A Matter of Husbands Exercise Class 12 English: Question Answers | Ferenc Molnar



A Matter of Husbands Exercise Class 12 English: Question Answers | Ferenc Molnar
Neb English Support Class 12


            Section 2: Literature (One-Act Play)

A Matter of Husbands Exercise | Ference Molnar 

  Summary | Exercise (Question Answers)

                  Class 12 English Guide


A Matter of Husbands by Ference Molnar


MAIN INTRODUCTION 

A Matter of Husbands by Ference Molnar

Give a short introduction of the play "A Matter of Husbands" by Ferenc Molnar.

This twisted and entertaining one-act play "A Matter of Husbands" was written by Ference Molnar, a playwright from Hungary. This play was published in 1923. This play sheds light on the basic function of actors: to make the audience believe in illusion. This play is about a housewife named Earnest Young Woman and her confrontation with a Famous Actress in the matter of her husband. We find various themes here in this play such as jealousy, deception, the complexities of relationships, gender roles etc.


ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT

A Matter of Husbands by Ference Molnar

Write about the playwright of the play "A Matter of Husbands"?

Ferenc Molnar (1878–1952) was regarded as Hungary's most celebrated and controversial playwright. Being a Jew, he migrated to America to escape the Nazi persecution during the Second World War. His famous plays include The Devil (1907), Liliom (1909), The Guardsman (1910), The Swan (1920), and The Play's the Thing (1926).

This one-act play is an entertaining play that focuses on the main function of the actor, that is, to make the audience believe what is in fact not real.


MAJOR CHARACTERS 

A Matter of Husbands by Ference Molnar

Who are the major characters in the play "A Matter of Husbands" by Ferenc Molnar.

Famous Actress

She is an actress named Sara, who is having an affair with a man named Alfred, who is a lawyer of her manager.

 

Earnest Young Woman

Her husband Alfred is having an affair with a Famous Actress. She goes to the Famous Actress, demanding her husband's back.



Alfred

He is Earnest Young Woman's husband, who has an affair with a Famous Actress. He has a short role, but he is the central issue in the play.

 

SETTING OF THE PLAY 

A Matter of Husbands by Ference Molnar

What is the setting of the play "A Matter of Husbands" by Ferenc Molnar.

The drawing room of the Famous Actress during the late afternoon.


SHORT SUMMARY 

A Matter of Husbands by Ference Molnar

Write a short summary of the play "A Matter of Husbands" by  Ferenc Molnar.

The play "A Matter of Husbands"  is a one-act play. This play was written by Ferenc Molnar. This play contains only one scene and conversation between two women: an Earnest Young Woman and a famous actress. These two women are the major characters in this play.

This play "A Matter of Husbands" sheds light on the basic function of actors: to make the audience believe in the illusion.

When the play begins, we find that Earnest Young Woman walks into the famous actress' drawing room and asks her to return her husband. The Famous Actress replies that she has not taken her husband, although she has met him. She asks for justification for blaming her. The Earnest Young Woman says that her husband has sent her flowers and written a letter of apology for her. She reads the particular letter in front of the actress. The Famous Actress says that her husband has come up with this trick to get more love from her. She convinces Earnest Young Woman, saying that such incidents are common for actresses like her. Many co-workers, even bosses, ask her for favours to make their wives jealous. The Earnest Young Woman realises her folly and expresses her gratitude to the actress. She even kisses the famous actress being joyous. As the Earnest Young Woman leaves the drawing room, the Famous Actress calls Alfred, and he comes out of the closet.


MAIN PLOT POINTWISE 

A Matter of Husbands by Ference Molnar

A Matter of Husbands main plot.

▪︎  Earnest Young Woman comes to Famous Actress and asks her to give her husband back.

▪︎  Earnest Young Woman blames her, saying that her husband has been in love with the Famous Actress. He sends her flowers and writes letters.

▪︎  A Famous Actress starts weaving a fake story about her husband, saying that he is attempting to trick her to get more affection from her.

