Drama

Standup comedians exemplify the trans-generational nature of our culture. With their ability to fully embody all of societies diverging values, while still always grazing the edge of change, they serve as the conscience of the people.  As Lawrence Mintz argues, comics are licensed to say the unspeakable because they have the pity of the audience; they use the power of laughter to unite communities and tread societies shade of gray, and the most successful of them exercise a full awareness in the art of rhetoric.  Mintz points out that comedians use these weak pity warranting social positions to actually empower themselves.i

One of the top standup comedians known for this today is Chris Rock; he uses rhetoric to persuade his audience into finding humor in some of the darkest aspects of our society.  Chris Rock uses rhetoric in his standup Never Scared to persuade his audience to adopt his views, while at the same time reversing the pity warranting image that Mintz’s claims gives a comic his license to speak freely.  Both of these personal intentions of Rock’s in his stand up are dependent solely on how well he connects to the core values of his audience. Rock is credited for being best able at connecting the disintegration of family and relationship values of Blacks.

In Never Scared, Chris Rock discusses the deteriorating values of Black America and how these values are affecting black culture in America. He utilizes theories in social family structure with the African American family today and establishes himself as a role model for the black culture. He also sarcastically undermines the institution of marriage and the battle of the sexes in an intelligent and witty manner. Not only is he socially aware of all of these things that I have mentioned, he is also aware of the embarrassing acts from his race whom he spitefully labels “niggas.” Allow me to expand on the issues Chris Rock brings up in his comedy routines.

The days of funny schtick and prat falls are basically over. Through the years, much more substance has come to the attention of America when it comes to stand-up comedy. Lawrence Mintz states the following concerning this phenomena on page 72;

“ Clearly it is a popular art that is central to American entertainment, but in the universal tradition of public joking rituals it is more than that as well; it is an important part of the nation’s cultural life.”i

Chris Rock is an excellent example of this statement.

In Never Scared, Rock opens his routine with confidence and mentions his daughter, alluding to the reason why he hasn’t been on the road in so long.

“It’s amazing when you have a girl… It’s eye opening, because I realize, I’m the man in her life.  My relationship with my daughter is going to affect her relationship with men for the rest of her life.  Every man in here has dated a woman with some daddy issues.  That s@%$# ain’t fun ok.  She’s giving you a hard time for some s@%$# her daddy did in 1969.” (Chris Rock, 2006)

Ever the sarcastic encourager, Rock sets up an example that needs to be revisited in the black community. He’s sensible and funny here but he is also alluding to something important. The black man in today’s culture needs to understand the importance of bringing up baby girls. He states that sometimes he picks her up out of her stroller, looks at her and that’s when it hits him;

 “My job in this life now is to keep my baby off the pole!”

Of course he is referring to the ever-ominous pole found in every strip club in the world. This is profound wisdom for the deadbeat dads out there who aren’t with their daughters. Some fathers are right in the room but to busy watching the game to pay any attention to the direction she might be headed if he doesn’t start to get to know his little girl who is growing up.

It’s interesting to note that an article by Kathryn Edin and Laura Lein almost discuss the same issue.ii With the rise of single mothers in urban areas and their struggle to make ends meet, we have to wonder what the sociological and psychological implications for the child are growing up in an environment without a father. Many of these children will grow up to be drug dealers, strippers and prostitutes in their struggle to get away from the economic prison they were unwillingly placed in at birth.

Speaking of birth, let’s examine Rock’s use of abortion and marriage. Nilsen discusses the important element of sexism in comedy routines in his article;

“Sexist humor, which makes fun of the real or imagined characteristics of males and females, is seen in the oldest myths, fairy tales, folk tales, nursery rhymes, and sacred writings. Because jokes are a kind of shorthand, creators do not start with a whole new cast of characters for each joke; instead they rely on familiar scripts that include exaggerations and stereotypes. This enables listeners to fill in the details from the material that their minds have already absorbed from the popular culture.”iv

Throughout Rock’s comedy routines, he brings to light the battle of the sexes concerning abortion and marriage. He discusses the two options that a man has when he finds out his girlfriend is pregnant;

“Wow! I’m so happy! I love you so much.” Or the ill-fated; “So, whatcha gonna do?” Once again he silently stabs at the lack of responsibility concerning the man in this issue. He goes on to discuss the fact that the decision for abortion is made between the woman and her girlfriends. It is a sad but true commentary on the disintegration of society in general but Chris seems to be directing it toward black culture specifically.

There are strong arguments for the fact that married couples experience less stress and live a healthier life(Waite).iii Rock equates marriage to simple transference;

“When you’re single, you wanna kill yourself. When you’re married, you wanna kill your spouse!”

He discusses the problem of unhappily married men and their addiction to strip clubs. He adds that reasons for this are that women are domineering. In a funny little clip, Chris talks about the ho convention and glass heels. Then he brings up the fact that a wife is there to provide for you and be there for you but if you bring a pair of glass heels in the house, it will cause all sorts of problems.

