Sarah Kane’s 4:48 Psychosis

So good. So sad. So powerful.

I am sure that I will sound sick when I say this, but this was one of the best things this term. So good and powerful. I don’t feel pity for her, as Kane is dead, but I think that this piece is a great bit of work. Her emotions are raw and real. Even though she is stuck in this moment, and her life will be ended by herself shortly after I still believe that it applies to all of us. I know that I have felt levels of pain and sadness that is the premise of this play, of course I was not stuck in this state.

I also think that this play was not written for us, yes it is a play, yes of course it is meant to be performed. But I honestly think she could give a shit less what we think about it. These are her words and feels, this was a way that she engaged the world. So if one is repulsed by this, or hates it, or loves it-fine. It was for her by her. Of course that is how I see it. Even I can’t avoid having a response to it, I just try to keep it separate, in some way, from what this play really is.

I have a few favorite lines from this play as well:

“Okay let’s do it, let’s do the drugs, let’s do the chemical lobotomy, let’s shut down the higher functions of my brain and perhaps I’ll be a bit more fucking capable of living”(Kane 221).

I love phrase “chemical lobotomy,” so powerful and acuate.

“I cannot touch my essential self,”(Kane 229).

I have felt this very same thing, but reading it, make it have a more powerful feel, it adds to my emotion, and in some way allows catharsis.

BEST LINE OF THE PLAY

“It is myself I have never met, whose face is is pasted on the underside of my mind…”(Kane 245).

This use of pronouns to create a paradoxical separation of self is just fucking amazing. The false self that is some how glues to the bottom of her mind is a powerful image that make me repeat that line over and over in an attempt to understand more of it, to feel it. I still can’t stop saying it.

I think Sarh Kane is amazing. I am sad for her passing, as I like her no bull shit way of writing plays. No pretty superfluous  words, just raw imagery and emotion.

I also remebered a quote from Shakespeare’s Hamlet that reminds me of this:

“His canon ‘gainst self-slaughter! O God, God!

How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable

Seem to me all the uses of this world!

Fie on ’t, ah fie! ‘Tis an unweeded garden

That grows to seed. Things rank and gross in nature

Possess it merely. That it should come to this.”

Eurydice pt.II

Well that was pretty sad. Sure they are all together. But here they are in the Underworld, dead and completely unaware of each other. Well played. Still it was a pretty good story, I guess I forgot that this was a tragedy. I blame it all on Eurydice, she didn’t want to go back, she wanted to be with her dad, what was more like her anyways. Even so, it still sucks. At least they all got to be together at the end…right?

On another note, I love how creepy the kid is, how he comes in on a tricycle, awesome.

This is what that kid on a tricycle reminded me of.

The kid was also the nasty interesting man as well. There was a scene where he wanted to kiss her eyelids, what a great moment of foreshadowing! I loved it. Over all the play was fun to read and I can’t wait to read more of her works!

Eurydice

So far this is a great play, I have only read the first half and thus far it is amazing, I have never read any of Sarah Ruhl before, and I am hooked. Plus I loved how she built her father into the storyline ,he had such a strong role, and is one of my favorite characters. In the supplemental reading there was a reference to Ovid, I think I would like to read that at some point because it sounds like that falls in line with a lot of the theory of tragedy that we have looked at this term. I actually like all of our supplemental readings so much that I am purchasing the book! Anyways, back to Eurydice.

The chorus of stones was also pretty cool as well. In the class they were getting a lot of negative feed back, but in a way I saw them as both commentators and as a comedic relief.   That also explained things that might have been confusing, like that inability to speak or the lack of memory of a life above in that land of the living. She is also amazing with water. I loved that it was raining in the elevator that brought Eurydice down to the underworld.

Isn’t this so amazing!

So I just found something really cool!

From Arcade Fire’s new album Reflektor

Lyrics:

You and I were born in a little town

Before the awful sound started coming down

Oh no, oh

You came home from school and knew you had to run

Please stop running now, just let me be the one for you

I know you can see things that we can’t see

But when I say I love you, your silence covers me

Oh, Eurydice, it’s an awful sound

I was so disappointed you didn’t want me

Oh, how could it be, Eurydice?

I was standing beside you by a frozen sea

Will you ever get free?

Just take all your pain, just put it on me

So that you can breathe

When you fly away will you hit the ground?