▪︎  Earnest Young Woman believes in the fake story made up by the Famous Actress and realizes her stupidity.

▪︎  When Earnest Young Woman goes out of the drawing room, the Famous Actress asks Alfred to come out of the closet.


MAIN SUMMARY 

A Matter of Husbands by Ference Molnar

Write a summary of the play "A Matter of Husbands" by Ferenc Molnar.

When the play opens, we find the Earnest Young Woman who is sitting on a chair in a drawing room of the Famous Actress named Sara. The Earnest Young Woman seems quite upset and worried. She has a belief that her husband, Alfred, is having an affair with the Famous Actress. When the Famous Actress arrives in, she asks the Famous Actress to return her husband back. When the Famous Actress asks her the reason of her doubts, the Earnest Young Woman explains that she found a passionate letter and also saw some other signs that make her think that her husband is in love with the actress.

The Famous Actress listens all her matter calmly. Later, she begins to explain the situation in a way that completely changes the Earnest Young Woman's mind as well as perspective. The Famous Actress tells her that her husband is only trying to make her jealous to regain their love. She even claims that once Alfred asked her to write the passionate letter and left it on his desk in a  hope that his wife would find and read it. The Famous Actress even shares a story about how she wrote similar type of letters for another man to help him win back his wife's love and affection.

She further provides some explainations that all the other signs - like ordering flowers and later canceling the order and keeping a lock of the Actress's hair - are just tricks especially to make the Earnest Young Woman feel jealous and love her husband more.

Later, the Famous Actress assures the Earnest Young Woman that any man associated to the theater would use such tricks. She admits that she also helped and played along with Alfred's plan not because there was an actual affair between them, but because she wanted to play a supportive role in the young couple's marriage. She also explains that men often try to create imaginary love stories with actresses and while the actresses are aware of the deception, their wives often believe the stories are real.

By the end of their conversation, the Earnest Young Woman is reassured and no longer suspicious of her husband. She feels quite relieved and even grateful to the Famous Actress for helping her understand the real story or the situation. The Famous Actress has successfully manipulated the situation, using her charm and wit to dissolve the Earnest Young Woman's doubts.

As the Earnest Young Woman gets ready to leave the drawing room, she seems much calmer and more secure in her marriage relationship. She is thoroughly convinced that her husband still loves her. Just after her departure, the Famous Actress calls out name of Alfred who has been hiding in the closet the entire time, listening to the conversation. This particular twist reveals that the Famous Actress may not have been entirely truthful, and there might be more to the story than she led the Earnest Young Woman to believe.


DETAILED SUMMARY  

A Matter of Husbands by Ference Molnar

Write the detailed summary of the play "A Matter of Husbands" by Ference Molnar.

The humorous one-act play "A Matter of Husbands" was written by a renowned Hungarian playwright Ferenc Molnar. This play was published in 1923. This play sheds light on the basic function of actors: to make the audience believe in illusion. This play is about a housewife named Earnest Young Woman and her confrontation with a Famous Actress in the matter of her husband. This has a very clever, humorous and insightful exploration of human emotions, particularly jealousy and insecurity in relationships.

The play opens with a very fine scene of a beautifully designed and colourful drawing room. This drawing room belongs to a Hungarian Famous Actress named Sara. In the late afternoon, the Earnest Young Woman is sitting inside this room. She seems quite nervous in a chair. She is impatient and her mouth is dry. She is looking quite anxiously at the furnishings and the curtained door. Dressed modestly in a frock, hat and furs, she waiting for the Famous Actress to arrive. 

When the Famous Actress enters through the curtained door, she inquires about the reason for her visit. Being tearful and emotional, the Earnest Young Woman immediately starts begging the Famous Actress to return her husband, Alfred. The Famous Actress feels quite surprised in such an act. The Earnest Young Woman provides a description of her husband as a blond, medium-height man with spectacles, a lawyer by profession and her manager’s lawyer. When the Famous Actress admits that she knows Alfred, the Earnest Young Woman begins to plead for his return being desperate. 

