Plot and Action
Plot summary: What happens in Blood Brothers?
Overview, Act One – The twins are on their way, Act One – The separation, Act One – The reunion, Act One – Moving apart again, Act Two – The twins lead parallel lives, Act Two – The twins grow up together, Act Two – The twins grow apart, Act Two – The climax, Revision focus: Make sure you know what happensAct One, part 1: The story begins (pp. 5–8)
Summary, Why is this section important?, Key quotation: Sympathy for Mrs Johnstone, Key structure: The prologue, Aiming high: Commenting on musical formAct One, part 2: Mrs Johnstone and Mrs Lyons make an agreement (pp. 8–16)
Summary, Why is this section important?, Key characters: Mrs Lyons, Key language: Contrasting dialogue, Key characters: The Narrator, Aiming high: The role of superstitionAct One, part 3: The twins are born and separated (pp. 16–20)
Summary, Why is this section important?, Key setting: Contrasting homes, Key quotation: The trouble with Mrs Johnstone, Revision focus: Why does Mrs Johnstone give one of her twins away?Act One, part 4: Mrs Lyons sacks Mrs Johnstone (pp. 20–4)
Summary, Why is this section important?, Key characters: Mrs Lyons, Key quotation: ‘You know what will happen’, Key characters: Mr Lyons, Exam focus: Writing about characterAct One, part 5: The twins are reunited (pp. 24–34)
Summary, Why is this section important?, Key characters: Edward and Mickey, Key theme: Class, Key quotation: The ‘F’ word, Key language: Dialect and accent, Key form: Adults playing children, Revision focus: Mickey and Edward’s similarities and differencesAct One, part 6: Mickey visits Edward’s house (pp. 34–7)
Summary, Why is this section important?, Key characters: Mrs Lyons, Key theme: Parents and children, Key quotation: ‘I like him more than you’, Aiming high: Nature or nurture?Act One, part 7: Caught by the police (pp. 37–48)
Summary, Why is this section important?, Key theme: Class, Key theme: Superstition, Key theme: Fate, Exam focus: Writing about the play’s structureAct One, part 8: Moving away (pp. 48–58)
Summary, Why is this section important?, Key setting: The country, Aiming high: Why move the families?, Key language: The use of symbols, Top tip: Writing about superstition, Aiming high: The role of motifs, Revision focus: SuperstitionAct Two, part 1: A new start (pp. 59–62)
Summary, Why is this section important?, Key characters: Mickey and Edward, Key form: Humour, Aiming high: The motif of dancingAct Two, part 2: Suspensions and secrets (pp. 63–70)
Summary, Why is this section important?, Key characters: Mickey and Edward, Key theme: Fate, Key quotation: Secrets, Exam focus: Writing about themesAct Two, part 3: Mickey and Edward reunited (pp. 70–7)
Summary, Why is this section important?, Key theme: Growing up, Key theme: Parents and children, Revision focus: Mrs Johnstone’s decisionsAct Two, part 4: Teenage years (pp. 77–87)
Summary, Why is this section important?, Key quotation: ‘I never made him mine’, Key characters: Mrs Lyons, Key structure: The years go by, Top tip: Writing about EdwardAct Two, part 5: Adult life (pp. 87–95)
Summary, Why is this section important?, Top tip: Writing about juxtaposition, Key theme: Poverty and crime, Key theme: Growing upAct Two, part 6: Crime and punishment (pp. 95–103)
Summary, Why is this section important?, Key characters: Mickey, Key quotation: Invisible, Key characters: Mrs Lyons, Exam focus: Writing about characterCharacters
Mrs Johnstone
Mrs Johnstone’s role in the play, Exam focus: Writing about Mrs Johnstone, Top tip: Views on Mrs JohnstoneMrs Lyons
Mrs Lyons’s role in the play, Exam focus: Writing about Mrs Lyons, Key quotation: A child of one’s ownMr Lyons
Mr Lyons’s role in the play, Exam focus: Writing about Mr Lyons, Aiming high: The significance of Mr LyonsSammy
Sammy’s role in the play, Exam focus: Writing about Sammy, Top tip: Sammy’s influence over MickeyThemes, Contexts and Settings
Themes
Class, Top tip: Writing about class, Aiming high: Nature and nurture, Parents and children, Top tip: Comparing homes, Growing up, Aiming high: Seeds of change, Friendship and brotherhood, Top tip: Writing about friendship, Fate and superstition, Aiming high: Superstition and classForm, Structure and Language
Progress Booster
Planning your answer
Plan quickly and efficiently, Stage 1: Generate ideas quickly, Stage 2: Jot down useful quotations (or key events), Stage 3: Plan for paragraphs