BULLETIN BOARD

I would be insincere if I did not say I was unhappy with those of you who missed class on 27th. It showed a dis-connection from the class and I'm feeling shaky about this experiment to begin with. I like to know that my students are learning (or not learning) and I planned our occasional meetings as a way to touch base with you as real human beings. I need your support. Cutting indicates you are not learning and/or just don't care.

Our next meeting will be on May 18th. I am planning for you to respond to a Survey about the class so I can properly evaluate this experiment with literature and technology. The survey will be lengthy so be prepared to stay for the entire class time. The survey will be anonymous.

I want perfect attendance on the 18th. All absences will be duly noted. No excuses will be accepted.

Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead

For this play you will have to recall the play Hamlet.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were two old friends of Hamlet. Claudius has asked them to return to Denmark for the express purpose of spying on Hamlet. We don't know to what extent Ros and Guil were reluctant to do this, but we have to assume that Claudius threatened them in some way since he is now King. Hamlet, you will recall, is very upset not only because of his father's death but also because he feels everyone has betrayed him, especially his mother and Ophelia: his mother by marrying Claudisu and Ophelia by spying on him at the behest of her father Polonius. Now he discovers that Ros and Guil are spys too. After Hamlet kills Polonius accidentally in his mother's bedroom, the King decides to ship him off to England for his protection (Hamlet's -- Laertes will return to avenge Polonius) as well as his own (Claudius'). Ros and Guil are ordered to accompany Hamlet and they have with them a letter which states that the English are to execute Hamlet immediately upon his arrival. Hamlet steals the letter while Ros and Guil sleep and he changes the orders of execution from his own name to theirs. So Ros and Guil are headed to certain death -- the meaning of the title of the play: Ros & Guil are Dead. Since Ros and Guil have betrayed him, Hamlet feels no guilt about this. On the ship to England there is a sea battle with another ship and Hamlet escapes on that ship and subsequently returns to Denmark. (Don't question the complexity of the plot here. Just accept it.) In the play Hamlet we see Hamlet return on the day of Ophelia's burial.

In the play Ros and Guil Are Dead we meet them as they are on there way to Elsinore castle. Along the way they meet up with the Players who are also going to Elsinore to put on the play "the Murder of Gonzago" which as you know reveals Caludius as the murderer of Hamlet's father. The leader of the Players is played by Richard Dryfuss. You can't miss him. When everyone arrives at Elsinore you will find yourself going back and forth between the play of Hamlet (is it real or is it "the play"?) and the story of poor Ros and Guil who are trying to find out what is going on in the castle and what's up with Hamlet (is he crazy or not?). So every exit from the play Hamlet is an entrance into the play of Ros and Guil. Perfectly blended with these two levels of action are the Players who perform feats of illusion for everyone in the castle as well as the play "Gonzago."

Ros and Guil can be seen as existential heroes in an absurdist play because their total confusion about the meaning of the world in the castle and in the play Hamlet is meant to stand for the confusion we all feel in our very own modern existence. (Is the reality of Ros and Guil to be found in their real lives or do they only exist in the play Hamlet where they are characters, not people.) So Ros and Guil are lost and bewildered in a world where little seems to make sense. And of course we know they are headed for certain death -- which seems to make the purpose of their life even more absurd. Meanwhild Richard Dryfuss and his gang are busy performing tricks of illusion which further muddle the sense of security and reality.

This should get you through the plot. The play is both hilarious and bitterly sad at the same time, so it is a Tragi-comedy as well as an Absurdist play.

