Defiance

by John Patrick Shanley

Defiance is a necessary step in the life of an individual and in the life of a nation.'' - John Patrick Shanley ''As thoughtful and probing as its predecessor, Defiance [is] filled with the provocative questions and bristling dialogue for which Mr. Shanley is known . . . as it wonders about its big, knotty subjects.'' - Ben Brantley, The New York Times Defiance is the ''very rich and satisfying'' (The Village Voice) second work in John Patrick Shanley's trilogy that began with Doubt. The play is set in 1971 at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, where Lt. Col. Morgan Littlefield and his reluctant protg Capt. Lee King - a young African American officer - clash over issues of race and authority within the Marine Corps, even as the civil rights movement and Vietnam War divide the world outside. In this high-stakes struggle at the top of the ranks, witnessed by the base's inquisitive Chaplain White and Littlefield's irreproachable wife Margaret, Shanley has crafted another timely play eYesploring issues of power and morality within a hallowed institution.

Genres: Plays, Drama

58 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

John Patrick Shanley was born in The Bronx, New York City, to a telephone operator mother and a meat-packer father. He is a graduate of New York University, and is a member of the Ensemble Studio Theatre.

For his script for the 1987 film, Moonstruck, Shanley won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen.

In 1990, Shanley directed his script of Joe Versus the Volcano. Shanley also wrote two songs for the movie: "Marooned Without You" and "The Cowboy Song."

In 2004 Shanley was inducted into the Bronx Walk of Fame.

In 2005, Shanley's play Doubt: A Parable was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Drama Desk Award and Tony Award for Best Play. Doubt: A Parable, is featured in The Fourth Wall, a book of photographs by Amy Arbus in which Shanley also wrote the foreword.

In 2008, Shanley directed a film version of Doubt starring Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams.

Reviews

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Marine XO must choose between doing the right thing and doing the easy thing when his Colonel behaves in a manner unbecoming an officer.

There's a lot going on in Shanley's 'Defiance', which provides the audience with a rich mixture of racial tension, Viet Nam and religion on the Camp Lejeune Marine Base. Things are not as clear cut as the official story would want us to believe and there is a sense of authenticity similar to that found in Sorkin's 'A Few Good Men'.

[Chuck O'Connor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part two of Shanley's "Faith and State" trilogy has the same titular thematic commitment as "Doubt" but lacks the character nuance of that play and therefore seems stuck in allegory. That the playwright uses naturalism to tell his story means that his message then becomes obvious to the point of humorless, where his characters play the single note of superficial archetype. Additionally, the event that creates critical insight for the protagonist seems to come out of nowhere and therefore it is too easy to see Shanley's "point" rather than empathize with his characters. His dialogue however is crisp and the main event of each scene is clearly wrought, so the action moves forward in an interesting, albeit intellectual way. If Shanley had not created such an ambiguous morality play with "Doubt" I might have given "Defiance" a higher rating, but because its intention is to work as part of a larger trilogy, I judge it against its predecessor and find it lacking. It feels rushed and I wonder if Shanley felt an urgency to complete it as a piece within a larger whole, rather than a complete work unto itself. It reads that way.

[Laura Ann she-her · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to read this play twice, it’s challenging and pushes you as the reader to consider a moral dilemma. It’s what makes JPS works so incredible. I like that it challenges me as a reader and a thinker. This is the second of a trilogy of plays, it follows Doubt - A Parable and proceeds The Prodigal Son.

[John Bond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Electric dialogue and great tension. Plot seems stitched together at times...

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite as great as Doubt, but still pretty good.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Careens inevitably towards its conclusion. Some thrifty dialogue and a positively villainous Lutheran make for a speedy and explosive, if un-nuanced, play.