Essay/Term paper: Modern vs ancient

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Literature Essays

Modern Vs. Ancient


"We saw her lying: she had made a noose of her fine linen veil and hanged herself. Haimon lay beside her, his love lost under ground, crying out that his father had stolen her away from him." Throughout history plays have evolved in many ways. For example, the theaters where they hold plays have changed drastically from the original theater. Costumes are another item that has changed, but the content of the play has always been similar, ever since they created the very first play. Most plays have the same motifs, and have relied on tragedy to form the play. The play, The Effects of Gamma Rays on Man in The Moon Marigolds has taken several aspects from Greek drama, specifically from the play Oedipus.
The play The Effects of Gamma Rays on Man in The Moon Marigolds and both Antigone and Oedipus have used the same ideas and they both have very similar aspects to them. Although they created the modern play many years after the other two, there are still signs of the old style of writing in them, just like there are in most plays. For example, these three plays use the same motifs in their main themes, in fact they all use pretty much the same themes, and have the same morals. Just like plays passed on from generation to generation, modern plays also have morals in them, and many of those morals are similar. For example, the theme of Antigone and Oedipus was that we should listen to others, and we shouldn't think that we are always right, because there are always people who know more than we do. The theme from The Effects of Gamma Rays on Man in The Moon Marigolds is very similar. They all teach us that we should be honest, and we should listen to others.
Both ancient and modern plays rely on tragedy in the plot lines. Tragedy is used for many reasons; to foreshadow upcoming events, make conflict in the play, to show the reader the consequences of different actions, to arouse the emotions of pity and fear, wonder and awe, to explore the questions of the ways of God to Man, and to purify the emotions. For example, in the play Oedipus, there were many tragedies that the author used. In the beginning of the play there was a tragedy because all the people were suffering, and there wasn't enough food. Then after that, there was the problem of who killed the king, and when Oedipus found out it was him, he realized what a fool he was for not listening to others. After that he was forced to take out his own eyes and it showed the audience the consequences he had to take for his actions. That was how tragedy was used in Oedipus.
In Antigone, there was an even bigger tragedy at the end when Creon finally decided to free Antigone, it was too late, and many people whom he loved very much, killed themselves because he would not listen to them. The quotation used in the introduction of this paper was taken from this moment in the play. The quotation explains just how tragic this scene was for the actors in the play. In the play The Effects of Gamma Rays on Man in The Moon Marigolds, they showed a tragedy when Beatrice killed the rabbit. This is a tragedy because many of the other characters loved the rabbit in the play.
Another thing that hasn't changed very much about plays is the physical theater itself. Throughout history, and all the technical advancements we have made since the old plays were created, it is amazing that the actual theater has remained pretty much the same. For example, the same main parts are still there, like the stage, the place where the audience sits, the dressing rooms, and the entrance have all still stayed the same. There have only been a few changes like adding lights, and some computerized parts to the stage. Costumes have also changed also, before they used to be robes and veils, but now actors use modern clothes. Also, masks used to be used to show the actors emotions in the play, but now instead of masks makeup and facial expressions are used to show how they feel.
Plays have clearly changed very little since ancient times. They have the similar motifs, themes, techniques, and are still held in a place similar to where they used to be, and that proves that future plays will have these same characteristics in them, and the same traditions will be kept.