Keywords: Amanda Tennessee? The Tragedy of Williams' The Glass Zoo
Tennessee? Tennessee Williams (1911-1983) is one of the most important playwrights in America, and he has undoubtedly become a pivotal figure in the 20th century, and has been praised by critics as an outstanding American playwright after World War II. Tennessee? Williams dominated the American drama stage for more than 20 years, and wrote more than 60 plays, 30 screenplays and 8 novels in his life. The Glass Zoo (1945) is Williams' first famous work, and won the new york Drama Critics Association Award. 1948 won the pulitzer prize for drama and new york Drama Critics Association Award and Donaldson Award.
Eugene, two contemporary American drama masters? O' Neill and Arthur? Compared to Miller in Tennessee? Williams pays more attention to those suffering human hearts, especially women's problems, which is the characteristic of his plays. In his works, no matter how women fight, they can't escape the traditional social norms in a patriarchal society. In The Glass Zoo, Amanda struggles between reality and illusion, and is a typical weak person and victim. The works reveal the hardships and pains of a series of female characters who are educated by the southern traditional culture and values in the industrialized society.
The Glass Zoo is a drama recalling the past. Tom told the story of the winfield family who lived in St. Louis during the Great Depression. Mother Amanda leads a poor life with her son Tom and her daughter Laura; At the same time, it also tells the story of a family of three whose hopes and dreams are shattered. In this play, Amanda lives in two worlds: the pleasant dream world in the past and the real world now. Son Tom, a talented and potential poet who is not proud, is a person who can't find himself. Daughter Laura is a typical anachronistic figure, sensitive and fragile because of her physical disability. The father who has never appeared in the play is a person who has been away from home for a long time and falls in love with "long-distance calls".
Amanda's name means "worthy of being loved" in Latin, which embodies her important characteristics: needing love and being loved. Therefore, she is often immersed in past memories. In the first scene, she told Tom and Laura that "on Saturday afternoon, 17 suitors came to the beautiful blue villa to express their love for your mother". She also took pains to say that "these outstanding young people are farmers and their sons". Amanda missed the golden age of the past, accused Tom of his bad habits, and told her daughter to always be in good condition to meet potential admirers. This shows the elegance and romance of Amanda's southern plantation.
Amanda also has a realistic side. She won't live in a fantasy world forever. The pressure of daily life forced her to face many unpleasant realities, such as poverty, Laura's disability and Tom's "idleness and lack of responsibility". On the surface, Amanda is a nagging southern woman and a victim of traditional society. In fact, she also fought against fate with actions and shouted for rights. Amanda kept fighting spirit from beginning to end. Amanda knows what real life is. The main purpose of her life is to let Tom and Laura know about the world. It became Amanda's hope and ambition to learn from the failed marriage and cultivate her daughter's independence, so she asked her daughter to learn typing and go to business school. She also encouraged her son Tom to go to night school instead of going to the movies every day. Amanda deeply hopes that "whether there is a moon or not, I wish my babies success and happiness." She kept telling the children: "If you don't arrange your time carefully, the future will soon become the present;" Now will pass in an instant; And everything in the past will be a regret forever. " In order to change the poor life, Amanda never lacked the courage to survive and became a salesman selling magazines. This shows that she is not blindly escaping from reality. Although Amanda often recalls the good life in the past, who doesn't recall the past, especially the good past?
Some critics think that Amanda escapes from reality and is unwilling to admit the shortcomings of Laura's body and personality, but this just shows that Amanda has not bowed to the cruel reality. Amanda can't see her daughter's own problems, but as a mother, she doesn't want to hurt her daughter. She always encourages her daughter. "A little imperfect" is nothing. "When people have some insignificant shortcomings, they can make up for them by cultivating other aspects." She tried her best to design a bright future for her daughter. In addition, Amanda is not blindly worried and complaining, but bravely and stubbornly facing difficulties and fate. Amanda took action step by step to achieve her goal. When she realized that she couldn't rely on men or even ask her son for help. Therefore, we can see that Amanda is more independent than traditional southern women.
But no matter how hard Amanda tried, the final result was disillusionment. Amanda's hope for life ended with the breaking of Laura's glass zoo. All her memories and hopes are broken and destroyed, which is the tragic fate of women caused by the ruthlessness of the times. A woman who only belongs to the old plantation in the south, facing the industrialized civilization in the north, can only live as lonely and fragile as daffodils, accept the destruction in despair and wait for the final destruction.
