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DNAPlay by Dennis Kelly

Flashcards for DNA

37 cards · 10 characters · 10 key quotes · 5 symbols · 12 literary devices. Nothing is saved and nothing is asked for — close the tab and the deck resets.

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Characters · 10

  1. Adam

    Adam is a minor yet crucial character in Dennis Kelly's DNA, serving as the silent catalyst around which the play's moral crisis unfolds.

    character

  2. Brian

    Brian is a secondary yet crucial character in DNA by Dennis Kelly, serving as one of the complicit members of the teenage gang at the heart of the play's moral crisis.

    character

  3. Cathy

    Cathy is part of the teenage peer group at the center of DNA by Dennis Kelly, serving as one of the ensemble voices that both drive and are driven by the moral crisis surrounding the cover-up of Adam's apparent death.

    character

  4. Danny

    Danny is a key character in DNA by Dennis Kelly, a morally complex teenager whose unsettling calm becomes the driving force during the gang's crisis.

    character

  5. Jan

    Jan is one of the two main characters in Dennis Kelly's DNA, acting as the moral compass and anxious voice of the teenage gang.

    character

  6. Leah

    Leah is a key character in Dennis Kelly's DNA, a gripping ensemble drama about a group of teenagers who try to hide the accidental death of a classmate.

    character

  7. Lou

    Lou plays a crucial role in DNA by Dennis Kelly, woven into the teenage gang whose shared moral crisis propels the story.

    character

  8. Mark

    Mark is a secondary yet crucial character in DNA by Dennis Kelly.

    character

  9. Phil

    Phil is the strategic ringleader at the center of DNA by Dennis Kelly.

    character

  10. Richard

    Richard is an important, if peripheral, member of the teenage gang at the center of DNA by Dennis Kelly.

    character

Key quotes · 10

  1. “He was our friend. He was our friend and we left him.”

    This poignant line is from DNA by Dennis Kelly, a brief yet impactful play aimed at young audiences that delves into themes of guilt, complicity, and moral cowardice among a group of teenagers.

    member of the peer group (likely Leah or Jan/Mark)

  2. “We didn't do anything wrong. We were just... we were just there.”

    This haunting line is from DNA by Dennis Kelly, a short yet powerful British play often included in secondary school curricula.

    Phil or Leah (one of the teenage group members)

  3. “He's dead. We killed him. We have to deal with that.”

    This haunting line comes from DNA by Dennis Kelly, a short but powerful British play aimed at young audiences that delves into themes of collective guilt, moral responsibility, and the psychology of group dynamics.

    Member of the teenage gang (likely Leah or Phil) · Act 1

  4. “I think I'm going to have to kill Brian.”

    This darkly comic line is from DNA by Dennis Kelly, a brief yet intense British play aimed at young audiences that delves into themes of mob mentality, moral cowardice, and the corrupting influence of collective guilt.

    Phil (or gang member) · Act 3

  5. “It's better this way. It's better for everyone.”

    This haunting line comes from DNA by Dennis Kelly, a brief yet impactful British play aimed at young audiences that delves into mob mentality, guilt, and moral cowardice within a group of teenagers.

    Phil · Act 2 / Scene with the group's decision regarding Adam

  6. “We've done something terrible and we need to do something terrible to cover it up.”

    This chilling line comes from DNA by Dennis Kelly, a short but intense British play aimed at young audiences that delves into the dark psychology of group morality, complicity, and cover-up.

    Group / Cathy (attributed to the gang's collective reasoning, voiced in discussion) · DNA (one-act play, scene 2 or 3)

  7. “What are you doing? What are you eating? Stop eating.”

    This quote is from DNA by Dennis Kelly, a brief yet powerful British play from 2008 that is often included in secondary school curricula.

    Leah

  8. “You don't feel anything, do you? Nothing. You're just... nothing.”

    This biting accusation comes from DNA by Dennis Kelly, a brief but powerful British play aimed at young audiences that delves into mob mentality, moral emptiness, and the troubling appeal of passive leadership.

    Leah

  9. “People are happier, Phil. Did you know that? There are studies. People are happier since this happened.”

    This quote is from DNA by Dennis Kelly, a brief yet impactful play aimed at young audiences.

    Leah

  10. “I think about things. I think about things all the time. I can't stop thinking.”

    This quote is from DNA by Dennis Kelly, a brief yet powerful British play aimed at young audiences that delves into group psychology, moral responsibility, and how easily people can silence their conscience under social pressure.

    Phil

Symbols · 5

  1. DNA

    In DNA by Dennis Kelly, the double-helix structure of DNA symbolizes the inescapable, intertwined aspects of human identity — blending innocence with guilt, individuality with collectivity, and biology with choice.

  2. Food

    In DNA Kelly, food symbolizes identity, belonging, and cultural inheritance.

  3. The Field

    In DNA by Dennis Kelly, the field symbolizes moral ambiguity, hidden guilt, and the group’s shared complicity.

  4. The Street

    In DNA Kelly, the street symbolizes both entrapment and identity.

  5. The Wood

    In DNA by Dennis Kelly, the Wood symbolizes moral ambiguity, secrecy, and the corrupting nature of group survival.

Literary devices · 12

  1. Dramatic Monologue

    Kelly organizes DNA around a series of isolated monologues from Mark, Jan, and others, which they deliver directly to the audience while the group scenes unfold separately.

  2. Repetition

    Repetition is the play's main verbal texture.

  3. Parataxis

    Kelly's dialogue consists mainly of short, straightforward statements that are often coordinated with little subordination, creating a paratactic style.

  4. Juxtaposition

    Kelly shifts abruptly between the everyday and the catastrophic without any transitions.

  5. Irony

    The play's plot hinges on a cruel twist: the gang concocts a detailed lie to hide what they think is Adam's accidental death, only to find out that Adam is alive.

  6. Motif

    Food is a recurring theme in DNA, serving as a gauge of Phil's emotional distance.

  7. Aporia

    Leah's monologues are exercises in exploring unanswered questions—she poses dilemmas she can't resolve and encourages Phil (who never replies) and the audience to share in the uncertainty.

  8. Symbolism

    Adam is the play's most significant symbol.

  9. Allegory

    DNA serves as a social allegory exploring themes of group conformity, institutional cover-ups, and the corruption of collective identity.

  10. Pathetic Fallacy

    The field scenes — the main backdrop of the play — have a strong atmospheric presence.

  11. Stanza

    Though DNA reads like a prose drama, Kelly organizes it into clear, distinct scenes that resemble stanzas in a poem.

  12. Rhetorical Question

    Leah's monologues are filled with rhetorical questions that Phil never responds to, and the play leaves them unresolved.