he must now consider himself wifeless. This is Troys ultimate downfall, fulfilling the roll as the plays 'Tragic hero'.
After years of hard work, doing right by his friends and family, his own pride and lust lead him to die a lonely, sonless, friendless and wifeless existence. Blaming the Grim reaper as his catalyst for the his demise, having built a Fence around his house as warning to sign to stay away "Alright Mr Death..... I'm gonna build me a fence....you stay over there until your ready for me" (Wilson, 1985, pg 77).
The original Troy Maxson, played by James Early Jones in 1987, won numerous award, Including the 'Pulitzer Prize'. It has since been revived with Denzel Washington and Viola Davis in 2010 and then once more with Lenny Henry in 2013.
Monologues and Duologues etc...
Page 15. (2 mins). In this monologue Troy tells a story about being in debt to the devil, and selling his soul, perhaps preempting events later on in the play where Troy goads the grim reaper
Pages 31-38. (7 mins). In this duologue Troy teachers his son Cory about responsibility as they set out building a fence around the house. The conversation turns sour when Troy plays down the fact that Cory wants to play professional football. Troy telling him that its for whites only and that he Cory needs to get it out of his head. Much aligned with Troys failings to make it as a baseball player due to the colour of his skin.
(James Earl-Jones in 1887)
Pages 51-52 (3 mins). In this monologue Troy discusses the moment he became a man. Troy a 14 year old boy about to lay down with his 13 year old girlfriend is confronted by his "Daddy". Troy, assuming his father is mad because he hasn't done his chores tries to run off, when Troy sees that his fathers agenda is to lay with the girl himself troy states, "I lost all fear of my daddy. Right there is where I became a man." Troy talks about fighting his father and then waking up blooded near a stream being liked by his old dog 'Blue'. Troy sings about his Dog Blue within the play 'Old Boy Blue'
Pages 64-71 (7 mins). In this duologue Troy confesses and opens up that not only has he been cheating on Rose with a younger women but is also pregnant with his child. Rose is distraught at the news. Troy tries his best to justify his actions saying that he is a man with needs, which of course Rose has no of.
Page 77 (2 mins). During this monologue Troy goes face to face with Death, calling him out after the loss of his mistress during childbirth to his daughter.
Pages 78-79 (3 mins) Troy comes home with his newly born daughter form the hospital. She has no Mother and no home. Troy talks to himself in this monologue in the presence of Rose. His words try convince Rose to take the little girl into the family home.
Rose responds with "From right now.....this child got a mother. but you a womanless man" (Wilson, 1985, pg79).
Pages 84-89 (5 mins) This is the final duologue between Troy and Cory. Knowing that troy has lost Rose and having denied his entry in to collage football, Cory treats his father with disdain as if he has no place in the world "you in my way, i got to get by....I aint scared of you" (Wilson, 1985, pg 84-85). the result is a physical fight between them and Cory leaving the house for good. Only to return once Troy has past away.
Key Words
Race
Black civil rights
Tradition
Changing times
Affairs
Children
Family
Hard work
Tragic Hero
Navy
Baseball
Football
Physical abuse
Verbal abuse
Mans, man
Pride
Augusto Wilson
Some of Augusto Wilson's Other plays
Written by Josh Ashley-Smith
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