Jack Gurney
Encyclopedia
Jack Arnold Alexander Tancred Gurney is a fictional character, the protagonist
of Peter Barnes
' 1968 play, The Ruling Class
. He was portrayed by Peter O'Toole
(in an Academy Award
-nominated performance) in the play's 1972 film adaptation.
Born into a wealthy, aristocrat
ic British
family, Gurney was designated at birth to be the 14th Earl of Gurney upon the death of his father. There was only one problem: he was a paranoid schizophrenic prone to delusion
s of grandeur, which were made worse when his parents shipped him off to boarding school
, where he felt abandoned and victimized. As a subconscious defence against such abandonment, he developed a delusion that he was Jesus Christ returned to bring and embody love, so that people would have to love him in order to find peace and salvation
.
Upon his father's death (in a bizarre autoerotic asphyxiation mishap) Gurney returned to his family—not to take his rightful place as heir to the title, but to spread the gospel
as he saw it, which was to treat everyone with love and charity. His relatives were appalled, especially his half-uncle Charles, who coveted the lordship for himself. Sir Charles plotted to marry his nephew off to his long-time mistress, Grace Shelly, so as to produce an heir, and then have his nephew institutionalized. The plan failed, however, when his mistress actually fell in love with Gurney. Gurney gained another ally in Sir Charles' wife, who hated her husband and befriended Gurney just to spite him. She also began sleeping with Gurney's psychiatrist
, Dr. Mercer, to persuade him to cure Gurney quickly.
Mercer attempted to cure him through intensive psychotherapy
, but it was to no avail, as Gurney so thoroughly believed that he was Jesus that, ironically, he dismissed any suggestion to the contrary as the rambling of lunatic
s. The night his wife went into labour
with their child, Mercer made one last effort at therapy; He introduced Gurney to a patient who also believed himself to be Christ, or, as the patient put it, "the God
of electricity
," who would subject an unwitting Gurney to electroshock therapy. The plan was to use the electroshock to (literally) jolt Gurney out of his delusions, showing him that the two men could not both be Jesus, and so he must be operating under hallucination
s. The plan worked, and, as Grace delivered a healthy baby boy, Gurney returned to his senses and reclaimed his true identity.
Sir Charles, still intent on stealing the lordship, sent for a court psychiatrist to evaluate Gurney, confident that his nephew would be sent to an asylum for life. He was once again thwarted, however, when the psychiatrist discovered that Gurney was a fellow Etonian
, bonded with him, and declared him sane
.
Gurney soon relapsed into mental illness
, however, this time believing himself to be Jack the Ripper
. Now a violent psychopath with a puritan
ical hatred of women, Gurney murder
ed Sir Charles' wife in a fit of enraged revulsion when the aging woman tried to seduce him. He framed the family butler
, Tucker, for the murder, and assumed his place in the House of Lords
with a fiery speech in favour of capital
and corporal punishment
. That night, he murdered Grace for expressing her love for him.
The story's ending is ambiguous; it is unknown whether Gurney got caught, or escaped detection to kill again.
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
of Peter Barnes
Peter Barnes
Peter Barnes was an English Olivier Award-winning playwright and screenwriter. His most famous work is the play The Ruling Class, which was made into a 1972 film for which Peter O'Toole received an Oscar nomination....
' 1968 play, The Ruling Class
The Ruling Class
The Ruling Class is a 1972 British black comedy film. It is an adaptation of Peter Barnes' satirical stage play which tells the story of a paranoid schizophrenic British nobleman who inherits a peerage. The film costars Alastair Sim, William Mervyn, Coral Browne, Harry Andrews, Carolyn Seymour,...
. He was portrayed by Peter O'Toole
Peter O'Toole
Peter Seamus Lorcan O'Toole is an Irish actor of stage and screen. O'Toole achieved stardom in 1962 playing T. E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia, and then went on to become a highly-honoured film and stage actor. He has been nominated for eight Academy Awards, and holds the record for most...
(in an Academy Award
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
-nominated performance) in the play's 1972 film adaptation.
