A super objective is “the unit of desire that drives the unity of action that is the spine of the plot;” this imagery and word choice intrigued me. In Beauty Queen of Leenane, Mag is a character of unparalleled intrigue. She also often complains of her “bad back.” Her super objective is to maintain the stasis of her life with Maureen. She elects to manipulate her daughter, to keep in her care, despite the harm Maureen inflicts on her. Why? Why does Mag insist on perpetuating this unhealthy lifestyle? The answer is not definitive in the text. Author Martin McDonagh constructs the text in such a way, readers are not given explicit answers or granted much catharsis from Mag’s deadly fate.

A possible logic for Mag’s desire to maintain stasis, to keep Maureen in the house, is so Mag can watch over her daughter, or to guarantee her own supervision.

A few questions:
Has Mag always been this way? Or has living under Maureen’s care and losing her independence shaped her to be rotten?
Why is Mag unwilling to live in a home?
Why does Mag take on Maureen’s treatment when she could easily live in a home? Does she want to support//watch over Maureen? Is this love?

Is love expressed throughout the text?