Doubt: A Parable

Doubt: A Parable

• Genre: Fiction; drama; psychological drama
• Originally Published: 2005
• Reading Level/Interest: Grades 11-12; college/adult
• Structure/Length: One act; approx. 54 pages; approx. 1 hour, 30 minutes of running time
• Protagonist/Central Conflict: The play is set in a Catholic school in the Bronx in 1964. The central character, Sister Aloysius—the school’s principal—suspects the parish priest, Father Flynn, of inappropriate conduct with one of the students. The central conflict revolves around themes of suspicion, moral certainty, and the elusiveness of truth as Sister Aloysius confronts Father Flynn and navigates her doubts and convictions.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Potential child abuse and its moral implications; religious themes; discussions of race and gender roles within the church; psychological tension

John Patrick Shanley, Author

• Bio: Born 1950; American playwright, screenwriter, and director; grew up in the Bronx, New York; served in the US Marine Corps; educated at New York University; won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Moonstruck (1987); often explores complex moral and ethical issues in his works
• Other Works: Danny and the Deep Blue Sea (1984); Savage in Limbo (1984); The Dreamer Examines His Pillow (1986); Moonstruck (1987); Four Dogs and a Bone (1993); Outside Mullingar (2014)
• Awards: Pulitzer Prize for Drama (2005); Tony Award for Best Play (2005); Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play (2005)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Guide:

• Innocence Versus Suspicion
• Isolation
• Hierarchy and Gender

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Teaching Guide, students will:

• Gain an understanding of the historical, ideological, and sociocultural contexts of the play in order to determine how these inform the plot and influence the characters’ choices.
• Discuss paired texts and other brief resources to make connections via the text’s themes of Innocence Versus Suspicion, Isolation, and Hierarchy and Gender.
• Think critically about the characters and collaborate with peers by participating in an in-class debate on whether they agree with Sister Aloysius’s actions.
• Evaluate the themes, symbols, and motifs of the play in structured essay responses on the nature of doubt, the play’s historical setting, and other topics.