Directed by Taibi Magar, the Playmakers Repertory Company’s production of Kate Hamill’s play Sense and Sensibility, adapted from the novel by Jane Austen, portrayed individuals in the late eighteenth century with great emphasis on their family, money, power, prestige, and social obligation and how these factors shaped their lives. Sense and Sensibility centered around the idea of rationality versus emotionality, especially when it came to battling with the choice between duty and desire, which helped to develop the theme that you should allow yourself to embrace all your qualities, you do not have to act in only one manner and limit yourself to only strict reason or excess emotion, being yourself is not a weakness. The stark contrast in …show more content…
However, by the end of the play a subtle shift in each of their character occurs. Elinor begins to allow herself to entertain the thought of loving and finding happiness, she shares more of herself, and Marianne starts to reason with herself that she can love Colonel Brandon (Jeffrey Blair Cornell) because it makes sense and still allow it to make her happy. This character development for both Dashwood’s shows how they learn to embrace the parts of their personality they would not initially acknowledge, sensibility for Elinor and sense for Marianne, and in doing so discover that they can be happy. The costumes in Sense and Sensibility contribute to the development of the theme by highlighting the obvious difference in the personalities of Elinor, the representation of logic and propriety, and Marianne, the representation of emotion and feeling, that help to make the shift in their behavior subtler, less obvious because the focus is on what the costumes make it seem like they stand for. The costumes are unchanging, making it seem like the characters are too, which makes the fact that they learn to be more than one thing in the end more significant and surprising. The two Dashwoods’ costumes, designed by Olivera Gajic, each uniquely embody the quality they represent. Elinor Dashwood wears a light purple colored dress,
2002 - Morally ambiguous characters -- characters whose behavior discourages readers from identifying them as purely evil or purely good -- are at the heart of many works of literature. Choose a novel or play in which a morally ambiguous character plays a pivotal role. Then write an essay in which you explain how the character can be viewed as morally ambiguous and why his or her moral ambiguity is significant to the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.
Like Marianne, Mrs. Dashwood is romantic and whimsical, more prone to act on feelings than reason. Also similar to her youngest daughter, she often misjudges both the characters and situations of individuals. When Elinor tells Marianne of the difficulties Mrs. Ferrars presents in marrying Edward, "Marianne was astonished to find how much the imagination of her mother and herself had outstripped the truth" (18). Furthermore, Mrs. Dashwood's reaction to Willoughby is just as naïve as Marianne's. "In Mrs. Dashwood's opinion, he was as faultless as in Marianne's" (43). It is only Elinor, acting with the maternal caution her mother does not possess, who has reservations about Marianne's suitor.
Playwright Kate Hamill’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility enhances the classic through the use of the dramatic elements conflict and characterization, which contribute to the believability and meaning of the piece. The costume design by Olivera Gajic, lighting design by Cecilia Durbin, and scenic design by Peter Ksander used in the Playmakers Repertory Company’s production of Sense and Sensibility directed by Taibi Magar engage the audience and contribute to the development of the dramatic elements. In Sense and Sensibility, the vulnerability of women in society is explored through contrasting personalities and the importance placed on marriage, resulting in a critique of both sexes and social foundations such as money and
Holden Caulfield is a character who has been through rejection and wishes to protect others innocence. He is a teen boy who is the main character in Catcher in The Rye by J.D.Salinger. He has an older brother named DB, a younger sister named Phoebe, and a younger, deceased, brother named Allie. Holden retells his story on him, trying to be the catcher in the rye. Holden has been kicked out of different colleges. He has been rejected by different girls. Holden goes through his life story. He talks about being kicked out of Pencey, his friend Jane, his “acquaintance” Stradlater, and how, when, and where Allie died. Society is to blame for Holden Caulfield's decline in mental stability. Society does not help Holden. Instead, they ignore his
Generous, willing, and proficient—are all qualities of Elinor Dashwood. Creators regularly utilize attributes of characters to depict them as basic bits of the plot. In Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility, Elinor is appeared as a vital character through her sympathy towards others and her eagerness to help her family through troublesome circumstances.
