Nural Mohammed May 1, 2013 Final Essay Assignment Using at least 3 examples from specific plays, discuss the

value of theater to society. What is gained by its presence? What would be lost by its absence?

Theatre can take an audience and reader to places that no other form of literature does.

Although theatre began before film it can be viewed as a fusion of the most important and necessary aspects of film and prose to form a branch of literature that has been and continues to be a vital influence and indicator of its surrounding society. The play Everyman is a timeless one that acts as a great marker of European society during the sixteenth century. As the most widely read and frequently produced play written in English before the Elizabethan age Everyman portrays the values and morals of its surrounding society. The difference between Everyman and other forms of literature surrounding the same subjects of morality and religion is that Everyman has the ability to be played out in front of audiences. Actors would travel across Europe on backs of carriages and perform plays in villages that they traveled through. It was an easy way to appeal to masses of people while relaying a more important message through acting. When it comes to prose and other forms of literature this is on advantage that they do not have the ability to compare to. Tartuffe is another play that uses theater to its advantage in order to get a story or set of ideals across to a mass group of people. Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, also known as Molire, used his play Tartuffe to poke fun at false devotion and it got a lot of attention from both critics and admirers. One of the advantages that Molire had in writing a play rather than a prose is that he could really make the characters come to life, on paper, in ways that prose cannot. With plays,

even if it is only being read rather than being performed live, there are many cues and stage directions that can help the reader bring the play to life as if they were an audience member. Being able to see a play produced live in front of helps allow the storyline and characters to stand out and literally come to life which makes them more relatable and noticeable among audiences. When a play is being read rather than being performed, the stage directions and in depth descriptions of each character allows the audience to bring the characters and play to life in their minds. With such focus to detail it is more likely that a reader will be able to look at the play as something that pertains to their real life which will also allow them to better relate to the characters and overall story line. This can also be achieved with prose but is much harder to do than with theatre which comes naturally. The ability to demonstrate and replay life in front of you is unique to plays and theatre and cannot be achieved through any other means of literature. Theatre also allows readers to interpret many aspects of the story and how a given character is feeling or thinking on our own. Prose on the other hand tend to have much more detailed information and dont allow the reader as much creativity when it comes to understanding the story line or the various characters roles. As previously stated plays also play a large and important role in reflecting on the history and societal views during the time that they are written. Prose can do this as well, but since plays are being performed directly to the audience playwrights take advantage of this by either commenting on, refuting, or perpetuating opinions and ideals that are represented by the average person in a given society. You can see this in plays such as Oedipus, Atsumori, and Raisin in The Sun whose playwrights all take advantage of presenting a historical account of the views and lives of society during that time period. In the play Oedipus Rex the idea of fate plays a large role

in each characters future. Greek tragedy represents the idea that from the moment you are born, you have a given destiny. The type of person that you are is shaped by your destiny, regardless of what you consider your own morals to be. Oedipus is a perfect example of someone who believes that they can outsmart the Gods and escape their fate. Oedipus is ultimately punished by the Gods as his fate revealed that he would be reinforcing the notions and ideas that many people within Greek culture and society believed at this time. The same is true in Atsumori when the warrior Waki must pray for Atsumori in order to allow both his and Atsumoris souls to rest in peace. Overall, the ability to bring words and writing to life sets Theatre apart from any other types of literature and makes it much more powerful and persuasive than other forms of literature. Not only does performance make plays accessible to all audiences, rather than solely individuals who are privileged or literate, but it also allows the story to really step off the page and be presented to audience members in a refreshing and poignant way that brings about social change and historical as well as cultural competency.

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Choose a play we have read and explore how it speaks to a contemporary audience. Note this is not a summary of the play, but an analysis of the roles and acting and how they connect to current social and political issues.

Tartuffe is a play that was written in 1664 by Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, also known as

Molire, and was regarded as one of his most controversial plays because it portrayed Molires beliefs and keen observation of false devotion. In fact, the play was so controversial that it was banned from being performed in public until 1669 when the King acceded to Molires requests. This play poked fun at false devotion which was interpreted by audience members as a way of

