On the Tragic Implication of Thunderstorm from the Perspective of Drama Conflict and Language Features

Thunderstorm has won lasting vitality with its rich connotation and tragic connotation. Thunderstorm is not only a tragedy of Zhou and Lu's family, but also a tragedy of society and humanity. Thunderstorm reproduces the social reality at that time, reveals people's living dilemma at that time, reveals human's spiritual dilemma, and also has a lot of enlightenment for us in the 2 1 century.

Keywords "Thunderstorm" dramatic conflict language tragic implication

Thunderstorm written by Cao Yu is a masterpiece of China's plays. It has always maintained its enduring vitality since it came out, mainly because of its profound and rich cultural implications: the glorious humanity of tragic characters, the spiritual dilemma of human beings, the mystery of life dilemma and fate, and the profound enlightenment of thoughts. All the characters in the play are tragedies without exception. Thunderstorm is not only the tragedy of Zhou and Lu's family, but also the tragedy of society and mankind. This paper discusses its profound and rich tragic implication by analyzing its dramatic conflicts and unique language art.

First, colorful drama conflicts.

Drama conflict refers to a highly typical conflict that can best express the character and relationship of the characters and reflect the essential characteristics of social life. In Thunderstorm, there are many aspects:

1, the interaction between light and shade of dramatic clues determines the dramatic conflict in Thunderstorm.

The plot clues in the play crisscross. Among the five people, there are four levels of marriage and love, which determine the sharp and complicated contradictions and conflicts. In the script, the love entanglement between Zhou Ping and Fan Yi and Sifeng is a bright line, while the relationship between Zhou Puyuan and Shi Ping is a dark line. At first, the bright line influenced the dark line (Fan Yi recruited Sifeng's mother Shi Ping to Zhou Mansion in order to win back the love from Sifeng), and now the bright line is dominant; In the end, it was the dark line that decided the bright line (Fan Yi's plan to steal a lover failed, and his drought-striken fields were about to flee with four phoenixes, when Zhou Puyuan suddenly appeared and admitted her early affair with Shi Ping, completely disrupting the established game). These two clues coexist, interweave, influence and contain each other at the same time, pushing the plot to a tragic climax.

2. The complexity of the relationship between characters reflects the dramatic conflict in Thunderstorm.

Thunderstorm fully sets up contradictions and conflicts in characterization. The eight main characters in the play can be summarized as the contradiction between marriage and love in four triangular relationships: the relationship between Shi Ping and Gui Lu and Zhou Puyuan; The relationship between Zhou Ping and Fan Yi and Zhou Puyuan; The relationship between Fan Yi and Si Feng and Zhou Ping; And the relationship between his drought-striken fields and Zhou Chong and Sifeng. These four triangular relationships are intertwined, and the contradictions and conflicts are getting worse. At the same time, every character in the play has misplaced emotions. Fan Yi fell in love with Qian Fang's son, but his drought-striken fields were timid and afraid of her serious father and clear-cut moral concept, so he abandoned her from the beginning, and finally turned her into a "crazy bitch" who was not like a stepmother and a lover, so the contradiction between Fan Yi and his drought-striken fields intensified, which eventually led to the whole tragedy. In order to escape from sin, his drought-striken fields fell in love with the daughter of Gui Lu, a servant, and Sifeng, a simple and beautiful girl. Sifeng should have her love, but she made the same mistake as her mother. The Zhou Ping she fell in love with turned out to be her half-brother, and she was pregnant. Zhou Chong is the most innocent. He is a young man who grew up under the influence of new ideas and new cultures. He is naturally full of fantasy and romance. He has many hopes for his family, society and even love. I love Sifeng with my heart, but it's just a slim dream. His lack of toughness and stubborn understanding of feudal system doomed his tragic fate. When all the blood relations and all the cruelest facts were revealed on that rainy night of thunder and lightning, a huge tragedy happened: Four phoenixes who rushed into the rainy night frantically committed suicide by electric shock: Zhou Chong was electrocuted to save Four phoenixes, and Zhou Ping could not face everything and shot himself: Fan Yi was crazy; Shi Ping is insane. Judging from the tragic conflict, the tragic characters' pursuit of love and freedom conforms to the historical trend, but because of the immature forces and subjective conditions they face, their activities also fail and their fate ends in extinction. When Zhou Puyuan asked Zhou Ping to recognize her mother, Sifeng said, "Mom, this can't be true. (Looking at his drought-striken fields strangely, I suddenly couldn't help it) Oh, my God! " I can't explain why in a world that follows moral order. Such a tragic and unfortunate thing should happen. They are all sad, they all failed, and they are all trying to stage a tragedy.