As you can see, he strengthens his views of the black man being the wife’s pet or the one that’s supposed to do everything for her by using these jokes. He also portrays the man in the abortion bit as not having a say in anything that happens with the child. He portrays the woman’s friends at a higher level than her own boyfriend and the father of her child.

He jokes about strip clubs and infidelity but he still holds to the role model persona. He stands by his conviction of not cheating on your spouse and once again cements his position in black culture. Voicing his family values opens the audience up for his personal opinions about society.  Rock’s humorous perspective on life and his personal opinions about society mark the defining line between him as an individual and the family values he has affirmed to gain the audience’s trust.

In his essay, Standup Comedy as Social and Cultural Mediation, Mintz explains the justification behind the stand up comedian’s license to speak freely. Considering the fact that Chris Rock is an African American, he has free reign to speak out on the problems with African- Americans.  As he displays his disgust with black stars like the child molesting, wanna-be- white Michael Jackson, he flows freely into the R-Kelly incident with the young girl on video.

We all know that he is using these incidents as well as the Kobe Bryant rape case and the OJ Simpson case because they are excellent material for comedy. But, it’s also obvious that he uses these men as examples for negative black role models in America as well. It makes one wonder if he is warning his black audience of the path of self-destruction they may be on together. After all, great men like Sydney Poitier or James Earl Jones didn’t do things like this to embarrass the black community.

Personally, I believe that his most compelling routine is the “I hate Niggas” routine. The courage that it takes for a black man to stand up and say “Everything white people don’t like about black people, black people hate even more. I love black people but I hate niggas.” He jokes about the fact that every time black people try to get together and have some fun like going to a movie, some “nigga” pulls out a gun and shoots at the screen. It is most powerful when he utilizes this rhetoric in the presence of a more affluent black community.

By performing in D.C., Rock intentionally markets himself towards the wealthiest blacks in the United States, giving him all the more power once he is able to form a community within the room.  But, this community Rock creates must be structured on some form of values with which he knows everyone can basically agree, and that will create an atmosphere of familial comfort.  Rock does this perfectly in his stand up, and the structure can be noted from start to finish.

We can also observe the moral erosion of rap music. It used to be a positive influence in the black community. Chris Rock has played an important role in promoting rap music. Although, in Never Scared, He mentions the fact that it keeps getting harder to defend this popular urban genre. He states that it used to be easy to defend groups like Grand Master Flash because they represented the black urban culture as a whole. Then he goes on to state that he hates to defend it now because of lines such as the famous line from Li’l Jon;

“To the windows, to the walls, ‘til the sweat drips from my balls.”

These lyrics can’t be defended. They do not spell anything positive for black society and the song certainly shows no respect for black women whatsoever. Granted, there were some pretty vulgar lyrics in the early days of rap also but not to the extent of today.

If we observe the work of Chris Rock, a strong argument can be made that he has created some of the most powerful rhetoric concerning the degradation of his own race in America. He stands by his values and doesn’t squirm under the microscope like some stars. He has used his influence to create a teachable understanding of the social inequalities that occur in America. But, more than this he has made it simple for the average black family, or any family, to understand the major social issues surrounding black culture today. I think the most important thing that Chris Rock has done for the black culture and every culture in America is created a vital understanding for accountability within our own cultural social dynamic.

I have heard many people say that Chris Rock is a comedian, but he is an activist as well. Others say that his comedy is racially motivated against the white population of America. Still, some just won’t watch him or listen to him because of his language usage. There are a number of labels we can put on this man and he allows us to do so liberally. Chris Rock may have missed his true calling as a social scientist. Maybe one-day comedians like Rock will receive honorary PhDs for their body of work in stand up comedy but for now, he’s just a great comedian.

iv Nilsen A.P and Nilsen D.L.B (2000) Encyclopedia of the 20th century American Humor.Gender Humor. Phoenix, AZ: Oryz Press, pp.170-174.

i Standup Comedy as Social and Cultural Mediation. Lawrence E. Mintz.

American Quarterly, Vol. 37, No. 1, Special Issue: American Humor. (Spring, 1985), pp. 71-80.

ii Work, Welfare, and the Single Mothers’ Economic Survival Strategies. Kathryn Edin and Laura Lein. American Sociological Review.

iii Does Marriage Matter?. Waite, Linda J. Demography. Vol. 32, No. 4, November 1995.

iv Nilsen A.P and Nilsen D.L.B (2000) Encyclopedia of the 20th century American Humor.Gender Humor. Phoenix, AZ: Oryz Press, pp.170-174.

Quotes from Chris Rock came from his stand up routine Never Scared. 2006.

(INTRO) John Misto’s drama ‘The Shoe-Horn Sonata’ depicts the journey of two women captured by the Japanese during World War ll. The play reveals the unresolved problems of their relationship after fifty years. The reunion of Bridie and Sheila and their problems are dramatized and resolved through Misto’s use of dramatic techniques. He effectively creates images of tension, hardship, hope and survival, friendship and forgiveness to emphasize the relationship between the two women. DOUBLE-HANDER) Misto effectively uses the double-hander technique to dramatize Bridie and Sheila’s relationship. This technique refers to having two characters on stage, this helps the audience focus on the stories of Bridie and Sheila only. This technique is reinforced in the title of the play. The double hander highlights the many contrasts between Bridie and Sheila. Bridie is projected as more confident and assertive, in contrast to Sheila who is portrayed as more shy and reserved. (TENSION) The opening of the drama begins introducing one of the two characters, Bridie.

