The Critique Of Absurdism In The Arsonist By Max Frisch

The technical aspects of the production such as scenery, properties and costumes also played a keynote in the productions success. The scenery was fabulous it truly made the play. It was very realistic and extremely vibrant. Almost the entire play was performed in one setting, except for the railcar and dance scenes. The house, the main setting, was magnificent with painstakingly placed detail in every corner. All elements in the house matched wonderfully, for example the furniture, the photos on the wall, the telephone and even the trash can. Little bits of detail were everywhere adding to the beautification of the set, for example the lace decorations on the chairs, the etched glass above the front door and even the Christmas tree.

The audience is able to instantly understand what is happening in a scene and how it impacts on what has happened and what is occurring in present time. The play uses its style perfectly with its use of extended dialogue to convey meaning and tell the story. The audience can get lost in its story as there are no confusing abstract themes to throw them, everything the story is about is laid out before them and this helps with understanding the dramatic meaning as the dramatic meaning is very serious and realistic, just like the storytelling style.

On the other hand, some people say the movie displays emotions and the scenes in realistic ways that make each of the characters more believable as it cannot be done on paper. It does make sense in the idea that the characters’ all seem more realistic in what they say due to elements such as body language. However, the film does not pull readers to the story as the play does, and characters become harder to believe as the personal feel is lacking. The play has elements within that makes the reader wonder what is happening and it leads to an involvement as if he/she were there. Therefore, the idea that the film displays emotions make sense, it just does not pull to the reader.

11. Point out some moments in the play when the playwright conveys much to the audience without dialogue

The first words you hear are “punch me” which blows your mind. It makes you ask, “why would someone want to be punched?”. As the play goes on you find out why and it makes you take a step back to realize just how serious this topic is. Just like the production A Chorus Line, you felt for the characters and that connection you had with them only developed more and more throughout the production. One example of this would be how one of the main characters, “Amy” felt throughout the duration of the play. Amy felt that she was alone, and no one would be there for her while she was enduring something that no child should ever have to undergo by themselves. The second example would be “Ester” who was so willing to do anything Amy asked because she wanted friendship and acceptance so badly. The beginning of the play was filled with Ester constantly asking if she was punching her correctly or could do anything to help Amy. This really connects to us as young adults and adolescents because we are constantly looking for acceptance from our peers. This was shown very clearly through the characterization of Ester throughout the

It is commonly known that theatre is mostly connected to political or spiritual ideologies. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, takes a historical fact and turns into a political play based on the Salem witch trials; can the truth be seen in this play? Yes, mostly because of the main historical debate described in the play involving Wiccan cult versus Christianity and it is known to be based on cultural concerns. “The play can be seen as symbolic of the paranoia about communism that pervaded America in the 1950s” . Thus, Miller’s play on the witch trials in Salem originates from the true events however is projected with false pretenses. Aristotle’s Poetics have six elements for theatre and there are surnamed Plot, Characterization, Idea, Language, Music and Spectacle. These elements represent the keys to a theatre performance, however where is the psychology in that? One theatre genre that can be an absolute opposition to Stanislavsky’s perception of theatre is known as the Theatre of the Absurd. The theatre of the absurd does not follow any guidelines concerning the techniques of theatre, which is why it is a good example because absurdity does not have any true or false, it is a bit chaotic and strange at the same time.

The play itself was moving. It brings about uncomfortable topics that any people do not like discussing, such a mental illness and loss of a loved one. The play unpackaged human emotions and shows how people can deal with grief and uncomfortable situations or truth. The play follows Catherine, a 25-year-old college dropout whose father Robert has just recently passed away. Catherine had dropped out of school to take care of her father the past several years. Catherine is the protagonist in this play. She is somewhat lost, but she continues to strive to do what she believes is best. Her father, Robert, was a famous mathematician, but he was also mentally ill. The relationship between these two can sometimes be misleading, due to the nature of some of the dialogue, but they both loved each other. Robert became a mathematician in his early twenties when he contributed to the game theory. When the play begins Robert is already dead, he has passed away from a heart attack. Upon his death Catherine sister Claire comes to see her. Claire thinks that Catherine might have some of the same mental issues that her father did, and she wants to take Catherine to New York with her to find help. The relationship between the two sisters has never been the best and Catherine does not want to go with Claire. Catherine is