mocking the Kings position as ruler as well as the idea of blinding following and believing in a religion. While it was written during an extremely trying time in the European era the themes and underlying messages remain just as relevant and controversial to this day. While the United States does not operate under monarchial rule, religion remains a very relevant part of every day life in America. As a result a play that mocks false devotion remains applicable in modern day society. Tartuffe does not only remain relevant when it comes to religion, however, but can even be used when it comes to authority figures of all types. Molire is making a comment that one should open their eyes and be sure to analyze and assess a situation or a person before devoting and risking their wellbeing and the wellbeing of those surrounding them to it. This can be said and applied to many modern day types of figures such as presidential candidates, teachers, police officers, celebrities, or even media in general. Tartuffe could be presented in a modern day light as a way of reminding society that we cannot always accept everything that we are told as truth. In an example of a modern adaptation of Tartuffe rather than having Tartuffe be a character Tartuffe could be the media and how society is so quick to accept messages and information that is delivered to them through the media without being careful of biases or the agenda of the person controlling the media. The above is just one example of the many different ways that Tartuffe could be adapted into a modern play. Truth be told, however, Tartuffe as it stands still can and is used as a modern play that most audience members and societies can relate to. Because religion is something that has and always will stay relevant within our society, Tartuffe is rendered a timeless play that can and will last throughout the ages and the character Dorine is one whom can be adapted and used to be the wise and resistant voice of a generation.

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In several of the plays we read we saw that social climate played a role in the lives of the characters, affecting them in seen and unforeseen ways. Choose two plays to illustrate this point. Use specific characters and plot points.

Many playwrights take advantage of their storytelling abilities to record and portray soci-

etal norms and views and the effect that they have on characters actions. Pygmalion and Raisin in the Sun are all prime examples of this. Pygmalion addresses the issues of classism and sexism while Raisin in the Sun addresses racism. In Pygmalion, Eliza struggles to speak and act in a more civilized manner in order to be interpreted as rich so that she can open a flower shop down the street. Because she is a woman Elizas aspirations are limited by her social class. If Eliza were a man she would have more options and more of an ability to attain a different type of job within her social class and would be more well respected by Henry Higgins. Henry bosses Eliza around in a representation patriarchy within a male dominated society. While Henrys actions do not have malicious intent he represents a part of society that is unenlightened and is in a good need of a change. The scene in which Eliza fetches Henrys slippers and he does not even notice is a perfect example of the subservient role that Eliza has taken on as a woman in relation to Higgins more dominant one that he has taken on as a man. Higgins describes his disgust and contempt with women throughout the play and mainly attributes it to what he considers to be their docile and somewhat passive attitudes. It isnt until Eliza stands up for herself that Higgins begins to admire her in a way that he never had before. Even Elizas eventual relationship with Freddy Hill stems from acting more ladylike. Earlier on in the play when Freddy first sees Eliza he does not even actually see her and only looks

through her. It is not until she has been cleaned up and turned into more of a woman that Freddy begins to truly see Eliza. This is also a great example of how important class is. Because Eliza is not of a higher class she has trouble finding a man of higher class to even notice her much less marry her, and more importantly she has difficulty pursuing her ultimate dream of opening a flower shop. Women - especially those of lower class are treated and seen as objects not people throughout the play. Not even Freddy likes Elizabeth for who she truly is. Instead he likes her for the person that she pretends to be. Eliza is not the only character being limited and suppressed by the values of her surrounding society. In Raisin in the Sun the Younger family struggles with their identity, race, and morals in a racist society. Beneatha struggles with being African American and finding her African roots while maintaining her life and individuality in America. Walter on the other hand cares more about money than character (or so it seems for the first three quarters of the play) and would prefer that Beneatha marry someone rich. This is an indication of the hierarchy within their current society. Being a minority in terms of race is something that the Youngers have no control over, however when it comes to money people are always moving from class to class. It is because of this that Walter is so fixated on the idea of making money and moving himself and his family out of the lower class and into the upper class. Raisin in the Sun also exemplifies the role of the man within this society as Walter ends up being the one making the executive decision when it comes to whether or not the Youngers will move into their new home, even though the money belongs to Lena and she has already purchased the new house. It is never discussed nor debated amongst the family members - but rather a given fact that should Walter choose to sell the house he has the rights to do so regardless of the fact that the other members of his family do

not want him to. Lena ultimately leaves the decision up to Walter in order to have him show his true colors. It is a test that Walter ultimately passes but that could have had dire consequences if he had not chosen to move into the new home. For the Youngers not having money and growing up in a racist and oppressive society denies them many advantages and necessary basic human rights. However, Walter and the rest of the Youngers decide that it will not deny them one another and rather than tearing apart his family Walter chooses to move forward with moving into their new house showing that while class and race are very prevalent and defining within their culture family is ultimately more important and will not be sacrificed. Ultimately both the Youngers and Eliza choose not to sacrifice their true selves for the laws and rules that society has set around them indicating that ultimately staying true to oneself and finding peace in your given circumstances prevails.