She stands under a spotlight re-enacting the ‘Kow Tow’ bow in center of the stage then “claps her hands sternly”, immediately revealing the strong assertive nature of her character. Dramatizing the atmosphere, Misto then uses a bright light juxtaposed with its dark surroundings reinforcing the image of strength. The second scene shifts to the motel room where the audience is introduced to the second character, Sheila. Their different approach to life clearly shows as Sheila is more cautious than Bridie, questioning about the interview she is about to give.

Sheila’s values are formed by the English values of her ime and her religious background was Protestant. Her mother was clearly the more significant parent as Sheila was influenced by her mother to wear gloves in public, feeling superior to Orientals and Colonials and keeping up appearances. The reunion of Bridie and Sheila reveals unresolved problems as an image of tension. As Bridie slaps Sheila in Act One, Scene Eight Bridie quotes “You’re alive today because of me. And don’t you ever forget it”.

Though Bridie may believe that she was the one who had saved Sheila’s life when they were at the camp, Sheila cannot stand it any longer she pulls out the shoe-horn from her bedside bureau and throws it onto the hotel bed in front of Bridie. Before Sheilas informs Bridie about how she had gotten the quinine tablets ‘We hear the sound of crickets, distant first, gradually getting louder as the scene continues’. The broadcasting of the junle crickets creates tension as the sound gets louder which reflects Sheila’s inner turmoil and emotional fear. Although Sheila firmly asked Bridie to answer her question ‘Bridie faces away from Sheila.

Both of them are isolated in spotlights’. This creates tension between the two as the lighting of the spotlight are concentrated on the two and in that moment a voice-over of young Sheila is played to emphasize the desperation of how Sheila didn’t want to lose Bridie. In Act One, Scene five Rick asks, “Did the Japs ever try to take advantage of you? ” Rick’s question have them arguing about the women who slept with the soldeiers as Sheila supported them saying, “they had no choice”, As some had starving children as Bridie strongly opposes, “To sleep with a Jap? How could you ever live with yourself? due to Rick’s question tension grew and gave the audience a hint that there is something that may of happened in the past. (BRUTALITY&HARDSHIP) Creating an image of brutality and hardship, Misto dramatizes the problems between the two characters. During the day Misto highlights the horrifying scenes of when the women of the camp were brutally punished. Images of two women POWs projected onto the screen in Act One, Scene Six were described as, “Stick and bone dressed in rags”, Bridie was one of these women and this is the time she had seen the soldier she got married to.

The technique effectively conveys the women’s survival as the audience is made to confront the suffering the women endured. This technique effectively highlights the physical and psychological abuse women had endured throughout their imprisonment. Hardship and brutality are also evident in Act Two, Scene nine the following quote is said by Sheila “The Japs introduced a new rule at Belalau- No work, no food. So if you were sick and couldn’t get up, you were left to starve to death…” due to this rule Bridie became too sick to even eat and Sheila knew that she needed to be treated immediately.

Another scene where brutality and hardship is evident is in Act One, Scene four where the audience listen to the voiceover of Lipstick Larry yelling ‘followed by the ugly thumps of young Bridie being punched and hit’ after finding the pin she had planted in his loincloth. Bridie’s snes of humor and courage are evident in this scene as is Sheila’s admiration for and devotion to her friend at the time. The audiences are made aware of the brutality of the women’s experiences as the soundtrack to carry the sound of Lipstick Larry beating Bridie. (MUSIC) One of Misto’s ost powerful techniques is music; he uses this to highlight the image of hope and survival as Bridie and Sheila deal with their unresolved problems. Bridie recites, “And I took Sheila’s hand-and I squeezed so hard. ‘We’re going to live,’ I said to her. ‘I don’t care how or what it takes, we are going to survive this war. And when it’s over, you and I will go dancing. We will. I know we will. ’ This tells us of how moved Bridie was as she had just heard the Japanese band play ‘The Blue Danube’. This suggests that Bridie still held hope; hope that they will be okay, that they will survive and that they will make it through the camp together.

In act one scene three a voice over of young Sheila is played “Bring me my boy of burning gold! /bring me arrows of desire”. This is quoted by young Sheila as she is floating in the sea, almost drowning. She sings ‘Jerusalem’ which is an uplifting hymn about the greatness of England which is quite ironic as the English are being bombed by the Japanese. The use of music in the play powerfully creates an image of hope and survival as Bridie and Sheila’s relationship is dealt with. (FRIENDSHIP & Misto is able to create images of friendship and forgiveness to help notify the audience that Sheila and Bridie have resolved their difficulties.

