Class Enemy
NIGEL WILLIAMS
A play first performed at the Theatre Upstairs on 9 March 1978 and at the Royal Court Theatre
on 4 April, 1978. It is a contemporary play in prose which consists of two acts.
The play occurs in a school class in the South of London and starts one day at 14:30 and it is
for the author emplaced in the present. We cannot find literary resources itselves, but we can see
for example a use of “vulgar” language with abbreviations and use of apostrophe “ I saw’er”.
An impressing portrayal of youth’s reality in a marginal situation. The play relates the world in
which youngsters live when not controlled by anyone. A world which has its own hierarchy,
rules and masters. A world where sometimes violence is completely fair. Therefore, there is
shown the way these young boys who nobody can tame, have their own little wars which could
end in real tragic events. Teachers do not care about them anymore. They just consider
themselves a problem without solution. The master even says that instead of into school they
should be on the streets, “isn’t that what police are for”. They assume they will sooner or later
end up walking the streets and committing crimes.
Some have found connections with the plot of this play and works like the Lord of the
flies, where children play in an adult’s way to finally commit adult atrocities. It is like they tried
to behave like adults without being able to do it. They have their heroes, masters and even their
lessons to teach each other. But they are still too young have a real concept of living in society.
Therefore, their innocent childlike minds are turned into evil and reckonless which can only
obey to their childish feelings and desires.
I found also remarkable to state the language used in the play. A language based on a supposed
strong low-class London accent. Therefore, the text is written in a graphemic transcription of
that pronunciation. This makes the reader get into a more different world. Quite a different
tough world where not even the English is the one we are used to.
PAU GRAU FRÍGOLA