Month: November 2015

Understanding Of Character: this is the character of a guard who has seen a lot of bad things in his time from Agamemnon, although now he does not look fazed at the fact that his leader is becoming anxious from finding out that Achilles is planning to quit, alongside Briseis. I chose to portray the guard as if he was disobeying orders from Agamemnon as respect was lost for him. Bad decisions which are losing the battle made by Agamemnon. “They shouldn’t use children as human shields.” This is an example of the inhumane decisions that he is making.

Choice Of Costume: My choice of costume was a tactical vest, underneath a blue trench coat. I felt that these two items showed bravery and solidarity. It is also important to state that my injury on my leg was showing throughout the performance for the whole audience to see. It was covering the majority of my calf and really stood out to the audience, and that was my intention. Although it was a gaping wound, Agamemnon acted like it was not a big deal, and was left pretty much unnoticed. This gives the audience a sense of sympathy for the guard (myself) and makes the guard a lot more furious with his leader for not acknowledging his injury.

Use Of Semiotics: The injury suffered by the guard shows semiotics I believe. I think this because of the fact that Agamemnon has lost his human touch by not even realising the sustained injury, even though this injury was caused while fighting for Agamemnon’s army.

Employment Of Processed From Other Practitioners: During my performance, I used the ‘Magic If’ system. I felt like if I was in a situation with similar characteristics then I could employ that into this performance. The guard gives off the mood that he does not care and that he has lost his respect for his leader, Agamemnon. As I am a student I feel like this kind of scenario comes up a lot. If there is a teacher who doesn’t know what they are doing, and they may try to make it look like I have done something wrong I may choose to show disobedience to the people we have to respect in school. The Stanislavski ‘Magic If’ method can be found here:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanislavski%27s_system#The_.22Magic_If.22

Use of Space: The use of space was an important part of my performance which I looked to improve on after the dress rehearsal. It was clear to see that the focus was supposed to be on the middle of the stage but I found from looking at my rehearsal that I was drifting away to the sides of the stage, which did not help to show my character as much as it should of. Changing my characters position on the stage brought a new emotion to the guard, and it really gave effect of his disrespect for Agamemnon.

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Use Of Props, Lighting And Sound: The use of props were mostly important for portraying anger from Agamemnon, such as the papers on the desk he was located at. When Agamemnon really wanted to show anger in the scene he used this prop to thrown on the floor in anger. The only lighting used was natural daylight, as the scene we developed was based during daytime, and the lighting was seen as ideal. There were no specific sounds that we employed apart from knocking on a door at the beginning of the performance.

Reflection

How successful was the project/performance?

The performance was very successful after adding differences to it that we both believed would benefit how the emotions were brought across, as that was our main objective. The objective was to show the guard’s non-compliant behaviour and also to show the sheer frustration and rage from Agamemnon. I feel like if I were to watch back my performance it would be very recognisable to see these emotions coming out.

What areas need further developing or re-thinking?

I think all of the problems we faced during the dress rehearsal were solved in ease before the final performance. The only issue I would say could be the props. Although at the time I did not want to overcomplicate things by adding too many props but I felt like there could’ve been one or two more extra props e.g a weapon for the guard. Overall I believe there was a good balance.

How well have I met the intentions of the playwright and the needs of the text?

The Greek tragedy came across well as we could see the emotions of an insane Agamemnon and the arrogance of the guard. The costumes that were used such as the rolled up shirt and sweat patches from Agamemnon showed great stress and related well back to the text. It was a decision made to change the mood that was originally intended. The original mood was for the guard to act serious and cautious about the situation. However, I felt like if the guard incorporated the mood of sarcasm, which made Agamemnon even more furious.

In the start of both, A Christmas Carol and Macbeth we can see the writers (in this case Charles Dickens and William Shakespeare) give a clear idea straight away to the reader or audience what the characters are like, their flaws are obvious in some senses but hidden in others. In Macbeth we can see where the sergeant speaks of Macbeth during the battle, “Like valor’s minion carved out his passage…and fixed his head upon our battlements”. I can see from this that he is considered a beast and also a ferocious fighter. In this quote Shakespeare used a simile when comparing Macbeth to a ‘valor’s minion’ in order to create an image of a servant who would fight to the death for his king, holding nothing back. I believe that both of the writers structured personality traits at the start of each story to give the characters flaws to be shown and overcome. In a Christmas carol, Scrooge is often described as totally the opposite of what Macbeth was known as. Scrooge was often portrayed as stingy, anti-social and passive aggressive. When asked by a charity worker “How much should I put you down for?” Scrooge responded “Nothing!”. From this I can see that Scrooge is nihilistic as he does not care for any other beliefs apart from his own. Also Dickens has used exaggeration when Scrooge exclaimed “Nothing!”. Looking at both of these characters in the start of their play/novella there are no real similarities to see at this point apart from the passionate fierceness of each character.