In Act Two, scene thirteen Bridie quoted “She went to…the japs… to a Japanese guard – and… she sold herself to him for tablets. And she gave herself to him…so that I could…have quinine”. This reflects on the fifty years of not seeing one another because of the conflict that had risen after the World War ll. In the last scene Sheila hands over the Shoe-Horn to Bridie “I’m sorry I…kept it so long. Go on take it” this is said by Sheila as she holds out the shoe-horn, it symbolizes forgiveness and a stronger bond in their friendship. In the last scene Bridie and Sheila dance ‘The Blue Danube’, a promise Bridie made to Sheila during the war.

The fast and vibrant sequence of the song also reinforces their reconciliation. Although it took a while for Bridie to accept what Sheila has done for her they both ended up appreciating what has happened to them and acknowledging that it only made them stronger; this is evident in Act Two, Scene Thirteen, “I’d go to the Japs. Again if I had to and I wouldn’t think twice-cause Bridie’s my friend and that’s all there is to it” Misto used the women’s situation to portray his ideas and the fact you can move on with your life until your past is resolved. This is a dramatic theme that relates to everyone just as Misto’s one does.

Measure For Measure, to all intents and purposes, is not a comedy akin to Much Ado About Nothing or As You Like It. However, I believe it is still a comedy for the simple reason it does not have enough defining features of a tragedy – but most certainly heralds the end of Shakespeare’s comedic run.

Traditional Shakespearean comedy includes aspects such as marriage, dramatic irony and largely inconsequential acts by the ‘villain(s)’ of the play. In Measure For Measure we see all three.

Marriage is both a resolution and a punishment in this play. Claudio and Juliet are to be wed by the end of the play, finally able to continue their relationship – this is a classic happily ever after sort of ending that the audience were hoping for if not expecting. However, this is the only marriage we as the audience are certain is due to love. The other two, possibly three, are the results of the Duke’s doing – Angelo is to marry his jilted lover and Lucio is to marry a whore. The Duke himself asks for Isabel’s hand in marriage but it is an unresolved aspect of the play. Nevertheless, these are still marriages so do meet my expectations.

There is heavy use of wit in this play, the Duke and Lucio often are the source though there are other gibes, for instance Escalus remarking that Pompey in a ‘beastly’ way is Pompey the Great. This pokes fun at the Roman Republic political and military leader Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus – a small yet very witty, very select joke.

Deception and disguise are key elements in this play – The Duke’s concealment of himself via the persona of Friar Lodowick, Mariana fooling Angelo into thinking she is Isabel and the use of Ragozine’s head for Claudio’s. These rely on heavy coincidence for the most part which justifies them as comedic features – extending the disbelief. Interestingly, Ragozine is the only death of the play. His total insignificance however means that the audience has no emotional or moral attachment to him and thus he is forgotten somewhat quickly – he is more of a plot device than a character. Indeed, Ragozine’ head, not Ragozine himself is the key part of his involvement. This lack of meaningful death means that death and tragedy are not on the minds of the audience.

This also links in with forgiveness – the other pirate, Barnadine, is pardoned by a reinstated Duke regardless of his prior actions and Isabel effectively forgives Angelo, for the sake of helping Mariana yet still forgiveness nonetheless. There are also no reprimands for Escalus for the way he spoke to the Duke under disguise as Friar Lodowick – mainly because Escalus is not a main character. However, the Duke does not forgive Lucio – though his predicament is a humourous one so does not require the soft touch of reconciliation.

As touched upon above, the punishments at the end are somewhat unorthodox and fairly incongruous – marriage as a punishment is both an amusing commentary by Shakespeare and soft. For instance, Lucio at first is told that he is set to die, then the tension is released when it is revealed he will not and will instead be married (released tension for the audience at least).

During the final scene, all is unravelled and Claudio is reunited with Isabel – this reunification of family is a key feature of Shakespeare’s comedy, seen before in Twelth Night most famously.

As mentioned above, Pompey provides humour for the audience and is the fool of the play. Though he is not the only fool. There is Elbow as well and even Lucio to an extent is a fool. In accordance with this, Measure For Measure has the largest portion of fools in its character list of any comedy – perhaps this is balance out the darkness that hangs over most of the play. Regardless, they are still fools and fools are allies of comedy.

Lucio as a fool is a brilliant case as almost every scene he is involved with after the inital visit to Angelo is between him and the Duke disguised as the Friar. There is a huge amount of dramatic irony wherein Lucio slanders the Duke unknowingly to the Duke – the audience knows what a terrible mistake he’s making that it’s such delicious irony but the things he says are extremely slanderous, making it all the more amusing for the audience knowing that eventually Lucio will get his comeuppance. Dramatic irony is a classic expectation I’d have of comedy.

However, it is understandable why Measure For Measure causes such debate. It was definitely not the same exact genre as Comedy Of Errors with its farcical and outrageous tone. Measure For Measure is an extremely dark play. Its main themes are vice, power and judgement – these are not easily identified as comedic features.

There is also no safe place like other comedies have – the entire city of Vienna is under the rule of Angelo and none can hide from him. In this play there is no change in where the characters are like in A Midsummer Night’s Dream where they flee the city and enter a wood.

