The play that follow, have on Mompesson Essay Example for Free

The play that follow, have on Mompesson Essay The decision to close the village which is made my Mompesson and Stanley together, was a tough one to make, but together they explained their plans to the villagers, and the people listened, and agreed to stay in the village. This shows Mompesson has found the strength somewhere inside him to make an important decision and stick to it. The village is in shock, and a few obviously are not keen on the idea of staying in the village to die, but they agree. Once Mompesson and Stanley have announced their plan, they are left alone. God help us Mompesson. What have we done? This is the last we hear about the announcement of the plan to close the village, and it is a very emotional moment for Mompesson and Stanley. At the start of the play Mompesson had his own views, and he did not have any view of compromise either. He begins in the village very weak, although on the outside he is strong, inside he is weak. As the plague gets worse, and more people die, he becomes stronger, and learns to deal with pain. At the beginning Mompesson is very self righteous, but as the play goes along, he becomes more matured, and slowly changes into a better person. One decision that was hard for Mompesson to make was when Catherine asked to send the children out the village. They discuss whether or not to send the two young children, and in the end come to the conclusion that they must smuggle them out when everybody is asleep, without either of them. The decide that the children must go on their own, but Mompesson will take them to Catherines brother in Yorkshire. This decision was hard for them, but it is definite, the children had to go. His greatest pain is when Catherine dies. She tells him gently and calmly but he cant understand why it has happened. He loses his trust in God, and turns away from his religion. He cries out to God, and asks him why it had to happen to him. You cant do that! God, Father, you cant do that to me! He expresses his anguish whilst Catherine tries to stay calm, she tells him that they should go to the rectory, and that she wants a comfortable death. He is stunned. Pain is hard for him, but he learns from his anguish, but it was to be hard. Catherine always gave him advice, and now he was going to have to survive without her. After Catherines death, Mompesson had to go on without her and without the children. He tries to confess that he sent the children away but the villagers already know. We knew all along about your children, Rector. Right from the first. Old Unwin saw you creep out of the door with them at midnight, looking so guilty. Even though the villagers knew, they didnt say anything until Mompesson did, as they didnt mind. They know he did it for them, and forgive him for it. The small crowd that surround Mompesson continue on to tell him they have faith in him, and their prayers are with him in his time of pain. But you loved us with all your heart, too, in the hardest way. Not with words. With actions. They explain to him they realise how much he has done for them. He has changed so much since the beginning when he arrived in Eyam. At first he didnt care for them at all, but he had learnt to love and care for them. I loved them? I felt nothing And they forgave me, with what might be their last breath I dont understand. Mompesson cant see that he has loved them, he still believes that he is how he was at the beginning. But really he has got off his pedestal above them, and become more of a human being. As the play went on, Mompessons words and actions change, they go from bad to good. He learns to deal with suffering, and forgets that he didnt want to work there. The plague arrived in Eyam in the Autumn of 1665, and it ended in the Autumn of 1666. This means that Mompesson has only ages one year, but mentally he has aged a great deal more. He has matured and learned to come to terms with pain and loss. He has grown in mind, in such a small amount of time. Mompessons actions throughout the play show and prove that in the end, he did care for the villagers, whether they cared for him or not. His relationship with Stanley also comes to a halt, and they part on good terms.