S. F.
EAE 4U
Argumentative Essay
Monday, 22 October 2007

Cultural and Political Cleanliness

Shakespeare is the author of countless world-renowned plays and sonnets. In fact, many expressions within the English language originate from his works. Most of his dramatic scripts are dark tragedies; King Lear is no exception. It is bombarded with dark themes such as insanity, suicide, betrayal, as well as justice, all of which usually resolve in death of one or several characters. As a play deals with such “incorrectness,” it is rather surprising that it has remained unedited, or “uncleansed” by those who prefer to be shielded in warm cloud of innocence. Pain is graphically portrayed in this play; the script remains unaltered from the original for the most part, all the while retaining all of the dark themes within the plot. King Lear also happens to be a stage production ― an artistic venue ―, which is known to deal usually with tabooed subjects and constantly push the limits in terms of “correctness.”

The King Lear production in Stratford left the audience breathless at those emotionally intense moments. The first was when Lear was reaching the brink of insanity. The lights dimmed and his spotlight was an eerie blue. A most powerful reproduction of a thunderstorm increased the usual tension reserved for the last few minutes leading up to intermission. Insanity is a severe condition that is most often treatable nowadays, yet not completely curable. However, in Shakespeare’s time, madness was feared and those affected were locked away for the rest of their lives. The audience was not able to observe Lear’s recovery because he died so soon after the beginning of his condition. Another intense scene that also involves much “filth” is when the Earl of Gloucester’s eyes were gouged out. Adults would feel uncomfortable watching this scene, thus rendering it “unsuitable for children,” as well as “dirty”, as it was filled with painful cries of pain, and sometimes blood, as in the movie version of King Lear. A discussion with the actors after the play informed the students that in some productions, the use of ribbons intensifies the inflicted pain, as they resemble blood gushing out. They serve as both artistic and gory aspects that only theatre can produce.

As was mentioned previously, King Lear touches upon several dark aspects. Many characters have lost their life; some have been physically tortured, others mentally. Most productions of Shakespeare’s plays omit lines of his extremely elaborate poems that serve as never-ending monologues for they are usually mere “jibber jabber.”  They are phrases that speak of nonsense and that serve as more work for the actors who must memorize and cite them on stage without fault. However, despite these many cuts upon the script, the general plotline remains unaffected. One reason for inputting unimportant rambles is that Shakespeare was probably in a poetic mood and wrote them merely for his own amusement. The controversial aspects are still publicly displayed throughout the play. In fact, if some stage producers had chosen to rewrite the play in order to hide them because of “cultural and political correctness,” the sense of King Lear would be lost, and most Shakespearian appreciators would be highly displeased with the modifications.

Theatre is, in fact, a very dangerous venue to undertake if a person were not to approve of its “incorrectness.” The point of theatre is to create drama that spectators may enjoy, exaggerated in a way that it would not be acceptable to broadcast on public television. Some people distance themselves from some controversial movies, because they are normally rated “R” for “restricted,” but dramas usually portray more dangerous twists without the warning restrictions. They are considered to be art and are viewed by spectators who usually prepare themselves in advance. Those who love stage-play enjoy that specific aspect of it and thus are knowledgeable about the shocking values often covered by artistic venues such as theatre. Controversy comes as a thrill as one is usually unable to observe such dirt on television. Another reason for theatre’s dangerous themes is because this medium appeals to a smaller audience. Less critics and “cleaners” are criticizing the dirt. Less people are concerned with the inappropriateness of theatre so productions are able to get away with esoteric artistic choices.

However, despite all of its eccentricities, theatre does not necessarily display more socially unacceptable taboos than television. Both movies and television deal with graphically detailed murder using visual and aural special effects: the more blood and screams, the better. Theatre, on the other hand, cannot recreate these effects in detail due to time and space constraints: actors are unable to pause in mid-sentence so a make-up artist can bloody them up in time for their next line. Therefore, theatre must deliver more creative portrayals. Moreover, movie companies edit footage prior to film release, with cuts making it back onto DVD release where even children are able to view them. So as it is, both movies and television have not been subjected to political and cultural cleanliness.

With movie costs less than ten dollars at most venues, and television also inexpensive, these mediums appeal to a wider range of audience. Because violence is becoming the main ingredient in digital visual entertainment, people are becoming desensitized. To remain competitive, theatre must seek originality; otherwise it will lose its audience. So when spectators watch stage dramas, they are unaccustomed to the artistic point of view as it differs so greatly from television. As a result, people are more apt to describe theatre as “weird” or “eccentric” as opposed to creating a social event with friends and family on a show night. Theatre is definitely a different type of entertainment, but that is what makes stage productions so interesting.