The Famous Actress seems confused. She denies having Alfred with her. She claims to have met her husband Alfred only once or twice backstage and is unaware that he wears spectacles. The Earnest Young Woman speculates that Alfred must have removed his spectacles to impress the Famous Actress because he loves her. She also notes that Alfred never take them off his spectacles in her presence.

The Famous Actress perceives the Earnest Young Woman as foolish. She asks why she thinks she has taken her husband. Despite this, the Earnest Young Woman insists that Alfred sends flowers regularly. The Famous Actress denies ever receiving flowers from Alfred. 

Later, the Earnest Young Woman reveals that she has seen flowers at a florist and that Alfred sends them to the Famous Actress’s dressing room twice a week. The Famous Actress accuses the Earnest Young Woman of lying or being misled. To prove her point, the Earnest Young Woman retrieves a passionate apology letter from her husband, which she found on his desk. The letter, full of apologies and kisses, was likely intended for the Famous Actress. Upon reading the letter, the Famous Actress reacts with surprise. 

The Earnest Young Woman, now in tears, accuses the Famous Actress of stealing her husband and criticizes her for being attractively dressed to entice Alfred. The Famous Actress calms her, explaining that she has never received any flowers or letters from Alfred. She suggests that Alfred is only pretending to be in love with her to make his wife jealous and rekindle their interest. The Earnest Young Woman is astonished by this explanation.

The Famous Actress reassures the Earnest Young Woman that men involved in theater often use such tactics to regain their wives' affection, creating fake love stories with actresses. She admits to participating in this pretense with Alfred to help strengthen and beautify the Earnest Young Woman’s marriage.

The Famous Actress explains that she has done her best to prevent the couple's divorce. She reveals that Alfred's actions, such as leaving a letter on his desk, ordering and then canceling flowers, and keeping a lock of the Actress's hair, were all meant to make the Earnest Young Woman jealous. She assures the young woman that if they fall in love again, Alfred will continue to leave letters for her.

The Famous Actress also shares the idea that she wrote a love letter for Alfred to help him show his wife by chance. She also recalls writing similar letters for another man whose wife, being very proper, simply handed them to her husband without reading them. The Earnest Young Woman, feeling foolish but relieved at last. She thanks the Famous Actress and even gives her a kiss, making her happy. 

As the Earnest Young Woman leaves, the Famous Actress calls the name Alfred. Alfred comes out from the closet in no time. He had been hiding and listening to the entire conversation between his wife and the Famous Actress.


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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 

A Matter of Husbands by Ference Molnar


UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT

Answer the following questions.

a. What favour does Earnest Young Woman ask from The Famous Actress? 

Answer:

The Earnest Young Woman asks for a favour to give her husband back from the Famous Actress. She loves her husband much. She has come to know about her husband's deception.


b. What, according to The Earnest Young Woman, are the indications that her husband has fallen in love with Famous Actress? 

Answer: 

According to the Earnest Young Woman, the following are indications that her husband has fallen in love with a Famous Actress:

▪︎  Her husband has sent her (A Famous Actress) flowers. She learned about it from a florist.

▪︎  She finds her husband's love letter on the table that he has forgotten. The letter contains her husband's apology and thousands of kisses for not being able to call her.


c. Is Earnest Young Woman convinced by the argument of Famous Actress? How?

Answer: 

Yes, Earnest Young Woman is convinced by the argument of a famous actress. We find Earnest Young Woman quite satisfied and happy at the end of the play. She seems fully convinced and kisses the Famous Actress being so happy. She thinks that she has gotten her husband back. 


d. Where is the Earnest Young Woman’s husband hiding himself as they are talking about him?

Answer:  

The Earnest Young Woman's husband is hiding himself inside the closet as they are talking about him. When Earnest Young Woman moves out of the drawing room, Famous Actress calls out by his name, Alfred, and he comes out of the closet.


e. When do you feel that Famous Actress is really good at acting? 

