Arsenic and Old Lace Summary & Key Insights

Joseph Kesselring's black comedy, "Arsenic and Old Lace," centers around the seemingly sweet and harmless Brewster sisters, Abby and Martha, residing in a quaint Brooklyn home with their nephew, Mortimer Brewster. The play unfolds as a darkly humorous exploration of family secrets and the blurred lines between sanity and madness.

The seemingly idyllic facade of the Brewster household quickly crumbles as Mortimer discovers the sisters' horrifying secret: they are murdering lonely elderly gentlemen, believing they are performing acts of mercy by poisoning them with elderberry wine laced with arsenic. These murders are presented with a chillingly nonchalant attitude by the sisters, who bury their victims in the basement alongside a collection of other deceased gentlemen. This macabre routine is further complicated by the presence of their nephew Teddy, who believes himself to be Teddy Roosevelt and engages in elaborate, if harmless, escapades. Their other nephew, Jonathan, a disturbed and violent murderer, also enters the picture, creating a chaotic and increasingly dangerous environment.

Mortimer, a drama critic engaged to Elaine Harper, a young woman of impeccable social standing, struggles to reconcile his love for Elaine with the shocking truth about his family. He grapples with his own sanity, questioning whether he's the only "normal" one in the midst of such eccentric and murderous relatives. His attempts to expose the sisters and keep their secret from Elaine lead to farcical and often perilous situations. Jonathan, meanwhile, adds to the chaos with his own string of violent crimes and his attempts to escape the police with his accomplice, Dr. Einstein, a disfigured plastic surgeon.

The play's humor stems from the stark contrast between the sisters' gentle demeanor and their horrific actions, and the absurd situations that arise from their murderous activities. The characters are wonderfully eccentric, each adding to the comedic tension. Teddy's delusion, Jonathan's violence, and the sisters' blithe acceptance of their crimes all contribute to the overall chaotic and darkly funny tone.

The overarching themes explore the nature of family, sanity, and the hypocrisy of societal expectations. The Brewsters, despite their murderous tendencies, are presented as loving, albeit misguided, individuals. The play satirizes the idyllic image of the traditional family, revealing the darkness that can lie beneath the surface. Mortimer's struggle highlights the challenges of maintaining one's identity and sanity amidst familial chaos. The play ultimately poses questions about the definition of "normal" and the complexities of human nature, leaving the audience to ponder the blurred lines between normalcy and madness, compassion and cruelty.