Genre
Dramatic play
Language
English
Setting and Context
Set in the year 1996, Sydney, Australia
Narrator and Point of View
The narrator is not part of the play.
Tone and Mood
Amusing, theatrical, staid
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonists are Pete and Jane.
Major Conflict
The couples get involved in infidelity willingly without realizing that they are breaking their marriages.
Climax
The mystery is solved, and readers are left to explore the relationship challenges depicted in the play.
Foreshadowing
Sonja’s desire to have a sexual affair with John foreshadows the collapse of her marriage.
Understatement
John understands that he is a married man, but he underestimates the possible consequences of sleeping with Sonja.
Allusions
The play is an allusion to how marriages are not safe heaven because they are full of challenges like infidelity.
Imagery
The images such as brown shoes, brown brogues, and black patent, among others, are prevalent in the play to depict the sense of sight to readers.
Paradox
The main paradox in the play is that couples find pleasure in having extramarital affairs.
Parallelism
N/A
Personification
Shoes are personified as having the ability to provide direction for the play.
Use of Dramatic Devices
The audience is given an insight into the couple's immoral behavior to paint a picture of a rotten society, which is a dramatic satire.