In the next part of A Christmas Carol, Scrooge meets the ghost of Marley, who was a former business partner of Scrooge’s, often mistreated by Scrooge. When he finally meets this ghost he feels shock and starts to potentially believe that the ghost is real. “though he looked the phantom through and through and saw it standing before him; though he felt the chilling influence of his death-cold eyes…and fought against his senses”. I believe that Dickens has structured this to be in the novella at this moment to give the reader the idea that Scrooges flaws could be overcome and are not fixed, and that he might hinting at an ability to change, he is starting to believe in the ghost of Marley despite his outward attitude. In this section of the novella Dickens uses imagery to create the moment when Scrooge finally meets the ghost. The ‘death-cold’ metaphor helps to create that feeling of dread about what is going to be discussed later by the ghosts. On the other hand, it could also create the image of the grim reaper which would of been a very popular mythical figure at that time. Dickens wanted people to feel the genuine fear of Scrooge, especially through the use of the supernatural which was widely believed in a the time. The metaphor would of reinforced this strongly.

Contrary to Scrooge, Macbeth is currently thinking of killing the king (king Duncan at the time). Another important factor is that Macbeth has the ambition to kill someone so high of a status as King Duncan. “Vaulting ambition, which o’er leaps itself and falls on th’ other.” Although, it is not just Macbeth who wants King Duncan dead as the wife of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, is trying to persuade the brave warrior to do his ‘duty’ and step up so that Lady Macbeth can become the Queen. The language feature that Shakespeare has used in the previous quote was a metaphor, when he mentions Macbeth’s vaulting ambition. With this being said, I can see some clear comparisons between Scrooge and Macbeth. One of which is that Macbeth is seen as very paranoid, knowing what will have to be done to the king by himself. However, Scrooge is seen as suspicious, as at this current moment he does not know whether to believe in the ghost or not. I believe that Scrooge and Macbeth were portrayed in a way where they have made significant developments and we are starting to see that their flaws are coming out.

Moving onto a much more controversial part of the play, Macbeth has returned from killing King Duncan. We can see that straight away he feels remorse and regret from killing the current king just to become the king himself. “Therefore Cawdor shall not sleep no more. Macbeth shall sleep no more.” In this quote Shakespeare uses exaggeration and repetition to brutally reinforce the feeling that he will never be able to forget this action he has taken. I believe Shakespeare has structured this crucial moment in the play at this part as he wanted to show the audience how much Macbeth regretted making the decision of killing the now former King Duncan. The Divine Right of Kings was widely believed at the time and this killing would of shocked audiences deeply. To go against God was seen to be a really serious crime and people would of been completely stunned by his actions. They would also know that his punishment would be severe.

Contrary to Macbeth, Scrooge at this part of the novella meets the ghost of Christmas present. The main reason why he is meeting the ghost of Christmas present is so that he can see what he has been missing due to his anti-social and passive-aggressive ways. He is starting to see how people are enjoying themselves. Towards the crisis point of the play, Scrooge feels uncharacteristic sympathy when he questions “Have they no refuge or resource?”. The spirit responds “Are there no prisons?” said the spirit turning on him for the last time with his own words. “Are there no workhouses?”. I believe that Dickens has used rhetorical questions in this quote. Looking at Macbeth and Scrooge in these parts, I can see that they both have a sense of regret, with Macbeth killing the former King Duncan and Scrooge for being cold-hearted . I also believe that they both think that time is running out for them. Macbeth was told that this would be his only chance to become King essentially and Scrooge has seen from his own point of view that he and Tiny Tim are dead towards Christmas. I feel that Dickens has placed this part of the novella where it is because Scrooge has now been given an idea of what it could be like if he carries on with these ways, and he now has a chance to change. For Macbeth, Shakespeare has noted that Macbeth feels great regret but it could be too late, and adds a twist in the play because we don’t know what Macbeth’s next move will be.

