Most important message
The important message in the episode is the tragic demise of James Crawley and the son Patrick who both happen to the heirs to the Downton Abbey throne. The message is delivered through a telegram that creates an atmosphere of agony. The Downton Abbey episode commences with tragic discovery of the untimely demise of the presumptive heir to Lord Grantham. The aristocrats of Abbey soon get entangled in fiery succession plans as both Crawley and the son are no more (Downton Abbey, 2010). They are all gone to where fate takes men. The news of the sunken Titanic engulfs the Edwardian country as both the heir and the presumptive successor to the throne are all gone. Life seems joyous in the house of Abbey until the agony befalls the people.
The death of Patrick makes it unclear who to inherit the earl. An array of confusion sets in and secret plans on whom to become the heir to the earldom begin. There are also concerns as the distinguished estate is indisputably in jeopardy. Further to the dismay of many, Robert hires a crippled valet and as another dispute sets in among the servants; Mary sets her sensual sights on another suitor as her supposed husband Patrick is perished in the Titanic catastrophe (Downton Abbey, 2010). The grief about Patrick is ephemeral as the Duke of Crowborough comes to the picture. The hiring of John Bates as the new valet is marked with relentless uncertainties as to his suitability to perform the chores due to his pronounced limb. While drama continues to unfold, anonymous personality in the servant quarter is secretly in pursuit of the master’s family fortunes. The consternation continues and the new presumptive heir, Mathew Crawley arrives in Downton. The onlookers’ emotions are now turned into blatant antagonism (Li & Lu, 2014). While the angling and confusion dramatically continue, a ray of hope lingers as Mathew is potentially considered a suitor to Mary. The social landscape is equally shifting so is the fortunes of Abbey.
Application of dramaturgy to the episode
According to Erving Goffman’s theory of dramaturgy, the lives of people are similarly portrayed like the dramatic actions on stage. Goffman asserts that people are circumstances and personalities encountered in life situations dictate human behavior just like scenes in action determine the behavior of actors. In this episode, the conspicuous masterpiece of Mary epitomizes dramaturgy (Li & Lu, 2014). While Patrick is alive, Mary is in anticipation of their marriage. However, upon discovery of his demise, she sets sights on another suitor. Even at the arrival of the Duke in Downton, her dramatic change of technics surfaces. Bates is stripped by O’Brien in abid to get rid of him as a valet. The actions of O’Brien are opportunistic as they are timed during the Duke’s visit so as to create humiliation that will call for his dismissal. The actions are critically demonstration of dramaturgy.
Application of feminist theory
The theory stipulates the advocating for equity and empowerment to women. About the episode, Mary is an undisputedly empowered woman. Despite the twists and turns in the unfolding, she is unquestionably switching interest on whom to marry. As enshrined in feminism, women inequality is as well demonstrated in the episode. Mary is solely the lead actor and virtually dominated by males in the play (Li & Lu, 2014). It is thus a culmination of inequality as asserted in the feminist theory.
How class has been applied to the episode
The application of class conflict is demonstrated when Mary marries the Duke of Crowborough. It is clear that the marriage is class based, and the people like Bates do not find a place in the social setup that portrays elegance. He’s fought and humiliated for fear of bringing the name of the royalty into disrepute due to his pronounced limb. The line of demarcation between affluent and the have-nots is well clear of the pursuit of Mary is only a portion of the royals.
How privilege is applied
In the episode, the notion that Mary shows less interest in other suitors and only marries the Duke is a show of privilege. There are some suitors who come in pursuit of Mary, but she eventually marries the Duke (Li & Lu, 2014). Also, the humiliation of Bate for his alleged embarrassment of the royalty and unsuitability to work for Patrick is a show of privilege. He is clearly disadvantaged and despite his previous encounter with Patrick as a valet, he regarded unfit.
References
Li, X., & Lu, Z. (2014). A Semantic Study of Euphemism in British TV Drama Downton Abbey(1st season). Proceedings of the 2014 International Conference on Social Science. Retrieved March 5, 2016
Downton Abbey. (2010). Retrieved March 5, 2016, from http://dizimag.co/downton-abbey/1-sezon-1-bolum-izle-dizi.html
