How do the characters act in dancing at lughnasa?

Answer 1

Michael = is the narrator of the play and is recalling the past with fondness. memories can be biased so certain aspects of the story could be overexaggerated. Michael's monologues occur three times throughout the play. at the start of acts 1, at the end of act 1 and the end of act 2. all three are significant in giving us information as to what has happened what is to come and who the characters are.
Boy = is Michael as a child the lovechild of gerry and chris (lovechild = parents were not married at his birth)
Kate = is the only proper wage earner, and acts as the 'mother' of the house. She is the oldest so takes the responsibility of everyone else. shes also very fond of Michael and helps him in his education (being a teacher) by getting him books. Kate loses her job due to uncle jacks return (look at uncle jack for more information)
Maggie = is the head of the household, she looks after the house, cleans it, makes the food etc... she is also the joker of the sisters as we see when she is talking to Michael about jokes.
Chris = doesnt really show a proper connection between her and Michael apart from the fact shes his mother. but we never see her talk to him so we don't no the exact relationship between them. She is visited by Gerry in which he proposes to her but she refuses.
Agnes = knits gloves by hand, she also is very close to rose (ill explain why later). earn a little money through her gloves
Rose = also knits gloves by hand and is 'simple' as freil puts it. She is slow and hence is vulnerable to attack. this is why agnes takes care of her. earn a little money through her gloves
Both rose and agnes leave the house after losing their jobs due to industrial revolution taking over Ballybeg. Michael tells us how he found (i think it was agnes) in England and how she told her that rose had died. agnes had also died for the same reason rose did. lack of food and poverty.
Uncle Jack = was sent to Uganda for missionary work, but returned (i think 50 years afteR). they had said it was due to him getting malaria but the real reason was due to him losing his religon and practicing the pagan practices. this was the reason why kate was fired as a teacher.
Gerry = gerry is michaels biological father. he is the only character that is free to do as he wills not bound by responsibility which is why friel gives him the song anything goes as in gerrys world anything goes. he can do wat he likes.

All the sisters are spinsters (not married). Michael, being a lovechild, was neglected by society which brought the sisters reputation down. because uncle jack was a missionary priest they were not totally turned out by society. but after uncle jacks return everything goes downhill.