There are a few reasons why Macbeth killed King Duncan, the main reason was to become King himself. Macbeth is then told by the witches that Banquo’s sons are set to be in a long line of royalty, and that it would be impossible for Macbeth to become King with this situation in place. Macbeth decides that the best thing to do is to get people to go out and kill Banquo and his son as he feels like time is running out. The murder was successful in some sense but only Banquo was killed, and not his son. Later, we can see Macbeth at a banquet where many of Macbeth’s peers sit and eat with him. “Thou canst not say I did it. Never shake thy gory locks at me.” This is when he meets Banquo’s ghost and speaks to him when everyone is around the table, this is where we can see that Macbeth is going insane. In the quote Shakespeare uses desperate imperative as a language technique.  I believe that Shakespeare had the idea to strike fear into the audience, and also to make Macbeth seem like a totally unpredictable character. It is also important to mention that this was structured in this part of the play to give an added twist to Macbeth’s flaws. Now, Macbeth realises that its not going to be easy, as he has just killed King Duncan but will now have to get past the sons of Banquo and Banquo in his ghost form, who is traumatising him.

Scrooge potentially has one similarity to Macbeth at this point, as they both feel as if they are being traumatised by a ghost of some sort. In Macbeth’s case it is of course the ghost of Banquo but for Scrooge it is the ghost of Christmas yet to come, where Scrooge is shown what will be of his life if he does not change his ways. “Tell me if Tiny Tim will live.” “If these shadows remain unaltered by the future, the child will die.” “Oh no kind spirit! say he will be spared.” “If he be like to die, he had better do it and decrease the surplus population.” After this ordeal Scrooge hangs his head, as the spirit once again cruelly quotes Scrooges previous words, and he feels like he is grieving. In those quotes, Dickens uses a para-suggestion. I believe this was in this part of the structure of the play to give the reader the idea that Scrooge is grieving which is a rare sight. Also, it could be showing that Scrooge is starting to change his ways.

Towards the denouement of Macbeth, he starts to feel worthless with all the work he has done. He feels like he has done all of this work for nothing and and in the process has ended up losing all of his friends. He also feels regret as there has been no reward for his efforts.  “It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” I think that this quote uses pathos because it makes the audience feel sorry for him, as he states that he signifies nothing. Also, I believe the writer wanted the audience to know the consequences of murder and also to let people know that loyalty is important. In this case Macbeth has realised this too late. The reason I believe as to why Shakespeare decided to use my evidence in this part of the play is because it is coming to the end of the play and he now knows that he cannot undo his actions and that these mistakes will never be forgotten.

