If I Were You (Douglas James) — Practice

Question 1

What is the genre of 'If I Were You'? Who wrote it?

Accepted Answer

✦ Answer: It is a ONE-ACT PLAY (drama) — the only drama text in Beehive. Written by Douglas James, a British playwright known for one-act plays and dramatic sketches.

Question 2

What is the Intruder's plan when he enters Gerrard's cottage?

Accepted Answer

✦ Answer: The Intruder plans to KILL GERRARD and ASSUME HIS IDENTITY — take his clothes, name, and cottage — so he can escape the police as 'Gerrard'. The Intruder has already killed someone and is being hunted.

Question 3

How does Gerrard outsmart the Intruder?

Accepted Answer

Step 1 — Cool initial response.
  Instead of panicking, Gerrard remains calm, even witty. He makes jokes, asks polite questions. This UNNERVES the Intruder, who expected pleading or surrender.

Step 2 — The brilliant lie.
  Gerrard claims that HE TOO is a criminal being hunted by the police. He says he just received a phone call warning him to flee. If the Intruder kills him and assumes his identity, the Intruder will be hunted as 'Gerrard the criminal'.

Step 3 — Changing the dynamic.
  Suddenly the Intruder's perfect plan looks flawed. Gerrard's name is not safe to assume — it carries its own danger. The Intruder is confused.

Step 4 — Offering escape together.
  Gerrard suggests they should both escape together. He picks up his case. He points to the cupboard and says it has a secret exit.

Step 5 — The trap.
  Trusting Gerrard's 'criminal expertise', the Intruder enters the cupboard. Gerrard slams the door shut and locks it from outside.

Step 6 — Calling the police.
  Gerrard picks up the phone and reports 'a smart young burglar locked in the cupboard'.

✦ Answer: Gerrard outsmarts the Intruder through (1) staying calm and witty, (2) telling a brilliant lie that he too is a criminal being hunted by police — making the Intruder doubt his identity-theft plan, (3) offering to escape together through a 'secret exit' in the cupboard, (4) locking the Intruder in once he enters, (5) calling the police. WIT defeats BRUTE FORCE — Gerrard never lays a hand on the Intruder.

Question 4

Why is the play titled 'If I Were You'? What is the irony in the title?

Accepted Answer

Step 1 — Literal meaning of the title.
  'If I Were You' is normally an idiom meaning 'in your position, I would...' — used when offering advice.

Step 2 — The Intruder's literal version.
  The Intruder takes 'if I were you' LITERALLY — he wants to BECOME Gerrard. He plans to take Gerrard's identity, clothes, life. 'If I were you, I would be safe from police.'

Step 3 — Gerrard's counter version.
  Gerrard offers his own 'if I were you' advice to the Intruder — but the advice is a trap. Gerrard's 'advice' (about the cupboard's secret exit) leads the Intruder into captivity.

Step 4 — The double irony.
  Both characters in different ways say 'if I were you' — but neither outcome is what either expects:
  • The Intruder wanted to BE Gerrard → ends up trapped
  • Gerrard's 'advice' to the Intruder → leads to the Intruder's downfall

Step 5 — Universal lesson.
  Be careful what you wish for, and how you trust advice from strangers — especially when they say 'if I were you'!

✦ Answer: The title 'If I Were You' plays on the idiom in two ironic ways: (1) The Intruder literally wants to BE Gerrard — to take his identity — but ends up trapped. (2) Gerrard offers 'if I were you' style advice that turns out to be a trap. The Intruder ends up the opposite of what he hoped — trapped, not free. The title elegantly captures the play's central reversal: would-be victim becomes captor; identity-thief becomes captive.

Question 5

How does the play use the dramatic device of ROLE-REVERSAL to convey its central message? Discuss with reference to the techniques used by Douglas James.

Accepted Answer

Step 1 — What is role-reversal?
  Role-reversal is a dramatic technique where the EXPECTED roles of characters (hero, villain, victim, predator) are SWAPPED or INVERTED — usually for comic or dramatic effect.

Step 2 — Initial role distribution.
  At the opening of the play:
  • Intruder = aggressor/predator (has gun, has killed before, has plan)
  • Gerrard = victim/prey (quiet writer, no weapon, alone in cottage)

Step 3 — The reversal begins.
  Gerrard's calm, witty response begins the reversal. Most victims would beg or panic. Gerrard mocks, jokes, asks questions. This already shifts the dynamic.

Step 4 — The reversal deepens.
  When Gerrard claims to be a criminal too, the Intruder's whole plan becomes uncertain. The Intruder is no longer in control. Gerrard's words have already done what no gun could — confused the criminal.

Step 5 — The reversal completes.
  Gerrard tricks the Intruder into the cupboard and locks him in. The transformation is complete:
  • Aggressor → captive
  • Victim → captor
  • Gun-holder → empty-handed
  • Empty-handed → telephone-caller (calling police)

Step 6 — Central message via role-reversal.
  By showing this complete role-reversal, James drives home his message: PHYSICAL POWER + EVIL INTENT ARE NOT ENOUGH. Without intelligence and clear thinking, even a gun-wielding murderer is vulnerable. Gerrard's words and quick thinking are MORE POWERFUL than the Intruder's gun and willingness to kill.

Step 7 — Techniques used.
  • SETUP: Establish the Intruder as scary, Gerrard as vulnerable
  • CONTRAST: Gerrard's wit vs Intruder's bluntness
  • SURPRISE: Gerrard's claim to also be a criminal
  • TRAP: The cupboard with 'secret exit'
  • REVERSAL: The lock-up
  • RESOLUTION: Phone call to police

Step 8 — Why role-reversal is effective.
  • It is INHERENTLY DRAMATIC — audiences love watching the powerful become powerless
  • It is COMIC — there's humour in the criminal being outsmarted
  • It is SATISFYING — moral order is restored
  • It is INSTRUCTIVE — teaches the value of intelligence

Step 9 — Universal appeal.
  Role-reversal is found in countless great stories — David vs Goliath, the underdog beating the bully, the quiet hero defeating the powerful villain. James uses this archetypal pattern brilliantly in a short play.

Step 10 — Modern relevance.
  In a world where bullying, intimidation, and physical violence still threaten people, the play's message — that intelligence and calm can defeat brute force — is empowering, especially for young readers who may not be physically powerful but are smart and observant.

Step 11 — Conclusion.
  Douglas James masterfully uses role-reversal as both a dramatic device AND a thematic statement. By inverting the predator-prey relationship through Gerrard's wit, James shows us that 'the pen' (or in this case, the playwright's quick mind) is indeed mightier than the sword (or revolver).

✦ Answer: Douglas James uses ROLE-REVERSAL — the would-be killer (Intruder) becomes the captive; the would-be victim (Gerrard) becomes the captor — to dramatise his central message: INTELLIGENCE TRIUMPHS OVER BRUTE FORCE. Techniques include: establishing the original predator-prey dynamic, using witty dialogue to shift power, the brilliant 'I'm also a criminal' lie, the cupboard trick, and the satisfying resolution with the police call. The reversal is inherently dramatic, comic, satisfying, and instructive. The play is a microcosm of every 'David vs Goliath' story — the smart, calm hero defeats the strong, threatening villain using only wit. A timeless message in 15 minutes of stage time.

Practice — If I Were You (Douglas James)

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