Juno and the Paycock Lesson Plan

Juno and the Paycock is a play set in Dublin, the capitol of Ireland, during the time of the Irish Rebellion for independence from England. It tells the story of a working-class family caught up in the struggle and their desire to escape the grinding poverty that inhibits their daily lives. Their conflicts are more often found with each other, and their often-competing desires for escape, than they are directed at the outside world. The Rebellion and its uncertain outcome direct the timing of the play: the Boyle family members do not know what their future holds, but are determined to break free from their present economic circumstances and the past from which they have come. Each...