Love! Valour! Compassion!

Love! Valour! Compassion! was very different from the other two plays. The plot does not follow the guidelines of a well-made play at all. The plot is not linear. There really isn't a resolution either. I found this play to be more about the characters and how they relate to each other rather than the sequence of events. Thats why when I did my project I tied them all together and the central thing that tied them together was the house. They all came to the house for the summer for different holidays. Several of the characters are tied together by similar hobbies or relationships.

I felt as if the characters were somewhat changed by each other. I don't think some of them would have acted the way they did had they not been stuck in a house together.

Glass of Water

I felt like one of the moments that did not make sense was the kiss between Bolingbroke and the Duchess. It seemed to come out of nowhere. I was under the impression they hated each other. They rest of the play seemed to follow the structure of a well-made play. This scene just came out of nowhere. I could not find the other scene that did not fit. I just thought the kiss was completely out of place. They seem to go back and forth between liking and disliking each other. It was very confusing.

Eurydice

“A wedding is for daughters and fathers. The mothers all dress up, trying to look like young women. But a wedding is for a father and daughter. They stop being married to each other on that day.”

I chose this quote because it really spoke to me. I think weddings are for fathers and daughters. The moment when a father gives away his daughter is very significant. Although I don't think this necessarily  has to be a daughter and father. I think the mother could also be the one to give away her daughter. Really the father is just the one elected to give her away.

"Dead people can't sing!"

I really like this quote because when I think of music I think of life. Music can make anyone happy or sad or angry. Music is used to evoke emotion. In musicals when a person sings it is because they cannot express what they want to say just by speaking. What they have to say is so important that they have no choice but to sing.can't sing!"

Judith

I think the MDQ is "Will Judith sleep with Holofernes?" I did not know much about this play when I started reading. I thought the main conversation was about sex. When we first see Judith we assume she is there to sleep with Holofernes. She wanted to get him into a vulnerable position. She thought sleeping with him would accomplish this. They do not sleep together. When he decides to go to sleep I think she knows he will be vulnerable then.
I found it strange that he says he was pretending to sleep. It makes me think he wanted to die, or maybe he didn't care either way.
When she tries to sleep with him after he is dead, I think she feels bad for killing him and wants to have his child in order to carry on his name. Although Judith does not sleep with Holofernes, I think she fell in love with him and was driven mad by what she had to do.

'Night Mother

I do not think the question "Will Jesse kill herself?" is a very good choice. When reading the play i found myself asking, "Is Thelma going to let Jesse kill herself?" This Major Dramatic Question seems much more interesting to me. Throughout the entire play Jesse is trying to prepare her mother for life after she kills herself. It is something she has thought about for a long time and is set on following through with her plan. The mother reacts as any mother would. She is of course shocked, in total disbelief, and devastated. We know Thelma is going to try and convince Jesse to live out her life. The question then is, is she going to succeed? I would say the answer to the question is no because Jesse does kill herself. However, right before Jesse goes to leave the room, Thelma does agree to do what she has asked. Now I do not think that this mean Thelma allowed Jesse to kill herself by any means. She immediately gets up and blocks her way to the bedroom. I do believe Thelma fought to keep her daughter alive till the end. Once Jesse was dead what else could Thelma do, other than the things her daughter asked of her?

Trifles

I personally do not like the idea of a minimalistic set. I think that this play needs a very elaborate set due to the nature of the show. I found this piece to be very funny. It kind of reminded me of slapstick comedy. Although the show is dealing with the death of a person, which is very serious, it is comical that two women of the time would be hiding the evidence. I also think that once the audience realizes that the show is a kind of murder mystery they will find themselves playing along. Once the two women find the first piece of evidence the audience is going to try and guess what the next piece is. If the only props onstage are the evidence, then the mystery is gone completely. I think the play would lose its significance because we never see the Wrights so the only connection we have to them is their house. Someones house can say a lot about them. The way it is decorated. Is it cozy like a cabin or cold like a museum? Overall I think the production needs a very realistic, elaborate set with little pieces of Mr. and Mrs. Wright in each prop and set piece.

Overtones

Harriet and Margaret represent the presence that is physically there. They can see each other but not each others alternate forms Maggie and Hetty. Margaret cannot see Hetty and Harriet cannot see Maggie. This represents their true inner selves or their true thoughts. Their inner selves do interact with each other. These interactions are usually one ignoring the other. They are too preoccupied with their own problems. I think it could possibly be Harriet and Margaret's choice to not see each other's inner selves. When you think about it, it's the same thing people do everyday. Sometimes we do not want to see people's true identities.