Enron:A level english literature

Prologue

Starts off with a chorus:Allusions to greek tragedy

Skilling : We’re trying to change the world

it reflects his ambition and belief that Enron’s actions are revolutionary. He sees himself and the company as forces for positive change, masking the ethical corruption behind their actions.

Faustus, like Skilling, is driven by a grandiose vision of himself . Faustus believes that by commanding supernatural forces, he will be able to change the world, to transcend human limits, and to gain immense knowledge and control.

SD:”Three mice-men…feeling their way with sticks”

Blind mice-a metaphor for the employees at Enron.Blind followers and are reliant on support from the company

Brechtian stage direction

Allusions to bill clinton

Foreshadow Skilling’s divorce and his downfall

“i believe in God,I believe in democracy and I believe in the company”

Irony of Religious Belief: The reference to God juxtaposes Ken Lay's position with religious morality. However, Enron was known for operating with extreme greed, dishonesty, Ken Lay’s invocation of God appears almost as a way to mask the moral compromises he was making, while being embroiled in one of the largest corporate scandals in history

“i believe in God,I believe in democracy and I believe in the company”

Compare to Dr Faustus

Hubris and the False Sense of Morality:

• Like Faustus, who believes that his intellect and abilities can transcend natural limits, Ken Lay presents himself as a moral, godly figure while operating in a system of deceit and greed. Both men exhibit hubris— Faustus’ intellectual pursuit leads him to damnation, Ken Lay’s corporate ambition ultimately leads to the collapse of Enron, revealing the falseness of his moral posture.

“My Father was a valve salesman”

Links to Dr Faustus “His parents base of Stock”

The American Dream: In the context of the American Dream, Skilling's reference to his father's occupation represents the ideal of rising above one's origins.

The Rejection of Conventional Paths:

• In Dr. Faustus, Faustus rejects the traditional path of study and faith in favor of power, knowledge, and the supernatural. In a similar vein, Skilling's mention of his father's career could be seen as a rejection of a more traditional, stable path.Skilling embraces the financial world’s more volatile and ambitious ventures. both Faustus and Skilling reject traditional, "ordinary" roles in favor of something grander and more extraordinary, even if that pursuit is ultimately destructive.

Amanda Martin

Enron”Was like a boy’s locker room”

Brechtian theatre

Prebble’s influences of brechtian theatre is highlighted in act 1 scene 4 . with a character breaking the fourth wall at the end and The traders are holding puppets (Broadway version) and are presented as such.Puppets to the capitalist system

Following the collapse of enron…

Many former female employees posed naked for Playboy Magazine

Concept of exchange in both texts

Faustus exchanges his soul for worldly pleasures, while Trader 1 exchanges ethical integrity for financial success. The analogy between sex and power in both works reveals the central theme of the self-corruption that occurs when characters prioritize worldly success over personal morality. Faustus’s downfall mirrors the traders' own descent into greed and moral decay, where the rush of power becomes addictive and ultimately destructive.

Hum of manly pursits

"manly" has an association with power, dominance, and authority—traits often celebrated in corporate cultures. However, the term also carries a certain irony, The “pursuits” being described are not noble or heroic, but are more about self-interest, manipulation, and greed.

I’ll have them fly to India for gold, Ransack the ocean for orient pearl,
This line emphasizes Faustus’s desire for control and influence, which can be seen as an equivalent to the "manly pursuits" in Enron, where characters strive for dominance and control in the corporate world. Both Faustus and the men in Enron believe that power (whether it’s magical or financial) defines their worth, and it fuels their actions.

Darwinian attitudes at Enron

Lay would cut the bottom 10% of employees

“Money and sex motivate people”

encapsulates a reductionist view of human nature, where all actions and decisions are driven by the pursuit of these two desires. This worldview mirrors the self-interested corporate ethos prevalent at Enron. In a world where financial gain and personal indulgence are seen as the ultimate goals, people are treated as tools or instruments in the pursuit of these objectives, rather than as individuals

Faustus's line "Hell is a fable" reflects his disbelief in moral consequences, such as eternal punishment. which parallels Skilling’s belief that people are primarily motivated by base desires In both cases, the characters demonstrate a profound cynicism about human nature and morality. Faustus rejects the notion of a higher moral realm and instead focuses on the immediate, material gains of power Similarly, Skilling dismisses the complexity of human motivation, reducing it to mere materialistic desires for wealth and pleasure.

