Drama for students: presenting analysis, context and criticism on commonly studied dramas. Volume 18

356 Pages·2003·11.1 MB·English

by  David Galens

DFS htp reuse 6/5/03 11:26 AM Page 1
DRAMA
for Students
National Advisory Board
Susan Allison: Head Librarian, Lewiston High Carrollton School in Coconut Grove, Florida.
School, Lewiston, Maine. Standards Com- B.A. from University of Detroit, 1967 (magna
mittee Chairperson for Maine School Library cum laude); M.L.S., University of Missouri–
(MASL) Programs. Board member, Julia Ad- Columbia, l974. Volunteer Project Leader for
ams Morse Memorial Library, Greene, Maine. a school in rural Jamaica; volunteer with
Advisor to Lewiston Public Library Planning Adult Literacy programs.
Process.
Laurie St. Laurent: Head of Adult and Child-
Jennifer Hood: Young Adult/Reference Librarian, ren’s Services, East Lansing Public Library,
Cumberland Public Library, Cumberland, East Lansing, Michigan, 1994–. M.L.S. from
Rhode Island. Certified teacher, Rhode Island. Western Michigan University. Chair of Michi-
Member of the New England Library Asso- gan Library Association’s 1998 Michigan
ciation, Rhode Island Library Association, Summer Reading Program; Chair of the Child-
and the Rhode Island Educational Media ren’s Services Division in 2000–2001; and
Association. Vice-President of the Association in
2002–2003. Board member of several re-
Ann Kearney: Head Librarian and Media Spe-
gional early childhood literacy organizations
cialist, Christopher Columbus High School,
and member of the Library of Michigan Youth
Miami, Florida, 1982–2002. Thirty-two years
Services Advisory Committee.
as Librarian in various educational institu-
tions ranging from grade schools through Heidi Stohs: Instructor in Language Arts, grades
graduate programs. Library positions at Miami- 10–12, Solomon High School, Solomon, Kan-
Dade Community College, the University of sas. Received B.S. from Kansas State Univer-
Miami’s Medical School Library, and sity; M.A. from Fort Hays State University.
PDF Not Available Due to Copyright Terms
PDF Not Available Due to Copyright Terms
Table of Contents
GUEST FOREWORD
“The Study of Drama”
Carole L. Hamilton . . . . . . . . . vii
INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . ix
LITERARY CHRONOLOGY . . . . . . . xiii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . . . . . . . . xv
CONTRIBUTORS . . . . . . . . . . xvii
CALM DOWN MOTHER
Megan Terry . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
A CHASTE MAID IN CHEAPSIDE
Thomas Middleton . . . . . . . . . 18
THE DESERTER
Norman Beim . . . . . . . . . . 50
ENDGAME
Samuel Beckett . . . . . . . . . . 63
I’M NOT RAPPAPORT
Herb Gardner . . . . . . . . . . . 88
LOST IN YONKERS
Neil Simon . . . . . . . . . . . 106
MULATTO
Langston Hughes . . . . . . . . . 133
THE PLAYBOY OF THE WESTERN WORLD
J. M. Synge . . . . . . . . . . . 162
v
T a b l e o f C o n t e n t s
THE ROSE TATTOO THE SQUARE ROOT OF WONDERFUL
Tennessee Williams . . . . . . . . 176 Carson McCullers . . . . . . . . 224
THE SOUND OF A VOICE TARTUFFE
David Henry Hwang . . . . . . . . 207 Molière . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
THE VERGE
Susan Glaspell . . . . . . . . . . 276
GLOSSARY OF LITERARY TERMS . . . . 305
CUMULATIVE AUTHOR/TITLE INDEX . 339
NATIONALITY/ETHNICITY INDEX . . . 345
SUBJECT/THEME INDEX . . . . . . 349
v i D r a m a f o r S t u d e n t s
The Study of Drama
We study drama in order to learn what meaning comedies) may serve strictly “to ease the anguish of
others have made of life, to comprehend what it a torturing hour” (as stated in William Shake-
takes to produce a work of art, and to glean some speare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream)—to divert
understanding of ourselves. Drama produces in a and entertain–or aspire to move the viewer to action
separate, aesthetic world, a moment of being for the with social issues. Whether to entertain or to in-
audience to experience, while maintaining the de- struct, affirm or influence, pacify or shock, dramatic
tachment of a reflective observer. art wraps us in the spell of its imaginary world for
the length of the work and then dispenses us back to
Drama is a representational art, a visible and
the real world, entertained, purged, as Aristotle said,
audible narrative presenting virtual, fictional char-
of pity and fear, and edified—or at least weary
acters within a virtual, fictional universe. Dramatic
enough to sleep peacefully.