The main theme of the play is to not fall prey to emotions and hasty suspicions. They are a bad combination and will ruin your life. If you ever get one of these you should try not to get the other or you are in trouble. So if you are ever having doubts about someone ask them, don’t listen to your friends. They might not know the truth or the whole

When the play comes to a close, the audience experiences a release of these emotions (catharsis). At the start of the play, Brady was a noble man who was always looked up to. After Brady introduced his name to the mayor, the mayor of Hillsboro pronounced Brady’s popularity saying, “Oh, I know. Everybody knows that. I had a speech of welcome ready, but somehow it didn’t seem necessary” (Lawrence and Lee 21). The mayor telling Brady how the popularity already knows Brady’s identity shows that he is respected throughout the city of Hillsboro. As Brady changes throughout the play, people start to look down on him. After he is humiliated at the trial, Brady shouts to his wife, “They’re laughing at me Mother!” (Lawrence and Lee 102). Brady changed from an influential person to someone who people looked down on in a blink of an eye. The change from being influential to being looked down on evokes fear towards the audience since this sudden transformation can happen to anyone. Because Brady was an influential man and didn’t deserve his fate, the audience also receives a sense of pity for Brady. Although Drummond was an enemy of Brady in the trial, he shows respect for Brady. When the judge reveals to the crowd that Brady has died, Drummond’s respect for Brady is portrayed when responding to the judge explaining that he “can’t imagine the world without Matthew

"Nowadays the plays' meaning is usually blurred by the fact that the actor plays to the audiences hearts. The figures portrayed are foisted on the audience and are falsified in the process. Contrary to present custom they ought to be presented quite coldly, classically and objectively. For they are not matter for empathy; they are there to be understood and politely added

Realism provides only amoral observation, while absurdism rejects even the possibility of debate. (Frances Babbage, Augusto Boal). The cynicism of this remark reflects the aberrant attitude towards absurdism, yet there is truth to it. Theatre of the absurd is an esoteric avant-garde style of theatre based on the principles of existentialism that looks at the world without any assumption of purpose. Existentialism and Theatre of the Absurd became identified with a cultural movement that flourished in Europe in the 1940s and 1950s, after the Second World War. The idea that man starts with nothing and ends with nothing is a common theme amongst most absurd plays. Despite this strange philosophy, Theatre of the

This play is considered to be a tragedy. It is a story about how a man has gone a little crazy over the years, and has attempted

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.

Schmitz actions were a central topic of the play, so John's good acting contributed to the play's success majorly. The protagonists (Morgan Gates) and antagonists (John Snively) vocal skills such as articulation and ability to appropriately project their voice was crucial in the success of the play. All the characters in the play had strong intangible skills, but Schmitz skills were the most prominent. This was thanks to his ability to smoothly carry out is role of being a sneaky and persuasive arsonist. Some other skills that were evident in all of the other characters included them having their lines well-rehearsed and always responding to one another in an appropriate manner.

Biedermann loses his power at the very start of the play. Once Schmitz enters his house he loses the power he has as the arsonists take over. While he has power over his wife and maid, he still thinks that he has control over everything. But, the arsonists manipulate Biedermann skillfully and lead him to believe that he has control while, as Boyd argues, he is, “powerless over his external environment”. In the end, Biedermann gives the arsonists matches and this acts as a symbol of surrendering power to the arsonists, “which Frisch presents symbolically as an innocent box of matches.” At this point, it is too late for Biedermann to save himself as the audience knows that disaster is inevitable. Frisch uses the chorus as the final speaker in the play as it emphasises its argument once