The myth of Pygmalion as told by the Roman poet Ovid

Repelled by the loose behavior of the women * in his native Cyprus, a gifted young sculptor named Pygmalion became a woman-hater and resolved never to marry. He said his art was enough for him. He sculpted, novertheless, a beautiful statue of a woman. He devoted his life to making this statue as perfect as possible and everyone agreed it was a most exquisite work of art. But Pygmalion could not rest content. When nothing could be added to the statue's perfection, a strange fate befell its creator: He had fallen in love with what he had created. The statue did not seem like cold stone, but warm, living, breathing flesh.The spirit of womanhood, it seems, sought its revenge. Pygmalion kissed the statue's enticing lips, caressed its hands, but the statue remained unresponsive. He would dress her in robes and bring her gifts. To no avail. And so, after many years he remained utterly wretched. He loved a lifeless thing.

Venus was the Roman goddess of passionate love. On Venus' festival day, as gifts were being offered in her name, Pygmalion dared to ask the goddess only that he might find a maiden like his statue. Venus took pity on Pygmalion and when he returned home that night to caress his wonderful work of art, the statue came to life and Pygmalion named her Galatea. It was reported that Venus herself graced the marriage with her presence.

* It's always the woman's fault!! Misogyny was common in the ancient world. If you really want to get enraged, check out Juvenal's satire on Women. Juvenal was also a Roman poet and contemporary of Ovid.

CYRANO

This play does not require any background information. The action of the play takes place during the same time period as Tartuffe -- 1640's -- but Cyrano was actually written in 1898. So this is historical drama going back in time over 200 years. Sort of like Gone With the Wind is historical drama. There are two versions of this play in video form: a Jose Ferrer version (older) and a 1990 version with Gerald Depardieu. Both are fine and both should be easily available at local outlets.

I didn't want two plays from the same era, but my original choice - The Importance of Being Earnest became unavailable at the retail level. So this is a last minute substitution. But you won't be disappointed. It is delightful!!

Remember -- Cyrano Responses and Observations/Ouestions due by Sunday, April 18.

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Always Check the BULLETIN BOARD before viewing or writing on a new play.

For the rest of the semester, for the Group writing a Response, pick the one you want --- on a FIRST COME FIRST SERVE basis. The advantage to going first is choice. If you log on latter on, there will be fewer choices available.

Please type out the wording of the question you are responding to at the top of your response so everyone will know which ones have already been selected.

Obviously, there are not enough questions to go around. (There are 34 students in this class.) So, when the list is exhausted, start the process over. In this way, most questions will get two different responses. No question will go completely ignored.

For the Observation/Question group, continue as before. Try your best to make an observation about the how the set and/or the space used for the action affected the themes and over-all artistic conception of the production. If you can't, make several astute observations. Ask good questions. At least three each time.

Tartuffe

Moliere wrote this play in France in the 1660's. Think the Three Muskateers and Louis the 14th at Versailles. The 17th Century was an era of religious warfare in Europe. In England the Puritans, led by Oliver Cromwell and Milton, waged civil war against the more moderate prostestants of the King and the aristocrats. The Puritans won and the King was banished. The theaters were closed and not reopended until the King was restored to the throne in 1660. The drama in England after 1660 is therefore called Restoration drama. France , however, at this time was spared great religious upheaval. It remained staunchly Catholic. Nonethelss there was religious discontent. The Catholic Church was very powerful and very wealthy. Many accused the church of hypocrisy because the clergy preached living a life of Christ-like povery and prayer on the one hand while living very lavishly and ostentatiously on the other. As a result there was a religious "revival" of sorts in France with many clerics and lay persons urging a return to a more humble life-style. Naturally charlatans abounded. Moliere takes full aim at these hypocrites with the creation of the character Tartuffe -- a larger than life monster of duplicity in the guise of pious devotion. Naturally the Church was opposed to Moliere's satire and urged Louis the 14th to ban it. He complied even though he liked the play himself. Finally in 1669, Louis lifted the ban and the comedy was permitted public production. It has been a great comic hit throughout the world ever since. The original was written in rhymed couplets, but our video translation unfortunately is in solid English prose. Enjoy the show.

Be sure to check out this Bulletin Board again for important information about Cyrano and Pygmalion.