Character Analysis
(Avoiding Spoilers)
Grew Up… at the mercy of his older sister, Mrs. Joe Gargery, who raised Pip with an iron fist after he was orphaned. Luckily, Mr. Joe Gargery was a positive influence on Pip, declaring that they were “ever the best of friends.” Joe was a blacksmith and expected Pip to follow in his footsteps.
Living… under the financial direction of the lawyer Mr. Jaggers, who has been employed to bring Pip up as a “gentleman.” An unnamed benefactor has granted Pip a large sum of money. Now in London, Pip meets many people of higher class, who influence his outlook on life. Pip believes his benefactor to be Mrs. Havisham, who uses Pip as a playmate for the young, stoic girl Estella, Mrs. Havisham’s adopted daughter.
Profession… once a blacksmith’s apprentice. But now Pip now aspires to be part of the white-collar workforce.
Relationship Status… single. Pip has fallen in love with Estella, who doesn’t seem to love him back. Mrs. Havisham encouraged Pip to pursue Estella, and Pip now believes that with the proper upbringing and social status, he will win her heart forever. Pip wants to cover up all the traces of his former life in the lower class. He’ll do anything to blend in with those of high status.
Challenge… shedding his roots as a member of the lower class and climbing the social ladder. There are great expectations placed on Pip, but he doesn’t know why or by whom. Pip’s intention is to rise to the opportunity and become a gentleman – a title that Pip spends his entire life trying to define.
Personality… kind-hearted, quiet, and determined. Pip can adapt well to his environment and has no problem learning an entirely new set of social norms. He is afraid of letting down his benefactor, and believes that he is destined for great things. This determination guides him through his journey, which contains difficult moral questions and hidden truths.
Get to Know him in...
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Loosely based on the Charles Dickens' classic novel, Great Expectations is a sensual tale of a young man's unforgettable passage into manhood, and the three individuals who will undeniably change his life forever. Through the surprising interactions of these vivid characters, "Great Expectations" takes a unique and contemporary look at life's great coincidences.
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The orphan Pip is destined to become a blacksmith like his brother-in-law Joe. But when Pip meets the beautiful Estella Havisham, he yearns for a gentleman's education in order to woo her. A mysterious legacy answers his ambition, and changes the course of his life, taking him far from the Marshes of youth—far, so he thinks, from his early terrifying encounter with an escaped convict, and his sister's class resentments. In this fictional autobiography, Pip's coming-of-age story becomes representative of the changing social landscape of nineteenth-century England. As Pip's education provides upward social mobility, he must also learn hard lessons about self-delusion and forgiveness, love and loss, and the true nature of his Great Expectations.
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The life of an orphan is changed by the providential intervention of a mysterious benefactor.
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In this Dickens adaptation, orphan Pip discovers through lawyer Mr. Jaggers that a mysterious benefactor wishes to ensure that he becomes a gentleman. Reunited with his childhood patron, Miss Havisham, and his first love, the beautiful but emotionally cold Estella, he discovers that the elderly spinster has gone mad from having been left at the altar as a young woman, and has made her charge into a warped, unfeeling heartbreaker.
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This stunning adaptation of Dickens' classic tale was captured live from the Vaudeville Theatre in the West End. Although Great Expectations has been adapted for film on two separate occasions, once by David Lean in 1946 and most recently by Mike Newell, it has never been produced for The West End or Broadway, widely believed to be too difficult to translate to stage. However, this Jo Clifford adaptation has been universally acclaimed as a triumph on its sellout tour of the UK head of its West End debut. In addition to the production, this version include red carpet arrivals from the February 7 premiere and behind the scenes footage exclusively for cinema audiences.
