Philadelphia, Here I Come!

by

Brian Friel

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Dr. Francis King Character Analysis

Francis King is the man Kate marries instead of Gar. His presence in Ballybeg takes Gar by surprise when Kate and Gar go to her parents’ house to inform them of their plans to marry. When they arrive, Senator Doogan informs them that Francis has decided to visit town and that Kate should go see him in the next room. He then tells Gar that Francis will likely get a job at the local dispensary. If this happens, Doogan says, he and his wife want Kate to marry Francis—something that has apparently already been discussed, though Kate has never said anything about it to Gar. This discourages Gar, who leaves the Doogan household before Kate reenters the room. Not long after this, Francis and Kate do indeed get married, leaving Gar crushed.

Dr. Francis King Quotes in Philadelphia, Here I Come!

The Philadelphia, Here I Come! quotes below are all either spoken by Dr. Francis King or refer to Dr. Francis King. 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:
Communication and Affection Theme Icon
).
Episode I Quotes

Private: (wearily) Mrs Doctor Francis King. September 8th. In harvest sunshine. […] By God, Gar, aul sod, it was a sore hoke on the aul prestige, eh? Between ourselves, aul son, in the privacy of the bedroom, between you and me and the wall, as the fella says, has it left a deep scar on the aul skitter of a soul, eh? What I mean to say like, you took it sort of bad, between you and me and the wall, as the fella says—

Public: (sings)
‘Philadelphia, here I come, right back—’

Private: But then there’s more fish in the sea, as the fella says […].

Related Characters: Public Gar (Gareth O’Donnell), Private Gar (Gareth O’Donnell), Kate Doogan, Dr. Francis King
Related Symbols: “Philadelphia, Here I Come”
Page Number: 22
Explanation and Analysis:
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Philadelphia, Here I Come! PDF

Dr. Francis King Quotes in Philadelphia, Here I Come!

The Philadelphia, Here I Come! quotes below are all either spoken by Dr. Francis King or refer to Dr. Francis King. 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:
Communication and Affection Theme Icon
).
Episode I Quotes

Private: (wearily) Mrs Doctor Francis King. September 8th. In harvest sunshine. […] By God, Gar, aul sod, it was a sore hoke on the aul prestige, eh? Between ourselves, aul son, in the privacy of the bedroom, between you and me and the wall, as the fella says, has it left a deep scar on the aul skitter of a soul, eh? What I mean to say like, you took it sort of bad, between you and me and the wall, as the fella says—

Public: (sings)
‘Philadelphia, here I come, right back—’

Private: But then there’s more fish in the sea, as the fella says […].

Related Characters: Public Gar (Gareth O’Donnell), Private Gar (Gareth O’Donnell), Kate Doogan, Dr. Francis King
Related Symbols: “Philadelphia, Here I Come”
Page Number: 22
Explanation and Analysis: