British Theatre. “Cloud 9” Play by Caryl Churchill

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Churchill has been instrumental in setting a trend of her own, incorporating the expression of feminist insights into the contemporary theater. Her theatrical expressions have encouraged audiences to actively respond to institutions and ideologies that had previously been taken for granted. She has also emerged as one of the leading feminist critics of society. She explores humans’ ability to produce significant changes in themselves and their environment. (Who is Caryl Churchill?).

Carving a niche for herself in the drama of the coeval, she allowed her political leanings to become the focus of her work. She introduces the theme of sexual repression and femininity, in full force in Cloud 9. (Churchill). She has successfully experimented with time manipulation, cross-gender casting, and the development of concepts of costuming and staging. (Caryl Churchill).

Her approach to Cloud 9 is not strictly feminist. She delves into the general concept of sexual repression and how any person can feel its effects. In order to heighten the effect of the themes latent, she has selected two different repressive periods in British history. Subsequently, the two acts of the drama take place in two entirely different societies – the first act in Africa, roughly during the 1870s during the British Victorian Era. During this time period, the British were a great colonial power and Churchill uses the notion of British responsibility to civilize colonial cultures as a backdrop. Act 2 takes place in London around 1979. By this time, Britain had lost its imperial power, but other forms of repression remained. In one sense, she tosses the characters from act one into a new arena to see how they react to the change in circumstances and view the characters’ perspectives based on changing ideologies.

In the first act, we are introduced to Clive, the protagonist, a colonial admirer, his wife Betty, and their children Edward and Victoria. Ellen is the children’s governess and Maud is their grandmother. The characters welcome the audience to a typical African home. It is colonial Africa during Queen Victoria’s reign. Clive is authoritative, strict, and dominates over the others. This attitude is evident from what Betty says. “I live for Clive. The whole aim of my life is to be what he looks for in a wife. I am a man’s creation as you see, and what men want is what I want to be.” It also highlights Betty’s subservient nature. Clive is a typical Victorian man, chauvinist, and with extreme temperaments. His opinion of the dress code is also evident from his reference to baby Victoria. “Did she wear Ellen’s big hat like a lady? What a pretty.”

The Victorian men carried themselves with superior air and women often had to wait for them. Betty says “What a long time they’re taking. I always seem to be waiting for the men.” The men drunk themselves and often women had to patiently wait for the men to arrive after the all-male gathering. There was also the custom that the women had to be patient and they had to tolerate the whims and fancies of their men. Betty’s mother Maud chides her so: “Betty you have to learn to be patient. I am patient. My mama was very patient.” “The men have their duties and we have ours.”

Clive, in order to prove himself, is ready to help Mrs. Saunders. Though married, he wants to have an affair with Mrs. Saunders. When she approaches him for help, he says): “It is a pleasure. It is an honor. It is positively your duty to seek my help. I would be hurt; I would be insulted by any show of independence.” This further elucidates that the show of courage of any woman would be an insult to a male and a woman was not expected to adorn the role of a man. Clive would not be able to stand such behavior. Women of the society were considered meek and fragile. “You’re so delicate and sensitive,” says Clive.

Betty’s role is played by a man while Edward’s role is played by a woman. This change in gender is to highlights the gender tendencies in the reaction of both the characters. Churchill has intentionally interchanged the male and female characters giving them the opposite gender roles as she wanted to highlight the changed biological tendencies in the characters, which is reflected in their temperaments.

Clive feels that his son Edward is not courageous to face any situation. He feels his son should grow up to be like him – fearless and strong. “A boy has no business having feelings.” A treat for you, Edward, to see the soldiers. Would you like to be a soldier?”

We are amazed when we see Harry not in a position to come to an understanding of his relationship with Betty. Harry (in reference to his homosexuality): “It is not a sin, it is a disease.” When Clive doesn’t approve of Harry and decides to get Harry married to Mrs. Saunders, Harry is astonished. He could never dream of getting married; the reason being that he is a homosexual. “I suppose getting married wouldn’t be any worse than killing myself.”

Clive understands that Harry is a homosexual. He is offended by the pass that Harry makes at him. Seeking a cure for Harry’s perversities, Clive attempts to marry Harry to Mrs. Saunders. Mrs. Saunders refuses the offer and Clive forces an engagement between Harry and Ellen. While the party is going on Clive kisses Mrs. Saunders and a fight ensues between Mrs. Saunders and Betty. Joshua, angry at his parents’ death, shoots Clive. Edward notices Joshua’s movements but does not warn his father. This also tells us that Edward hates his father and he doesn’t mind his father’s death. The death of Clive represents the death of ideologies, principles, and beliefs of a bygone age.

The Victorian age believed in greater responsibilities for a woman than a man. Betty tells Ellen,: “Ellen you’re not getting married to enjoy yourself.” These lines serve as evidence of the prevailing conventions of typical Victorian society.

The playwright in the beginning introduces her characters as:

CLIVE, a colonial admirer
BETTY, his wife (played by a man)
JOSHUA; his black servant (played by a white)
EDWARD: his son (played by a woman)
VICTORIA: his daughter (represented by a dummy)

Perhaps, Churchill wanted to explore the sexual interaction between groups of mostly white expatriates. She wanted to expose the hypocrisy arising from the conflicting imperatives of Victorian respectability and sexual desire and creates a conflict between actors and their roles for the sake of the audience. It could be assessed that during the Victorian age, a young girl was denied a voice. Therefore, she is represented as a dummy. This is perhaps only an assumption.

Act II begins 100 years later. Victoria, Lin, Lin’s daughter Cathy and Victoria’s husband Martin arrive at the stage. Lin is a lesbian whose advances are stopped by Victoria: “I don’t know what Martin would say. Does it count as adultery with a woman?”