Answer: 

I feel that the Famous Actress is really good at acting when she calls out the name of Alfred and Alfred comes out of her closet at the end of the play. This suspense at the end of the play makes me feel that she is really good at acting. She seems quite confident in her words and gestures while convincing the Earnest Young Woman. She convinces not only the Earnest Young Woman but also the audience very precisely. Her last word, "Alfred" and the entry of Alfred from her closet surprise the audience.



f. How do we come to know that Famous Actress and the husband of Earnest Young Woman are in love? 

Answer: 

We come to know that Famous Actress and the husband of Earnest Young Woman are in love through the last act of Famous Actress when she calls Earnest Young Woman's husband's name Alfred, and Alfred comes out of her closet.


g. Write down the plot of the play in a paragraph.

Answer: 

When the play begins, Earnest Young Woman enters the Famous Actress's drawing room and asks her to give her husband back. Earnest Young Woman blames her, saying that her husband has been in love with her (a Famous Actress). According to her, her husband has sent her flowers and even written an apology letter. A Famous Actress starts weaving a fake story about her husband, saying that he is attempting to trick her to get more affection from her. Earnest Young Woman believes in the fake story made up by the Famous Actress and realizes her stupidity. When Earnest Young Woman departs, the Famous Actress asks Alfred to come out of the closet.


REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT 

a. Sketch the character of Famous Actress.

Answer:

The Famous Actress in this play is young and beautiful. She is quite a good actress who works in theatre. She is quite good at acting. She seems so innocent in her outer appearance. But she is quite deceptive and wicked inwardly. Here in this play, she has been suspected and blamed by the Earnest Young Woman. She has a good quality of speech. She defends herself quite tactfully. She convinces the Earnest Young Woman with her reasoning. The way she tells stories to prevent a woman from believing that her husband is having an affair with her is cunning and deceitful. She also leads an immoral life, which is seen at the end of the story, where it is revealed that Alfred, the husband of the Earnest Young Woman, was actually in her house.


b. Shed light on the difference between an ordinary woman and an actress.

Answer:

In this play, "A Matter of Husband" we find two major female characters. These two characters are quite different in their appearances and natures.

Here, the ordinary woman is a wife, whereas the Famous Actress is a single woman. The play presents the conversation between these two women. Through their conversation, we get to know that the ordinary woman is a simple-minded and timid person who has easily been deceived by the false story of the actress. 

In the beginning, the ordinary woman enters the actress's drawing room full of tears, blaming her husband for having an affair with the actress. She has evidence against the actress. When she blames the actress, the actress convinces her with her fake story. The actress tells her a fake story related to her husband's intentions behind his acts. According to her, an ordinary woman's husband wants to make her jealous so that he can regain her love.

The ordinary woman believes her words without any doubt. She becomes extremely happy, and she even kisses the actress at last.

At the end of the play, when the actress calls out Alfred's name, Alfred comes out of her closet. This final act shows that the actress is such a cunning woman, whereas the ordinary woman is timid. We find the actress brilliant at her acting and speech. She seems full of confidence while sharing her opinions. She doesn't hesitate to weave her fake story. On the other hand, the ordinary woman seems so hesitant. She has a fear of losing her husband. The play presents her as a simple wife who loves her husband so much. However, the actress is presented as an immoral woman who has an illegal relationship with an ordinary woman's husband, Alfred.


c. According to Famous Actress, men associated with theatre use the theatre actresses to make their estranged wives jealous so as to woo them back. Do you agree with her argument? Why? Why not?

Answer: 

No, I don't agree with her argument. These are very rare cases. Her statement is so fake, which has less connection with the reality of men associated with the theatre. According to her, men associated with theatre use the theatre actresses to make their estranged wives jealous so as to woo them back. Here, we find that she gets blamed for cheating by Earnest Young Woman all of a sudden. To escape herself from that blame, she weaves a false story regarding entire men who are associated with the theatre. Not every man associated with the theatre has a timid, simple-minded, and gullible wife. In the case of Alfred, we find a simple-minded wife. The Famous Actress is such a cunning woman who has an immoral relationship with Earnest Young Woman's husband, Alfred. Both Famous Actresses and Alfred are cheating Earnest Young Woman in the real sense. To convince Earnest Young Woman and save herself from the blame, she makes a so-called statement.


d. How does Famous Actress make a fool of Earnest Young Woman?