An unholy partnership

Act 1 - scene 8

The adjective “unholy” immediately invokes a religious connotation, implying something morally wrong, corrupt, or sinister.suggests that the partnership is the exact it is tainted, unethical, and driven by personal gain rather than integrity or truth

Faustus’s partnership with Mephistopheles mirrors the corporate collusion in Enron because both involve moral corruption for personal gain.

How is the signing of the contract presented

Broadway version- Like a childish party,unprofessional , ironic ,impulsive and reckless

“The gap between perception and reality”

dramatic irony: while Enron appears invincible to the public, its reality is one of corruption, deception, and inevitable collapse.

Skilling’s worldview (or Weltanschauung) is defined by his belief in the primacy of perception over reality. His fixation on image management reveals his belief in the social construction of truth, where the value of Enron lies not in its actual performance but in its market representation. This is a perfect example of Nietzschean perspectivism, where Skilling's version of “truth” is subjective and contingent upon his power to shape it

Which quote links to “The gap between perception and reality”

"Why, this is hell, nor am I out of it."
(Act 1, Scene 3)

This quote is spoken by Mephistopheles when he begins to understand that Faustus’ pact with the devil has enslaved him in an "unholy" deal, but he is still trapped in the delusion of power, knowledge, and success. Faustus’ refusal to accept the reality of his spiritual damnation,parallels Skilling’s manipulation of perception to create an image of success while hiding the grim truth at Enron.

Clement on fatal flaws

“The interest in winning,power and an arrogant over-confidence becomes part of both Skilling and the Company’s fatal flaw”

“The photographer is beneath him,to make him seem God-like”

The photographer’s position on the floor can be read as a symbol of subjugation, emphasizing Skilling’s god-like status.

This invocation of divine imagery is significant because it ties the character to religious iconography, suggesting a near-messianic view of himself.hubris, where the character's belief in his own superiority becomes an integral part of his identity

“Like a religious cult,Skilling is messiah-like”

religious iconography, associating him with figures of divine authority. The term "messiah” refers to a savior or an anointed leader, By applying this term to Skilling, the stage direction suggests that he is not merely a corporate figure but someone who, in the eyes of his followers, transcends ordinary human flaws

“My heart’s so harden'd I cannot repent.” (Act 2, Scene 3)

Faustus’s rejection of repentance and his desire for god-like powers aligns with Skilling’s sense of invincibility. Both characters exhibit hubris, Faustus who seeks to transcend the limitations of humanity and become more powerful than anyone else.

THE PURGE

The corporate culture at Enron, as depicted in the play, is characterized by a continual effort to "cleanse" the truth and deceive the public and shareholders.

I cannot repent [...] but fearful echoes thunders in mine ears'
. His attempts to purge his sins are meaningless because he has already sold his soul, which echoes the theme of being unable to escape one's moral failings.

In Enron, the characters are similarly trapped by their actions, unable to escape their greed and deception, even though they continue to try to justify or "purge" their guilt. Skilling, in particular, denies responsibility, which parallels Faustus' rejection of repentance despite the mounting consequences

The american spirit

The phrase also links to the theme of corporate greed. Enron’s rise was largely driven by a cult of self-interest and a belief in the limitless potential of financial manipulation. In this light, "The American spirit" can be seen as an endorsement of the kind of individualism that, in the corporate world, becomes toxic and morally bankrupt.

election reactions portrayal

Broadyway-almost caricature like , over the top , desperation

“But we are a black box Jeff”

• Metaphor;Fastow is essentially acknowledging that the company's operations are not transparent and that their financial manipulations are hidden from the public eye.

