this promiscuity, though not exactly of her, seeing her sexuality as a betrayal in some way of God’s (and Musgrave’s) plan.

Musgrave has meanwhile won over the colliers, to some extent, by lavish supplies of drink. They now think that he has come to recruit them and are not totally against the idea. Their spokesman, Walsh, nevertheless is clever enough to see recruitment as a possible employers’ plot, and he tries to intimidate Musgrave into leaving. He rejects Musgrave’s assurance that he is really—if in an unexplained way—on the colliers’ side.

The final scene in act 2 is the most complex to that point, and it demands careful staging. Briefly, Annie goes in turn to Hurst, to Attercliffe, and to Sparky. Hurst rejects her advances because he is in awe of Musgrave. Attercliffe is mostly sorry for her. Sparky, finally, is afraid of what Musgrave is going to do and tries to get Annie to flee with him. When the others realize what is afoot, there is a scuffle, and Sparky is accidentally killed with a bayonet. In between these events, Musgrave is seen in the grip of a nightmare, and an attempt is made by Walsh to steal the Gatling gun. Musgrave calms the frightened mayor by saying that he will begin recruiting the next day, in the marketplace.

The next day, though, with all assembled at the start of act 3, Musgrave’s plan becomes clear at last. The sergeant has been driven mad—or perhaps sane—by remorse. In a far country of the British Empire, terrorists killed one of his men, Billy Hicks. In the ensuing roundup, five innocent civilians, including perhaps a child, were killed. Their deaths are on Musgrave’s conscience and he has decided to avenge them. However, he cannot harm his men, for they, too, are victims. Revenge must fall on those who sent them: the British public and the British rulers. In the square, he sets up his Gatling gun and explains that “logic” demands that if five civilians were killed for one soldier, then five times five Britons must die for the civilians. In a macabre gesture, he runs his flag up the flagpole: It is the skeleton of Annie’s lover, Billy Hicks.

The massacre is halted by the arrival of other soldiers, the dragoons sent for by the mayor. Hurst is shot and Musgrave overpowered by the bargeman who brought them to the town in the first place. Order is restored in a drink-and-dance scene joined even by Walsh; only Annie sits out—with the skeleton. In a final short scene, Musgrave and Attercliffe moralize, waiting for the gallows.

Perhaps in compensation for its highly abstract theme, Serjeant Musgrave’s Dance is a play which has strong visual and auditory appeal. The scene is always dominated by the bright scarlet coats and shining metalwork of Queen Victoria’s infantry; Musgrave refers several times to the white chevrons on his sleeve (much larger and more clearly marked than in modern armies). In contrast to this striking display stand the grimy colliers. Both groups, at one time or another, perform the rituals of their trade or culture onstage. The colliers do a clog dance in act 2 (a form of tap dance in heavy wooden-soled shoes, local to the North of England). In act 3, Musgrave and his men perform a grisly parody of arms drill. In between, the colliers, half-persuaded to join the army, are found executing what they think is drill: It is a scene for which Arden wrote extremely careful directions, pointing out that all the movements must be made alertly and efficiently but that all the drillers must do different things, and none must obey the word of command—a most difficult effect to achieve. The idea in each case, it seems, is to show men deluded and dehumanized by false jollity or false solidarity.

The suggestion of falseness is further emphasized by several dance scenes. The scene in Mrs. Hitchcock’s bar trembles on the edge of violence, as dance turns into brawl. By contrast, at the end of act 3, scene 1 (the play’s climax), the fight with the dragoons rapidly turns into a dance. However, joining the dance, as Walsh realizes, is tantamount to betrayal and surrender. Cooperative movements, in this play, tend to mean abandonment of judgment and personal responsibility, not (as they are supposed to) good fellowship or community.

Individual voices are raised in the play, in song. Arden has in several plays been affected by the ballad-poetry of northern England, and in this play there are several traditional songs and several imitations of traditional song, usually expressing sadness, fatalism, or resignation. The songs often come from the play’s most oppressed characters: Annie, Sparky, and, at the very end, Attercliffe, waiting for death with his sergeant. There is a suggestion here, perhaps, of a traditional culture older and wiser than the rituals of the British Empire. Arden, who is himself a northerner, may well identify with this sense of antiquity.

Finally, it is clear that Arden sometimes is prepared to strain for shock effects. The raising of a skeleton on a flagpole rises beyond the macabre to the bizarre. Musgrave’s nightmare in act 2 recalls the sleepwalking sequence of Lady Macbeth in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth (pr. 1606); few modern playwrights would risk the comparison. At several points, Arden’s own stage directions admit implicitly that his effects will prove hard to stage.

During the late 1950s and early 1960s, British society was undergoing significant changes. However, one constant was the Conservative Party's dominance. From 1951 to 1964, they maintained power.

The British economy had largely recovered from the effects of World War II. In general, British citizens experienced increased prosperity and affluence. Average earnings rose, and overall unemployment fell, although it spiked at the beginning and end of 1959.

Labor issues became prominent during this era. For instance, in June 1959, a major printing strike involving 100,000 workers occurred in London and other regions. Consequently, most provincial presses ceased operations for much of the summer.

The trend of nationalizing major industries, such as printing, which had started in the immediate postwar period, continued. However, by the end of the 1950s, many of these industries were losing money.

Great Britain chose not to join the European Economic Community (EEC) in 1957, a decision it soon regretted. In 1960, the country joined a competing economic group, the European Free Trade Association, and by the mid-1960s, it was lobbying to join the EEC.

