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Blood Brothers by Willy Russell: Sample Essay Responses

Subject: Plays

Age range: 14-16

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16 August 2021

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Blood Brothers

By willy russell, blood brothers quotes and analysis.

"Tell me it's not true Say it's just a story." Mrs. Johnstone in "Overture"

The musical begins with its final scene: Mrs. Johnstone standing over the dead bodies of her two sons. In this song, she laments their deaths and begs for it to be just a "story." This dramatic opening sets up the main events of the plot, as the audience comes to see how this tragedy came into being. By beginning at the end, Russell establishes the stakes of the narrative, showing how the story ends and then going back to reveal why.

"So did y’hear the story of the Johnstone twins? As like each other as two new pins, Of one womb born, on the self same day, How one was kept and one given away? An’ did you never hear how the Johnstones died, Never knowing that they shared one name, Till the day they died?" Narrator in "Overture"

This passage occurs immediately after Mrs. Johnstone's opening lines, as the narrator sings during the overture. He explains the backstory of the two boys, revealing how their intertwined fates ended in devastation. At the same time, he highlights a central element of their story, namely that they were unaware that they were twin brothers until the day they both died. This song is central to the musical, as it offers a broad overview of the events of the story while drawing attention to the fact that the two boys were separated at birth only to come together at the end of their lives in the most awful manner.

“They say that if either twin learns that he was once a pair, that they shall both immediately die. It means, Mrs. Johnstone, that these brothers shall grow up, unaware of the other’s existence. They shall be raised apart and never, ever told what was once the truth. You won’t tell anyone about this, Mrs. Johnstone, because if you do, you will kill them.” Mrs. Lyons in "Shoes Upon the Table"

This passage occurs after Mrs. Johnstone agrees to give Mrs. Lyons one of her twins. Mrs. Lyons states superstitiously that if the boys ever meet again they will cause each other's deaths. While she does end up being right, her motivations are far from pure. She says this because she does not want Mrs. Johnstone in Eddie's life, as she feels insecure about Eddie becoming attached to her. While she raises this concern again and again throughout the play, it is unclear how much of a direct role she plays in the terrible events that transpire.

"But you know that if you cross your fingers And if you count from one to ten You can get up off the ground again It doesn't matter And the whole thing's just a game" Neighborhood Kids in "Kids Game"

In this moment, some children in Mickey's neighborhood are playing a game in which they shoot each other with toy guns and pretend to die. They sing this song to describe how this violence is theatrical, as they can simply get up again. These lyrics are eerie, as they show the kids playing a game that foreshadows the later events of the story. While they can pretend to be dead in that particular moment, when they engage in violence as adults the guns are real and the consequences are permanent.

"Ey, we were born on the same day... that means we can be blood brothers. Do you wanna be my blood brother, Eddie?" Mickey in "Easy Terms"

In this scene, Mickey and Eddie meet for the first time. They are struck by the strange fact that they are born on the same day while also feeling an instant kinship. This is the first moment in which the musical's title appears in dialogue. Mickey asking Eddie to be his blood brother is another instance of ominous foreshadowing. It both highlights their unbreakable connection to each other, while also suggesting that they will shed each other's blood again years later. It is also surprising in that it shows them finding each other, despite their mothers' attempts to keep them apart.

"Oh a bright new day, We're moving away." Mrs. Johnstone in "Bright New Day - Reprise"

This lyric is sung by Mrs. Johnstone, who hopes for a "brighter" future for her family. She feels this way for a number of reasons. Her life in the inner city of Liverpool has been characterized by financial hardships and personal struggles. She had to give up one of her twins and was unable to prevent her son Sammy from constantly getting into trouble with the law. She desperately wants things to be different and thinks this move will give them the chance to start over. These lines are unfortunate in that the viewer already knows the move will make no difference in saving her children from a terrible end.

"Wherever I go you'll be just behind me. I know that now... always, forever and ever like, like a shadow... unless I can... make you go... But won't you so..." Mrs. Lyons in "Mad Woman on A Hill"

These lines are spoken by Mrs. Lyons as she begins her descent into insanity. She confronts Mrs. Johnstone after discovering that she has moved to a neighborhood nearby. Vengeful and paranoid, Mrs. Lyons grabs a kitchen knife and lunges at Mrs. Johnstone. Mrs. Johnstone dodges the attack and kicks her out. This is another pivotal scene, as it shows Mrs. Lyons' deteriorating mind and growing capacity for violence. It also prefigures her eventual betrayal of Eddie, as she goads Mickey into shooting him years later.

"Erm... well, the er thing is... Linda, I've erm... Linda, for Christ's sake will you go out with me?" "Yeh." Mickey and Linda in "I'm Not Saying A Word"

This exchange between Mickey and Linda occurs after Eddie encourages Mickey to tell her how he really feels. Despite Mickey's awkwardness, Linda agrees to go out with him, as she has been interested in him for a long time. Mickey and Linda clearly have strong feelings for one another that Eddie correctly saw beneath their reserved demeanors. The two end up getting married. This conversation is a brief moment of happiness before their relationship takes a turn for the worse.

