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Isabella Bird
Lady Nijo is a real-life, thirteenth-century concubine-turned-Buddhist-nun. Lady Nijo was raised from birth to live a life of sexual service to the Emperor—her own father gave her over to the Emperor, and instructed Nijo to become a nun if she ever fell out of favor at court. Over the years, Nijo faced sexual and psychological abuse, and had any female children she bore the Emperor ripped from her arms and taken away to be raised so that they could one day be sent to court as a concubine, just as Nijo herself was. When she did eventually fall from favor at court, she followed her father’s advice and became a nun, roaming the countryside and at last experiencing life for herself. Nijo’s tales of horrific treatment at the hands of the nobility reveal Churchill’s skepticism towards the upper classes; moreover, Nijo’s life, dictated at every turn by the wills and desires of patriarchal figures, is laid bare within the play in order to demonstrate the harmful effects of life under patriarchy.
Lady Nijo Quotes in Top Girls
The Top Girls quotes below are all either spoken by Lady Nijo or refer to Lady Nijo. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Act One, Scene One
Quotes
MARLENE: Magnificent all of you. We need some more wine, please, two bottles I think, Griselda isn’t even here yet, and I want to drink a toast to you all.
ISABELLA: To yourself surely, we’re here to celebrate your success.
NIJO: Yes, Marlene.
JOAN: Yes, what is it exactly, Marlene?
MARLENE: Well it’s not Pope but it is managing director.
JOAN: And you find work for people.
MARLENE: Yes, an employment agency.
NIJO: Over all the women you work with. And the men.
ISABELLA: And very well deserved too. I’m sure it’s just the beginning of something extraordinary.
MARLENE: Well it’s worth a party.
ISABELLA: To Marlene.
MARLENE: And all of us.
JOAN: Marlene.
NIJO: Marlene.
GRET: Marlene.
MARLENE: We’ve all come a long way. To our courage and the way we changed our lives and our extraordinary achievements. (They laugh and drink a toast.)
Related Characters:
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Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Top Girls LitChart as a printable PDF.
Lady Nijo Quotes in Top Girls
The Top Girls quotes below are all either spoken by Lady Nijo or refer to Lady Nijo. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Act One, Scene One
Quotes
MARLENE: Magnificent all of you. We need some more wine, please, two bottles I think, Griselda isn’t even here yet, and I want to drink a toast to you all.
ISABELLA: To yourself surely, we’re here to celebrate your success.
NIJO: Yes, Marlene.
JOAN: Yes, what is it exactly, Marlene?
MARLENE: Well it’s not Pope but it is managing director.
JOAN: And you find work for people.
MARLENE: Yes, an employment agency.
NIJO: Over all the women you work with. And the men.
ISABELLA: And very well deserved too. I’m sure it’s just the beginning of something extraordinary.
MARLENE: Well it’s worth a party.
ISABELLA: To Marlene.
MARLENE: And all of us.
JOAN: Marlene.
NIJO: Marlene.
GRET: Marlene.
MARLENE: We’ve all come a long way. To our courage and the way we changed our lives and our extraordinary achievements. (They laugh and drink a toast.)
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