• that reveals the deep corruption within Enron’s leadership. Prebble uses it to highlight the deliberate opacity of the company’s operations and to showcase how the top executives, particularly Fastow, view deception as a tool of power

• Faustus’s ignorance and arrogance in his deal with the devil are akin to the way Enron’s executives believe they can operate without accountability, sealing their fate by operating in secrecy.

Skilling surrounded by wall street journalists whilst he is stood on a black box

Broadway version

act 2 scene 8

Black Box as Deception: The black box is also a representation of the fraudulent mechanisms Enron used to hide debt and inflate its value. Skilling's stance on it can be interpreted as an embodiment of his delusion and hubris

"Approaches it trying to regain former glories"

"O, I’ll leap up to heaven, and I’ll go to hell." (Act 5, Scene 2)

Here, Faustus expresses his regret for his actions, but by then, his chance for redemption has passed. Similarly, in Enron, the company’s collapse is the inevitable result of the characters’ inability to recognize the consequences of their actions.

In terms of dramatic irony, the audience knows that this effort is futile, making the character's actions increasingly tragic as they attempt to regain something that has already been lost.

Metaphor of 9/11

n Enron: The play uses the spectacle of the 9/11 attack to underscore the total collapse of the system that seemed unshakable. Just as the twin towers were symbols of American economic and political power, Enron, at its peak, was seen as an unassailable titan of the corporate world. Prebble links the fall of Enron to 9/11 as a moment of shocking realization about the fragility of the systems we depend on.

“I’ll burn my books! Ah, Mephistopheles!” (Act 5, Scene 2)

Faustus’ realization that his deal with Lucifer was a mistake is like the revelation of vulnerability after 9/11. His ambition to gain ultimate knowledge and power crumbles, and he is left with the realization that the world he thought he could control was never stable. Similarly, the collapse of Enron and the events of 9/11 reveal that no system, whether financial or national, is invulnerable to destruction.

What did Andy Fastow do?

He testified against the company & skilling

-for a shorter sentence

Broadway stage direction

-sentencing scene

Lay,Skilling and Fastow are being lined up to be handcuffed

Skilling is later seen to be taking off his clothes to put on orange uniform - he is being humiliated as many people that he wronged would have wanted

"Skilling (to us): There’s your mirror. Every dip, every crash, every bubble that’s burst. That’s you."

he’s saying: look at yourselves. This forces the audience to reflect on their own moral and economic behaviours, challenging them to confront their complicity in the system that allowed Enron to thrive and crash.(Brechtian)

Crossover: The short, declarative structure of “There’s your mirror” isolates the metaphor and gives it performative weight — it feels like a judgement.

The metaphor of the “mirror” in Enron operates on multiple levels: it forces self-examination, offers moral condemnation, and collapses the distinction between fiction and reality. Through this single image, Prebble critiques a society enthralled by surface-level success and blind to its own role in systemic failure. It’s a bold moment of theatrical confrontation — Skilling’s “mirror” reflects not just the past, but the audience’s present.

"Theres,Greed,tehres joy,fath,hope...and the greatest of these... is money"

This line is a direct parody of one of the most well-known biblical verses:And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

Prebble suggests that in Enron’s world (and, by extension, modern capitalism), money has become the new religion, the ultimate value.Prebble uses intertextuality to critique how capitalist ideology has replaced traditional moral systems, particularly religion.

In this line, Prebble uses parody, religious allusion, and structural irony to expose the ideological core of both Enron and modern capitalism. By having Skilling declare that “the greatest of these is money,” she critiques a system in which profit has replaced principle, and wealth has supplanted morality. This moment encapsulates the play’s central thesis: that capitalism, unchecked, becomes a kind of religion — and Skilling its most devout believer

The sound of prison doors slamming

The stage direction “The sound of prison doors slamming” acts as a chilling and symbolic rebuttal to Skilling’s declaration of money as the highest virtue. It transforms his moment of ideological certainty into one of tragic irony and moral reckoning. Through this auditory punctuation, Prebble delivers a scathing critique of capitalism’s hollow promises, using sound not just to end a scene, but to judge a man and the system he represents. It is the play’s way of saying: the market may forgive you, but the world will not