Money

SIVE

  • Money plays a pivotal role

  • Mena wants to marry Sive off to Seán Dóta in exchange for 200 pounds.

  • “Two hundred sovereigns for you if the girl will consent” - Thomasheen when first proposing the idea to Mena

  • Mena pesters Thomasheen throughout the play and continually asks when she will receive the money

  • “When will he give the money” - Mena

  • “If there is a wedding, ‘twill be on the morning of the wedding, on the word of a man”. - Thomasheen

  • Mena was influenced by money in her decision to marry Mike

  • Nanna Glavin accuses Mena of only marrying Mike for money as her and her family used to have to drink tea from jam pots.

  • Mike is temporarily tempted by the 200 pound offering

  • “The money is a great temptation but there is wrong in it from head to heel”

  • Thomasheen is also basing his decision off money. He is offered 100 pounds for setting up the marriage

  • “There will be 100 pounds for me” - Thomasheen

  • Money is deemed essential for survival due to the poor conditions the characters are living in

  • Many of them see nothing wrong in viewing Sive as something to sell

  • In contrast, Sive and Liam have less interest in money and would rather marry for love

  • “Imagine making a marriage of two people who never saw each other before” - Liam

  • Unfortunately, the characters’ pursuit of money leads to Sive’s death at the end of the play

KNIVES OUT

  • Money also shapes motivation and conflict

  • After Harlan’s death, the family members expect to receive a share of his wealth

  • Instead, Harlan leaves his entire wealth to Marta

  • “My assets both liquid and otherwise, I leave in their entirety to Marta Cabrera.” - Will reader

  • Harlan’s family are shocked at this

  • “No this is a mistake, this is ours” & “We’re the Thrombeys goddamnit! This is still our house!” - Linda

  • They are even more shocked to learn that even the house has been left to Marta

  • This triggers much resentment and becomes the motive for numerous murder attempts

  • E.g. when Ransom learns that he is being cut from the will, he elaborately plans Harlan’s murder

  • Money reveals the characters true moral compasses (similar to in Sive)

  • The Thrombeys had been profiting from Harlan long before his death

  • Joni had been receiving double the amount of Meg’s tuition fees without Harlan’s knowledge and claimed is was a ‘mix-up’

  • In contrast, Marta proves she is in no way financially motivated in the way she reacts to receiving Harlan’s fortune

  • “This is a nightmare” - Marta (In the restaurant with Ransom)

COLDER THAN HERE

  • Money plays a less important role in CTH

  • Money is a practical concern rather than an obsession

  • E.g. Myra’s funeral planning takes into account the cost of different burial options

  • “They’re very strong. Much cheaper” - Myra (When announcing that she wants a cardboard coffin)

  • The Bradleys appear to be relatively financially stable, with no suggestion of poverty or extreme wealth

  • The family are more focused on coping with Myra’s illness than anything else

  • Alec becomes insistent on buying a more expensive coffin for Myra, refusing to bury her in a cardboard coffin

  • Money does not create tension or cause moral collapse (dissimilarly to S and KO)