Our Country's Good by Timberlake Wertenbaker
"Our Country's Good" is a play by Timberlake Wertenbaker set in the late 18th century, specifically during the establishment of a convict settlement in Australia. The story unfolds through a series of short scenes, highlighting the lives of convicts aboard a ship and their experiences upon arrival in a new land. Central to the narrative is the exploration of the transformative power of theater, as Lieutenant Ralph Clark proposes staging a production of George Farquhar’s "The Recruiting Officer" with the convicts as actors. This initiative faces opposition from some military officers, who see it as frivolous in the harsh environment of a penal colony, while Captain Phillip advocates for its potential to foster civility and humanity.
The play delves into themes of redemption, identity, and the complexities of human relationships against a backdrop of adversity and violence. Through both comedic and tragic elements, Wertenbaker offers a nuanced portrayal of the characters, revealing their struggles and aspirations. The dramatic structure employs varied locales and a fluid scene transition style, enhancing the engagement of the audience. Notably, the play has received critical acclaim, including prestigious awards, and remains an important work in contemporary theater, reflecting on the enduring impact of colonial history and the human spirit.
Our Country's Good by Timberlake Wertenbaker
First published: 1988
First produced: 1988, at the Royal Court Theatre, London
Type of plot: History
Time of work: 1787-1789
Locale: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Principal Characters:
Captain Arthur Phillip , governor of New South WalesMajor Robbie Ross , a Scotsman and senior officer in charge of the Royal Marine contingentCaptain Jemmy Campbell , Ross’s assistant and a fellow ScotsmanCaptain David Collins , advocate general of New South WalesReverend Johnson , a minister of the Church of EnglandSecond Lieutenant Ralph Clark , the director of the playMidshipman Harry Brewer , provost marshall of New South Wales and the hangmanDuckling Smith , Brewer’s mistressThe Aborigine , a native AustralianJohn Arscott ,Black Caesar ,Robert Sideway ,John Wisehammer ,Mary Brenham ,Dabby Bryant ,Liz Morden , andKetch Freeman , convicts who take part in the play
The Play
Our Country’s Good takes place in two acts, each with short scenes that are titled. In a production the titles are usually announced or flashed onto a screen. The first scene, “The voyage out,” takes place in the hold of a convict ship bound for Australia in 1787. The stage is in semi-darkness with a group of convicts huddled together. Robert Sideway is being flogged offstage on the deck as Lieutenant Ralph Clark counts the lashes. When Sideway is thrown into the hold and collapses, the other convicts begin to speak longingly of the England from which they have been exiled. The action of scene 2 is described by its title: “A lone Aboriginal Australian describes the arrival of the first convict fleet in Botany Bay on January 20, 1788.” The next scene, “Punishment,” finds Captain Phillip and other officers shooting birds and discussing the punishment the convicts should receive for stealing and other offenses. Captain Phillip objects not only to the regular floggings but also to the hangings that are scheduled for the next day, while the other officers defend such punishment.
Scene 4, “The loneliness of men,” opens with Clark reading aloud what he is writing in his diary concerning events in the prison colony. Harry Brewer enters and reveals that the man he hanged is haunting him. Clark tries to comfort him and mentions the possibility of doing a play with a convict cast. In scene 5, titled “An audition,” George Farquhar’s comedy The Recruiting Officer (pr., pb. 1706), gets under way, and the dialogue takes a comic turn as the convicts react to the unfamiliar situation of actually being in a play. Theatrical performance has never been a part of their wretched experience in England.
The play’s theme emerges in scene 6 as the scene title notes: “The authorities discuss the merits of the theatre.” Several of the officers, especially the stern Major Ross, object to the production as inappropriate and frivolous for a prison colony. Captain Phillip, however, defends the idea and points out that “The theatre is an expression of civilization.” The seventh scene, “Harry and Duckling go rowing,” shows one of the personal relationships that have formed in the insular world of the remote prison. In the eighth scene, “The women learn their lines,” several of the female convicts discuss the play and in the process reveal much about their own pathetic lives. Scene 9 opens as “Ralph Clark tries to kiss his dear wife’s picture.” Clark paces about talking aloud to the picture of his wife, which he finally kisses. The convict Ketch Freeman interrupts him, and after telling Clark the sad history of his life, Freeman begs to be in the play. In scene 10, “John Wisehammer and Mary Brenham exchange words,” Brenham, one of the few convicts who can read and write, makes a copy of The Recruiting Officer. Another literate convict, Wisehammer, displays his knowledge and love of words.
The first act’s final scene follows the difficulties at “The first rehearsal.” As usual the convict players argue among themselves about the play, which they take literally and confuse with their own lives. Major Ross and his assistant Captain Campbell interrupt the rehearsal to announce that some of the cast members have stolen food and attempted escape. At this point it appears that the play will never be produced.