The act begins in the winter season when the sexual appetite is low. Edward loves Gerry who is also gay. While Edward wants to have a meaningful relationship with Gerry, as a wife and mother, Gerry still maintains promiscuity. “I like doing the cooking. I like being fucked,” is self-explanatory.

Later, Lin takes Victoria and Martin to an orgy where they see her dead brother. The act ends with all the characters singing the song “Cloud Nine”. Betty has come to the new realization that she can live without Clive. Her frequent masturbation is her only outlet to distance herself from the thoughts of Clive to retain her self-identity. : “I’ve never been so short of men’s company that I’ve had to bother with women,” she says.

Edward’s role is played by a male character while his feelings are feminine. Betty, once subservient is no more in touch with her past. She is more into her independence and femininity. Martin is forced to take care of his son Tommy as Victoria shirks from her responsibilities. It is true to say that ‘in modern London, men become women, and fathers become mothers.’ (Churchill).

Clive doesn’t appear throughout act two. It shows the end of oppression, suppression of sexual feelings, end of denial of social interaction with the cross-gender of the Victorian period. Nothing is under Clive’s control from the later part of act one. His views are incompatible and the new world seeks sexual liberation. The world of act two is New England where gender and identity play an important role in the freedom given to lesbians and gays.

Churchill makes a connection with the first and the second acts more literal by introducing characters who are brief, almost ghostlike, and those whose past still haunts the present. The Dead Hang Gang assault on Cathy is witness to the “dead hand” of the past that has returned for the final attack on the values of the present. Delving into the past the audience gets a taste of the effects of the past on their present action. The audience empathizes with Betty when she attains freedom. Betty in act two gets an opportunity to tell her mother of the freedom m she gets after masturbation. Her liberation from Clive brings back the individuality in her. The final embrace between “Betty of act one and Betty of act two suggests the reconciliation of, or a healing between the old and the new, not a movement from one to the next.” (Churchill).

Act two is entirely different from act one. The character bears no allegiance to the past. Earlier the characters were afraid of Clive and suffered on account of his manners. Now, they have been liberated from existence and move ahead towards their destiny. Their surge ahead with life declares freedom from suppression and oppression of all sorts. The most glaring instance is that of Edward who feels that he has been relieved from the harsh control of his father. He can now, with Gerry’s help lead the life of a gay, true to his conscience.

It is to be noted that act two also has a séance scene that classifies female sexuality as sacred. To Lin, Edward and Victoria, sexuality has become a kind of new religion for a new society. They have to reject old notions of reverences and colonial and sexual oppression in the name of religion. There can no longer be sexual or political harassment due to their biological differences. The second act brings the lesson of the first act to bear on the audience. Though Betty had undergone a remarkable change, she is more opinionated, her intention to leave Clive and to live independently is assurance that she cannot be completely separated from the past.

The first scene of act two makes the juxtaposition between the old and the new worlds in which Churchill quickly introduces the problems of the transition from one to the other. She purposely puts Betty, Edward, Victoria, and Lin in new London and forces them to deal with new sexual and political freedom.

It is to be noted that the year 1979 marked a unique period of the sexual revolution in London, a period distinct from the Victorian Era in many ways. Divorce had become acceptable, women gained new freedom and greater status, homosexuals, though far from completely welcome, had established a presence in the cultural landscape of British society.

Giving significance to the change in trends and the emergence of feminism and its concepts, Churchill has successfully caricatured the various characters in Cloud Nine giving due regard to the changing societal patterns. The two acts set in entirely different locales and covering entirely different environments, successfully reinforce the liberation of society from harsh standards of living and moral grounds. It is significant that the Victorian society, with its snobbishness and unnecessary harsh methods, turns out to be a society wherein moral codes of conduct are looked upon as weapons of defense against their false pride. Largely, as a matter of convenience and a ground to express male superiority and chauvinism against the female struggle for liberation, Victorian society witnessed undue social norms which harassed people to the maximum. The present society, arising from the ashes of the previous one, aims to resolve such differences by giving due importance to such issues. Society is no more a dead body of norms and rules but a lively institution safeguarding and protecting the rights of underprivileged individuals. By underprivileged, the biologically deprived classes have to be taken into consideration.

It can certainly never be deciphered that the present society is favorable enough to nurture such biological differences. Yet, British society does provide room for decisions to be taken on the societal front regarding cultural studies. It is to be considered that gay and lesbian studies have gained ground in the modern era and roots of which were sown earlier. Cross-gender and gender differences did exist in the past but they weren’t brought to the notice of the public for fear of segregation and removal from society. Though not much has been done to improve their conditions, certain constitutional rights are being provided for their welfare. After all, what was their mistake!

Churchill, through this drama, has pin–pointed the social concerns of different sections of the society bearing biological differences which have to be taken into consideration. Suppression and oppression are no longer rules of expression. Individual freedom to attain individuality and regard is the rule of the time.

Works Cited

Caryl Churchill. Contemporary Writers. 2008. Web.

Churchill, Caryl. Cloud 9: Context. Spark Notes. 2006. Web.

Churchill, Caryl. Cloud 9: Plot Overview. Spark Notes. 2006. Web.

Churchill, Caryl. Cloud 9: Important Quotations Explained. Spark Notes. 2006. Web.

Churchill, Caryl. Cloud 9: Character Analysis. Spark Notes. 2006. Web.

Churchill, Caryl. Cloud 9: Act II, Scene 3-4. Spark Notes. 2006. Web.

Who is Caryl Churchill?. 2000. Web.

Churchill, Caryl. Cloud 9. Spark Notes. 2006. Web.

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British Theatre. “Cloud 9” Play by Caryl Churchill

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