Use of Dramatic Techniques in Cartwright's Road and Kane's Blasted
In this essay I shall concentrate on the plays 'Road' by Jim Cartwright and 'Blasted' by Sarah Kane with specific reference to use of language and structure of dialogue as examples of dramatic techniques.
My explanation of dramatic techniques is perhaps akin to Brecht's opinion regarding this theme:
'...The strong centralisation of the story, a momentum that draws the separate parts into a common relationship. A particular passion of utterance, a certain emphasis on the class of forces are hallmarks of the dramatic.'
(Brecht:p70)
Here we can perhaps see the way in which Brecht explains the aim of techniques such as use of language and structure of dialogue. They in essence are attempting to draw together a common theme. Perhaps in 'Road' language and dialogue is attempting to prove a sense of futility in individuals' lives, whereas in 'Blasted' the theme could be the atrocities of war are on both a personal and national level. How is the drama portrayed through the playwrights techniques?
In road, Cartwright uses definite techniques of language to create dramatic tension and in some instances irony. Firstly his use of rhyming worlds within the dialogue creates a number of aspects. Within Valerie's monologue the phrase:
'pissing and missing the bog'
has sibilance from the repetition of the 's' sound. Dramatically this creates a harsh consonant sound almost as if they actor playing Valerie is aggressively spitting out the anger that she feels about her husband. Within class this line was delivered with the dictated Northern accent which furthered the sibilant qualit...
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...ife up North. It is perhaps my own error that I feel more comfortable with 'Road' there is love shown through the moments of Joey and Clare, and there is friendship, Carol and Louise. 'Blasted' on the other hand holds nothing hopeful and in my opinion little which is insightful. Kane's use of dramatic techniques is rooted in the interaction of characters and their dialogue whereas Cartwright reveals characters in a more insular fashion through the use of dramatic monologues, and the descriptions they use. In short I weep when Joey dies, I laugh when Carol and Brenda provide humour, but 'Blasted' I am just shocked.
Works Cited:
Banks, R.A. 'Drama & Theatre Arts', Hodder Headline Plc, London, 1991.
Brecht, B. 'Brecht on Theatre', Metheun Publishing Ltd, London, 1957.
Boal, A. 'Theatre of the Oppressed', Pluto Press, London, 1979.
Rather, it is others who alienate it because of its grotesque appearance. The monster is quite literally ‘born’ into perpetual isolation beginning with Victor’s abandonment of it. He denies it domestic safety when he flees to his bedchamber. Victor disregards the monster’s utterance of “inarticulate sounds while a grin wrinkled his cheeks,” then escapes its outstretched hand “seemingly to detain [him]” [Shelley 49]. Examining the monster’s body language as though an impressionable infant, its actions can be read as a child-like plea for its father though the absence of speech not yet learned. Instead, its unattractive appearance causes Victor to run, leaving the creature alone with no information about himself or his surroundings. Therefore, Victor’s abandonment is a crucial justification of the monster’s negative experiences with society and nature and actions in desiring community. The monster’s alienation from family is the missing first school of human nature, and the first lesson where he learns he does not belong. The creature leaves into the wilderness to learn about the world and himself on it own, only to understand his interactions are
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Werner, Craig, Thomas J. Taylor and Robert McClenaghan. Critical Survey of Drama, Second Revised Edition: James Baldwin. April 2003. .
words so that the sound of the play complements its expression of emotions and ideas. This essay
Drama, and Writing. Ed. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 6th ed. New York: Pearson-Prentice, 2010. 40-49. Print.
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Some critics purport that these differentiations ‘become the raison d’etre of a Frankenstein film and the source of its own distinct pleasure.’ footcite{Albert J. Lavalley, 'The Endurance of Frankenstein ', pp. 245} Certainly, these variations can be considered a welcome sight, an unshackling from the constraints that Shelley’s novel lays bare. And while this act of allowing Shelley’s text to be influenced by personal fantasies and creative thought has the disservice of betraying the creature’s intricacies, they enable each adaptation to reflect the novel’s themes in context and relevance to the period in which the film is made, such as the idea of prevailing fear, alluded to with apprehension toward technology in
Levine, George, and U.C. Knoepflmacher, eds. The Endurance of Frankenstein: Essays on Mary Shelley's Novel. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1974.
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Gainor, J. Ellen., Stanton B. Garner, and Martin Puchner. The Norton Anthology of Drama, Shorter Edition. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2010. Print.
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