Interestingly Angelo wrestles with his conscience through a series of soliliquies, which are supposedly more resemblant of a tragedy. Hamlet has one of the most famous Shakespeare soliloquies – but I’d argue that Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing has soliliquies and Much Ado is a far brighter play.

In conclusion, Measure For Measure should be described as a tragicomedy, as it is not definitively either comedy or tragedy. But in terms of comedy or tragedy alone, it is more a comedy than a tragedy and meets my expectations of such far more due to the more numerous comedic features listed above.

In this passage, Iago is trying to persuade Roderigo that they both have a common enemy, Othello, and that they should work together in their revenge against him. Iago wants revenge because Othello gave the promotion of lieutenant to Cassio instead of him. Roderigo wants revenge because Othello is married to Desdemona, the woman Roderigo is madly in love with. The passage then ends with Roderigo leaving the stage, leaving Iago alone to recite a soliloquy, revealing his true emotions to the audience for the first time.

In his first speech, Iago seems very controlling over Roderigo; he starts his speech by two consecutive gestures implicating that he is the superior character in the scenario. He starts by telling Roderigo how he feels towards Iago, “Thou art sure of me”, leaving no room for Roderigo to question him. This boldly tells the audience that Iago is the decision maker in this duo, as he is making an important decision for Roderigo, whether to trust Iago or not. Roderigo’s indecision has made him ‘weak’. Iago then immediately orders Roderigo to go ‘make money’, which further emphasizes Iago’s superiority.

Iago then goes on to trying to comfort Roderigo with the orders and decisions Iago is making for him, in a sense, by showing him how they are both in common and want the same final outcome (that they both hate Othello and want him to suffer). “I have told thee often, and I retell thee again and again, I hate the moor”, Iago uses the words ‘again and again’ to emphasize and make clear and definite how much he loathes Othello, and then says ‘my cause is hearted’ to express how important it is for him to have revenge on Othello (he craves it deep down in his heart, hence it is hearted).

Iago then proposes that he and Roderigo should work together in an accumulative effort to avenge against Othello, and continues to try and persuade him to trust him. He says ‘ if thou canst cuckold him, thou dost thyself a pleasure, me a sport’ to ensure Roderigo that he can help him in sleeping with Desdemona, which will bring great pleasure to Roderigo, and will be easy to accomplish for Iago, much like a ‘sport’.

The word ‘sport’ is particularly interesting as, in my opinion, it makes Iago seem very wicked because it seems as if sabotaging relationships is a sport to him, an act that brings him joy and others sorrow. ‘For I mine own gained…. But for my sport and profit’, this sentence which Iago says in his soliloquy, suggests to the audience that Iago is a selfish or self-empowering person, meaning that he would not spend time or waste knowledge unless it somehow benefited him.

In Iago’s soliloquy, it is the first time the audience gets to see how he processes the events of the play and how he thinks and plans his revenge against Othello. He reveals how he plans to turn Othello and Cassio against one another and, by doing so, ‘eliminating two birds with one stone. This also stimulates a sense of suspense, as the audience is aware of the damage that will happen in the future but are not aware of how it will happen. During the soliloquy, Iago presents his two-faced character, which the audience by now will have suspected he has.

After Roderigo leaves, Iago immediately starts his soliloquy by expressing how much of a fool Roderigo is, and how Iago is only using him as a sort of personal piggy bank. “Thus do I ever make my fool my purse”. This immediately makes it clear and obvious to the audience that Iago is not what he seems and what the other characters believe him to be, honest and loyal. This bluntly imprints Iago’s true personality into the minds of the audience.

Major Literary Genres Poetry During this time poets contrasted the personal and the public life. (Penguin, 57) Satire became an important kind of poetry; it looks wittily at the manners and behaviour of society, and very often uses real people and situations to make its humorous point. (Penguin, 63) Drama Restoration Drama: The theatre of the Restoration was quite different from Shakespeare’s theatre, with the audience now largely upper class. There were only two licensed, or “patent”, theatres – the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, and Duke’s House at Lincoln’s Inn, which moved to the Covent Garden Theatre in 1732.

Actresses could now perform on stage, the first being a Mrs Coleman, in a private performance of Sir William D’Avenant’s The Siege of Rhodes in 1656, when theatre performances were still officially suppressed. (Routledge, 139) Tragedy and Serious Drama Both Dryden and his rival Shadwell wrote new versions of the plays of Shakespeare. The new middle-class audiences could not accept much of Shakespeare’s violence and the tragic endings to some of his plays. So King Lear, for example, was severely rewritten to give it a happy ending, and Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus was rewritten in the 1690s as a farce.

