What is the mood of the play?
The genre of play Room 13 is mystery and horror shown clearly in the text. It gives suspense when the children begin to figure out that room 13 is real and fear when they realise that they have to kill the beast for the good of Whitby. The writer was very clever in setting the novel in Whitby which is known for its work on vampire myths, the latest one being Dracula. It has included the famous Whitby Abbey where Dracula hid out waiting for passing tourists and the vocabulary used by Robert Swindells really accentuates the fear felt when meeting a vampire. This particular section when Fliss and her friends enter Room 13 displays how frightened she was. As soon as they saw the beast rising from the coffin they plunged the wooden stake into his heart as an automatic reaction. Therefore, the language used presents the mood of the play and shows the audience what each character is feeling in absolute detail.
Why is the number 13 considered unlucky?
Many people believe that the number 13 is generally unlucky. One particular superstition goes back to the Last Supper. There were 13 disciples at the meal including Jesus Christ and Judas was the 13th guest.
Judas betrayed Jesus by reporting his whereabouts to the Romans for a hefty amount of silver which consequently resulted in Jesus being put on the cross.
Other superstitions surrounding the number 13 are:
.In some ancient European religions ,there were 12 good gods and 1 evil god commonly known as the 13th god.
.The meeting of witches was called a Sabbath and required at least 13 witches to be there.
Judas betrayed Jesus by reporting his whereabouts to the Romans for a hefty amount of silver which consequently resulted in Jesus being put on the cross.
Other superstitions surrounding the number 13 are:
.In some ancient European religions ,there were 12 good gods and 1 evil god commonly known as the 13th god.
.The meeting of witches was called a Sabbath and required at least 13 witches to be there.
What is the beast and why is it there?
Reading from the novel of Room 13, I can easily tell that the beast is a vampire. In the last two scenes of Act Two it quotes "the beast rose slowly from the coffin" suggesting to the audience that it is a vampire. Vampire's usually sleep in coffins to protect themselves from the light and as a useful source to hide from predators. But why is the vampire there? The room chosen could of been dark and enclosed which is a perfect habitat for vampires who cannot step into sunlight without being turned to dust. Therefore, Room 13 is an ideal place for this peculiar creature.