The Bad Seed

The Bad Seed is a 1954 play by American playwright Maxwell Anderson, adapted from the 1954 novel of the same name by American writer William March. Characters Rhoda Penmark is the seemingly perfect daughter of Christine and Kenneth Penmark. She is an excellent student, talented, and polite to all adults in her life. However, it is later revealed that she is truly very sinister and will do whatever she needs to achieve greatness. In the end of the play, Christine attempts to kill both herself and Rhoda to make sure the secret of Rhoda's actions don't get publicized. However, Monica Breedlove, their landlady, hears the gunshot and saves Rhoda. Christine Penmark is Rhoda's mother and Kenneth's wife. She is in close spirits with her adoptive father, Richard Bravo, and learns in the second act that her biological mother was an infamous serial killer named "Bessie Denker." She is also close friends with Monica Breedlove, her brother Emory Breedlove, and Reginald Tasker. In the end of the play, Christine commits suicide by gunshot. Leroy Jessup is the Penmarks' janitor who often pulls practical jokes on Rhoda by saying that she was the one who killed Claude Daigle. Only during the climax of the play does Leroy realize that she actually did kill him. To protect her secret, Rhoda sets fire to Leroy's shed and kills him. Monica Breedlove is the Penmarks' landlady and Christine's confidante. She is also a self-proclaimed psychiatrist, claiming that she was once examined by Sigmund Freud. In the end of the play, Monica is the one to save Rhoda when she hears Christine's gunshot. Emory Wages is Monica's brother and friend of Christine and Reginald. He and Monica often quarrel over small disputes. He attempts to help Leroy when his shed is set on fire but he is unsuccessful. Reginald Takser is a novel writer and friend of Monica, Christine, and Emory. He is also a fan of Richard Bravo's writing. Richard Bravo is Christine's adoptive father and a columnist for the paper. He also did a lot of research on the case of "Bessie Denker," who is later revealed to be Christine's biological mother. Miss Fern is Rhoda's teacher and the headmistress of the local elementary school. She is the first to suspect Rhoda's actions. Mrs. Daigle is the mother of Claude Daigle and wife of Dwight Daigle. She is an alcoholic and her condition worsens when her son is killed. Mr. Daigle is Claude's father and Hortense's husband. He is very quiet and rarely speaks. Col.