So, is it the fault of the times or Amanda? When the plantation system was destroyed by violence and industrial civilization flourished rapidly, how many such southern girls were pushed to the wall by the times? The traditional consciousness, family relations and personality defects formed by women's long-term living in this society are all the results of their struggle, and they either have to make concessions to the patriarchal society or become victims of the patriarchal society. Times have not provided them with the possibility of change. Women have no job, no ability, no man, and they can only wait for extinction. The new era destroys not only the old times, but the lives of all people who belong to that old times. Life is denied, eliminated and destroyed, so what choice can they make in the face of reality? There is no choice but to wait for the final demise.
In a word, Amanda is one of the most important female characters who combine romance with reality in Williams' works, and even the most worthy of study on the whole modern stage. Due to the deep-rooted patriarchal society, Amanda's struggle and pursuit will only end in failure. However, Amanda's struggle and the independent spirit and subjective consciousness of modern women in her heart provide a blueprint for women to examine themselves.
References:
[1] Zhu Gang, 20th century western literary criticism theory. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Translation Education Press, 200 1.
[2] Zhou, History of Contemporary American Drama (1950- 1995). Nanjing: Nanjing University Press, 1999
[3] Li Li, the growth process of women. Tennessee & #183; Feminist interpretation in Williams' works. Tianjin: Tianjin People's Publishing House, 2004.
The drama Three Sisters
The background and the costumes of the actors are in place and exquisite, and the live music is beautiful and full of Russian customs. The whole plot is a bit long, and some dialogues are obscure.
The first scene is cheerful and revolves around the party held by Miss Sister at home on "Name Day". When the little soldier played the piano minuet, the whole plot was full of joy and hope. Although the two sisters have been repeating their desire to return to Moscow from the beginning, at this time, especially for the 20-year-old sister, she has just started working and her life is basically carefree.
With the development of the plot, there are contradictions among family members. Not only does the frivolous little sister-in-law bring trouble to the sisters' daily life; My second sister, who has always been dissatisfied with her married life, has also started a relationship with a married officer who is also dissatisfied with the status quo.
Little sister is also a real dilemma, turning marrying a baron into a glimmer of hope. Autumn has come, and she is finally happy again. Although there is no love, she is full of confidence.
It is worth mentioning that the background of this scene is very beautiful. The leaves on the ground are golden yellow, and a lonely white bench implies that the plot is about to enter the coldest stage. The background of birch trees used to be classic.
Sure enough, the bad news came that the Baron died in the battlefield, and the hope in Miss Sister's life was taken away again. Shouting at the top of my lungs: "Go to Moscow!" , but also out of helplessness. For women in those days, there were really not many ways to change their lives. There is a man who can be attached and live a family life wholeheartedly, just as my sister with few stories expected. This is their life. However, marriage is like a besieged city. In this scene, all the married people are dissatisfied, except the second brother-in-law, who says "I am satisfied", but the second sister is getting more and more annoying.
All three sisters fantasize that Moscow is the best place in the world. If they leave here for Moscow, they can get rid of all the real troubles in life. In fact, it is conceivable that even if they went to Moscow, how could these household chores disappear? Moscow people will only suffer more than small towns.
Some humorous episodes are worth mentioning. At the end of the first act, my brother impulsively proposed to a visiting friend. At that time, the woman put on a scarf and pretended to leave and rushed to the stage. The man followed her naughty, pulled down her scarf and took off her hat. This passage from stage to stage is very innovative.
The Sambo band at the scene is also a highlight. Some classic songs, such as A Girl's Prayer, are melodious and infectious.
The most obvious shortcoming of the play is that some languages are completely incomprehensible. For example, the second sister repeatedly recited a sentence in the book, "There is a lush oak tree on the coast with a gold chain on it …" or the baron appeared from time to time, "Before he could react, the bear came." Monologues like this make people sleepy. If these can be omitted from the two-and-a-half-hour play, it is more appropriate to compress it into two hours.
An Analysis of emperor jones in O 'Neill's emperor jones
This paper analyzes emperor jones's inner struggle in O 'Neill's emperor jones. As a black American, on the one hand, Emperor Jones can't give up his own black people.