The opening scene of act 2, “Visiting hours,” finds four of the convict players—Morden, Wisehammer, Arscott, and Caesar—in chains awaiting their punishment for theft and attempted escape. Morden recalls her ill-fated life in England that led her to being imprisoned and transported. The others talk about escape, but are interrupted by fellow cast members who have come to rehearse the play. In scene 2, “His excellency exhorts Ralph,” Captain Phillip argues against canceling the play, even though half of the cast has been arrested. Here the captain develops further his idea that the theater will be a redeeming force in the prison colony and expresses his belief in the essential dignity of all humans, no matter how mangled their lives may have become. Scene 3, “Harry Brewer sees the dead,” revisits the haunted hangman, who is overwhelmed by the spirits of those he has killed. The Aborigine appears again in scene 4 and “muses on the nature of dreams.” Scene 5 covers “The second rehearsal,” with the arrested players in chains. The presence of the cruel Major Ross disrupts the proceedings as he harasses and humiliates the convicts. “The science of hanging” is the title of scene 6, which first focuses on the attempt to measure Morden in order to determine the length of the rope that will be used to hang her. The action then moves to the haunted Brewer, who hears the voices of the dead and finally collapses.
Scene 7, “The meaning of plays,” opens with the Aborigine asking how his people can rid their land of these white interlopers, whom the Aborigines consider a swarm of ancestors’ spirits. Following his speech, another rehearsal takes place, again with constant interruptions as the cast argues over the play’s meaning. Scene 8, “Duckling makes vows,” finds Duckling Smith sitting beside her lover, Harry Brewer, and promising to treat him better if he will not die. She then discovers that the doomed Brewer is already dead, having succumbed to the voices of the hanged ones who have haunted him day and night. Titled “A love scene,” the next episode takes place on the beach as the play’s director Ralph Clark and the leading lady Mary Brenham carry on a private rehearsal, but passion overtakes them. Soon they are undressing in the warm night and become lovers. Scene 10 addresses “The question of Liz,” who has been sentenced to hang for her part in the food theft and escape attempt. Morden has refused to defend herself because she does not want to be branded as an informer on her fellow convicts. She finally explains what took place and is reprieved. Captain Phillip encourages her to play her role well in the forthcoming production.
The play’s final scene is simply called “Backstage.” The Aborigine appears alone at the outset and describes the symptoms of his illness. He does not know that he has contracted smallpox from the unwanted visitors. Then the actors bustle in excitedly. Wisehammer has written a prologue for The Recruiting Officer, which contains the words “our country’s good,” suggesting that the transportation of the convicts had actually benefitted their beloved England, to which they are still loyal. The director and cast members decide that the prologue, although well written, should not be used because it is too political. The play ends with the cast waiting nervously for their entrances and listening intently as one of the actors delivers offstage the opening speech.
Dramatic Devices
The succession of short scenes in varied locales has become a familiar way for contemporary dramatists to construct a complex plot. In production, My Country’s Good would be performed on a basic set, most likely on several levels, so that one scene could flow into another without interruption. Lighting and simple properties along with period costumes would establish the necessary atmosphere.
Announcing or projecting on a screen the names of the scenes—a device borrowed from playwright Bertolt Brecht—helps the audience to follow the complicated plot and to keep track of the numerous characters who appear so briefly that they cannot be developed fully. While the present condition of the convicts and their past histories are grim, the script moves easily from the dramatic to the comic, a pace which shows Wertenbaker’s sound grasp of theatrical devices. She manages to make the convicts and some of the officers, especially Captain Phillip and Ralph Clark, humane even though they are in an inhumane world. Nevertheless, the violence and cruelty hover over the play in a subtle manner. Many of the convicts’ speeches contain eighteenth century slang typical of the low class, a device that adds to the play’s authenticity.
Critical Context
Wertenbaker has written for the stage, screen, and television. She has also translated plays into English, including dramas by Jean Anouilh, Maurice Maeterlinck, and Luigi Pirandello. Widely recognized at home in England and in the United States, her work is noted for its strong dramatic qualities and its commitment to the theater of ideas. Some of her best-known plays include New Anatomies (pr. 1981, pb. 1984), Three Birds Alighting on a Field (pr. 1991, pb. 1992), and After Darwin (pr., pb. 1998). In 1990 she wrote the screenplay for Edith Wharton’s The Children.
Our Country’s Good was first produced in London, then saw several major productions in the United States. Its success early in Wertenbaker’s career helped to establish her reputation internationally. The drama received the 1988 Laurence Olivier Play of the Year Award in London, and in 1991 received the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best New Foreign Play. It continues to be one of Wertenbaker’s most widely performed and read plays.
Sources for Further Study
Hornby, R. “Broadway Economics.” Hudson Review 44 (Fall, 1991): 453-461.
LaRue, M. “Our Country’s Good.” Review in Theatre Crafts 25 (March, 1991): 40-52.
Rabey, D. I. “Defining Difference: Timberlake Wertenbaker’s Drama of Language, Dispossession, and Discovery.” Modern Drama 33 (December, 1990): 518-529.
Ramsden, Timothy. “Prison Therapy.” Times Educational Supplement (September 25, 1998): 30.
Speirs, L. “Current Literature.” English Studies 71 (December, 1990): 535-562.
Weeks, Stephen. “The Question of Liz: Staging the Prisoner in Our Country’s Good.” Modern Drama 43 (Summer, 2000): 147-157.
Wilson-Smith, A. “Our Country’s Good: Theatre, Colony, and Nation in Wertenbaker’s Adaptation of The Playmaker.” Modern Drama 34 (March, 1991): 23-35.