Grotowski's 'Apocalypsis Humor Figuris'

In the ‘Frogs’ and ‘Wasps’ written by the “eminently best” comedian of the fifth century, Aristophanes, we see he utilized humour to exact the important message that Athens is corrupt, and on the verge of chaos. The Athenian audience would expect to be thrust into a world of humour in the City Dionysia, somewhere parallel to their own (e.g. the Athenian jury in the ‘Wasps’, and the failings of the government in ‘Frogs’). It is vital, then, that Aristophanes conveys his political and social views through slapstick, farce, and caricature to interest the audience. This is an important component in both plays as the audience is able to simultaneously accept his diplomatic views whilst being entertained. After all his main point for producing his plays were to produce something with a “little fable, with a moral”.

The short story Gryphon, written by Charles Baxter, is about a substitute teacher that presents herself in an extremely self-assured and eccentric manner as she teaches children a variety of subjects. Miss Ferenczi, the new substitute teacher, uses every moment she can to influence the students in an unusual manner, a manner that will never be forgotten. The students continue their typical routine of attending school each day, however their perspectives are changed in the classroom about the world around them. The point of view of a child is so detailed and vibrant as Tommy, a fourth grader from Garfield-Murray School, states his every sight and thought. Crucial aspects to this story is the character development of Miss Ferenczi, setting

Life is not something simple as we often prefer. There are many different approaches and in most instances we will not find the desired fulfillment in any of them. In the short story “Parkers Back” written by Flannery O’Connor we have a multi-faceted view into the life of the primary character O.E. Parker. In addition we see into the life of Sarah Ruth, Parker’s wife and possibly into the life of author Flannery O’Connor, who died shortly after completing this short story. The characters in this story deal with Tattoos from totally different perspectives and get completely different results. Tattoos are the focal point of the story and prominent on many occasions. Without purpose in life people often make bad decisions which impact the

During Mr. Rosenberg’s leave we learned different dramatic elements such as script analysis, stasis and intrusion, dramatic conflict, etc. This helps us to understand the different elements so one day when we have to apply the elements we will already be mindful of them. Additionally, we also learned about the beginning of theater dating back to ancient Greece and their different ways of displaying theater.

How rude do you think some people can be? In the book Wonder, by R.J Palacio there is a boy named Julian and he is one of the meanest boys in the whole 5th grade. Julian is so mean to others, that on the first day of school for a boy named August, Julian bullied him. It was August’s first day of school ever because he was homeschooled by his mom. He has a facial deformity and does not want other people to make fun of him and all Julian is trying to do is make August want to go back to being home schooled.

In The Weirdo by Theodore Taylor, Aunt Peaches behaves in a very privileged manner. For example, she is obviously a character who has a lot money because she can afford a trip to Paris. This shows that she is used to a lavish lifestyle. She probably takes a lot of vacations to faraway places because she can afford it. This proves that her lifestyle is very different than Sam’s. Sam lives on a farm and doesn’t take fancy vacations like Peaches. Sam is even shown being jealous of Peaches by saying, “Just think, you two’ll be in Paris in the morning” (7). In addition to that, Peaches owns very expensive items, like Buck, which “Jack valued at fifty thousand dollars” (8). Peaches is able to buy extravagant things that most people can’t, but

The ideas of Bertolt Brecht (1898-1965) changed the theatre in many ways. Brecht along with Erwin Piscator developed the style of Epic theatre style contrasting to previous accepted styles. Presentational in form, Epic theatre is a vehicle for social comment through techniques such as: alienation, historification, eclectic influences (highly Asian), constructivism in scenery, disjointed and illogical scene placement, ordinary clothing and lighting, the use of music to detach the audience from emotion, placards and signs and projected images. Didactic in nature Brecht’s works aim to challenge the

In the story “Cask of the Amontillado”, Written by Edgar Allen Poe, there are many different types of irony to be seen. He used Verbal, Situational, and Dramatic very liberally. Verbal Irony is shown in cask of the amontillado, Montresor says “And I [toast] to your long life.” This is just one of the many examples of Verbal Irony in this story, Along with “You are a man to be missed.” These two phrases allude to the fact that Montresor has something sinister planned, but of course this is not picked up by the intoxicated Fortunato, or any of the readers until It’s too late.