The inheritance of history and culture, on the other hand, he regards successful whites as idols and firmly believes in the superiority of whites. Although he is black, he acts like a white man. When you run into the forest, Jones
The emperor had six visions, each of which was the externalization of his inner identity struggle. His trip to the forest actually became his journey of seeking identity.
Keywords: emperor jones's identity illusion
1. Introduction
The twentieth century witnessed great changes in human life. On the one hand, with the development of science and technology, the power of human beings to conquer nature has increased rapidly. On the other hand, two world wars brought mankind back.
Primitive cruel killing. This change, whether positive or negative, has changed people's traditional understanding of the world and morality to some extent. People began to doubt their own explanation.
The ability of the universe, re-examine their position in the world. At the same time, the long-held belief that society will eventually move towards peace and tranquility has been impacted. Reluctantly, people gradually realize that
Aware of their loneliness, consciously or unconsciously began to find themselves. Therefore, the pursuit of personal identity has become an important theme of modern drama.
Emperor jones belongs to this kind of drama. Brewster Jones is African American. After killing people in America, he escaped from prison and fled to an island country in the West Indies. In a place called
With the help of Henry smithers's cunning and humble white man, Jones successfully took advantage of the superstition and ignorance of the local black islanders and became the emperor of the island country, claiming that only silver bullets could hurt him.
Men ... islanders couldn't stand the tyranny and exploitation of Emperor Jones, and finally rose up. Chased by the black islanders, Emperor Jones fled the palace and went into the forest. There, fear made him hallucinate, mentally.
Divided, exhausted, and finally
The pursuer was killed by a silver bullet.
On the last night in emperor jones, there were six visions, each of which was a reappearance of his past sins and painful experiences. Emperor Jones looked for self-identity in these visions. Senlinyi
The night is the night of the death of Emperor Jones, and it is also the night of his inner struggle and self-seeking.
2. O 'Neill and Emperor Jones
In the first half of the 20th century, black people, as an artistic image, appeared widely in literary works, and even became a craze for a time. People began to get tired of commercialization and standardization brought by industrialization.
And began to miss that simple, non-mechanized lifestyle. Black people represent such an image. Some writers believe that African-Americans are born children, they are not spoiled, and they are noble.
At first, it was a carefree and comfortable existence. Many writers also realize that blacks and whites have different temperament. Therefore, some white writers use black images to oppose the stereotype of industrialized America.
Interesting and vulgar. Although the writer pushed the black image to a higher position, in real life, black Americans live at the bottom of society, and they are hated and alienated by society.
In Eugene O 'Neill's works, black Americans are often in a subordinate position. "They have resentment and fear, which makes them suspicious and pitiful" (Mannheim 149). one
On the one hand, they can't get rid of the brand of race and history, on the other hand, their personality identity is formed by taking whites as an example. This contradiction and difference make them drift away from the two cultures.
Between, and do not belong to any kind. Emperor jones is a drama in which black people pursue their own identity. It uses symbolic means and psychological methods to analyze the most acute problem in the United States-the black problem.
This method is introduced.
In order to externalize Jones' psychological process, O 'Neill used expressionism. In O 'Neill's plays, expressionism is no longer simply to enhance the realism of the stage. Its artistry
Is to expose the reality hidden under the surface. Liu once discussed the role of expressionism in revealing Jones' inner activities and excavating his inner experience and recovery in On Symbolism of emperor jones.
The role of miscellaneous psychology. He pointed out that in emperor jones, O 'Neill's interest lies not in the specific things and characters described, but in the human spirit reflected by these things.
This world. Drum symbolizes Jones' fear, and the change of clothing reflects the different stages of Jones' psychology. Every vision reveals his unknown inner secret.
3. The inner split of Emperor Jones.
Emperor jones is divided into eight parts. The first and last scenes mainly use traditional expression techniques. In the second to seventh scenes, the author uses expressionism to reflect the complex heart of the protagonist.
Cardiac activity. On the one hand, he imitates white people and regards them as idols. On the other hand, as a descendant of African blacks, he can't get rid of his own national unconsciousness. This contradiction in character makes Joan
Si Huang's self-examination of identity is painful and desperate.
