jan and mark

• thesis

  in his play, dna, dennis kelly portrays the charecters of jan and mark as a manipulative yet passive duo who serve as both narrators and catalysts for the predicament of adam’s death throughout the play. Through their fragmented dialogue, colloquial tone and sheer reliance on each other, as depicted by them always being present together in a scene, kelly highlights their moral detachment and desensitisation to violence, ultimately portraying them as symbols of peer pressure and bystander effect in gang environments.
• act 1 - ”dead?”


  • act one scene one
  • set in a street so have to be more conscious of what they are saying leading to vague and colloquial monologue
  • repetition of “dead?” shows disbelief at the situation
  • short fragmented dialogue shows both dismay for the situation
  • creates tension and mystery - as they have to be vague the audience are still oblivious to the complexity of the situation
  • shows jan and marks passive role in the situation as they react and comment on events rather than taking charge
• act 1- “we were just having a laugh, weren’t we, we were all, you know… ”


  • fragmented dialogue
  • phrases as a question but is really just trying to convince himself
  • realisation of the severity of the act and the repercussions begins to set in
  • they initially saw bullying adam as harmless fun highlighting the lack of awareness or care for the ill-treatment of weaker members in the gang
  • “we got him to eat some leaves”
  • shows the methods they deployed to dehumanise adam
  • adam submits himself out of the fear of loosing his “friends”
  • adam was treated as an experiment rather than a human
• act 2 topic sentence

  in act 2 jan and marks role is very limited, they appear in scene one and scene 3, once again portraying their passive role and lack of responsibility for the actions.
• act 2- “he’s not going”


  • chorus like repetition
  • gives context on what has happened off stage
  • provides evidence to fill gaps
  • use of pronoun “he” shows they don’t want others to overhear when in the public setting of a street
  • rhey have an irrational fear of getting in trouble showing their passive approach
  • it dehumanises brian, showing theor lack of care or responsibility for weaker gang members as long as they are protected
  • stage direction “beat“ emphasises the violent nature of the gang while simultaneously highlighting panic
• act 2- “it was her idea!”


  • scene three
  • accusatory tone
  • as jan and mark return with brian, having refused to speak to the police the gang immediately point fingers at mark with richard and lou commenting “mark you dick”
  • mark simultaneously shifts the blame to lou saying “it was her idea”
  • he refuses to take any blame for the situation and steps back from the consequences
  • still in denial that the whole gang holds a responsibility and their is no avoiding the eventual repercussions
• act 3 topic sentence

  in act 3 the attitudes of jan and mark begin to shift as they are faced with the revelation that adam is still alive. they are hit with the harsh reality that they can’t just keep avoiding the situation and are overwhelmed with fear and guilt on what to do now. t
• act 3 - ”and are you… is this… i mean are you… there’s no mistake”


  • scene 1
  • fragmented speech and repeated use of ellipsis
  • shows her agitated and panic-stricken state
  • they are both continuously in denial refusing to accept the situation
  • instead of being involved in finding a solution they step back shifting the blame off themselves
  • “you and me. and cathy.”
  • the pronouns “you and me” show their reliance on each other
  • mark immediately tells jan his findings in hope she can provide some comfort or be the voice of reasoning
  • they are a duo
• act 3- “you (really) better come with us”


  • scene two
  • chorus like repetition
  • assertive tone
  • their role shifts as they began to become more assertive and involved in finding a solution
  • the fear has overcome them and they realise they can’t avoid it any more
  • the dominant tone proves this shift in attitude
  • they are not letting members more advantaged in the hierarchy walk over them any more
  • as a duo they are proving their worth