1. What is the social, historical and cultural background to the text?                                                                                      The battle goes back and forth for nine years. The Trojans, led by Priam’s son, Hector, finally gain an advantage when Agamemnon kidnaps the daughter of the Trojan priest of Apollo. Achilles has warned against this, and he is justified when Apollo’s fiery arrows nearly destroy the Greek army. Calchas, a Greek prophet, convinces Agamemnon to free the girl, but Agamemnon demands a replacement in the form of Achilles’ prize female captive, Briseis. Furious, Achilles withdraws his troops from battle. Without Achilles, the Greeks seem doomed. The gods have been evenly split thus far: Aphrodite, Ares, Apollo and Artemis on the side of the Trojans; Hera, Athena, and Poseidon take the Greek side. But Thetis persuades the hitherto neutral Zeus to help the Trojans. Menelaus defeats Paris in combat, however. Aphrodite saves Paris’s life, and the armies agree to a truce. But Hera is bent on war, so she makes a Trojan named Pandarus break the truce. When the battle starts again, the great Greek warrior Diomedes nearly kills the Trojan Aeneas, whom Apollo saves. Diomedes even wounds Ares himself.The Greeks hold their own until Zeus remembers his promise to Thetis and comes down to the battlefield. The Trojans drive the Greeks back toward their ships. That night, Agamemnon agrees to return Briseis, but when Odysseus goes to ask Achilles to accept the apology, he receives a flat refusal. The next day the Greeks lose again without Achilles and are driven even closer to their ships. But then Hera decides to seduce Zeus and give the Greeks an advantage. While the two divinities are indisposed, the great Greek warrior Ajax nearly kills Hector. Discovering the deception, Zeus angrily commands Poseidon to abandon the Greeks, and the Trojans press forward. As the Greeks near defeat, Achilles’s best friend, Patroclus, can restrain himself no longer. He convinces Achilles to lend him his armor, thinking that even if Achilles refuses to fight, he himself can help the Greeks by pretending to be Achilles and thus frightening the Trojans. Leading Achilles’ men, the Myrmidons, into battle, Patroclus fights valiantly but is killed by Hector’s spear. Achilles grieves terribly and decides to return to battle to avenge this death. Thetis, seeing she can no longer hold her son back, gives him armor made by Hephaestus himself.The Trojans soon retreat inside their impenetrable walls through the huge Scaean gates. Only Hector remains outside, clad in Achilles’ own armor taken from Patroclus’s corpse. Hector and Achilles, the two greatest warriors of the Trojan War, finally face one another. When Hector sees that Athena stands by Achilles’ side while Apollo has left his own, he runs away from Achilles. They circle around and around the city of Troy until Athena disguises herself as Hector’s brother and makes him stop. Achilles catches up with Hector, who realizes the deception. They fight, and Achilles, aided by Athena, kills Hector with his spear. Achilles is still so filled with rage over Patroclus’s death that he drags Hector’s body over the ground, mutilating it. He takes it back to the Greek camp and leaves it beside Patroclus’s funeral pyre for dogs to devour. Such disrespect for a great warrior greatly displeases the gods, who convince Priam to visit Achilles and retrieve Hector’s body. Priam speaks to Achilles, who sees the error of his ways. The Iliad ends with Hector’s funeral. I got this information from: http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/mythology/section8.rhtml 
2. What are the particular artistic features of the text, the genre, and any implied performance style?                              The genre of this play is tragedy, or to be more specific an ancient Greek tragedy. I believe that the performance style was supposed to be portrayed as the guard being anxious, nervous and cautious about revealing the news to Agamemnon, although the change of style in the performance to portray the guard as arrogant and beyond caring and Agamemnon as the more anxious character, fuming.
   

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3. What is the background of the playwright?                                                                                                                         Brian Woolland worked as a van driver, a farm hand, a wine merchant and a photographer; as a teacher in mainstream education and in a therapeutic community for maladjusted adolescents before becoming an Advisory Teacher for Drama. He then took up a post at the University of Reading, where he taught on BA (Ed). BA, MA degrees and on PGCE courses. On the BA he taught on a wide range of courses, specialising in educational drama, theatre production, Early Modern theatre, and modern American theatre. In 2005 he resigned his post as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Film, Theatre & Television in order to focus on writing and working freelance. He is widely published as an author of educational and academic books, where his specialism is theatre of the early modern period.  He has also had considerable success as a playwright – with ten plays commissioned and produced by professional companies, and five published in book form. His most recent play, This Flesh Is Mine, used The Iliad as a starting point.  It previewed in Ramallah, Palestine on 8th May 2014; and opened in Battersea, London, on 19th May.  The play was co-produced by London based Border Crossings and Ashtar Theatre of Ramallah, Palestine. He regularly leads theatre workshops and teaches creative writing, but spends most of his time working as a writer, and theatre director.  His work on Ben Jonson and his publications in the field of educational drama have been highly acclaimed. My reference for this information: http://www.brianwoolland.co.uk/biography.html
4. Why have you chosen this particular extract for performance?                                                                               Agamemnon’s headquarters are a luxury apartment, based in ‘wealthy suburbs’ with items named as an “unstable mix of domesticity and militarism” such as colourful rugs as a sign of domesticity but sub machine guns as a symbol of militarism. Agamemnon had just been informed that his strongest warrior is planning to quit, and leave alongside Briseis. I feel like this particular extract shoes desperation from the leader of an army, Agamemnon. The guard who gives this information to Agamemnon can see that his leader is losing it, “now is not the fucking time”, “What in the name of fuck does he think he’s up to? He’s quitting. Now. Just when we’re going to take the city. What if word gets out? He made me a promise. I took her back myself. I did not fuck her. I did not fucking touch her. Nobody fucking touched her. He got her back. I got her back myself.” This statement in particular just shows how much control the so called leader has left. The guards blunt responses such as “I know” suggest that he has lost much respect for Agamemnon. I have chosen this extract as it starts to bring up a flaw to Agamemnon’s personality which has not been revealed before. I think that it is also important to include the fact that Agamemnon’s power and authority is being lost, which is seen very clearly in a performance scenario.