In the first scene, Jones's clothes show that he is different from other black people.
He is a tall and dignified middle-aged, pure black blood, typical black face. However, his face shows an extraordinary temperament: strong will and fortitude.
Confidence makes people respect each other. His eyes are sharp, alert and bright. He is alert, suspicious and unpredictable. He is wearing a light blue uniform with shiny copper buttons.
She wears heavy gold epaulettes on her shoulders, and the neckline and cuffs are inlaid with Phnom Penh. She wore bright red trousers with light blue lines embedded in the legs, patent leather belt boots and brass spurs.
There is a pistol with a long handle hanging around the waist, and the handle is inlaid with jewels. The pistol is put in a leather case.
From the outside, Jones is black, but he deliberately shows different clothes from black people. The local black women wore printed coarse cloth, barefoot and covered with big red printed handkerchiefs.
Send.
Look at what smithers, a white man, wears, and it is also very different from the local black people. He wore a shabby and dirty white khaki riding suit, wrapped his legs, kicked spurs on his boots and wore a white hat.
Cork visor, bullet belt and automatic pistol are hung around the waist.
From the clothes, we can find that Jones's clothes seem to be between white and black. Uniforms, gold epaulettes and boots are all western-style. Bright blue, gold and red, these colors
This also brought him closer to the black people.
White is everywhere in Jones's palace. The audience hall of Jones Palace-a spacious and tall room with white walls and white tiles on the floor. Dashanhou
There is a wide arch on the left side of the face, which is connected with the porch supported by white pillars. White tiles, arches and white cylindrical porches are not the traditional architectural features of indigenous people in the West Indies, but Jones Palace
This style of the temple implies his strong conversion to western culture. White people are the ruling class in the western world, and Emperor Jones relished the so-called white civilization he received in America.
Take the words of the best white people as a guide.
You are a thief, and I am a big thief. Thieves will go to jail sooner or later, and after they die, they can become emperors and be sent to the Hall of Fame. I worked on the train for ten years, listening to white people, understand?
I understand this truth. As soon as I had the opportunity to apply this principle, I became emperor within two years.
Emperor Jones regarded the white people as his role models, and even called the local blacks "slaves", sneering and sneering at his compatriots. In this sense, Emperor Jones is no longer a pure.
Black, but bleached black.
Just as Emperor Jones threw himself into the white world, the white world did not accept him. From the first act, we know that the island where Emperor Jones lived was controlled by the White Army.
There is no right to self-determination there. White people enjoy privileges on this island. When smithers, a white man, knew that the local aborigines were going to resist and overthrow Emperor Jones, he used it whenever he wanted.
Being white helped Emperor Jones. But instead, he longed for the bad luck of Emperor Jones. Later, he even joined the crusade against Emperor Jones.
Jones fled helplessly into the jungle. In the forest, he had six hallucinations. Each one seems to be a repeat of his past life experience or ethnic memory. In the second scene, Jones escaped from the emperor.
Palace, came to the edge of the forest and later fled into the forest, because of fear, there was a "little fear" in front of him. In the third and fourth scenes, Jones meets Jeff and the ghost of the jailer he killed.
Soul. At the beginning of the fifth game, the illusion of "slave auction market" and "black slaves in the cabin" gradually appeared. This shows that emperor jones has fallen into racial unconsciousness again, and its mental crisis is further aggravated.
. Although he tried to make his clothes, words and deeds white, the "black complex" was deeply rooted in his subconscious. Long oppressed and exploited by whites, blacks were trafficked from Africa to the United States.
Europe is like an animal, being bought and sold, which is deeply imprinted in the hearts of all African-Americans. As a descendant of African blacks, his black complex is still obvious.
On the escape road of emperor jones, there are always rhythmic drums. In the first act, smithers tells the local blacks in emperor jones that they are beating drums and dancing, ready to hunt him down. A low drum sound.
Heavy and trembling. At first, the drums sounded like normal pulses-72 times per minute-and then gradually accelerated until the curtain fell. Emperor Jones was shocked when he heard the drums, and the god of fear appeared on his face.
Color. With emperor jones's escape, the sound of drums became more and more urgent, which further aggravated emperor jones's fear and anxiety.
