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.
The archetypal tragedy of two star-crossed lovers, separated by familial hate, is a recurring theme, which never fails to capture the minds of the audience. It is only at great cost, through the death of the central characters that these feuding families finally find peace. This is an intriguing idea, one antithetical. I have chosen to analyze both Shakespeare 's Romeo and Juliet and Laurent 's West Side Story. The purpose of this essay is showing how the spoken language is utilized in these different plays to meet differing objectives. The chosen scenes to further aid comparison and contrast are the balcony scenes.
Literary theorist, Kenneth Burke, defined dramatistic explaination by the prescence of five key elements. This list of elements, now popularly known as Burke’s Pentad, can be used to asses human behavior as well as dicipher literary themes and motives. The five elements; agent, purpose, scene, act, and agency, have been found highly useful by performance study practitioners in translating texts into aesthetics. When systematically applying Burke’s Pentad to “Burn Your Maps,” a short story by Robyn Joy Leff published January 2002 of the Atlantic Monthly, the analyzer can realistically grasp the emotional and logical motivations and tones of the text. By doing so, the performer becomes an enlightened vessel for the message Leff wants to communicate. The Pentad can be described with simple questions like: Who? What? When? Where? How?, but asking the small questions should always lead to more in depth analysis of the element, and it should overall, explain the deeper question: Why?
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
The Tempest, is a timeless play about Prospero getting justice by having his throne back. William Shakespeare uses various dramatic elements to help readers deepen their understanding of the text in the play. The archetype critical theory can be used when reading Act 1, Scene 2 of The Tempest, for enhancing the reader’s understanding of the play. The archetype critical theory is patterns that are universal and have been applied to literature. These archetypes are present in the symbols, imagery, allusions, and dramatic irony of the scene.
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
‘Turned’ by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and ‘Tony kytes, the arch-deceiver’ by Thomas Hardy, are both short stories. They are about the relationships between men and women. ‘Turned’ is a more severe story. It is about a man called Mr Marroner going abroad for work, and his wife finding out that Mr Marroner had slept with their servant Gerta. Gerta then becomes pregnant and, consequently Mrs Marroner tells Gerta to leave. However, Mrs Marroner soon realises that it was Mr Marroner’s fault, and therefore Mrs Marroner and Gerta leave before Mr Marroner returns home. ‘Tony Kytes, the arch deceiver’ is a more light-hearted story. Tony is a man that likes a lot of women, and there are a lot of women that like Tony. Tony is supposed to be engaged to a young women named Milly, however on a journey home from town he meets two other girls. Both are previous girlfriends and they start flirting with him. Tony ends up with two girls hiding in the back of his wagon and one sitting beside him. He gets in a bit of a muddle. However he ends marrying Milly. This story is about a man who is unsure about how he feels towards his fiancé.
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
...ay. The spoken language was written with a southern accent which was also very well done. All the characters also speak in their different social class styles. For example, the servants speak with very poor grammar and then on the other hand, Ben or Mr. Marshall speak in a very dignified manner. Besides the spoken language, the play has many written stage direction which almost all highlight the characters’ ideas. Since though there are so many stage directions though, one has to be careful to make sure that they all further and enhance the plot of the play. The intentions and meanings of the language also came through exceptionally clear. From the very beginning of the play, the reader knows exactly what every character’s ulterior motive is and almost every character has one. Because of the very clear character makeup, this enhances all themes, meanings, and intentions of the play and characters.
Levine, George, and U.C. Knoepflmacher, eds. The Endurance of Frankenstein: Essays on Mary Shelley's Novel. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1974.
Gainor, J. Ellen., Stanton B. Garner, and Martin Puchner. The Norton Anthology of Drama, Shorter Edition. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2010. Print.
piece a modernist one. The play’s dialogue, technology, and the fragmentation of the piece, are
Drama, and Writing. Ed. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 6th ed. New York: Pearson-Prentice, 2010. 40-49. Print.
Victor Frankenstein’s creation of human life is not only the pinnacle of his study into the secret of life, but the pinnacle of his story as well. The creation of the monster
William Shakespeare’s dramatic and poetic techniques and his use of hyperbole are used to describe the characters emotions and weaknesses. The use of dramatic irony is used to create personal conflict. This is done throughout the play to describe the characters concerns and their situations.