Foreign affairs were crucial during this time. Although Britain had been a significant colonial power in the nineteenth century, its influence was diminishing by the mid-twentieth century. Several colonies and protectorates were pursuing varying degrees of independence.

One historical event inspired Arden to write Serjeant Musgrave’s Dance. For many years, Great Britain controlled Cyprus, but by the late 1950s, both Greek and Turkish Cypriots wanted to govern the island. In 1958, a Greek Cypriot, aiming to overthrow British rule, killed the wife of a British Army sergeant.

In response, locals were rounded up, resulting in the deaths of three Cypriots. Two years later, Great Britain relinquished control of much of the island to the Greek Cypriot majority.

There were also significant disturbances in Malta and Nyasaland in 1959.

British colonial holdings had a direct impact on life in the home country. There was substantial immigration to England, which would significantly influence Great Britain for the remainder of the twentieth century.

Setting
"Serjeant Musgrave’s Dance" is a realistic drama set in the north of England in 1880. The majority of the action unfolds in a public house (pub) within a small mining town ravaged by a miner’s strike.

There are also a few outdoor scenes, including the churchyard and the town’s marketplace.

The settings enhance the play's realism. Both the pub and the marketplace are places where various types of people gather, from town officials to ordinary colliers. The other settings highlight the cold, harsh reality of life in the northern town.

Songs, Verse, and Dance
Arden employs several dramatic techniques to emphasize the time and place of the action and to develop characters. The most notable of these are songs, poetic verse, and dances.

Many main characters sing folk-style songs and recite verses. Sparky frequently sings, commenting on the action and revealing much about himself and his outlook on life. Mrs. Hitchcock, Annie, and the Bargee also sing, while Walsh, other colliers, and Attercliffe (especially at the play’s conclusion) contribute with insightful verse. The Bargee is always whistling the song "Michael Finnegan."

During the recruiting party, everyone except Musgrave sings and dances. Two of the colliers perform a clog dance while the Bargee and others provide the music. This creates a festive atmosphere that contrasts with the soldiers' true purpose for visiting, and gives a sense of Northern England's culture.

Musgrave only lets loose during the play’s climax, where he both sings and—as the play’s title suggests—dances. His intense words and movements provide a release from his previously reserved demeanor throughout the play. The song and dance allow him to convey the true reason for his presence in town: to exhibit the skeleton of Billy Hicks, avenge Hicks’s death, and educate the townspeople about the horrors of war.

Audience Participation
In the climactic scene of "Serjeant Musgrave’s Dance," the audience becomes part of the drama. In the marketplace, a small crowd gathers to listen to the speeches. Since there is no larger crowd of townspeople beyond the few characters, everything is directed at the audience. It is as if Arden is making his argument directly to them.

The Bargee plays a crucial role in this scene. He acts as the connection between the audience and the on-stage action. The directions call for him to "create crowd-reactions." When Musgrave and his men draw their rifles and Gatling gun, they aim them at the audience, underscoring that this message is directed at them—the townspeople of the world.

1880: Queen Victoria reigns over Great Britain, marking the forty-third year of her rule. She wields significant political influence.

1959: Queen Elizabeth II is in her seventh year as monarch. Her political role is limited, with the parliamentary system primarily shaping policy.

Today: Queen Elizabeth II remains on the throne but serves mainly as a ceremonial figure with minimal political power.

1880: Great Britain stands as a major global power, boasting extensive colonial territories in Asia and Africa.

1959: Many of Great Britain’s colonies had either gained independence or were in the process of doing so. India achieved independence in 1947.

Today: Great Britain retains only a few colonial territories and protectorates.

1878: At the Congress of Berlin, Great Britain acquires Cyprus.

1959: Greek and Turkish Cypriots call for independence from Great Britain. The request is granted within a year, although Britain keeps control of areas around its military bases.

Today: Ongoing conflict between Greek and Turkish Cypriots has led to a divided island. The Republic of Cyprus governs most of the island, while the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus controls about one-third.

"Serjeant Musgrave’s Dance" was adapted for television by Granada Television for the BBC in 1961.

Sources
Billington, Michael. "Finney as Musgrave," in Manchester Guardian Weekly, June 3, 1984, p. 20.

"Black Jack’s Prayer," in Newsweek, March 21, 1966, p. 98.

Brien, Alan. "Disease of Violence," in the Spectator, October 30, 1966.

Clurman, Harold. A review of Sergeant Musgrave’s Dance in The Nation, March 28, 1966, p. 372.

Hewes, Henry. "Journey Into a North Wind," in Saturday Review, March 26, 1966, p. 45.

Kauffmann, Stanley. "Colicos in Title Role of John Arden’s Play," in The New York Times, March 9, 1966, p. 44.

———. "The Art of John Arden," in The New York Times, March 20, 1966, section 2, p. 1.

Oliver, Edith. "Doleful Dance," in The New Yorker, March 19, 1966, pp. 162-163.

Spurling, Hilary. "Royal Fortress," in the Spectator, December 17, 1965.

A review in Time, March 18, 1966, p. 80.

Further Reading
Arden, John. "John Arden," in Contemporary Authors Autobiography Series, Volume 4, Gale Research, 1986, pp. 29-47. This autobiographical essay provides insight into Arden’s background, upbringing, and family life.

Page, Malcolm. John Arden, Twayne Publishers, 1984, 175 p. Comprehensive critical analyses of Arden’s work, including Serjeant Musgrave’s Dance.

Trussler, Simon. John Arden, Columbia University Press, 1973, 48 p. A critical examination of Arden’s work, focusing on Serjeant Musgrave’s Dance.