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In Our Country’s Good, the very idea of public hangings represents the different ways in which people rule and govern. Captain Tench, for one, has no problem hanging convicts in the penal colony, since he believes that this is one of the only ways to convince criminals to follow rules. However, Governor Phillip is uncomfortable with turning violent punishment into a “spectacle,” preferring to use positivity—not fear—to encourage the convicts to change. Throughout the play, Phillip has to defend this viewpoint time and again. The fact that he constantly has to convince his colleagues that it’s best to avoid execution is an indication that people in positions of power are quick to assume that scaring subordinates is the only way to keep them in line. In this way, the practice of public execution—and all the consideration that goes into hanging someone—comes to symbolize the great burden of responsibility that leaders like Governor Phillip must learn how to navigate.
Public Hangings Quotes in Our Country’s Good
The Our Country’s Good quotes below all refer to the symbol of Public Hangings. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Act One, Scene Three Quotes
COLLINS. […] You have been made Governor-in-Chief of a paradise of birds, Arthur.
PHILLIP. And I hope not of a human hell, Davey. Don’t shoot yet, Watkin, let’s observe them. Could we not be more humane?
TENCH. Justice and humaneness have never gone hand in hand. The law is not a sentimental comedy.
PHILLIP. I am not suggesting they go without punishment. It is the spectacle of hanging I object to. The convicts will feel nothing has changed and will go back to their old ways.
TENCH. The convicts never left their old ways, Governor, nor do they intend to.
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This conversation takes place between Governor Phillip and his colleagues shortly after they arrive in Australia for the first time. As they go on a bird-hunting expedition, they discuss how to punish the three convicts who were caught stealing food from the colony’s rations, and Phillip expresses his discomfort regarding the idea of public execution. Because he doesn’t want to preside over a “human hell,” he wonders if there’s a way that he and the other guards could be more “humane.” When he says this, Tench emerges as his philosophical opposite, upholding that “justice and humaneness have never gone hand Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam
I commend your endeavour to oppose the baneful influence of vice with the harmonising acts of civilisation, Governor, but I suspect your edifice will collapse without the mortar of fear.
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Judge Collins says this to Governor Phillip as they discuss whether or not to publicly execute three convicts who were caught stealing food from the colony’s rations. Phillip, for his part, thinks that hanging the criminals in public will only discourage the other convicts from even trying to improve their ways. He also wants to find a way to rule over the colony in a “humane” fashion. Captain Tench, on the other hand, believes that the convicts are incapable of change. In this moment, Wertenbaker presents the audience with Judge Collins’s somewhat impartial opinion, as he focuses not on whether Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque o
TENCH. It’s their favourite form of entertainment, I should say.
PHILLIP. Perhaps because they’ve never been offered anything else.
TENCH. Perhaps we should build an opera house for the convicts.
PHILLIP. We learned to love such things because they were offered to us when we were children or young men. Surely no one is born naturally cultured?
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In this exchange, Captain Tench and Governor Phillip debate the merits and downfalls of public execution. A proponent of harsh punishment, Tench points out that the convicts in the penal colony think of hangings as a “form of entertainment.” This isn’t the smartest way to convince Phillip to move forward with the hanging, since the Governor has already stated that he objects to the “spectacle” of such merciless displays. Nevertheless, Tench doesn’t hesitate to suggest that the other convicts will find the hanging amusing, and Phillip points out that this is because they’ve “never been offered” any other kind of Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore labor
Act One, Scene Four Quotes
Do you know I saved her life? She was sentenced to be hanged at Newgate for stealing two candlesticks but I got her name put on the transport lists. But when I remind her of that she says she wouldn’t have cared.
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Harry Brewer says this to Ralph while complaining about Duckling’s refusal to speak to him. Even though Duckling lives with him in his tent and has sex with him, Harry finds himself deeply bothered that she doesn’t want to meaningfully engage with him. When he mentions that he “saved her life,” it’s evident that he expects a certain amount of gratitude from her, clearly feeling that she owes him. This highlights the transactional nature of their relationship, in which Harry does favors for Duckling in exchange for romantic attention. However, Duckling makes a point of defying Harry’s expectations by refusing Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus
Act One, Scene Nine Quotes
When I say my prayers I have a terrible doubt. How can I be sure God is forgiving me? What if he will forgive me, but hasn’t forgiven me yet? That’s why I don’t want to die, Sir. That’s why I can’t die. Not until I am sure. Are you sure?
