Part vι Life is Theatre
Lead-in
Prepare model reading of the poem by W. Shakespeare about life compared to theatre. Why does the great genius compare life with stage and people with actors? Can you agree with the statement: ‘Life is theatre’?
William Shakespeare
All the world's a stage
All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.
And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lined,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slipper'd pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side,
His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.
Translate the following fragments into Ukrainian (in writing). Then discuss the content.
A. There are many people whom the theatre fills with an excitement which no familiarity can stale. It is to them a world of mystery and delight; it gives them entry into a realm of the imagination which increases their joy in life, and its illusion colours the ordinariness of their daily round with the golden shimmer of romance.
W.S. Maugham
B. In the Theatre we are proud to serve, ideas merely play like summer lightning over a deep lake of feeling; the intellect may be quickened there, but what is more important is that the imagination of the spectator begins to be haunted, so that long after he has left the play-house the actors are still with him, still telling him of their despair and their hope.
J.B. Priestley
1. Before reading the extract from ‘Theatre’ by W. S. Maugham, make sure you know the words and word-combinations. Use them in context.
an atmosphere of make-believe, to get down to brass tracks, stifle, sincerely,
moving, worked up, uplifted, terribly sorry, beastly, underhand,
anguish, tear oneself to pieces, to be taken in, pretence, second nature
2. Have you ever experienced the emotions described by the above-given lexical items, both positive and negative? Share your experience using the above-mentioned words and phrases.
3. What could be the conversational context in the sentences below? Who said this, in your opinion, to whom, why, under what circumstances, what was the subject of the conversation? Develop your idea and describe the situation. Think, imagine, guess! Don’t limit your imagination !
‘You don’t exist, you’re only the innumerable parts you’ve played’.
‘I’ve lived all my life in an atmosphere of make-believe’.
‘the air, you think is the air of heavens, stifles me’.
‘I felt a bloody little hero’.
‘the tears were streaming down your face’.
‘What the bloody hell is that electrician doing with the lights’
‘I was a fool to be taken in by it’.
‘It’s second nature to you’.
4. What is this extract going to be about? Any ideas? Make a guess.
5. Read the following extract. Choose the correct forms of the modal verbs. Say what Roger means saying that he wants reality.
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‘What is it you want, Roger?’
‘
Reality’.
‘What do you mean?’
"You see, I've lived all my life in an atmosphere of make-believe. I want to get down to brass tacks. You and father are all right breathing this air, it's the only air you know and you think it's the air of heaven. It stifles me".
He hesitated a little before he spoke again. One (may) think that he had to make a slight effort over himself to continue.
"When I was just a kid, I was fourteen, I was standing one night in the wings watching you act. It (must) be a pretty good scene, you said the things you had to say so sincerely, and what you were saying was so moving, I (can) not help crying. I was all worked up. I don't know how to say it quite, I was uplifted; I felt terribly sorry for you, I felt a bloody little hero; I felt I'd never do anything again that was beastly or underhand. And then you (have) to come to the back of the stage, near where I was standing, the tears were streaming down your face; you stood with your back to the audience and in your ordinary voice you said to the stage manager, what the bloody hell is that electrician doing with the lights? I told him to leave out the blue. And then in the same breath you turned round and faced the audience with a great cry of anguish and went on with the scene."
"But, darling, that was acting. If an actress felt the emotions she represented she'd tear herself to pieces. I remember the scene well. It used to bring down the house. I've never heard such applause in my life."
"I suppose I was a fool to be taken in by it. I believed you meant what you said. When I saw that it was all pretence it smashed something. I've never believed in you since. You don't know the difference between truth and make-believe. You never stop acting. It's second nature to you. You act when there's a party here. You act to the servants, you act to father, you act to me. To me you act the part of the fond, indulgent, celebrated mother. You don't exist, you're only the innumerable parts you've played."
(From Theatre by W. S. Maugham)
6. Two persons are characterised in the text. What do you think of their characters? What is your impression? Do you blame the mother or maybe you can perceive her point of view? What about the son? Can you judge them unambiguously?
Now, think of the author’s attitude towards both. Remember you must find in the text the proof of the writer’s view. Which method of characterization does the author use? By what devices is the effect achieved? Find emotionally coloured words and colloquialisms in the fragment. Why did the author use so many of them?
Give a summary of the extract.
You noticed a picture of a Venetian mask in the text. What does it symbolize, in your opinion?