According to Sobol, Gens’ idea of preserving Jewish culture at a time when the ghetto was being slowly destroyed came from his “conviction that normalization and productivization . . . were the key to saving as many people as possible [and he] regarded the theatre not only as a source of livelihood and employment for the actors but also as an invaluable emotional outlet which would boost morale and help to normalize ghetto life” (Sobol, 228). In the question of morale, Gens was quickly proven to be right. No fewer than 111 performances were given in the first year, and from January 1942, when the ghetto’s theatre opened to the final liquidation in September, 1943, the ghetto’s population of twenty thousand people had bought seventy thousand tickets. Over the objections of some of the inhabitants, especially Kruk, who attempted to stop the cultural activity by displaying banners and handbills declaring “No theatre in a graveyard” and “No concerts in a graveyard,” Gens pushed through his plans for a vigorous renewal of cultural life in the ghetto and in the course of the play succeeded in finally winning over many to his viewpoint, including Kruk. But along with this robust cultural activity, Gens also

Irony has been used in many forms to add humor and suspense in literature. Edger Allen Poe used verbal irony in the “The Cask of Amontillado” to show Montresor’s true intentions throughout the story. Montresor is the mastermind behind the plan to kill Fontunato, a prideful, wealthy man who adores wine, which in the end makes him the perfect target. We know Montresor’s intentions are to eliminate his “friend” because he says, “I must not only punish, but punish the impunity.”(pg. 233)

Stella Adler, famous actress and acting teacher once stated that “the theatre was created to tell people the truth about life and the social situation.” Woyzeck by Georg Büchner is a play that perfectly represents Adler’s view on theatre. The plot of the play revolves around a troubled lower class man named Woyzeck, who ultimately murders his lover, Marie. But it is not merely the plot that makes this play align with Adler’s view, rather, it is the naturalistic style of the Woyzeck. Naturalistic theatre examines the human psyche and how one is influenced by nature and nurture. Through Büchner’s use of plot structure and thought, Woyzeck will be directed in a manner that makes the audience realize that human behavior is not simply a byproduct of nature versus nurture, that there is indeed a third option: self-will.

What is satire? According to oxforddictionaries.com, satire is “The use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.” This literary device is portrayed heavily in both the illustrations “Gin Lane” by William Hogarth and in “Untitled” by Paul Kuczynski. “Gin Lane” is basically an illustration by William Hogarth that depicts life in the gin shops and shows the negative effects the drink had on the people of London. It shines a light on the horrible circumstances London was under when gin was introduced to its people. “Unititled” is an illustration by Paul Kuczynski that represents how our current society

“Since his [Aristophanes’] plays were often sharply critical of Athenian policies, his ability to make people laugh was essential to conveying his message. He was a practitioner of what we now call Old Comedy, an irreverent form that ridiculed and insulted prominent people and important institutions” (80).

While designing a show certain key aspects must be thought about in order for the show to flow in a way that will keep audience members engaged. The show must be true to the script, be pleasing to the eye, offer dynamic characters, and be accessible to the public. In order, for a production of Woyzeck by Georg Buchner to be produced certain decisions must be made early on. This is due to the incompleteness of the play. In Buchner’s play, the main character of Woyzeck and his family are marginalized to an insane degree. They are crushed by the world around them, never fully able to reach their full potential because of the societal pressures they experience. In order to interpret this idea, I would make the set for my production of Woyzeck larger than life. The extravagance of the set would help to advance this metaphor, as it would juxtapose the mundane, meek nature of Woyzeck and his family. Georg Buchner died before he was able to finished the play which means that because it is incomplete there is no way for certain to know which order the play is supposed to go in. The fragmented scenes allow the play to take various forms. The play revolves around the concept that there is no structure. Each scene is independent and follows a story; however, the story can be altered depending on the order one presents the scenes in and the images one emphasizes. Georg Buchner’s original idea can only be interpreted and no one is certain what he wanted to end the show with. One of the

While designing a show, certain key aspects must be thought about in order for the show to flow in a way that will keep audience members engaged. The show must be true to the script, be pleasing to the eye, offer dynamic characters, and be accessible to the public. In order, for a production of Woyzeck by Georg Buchner to be produced certain decisions must be made early on. This is due to the incompleteness of the play. In Buchner’s play, the main character of Woyzeck and his family are marginalized to an insane degree. They are crushed by the world around them, never fully able to reach their full potential because of the societal pressures they experience. In order to interpret this idea, I would make the set for my production of Woyzeck larger than life. The extravagance of the set would help to advance this metaphor, as it would juxtapose the mundane, meek nature of Woyzeck and his family. Georg Buchner died before he was able to finished the play which means that because it is incomplete there is no way for certain to know which order the play is supposed to go in. The fragmented scenes allow the play to take various forms. The play revolves around the concept that there is no structure. Each scene is independent and follows a story; however, the story can be altered depending on the order one presents the scenes in and the images one emphasizes. Georg Buchner’s original idea can only be interpreted and no one is certain what he wanted to end the show with. One of the