We can find in this piece of literature work that Marianne Dashwood is guided by too much passion and acts inappropriately, while her sister, Elinor reacts with too much prudence. Eventually, both sisters are rewarded with marriage once they learn how to regulate the appropriate amount of emotional response and gain knowledge through experience. Moreover, we can observer that both concepts are necessary in order to act in a correct way. The author tries to show the readers how important sense is in our lives. Not only can we act through our reason but also we need to take into account our
Imagine you are a lawyer tasked with an impossible case, and everybody in your community is against you, but still there is a shred of hope you cling to. What might that be you ask? That to which you cling are your morals. In To Kill a Mockingbird Atticus Finch had been given the Tom Robinson case, where a black man was convicted of raping a white woman. As a single father of two children, he continues to reinforce his values throughout the trial and during his daunting task of raising his children. In To Kill A Mockingbird what Harper Lee suggests about the nature of morals is that you should try to stand up for what you believe in even if people oppose or reject your ideals. Even when faced with an insurmountable opposition you should stand up for your morals because in the end if your don't follow your beliefs you are just contributing to the problem. We should try to create a voice for what we believe in and impress that upon the next generation so they can continue to exercise their beliefs to make the world a better place.
"Like all true literary classics, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen is still capable of engaging us, both emotionally and intellectually" (Twayne back flap) through its characters and themes. This essay illustrates how Jane Austen uses the characterization of the major characters and irony to portray the theme of societal frailties and vices because of a flawed humanity. Austen writes about the appearance vs. the reality of the characters, the disinclination to believe other characters, the desire to judge others, and the tendency to take people on first impressions.
The progress between Elizabeth’s and Darcy’s relationship, in Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice (1813) illustrates and explores several the key themes in the novel. Their relationship highlights class expectations, pride and prejudice, and marriage, and how they play a major role in determining the course of their association. These are outlined through their first prejudiced dislike of each other when they first meet, the stronger feelings for Elizabeth that develop on Darcy’s side, her rejection in Darcy’s first proposal, then her change of opinion and lastly the mutual love they form for one another. Pride and Prejudice is set up as a satire, commenting on human idiocy, and Jane Austen
Looking back at early forms of literature we notice the classic idea of heroism in Beowulf. As time passes by the notion of a hero changes. Consciousness in early literature such as, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, does not enter the innermost thoughts. The notion of a hero and the notion of consciousness changes within literature through time. In the novel, Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen the hero is portrayed differently compared to earlier texts as well as the characters being aware of one’s environment. The author Jane Austen, carefully shapes her characters’ actions, feelings and affiliations in a specific way. In Sense and Sensibility we have a clearer picture of the consciousness of characters than what we see in Beowulf or Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austin was a moralistic novel depicting the two main forms of attitudes at that time; the neo -classics and the romantics. The period in which it was written, nineteenth century England, was laden with social etiquette and customs imposed on people of that time; and thus the characters of Jane Austin's novels. The novels' two main protagonists; Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, exemplify the Neo classical era and the romantic era, respectfully. Jane Austin instils Neo-classic and romantic ideals in Elinor and Marianne as to present a view of each attitude and to further enhance the discrepancies of social nineteenths century England.
Jane Austen develops a strong illustration of how challenging emotional circumstances can initiate a change in character, using Elizabeth Bennet as an effective demonstration in Pride and Prejudice. Cases such as Mr. Darcy's proposal, Charlotte's marriage, and the discovery of Mr. Wickham's past are compelling support for Austen's idea that alterations to one's behaviour and actions can occur as a result of being placed in a strenuous emotional position. Each influences Elizabeth in a different way, some causing rapid change, while others cause a slower, more gradual one. Self-reflection and the reconsideration of a character's worldview allow Austen to highlight the importance of change in trying situations.
Edward on the other hand lives happily with Elinor: "... she found in Elinor and her husband.., one of the happiest couple in the world." Marianne's views of the two gentlemen in "Sense and Sensibility" change throughout the novel. At first Willoughby is her perfect knight in shining armour. Eventually Willoughby's character is revealed to the family.
Finally, in Austen’s Sense and Sensibility the idea of Innocence is embodied in the figure of Marianne, as we can see in several passages of the text:
Often, two people who have endured similar life experiences and share an unmistakable parallel in lifestyles can be viewed as duplicates of one individual. In Sense and Sensibility, the two main characters, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood can be seen as two extensions of the same character. The sisters are relatively close in age, grew up with the same social expectations of the same time period and household, and they evidently experienced similar childhood and family trauma and problems. Although it could be argued that they are the same character, these young women are very different from each other, in respects to their roles and practice of responsibility, their display of emotions, and openness to love. Jane Austen has cleverly titled