Translations

In Act 1 of Translations by Brian Friel, the character Manus stands out as being an important part of the play overall due to his involvement in many aspects of the town life. Manus is the older son of the Master of the school, and is the primary teacher to the students. The descriptions of Manus compared to his younger brother Owen along with the dialogue between them at the end of Act 1 hints at an underlying tension within the group. By all accounts of history it is usually the eldest son that receives all the glory and honor. Yet, Manus is overshadowed by his younger brother in terms of money and political power. While Manus is described as being pale faced, shabby dressed and lame, Owen is described as handsome, charming, and smartly dressed. Manus is continually ignored by his father and brother even though he is the primary worker in the "school." Due to these descriptions and familial interactions, Manus comes off as trying to prove himself better than his brother while also being too scared to go against his father. Manus is most likely going to continue to chase after Maire and be ignorant to the affections of Sarah. There will likely be some sort of argument between Manus and Owen in the future Acts over the visiting Englishmen and the women in the story.

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