Within Dublin, during the late 19th century and the early 20th century, there were three socio economic classes present. Groups of people were categorized based on their:
-
wealth
-
employment
-
profession
-
education
-
ancestry
-
locality
(Silverman, 2006).
The three classes were the:
- upper class who were the elite and wealthy citizens in Dublin
- middle class
- working class who were the poorest residents in Dublin.
(Noel, 1994).
Within the play Dublin By Lamplight, Michael West portrays these three socio economic classes through his characters, their professions, their living standards and lifestyle. For example:
- Eva represents the upper class within the play. She is a wealthy activist who lives in an expensive and posh Georgian style house within the city which is described in Act I scene II. She also has the financial ability to want to support Willy’s theatre company.
- The middle class, which some historians claim were not even present within Dublin at this very time, is represented by the character Nobbs, the hotel owner. More significantly, Frank and Willy, although very poor, also represent the middle class because of their professional status as theatre professionals. This is an interesting point to note that despite financial status, social and professional status can improve ones class distinction.
- The working class is portrayed by Maggie who is a cleaning lady at Nobb’s hotel. Her family, who live in what was commonly known as a tenement, depend on Maggie to financially support the family. The living standards for residents of small tenements were substandard and unhealthy and most of the time was inhabited by large families. In Act I scene III, Maggie’s living and financial situation is presented to the reader through West’s stage description as well as through the conversation Maggie has with her Ma.