The main tragic form of the Restoration was heroic tragedy. (Penguin, 73) The more worrying of Shakespeare’s excesses had to be trimmed to find acceptance in Restoration society. With harmony restored, and family virtues upheld, Shakespeare’s most probing and tragic examination of man’s inhumanity to man becomes a moral and reassuring tract. (Routledge, 140) At this time there were many theories about realism, how to show reality on stage, and the role of theatre. But pressure was growing to limit what theatre could say: it was not only a danger to public morals, but it also became too controversial politically. Penguin, 74) Comedy: It is, however, for comedy that Restoration drama is better known. It was called “the comedy of manners” because it mirrored directly the manners, modes, and morals of the upper-class society which was its main attraction, sexual intrigue, and sexual conquest. Sex, and the search for sex, becomes entertainment. (Routledge, 142) The new comedy – of values and appetites – lacks any of the philosophical concerns found, for example, in Shakespeare’s earlier comedies, such as Love’s Labour’s Lost, or in Ben Jonson’s “humours”. Routledge, 142) The characters are obsessed with fashion, gossip and their own circle in society. Strong contrasts are made between innocence and knowingness; often these are represented as contrasts between rustic country manners and the refinements of the city. In Restoration comedy, women are such types as predatory young widows, or older ladies still trying to be attractive to young men. The best comedies reflect an amoral and frivolous society.

They could be comedies of action, such as Aphra Behn’s The Rover (1677-81), or comedies of character and chatter, such as George Etherege’s The Man of Mode. (Routledge, 142) The age reflects a wide variety of opinions and critical discussions on the nature of comedy, of tragedy, of character and plot, of representation and verisimilitude, with the result that the extensive and very rich theatrical repertoire of the time cannot be easily classified: it is second only to the Elizabethan and Jacobean period in its diversity and range. Routledge, 142) After the Restoration, drama and the theatre were quite different from what they had been during the Renaissance. The audience was at first upper class or upper-middle class. The plays of the time reflect the manners and morals of the men and women who had returned with the King from France – so Restoration comedy is often called the Comedy of Manners. (Penguin, 67) Dryden wrote several such comedies, but the most famous comedies were written by George Etherege, William Wycherley and William Congreve. Penguin, 67) The main subject of these plays was love, but there were new concerns, developed from the earlier city comedy: older man or women looking for younger lovers, upper-class manners contrasting with middle-class values, and country life contrasting with city life. Sex was a major subject, and the plays became more and more obvious in their comic treatment of sexual themes. (Penguin, 67) As the century came to an end there were more and more objections to the kind of morals seen in Restoration comedy. (Penguin, 69) Between 1707 and 1737, drama went into critical decline although the theatre was still very active and popular.

The decline was partly due to opposition from Jeremy Collier and others, and partly because the middle classes were turning to journals, newspapers and the developing new genre of fictional prose to find discussion, entertainment and reinforcement of their values and beliefs. (Routledge, 149) Comic point -of-view in drama and satiric intent in verse are closely related in their observation of the new society of the late seventeenth century. (Routledge, 151) Instead of expanding, as it did so rapidly in the previous two centuries, the world was becoming more closed, contained and inward-looking.

So the comedy and satire become self- referential, with the subject matter often being highly topical and the characters particular rather than universal. (Routledge, 152) Restoration satire could be of two types: the kind of very general, sweeping criticism of mankind found in poetry in A Satire against Reason and Mankind by Rochester, and in prose in Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels or A Modest Proposal; or it could be highly specific, with allusions to real figures in politics and society. (Routledge, 152) Diaries

Writers in the late seventeenth century were more ready to assume that personal experience may be of general interest. Like biographies, diaries became a form of literature. Some were consciously written as a record of the times. (Past into Present, 83) The growth of the writing profession coincided with a rise in writing which was private and not intended for publication. Diaries and letters were, for the new literate middle class, forms of expression which enjoyed increasingly wider currency. (Routledge, 163) Biographies

Although biographies had been written in Latin in the Middle Ages to glorify the lives of the saints and to justify secular rulers, it was not until the Renaissance, with its emphasis on the human, that biography in England became more detailed, more anecdotal and more prepared to be critical. In 1579, Sir Thomas North’s translation of Plutarch’s Parallel Lives (first century AD) was published. It contained the biographies of the great men of Greece and Rome, illustrating their moral character through a series of anecdotes.

Not only did it serve as a source book for Shakespeare’s Roman plays, it later encouraged, in the seventeenth century the biographer to see himself as an artist. In the eighteenth century, with the growth of a scientific and historical interest in many kinds of people, biographies were to become common and influence the development of the novel. In 1662, two years after the end of the Civil War and the Restoration of the monarchy, the Royal Society of London was founded to explore the whole field of natural knowledge.

From a philosophical base (notably expressed by Francis Bacon in 1605) the scientific spirit developed rapidly. One consequence of this was that the virtue of intellectual lucidity in the writing of prose was encouraged, and the passionate, complex prose of the beginning of the century began to disappear. Styles became plainer and more urbane, and attitudes were tolerant. (Past into Present, 64) ——————————————– [ 2 ]. He published a pamphlet called “A Short View of the Profaneness and Immorality of the English Stage” in 1698.

Dario Fo- Can’t Pay? Won’t pay! Can’t Pay? Won’t Pay! Is based on Dario Fo’s “Non Si Paga? Non Si Paga! “, a political work that he wrote to highlight the dilemma of ordinary Italian workers during the economic crisis of the 1970s. It is said that through Dario Fo’s plays he becomes both the peoples entertainer and the peoples spokesman. What is meant by this is that Fo better connects with his audience by entertaining them with their own thoughts. He speaks for the audience and stands up for the working class citizens and political injustice.