Talk show ‘BEZ TABU’
A) First in group formulate the problems risen in the text, make a list of them on the black-board.
B) Air your views. Quotations below can provoke some thoughts, use them in your speech, if there is such a need. While grounding your idea speak about some experience from life (yours or your acquaintances’), describe them first, then comment and draw a conclusion. Make your speech logic and persuasive.
“Theater is, of course, a reflection of life. Maybe we have to improve life before we can hope to improve theater.”( W. R. Inge)
“The theater is so endlessly fascinating because it's so accidental. It's so much like life.” (Arthur Miller)
“He steps on stage and draws the sword of rhetoric, and when he is through, someone is lying wounded and thousands of others are either angry or consoled.” (Pete Hamill)
“The word theatre comes from the Greeks. It means the seeing place. It is the place people come to see the truth about life and the social situation”. (Stella Adler)
“When I come into the theatre I get a sense of security. I love an audience. I love people, and I act because I like trying to give pleasure to people”. (Vivien Leigh)
“The pit of a theatre is the one place where the tears of virtuous and wicked men alike are mingled”. (Denis Diderot)
Pronunciation practice
Prepare model reading of the poem, seize its ironical meaning, then formulate it.
Theatre Terms and What They Mean
In is down, down is front
Out is up, up is back
Off is out, on is in,
And of course,
Right is left, left is right.
A drop shouldn't and a
Block and fall does neither.
A prop doesn't and
A cove has no water.
Tripping is OK.
A running crew rarely gets anywhere.
A purchase line will buy you nothing.
A trap will not catch anything.
A gridiron has nothing to do with football.
Strike is work. (In fact, lots of work)
And a green room, thank God, usually isn't.
Now that you're fully versed in theatrical terms,
Break a leg - but not really!
Read and translate the text.
"Dorian, Dorian", she cried, before I knew you, acting was the one reality of my life. It was only in the theatre that I lived. I thought that it was all true. I was Rosalind one night, and Portia the other. The joy of Beatrice was my joy, and the sorrows of Cordelia were mine also. I believed in everything. The common people who acted with me seemed to me to be godlike. The painted scenes were my world. I knew nothing but shadows, and I thought them real. You came — oh, my beautiful love! — and you freed my soul from prison. You taught me what reality really is. To-night, for the first time in my life, I saw through the hollowness, the sham, the silliness of the empty pageant in which I had always played. To-night, for the first time, I became conscious that Romeo was hideous, and old, and painted, that the moonlight in the orchard was false, that the scenery was vulgar, and that the words I had to speak were unreal, were not my words, were not what I wanted to say. You had brought me something higher, something of which all art is but a reflection. You had made me understand what love really is. My love! My love! Prince Charming! Prince of life! I have grown sick of shadows. You are more to me than all art can ever be. What have I to do with the puppets of a play? When I came on tonight, I could not understand how it was that everything had gone from me. I thought that I was going to be wonderful. I found that I could do nothing. Suddenly it dawned on my soul what it all meant. The knowledge was exquisite to me. I heard them hissing, and I smiled. What could they know of love such as ours? Take me away, Dorian — take me away with you, where we can be quite alone. I hate the stage. I might mimic a passion that I do not feel, but I cannot mimic one that burns me like fire. Oh, Dorian, Dorian, you understand now what it signifies? Even if I could do it, it would be profanation for me to play at being in love. You have made me see that”
(From “The Picture of Dorian Grey” by O. Wilde)
Comment on the extract:
1. Explain the words: “You came — oh, my beautiful love! — and you freed my soul from prison. You taught me what reality really is.” 2. Explain the words: “I might mimic a passion that I do not feel, but I cannot mimic one that burns me like fire. “ 3. Go back to the above-given quotations and choose those which reflect the ideas of this extract.
4. Here are two quotations:
1) ... the purpose of playing ... was and is, to hold, as it were, the mirror up to nature; to show virtue her own feature, scorn her own image, and the very age and body of the time, his form and pressure. (Shakespeare "Hamlet", III, 2).
2) Art... is a veil rather than a mirror (O.Wilde Intentions).
Discuss in groups:
What could bring about such a complete revaluation of values?
Whose mouthpiece was Shakespeare?
Who fostered O.Wilde's ideas?
What purposes does art serve?
Do you think art can be great if it is not linked with the life of the people, interests, ideas? Give your reasons.
What is your opinion of the theory of "art for art's sake"?