Through Nowra’s play the ideas contrasting delusions and realisms are explored in a way to keep the audience in limbo. Theatrical devices have been put in place to ensure the viewers look beyond the stereotypes the mentally ill have been given in society. The play within a play adds complexity to these “normal people who have done extraordinary things, thought extraordinary thoughts.” Also the use of darkness and the burnt out theatre are important devices in distinguishing between illusion and reality. The play within a play is a device used to remind the audience that they are watching a play. The reality that the audience are watching characters rehearse the opera ‘Cosi Fan Tutte’ causes the audience to reflect, upon their own ideas about love, fidelity and whether being loyal to a political idea is more important than being loyal to a person.
It provides the story with a point to change character smoothly to the audience and add dimension to the character creating very static characters. In the first soliloquy in Hamlet during Act two, scene two, Hamlet discusses the speech the player has just performed for him, and how angry he is that this player who was able to feel such great emotion for someone who meant nothing to him, when Hamlet couldn’t properly express his emotion and he had something terrible happen to him. This hatches the plan of the play in Hamlet’s mind and he finds out that he will be able to see if Claudius is guilty or not when he watches it. When he questions his character stating “But I am pigeon-liver’d and lack gall”(2.2.583) he admits his cowardly behavior and that if he had courage he would have “fatted all the region kites,”(2.2.585). By the end of the soliloquy he comes up with a plan, to make sure that Claudius definitely killed late Hamlet, and the Ghost is not a damned spirit here to taunt him.
Entrapment refers to a particular person feeling insecure within them resulting in certain actions. I have chosen a variety of literature which shows this theme in different ways. My texts that I have chosen are “Flower Girls” by Patricia Grace and “The Geranium” also by Patricia Grace. The films that I have chosen are “American Beauty” directed by Sam Mendes and Under the Tuscan Sun directed by Audrey Wells. I am aware that my selection of literature portrays many different forms of entrapment within the characters which lead to certain actions which also show the societal influence on entrapment.
The Glass Menagerie: Tom's Frustrations The character of Tom, his mentality, disposition and actions, is an integral part of The Glass Menagerie. Acting as a narrator, it is Tom who, with an introductory soliloquy , immediately breaks the fourth wall to explain the characters and setting of the play. This instantly distills empathy and trust from an audience that, without any alternative information, are left to believe his every word. He then goes on to describe the play as a “memory play”, his memory play, which further embeds his position as the protagonist of the piece, and encourages us to question his interpretation. Another important aspect is the similarities between Tom and the play's author Tennessee Williams; both have the same forename, both had pushy, nostalgic mothers and socially inept sisters, and both proceeded to leave their family, and responsibilities, to follow a career in playwriting.
On the other hand what’s the good of losing heart now, that’s what I say (Beckett 7). In the play, the men both realize that without each other they would have gotten nowhere. Throughout Waiting for Godot, one’s definition becomes a point of interest and conflict. One of the first exchanges of conversation between Vladmir and Estragon consists of Vladmir saying, “So there you are again.” to which Estragon responds, “Am I?” (7). This introduces the concept of definition, a theme throughout the play.
Gellburg’s response to Slyvia’s outburst is not evidently displayed through speech, but through the use of Miller’s stage directions: ‘He is stock still; horrified, fearful’. The words ‘horrified’ and ‘fearful’ suggest that the news of such events came as a shock to him and undoubtedly indicate that he is affected by such news and is also stricken by Sylvia’s powerful, unexpected revelation of her feelings. Miller conveys the message that that Gellburg finally comes to understand his ignorant attitude as one that has led to his self-denial and self-hatred. It later becomes clear in the play that Gellburg is suppressing an important part of who he is, and in scene eleven, he confesses to a bottled-up desire of ‘going and sitting in the Schul with the old men and pulling the tallis over my head’. Sylvia, in her frustration with Gellburg, says ‘Don’t sleep with me again’ in a rather commanding manner.
In the plays Equus by Peter Shaffer and Hamlet by the late William Shakespeare, insanity and its effects is explored in portraying two different representations of madness. Hamlet, placed collectively with Alan, effectively raises an understanding into both of their dilemmas, projecting two accounts in which to compare and contrast one with the other. The issue of mental illness is successfully highlighted in this paired text study, with the individual types of madness being made more visible and in addition making it easier to distinguish why they went mad. The individual incentives in regards to their insanity is also brought to the fore and the consequences are effectively displayed. The two texts ultimately depict the difficulties that are linked in the treatment of insanity, presenting sobering measures in which to cure the mind of madness.
His presence on the stage makes the audience feel that he is closest to what happens and therefore the most knowledgeable about the drama. “I am inclined to notice the ruins in things…” Furthermore, a chorus figure makes the audience feel pity for the hero, which in this play is Eddie. The audience might not necessarily feel pity for Eddie, but Alfieri definitely changes the audience’s opinion of him. At the beginning of the play Alfieri says, “He was as good a man as he had to be in a life that was hard and even.” This is how Alfieri introduces Eddie to the audience, which could leave them with mixed feelings for him. This remark shows that Alfieri has a good deal of respect for Eddie and yet he feels able to
Shakespeare’s Hamlet has and intricate plot formed by the characters and themes throughout it. One major idea is Hamlet’s changing sanity, which fluctuates through the play as a performance and as a true madness. The other main theme which develops the play is the act of vengeance, with the delay and doubt that accompanies it. These themes, along with dramatic devices and the characters in the plot, add to the textual integrity of the play. There is a duality to the character of Hamlet, as his madness changes from a performance to true insanity throughout the play.
In drama, the symbols play the most imperative role. Tom acts as the narrator of the play and also a character within the play. He underlines the play’s hostility between objectively presented reality and the memory’s alteration of reality. He sometimes speaks to the audience directly, to give a more direct explanation of what’s been occurring between the characters on stage. I felt remorse for Tom as I was reading the play, and it was as if I knew exactly what he was feeling; the sense of being trapped in a life in which he wanted no part of; what kind of life is that for a person?