History Theatre / Doubt

A 2005 Pulitzer-Prize winning play by John Patrick Shanley (famous for writing ''Moonstruck''), ''Doubt: A Parable'' also won the Tony award for best play, Creator/CherryJones (Sister Aloysius) won for Best Actress, and Adriane Lenox picked up the Best Supporting Actress trophy. A film version was released in 2008, adapted by its playwright and starring Creator/MerylStreep, Creator/PhilipSeymourHoffman, and Creator/AmyAdams.

* TheGhost: Sister Aloysius, Sister James, Father Flynn, and Mrs. Muller are the only characters who appear in the play. Averted with the film version, however.

A 2004 Pulitzer-Prize winning play by John Patrick Shanley (famous for writing ''Moonstruck''), ''Doubt: A Parable'' also won the Tony award for best play, Creator/CherryJones (Sister Aloysius) won for Best Actress, and Adriane Lenox picked up the Best Supporting Actress trophy. A film version was released in 2008, adapted by its playwright and starring Creator/MerylStreep, Creator/PhilipSeymourHoffman, and Creator/AmyAdams.

** After Aloysius calls out Mrs. Muller/Miller for adamantly staying passive about her son's possible molestation, she explains with anguish that exposing it would get her son killed by his abusive father, while allowing it to continue "just until June" will do more to protect the boy.

** Played with. Father Flynn comforts Sister James about her brother and life under Sister Aloysis partway through the story. Whether this is actual dog petting or him just trying to throw her off his trail is unclear.

* RightForTheWrongReasons: The film implies that Aloysius might have been right about Flynn molesting an alter boy, but William London instead of Donald Miller. William is shown recoiling from Flynn on several occasions and is said to take any excuse to escape from school. In the end, he smiles when Flynn announces his transfer, while Donald weeps.

* DarkAndTroubledPast: It's clear from Father Flynn's actions that he's done ''something'' that would ruin him if it ever became public. Whether or not it is something as [[MoralEventHorizon vile as child molestation]], of course, is entirely up to the audience's interpretation.

* AluminumChristmasTrees: The tiny portable radio with earbud looks quite technologically advanced for 1964, but they were, in fact, available at that time.

* AmbiguousSituation: The entire story. And, considering the title and central theme, this is very much the point. The experience of watching it as an audience member can cause someone to see-saw back and forth in their opinion of Father Flynn's doubt or innocence.
** Apparently Shanley wrote the play with a very specific idea of whether or not Father Flynn is guilty, but refuses to tell anyone except the actors who play him. Everyone else (including the other actors) are left to guess.

* DoubleStandard: The play is in part about double standards for priests and nuns. Even the ostensibly liberal Father Flynn assumes that the nuns are there to serve him (sometimes literally, as when he [[spoiler: sits down in Sister Aloysis' chair]]). The film pushes this theme even further: at one point, we see the nuns glumly eating a bland, sparse meal, interspersed with shots of Father Flynn and his bishop having a jolly time over wine and steak.

* TheFundamentalist: Sister Aloysius, at least [[spoiler:until the last line or two]].
** In particular, Sister Aloysius embodies the values of the pre-Vatican II Church, and its stress on discipline, obedience, and absolute certainty. As such, Father Flynn's sermon on the necessity and even ''holiness'' of doubt morally offends her. It's a toss up on which disgusts her more, Flynn's possible pedophilia, or his vision of an open, welcoming Church more concerned with love than holiness.

* GoodIsNotNice: One of the central issues in the play. Aloysius is unfriendly, unforgiving, cold and cynical. She treats her students like inmates, unlike the liberal and friendly Father Flynn. But, as mean as Aloysius is (and as much as we want her to be wrong), she may be right; she has had previous experience in stopping a pedophile priest (though, that time she had institutional support), which tends to support the correctness of her belief.

* IDidWhatIHadToDo: When Sister James [[WhatTheHellHero confronts Sister Aloysius about]] [[spoiler: lying to Flynn]] in the final scene, the latter notes then "In the pursuit of wrongdoing...one steps away from God." She then sadly admits that "there is a price."

