The Elephant Man

Research the real history of Joseph Merrick and Frederick Treves. How does the playwright take liberties with the story? How do these liberties change the way the play might affect an audience?

Why do you think the playwright doesn’t want the actor playing John Merrick to use stage makeup and affected speech to mimic Joseph Merrick’s condition? How do you think that changes the way the play presents disability?

What do you think the model church represents? How do each of Merrick’s moments building the model complement the action in the play? Why do you think he dies after the model is complete?

How would you characterize Merrick’s friendships after he starts living in the hospital? Is Mrs. Kendal’s friendship different from the others? What about Treves’s?

The Elephant Man has received several revivals and film adaptations. Imagine that you are producing the play now in your community. Do you think it would be a good choice? Why or why not? Do you think the play’s messages are relevant to today’s issues? Why or why not? Is there anything about the play that has aged badly or needs to be changed?

Research the history of imperialism by the British Empire during the Victorian era. How does the play comment on imperialism? What position does it take? Use examples from the text.

At the end of the play, the three women from the “freak show” at the Belgium fair show up to help Merrick die. Why do you think the playwright made that choice? How are the women different in Merrick’s death scene as opposed to their earlier scene at the fair?

Research the history of “freak shows” in England. How did they function? Who went to see them? Although the specific performance of “freak shows” as they were in the 19th century has fallen out of vogue, the viewing of “human oddities” or people who are seen as outsiders or strange has been a practice throughout human civilization. What are some modern-day versions of “freak shows?” Are they more or less exploitative? Why?