Question One
The playwright that I support is Art by Yasmina Reza. In this play, Art regards the catastrophic outcome on three friends, and when one of the buys a work that is expensive —a huge painting containing white lines on a canvas that was white. This play relates more to our play because everyone in Art is selfish and self- centered. In our play, instead of recognizing the elephant in the room, which is the suicide, everyone’s focus is on their own issues just like in the Art where three men engage in an continuing debate over the worth of the painting, which causes the emotions to run high and then the struggle intensifies to the point of closely abolishing a long-standing relationship.
The style of this play has a lot to do with the events. The events of Art occur interchangeably in the apartments of the characters. It is even clear that the stage directions are showing that the same set be used for all of the character’s apartment, with the only variance being that each of the men have a different painting that has been placed in their living room. It is obvious that Reza utilizes this setting in order to highlight the methods in which the image in each character's apartment discloses important elements of his personality that vary from those of his friends.
Again, when it comes to style, the exact topographical location of Art's setting is not specified openly, but numerous details are making the suggestion that it is occurring in Paris, France. For example, one particular detail is Serge's discussion of having at one point visited the Pompidou, which is known for being a well-known national art gallery and cultural center located in Paris (Reza, 1997). Nevertheless, the national identity of the characters and the geographic setting in which it is established are not particularly important to the content and theme of Art.
Question 2
The two plays talked about are the plays Medea, and The Cherry Orchard. There are many quotes in each play that represents what is considered to be an important quality in the play. For instance, Euripedes' Medea comes on the scene in a state of conflict. For example, Jason has left his poor wife, Medea, alongside their two children. Jason has plans on advancing his station by re-wedding with Glauce, who happens to be the daughter of Creon, monarch of Corinth, the Greek metropolitan where the setting of the play takes place. One important quote was “Oh, what misery! Cursed sons, and a mother for cursing! Death takes you all – you and your father Nurse: Why make the sons share in their father's guilt? (20-21). This quote is important because it shows that the Nurse points out the illogicality of Medea's anger. It shows how this woman is so out of control that she plots to crush all products of she and Jason's unification.
In the Cherry Orchard, the play starts off in the morning hours of a May in the nation of Russia. Basically, in the story, everyone learns that the cherry trees are blossoming even though it is frosty outside. One important quote, “I don't know what to do about it. He's a nice young man, but every now and again, when he begins talking, you can't understand a word he's saying.” (1:19) This quote is important because when the play first starts, Dunyasha regales the knowledge of assigning herself to Epikhodov. This is under the sexual effect of Yasha, nevertheless, she quickly learns to not trust him.
Question 3
The purpose of Eugene Ionesco’s The Bald Soprano! Means by many that it suggests that it articulates the uselessness of expressive communication in contemporary society. Why on earth write play like that? Well, because the idea of even putting the play together came to Ionesco while he was trying to learn English with the Assimil method. He was impressed by the contents of the interchanges, frequently very strange and sober, so he made the decision to write this absurd play. However, before it was even dubbed this title it had other titles at first. (Ionesco, 1982)Research shows that the current title was put together just after a verbal slip-up that happened to have been made by one of the actors in the course of the rehearsals. A certain absurd dialogue from the play such as Mrs. Smith: "We have been able to well this evening. That's for the reason that we live in the suburbs of London and because our name is Smith." (2) here shows that uppity and arrogant dialogue of the characters.
Question 4
The psychiatrist’s report mentioned in the middle of the play involved, the discussion over the painting in Art rotates around a question of artistic values, considering the meaning of modern mental art in comparison to more old-style figurative art. At another level of the report, connects to the acquisition of the painting by Serge because it comes to represent a deeper gap in his friendship with Marc, a part of concrete indication that the two of them have been actually growing further away from each other. Another part of the psychiatric report involves Yvan because he makes the attempts to play the part of mediator among Serge and Marc but is inevitably drawn into the conflict at a deeper level.
Question Five
When it comes to Shakespeare’s The Tempest, there is a certain monologue that someone in the Arab world remembers.
I boarded the king's ship; now on the beak, “Now in the waist, the deck, in every cabin, I flamed amazement: sometime I’d divide, and burn in many places; on the topmast,” this monologue would be remembered by an Arab audience because it depicts a woman that is talking very independent. In the Arab culture, women are not looked at as being independent from a man but in this monologue, she is expressing how she feels being on her own with using a man. When it comes to the context of the story Prospero's monologue would make perfect sense for Arabs, particularly the men. “He has misplaced his magical power, so his "attractions are o'erthrown, and what strength [Prospero] have's [his] own, which is most weak." The Arab men would like this monologue because it showed a powerful strong man.