realizations may pretend to approximate reality or
else stubbornly defy, distort, and deform reality into It is commonly thought that theater, being an
an artistic statement. From this separate universe art of performance, must be experienced—seen—in
that is obviously not “real life” we expect a valid order to be appreciated fully. However, to view a
reflection upon reality, yet drama never is mistaken production of a dramatic text is to be limited to a
for reality—the methods of theater are integral to its single interpretation of that text—all other interpre-
form and meaning. Theater is art, and art’s appeal tations are for the moment closed off, inaccessible.
lies in its ability both to approximate life and to In the process of producing a play, the director,
depart from it. For in intruding its distorted version stage designer, and performers interpret and trans-
of life into our consciousness, art gives us a new form the script into a work of art that always departs
perspective and appreciation of life and reality. in some measure from the author’s original concep-
Although all aesthetic experiences perform this tion. Novelist and critic Umberto Eco, in his The
service, theater does it most effectively by creating Role of the Reader: Explorations in the Semiotics of
a separate, cohesive universe that freely acknowl- Texts (Indiana University Press, 1979), explained,
edges its status as an art form. “In short, we can say that every performance offers
us a complete and satisfying version of the work,
And what is the purpose of the aesthetic uni-
but at the same time makes it incomplete for us,
verse of drama? The potential answers to such a
because it cannot simultaneously give all the other
question are nearly as many and varied as there are
artistic solutions which the work may admit.”
plays written, performed, and enjoyed. Dramatic
texts can be problems posed, answers asserted, or Thus Laurence Olivier’s coldly formal and
moments portrayed. Dramas (tragedies as well as neurotic film presentation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet
v i i
T h e S t u d y o f D r a m a
(in which he played the title character as well as ture, and events at their own pace. Yet studied
directed) shows marked differences from subse- alone, the author’s blueprint for artistic production
quent adaptations. While Olivier’s Hamlet is clearly does not tell the whole story of a play’s life and
entangled in a Freudian relationship with his mother significance. One also needs to assess the play’s
Gertrude, he would be incapable of shushing her critical reviews to discover how it resonated to
with the impassioned kiss that Mel Gibson’s mercu- cultural themes at the time of its debut and how the
rial Hamlet (in director Franco Zeffirelli’s 1990 shifting tides of cultural interest have revised its
film) does. Although each of performances rings interpretation and impact on audiences. And to do
true to Shakespeare’s text, each is also a mutually this, one needs to know a little about the culture of
exclusive work of art. Also important to consider the times which produced the play as well as the
are the time periods in which each of these films was author who penned it.
produced: Olivier made his film in 1948, a time in
Drama for Students supplies this material in a
which overt references to sexuality (especially in-
useful compendium for the student of dramatic
cest) were frowned upon. Gibson and Zeffirelli
theater. Covering a range of dramatic works that
made their film in a culture more relaxed and
span from 442 BC to the 1990s, this book focuses on
comfortable with these issues. Just as actors and
significant theatrical works whose themes and form
directors can influence the presentation of drama, so
transcend the uncertainty of dramatic fads. These
too can the time period of the production affect what
are plays that have proven to be both memorable
the audience will see.