Born into a wealthy, aristocrat
Aristocracy (class)
The aristocracy are people considered to be in the highest social class in a society which has or once had a political system of Aristocracy. Aristocrats possess hereditary titles granted by a monarch, which once granted them feudal or legal privileges, or deriving, as in Ancient Greece and India,...
ic British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
family, Gurney was designated at birth to be the 14th Earl of Gurney upon the death of his father. There was only one problem: he was a paranoid schizophrenic prone to delusion
Delusion
A delusion is a false belief held with absolute conviction despite superior evidence. Unlike hallucinations, delusions are always pathological...
s of grandeur, which were made worse when his parents shipped him off to boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
, where he felt abandoned and victimized. As a subconscious defence against such abandonment, he developed a delusion that he was Jesus Christ returned to bring and embody love, so that people would have to love him in order to find peace and salvation
Salvation
Within religion salvation is the phenomenon of being saved from the undesirable condition of bondage or suffering experienced by the psyche or soul that has arisen as a result of unskillful or immoral actions generically referred to as sins. Salvation may also be called "deliverance" or...
.
Upon his father's death (in a bizarre autoerotic asphyxiation mishap) Gurney returned to his family—not to take his rightful place as heir to the title, but to spread the gospel
Gospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
as he saw it, which was to treat everyone with love and charity. His relatives were appalled, especially his half-uncle Charles, who coveted the lordship for himself. Sir Charles plotted to marry his nephew off to his long-time mistress, Grace Shelly, so as to produce an heir, and then have his nephew institutionalized. The plan failed, however, when his mistress actually fell in love with Gurney. Gurney gained another ally in Sir Charles' wife, who hated her husband and befriended Gurney just to spite him. She also began sleeping with Gurney's psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
, Dr. Mercer, to persuade him to cure Gurney quickly.
Mercer attempted to cure him through intensive psychotherapy
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is a general term referring to any form of therapeutic interaction or treatment contracted between a trained professional and a client or patient; family, couple or group...
, but it was to no avail, as Gurney so thoroughly believed that he was Jesus that, ironically, he dismissed any suggestion to the contrary as the rambling of lunatic
Lunatic
"Lunatic" is a commonly used term for a person who is mentally ill, dangerous, foolish, unpredictable; a condition once called lunacy. The word derives from lunaticus meaning "of the moon" or "moonstruck".-Lunar hypothesis:...
s. The night his wife went into labour
Childbirth
Childbirth is the culmination of a human pregnancy or gestation period with the birth of one or more newborn infants from a woman's uterus...
with their child, Mercer made one last effort at therapy; He introduced Gurney to a patient who also believed himself to be Christ, or, as the patient put it, "the God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
of electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
," who would subject an unwitting Gurney to electroshock therapy. The plan was to use the electroshock to (literally) jolt Gurney out of his delusions, showing him that the two men could not both be Jesus, and so he must be operating under hallucination
Hallucination
A hallucination, in the broadest sense of the word, is a perception in the absence of a stimulus. In a stricter sense, hallucinations are defined as perceptions in a conscious and awake state in the absence of external stimuli which have qualities of real perception, in that they are vivid,...
s. The plan worked, and, as Grace delivered a healthy baby boy, Gurney returned to his senses and reclaimed his true identity.
Sir Charles, still intent on stealing the lordship, sent for a court psychiatrist to evaluate Gurney, confident that his nephew would be sent to an asylum for life. He was once again thwarted, however, when the psychiatrist discovered that Gurney was a fellow Etonian
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
, bonded with him, and declared him sane
Sane
Sane is an English word meaning "of sound mind"; see Sanity.Sane or SANE may also refer to:* Sane Ancient Greek city* An archaeological site and a modern name of Sani, Greece*Sane, Mali...
.
Gurney soon relapsed into mental illness
Mental illness
A mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern generally associated with subjective distress or disability that occurs in an individual, and which is not a part of normal development or culture. Such a disorder may consist of a combination of affective, behavioural,...
, however, this time believing himself to be Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper
"Jack the Ripper" is the best-known name given to an unidentified serial killer who was active in the largely impoverished areas in and around the Whitechapel district of London in 1888. The name originated in a letter, written by someone claiming to be the murderer, that was disseminated in the...
. Now a violent psychopath with a puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
ical hatred of women, Gurney murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
ed Sir Charles' wife in a fit of enraged revulsion when the aging woman tried to seduce him. He framed the family butler
Butler
A butler is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some also have charge of the entire parlour floor, and housekeepers caring for the entire house and its...
, Tucker, for the murder, and assumed his place in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
with a fiery speech in favour of capital
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
and corporal punishment
Corporal punishment
Corporal punishment is a form of physical punishment that involves the deliberate infliction of pain as retribution for an offence, or for the purpose of disciplining or reforming a wrongdoer, or to deter attitudes or behaviour deemed unacceptable...
. That night, he murdered Grace for expressing her love for him.
The story's ending is ambiguous; it is unknown whether Gurney got caught, or escaped detection to kill again.