I was surprised to hear the drums. Listen, there was a strange expression of fear on his face for a while. (Scene 1)
Sitting wearily, listening to the rhythmic drums. He mumbled loudly to hide his growing anxiety. (Scene 2)
The drums in the distance are obviously louder and faster than before. Jones has felt this-he looked back in surprise. (Scene 3)
Stop and listen to the drums in the distance. (Scene 4)
The stage was dark and silent, except for the screams of fear and the faster and louder drums that Jones rushed out. (Scene 5)
With the rhythm of victory, the drums are getting louder and faster. (Scene 6)
The witch doctor quietly walked to the clearing between Jones and the altar. Then, after one foot landed, he danced and sang. Seems to be in response to his call, drumming drums.
The sound became fierce and jubilant, making the sky reverberate with rhythmic rumble. Jones stood up with his head held high, kneeling and crouching. He was fascinated by this new magical phenomenon and stayed there.
Don't move. (Scene 7)
Local blacks think that drumming has magical power and can help them catch Emperor Jones. This superstition works for local blacks and Emperor Jones, but white smithers doesn't believe it. exist
In the last scene, smithers complained to the local black leader: "It's a waste of time to knock on the fart drum and recite stupid spells! You idiots, God knows! " Drumming is
A symbol of African culture. No matter how much Emperor Jones bleached himself, he could not get rid of the brand of his national traditional culture.
In the seventh scene, Emperor Jones had hallucinations. He was sacrificed to a crocodile by a witch doctor. Witch doctors play an important role in indigenous societies on the African continent. And it can usually be positive, evil and good.
Evil wizards are different. Witch doctors are always a positive image and the embodiment of social morality. The witch doctor dedicated Emperor Jones to the crocodile representing light and strength, which also symbolized the traditional religious belief of black people in Joan.
The inspiration of Zeus. However, Jones pointed his gun at the crocodile and rejected his native culture with the last bullet.
Emperor Jones has six bullets in his gun. Every time he shoots a bullet at an illusion, it is a denial of his black culture. The "white" in the consciousness and the "black" in the subconscious can't be achieved.
Live in harmony. When he shot the last bullet at the crocodile with religious color, his panic about his identity reached the extreme, and his self-identity completely collapsed.
4. Conclusion
As soon as emperor jones was published, it attracted wide attention from critics. In the United States, emperor jones was also the first play starring a black man. 1967, critic John
H Rowley once commented on "emperor jones": "It is not only a wonderful flower in the theater, but also a monument in American history, which inspires white Americans to feel sorry for those struggling blacks.
People help. "(Manuel 70)
There are eight plays in emperor jones, which show the inner self-search and self-discovery of American black Jones. Growing up in white-dominated America, Jones envied the white world and took advantage of it.
Thoughts and beliefs will bleach themselves. At the same time, the black people's national tradition and national memory left a mark on his bones, and he could not escape the inheritance of his mother tongue culture. This external "white" and
The inner "black" can't be coordinated, and the inner struggle is getting worse. Jones couldn't answer, "Who am I? Where do I belong? " Night in the jungle, in Jones' hallucinations of fear,
Externalize this inner doubt and the pursuit of self-identity.
References:
[1] He Wei. Expressionism effectively used in emperor jones J. Journal of Zhongzhou University, 2004
,2 1( 1):56-58.
[2] Mannheim, Michael. Eugene O 'Neill. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, 2000.
Manuel，Carme。 A Ghost in the Expressionist Jungle in O 'Neill's emperor jones [J]. African American Review, 2005.
,39( 1):67-85.
The discovery of drama. Scott: Foresman Company, 1968.
The Cycle of American Literature: A Historical Criticism Paper by Robert Spieler. London: Collier Macmillan
Publisher, 1967.
George huelva's Theme of Drama: Selected Works. New york: Thomas Crowe Company, 1834.
Emperor Jones of Chen Guofeng, where can you escape [J]. Language and Literature Studies, 2002: 120- 129.
Liu Yibo. On the symbolic significance of emperor jones [J]. Foreign Literature Studies, 2000, (2): 76-80.
Shang Yufeng, Zhang Li. Historical Restatement and Identity [J]. Journal of Shandong Institute of Education, 2004, (2): 67-69.
Zhou Hongxing. Selected readings of famous foreign dramas [M]. Beijing: Writers Publishing House, 1986.