"Mickey. Don't shoot Eddie. He's your brother. You had a twin brother. I couldn't keep both you. His mother couldn't have kids. I agreed to give one of you away!" Mrs. Johnstone in "Tell Me It's Not True"

In one of the musical's penultimate moments, Mrs. Johnstone reveals to Mickey that Eddie is his brother. She hopes that this will prevent Mickey from killing him, but this only enrages him, causing him to carelessly gesture with the gun in his hand and shoot Eddie. In this terrible moment, she finally tells them the truth about their connection to each other, but it is too late to save either of them.

"And do we blame superstition for what came to pass? Or could it be what we, the English, have come to know as class? So did y’hear the story of the Johnstone twins? As like each other as two new pins, How one was kept and one given away How they were born, and they died, on the self-same day?" Narrator in "Tell Me It's Not True"

The play ends where it began, with the narrator asking the audience if they know the story of the Johnstone twins. The viewers now know both the how and why of what happened, but the narrator asks if it truly was the curse Mrs. Lyons mentioned that doomed the brothers or if it was the class divide between them. He wonders if it was truly fate or if Mickey was driven to violence by the bad hand that life dealt him. On this moment of irresolution, the play soberly concludes, and the audience is left to ponder this question.

Blood Brothers Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Blood Brothers is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Study Guide for Blood Brothers

Blood Brothers study guide contains a biography of Willy Russell, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About Blood Brothers
• Blood Brothers Summary
• Character List

Blood Brothers: Themes ( AQA GCSE English Literature )

Revision note.

English Content Creator

Exam responses that are led by ideas are more likely to reach the highest levels of the mark scheme. Exploring the ideas of the text, specifically in relation to the question being asked, will help to increase your fluency and assurance in writing about the play.

Below are some themes which could be explored in Blood Brothers. This list is not exhaustive and you are encouraged to consider other ideas within the play. Below you will find sections on:

Nature vs Nurture

Social Class 

Superstition and fate

Nature versus Nurture

This is one of the most prevalent  themes within the play and challenges ideas related to personal and social responsibility. Throughout the play, Willy Russell presents the contrasting experiences and consequences relating to Mickey and Edward’s separate childhoods. Russell challenges audiences to consider bias or stereotypes by demonstrating the influences of both genetics and upbringing on the twins’ fate .

Knowledge and evidence:

The nature vs nurture debate questions the influences of our innate qualities determined by our genetics ( nature ), compared with our life experiences and the way we are raised ( nurture )

The narrator  presents the twins as similar in nature in the prologue : “as like each other as two new pins”

As the twins grow up, they become foil characters to each other, highlighting differences caused by upbringing and environment ( nurture ):

Foil characters are used to convey themes by highlighting differences between the characters’ opposing characteristics 

Mickey is shown, aged seven, using bad language and being unfamiliar with generosity amongst his peers

Edward, aged seven, is articulate, unfamiliar with bad language and shares his sweets easily

Russell contrasts the innocence that comes with Edward’s sheltered home life with the jaded attitude of Mickey’s disadvantaged  home life this way

This contrast explores the theme of nurture as influential in their fate

The boys, without knowing their kinship , become blood brothers, suggesting an innate connection between them

They refuse to stay apart despite being instructed to, highlighting their bond

When the boys are teenagers they are both rebellious at school, suggesting their similar nature

Mickey goes to a comprehensive city school and is suspended for being rude to a teacher

Edward, in a private school, is suspended for wearing a locket

Their different upbringings ( nurture ) become a barrier to their friendship as they reach adulthood, perhaps suggesting the power of nurture:

Mickey becomes envious of Edward’s privileged life

As they reach adulthood, Mickey tells Edward he had to grow up faster than Edward and faced more challenges

Edward’s sheltered upbringing makes him unable to understand Mickey’s situation

What is Russell’s intention?

Russell shows the influence of different environments and upbringings on the twins as powerful and all-consuming

Although Mickey and Edward are similar in nature , they grow up very differently

Mickey’s success is hindered by obstacles out of his control

Edward’s success is shown as easy and without challenge

Russell questions ideologies present in England during the 1970s and 1980s

Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister at the time, advocated that any individual had the ability to succeed, regardless of background or social class

The musical, Blood Brothers, explores the influence of social class on an individual’s ability to determine their own future. The play presents the twins' tragic lives from birth to death, presenting the influences of both privilege and discrimination on the families’ emotional and physical well-being. 