His play implied that he had full support for the lower class workers even though they commit crimes. He believed that they had no other choice than to do so, they only did it to survive. Throughout Can’t Pay? Won’t pay! Fo uses various dramatic conventions. One Dramatic convention that Fo uses to better connect with the audience is the breaking of the fourth wall. In drama the fourth wall is the invisible wall that stands between the actors on stage and the audience, it separates the world and situations created on stage from our reality.

What it means to break the fourth wall is that the actors have broken down the theoretical wall between the world on stage and reality, making the audience aware that they are in fact watching a play. The way that Fo breaks down the fourth wall is by the use of the same actor in multiple roles. The character of the sergeant, inspector, old man and undertaker was played by the same actor. Fo did this to create a realisation in the audience that they had seen the same man previously making them aware that they are in fact watching a play therefore breaking down the fourth wall.

Another dramatic convention that Fo’s uses throughout Can’t Pay? Won’t Pay! Is the use of slapstick humor. Slapstick is a type of comedy involving exaggerated physical violence or activities which exceed the boundaries of common sense, such as in the scene where Margherita and Antonia are convincing the inspector that Margherita is going into labour when she really just has stolen goods hidden underneath her shirt. By using this style of comedy Fo connects with the middle class working man. Though this style of comedy is extremely entertaining Fo in fact is distracting us from his real point.

The point that he is trying to make by using this style of comedy is saying that the government is like the style of comedy how they exceed the boundaries of common sense. Another dramatic convention used throughout the play is black humor. “Can’t Pay? Won’t Pay! ” Also deals with death. This happens when the sergeant accidentally bumps his head and fall unconscious. Whilst trying to revive the sergeant Antonia and Margherita give the sergeant hydrogen, which does not revive him but causes his belly to swell.

This makes them believe that they have killed a policeman. Black humor made up of domestic violence and death is one of the most unique assets of the drama. Coincidences also play an important role throughout the play. Using coincidences Fo brings comedy to his audience. One example of this is example is that when Luigi and Giovanni are having difficulty deciding where to hide the sacks without being caught by the authorities this is when the undertaker appears. So both Giovanni and Luigi decide to put the sacks into the casket so that they may not be found.

At the end of the play, Giovanni and Antonia find both of them have stolen something and that both of them had hid the stuff in their house. Without This coincidence they would not have been lead them to apologize to each other in the end. Throughout Can’t Pay? Won’t Pay! Fo integrated real political events in his play. This play is based on a true event He was inspired by a consumer revolt during the economic crisis of the mid-1970s in which people had declined to pay inflated prices.

Increased living costs and higher unemployment rates at the time made it difficult for the working class to survive. In this play, Fo let people of the lower class and working class such as housewives and factory workers, revolt to fight for their own rights of survival. For my practical work with a monologue from Can’t Pay? Won’t Pay! I had played the character of Giovanni. I had recreated the scene from act one where Giovanni cleans up after Margherita’s water breaks. The character Giovanni is a man of integrity.

He would rather die than steal and had even claimed he would kill his wife if he ever found out that she has stolen. He created Giovanni to mock those in society who obey the government under any circumstances. This scene perfectly illustrates his point. In this scene we see that Giovanni is quite naive to the process of childbirth and is willing to accept it even though it makes no sense whatsoever. This is shown in the line “Blimey, all this water! But what a strange smell, like vinegar… yeah, sort of brine. I’ll be damned I didn’t know that before being born we spent nine months brine? ”.

As we can see Giovanni is extremely gullible and will believe almost anything that he is told, this also adds to the comedic element of the scene. Dario Fo’s play “Can’t Pay? Won’t Pay! ” Has used various types of dramatic conventions such as black humor, the breaking down of the fourth wall, use of slapstick humor and coincidences. These features are why Can’t Pay? Won’t Pay! Has become one of Fo’s most famous works of drama. Fo’s Trait of writing politically controversial plays about working class has changed views on political injustice and has successfully obtained the support of audiences everywhere.

Do you agree that Yeats creates a scene of tragic intensity in Purgatory, or is the play too short and the characters too thinly evinced for this to be the case? The play Purgatory was written in 1938 by Yeats as a single-scene play revolving around the idea of tragic intensity. Yeats was a philosophical writer, choosing meaningful subject matters to discuss in his work. In this case, he chose to symbolise the destruction of Ireland created by the controversy of religion after being inspired by other plays such as Shakespeare’s Hamlet and using the definitions set out by Aristotle after he studied the elements that made up a great tragedy.

In order to create a successful tragedy, Yeats used the Aristotelian unities: time, action and place. The timing of the play ensures a strong plausibility as the action is all dealt with in real-time, therefore reducing the imagination needed on behalf of the audience increasing the plausibility. The setting throughout the play is in a confined place upon the stage with very few changes made, allowing little release of tension. This intimate setting forces closeness between the characters and audience: though it finishes with the Old Man abandoning the scene leaving it desolate.

