When this historian began analyzing
The Glass of Water and The Children’s Hour, he or she most
likely picked up on how each of these plays follow a systematic format and
structure, almost as if the authors of these plays followed a “how-to” guide
and just filled in the blanks with their storylines. From this, the worldview
that could be gathered from this time comes from a mindset of order and perfect
stability, as each scene and each act, especially those in The Glass of Water, seem to follow the same patterns and outlines.
Love! Valour! Compassion! disregards all
of these guidelines, and the worldview that can be gathered is that of which
allows for creative freedom and originality. There are no set timelines, as
scenes do not fall into a linear pattern, and although each act encompasses a
weekend, the majority of stage time is spent over a few hours with the rest of
the major events of the weekend being narrated at the end of each act. The play
has no definite ending either, as the last line is spoken by John who simply
states, “Anyway,” as he is about to jump in the lake with the rest of the men.
With the mindset of “no rules” regarding dramaturgical structure or patterns,
the capital- T truth that can be derived is one of individuality. Instead of
holding societal standards in regards to a solid truth, each person derives
their own truth based whatever is held most importantly to them. The capital-T truth
that seems to lead the characters in this play is love and relationships, as
this is the driving force between all of their interactions and exchanges
throughout the play. Although God or human thinking might be the capital-T
truth to one person, each person’s truth can be completely different from
another’s, making the view of today’s world entirely unique and separate from those
in the past.
I agree. I felt like the play was much more about the characters rather than the plot. I thought it was a story about these character's lives and how this group of people connect to each other. Of course there are old and new couples but there are also people who are connected by family or by similar hobbies.
ReplyDeleteI really like your emphasis on individuality. I think that more evidence of this individuality can be found in these characters’ quirks, which seem more striking than those from the previous two plays we had read. This seems to reflect the characters’ attitude toward society. In The Glass of Water and The Children’s Hour, the characters seem to work within their society to some extent. However, in Love! Valour! Compassion!, the characters form their own society, allowing the their quirks to shine. I also think that starting your post with the hypothetical historian’s analysis of the previous two plays is a nice touch. This really gives us a sense of Love! Valour! Compassion!’s position in relation to history.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with your point of the world being separate from past worlds. In other words, it is a unique Truth in it's own time. There is a sense of individual Truth that is defined by each character and the values of relationship. I also feel the same about this play having creative freedom, using a fully connected plot (moments touch) that makes the reader separate events/scenes themselves.
ReplyDeleteI really like your take on the individual's truth. I agree as time has progressed the capital-T Truth has turned more into an individual truth. This play definitely encompasses the individual truth. I also like your emphasis on character over plot. I believe the play did focus more on the character than the plot, and that is why we were able to discover the individual truth a little better.
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