The Piano Lesson
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Key Facts
full title · The Piano Lesson
author · August Wilson
type of work · Drama
genre · Melodrama
language · English
time and place written · Written in St. Paul, Minnesota, and Pittsburgh in 1986
date of first publication · 1987; first produced at the Yale Repertory Theater in 1987 and on Broadway in 1990
publisher · Yale University (Yale Theater magazine)
narrator · None
climax · Boy Willie and Berniece confront Sutter's ghost
protagonists · Boy Willie, Berniece
antagonist · Boy Willie
setting (time) · Early 1930s
setting (place) · The kitchen and parlor of Doaker's house, Pittsburgh
point of view · Drama, not applicable
falling action · Boy Willie's departure; Berniece's giving of thanks
tense · The play unfolds in the time of the present
foreshadowing · Sutter's ghost stirs throughout the play, foreshadowing the final showdown
tone · Tragicomic
themes · Memory/historical legacy
motifs · The maternal and paternal line; the mark; music; the call to the dead; ghosts
symbols · The piano