Question 7
In the play Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen, Ibsen manages to make considerable use of props, for example, he sued the manuscript of Lovborg’s book. Also, it must be notes that there is no prop that is more significant than Hedda’s two pistols, a legacy that came from her father the general. Further information shows that Chekhov later on had given some gave well-known advice about putting a play together: “if in Act I a pistol on the wall, then in the last act it will have to follow.” (Ibsen, 2002) This rule summarizes the utilization of props in the properly done play. In Hedda Gabler, both of the pistols are talked about at the end of the first act and seem for the first time at the start of the second. It is obvious that they are certainly fired when the play was over, but Ibsen puts them to somewhat dissimilar use than would a usual writer of well-made plays such as the Scribe. The first discussion in regards to the pistol takes place exactly in the first act, when Mrs. Elvsted makes the comment that one of Lovborg’s previous lovers endangered him with a pistol. When the act was over, Hedda for the first time talks about her own pistols. However, the second does start off with Hedda friskily shooting at—and deliberately missing—a friend of the family, Judge Brack. When it comes down to the third act, she provides Lovborg one of the two pistols, which finally kills him.
Question 8
Some of the important reasons to read Medea are because it talks about passion and love. Passion is actually one of the most important themes of the play. For example, the Nurse reminds us that Medea is here for the reason that she shadowed Jason back to Greece because she was in love. Passion and love in the play is what motivated Medea to assist in aiding Jason: it is because of her and her mastery of arcane arts that he was able to win the Golden Fleece. However, though many that recognize that in the past passion were the incentive for acts that were heroic, it was likewise the inspiration for Medea's crimes that are terrible: to aid in helping Jason get away, she killed her brother. All of this was done because she had passion and love.
One reason to read the plays Euripides is because how women were depicted. However, to mention that Euripides was some kind of feminist would be a terrible oversimplification, in addition to a relic. Nor are Euripides views on women steady during the course of his career; all of the play were different because they present their own type of vision, its own type of revelations. Nonetheless what can be supposed with confidence is that Euripides was captivated by women and the problems of their status.
Question 9
In Chikamatsu Monzaemon play, Love Suicides at Sonezaki puppets were used because puppets are a source of entertainment. Donald Keene points out as the revolution of the play as being a trend. In other words, this play had a strong influencing suicide scene that was so convincing that other plays were putting similar scenes. Later on it started a revolution of a suicide movement and many young couple starts to commit suicide.
Question 13
Search for two different recent production of Anton Chekov’s The Cherry Orchard (post 2010). One play was produced in 2010 from the Elements Theater Company. The other play was The Royal National Theatre in London. Both places had two different types of productions of the show. For example, at Elements Theater Company there was a question and answering session that was done after. Basically, it was sort of a meet and greet type of session. With the Elements Theater Company, the cast and crew made it their ambition to make sure that they showed that the characters’ lives are moving ever onward and cannot stop the tide of change. In their production, they want to make sure that they play feels more like a reality. This is more of an American version so it is quite different from the production in The Royal National Theatre in London in 2011.
The Royal National Theatre in London with their production are not having any kind of question and answering at the end. Also, the production company in London appears to focus more on the art of acting. In other words, they put more of the emphasis on the dialogue in making sure it comes across with great passion. At The Royal National Theatre in London they depict an example of a dialectical play and how it could be looked at as metaphor for Russia and offers a viewpoint on life and of the entire of the Russian country.
Question 14
Founded in July 2007 by Zeina Daccache, Catharsis is considered to be the first non-profit organization founded in the nation of Lebanon to endorse and provide ‘drama therapy’ which involves the use of art and theatre to speak to concerns in an individual’s life. Drama therapy purposes to aid individuals in address numerous social, health and educational matters they are going through. Persons who contribute are able to discover many life complications and develop their quality of life through the utilization of artistic expression as well as art, drama and theatre. If I was able to take this course, in the UAE, I would take my skills to a high-school. I would take them to the high-school and use it to help at risk kids. I think that it would help them to center the gifts and talents into acting rather than lashing out and committing crimes.
Question 15
After reading, it appears that Oscar Wilde shows an argument that I have not really before thought about in his essay "The Critic as Artist." It appears that he essentially contends that the critic is the definitive artist, and that literature is not actually original at all. Further, another point that he has that I discover chiefly interesting is when he talks about that the resolution of the critic is not at all about the thing/person that is being looked at, it's about the critics aptitude to generate something new from that. With that said, one of Wilde's commentaries, from the speech of Gilbert, actually stood out for me. "I am continuously smiling by the trivial pride of those artists and writers of our day who seem to envisage that the main purpose of the critic is to talk in regards to their second-rate work." basically, what he defines here is how we, as a civilization, look at the critic, and justly, if there was nothing to disapprove, the person that is a critic would not have any kind of job.
When it comes to our play, I really do like his form of how Oscar’s play was done. I really do believe that the voice of Ernest is actually important to the piece, for the reason that he shows the potential arguments and skepticisms - of this paper - could have. It's an interesting dialogue and our play will also have fascinating dialogue, and I believe that it is a creative technique, in itself, of being a critic. Dialogue is very important and without having it there is not much to any play. Having fantastic dialogue and fewer actions scenes just like in Oscar allow then audience to focus more on the plot.
References:
Chekov, A. (1998). The Cherry Orchard. Amazon Digital Services.
Euripides. (2004). Medea of Euripides. Amazon Digital Services, Inc. .
Ibsen, H. (2002). Hedda Gabler. Amazon Digital Services, Inc. .
Ionesco, E. (1982). The Bald Soprano. New York City.
Reza, Y. (1997). Art: A Play. New York.
