- Plays are not meant to be read. They’re not meant for the audience at all. They are for the actors to use and dispose of before the play begins. Shakespeare couldn’t possibly have imagined that people would read his plays, especially in school. So, what exactly is “the play”? The text used by the actors, or the full performance seen by the audience (which includes costumes, effects, staging, etc.)?
- Plays were a form of popular spectacle, like big box office movies or major sporting events today. There were folks who thought that because of this, plays were unrefined, crass, and immoral. There were others who thought because these works were novel tellings of old stories, updated for the contemporary moment to fit the needs of the masses, they were better. Now we often think of Shakespeare’s plays as only for the smartest, most elite, and the most schooled. What do you think has changed?
- In Shakespeare’s England, women were not allowed to be actors, so all the roles for women were played by men. Is it a significant change to Shakespeare’s intent if modern productions change the gender of the actor in a particular role (to either a man or a woman or… something else)?
- Plays are meant to be different with each viewing, otherwise, we would have stopped putting them on once we had video cameras. A recording is the same every time, but a performance changes in response to each audience; the health and emotions of the actors; circumstances such as accidents and mistakes;, etc. Where you sit affects what you see and you may not always have what we might call the “best” view. Your own response is affected by the rest of the audience. How does reading a static text change the experience of the play?
- Shakespeare was modern drama when he was writing. His actors dressed in modern clothes. Should we do the same, putting actors in what is modern dress for us? Or do these plays need to be presented as we think Shakespeare would have done it in t he 15th century? Do you think Shakespeare would have even cared? How does the experiences of seeing modern or 400-year old clothing change our perceptions of the play?
- Attitudes about race, gender, ability, nationality, and even personal rights have changed significantly since Shakespeare’s time. Now, it wouldn’t be acceptable for Lysander to call Hermia a racial slur on stage, or for Oberon to bless Theseus’ home by wishing for no disabled children. A plot that hinges on kidnapping a child for indentured servitude probably wouldn’t be tolerated. Should these sections be changed? Does changing them change the play? Or should they be performed with the original language, as it was written, even though we wouldn’t allow it from a modern production? Isn’t the harm the same? Or is there another value?
- Comedies tend to confirm traditional views because even if resistance is depicted, the need for a “happy ending” often requires a traditional arrangement. This play is a comedy and all three couples end up in traditional arrangements. Still, is this a conservative or rebellious play?
7 years ago
532 words
