A Taste of Honey: style

Stylistic Elements

“A Taste of Honey” incorporates a realistic style known as Kitchen Sink drama, reflecting on ordinary life in a truthful and authentic manner.
The play defies traditional sentimentality and melodrama, instead opting for raw, unfiltered portrayal of the human condition and the complexities of social interactions.
The play utilises minimalism in its set design, mirroring the financial and resource scarcity of northern working-class lives. This environment also showcases the situational hardship and sense of suffocating limitation experienced by the characters.
The fourth wall is consistently maintained in A Taste of Honey, reinforcing the realistic style. Characters do not break this convention to address the audience directly.

The dialogue used by Shelagh Delaney showcases phonetic Northern English, expressing the distinctive voice and identity of characters. This also intensifies the socio-cultural realism of the play.
Humour is used despite the serious and sombre themes of the play, often mixed with sarcasm or irony. This technique breaks up more intense moments and provides lighter relief.

Symbolism is prevalent throughout the play, embodied through various methods such as the character of Geoffrey or the recurring usage of food. The symbolism provides multiple layers of interpretation to engage with.
Feminist themes underpin the overall structure of the play, challenging the traditional gender norms of its time. This is evident through Helen and Jo’s defiance of their expected societal roles.
Music and songs are incorporated into the play as another layer of symbolism and set mood, often reflective of Jo’s emotional state or the dynamics of scenes.

The narrative remains mostly linear, except for the brief interval where the timeline jumps forward. This device allows the audience to witness the characters’ development and the consequences of their actions.