and teachable. Drama for Students seeks to enhance
A play script is an open text from which an appreciation of these dramatic texts by providing
infinity of specific realizations may be derived. scholarly materials written with the secondary and
Dramatic scripts that are more open to interpretive college/university student in mind. It provides for
creativity (such as those of Ntozake Shange and each play a concise summary of the plot and charac-
Tomson Highway) actually require the creative ters as well as a detailed explanation of its themes.
improvisation of the production troupe in order to In addition, background material on the historical
complete the text. Even the most prescriptive scripts context of the play, its critical reception, and the
(those of Neil Simon, Lillian Hellman, and Robert author’s life help the student to understand the
Bolt, for example), can never fully control the work’s position in the chronicle of dramatic history.
actualization of live performance, and circumstan- For each play entry a new work of scholarly criti-
tial events, including the attitude and receptivity of cism is also included, as well as segments of other
the audience, make every performance a unique significant critical works for handy reference. A
event. Thus, while it is important to view a produc- thorough bibliography provides a starting point for
tion of a dramatic piece, if one wants to understand a further research.
drama fully it is equally important to read the
original dramatic text. This series offers comprehensive educational
resources for students of drama. Drama for Students
The reader of a dramatic text or script is not
is a vital book for dramatic interpretation and a
limited by either the specific interpretation of a
valuable addition to any reference library.
given production or by the unstoppable action of a
moving spectacle. The reader of a dramatic text may Source: Eco, Umberto, The Role of the Reader: Explorations
discover the nuances of the play’s language, struc- in the Semiotics of Texts, Indiana University Press, 1979.
Carole L. Hamilton
Author and Instructor of English
Cary Academy
Cary, North Carolina
v i i i D r a m a f o r S t u d e n t s
Introduction
Purpose of the Book comparing the time or place the drama was written
The purpose of Drama for Students (DfS) is to to modern Western culture, a critical essay, and
provide readers with a guide to understanding, excerpts from critical essays on the play. A unique
enjoying, and studying dramas by giving them easy feature of DfS is a specially commissioned critical
access to information about the work. Part of Gale’s essay on each drama, targeted toward the student
“For Students” literature line, DfS is specifically reader.
designed to meet the curricular needs of high school
and undergraduate college students and their teach- To further aid the student in studying and
ers, as well as the interests of general readers and enjoying each play, information on media adapta-
researchers considering specific plays. While each tions is provided (if available), as well as reading
volume contains entries on “classic” dramas fre- suggestions for works of fiction and nonfiction on
quently studied in classrooms, there are also entries similar themes and topics. Classroom aids include
containing hard-to-find information on contempo- ideas for research papers and lists of critical sources
rary plays, including works by multicultural, inter- that provide additional material on each drama.
national, and women playwrights.
The information covered in each entry includes Selection Criteria
an introduction to the play and the work’s author; a The titles for each volume of DfS were selected
plot summary, to help readers unravel and under-
by surveying numerous sources on teaching litera-
stand the events in a drama; descriptions of impor-
ture and analyzing course curricula for various
tant characters, including explanation of a given
school districts. Some of the sources surveyed in-
character’s role in the drama as well as discussion
cluded: literature anthologies; Reading Lists for
about that character’s relationship to other charac-
College-Bound Students: The Books Most Recom-
ters in the play; analysis of important themes in the
mended by America’s Top Colleges; textbooks on
drama; and an explanation of important literary
teaching dramas; a College Board survey of plays
techniques and movements as they are demon-
commonly studied in high schools; a National Coun-
strated in the play.
cil of Teachers of English (NCTE) survey of plays
In addition to this material, which helps the commonly studied in high schools; St. James Press’s
readers analyze the play itself, students are also International Dictionary of Theatre; and Arthur
provided with important information on the literary Applebee’s 1993 study Literature in the Secondary
and historical background informing each work. School: Studies of Curriculum and Instruction in
This includes a historical context essay, a box the United States.
i x