The Tempest
The first design hurdle that needs to be conquered right off the bat is how the magic will be depicted. In a film, CGI takes care of this tricky aspect of the play. However, in a stage adaptation, this will have to be tweaked. If Furman did The Tempest, lighting design would produce of many of these effects. I envision Robert’s original plan for Pillowman, with a scrim that allows either shadow-like projections, or shadow puppets for Katurian’s stories as a perfect solution for scenes in the Tempest involving magic. Instead of taking an actor and giving him/her extensive prosthetic makeup, there should instead just be a voice actor that plays Ariel. On stage, Ariel would be seen as a shadow on the scrim, instead of a living entity.
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The color of either black or white would express the morality of the character subjected to this magic from the point of view of Prospero. there is much moral ambiguity with each character, however since Prospero holds all the supernatural power he is the sole judge, and executor of justice. In his mind, there are immoral people who deserve punishment, (and in these cases the magic used against them would be a solid black shadow), and those who are righteous (these would have only the outline in black with the inside being white.) This will help the audience keep the many characters straight in addition to supporting the theme. As the play progressed, they may also find themselves predicting the color of the magic used on a certain character, thus placing themselves in a role similar to Prospero.
The end scene of the Tempest would involve Prospero finishing the epilogue then waiting for the start of applause to break his staff on his knee--and as he does so the projections would erupt around Prospero in a rainbow of colors. I admit this would be a tacky ending, but when a character asks the audience to applaud him to give him validation for his decision, it this design choice out of
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Like Cymbeline, this play is wrought with deception and disguises that could confuse the audience. So if I were to stage this production, I would again find a way to have a color scheme for each character so even in disguise the audience would be able to follow along.
When reading this play I personally pictured the actor with the characters name scrawled on a poster that hung round their neck, and then when in disguise this poster would have their real name crossed out and their secret identity is written out.
On top of keeping the identity of each character crystal clear, it would also add the feel of a farce. This would be a way to remedy the discourse between the plot of the play and the research I did about Behn. She was praised for being a feminist writer, however practically every female character gets sexually assaulted in this plot. It reminds me of The Lieutenant of Inishmore where McDonnough uses graphic scenes meant to shock and horrify the audience to highlight the absurdity of violence. In The Rover’s case, I believe Behn was trying to show the absurdity of the treatment of
In the play, red was used to accent everything from the characters’ costumes to elements in the background, and the blood. Although red was heavily used, there was a difference in the shades of red throughout the play. For example, the curtain that draped Johanna’s window, was a bright red, while the on-stage blood was a deeper red. There was also a noticeable red-orange lighting casted over the stage during intense turning points in the play. In the film, the color did serve an important role, but it did not heavily influence the body of work, like in the play. Aside from Mrs. Lovett’s clothing in the film, the color showed up mainly during the scenes were blood was needed. The blood was darkened, watery and oozed. This darkened mess, was portrayed in this way in order to emphasize the deaths in the movie, which made each scene a little more
With the semester coming to an end, many students are excited. This especially includes those who will be graduating soon. However, graduation can be seen as a bittersweet moment. On one hand, the graduates enter into a new chapter in their lives. On the other hand, they may lose communication with some of their friends. Unfortunately, this is a natural aspect of each person’s life. Everyone will experience some kind of loss in their life, whether it is person or an object. In The Tempest, Shakespeare discusses the topic of loss. While this theme is not talked about much compared to other themes in the play, it is very important since it is a theme that is included in the 1956 movie adaptation Forbidden Planet. While both works illustrate the ways people deals a loss, the later work demonstrates how the advancement in the world have affected the way modern society
shall firstly do a summery of the play and give a basic image of what
Julie Taymor’s film adaptation of Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus has many theatrical elements that aid in creating an interpretation of the written play. One of the most prominent elements that Taymor uses is color. Taymor uses color to develop Shakespeare’s characters. Many times throughout the film, color is used to represent a character’s mood or their hidden agenda during a scene. We also see color used to represent good versus evil. The three colors that are most widely used during the movie to show symbolism and imagery are black, white, and red. While there are some references to color in the written text of Titus Andronicus, Taymor’s use of color allows the viewers to see a more clear representation of mood, tone, and character. The colors may be used in costume or in setting. Regardless of how they are used each color plays a large role in distinguishing the tone that is being set for a scene or character.
