“Visual action can be as important on the stage as speech.” How far do you agree with this claim?
I completely agree that visual action can be as important if not as important on the stage as speech. The cliché “actions speak louder than words” holds true in theater as well as life. A look a character gives another character or a hand gesture that a character makes can convey a lot more emotion than whatever the character says. Actions give the audience a deeper understanding of what is going on in the play and what the characters are feeling by creating a visual to look at.
In Oedipus the King, Oedipus claws his own eyes out after he finds a dead Jocasta. This visual is much stronger than him say he is upset or sad about what happened. The audience sees what Oedipus does to himself and the people watching become capable of understanding Oedipus’ emotions. This happens because they see an example of what his emotions make him do, rather than just hearing him express his emotions through dialogue. The visual of the force that Oedipus uses with the shepherd shows how desperate Oedipus was to find out the truth. His language is forceful, but his actions visually illustrate the idea, making it stronger.
In Wild Duck there are many different groups conversing amongst themselves. This is demonstrated through the stage directions and through the dialogue between only two people. In this play, the separation between characters conveys the idea of secrets and gossip. While these ideas are expressed through the dialogue, the ideas are further developed through the visual scene. The audience can see two characters talking together, therefore the audience understands that these characters do not want others to hear what they are talking about. This makes the people watching the play feel as if they are in on some secret, creating a connection or bond between them and the characters.
The dialogue in a play generally creates or introduces an idea, but the actions that the audience can see strengthen and build on the idea created by the dialogue. Without the actions, the idea would be weak and the audience would not believe it, making the play boring and uninteresting.
That was really good. You chose great examples to prove your point. It is a cool take on the actions that it applies even to action you don't see. How Oedipus clawing his eyes out is so much more meaningful than words even though the audience doesn't see it happen, that is an interesting idea.
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