3. The sharp opposition of the subordinate classes shows the dramatic conflict.

In Thunderstorm, there is obvious class opposition between Zhou and Lu. Zhou Puyuan, Zhou Ping and Lu Dahai are related by blood, but the more direct relationship in the play is the relationship between capitalists and workers, and the relationship between exploitation and exploitation. Zhou Puyuan is a capitalist who made his fortune by squeezing workers' blood and sweat, while Lu Dahai, an outspoken and disgusting worker representative, belongs to two opposing classes, which are incompatible with each other. In the play, Lu Dahai went to Zhoujia for justice for the benefit of coal miners. Zhou Puyuan had studied with Shi Ping before he met him. It was his son who was waiting to meet his strike in the concierge, but after seeing Lu Dahai, he first knew perfectly well past asking. Then he made fun of him and finally announced that he would be fired. He is unmoved by his family and has no affection between father and son. Here, money and interests transcend human nature and family. Lu Dahai recognized Zhou Puyuan's face and was so angry that he swore, and then "bloodshed" and "hand-to-hand combat" happened between the two brothers. With the development of the relationship between father and son, Shi Ping couldn't help crying, which caused a strong tremor in people's hearts. In Zhou Helu's family, apart from the blood relationship, romantic and sad affair between children, there is also a sharp class opposition between the working class and capitalists, which is the most impossible contradiction to reconcile.

4. The psychological ups and downs of the characters show the dramatic conflict in Thunderstorm.

In the whole play, psychological conflict is also an important aspect, which profoundly shows the inherent complexity of the characters. For example. When Liu Sifeng's mother asked her to leave the Zhou family together, she was very ambivalent. On the one hand, she has lofty love, on the other hand, she has an irresistible mother's life. How should she choose? Although later she decided to give up love and listen to her mother. However, she is indecisive, loyal and filial, and has no definite view of human nature, which still leaves readers with enough room for thinking.

In Thunderstorm, in two scenes, in less than 24 hours, three women and five men use sadness to resolve all the major contradictions. Using colorful drama conflicts to show the process of tragedy, readers (viewers) seem to be able to touch every link in this tragic chain through the clues of light and shade crossing, the complex relationship between characters, the opposition of different classes and the ups and downs of psychological changes. The author shows the reader (audience) the 30-year feud between Zhou and Lu, the ups and downs of human love and affection, and deduces a life tragedy. A human tragedy. And this tragedy is brewed and manifested through colorful drama conflicts.

Second, distinctive dramatic language.

Thunderstorm has a gripping plot, concise and implicit language and extremely rich subtext. Like a sharp sword, it glides slowly on the reader's heartstrings, and the lingering sound does not stop.

1, a highly personalized language

The so-called personalization of characters' language means that what people say, language becomes the voice externalization of characters' personality and psychology.

Zhou Puyuan: (suddenly sternly) What are you doing here?

Lu Shiping: I didn't come.

Zhou Puyuan: Who sent you?

Lu Shiping: (indignantly) Life, an unfair life sent me here!

