FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   >>  
herself more attractive, because she believes men prefer women to be useless and extravagant; if left to herself she would be a domestic and capable person. COTHURNUS: This character should be played by a tall and imposing figure with a tremendous voice. The voice of Cothurnus is one of the most important things in the acting play. He should have a voice deeper than the voice used by any of the other persons, should speak weightily and with great dignity, but almost without intonation, and quite without feeling, as if he had said the same words many times before. Only in his last speech may he be permitted a comment on the situation. This speech should be spoken quite as impressively as the others and fully as slowly. CORYDON and THYRSIS: These two characters are young, very simple, and childlike; they are acted upon by the force that sits on the back of the stage behind them. More and more as their quarrel advances they begin to see that something is wrong, but they have no idea what to do about it, and they scarcely realize what is happening, the quarrel grows so from little things into big things. Corydon's first vision of the tragedy is in "It's terrible when you stop to think of it." Thyrsis' first vision comes when he looks into the pool; in seeing the familiar reflection he is struck by the unfamiliarity of one aspect of it, the poisonous root; for the first time he realizes that this man who is about to kill with poisoned water his most beloved friend, is none other than Thyrsis _himself_,--"'Tis I!" The personalities of Thyrsis and Corydon are not essentially different. They develop somewhat differently, because of the differing circumstances. When Columbine goes out for the first time she takes with her her artichoke and her wine-glass, also a couple of macaroons, which she nibbles, going out. This helps to get the table cleared. The other articles are removed by the shepherds when they prepare the stage for their scene, in this manner: at the cue "Sir, we are always ready. . . . Play the play!", Corydon and Thyrsis come down stage, Corydon to Pierrot's end of the table, Thyrsis to Columbia's; simultaneously, first, they set back the chairs against the wall, Pierrot's left front, Columbine's right front; next they remove the two big bowls and set them in symmetrical positions on the floor, left front and right front, in such a way that the bowl of confetti may be the mine of jewels for Corydon, and t
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   >>  



Top keywords:

Corydon

 

Thyrsis

 

things

 

Pierrot

 

speech

 

quarrel

 

vision

 

Columbine

 

differently

 

develop


differing

 

realizes

 

circumstances

 

poisonous

 

aspect

 

reflection

 

struck

 

unfamiliarity

 
poisoned
 

personalities


beloved

 
friend
 

essentially

 

cleared

 

chairs

 

simultaneously

 

Columbia

 

remove

 

confetti

 
jewels

symmetrical
 

positions

 

macaroons

 

couple

 
nibbles
 
artichoke
 
manner
 

prepare

 
familiar
 

articles


removed

 

shepherds

 

dignity

 

intonation

 

weightily

 

deeper

 

persons

 

feeling

 

permitted

 

acting