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Ketch says this to Ralph one night while telling him his life story. As the penal colony’s resident hangman, he worries about his standing with God, wondering if he’ll be forgiven when he dies. Saying that he suffers from “terrible doubt” when he prays, he admits that he doesn’t want to die before he’s certain that God will forgive him for hanging his fellow convicts. Although this is undoubtedly a difficult position to be in, it’s worth noting that Ketch’s struggle to find forgiveness is more manageable than Harry Brewer’s. This is because he isn’t trying to forgive himself, which Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus c
Act Two, Scene Two Quotes
PHILLIP. Liz Morden—(He pauses.) I had a reason for asking you to cast her as Melinda. Morden is one of the most difficult women in the colony.
RALPH. She is indeed, Sir.
PHILLIP. Lower than a slave, full of loathing, foul mouthed, desperate.
RALPH. Exactly, Sir. And violent.
PHILLIP. Quite. To be made an example of.
RALPH. By hanging?
PHILLIP. No, Lieutenant, by redemption.
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In this passage, Governor Phillip tells Ralph why he wanted Liz Morden to be cast as one of the leading roles in The Recruiting Officer. Whereas someone like Captain Tench would most likely want to make an “example” of a misbehaved criminal by publicly hanging her, Phillip wants to shine a light on her ability to change. Even though she is “full of loathing, foul mouthed, desperate,” and “violent,” Phillip believes that she’s capable of “redemption.” This suggests that he believes it’s possible for anyone to change, since Liz is apparently so far from perfect. Once again, then, the audience Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut
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Public Hangings Symbol Timeline in Our Country’s Good
The timeline below shows where the symbol Public Hangings appears in Our Country’s Good. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act One, Scene Three
...Collins points out that the convicts are guilty and thus deserve to be here. “But hanging?” Phillip asks, and Collins assures him that only three of the convicts will be hanged,...
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...Phillip clarifies that he doesn’t think the convicts shouldn’t be punished, but simply that public hangings are rather perverse, since they become “spectacle[s].” To that end, he fears the criminals will...
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...asks Harry what he thinks, the midshipman tells him that the criminals “laugh at the hangings,” since they’re so used to seeing them. Agreeing, Tench says that public executions are the...
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Turning his attention to the upcoming hanging, Phillip asks Harry to tell him the names of the convicts sentenced to death. First,...
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Wrapping up their discussion, Tench says that the hanging should take place as quickly as possible. “It’s their theatre, Governor, you cannot change that,”...
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Act One, Scene Four
Changing the subject, Harry says that he saw Handy Baker the night before. “You hanged him...
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Act One, Scene Eight
...the women continue to berate him, as Liz suggests that she’d kill herself before ever hanging one of her fellow convicts.
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Act One, Scene Nine
...the plan. He tells Ralph that he was given a chance after getting caught to “hang or be hanged.” “What would you do? Someone has to do it,” he says, attempting...
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Act One, Scene Eleven
...be tried for stealing from the stores,” he declares. “You know the punishment? Death by hanging.” With this, he turns to leave, and Campbell—who is exceedingly drunk—mumbles that The Recruiting Officer...
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Act Two, Scene Two
...be reformed. As such, he doesn’t want to make an example out of her by hanging her, but by allowing others to witness her “redemption.” Considering this idea, Ralph suggests that...
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Act Two, Scene Six
Later, Harry summons Ketch to take Liz’s measurements in preparation for her hanging the next day. Apologetically, Ketch tries to measure Liz, saying all the while how much...
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After measuring Liz, Ketch apologizes again, telling her that if he doesn’t hang her, someone else will. At least, he says, he can make sure that she feels...
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Act Two, Scene Ten
...an account of what Liz said to Harry when she was getting measured for her hanging, Collins notes that his testimony didn’t do much in the trial because Liz “wouldn’t confirm...
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Act Two, Scene Eleven
...are thousands of miles away,” he says. He then threatens Caesar by saying that he’ll hang him if he doesn’t act, and Caesar finally “pulls himself together.” Having heard this reference...
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