I learned a lot of interesting things during the Shakespeare talk. For example, I always used to wonder why certain words in Shakespeare are capitalized even though it is not grammatically correct to capitalize them. I realized that sometimes it is okay to ignore grammar rules in order to bring emphasis to a certain word or convey a certain idea. I also realized that when people tried to correct Shakespeare’s works and make them grammatically correct, they ended up taking away from their meaning and from Shakespeare’s intended message. I also learned the importance of the director and the directions giving to the actors. For example, at one point John asked two students to act out the same scene several times. However, every time they acted out the scene, he gave them different directions. Remarkably, the same scene with the same words, somehow became completely transformed and changed meanings. In addition, I never realized that there are a lot of different versions of Shakespeare’s plays. For example, when editors change the play, they sometimes take away characters, or give one character another character’s line, or even change the stage directions. I do not completely understand why editors do this. Even though they may be trying to make the play easier to understand and perform or make it more grammatically correct, I do not think that these changes are worth it if they result in a loss of the original intended meaning of the play.
The play Penelope left a lasting impression on me. At the beginning of the play I was confused because I was not sure where the men were located or what time period it was. However, as the play progressed these questions did not seem as important. I thought it was interesting that at the beginning of the play all of the characters looked like they were on vacation and enjoying themselves, but it was obvious that something was wrong because Burn kept starring at a wall. Burn’s actions made me feel uneasy and made it hard for me to believe that the characters were actually enjoying themselves. As the play went on, my suspicions turned out to be true. I like that the play had simple clues like Burt’s looking at the wall, to tell the audience that not everything is really as it seems.
I liked the fact that as the play went on, it gradually became more and more truthful. The characters shed their fake enjoyment and friendliness towards each other and eventually showed the audience that they were actually in an important competition and would kill each other for the prize. In addition, the monologues of the play became more truthful as well. For example, Dunne’s first monologue had no emotion, but his second monologue about childhood was truthful and something that the audience could easily relate to. This element of communicating the truth and common emotions that people share made the play interesting to watch. Everyone can feel emotions but it is difficult to communicate your emotions to someone else and make them feel as well. This play made me feel and as a result, I think it was very well written.
The BBQ burning at the end is an image that still stands out in mind. All of the characters talked about the burning BBQ at the beginning of the play and then this image was brought up again at the end. As a result this image was powerful because it gives the play a feeling of completeness. In addition, at the beginning of the play the characters said that when the BBQ burns this will be a sign that the characters will soon die. This idea also contributed to the feeling of completeness because while the BBQ was burning at the end, I felt like the characters were about to die and all of their efforts to avoid their death have not resulted in any gains, except maybe a cleaner conscience.
