Tally's Blood: Characters (SQA National 5 English): Revision Note
Exam code: X824 75
It’s worth remembering that characters represent a group of people or an idea about society. Di Mambro’s characters, for example, illustrate cultural and generational differences.
Characterisation is a writer’s method and it’s good to use this word in your responses. Characterisation can include:
How characters are established
How characters are presented:
Their physical appearance
Their actions and motives
What they say and think
How they interact with others
What others say and think about them
How far the characters conform to or subvert stereotypes
Their relationships to other characters
Below you will find character profiles of:
Main characters
Massimo Pedreschi
Rosinella Pedreschi
Franco Pedreschi
Lucia Ianelli
Other characters
Hughie Devlin
Bridget Devlin
Luigi Ianelli
Massimo Pedreschi
As an Italian immigrant, Massimo’s desire for integration in Scotland is clear:
He is proud of his success in Glasgow and uses Scottish dialect
When Italy enters the war, Massimo fears the worst despite his hope that behaving well will protect him
When his shop is attacked and he is hurt, his fear is poignantly shown when Rosinella notices he has ‘wet’ himself
His monologue, when he is released from internment camp, is a serious moment in the play
The exposition of the play presents Massimo as a family man:
His love for Lucia and his wife is directed with affectionate smiles and squeezing Rosinella’s cheek
However, his wife tends to spoil Lucia and at times Massimo’s physicality becomes aggressive: he slaps Lucia and calls her a "bloody bitch”
Not having a child of his own, it is later revealed, is a source of unhappiness for Massimo:
This may be the reason he finds comfort in Hughie Devlin, who he favours
He is presented as a generous man:
He gets angry with Rosinella’s selfishness, praises her when she spends money on Lucia rather than herself, loans Bridget money, and gives Luigi help
Rosinella Pedreschi
Rosinella’s pride in her Italian heritage is presented light-heartedly:
She says “Italians are good for this country. Who else is prepared to work till eleven o’clock every night, eh?”
However, her pride as an Italian also manifests as prejudice:
She disapproves of Franco’s relationship with Bridget, telling him “Scotch girls” are “all the same”
Her love for Lucia is directed as overwhelming: “fussing over her with delight”
Her childlessness leads to envy at times:
She criticises Bridget Devlin’s mother for having too many children
She says about Luigi: “Starting a new family, he cannie even take care of the one he’s got”
Rosinella’s character develops the most throughout the course of the play:
Her manipulative and prejudiced nature causes much of the play’s conflict
However, her guilt when she hears Bridget has had an abortion begins her change: she gets on her knees and “blesses herself”
Her love for Massimo and the fear she will lose him reminds her of the importance of love outside of social conventions:
She describes how she and Massimo eloped, and helps Lucia escape her arranged marriage
Franco Pedreschi
Franco Pedreschi, Massimo’s younger brother, works in the second family shop:
His occasionally tense relationship with Massimo demonstrates a contrast with his brother
He wishes to be independent from his family and feels differently about his business:
He describes the business as a “wee pokey shop”
Nevertheless, his love for his family is presented throughout the play:
This is shown poignantly in his last letter before he is killed in action
He writes “I will be with my father in heaven. No doubt he is still moaning and groaning and annoying”
His character raises themes about dual culture:
He expresses his Italian heritage with women: “All I have to do is say 'Ciao Bella' and they're all over me”
His love for Bridget Devlin, and his decision to join the British army to fight against his homeland demonstrates his desire to be considered “British”
Lucia Ianelli
Lucia’s dominant role in the plot is demonstrated in the first scene:
In a dramatic scene to begin the play (Lucia’s mother’s funeral) Massimo and Rosinella take her back to Scotland with them
Massimo and Rosinella’s love for her means she grows up to be somewhat spoiled, manipulative, and headstrong:
She refuses to listen to Massimo and Rosinella and cries to get her way
Stage directions describe her as “Confident”
Her characterisation illustrates her difficulties to find autonomy under Rosinella and, later, her father’s control:
She says to Rosinella: “You never let me do anything”
Back in Italy, she realises her father wishes to control her and she resists
Lucia’s struggles with her own identity is illustrated in rare moments of vulnerability:
She asks Rosinella, “Do you think I’ll ever see my daddy in Italy again?”
Her growing bond with Hughie develops into romance:
Their love brings the family together by the end of the play
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Writers use characters to convey ideas, often opposing ideas, and to raise debates. For example, Rosinella’s fierce desire for children (although she has no children of her own) is contrasted with Luigi’s poor parenting as Lucia’s father. Still other ideas are conveyed by the character’s progression (or ‘journey’) in the play. For example, Rosinella must learn to accept Lucia’s independence, which she does by the end of the play.
Other Characters
Hughie Devlin
Hughie’s characterisation often highlights Rosinella’s tendency to stereotype:
His work in Massimo’s shop demonstrates his clear work ethic, opposing Rosinella’s thoughts that Italians work harder than the Scottish
Stage directions state he is “working like a Trojan”
His love for his mother suggests Scottish people love family as much as Italians
He says “I don't like my mammy left on her own”
While Hughie’s innocent and shy nature is illustrated when he is hesitant to admit his love for Lucia, even as a boy he tries to be “the big brave man”
The romance between he and Lucia brings light relief to the play’s darker themes:
He goes to Italy to win Lucia back and asks Rosinella to tell Luigi that they want to be together forever like “two lovebirds, up a tree in spring”
Bridget Devlin
Bridget Devlin, Hughie’s older sister, is presented as resilient and morally good
Her love for Franco highlights themes of prejudice:
Rosinella believes she is not good enough for Franco
Her character raises issues regarding Catholic attitudes to birth control and abortion:
She falls pregnant before Franco leaves for war, and Rosinella convinces her he will not stay with her: she feels she has no choice but to have an abortion
She reveals her traumatic experience only to Rosinella when she decides to stand up against her
This way, she convinces Rosinell to change her meddlesome ways and support Hughie and Lucia’s romance
Her character highlights the impact of working-class poverty in 1930s Scotland:
With her father gone, she must ask Massimo for money for her abortion
Luigi Ianelli
Perhaps to highlight Rosinella’s prejudice, Luigi exemplifies many of the traits Rosinella criticises the Devlins for:
He gives up his daughter when he decides he cannot look after her
He begins a new family once Lucia has left
He treats his family poorly by taking advantage of Massimo
He is presented as exploitative and jealous:
His envy for Massimo’s success is perhaps one of the reasons he insists Lucia return to Italy
Once there, he uses her as domestic help and to improve his social status through marriage to a wealthy neighbour
Sources
Di Mambro, Ann Marie. “Tally's Blood.” Association for Scottish Literature (opens in a new tab). (Accessed 12 November 2025)
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