Fences

This play has been my favorite play to read by far. "Fences" is the first play this semester that I have been able to just sit down and enjoy start to finish. One aspect that I really liked about this play was that it was all of the references to sports and comparing the philosophies of sports to things in life. For example, when Troy is telling Rose about his extramarital affair and the baby on the way, the only way that he knows how to explain it is by comparing the situation to baseball. He states, "But.. you born with two strikes on you before you come to the plate. you got to guard it closely...always looking for the curve-ball on the inside corner...I stood on first base for eighteen years and I thought... well, goddamn it... go on for it!" (409).

Baseball is such an important part of Troy's life and all of the references throughout the text make that very clear, however it was really driven home in this particular part of the play because when something was really tough for him to talk about, the only thing he had to refer to to help him explain how he was feeling was baseball. I believe this is why Troy was so protective of Cory when he wanted to pursue his dream of playing football. Troy saw how important it was to Cory and didn't want him to be upset if and when his dreams didn't come true. I definitely don't agree with how he handled the situation and think that it was very selfish of Troy to do that to his own son, but at the same time I guess we can see that he is doing it out of love as well.

Overall, now that I think about it, I think all of the sports references are what made this reading so enjoyable for me. Sports are a big part of my life so I can relate to the play in that regard. Very good play though! Enjoyed it a lot!

The Theatre of the Absurd

The play "Krapps Last Tape" was definitely an interesting play, and the supplementary reading for this play definitely helped me understand the logic behind it. Theatre of the Absurd presented some very interesting concepts, but I'm not sure that I necessarily really appreciate the art of the theatre of the absurd.
One part that really stuck out to me was when they were quoting "The Myth of Sisyphus" saying, "A world that can be explained by reasoning, however faulty, is a familiar world. Bur in a universe that is suddenly deprived of illusions and of light, man feels a stranger." This line stuck out to me because it really made me think. I think that there is definitely some truth to this. In this world, we are always trying to find reason, find excuses, or just find a justification for everything in our lives. We are comfortable when we are able to explain something with logic and reason, but as soon as we aren't able to do that we freak out. This isn't necessarily a good thing I guess. I feel like we should be able to accept that there are just some things in life that happen cannot be explained and supported by logic. Some things just happen, and I think that everyone would do well to remember that every once in a while. (Including me!)
So although I found the concept of the theatre of the absurd very strange, I was still able to take a little something from it!

Krapp's Last Tape

The play "Krapp's Last Tape" is written in a much different format than any play that we have seen or read thus far this semester. I believe that this play would be very interesting to see because of the different ways it would apply the elements of theatrical production. I think that it would be particularly interesting to view the acting and sound elements at a theatrical presentation of this play.

The acting would be different than anything because in this play honestly there isn't a ton of acting. It is more so the audience relating the actor who is sitting on stage with the voice they are hearing on the reel of tape from Krapp's past. How would he sit on the stage? How would he take on the personality of Krapp without actually having a lot of lines or doing much as far as moving around the stage? It would be very important for his characters entry to make a big statement about what kind of man Krapp is. Although I am not quite sure what kind of man he is or what is exactly wrong with him but he is clearly disturbed. It would be critical that this is portrayed correctly, despite the very minimal actor-audience interaction and the very short running time that Krapp's character has with the audience.

Sound would also be critical and important to how this play came across. The sound of the tape recorder would obviously be a huge component of this production. Research would have to be done on what a tape recorder would sound like at the time that Krapp is using one. Volume and clarity of this sound is also important so that the audience can hear exactly what is going on. Since the majority of the play is sitting and listening to Krapp's tape, this would be the most important sound element in bringing this play to the stage.

I think that it would very interesting to go see a production of this play and see how the director decided to use the elements of acting and sound to bring this play to life. Overall, not my favorite play. It was kind of hard for me to understand, but I do think the concept of the play was very cool. I think I would like it better if I could have seen it on stage rather than reading it from the book.

The Cherry Orchard

I thought the plot of the most recent play we read The Cherry Orchard presented some very interesting concepts. I believe the most interesting concept is that this play could be interpreted through both a dramatic and tragic point of view. While reading the play, there are lots of elements that definitely add comedic value. For instance, the parties and champagne drinking are always accompanied by comic lines by the characters. For instance, in the beginning of the play on page 284, Firs is celebrating the return of Luibov and her daughter Anya he explains, "Young flibbertigibbet...They're all back from Paris... In the old days they went to Paris too... had to go the whole way in a horse and buggy..." He is using fun language and laughing and joking with all of the other characters giving that moment a very light and happy mood. He again uses the word "flibbertigibbet" on page 300 after talking about the good old days but at this moment it isn't quite as happy. This word was used in two completely different concepts and coveys two different moods each time it is used.

Despite the moments of comedic scriptwriting in the play, the overall plot of the play left me feeling like this was definitely a tragedy. The ending is quite depressing in my opinion and i was a little bit confused why the author chose to end the way on such a low note. Although the author gives you reason to think that the play might end up happy and the orchard might be able to stay standing, it ends up being chopped down and everyone has to leave. I don't understand why this play is entitled "The Cherry ORchard / Comedy in Four Acts" when it ends on such a depressing note. I was very confused. Otherwise I felt like this was a really good play and I enjoyed reading it.

The Importance of Being Earnest

I really enjoyed reading this play The importance of Being Earnest. It was definitely different than any play that we have read thus far in this class in that it had a very light and airy plot. It was also much easier for me to read than any other play that we have read yet and that made it much more fun and enjoyable. The characters in this play all had very exaggerated and different personalities. My favorite character though, was definitely Jack/Earnest because he presented the most complex personality. The double life that he lead and the lack of information we get about his childhood help build up the anticipation what was going to happen when the truth was finally revealed.
I also really enjoyed the overall plot of the play because the author was able to use very few characters and make it simple and very fun to read. When a plot gets too complicated with too many complex characters entering and exiting the play throughout, it makes it very hard to follow and I find myself unable to focus and uninterested in reading any further. Also, when the language is hard to follow, i have a very hard time motivating myself to continue to read. (like for instance in Othello). By using only a small number of characters and even a smaller number of complex characters, it made this particular play simple and fun!