& # 8211 ; David Williamson Essay, Research Paper
Dead White Males, the drama by Australian dramatist David Williamson, deals with several struggles which occur between the characters. Whether they concern patriarchate and feminism, or intellectualism and anti-intellectualism, these opposing thoughts each spawn from the drama s main struggle between broad humanitarianism and post-structuralism. In the beginning, the drama s chief character, Angela Judd, finds herself someplace amidst the two. During the class of the drama she and the audience are presented with protagonists of each political orientation and eventually led to prefer one above the other. The political orientations are represented through the existent characters in the drama, and by the usage of extracts from some of Shakespeare s celebrated dramas.
The two opposing political orientations in Dead White Males are broad humanitarianism and post-structuralism. Broad humanitarianism upholds the thought that work forces and adult females s behaviors are steered by an across-the-board human nature. Permanent truths refering human nature do exist ; it is non socially constructed. Peoples are non constrained by political orientations and are free to be persons. On the other manus, post-structuralism promotes its belief that in the universe there is no world, merely manufactured world constructed by words, and no absolute truths. Human behavior is controlled by many political orientations that dominate society. However, spreads that exist within the systems directing society make it possible for people to interrupt free and alteration.
The first scene wastes no clip in set uping the struggle and presenting the major characters through which each political orientation is represented. William Shakespeare, who appears as a figure of Angela s imaginativeness, is the drama s broad humanist. Broad humanitarianism provinces that there is a set human nature which is precisely what Shakespeare believes to be true. This fact is fleetly highlighted when Angela asks, How is it that you know so much about us? ( I, page 1 ) . It shows that Shakespeare is respected for his high intelligence, and renowned for his great apprehension in human behavior and emotion. Furthermore, Shakespeare, being the most celebrated individual in the Earth s history ( I, page 22 ) , would be instantly recognizable by the audience. They would readily place him as a good, honorable character, which places the audience to prefer broad humanitarianism.
Shakespeare stands for everything that Dr Grant Swain finds inexplicable. Boyfriend slayings Shakespeare in the gap scene to exemplify this. He is a passionate post-structuralist, and his drawn-out address in the 2nd scene makes this really clear: there are no absolute truths there is no fixed human nature ( I, page 2 ) ; none of us are free, or can of all time be, free of political orientation ( I, page 3 ) . Swain s chief function in the drama is to carry Angela to hold with post-structuralist idea. By act uponing the chief character, the audience is led to accept post-structuralism merely as Angela has. The fact that he is a magnetic, articulate, intelligent adult male makes him a converting representative of post-structuralism, as he is able to act upon Angela rather comfortably.
Shakespeare s dramas are besides incorporated in the book of Dead White Males on several occasions. They are used to show, and supply statements against, the two conflicting political orientations. As You Like It is selected by Angela for her English paper. She uses Shakespeare s drama to turn out Dr Swain s averment that literature is basically ideological ( I, page 29 ) . Angela provinces, patriarchal political orientation has fashioned the characters, the values and the really construction of this drama ( I, page 29 ) . Here, she is stand foring post-structuralism. Her elaborate and educated address sways the audience to look somewhat more favorably towards this political orientation.
Melissa so gives her talk on The Taming of the Shrew. She reads the drama from a
broad humanist point of position, and finds small ideological influence. This upsets Angela, who retaliates with a strong statement that Shakespeare wrote ideologically and from the position of the patriarchate ( I, page 28 ) . A argument arises between the two, who clearly represent opposing political orientations. It concludes with Melissa s entry: I am evidently a hopeless victim of the patriarchal building of muliebrity. I m regretful. Shoot me ( I, page 33 ) . The audience is positioned to experience sympathy for Melissa and to accept that it is human nature that makes her attracted to Petruchio.
Subsequently in the drama, Shakespeare s King Lear is used by the dramatist himself to demo Angela that there is such a thing as human nature. The extract is taken from the scene where Lear discovers that his girl, Cordelia, is dead. He mourns her decease, shouting in torment, Thou lt come no / more, / Never, ne’er, ne’er, ne’er, ne’er! ( II, page 83 ) . Shakespeare asks Angela, Did King Lear need an political orientation to build his heartache? This powerful and distressing infusion is effectual in altering the audience s positions on each political orientation.
In Act Two, Angela is given the undertaking of questioning members of her household to uncover how they feel about patriarchate and feminism. This provides us with farther representations of broad humanitarianism and post-structuralism. Angela begins by questioning her gramps, Col Judd, who has been developed as a male chauvinist, racialist, broad humanist. Col believes that there is a definite human nature, because it is up to work forces to contend the wars and gain the money. However, the audience so discovers that Col is really a sort, generous, loyal adult male. He has suffered vastly during his life-time. We are made to experience sorry for Col, whose life has been ruined by women’s rightists. Angela besides interviews her female parent and male parent, Sarah and Martin. During these scenes it is revealed that Sarah is a women’s rightist, Martin is an anti-feminist, and they both blame each other for their cheerless province. Their conversations are suffused with their several ideological ideas, act uponing the audience s positions on each. We are meant to experience greater understanding towards Martin than Sarah, as he is the weaker individual. The drama continues its move towards the victory of broad humanitarianism.
In the terminal, the audience is positioned to prefer broad humanitarianism to post-structuralism. Swain, the supposed women’s rightist, is revealed to be a dissembler. He himself takes advantage of Melissa, blames his catastrophe matrimony on his married woman, and quotation marks from Hamlet, Frailty, thy name is adult female! ( II, page 93 ) . From here on, Swain and his post-structuralist ideas crumble. He is eventually defeated when told to travel Foucault himself and is shot by himself in the pes. In the concluding scene we are given a really patriarchal broad humanist decision. Steve quits university to go a mechanic, Angela and Steve autumn in love, and the two walk off phase manus in manus. This stoping is about a re-enactment of a Shakespearian love affair, and therefore, reinforces the triumph of broad humanitarianism.
David Williamson utilises many techniques in his drama Dead White Males to stand for the two opposing political orientations of broad humanitarianism and post-structuralism. The cardinal thoughts are communicated to the audience through the chief characters, William Shakespeare and Dr Grant Swain. Shakespeare, the broad humanist, considers people s behavior as guided by human nature, while Swain, being the post-structuralist, sees society as being controlled by many restraining political orientations. On several occasions intertextual significances are constructed utilizing Shakespeare s dramas, which place the audience to prefer one political orientation above the other. Broad humanitarianism is favoured in the terminal. Swain is unsuccessful in his efforts to win his pupils support, and Angela and Steve close the drama as a real-life Rosalind and Orlando.
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