Knowledge and evidence: 

The play subverts stereotypes within the class system using foil  characters to represent the mothers’ different classes

Mrs Johnstone, the working-class mother, is moral but Mrs Lyons, the middle-class mother, is immoral

The middle-class mother is corrupt, unkind and unhappy, while the working-class mother is honest, loving and takes pleasure in life and love 

At first, Russell shows Mrs Johnstone as impulsive and irresponsible, reflecting the cultural stereotypes of the working-class

In the prologue , the narrator asks the audience to judge the mothers

Later, the presentation of the working-class mother as a sympathetic character with justification for her circumstances challenges the  audience's perceptions

Mrs Lyons is depicted as a liar who takes advantage of the vulnerable, subverting stereotypes   of the middle class  as moral

Russell challenges the stereotype that wealthy mothers are naturally better suited to parenting

Mrs Lyons, neurotic and bitter, acts as a catalyst for the tragedy

She tells Mickey about Edward and Linda’s affair, causing his violent rage which leads him to murder his brother

Mickey and Edward’s lives diverge due to social class discrimination 

Mickey and Edward experience different treatment from the police and school

The middle-class family are treated generously by the police, while the working-class family are insulted and threatened

Mickey and Edward grow up with different attitudes to authority and personal safety

By the climax, Mickey’s redundancy   due to the economic problems in the country leads to his downward spiral  

Mickey’s unemployment is shown as an event outside of his control

His circumstances incite him to crime, leading to his arrest and depression

Russell depicts links between poverty and crime, implying social class differences are impactful in an individual’s fate

The narrator closes the play, by asking audiences if it was fate or social class that led to the tragedy, implying multiple variables led to the outcome

The function of the play is to question hypocrisy in the social class system

The middle-class mother is shown as quick to deceive and cheat for her own ends, suggesting the middle class  is not necessarily moral

The working-class single mother, insulted by townspeople and called a bad mother, is held solely accountable for her situation despite being abandoned

Russell exposes inequalities in the social class system

He shows how Mickey’s fate is caused by social class issues such as low self-esteem, external obstacles and discrimination

Edward is presented as innocent and sheltered from life’s injustices due to his class

Superstition and Fate

The narrator reminds audiences of the theme of fate and superstition   throughout the play to mirror these ideas with themes focusing on free will and external pressures. Russell depicts his characters making decisions which bring about their own fate , suggesting that the past brings consequences we cannot avoid. As well as this, he asks audiences to consider how far social inequalities have a part to play in an individual’s fate . 

Functioning much like a chorus , the narrator references superstitions in his songs to remind audiences to question the influence of superstition on the outcome

A chorus is a device used in Greek tragedy , whereby one or more narrators narrate key events or act as a voice of conscience

Here, the narrator acts as a voice of the public, highlighting perceptions of superstition  

The narrator also delivers Russell’s message that actions create fate

He refers to the devil “right behind ya” suggesting the mothers cannot outrun their past decisions and implying free will determines fate

The narrator challenges audiences at the end of the play, asking whether superstition or social class was responsible for the tragedy

Mrs Johnstone’s character reflects cultural stereotypes which link the working class  with superstitious beliefs

Mrs Johnstone is depicted as having a superstitious nature

Using this to her advantage, Mrs Lyons makes up a superstition to convince Mrs Johnstone to never see her baby again

The superstition comes true at the end of the play when Edward and Mickey find out they are brothers and die immediately afterward

This connects the superstition Mrs Lyons tells at the start of the play to the reality of the consequences it brings

Although the superstition comes true in the end, Russell suggests other forces at play:

Russell suggests that social class influences an individual’s outcome

Russell challenges audiences to consider that the power of superstition comes from the reality it creates

By telling audiences of the tragic ending in advance, connections between fate and circumstance are presented

Russell demonstrates that fate is influenced by free will and our own actions

Russell presents the prevalence of violence in young boys’ lives, both from men and women. The violence, at first, is playful and harmless fun. However, as the boys grow up the violence becomes deadly, suggesting its far-reaching power. 

In the rising action of the play, the children play violent games, “killing” each other with pretend guns in the song “Kids’ Game” 

In the absence of his father or other adult male, Mickey’s admiration for his violent and troubled older brother, Sammy, shows Mickey’s lack of a good role model

Edward is slapped by his mother, Mrs Lyons: this subverts  the stereotype that violence is limited by social class or gender

Mickey’s decision to become involved in a violent robbery due to his redundancy, leads to his arrest, thus linking crime with poverty

The shocking tragedy  at the end of the play culminates Russell’s commentary on violence

Mickey’s desperate rage leads him to shoot his brother to death

The police respond by shooting Mickey dead

The play’s structure develops the theme of violence in a way that challenges audiences of the time

In the 1970s and 1980s, it was normal for children to play with pretend weapons; Russell suggests this may influence children into a violent mindset

Russell makes connections between crime and poverty, suggesting that violence may result from inequalities in society

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Author: Sam Evans

Sam is a graduate in English Language and Literature, specialising in journalism and the history and varieties of English. Before teaching, Sam had a career in tourism in South Africa and Europe. After training to become a teacher, Sam taught English Language and Literature and Communication and Culture in three outstanding secondary schools across England. Her teaching experience began in nursery schools, where she achieved a qualification in Early Years Foundation education. Sam went on to train in the SEN department of a secondary school, working closely with visually impaired students. From there, she went on to manage KS3 and GCSE English language and literature, as well as leading the Sixth Form curriculum. During this time, Sam trained as an examiner in AQA and iGCSE and has marked GCSE English examinations across a range of specifications. She went on to tutor Business English, English as a Second Language and international GCSE English to students around the world, as well as tutoring A level, GCSE and KS3 students for educational provisions in England. Sam freelances as a ghostwriter on novels, business articles and reports, academic resources and non-fiction books.