The complexity of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, there are more precise actions and plot in Purgatory, making it easier to understand, and allowing the seemingly simple plot to have all attention on it, resulting in a claustrophobic and tense atmosphere. In Purgatory there are only two characters for the audience to focus on, which provides enough space and time in his play to create characters that are evinced clearly enough to serve their purpose as model examples of an old and a young boy, which provides the plot with a deeper impact.

Due to the relationship between the father and son, there is intensity between the characters as they should share a close bond and yet they both ignore and insult each other with snide remarks such as “silly old man. ” Yet, the characters do share an attempted intimacy as the Old Man retells his painful and distressing story in the form of a monologue that is interrupted by the Boy. The Boy is ignored and this increases the drama and emphasizes the communication difficulties between the characters.

Although Yeats characterises the Old Man and Boy to an extent, the lack of details reinforces the cold and detached elements of the play, and without names they are left unidentified to the audience and therefore could appear as symbolisations of anyone. Fear of the supernatural emerges from the fear of the unknown, and Yeats uses this idea to extend his tragic scene by presenting the ghosts as a misunderstood and mysterious element due to the Old Man not knowing how to prevent the ghosts from returning.

He also doesn’t know how to deal with them, which can be seen in the way he attempts communicate with his mother by shouting “Don’t let him touch you! ” despite knowing that she cannot hear him and he cannot interfere. Death is a foreboding unknown in everyone’s life that most are afraid of, and in Purgatory Yeats uses this to foreshadow the Boy’s death as the he mentions “Now I am young and you are old. ” This creates confusion and tension as it is unclear who will die. Although the ghosts’ role in the play is limited, their presence is a constant reminder of past events, present actions and the future to come that all relates to death.

This tension and the compactness of the play help to increase the intensity as well as invoke fear in the audience, which contributes to the final catharsis Yeats uses cyclical chronology within the play to illustrate the idea of time being a continual concept that cannot be stopped. It highlights the eternal nature of purgatory and expands the idea of the inevitability of the drama. Yeats’ use of the hoof beats signals the reoccurring cycle, allowing the events to begin and for the audience, who cannot hear the noise, to question the sanity of the Old Man.

The simple lighting in the window, the props, stage effects and setting all help form the audience’s perception of a void place, therefore a tragic location filled with intensity, as anything more flamboyant would detract from the tragedy and therefore reduce its strength by distracting the attention onto details that do not contribute. Purgatory effectively demonstrates tragic intensity due to the brevity of the drama. This ensures that the audience’s focus is concentrated to such an extent on the plot that the drama becomes claustrophobic.

There is no scenic juxtaposition, underlying subplot or change in scenery, which exaggerates this overpowering atmosphere and prevents a release from the tragedy – instead, a build-up of tension is created. Visually, the play is very precise and concentrated, and the anxiety of the dialogue is maintained until the final moments of the play, due to Yeats using his characters to produce emotions of fear and terror in the audience. The amount of emotional fluctuations in the short play only heightens the intensity by creating an overwhelming scene which leaves the audience emotionally exhausted before culminating in catharsis.

Props and setting are essential to the play as the relevance of the knife and money goes straight to the core of the plot. Because there are no distractions on the stage, tension is created due to the attention and detail and each prop’s significance is more obvious and important. The “jack-knife” relates to a jackdaw – a species of birds that commit mercy killings amongst their flock, echoing the way the Old Man ends up stabbing his son, as it can be interpreted into the act of salvation of his mother. The setting too contains poignant features that are considerably tragic themselves.

The tree is a constant reminder of the destruction of the Old Man’s family members as Yeats’ use of symbolism makes it a representation of his family tree. The house shows the ruins of the family’s livelihood and the fall of nobility, increasing the visual intensity seen upon the stage. It is also seen to represent a wider scale issue, the destruction of Ireland, and this symbolism shows the vast ruin of a country concentrated to a mere house. This is intensified as the tragedy is not reduced but shown on a small scale. Harold Bloom1 criticized Purgatory by attacking Yeats, believing there is “confusion… n the play. ” Bloom found the ending of the play a mass of confusion rather than causing the surge of emotions that are evoked at the end of a tragedy. This brings up the debate as to whether Yeats created an intense piece of drama or just a bewildering fifteen minute sketch. However, even if Purgatory is confusing due to the brevity, the mysterious plot can add to the overall tragedy, leaving the audience unsure of what they have witnessed, and fearful due to the rash actions of the Old Man and the presence of the paranormal.

In conclusion, Yeats creates a scene with brimming with tragic intensity by using the minimal props, time, characters and plot. The brevity of Purgatory ensures a ‘scene of tragic intensity’ due to the resulting starkness, claustrophobia and desolate tone. The horrifying drama concludes with an dark, empty set, which is how it had started, therefore presenting the cyclicality of purgatory on the stage for the audience to see. Yeats successfully moulded every aspect of tragedy at his disposal and created an intensely dramatic production.