tradition

this is regarding the exercise we did in class on traditional dance. in my opinion i think tradition is really important and i agree with Jairaj from "Dance like a Man" by Mahesh Dattani, that traditions should be preserved as culture represents identity, and when there is no interest and passion to preserve culture it could end up like the Mak Yong dance as Mak Su said, neither alive or dead.
so, literature in some ways, part of culture, so love it, live it and preserve it.

different stages of life

im comparing the different views of Yeats, Shakespeare and Sophocles on the different stages of men. in Sophocles's Oedipus rex, there are three stages of men that is recognized by the riddle from the sphinx, from a crawling baby to a man and then an old man with a cane. Sophocles seem to think that these are the elements of life.
Yeats differs from him as he says that there are four stages of man taken from the fourth quater of Supernatural Songs. Yeats conclude that in life the four stages are body, heart, mind and God. in my opinion i think this poem is spiritual as it shows that in life everything that is physical, emotional and intellectual in the end is taken back by the Creator. the body leaves then man, the heart leaves the body, the mind leaves the heart and God wins it all back in the fight.
Shakespeare in As You Like It however differs from both Yeats and Sophocles by saying that there are seven stages in life. first the infant, then the school boy,to lover, to soldier, to justice, to the lean and slipper'd pantaloon and finally to the second childishness stage.
in my opinion i think the clearer of all stages and the most closest to real life is Shakespeare because in life the seven stages in life is different from just the three stages that Sophocles conveys. but yeats however is talking about the after life which is also something i strongly agree on as everything given has to be taken back one day.

things that you consider in a play

when acting out a scene or watching a scene, the things i look out for in a play to comprehend the message that is being delivered, is of course the actions of the actors, the expressions, gestures and their intonation. these elements are very important because it sends a non-verbal message when the actor is not saying anything or when the actor cannot be heard. these paralinguistic and non-linguistic cues help the audience get a clearer view of what the actor is trying to convey, thus making the comprehension of the entire play much easier. this shows that stage directions are very important in a play as it tells the actors what to do non-verbally.

oedipus rex

i have jus completed Oedipus rex and i think it is seriously a really good play. as we have been discussing much about the incest, ignorance, kindness and blindness not forgetting fate and prophecies, not many people noticed that Oedipus is also a little bit selfish, not on the whole, just a tiny a little bit. in my opinion i think when he decided to find Laois murderer, fearing that he could be next shows selfishness eventhough the ulterior motive was to help his subjects, that is just my opinion.
something else i noticed was also the fact that Lacoste did not notice the scars on Oedipus's ankle. just slightly curious.

plot

i really like the the idea of a Brechtian plot. The fact that this type of plot actually makes you think pleases me. The m,ost interesting part of it that i like is the actor questions his or herself outside the context of the play. the fact that there is also no suspense is likable to me as the whole idea is to make you think and not be anxious.
an aristotelian plot is also interesting but it does not appeal to me that much as emotions is not really my thing and usually most of the storylines are slightly predictable.
so far my understanding of drama is getting slightly clearer than it was when i jus started but i still find it rather tedious to read and understand so much in such a short time.

drama

i think the introduction to drama was a learning experience to me as i really had no idea at all that Aristotle had anything to do with dramatic plot let alone plays. always thought he was just a philosopher. it is really sad that he Greek period drama had to end as I think that reading Oedipus the King has made me realize that the play seemed more interesting than the roman soldiers and slaves. that is just my opinion. i do wish we get the chance to at least have a glimpse at comedy plays even though it is said to be really difficult. well that is it for now.