Just now, I was a gentle and affectionate person, unable to extricate myself from my feelings. However, as soon as I learned that the four mother hen in front of me were the former Mei Shiping, I immediately tore open the veil of affection and revealed a cold face. This change is entirely due to human nature, and language cannot hide it. The personalized language just exposed Zhou Puyuan's hypocritical hypocrite image. In the association with such a hypocrite, the tragic role of kind Shi Ping is doomed.

Zhou Puyuan: Then, it's settled. I told him to come down, you looked at him, and the Lu family never dared to come to the Zhou family again.

Lu Shiping: I hope I will never see you again in my life.

Zhou Puyuan: (takes out the check from his underwear and signs it) Good. This is a check for 5000 yuan. You can take it first. This is a way to make up for my sins.

Lu Shiping: (taking the check and tearing it up) My pain over the years is beyond your money.

Ruthless and meaningless, I can't pretend anymore, just turn it into language, absolutely! Put on airs, show power and prestige, even in front of people who are not your own, you can't control yourself. Language is the naked soul here. Language needs no modification, but it is essential, instinctive and highly personalized. Personalized language reveals Zhou Puyuan's condescension and Lu Shiping's great anger. Lovers talk more than half a sentence. This is the meeting scene of two former lovers who can't talk together anyway. How many lives are lamented in it!

Similarly, Lu Dahai's language is a portrayal of his stubborn, reckless and naive personality, and it also contains his life tragedy.

These personalized languages show the inner world of the characters. In particular, Shi Ping's bloody and bitter complaint made people feel deeply hurt. Produce amazing tragic power.

2. Rich subtext

The subtext is that there is something in the words, meaning is intentional, and there is a sound outside the string. In fact, it is a polysemy phenomenon in language. "Implicit" means implied meaning, that is, there are other meanings in the surface meaning of language. You can get a glimpse of the rich inner world of the characters through subtext.

Zhou Puyuan: (sweating) Oh.

Lu Shiping: She is not a young lady. She is the daughter of Ma Mei, Wuxi Zhou Mansion. Her name is Shi Ping.

Zhou Puyuan: (looking up) What's your last name?

Lu Shiping: My name is Lu, my Lord.

"What's your last name?" The implication is: how do you know so much The same is true. Later, "Who are you?" The implication is: how do you know so clearly? Another example is:

The subtext below. Lu Shiping plays two roles at the same time. A solid and a virtual, a bite-heart, very meaningful:

Lu Shiping: Why do you mind your own business by asking these questions? ①

Zhou Puyuan: This man is our relative.

Lu Shiping: Relatives? ②

Zhou Puyuan: Well, we want to repair her grave.

Lu Shiping: Oh, that's not necessary. ③

Zhou Puyuan: What?

Lu Shiping: This man is still alive. ④

The meaning of another function is:

She has nothing to do with you now. No relatives at all. She's not dead. Standing in front of you now. Her mother and son were rescued that time.

The reason why subtext has a special relationship with drama is determined by the characteristics of drama. The "three unifications" of European classical drama can be noticed: unified time, unified place (scene) and unified plot. Concentrated drama requires concise and implicit language. Thunderstorm relies on this concise and tasteful subtext to promote the development of the plot and deepen the tragedy step by step.

3. Action-oriented language

The action of drama language (or action language and plot language) refers to the language flow of characters (communication and confrontation between characters' languages) which plays a role in promoting or suggesting the development of stories. It is not static, but the embodiment of the inner strength of the characters in the development of the plot.

At the end of the second act, the dialogue between Fan Yi and Zhou Ping is a good example:

Fan Yi: (sneers) Look out, look out! Don't push a woman too hard, she can do anything. ①

Zhou Ping: I'm ready. ②

Fan Yi: OK, you go! Be careful, now (look out of the window. Soliloquize, implying a bad omen) A storm is coming! ③

(1) implies the development of the plot (she did shake everything out later), (2) promotes the development of the plot (Zhou Ping's betrayal of Fan Yi intensifies the contradiction), and (3) implies the development of the plot and the fate of the characters: pun is intended to let the audience know that tragedy is coming.

