"Everyman"

To start off I would like to discuss the setting and feel of the play. I feel like the tone of the play was very somber and dark. Not dark in the sense of cynical but dark as in sad and dreary. As I read the play the setting that my mind was placed in was a small, tight, very dimly lit stage. I imagined everything just being black and not much color on the characters or the stage. I feel like even the naming of the characters helped to set that scene of dark and loneliness. Sense death was a major part of the production, I feel like the playwright did a great job portraying that with the use of language and characterization.

By reading the list of characters before even reading the play I was able to grasp somewhat of a concept of what the play was going to be about and what the tone could possibly be. I think that the characters of the play are a lot of the things that everyman in the world puts before God at some point in their lives and is a very cunning way of getting the audience to see themselves in the play. The play and its' characters serve as a reminder to help keep your mind on what's truly important in life and that's God. Spending time with him, loving him, doing good to his people and making him the king of your life because at the end of it all the other things in life that we hold so sacred will all fade away and we can not take them with us when we die.

This play had a lot of great points and advice for believers of Christ and non-believers as well. It also had a great underlying message of salvation and repentance and what that means. I believe the playwright was letting people know that until you're actually dead you always have a chance to humble yourself, ask God for forgiveness and turn from your evil ways and seek God just as 2 Chronicles 7:14 says to do. I was also reminded of a lot of scripture as I read this play, it was packed with scriptural references for instance, when goods said that he had brought many to hell it brought to mind two Bible verses. First it brought to mind 1 Timothy 6:10 where the Bible states that the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. Then it brought to mind Hebrews 13.5 which says let your life be free from the love of money and be content with what you have. Some many people have forgotten this command that God has given the world and chase aimlessly after financial gain and forget all about God.

From this play we should leave off with the understanding that death comes quickly and the only person or thing that can control it is God. He is the master of life and death, he is the only one who will never leave you or forsake you no matter what as stated multiple times throughout the Bible. We have all one time or another put our desires, wants, people and material possessions in our lives before God and his will for us. This play serves as a self-check moment that should lead all to question, if I knew I was dying today how would I feel about it? Would I ask for more time to make things right or would I be able to rest comfortably knowing I'd be headed to heaven with the father? I think if you can say you're life has been pleasing to God and what his word says then that wonderful because all to often people wait until the very end of their lives to do good and seek God and sometimes it's too late because as I said before death comes quickly. So if anybody receives anything form this play or this blog I hope it's that we need to stop and take  time out of our "busy" lives to make sure we're pleasing God and not ourselves, God says seek him and his righteousness and all of these things will be added to you. That lets me know that there's no limit to what God will do for you if you just seek him first.

lysistrata: blog reflection

I have never been that much into theatre before this class but as I read the plays, watch the videos and converse with fellow students I am now beginning to realize the connection between myself and theatre. As I began reading this play l could immediately see that the tone was completely different from the first play we read and reviewed, I found this play to be serious and comical at the same time. Although it discussed very serious issues and comforted real life situations it tackled the subject in a way that would draw you in without even noticing that you have been drawn into The tone of this play was very upbeat and inviting, on an issue that is very hard hitting and heavy. I felt like the way the comedy was used in this play made the subject matter very easy to digest, at times I forgot what the bases of the play was. I feel like the play began very abruptly which was a ploy to immediately grab the audience’s attention and captivate them. I do think that the that entrance into the play worked because it had me questioning, what’s going on here?  This play intrigued me because it was very theatrical and moved along very quickly,

At times I do however, feel that the comedy used to portray the story overshadowed the topic at hand. The comedic lines many times made me lose my focus and I’m not quite sure if this was a good thing or not. With all the comedy and difficult language to follow I found myself going back to re-read several passages and scenes. Since I’m not at all used to reading Greek theatre the use of the chorus and Koryphaios really threw me for a loop, because they are not actual characters but have lines and deliver a lot of important parts of the play to the audience. I don’t quite understand the need for the chorus but it seems to be a very common part of Greek theatre and maybe used as way to also lighten the mood of the play.

Reading this play gave me lots of visuals as I followed through. It was very easy to imagine what was going on and how the scene could be setup. I feel like the playwright used the language and tempo of the play to give visuals and allow the reader to enter the world of the stage without actually being there. The feeling of this play is very open, it didn’t seem cramped in the meaning of space and staging. As I read I imagined the lighting being bright but not too bright. I often read the play in a humming/ singing beat because that’s the way I feel that the lines were being delivered. I was very close to a musical and lead me to question is this where the idea of musicals originated?

 At the end of the play I finished reading with a sense of understanding of why the play was written and displayed as it was even though it was an easy and hard read simultaneously. It really gave me a sense of how things were in the Greek era with relation to the relationship between men and women and the roles they played in the home and in society. Although much has changed since that time a lot of things are still the same with respect to how some men feel that women are to be represented or what positions they are to hold. For instance, the scene in which the commissioner states that he would not take orders from a woman, that can relate to the glass ceiling for woman today in the workforce where men feel like a woman can only go so high mainly because they do not feel that they should or could take orders from women. Although not all the men feel this way many them did and this translates well to today’s world. It also showed how much power women actually hold if they decide to recognize that they do possess power and are at liberty to use it. I think the balance between women and men was displayed greatly.

Doubt

I would like to start by saying that this assignment proved to be a hard one, never have written and blog or read a play in its entirety is a very hefty task. in my opinion after reading and trying to truly comprehend the play and its meaning I think that it was very long winded and kind of boring play. The play itself had many parts that could have simply been left out of the script altogether because they did not add to the effect or point of the play. Which made the play truly hard to read and stay with for me.

I think that in writing this play Shanley lack the element of climax. I was neither excited or intrigued by the monotone monologs given by the characters nor the way that the conversations between characters flowed. With that being said I do believe that the play brought to light a very serious issue that should be addressed with as much gusto as sister Aloysius attacked it with. I do believe that Shanley captured the essence of the attitudes of sisters and priest in parishes. Even though I do claim to be all knowing or even half knowing in this arena from experience and news this I what I understand the characteristics to be like.

As I read this play I really didn't know what type of journey I was being taken on and I kind of felt all over the place with the style of writing the playwright choose to use. It lead me to question why did he write in such and monotone way? Did he feel that his message what be more well perceived in this tone? Did he not want to overshadow the true meaning or purpose of the play with over the top actions and exaggerated emotions? Was this play to draw the audience to question more and feel less and to acting upon the things that you question? I also wandered was this a quite call to action on a topic that is taboo?

I do not feel like at the end of the play that I received an answer to all my questions but I do feel like it placed questions that have never occurred to be at the forefront of my brain. In the expression less, emotionless voice of Sister Aloysius I began to feel like I need to be more observant and aware of my surroundings. But, not only aware and observant but also act on what I believe to be an injustice going on in my presence. This play also made me to ask the question do you really have to step away from God in the pursuit of wrongdoings? I truly don't believe you do, I think that you can stand next to God and get to the truth quicker.