Using Endgame And Top Girls As Your Starting Point, Examine The Ways In Which Departures From Theatrical Naturalism Are Used To Develop The Main Themes Of These Plays.
Essay Preview: Using Endgame And Top Girls As Your Starting Point, Examine The Ways In Which Departures From Theatrical Naturalism Are Used To Develop The Main Themes Of These Plays.
Report this essayTheatrical naturalism refers to the act of using dramatic techniques to create the illusion of reality. A plays themes and key points can often be better portrayed through the unreal, certain themes perhaps benefiting from the flexibility a lack of reality allows. Two such examples can be seen in Thomas Becketts Endgame and Caryl Churchills Top Girls where both play writes exploit departures from reality to better develop or in some cases allow the existence of certain themes and ideals.
Structurally Endgame is a departure from naturalism in so far as it completely lacks any traditional narrative devices. It is similar to Becketts earlier play Waiting for Godot as it focus is simply on one situation and a small number of characters who go through the situation with little or no motivation towards a goal or resolution, other than of Clovs wish to leave. The intention of this minimalist structure and plot in Endgame is to better promote the idea of ending and mortality. The characters have no motivation or event based narrative because they are simply waiting for the end of their lives which comes in many ways with the end of the play. Beckett gives the audience an indication as how the play is to develop with Clovs opening line
Clov: Finished, its finished, nearly finished, it must be nearly finishedCertainly at the end of the play we are left questioning whether or not this routine of hanging onto life ever finishes. Beckett leaves the end with no resolution at all although Clov is seen to finally leave Hamm the audience is never shown him leaving. In some productions directors actually had Clov stop in the doorway standing still rather than actually exiting the stage. This with the repetition in the language allows for the development of another of the plays main themes and of Hamms greatest fear that of continuation and resurrection, that rather than finally finish, the routine will simple begin again in the morning. This entire metaphor within a play, which seemingly lacks any structure or plot, creates meaning and the dramatic device allowing the characters to play out their last “game”.
In Top Girls Churchill presents many of her themes through a great number of characters and the similarities they share thematically, such as action and consequence, success and failure and of course feminism. To do this she departs from the standard notion of linear narrative and jumps forward and backward in time throughout. Often these jumps move to stories and events completely unrelated to that of the main narrative in order to portray further characters which display the necessary ideals. An example would be Jeanine who displays a character looking for success in a job but would like to retain the traditional identity of a woman and aims to work but be married and have a child.
Jeanine: Id like a job where I was here in London and with him and everything but now and then – I expect thats silly. Are there jobs like that?She allows the development in the themes of feminism and success although the short interview itself is unrelated to the plot development and without link to time within plot. The flashback at the end of the play is to show how the actions taken by Marlene who seemingly made all the right decisions to become a “top girl” have had negative consequences on her family and self. The consequence is that she had to give up her biological child Angie to her sister Joyce. The opening section is the major departure from naturalism in the play, although it ties in structurally with the main story, that of Marlenes new job the dinner being a celebration in recognition.
Jeanine: Id like a job where I was here in London and with him and everything but now and then ́ I expect thats silly. Are there jobs like that?She allows the development in the themes of feminism and success although the short interview itself is unrelated to the plot development and without link to time within plot. The flashback at the end of the play is to show how the actions taken by Marlene who seemingly made all the right decisions to become a top girl%#8222;top girl‑ have had negative consequences on her family and self. The consequence is that she had to give up her biological child Angie to her sister Joyce. The opening section is the major departure from naturalism in the play, although it ties in structurally with the main story, that of Marlenes new job the dinner being a celebration in recognition.
Jeanine: I would like to see that go, as though they were just the beginning. If you are talking about a job that has only a vague narrative, if you don’t need to understand what its about, and if you would rather not think about that, or if you don’t really do think about it at length, I will tell you why.