history boys

‘Women’s roles are often tokenistic in dramatic comedy’ discuss whether you believe this to be the case in relation to the play you are studying.
Throughout the history boys, the male characters mainly take the more dominant role whereas the women are seen more as objects rather than women. Mrs Lintott is the only woman that is actually respected a tiny bit whereas Fiona the secretary is seen more as a typical slutty secretary. The role of Fiona really helps the statement in the question to be true, which I think it is. Fiona shows how women hardly get any roles or lines in dramatic comedy as they weren’t seen to be that important to a comedic play.
Mrs Lintott can be involved in the play and sometimes not. She doesn’t have as many lines as the male characters do but she is still seen as important to the boys. Although she is seen as a more dominant character in the play because of the boys she doesn’t influence them and they still don’t look up to her as they would hector, but she is given a nickname, ‘totty’ which makes her a lot more valued as a character which contradicts the statement made. Mrs Lintott also contradicts the statement further as she uses a lot of sarcastic comments and taboo language giving the play more comedic lines and making her contribution a lot bigger and her character more whitty. Mrs Lintott is also aware of her tokenistic value to the boys and the school throughout the play as she says ‘safe pair of hands’ this could suggest that she doesn’t care as that’s what she is like during the play. We also realise that she knows how women are treated when she says, ‘history is a commentary on the various and continuing incapability’s of men. What is history? History is women following behind with a bucket.’ Mrs Lintott really contradicts the statement made but I believe it to be true as the other characters in the play show otherwise. Mrs Lintott contributes more to the play by helping the other teachers in the play, showing her as a more