ENRON - LUCY PREBBLE
a01 a02 a03 a04 a05
10 marks 10 marks 10 marks 20 marks 10 marks
Organise responses in a clear Analyse how meaning is shaped Show understanding of the Explore connections across Reflect on different
and effective academic style and in drama text through the use of cultural and contextual drama texts. interpretations of literary texts,
register with coherent written language, dramatic devices, influences on readers and including, where relevant,
expression. verse form and structure. writers. critical interpretation; debate
Accurate quotations and Identify and consider how alternative ideas about a text
references to text and sources. attitudes and values are and consider multiple readings.
expressed in texts.
Plot:
The play revolves around one of history’s greatest business scandals, where the top executives of America's 7th largest company walked away with over 1 billion dollars whilst
investors and employers of the company lost everything. It is based on the book, ‘The Smartest Guys in the Room’ by Fortune Magazine reporters, Bethany McLean and peter
Elkind, and features inside accounts, incendiary corporate audios and videotapes, unimaginable personal excesses of the Enron hierarchy and the utter moral vacuum that
posed as corporate philosophy. Through hearing Enron traders' own voices as they wring hundreds of millions in profits from the California energy crisis, we come to
understand how Enron traders and their bosses have a shocking and profound domino effect that may shape the face of our economy for years to come.
Potential themes:
- Comedy - Greed - Morality
- Power - Extent of intellectual curiosity - Tragic heroes
- Change - Materialism - Extent of responsibility (fate vs free will)
- Risk - Good vs evil - ‘’ (protagonist vs sidekick)
- Magic - Ambition - Extent of sympathy
- Temptation - Inner conflict - Pride
- Redemption - Education - Conflict
- Religion - Consequences of rebellion - Appearance vs reality
, SCENE BY SCENE ANALYSIS
Prologue Summary General context Characters
This is a theatrical device to comment on
action/introduce ideas/fill in the
audience on what has happened. It
introduces Enron as a forward-looking,
ambitious, iconoclastic company that is
seemingly transparent. Like Faustus, the
prologue is set up to introduce the
morality play but whilst Faustus conflict
revolves around necromancy, magic and
the devil on one hand and God and
repentance on the other, the conflict is
Enron is based on the economic virtual
world, using to to one’s advantage and
the negative implications that follow.
Quote Analysis/links to Faustus Context/critics
They have the heads of mice. These represent the company’s Board of One meaning behind the ‘3 blind mice’ is
Directors. These characters dressed in that they were mischievous,
black, formal business attire with a adventure-seeking mice that got chased
caricature head of a mouse and white and then their tails were removed by the
cane are physical representations of the butcher's wife. The mice found how to
faceless followers behind the face of the regrow their tails, recover their eyesight
company. They are shadows that emerge and learn trade, allowing them to live
alongside the men when they fool happily ever after.
themselves into believing they can be However, another meaning was the 3
excused from the consequences of their blind mice were protestant loyalists that
actions. plot against Queen Mary I and they were
burned at the stake. This can be linked to
Enron commercial had mice with suits both Enron and Faustus by the men
and big heads showing Enron online is an aiming too high and causing their
open, opaque system and you’ll no longer downfall. In both plays, this is
be blind of knowing the information, symbolised in the prologue with
ironic reference to Icarus’ waxen wings in
Faustus.
, The exaggeration of the mice men used
by Prebble can be seen to reflect the
works of Berthold Brecht, who she took
some inspiration from. Berthold Brecht is
a dramatist that used non-naturalistic
stage directions, song, dance and
choreographed sequences to convey
ideas. This is similar to how Marlowe
conveyed ideas due to the rising
popularity of theatre, his competition
with Thomas Kyd, lack of technology to
set scenes increasing the reliability of
actors, costumes and stage structures to
do so and the presentation of
controversial ideas.
‘An open, transparent marketplace that Enron is first presented as a dichotomy
replaces the dark, blind system that from other energy companies;
existed.’ something forward-looking and
iconoclastic. However, this is ironic as the
revolutionary nature of the company was
not the inward reality as the audience
sees the company hiding more and more
as time unravels.
Lawyer ‘When businesses fail, when The lawyer is presented as the voice of This is interesting as a recent production
unemployment rises, marriages break the prologue as it is someone that can be of Faustus, ‘Devil’s Advocate’ revolved
down and men jump to their deaths.’ trusted as they are unbiased. In the around a lawyer that defends a guilty
‘I could explain to you how it works but I prologue of Faustus, he rejects law as it man and sacrifices his morality due to his
don’t have the time and you don’t have ‘fits mercenary drudge’, meaning it is ambition.
the money.’ someone who serves for money and
‘When things get desperate, we find profits from the misfortune of others.
ourselves a great man’ From comparing the prologue of both, it
can be seen Faustus is perhaps more
reliable as his claims of branches of
intellect appear to be true.
‘Within every great man, there’s a buried This sets up the moral dilemma in the Both playwrights seem to set their plays
risk’ play; Is Skilling a power-crazy egomaniac to be a warning to their audiences. In
that exploits companies for money, or Faustus, it warns of the negative
someone who genuinely wants to see consequences of necromancy and
, positive change? Whilst Skilling believes blasphemy and in Enron, it is that people
the latter (even at the end of the play), in business sell a convincing image and
there is evidence supporting both. negative implications lie in falling for it
and becoming in a willing suspension of
disbelief. (Coleridge)
‘Here, in the beating heart of the This presents America as a fairytale, References to the American Dream
economic world: America. In the heart of however this is superficial and reflect references to the Renaissance
America, Texas. And in the heart of unrealistic. Man in Faustus. However, both are
Texas, Houston. There was a company.’ dramatised to excuse their evil actions,
disguised by ambition.
Act 1, scene 1 Summary General context Characters
This is important in introducing and
collecting first impressions of the
characters in the play. It is set at a party
with the people in the business and
introduces a new scheme the company is
adop;ting called mark to market.
Quote Analysis/links to Faustus Context/critics
Claudia Roe A very attractive blonde woman of forty This introduces Roe as a gold digger that All the characters are a direct account of
in a short skirt. uses her sexual allure to move her way up real people that were in the Enron
She sticks close to the most powerful the company. She receives sexism and is company. The only diversion from this is
man in the room. undermined in the company due to her Claudia, who is rather an amalgamation
‘One of the fifty most powerful position as a woman. of those that question the moral actions
women’..’Number fourteen’..’ I think one of the company. It is significant she is a
of Oprah’s dogs was at number twelve.’ woman as it puts her in a position to be
taken less seriously.
Ken Lay An easy, convivial man in his sixties, This introduces Lay to be a friendly and
greeting and acknowledging every likeable character but the verb ‘practised’
employee with practised southern and oxymoron of avuncular and
hospitality. politician suggests this is superficial and
He’s like an avuncular policitan. sets him up as a machiavellian character
‘I make a point of knowing people, son’ that is using his people skills to his
advantage.
Andrew Fastow A nervy, lupine guy in his thirties, circling This introduces Fastow as someone
with an unsettling grin. wolf-like and hungry for success.