This kind of action language is not only the language of the characters in the work, but also the narrative language of the author (including environmental description). Sometimes this language is casual and unobtrusive, and sometimes it is intentional: but there is only one purpose, that is, to let the plot develop.

The action language of the characters in Thunderstorm sometimes has the author's strong subjective motivation, which makes the readers obviously feel the traces of "man-made".

Lu Shiping: I saw her the other day! (Hinting that Zhou Puyuan let the plot continue)

Lu Shiping: Do you want to see her, sir? (promoting the development of the plot)

Lu Shiping: Is there nothing else, sir? Looking at the park, tears will come out. Strong tip: don't ask.

Zhou Puyuan: Oh. It's so far away that everyone forgot to mention it.

Lu Shiping: Maybe, maybe I remember. (Push: I almost reminded Zhou Puyuan)

Lu Shiping: I know a young girl named Mei. (Push: Almost clear)

Zhou Puyuan: Oh? Tell me.

Lu Shiping wants to see what will happen to her Zhou Puyuan after 30 years, and she also wants to see her son, so she always reminds and hints at Zhou Puyuan with fantasy, which is of course reasonable. The words she often uses when the plot is about to be interrupted can not only be explained by her rational mind, but most importantly, they just play the role of hinting and promoting the development of the plot, pushing the plot step by step to the ultimate goal of tragedy.

The most typical examples are the following two:

Lu Shiping: Oh, sir, is everything all right? (hint)

Zhou Puyuan: (referring to the window) Who told the window to open 7 (pushing straight)?

Lu Shiping: Is there nothing else, sir? Looking at the park, tears will come out. )

Zhou Puyuan: Ah, you can tell Sifeng by the way. Tell her to take out my old raincoat from my camphor box and take some old shirts from that box.

It is conceivable that if there is no follow-up action of Lu Shiping to open the window, if there is no accurate statement about the number of shirts and shirts embroidered with the word "Mei", how will the plot develop? Zhou Puyuan's language is a typical action language. Its function is not only to promote the development of the plot. It also contains the meaning of tragedy. Thirty years have passed. Lu Shiping still clearly remembers the past life with Zhou Puyuan in those years, and she was deeply moved. But she was abandoned in those years, and now she doesn't know each other even if she meets, and even if she tells the truth, she will still be driven away. How sad life is!

In Thunderstorm, the author uses highly personalized, rich and action-oriented drama language to shape the characters, show their inner world, make the characters' characters appear in the fierce drama situation, bring the thrilling power of emotional expression, and form the suffocating tragedy complex in Thunderstorm.

Third, the tragic implication of Thunderstorm

The life emotion contained in Thunderstorm makes people feel deep and heavy, even depressed. Maybe this is the real tragic style. Unlike the usual frivolous secular drama, Thunderstorm does not show a warning story from the level of social order and ethics. Instead, it tore open the veil of warmth whitewashed in social order and ethics, so as to examine the complex and profound soul of mankind. There are "the cruelest love and the most unbearable hate", women with "the most thunderstorm", men like "a fragile grass", old people who have experienced years of cold but still have a trace of warmth, and children who are still full of illusions about life. In this most concentrated time and space, all people are struggling and struggling, either to achieve redemption or to pursue their dreams. Or in order to keep a little peace in front of us, all efforts are powerless and the ultimate destruction is inevitable. The author wants to express a kind of human destiny, people's "nameless fear" and "unspeakable desire" for a mysterious and unknowable force. This is the passionate work of a 23-year-old youth, and we also need to read it with passion and feel it with our hearts. Of course, Thunderstorm has been popular for many years not as a mystery drama, but as a social drama. The author also agrees with people's interpretation of his work-"exposing the sins of extended families", which may explain the richness of this work. Thunderstorm reproduces the social reality at that time, reveals people's survival dilemma at that time, and reveals the spiritual dilemma of mankind. At the same time, we also have a lot of enlightenment for 2 1 century.