Moment One: When Mrs Johnstone agrees to give one of the twins to Mrs Lyons
Mrs Johnstone has seven children and is pregnant when she gets a job with Mrs Lyons. She finds out that she is having twins and knows that she cannot afford to have two more children. Mrs Lyons asks her to give one to her. She doesn’t want to but she imagines what life would be like with Mrs Lyons and realises that the child would be better off. Mrs Lyons makes her swear on the bible.
Moment Two: When Mrs Lyons sacks Mrs Johnstone
Mrs Lyons gets really jealous with Mrs Johnstone when she is looking at the baby and decides to get rid of her. Mrs Johnstone threatens to take the baby but Mrs Lyons tells her that she will be jailed for selling her child. She also makes up a superstition telling her that if the boys ever find out that they were twins, they will die instantly.
Moment Three: The boys meet and become Blood Brothers
The boys, aged seven, meet while they are playing and when they realise that they were born on the same day, they agree to become Blood Brothers. The playwright uses dramatic irony here as we know they are actually brothers. It is clear that Edward is fascinated by Mickey and Mickey is fascinated by Edward.
Moment Four: The boys and Linda get caught by the police
The three children are playing in the park and are caught throwing stones by the policeman. This scene highlights the effects of social class in this play. The policeman tells Mrs Johnstone that Mickey was about to commit a serious crime and that he would be in court next time. The Johnstones have a bad reputation because of Sammy. He does the opposite in Edward’s house and tells his parents that it was just a prank and that he would advise him to ‘make sure he keeps with his own kind.’ This scene highlights the difficulties that Mickey faces because he is poor.
Moment Five: Sammy robs the bus
We see the violent streak in Sammy when he robs the bus after pulling a knife on the bus conductor. Sammy’s influence on Mickey is foreshadowed here when Linda tells Mickey he better not get in trouble like Sammy.
Moment six: The boys both get suspended
We see how similar both boys are when they both get suspended for talking back to their teacher. Edward is in a posh boarding school and Mickey is in a public school but both behave the same way, showing that they are very alike.
Moment Seven: Edward goes to University and Mickey goes to the factory
The boys and Linda spend a few years hanging out and enjoying life when Edward announces that he is going to university and Mickey ends up working in the factory. Before Edward leaves he sings a song about how much he loves Linda but won’t tell her and then decides to set up Mickey and Linda. They agree to meet again at Christmas and have a big party.
Moment Eight: Linda is pregnant, they get married and Mickey loses his job.
In the space of three months Mickey finds out that Linda is pregnant, they get married and he loses his job. When Edward returns at Christmas, he hates him because he is living the life that Mickey wants. Mickey is on the dole and is depressed with the state of his life.
Moment Nine: Mickey agrees to take part in a robbery
Mickey agrees to be a lookout for Sammy in an armed robbery because he wants to take Linda out for New Year’s Eve. He is caught and sentenced to seven years in prison. He becomes chronically depressed and ends up addicted to drugs. When he gets out, he is a different person and cannot function without the drugs.
Moment Ten: Linda gets Mickey a job and a new house
Linda tells Mrs Johnstone that she has got Mickey a job and a new house for them. She doesn’t say who helped her but it was Councillor Edward Lyons. Mickey shouts at Linda when he finds out that it was Edward that helped her. He tries to come off the drugs but Mrs Lyons points out to him that Linda and Edward are having an affair and he completely loses his temper.
Moment Eleven: Mickey finds out that he is a twin and shoots Edward
Mickey confronts Edward in the Townhall and points a gun at him. Mrs Johnstone rushes in and tells him not to shoot because Edward is his brother. Mickey gets angry and asks her why she didn’t give him away. He says, ‘I could have been him.’ He then shoots Edward and the police shoot Mickey. Both boys die on stage, which brings the play to a close.