* MinimalistCast: It is this in the play version, as noted above.

* NoEnding: Cast members have said that the third act of the play is the discussion that takes place amongst the audience afterward. Also, the question of whether or not Flynn is guilty is never resolved (see ShrugOfGod in the Trivia subpage).
* OneWordTitle: The title of ''Doubt'', which is about doubting whether Father Flynn is guilty or innocent.

** Sister Aloysius protects a senile and blinding nun from getting kicked out. (Whether this is actually altruistic is debatable, as the sister in question would be taken care of...but she would likely be replaced by a lay teacher, something Sister Aloysius dislikes.)

* RippedFromTheHeadlines: The play and film are inspired by the now-infamous Catholic sex abuse cases.
** The debate within the Church between traditionalists and progressives has only grown more heated since TheSixties, with each side blaming the other for the aforementioned crisis.
* ShownTheirWork: John Patrick Shanley actually attended and graduated from Catholic schools. It's probably not a coincidence, then, that ''Doubt'' offers up one of the only remotely realistic portrayals of Catholic schools in fiction.
** The nuns are noted for their unusual bonnet-like headgear. This is also real. They are the Sisters of Charity of New York, founded in 1809 by [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Ann_Seton Mother Elizabeth Ann Seton]] -- the first American saint. The outfits are based on the Italian-style mourning attire she wore after her husband died.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Donald Muller, which is amended to ''Miller'' in the film version.

* TitleDrop: "I have doubts! I have such doubts!"

* WhatTheHellHero: Sister James more than once gets...saddened by Aloysius's actions towards Flynn.

* MeanCharacterNiceActor: The original Sister Aloysius, Creator/CherryJones, is one of the friendliest human beings on the planet. The same can be said of her successor in the film adaptation, Creator/MerylStreep.

* MinimalistCast

* PetTheDog: Played with. Father Flynn comforts Sister James about her brother and life under Sister Aloysis partway through the story. Whether this is actual dog petting or him just trying to throw her off his trail is unclear.
** Sister Aloysius protects a senile and blinding nun from getting kicked out. (Whether this is actually altruistic is debatable, as the sister in question would be taken care of...but she would likely be replaced by a lay teacher, something Sister Aloysius dislikes.

* NoEnding: Cast members have said that the third act of the play is the discussion that takes place amongst the audience afterward. Also, the question of whether or not Flynn is guilty is never resolved (see ShrugOfGod below).

* TheGhost: Everyone ''not named'' Sister Aloysius, Sister James, Father Flynn, and Mrs. Muller in the play. Averted in the film version.

* MortonsFork: Sister Aloysius at the end. If she is correct about Flynn's guilt [[spoiler: all she's done is gotten him KickedUpStairs into a position where he can do even greater harm.]] If she is wrong, [[spoiler:her own petty prejudices led her to persecute a completely innocent man, and deprived a vulnerable student of his only protection.]]

* TautologicalTemplar: Sister Aloysius doesn't have any concrete proof against Father Flynn? No matter. She doesn't like him or his vision for the Church; that's the only proof she needs.

* ShrugOfGod: Shanley has been rather hesitant, if not unwilling, to say whether Flynn was guilty or innocent. The only ones who also know this are the actors who have played him, and they aren't telling either.
** Only the actors who've played Flynn on Broadway and in the movie version get this luxury. In community theater/college productions, even the actor playing Flynn has to figure it out for himself.

* GoodIsNotNice: One of the central issues in the play. Aloysius is unfriendly, unforgiving, cold and cynical. She treats her students like inmates, unlike the liberal and friendly Father Flynn. But, as mean as Aloysius is (and as much as we want her to be wrong), she may be right.

* LyingToThePerp: [[spoiler:Aloysius lies that she interviewed one of Flynn's former priest coworkers, which causes Flynn to get hot under the collar as he assumes she knows a dirty secret of his.]]

* DeliberateValuesDissonance: As peer the times, male homosexuality and pedophilia are considered one and the same.

* TheMoralSociopath: The least charitable interpretation of Sister Aloysius; she only cares about being ''right'', and the fact that innocent children might be suffering is entirely secondary.