To realize the vision of the play, the script, set-up, costumes, stagecraft, sound design, and acting have to communicate a unified message with which the audience will relate. The script will be tailored to ensure that the audience can understand the play as it proceeds. This is in terms of the language and terms used. Though the language will not be modern, it will be English that can be understood by the audience. This will be English of antique England as it will give the play a feeling of ancient times. The scriptwriter will carry out research on the level of understanding the local people will have of ancient English so as to ascertain that the script matches this level. Although many plays of that era were sung and accompanied by dance, this play will be acted out with spoken word rather than songs. This is because speaking will ensure the audience hears the conversations as they go on and that they understand. This is ...
There are many elements in Shakespeare's play, The Tempest, which one cannot reconcile with the real world. The main theme in The Tempest is illusion, and the main focus is the experiment by Prospero.
It is ironic then that some directors, such as Roman Polanski, allows Macbeth to be periodically dressed in white. It would have been more fitting for Macbeth to be dressed in a black (or darker) costume, like in Trevor Nun’s interpretation, or in a black and white costume, like Michael Bogdandov’s interpretation.
One notable difference between William Shakespeare’s The Tempest and Julie Taymor’s film version of the play is the altered scenes that made quite a difference between the play and the movie version. This difference has the effects of creating a different point of view by altering the scenes affected the movie and how Taymor felt was necessary by either by keeping or deleting certain parts from the play. I use “Altered Scene” in the way of how Julia Taymor recreates her own point of view for the movie and the direction she took in order to make the audience can relate to the modern day film. I am analyzing the way that the altered scenes changes to make a strong impression on the audiences different from the play. This paper will demonstrate
The play, The Tempest, by William Shakespeare is a very cleverly thought out piece of work. Shakespeare very deliberately inter-relates several different forms of power during the course of the play. There is political power, shown through the plethora of political characters and their schemes, while at the same time parodied by the comic characters. The power of magic and love, and its ability to reunite and absolve also plays a major role in the play. Throughout the play, Prospero, the main character, takes great advantage of his power and authority, both properly and improperly. The epiphany of this however, is realized at the end of the play.
The Tempest, like any text, is a product of its context. It is constructed in relation to moral or ethical concerns of 17th century European Jacobean society. The resolution of conflict appears 'natural' or an inevitable consequence if regarded in relation to the concerns of its context. The resolution of conflict in this play incorporates Prospero being returned to his 'rightful' or natural position as Duke of Milan, his daughter Miranda getting married to Ferdinand, and the party returning to Milan leaving the island to the 'monster', Caliban. The resolution is a consequence of the concerns of the time, including the idea of the divine right of kings, courtly love, and colonisation.
The characters of the play are in no way able to comprehend what may lie
The nucleus of the plot in Shakespeare's The Tempest revolves around Prospero enacting his revenge on various characters who have wronged him in different ways. Interestingly enough, he uses the spirit of Ariel to deliver the punishments while Prospero delegates the action. Prospero is such a character that can concoct methods of revenge but hesitates to have direct involvement with disillusioning his foes. In essence, Prospero sends Ariel to do his dirty work while hiding his involvement in shipwrecking his brother, Antonio, from his daughter, Miranda.
The Tempest was written when masques were becoming exceedingly popular in England, and were often performed at weddings to honor marriages. The Tempest is heavily influenced by elements of the masque, and can be performed with the same purposes as one, although it is far too rich to be classified simply into that genre of plays.
In William Shakespeare's The Tempest, the line between the realm of reality and illusion is blurred by Prospero, who through the use of his magic is able to manipulate and control both the island and those who are stranded on it. The duality between illusion and reality, the contrast between the natural and unnatural are being represented and questioned by Prospero's magic. Throughout the play, Shakespeare is stating that illusions can distort reality, but in the end reality will always makes itself apparent.
The Tempest was written in 1611 as Shakespeare’s last romantic comedy. This play is focused mainly on the theme of power. Shakespeare portrays an aging magician who has been living in exile with his young daughter on a remote island for the past 12 years. Shakespeare presents forms of power in different ways, but mainly through the characters of Prospero. In The Tempest Shakespeare shows 3 different types of power, which are through love, power over his slave Caliban, and power of magic.