Answer: 

Famous Actress makes a fool of Earnest Young Woman by putting forward a fake story regarding men and actresses associated with the theatre. When the Famous Actress gets blamed by Earnest Young Woman, she states that there was a misunderstanding between her and her husband. She convinces the Earnest Young Woman that her husband is playing with her to make her jealous and get her love back. After hearing her opinions, the Earnest Young Woman innocently realises her mistake and apologises to her. She even kisses the Famous Actress at last, being convinced and satisfied.




e. The conversation between the two women takes place on the stage of the theatre. What role does the theatre house as a part of the setting play in A Matter for Husband? 

Answer: 

The play "A Matter of Husbands" by Ferenc Molnar sheds light on the basic function of actors: to make the audience believe in the illusion. Here, we find the whole play presented on the stage of the theatre house, where two major characters have a conversation. As a part of the setting, the theatre house has provided a fine environment to present the basic function of actors, i.e., making the audience believe in the illusion. The setting of the theatre house has made it possible to create an illusion among the audience about the excellent roles of the actors. Here, the theatre house has provided both characters with a fine environment to have their private conversations, which shouldn't be done publicly. The theatre house as a part of the setting has played a tremendous role in the presentation of the thematic concern.


f. What do you think about the ending of the play?

Answer: 

The ending of this play, "A Matter of Husbands," is full of suspense and surprise. The ending part of the play has been presented very wonderfully with the revelation of the facts. It has proved that the audience can easily be put in illusion through actors and theatrical tasks.
After the departure of the Earnest Young Woman being happy and satisfied, the call of the Famous Actress and the entry of Alfred opening the closet are mind-boggling for the audience in the theatre. The audience simply flows along with the reasoning of the Famous Actress from the beginning of the play. They keep on believing in the opinions of the famous actress, just as the Earnest Young Woman does. But her last call for Alfred makes all the audience feel surprised. The Famous Actress and her acting are supposed to be the best. I think the ending part is well executed with surprise and irony. In the play, the Famous Actress tells the Earnest Young Woman that her husband really loves her, but in reality, he has no love for his wife. He only cheats on his wife. This play has presented the concept that gullible people always suffer from clever people because they are often true to heart, but clever people always take advantage of their innocence.

REFERENCE BEYOND THE CONTEXT 

a. Write a paragraph describing your favourite actor/actress. 

Answer:

                My Favourite Actor

My favourite actor is Akshay Kumar. Akshay Kumar, whose real name is Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia, is a well-known film actor as well as a producer and martial arts expert. People also fondly call him 'Akki'. Akshay Kumar has worked in more than 125 films. He has been nominated several times for his films in the Filmfare Awards, out of which he has won this award twice. He has been working in the Hindi film industry for a long time and is also known for his disciplined nature and routine. Known as 'Khiladiyon Ke Khiladi', Akshay does most of the stunts in his films himself. Akshay Kumar was born in Amritsar, Punjab. His father, Hari Om Bhatia, was a military officer. His mother's name is Aruna Bhatia. Akshay also has a sister named Alka Bhatia. He did his schooling at Don Bosco School and his further studies at Guru Nanak Khalsa College, Mumbai. After earning a black belt in Taekwondo in India, Akshay studied martial arts in Bangkok, Thailand. After returning from there, Akshay got his photoshoot done, after which he was signed for the film 'Deedar'.


b. John Cassavetes says, “I’m very worried about the depiction of women on the screen. It’s gotten worse than ever and it’s related to their being either high- or low-class concubines . . . . There’s nothing to do with the dreams of women, or of woman as the dream, nothing to do with the quirky part of her, the wonder of her.” How do you assess Famous Actress in the light of Cassavetes’ argument about the portrayal of women?

Answer:



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