Arsenic and Old Lace

Act I provides exposition into key plot points and quickly establishes the outlandish tone and physical comedy that is characteristic of farce. Most crucially, Act I introduces the Brewster family history of psychiatric conditions. Harper and the officers have a vague awareness of this history, citing Mortimer’s grandfather, a “quack of some sort” who “tried [medicines] out on people” (10). A benign, current example is Teddy Brewster, who believes he is President Theodore Roosevelt. While Teddy is harmless, he does frequently play his bugle throughout the night, disturbing the neighbors, and unknowingly aids in concealing Abby and Martha’s murders. Though Abby and Martha have a pristine reputation amongst their community, their family’s quirks are placed front and center from the very start of the play. This sets up a valid justification for Mortimer’s fears, and facilitates comedy based on the perception of the sweet, elderly sisters and their well-intentioned but murderous new hobby.

Mortimer’s anxieties about his family are an undercurrent of Act I. He is shocked when his aunts confess to their various murders, and unsure how to react. When confronting them, he scolds them with comical understatement, referring to their crimes as a “very bad habit” (31). This is the first of many instances of Mortimer exhibiting a convoluted response when faced with the sisters’ crimes. While there are many moments where he viscerally recoils at the thought of his beloved aunts being killers, he is unable to completely bring himself to seek out their punishment. He struggles with this after hearing their initial confession, shouting “I can’t turn you into the police! But what am I going to do?” (24) The weight of this secret causes him to shun Elaine and puts their engagement in jeopardy, creating dramatic tension that increases the stakes of the often silly action. Mortimer’s relationship with his family is complex. Though he knows his aunts are killers, his love for them stops him from reporting them. At the same time, he is forced to observe another instance of the famed Brewster peculiarity in the people he least expected. This causes him to question his identity and fear passing these characteristics on to his hypothetical future children with Elaine.

Kesselring’s portrayal of psychiatric conditions for comedic effect is outdated and biased, however Mortimer’s fear of developing a psychiatric condition and the conflation of psychiatric conditions with criminal behavior form both Mortimer’s primary motivation as protagonist and a main source of humor in the play. Additionally, portraying murder, unlawful behavior, and violence as humorous is characteristic of the black comedy genre, which aims either to explore a taboo subject through humor or make light of serious issues. Kesselring’s play falls into the latter category, intended more to amuse than to instruct its audience. Kesselring also utilizes elements of farce, employing dark physical comedy through the choreography of rapid entrances and exits and the maneuvering of several corpses over the course of the play.

Act I presents the fundamental contradiction at Abby and Martha’s core. While they are seen as beacons of “pure kindness” by community members like the Reverend, they joyfully poison any lonely man who stumbles upon their home (9). The fact that kindness is the aunts’ key motive demonstrates that they constantly toe the line between love and evil, suggesting that many humans contain the capacity for both. 

This act also contains Jonathan’s memorable entrance. Jonathan inherited the aunts’ homicidal streak. However, unlike Abby and Martha, Jonathan makes no serious attempt to justify his actions. His first described murder is that of driver Mr. Spenalzo. Jonathan tells his lackey Einstein that he had no choice but to kill him because “He said I look like Boris Karloff!” (37). Karloff was an actor famous for playing Frankenstein’s monster, and had a distinctly intimidating look. This suggests that Jonathan took this remark as an insult to his appearance and killed the man out of vanity. This line also functioned as a meta-theatrical joke in the original Broadway production, as Jonathan was first portrayed by the real Boris Karloff, once again engaging the absurd humor of farce. Still, by admitting his selfish reasons for murdering Mr. Spenalzo, Kesselring contrasts Jonathan and his aunts. Jonathan is portrayed as someone who will commit violence at a whim, and relies on it to express his anger and resentment at the world around him. The sisters' reasoning, however counterintuitive, is rooted in their generosity, which makes them more likable to audiences.  

Jonathan’s entrance also demonstrates an early use of dramatic irony in the play. Dramatic irony is a literary device defined by audiences having more information than the characters. Kesselring regularly utilizes dramatic irony to poke fun at characters who underestimate or disregard Abby and Martha’s murderous nature. When Jonathan and Einstein arrive at the house, Jonathan is confident he can intimidate Abby and Martha into letting them stay. He brushes his aunts off as “two helpless old women '' whom they do not have to worry about (39). However, at this point, the audience is well aware that Abby and Martha have 12 bodies in the cellar and were recently trying to kill another man. Jonathan’s comment is humorous because the audience knows the truth about the sisters. As such, they are also able to envision what is to come and can consider how the conflict between Jonathan, Mortimer, and the aunts might unfold throughout the rest of the play.