It’s an awful sound

I know there’s a way, we can make them pay

Think it over and say, “I’m never going back again”

I know there’s a way, we can leave today

Think it over and say, “I’m never going back again”

You were born in the little town

Before the awful sound started coming down

There’s so much inside you that you won’t let me see

You fly away from me, but it’s an awful sound when you hit the ground

It’s an awful sound when you hit the ground

I know there’s a way, we can make them pay

Think it over and say, “I’m never going back again”

I know there’s a way, we can leave today

Think it over

We know there’s a price to pay for love in a reflective age

I met you up upon a stage, our love in a reflective age

Oh no, now you’re gone

///

Hey, Orpheus!

I’m behind you

Don’t turn around

I can find you

Just wait until it’s over

Wait until it’s through

And if I call for you

Oh, Orpheus!

Just sing for me all night

We’ll wait until it’s over

Wait until it’s through

You say it’s not me, it’s you

Hey, Orpheus!

De l’autre côté de l’eau

Comme un écho

Just wait until it’s over

Wait until it’s through

And if I shout for you

Never doubt

Don’t turn around too soon

Just wait until it’s over

Wait until it’s through

It seems so important now

But you will get over

It seems so important now

But you will get over

And when you get over

When you get older

Then you will remember

Why it was so important then

Seems like a big deal now

But you will get over

Seems like a big deal now

But you will get over

When you get over

And when you get older

Then you will discover

That it’s never over

Hey, Eurydice!

Can you see me?

I will sing your name

Till you’re sick of me

Just wait until it’s over

Just wait until it’s through

But if you call for me

This frozen sea

It melts beneath me

Just wait until it’s over

Wait until it’s through

Seems like a big deal now

But you will get over

Seems like a big deal now

But you will get over

And when you get over

And when you get older

Then you will remember

He told you he’d wake you up

When it was over

He told you he’d wake you up

When it was over

Now that it’s over

Now that you’re older

Then you will discover

That it’s never over

It’s never over (it’s never over) [8x]

Sometime (Sometime)

Sometime (Sometime)

Boy, they’re gonna eat you alive (eat you alive)

But it’s never gonna happen now

We’ll figure it out somehow

Sometime (Sometime)

Sometime (Sometime)

Boy, they’re gonna eat you alive (eat you alive)

But it’s never gonna happen now

We’ll figure it out somehow

Cause it’s never over

It’s never over (it’s never over) [6x]

We stood beside

A frozen sea

I saw you out

In front of me

Reflected light

A hollow moon

Oh Orpheus, Eurydice

Its over too soon

Pretty cool huh? I think it sounds pretty good too!

MISS JULIE

It all take place right here:

Yep all in a kitchen, which I think is pretty cool. So this is a story of class, a woman who is high up wants to try out live as a commoner and a guy that wants to move up get a taste of just that. But this causes issues. So Julie comes down to the kitchen, and begins to hit on him. At first he keeps her at bay with the separation of class argument. Of course that does not last long, and they end of sleeping together. This causes a whole slew of issues, specifically with John’s boss who is also Julie’s father. One of the things I like is the power that the father/boss has over them. He is not actually a person in the play, but rather he is represented in props. First as a shoe.

Who would have thought that shoes would mean enough to cause fear!

John is polishing the shoes at the beginning and continues to polish even when Julie shows up, this prop serves as a reminder that both Julie and John are at the mercy of the man in charge. His presence is so powerful that the very things he owns scares others. The best I think is the bell. When the bell rings everyone jump up in fear. It is a lot like Pavlov’s experiment with bells and dogs. These people are conditioned to fear him!

If only John and Julie thought they had this much power. Then they could be free!

Overall it is just sad that these people screwed up the lives they already. At the end Julie commits suicide, kind of extreme but whatever. That is the tragedy though, and it is a woman, I still think it was a bit much. Even so, I think that it is a tragedy second and a critique on class conflicts first. If only there was a way to fit a play like this into the class structure of society today. I think that the class disparity that we have in current America could make a similar tragedy. So I may not like this play all that much, I still love August Strindberg’s writing and the premise behind this play.

Three Sisters and Me

1901 Cover

This play was pretty annoying. It seems like Moscow is the place to be for the characters as they are neither happy with their location or their status in life. These people are everyday people, you know like you and me, and I like to compare them to Americans who always want to go the big city, New York or San Fransico, even just the idea of going anywhere but the town we were born into.

Of course this place is better than your home town. Unless it is your home town.

Way better than home, right?

But for us Moscow is even more exotic!

The characters in this play are us, and that is why I think this play is so boring, that and that fact that nothing happens. I mean I think that things actually happen to me on a day to day basis, and I would wager that these characters think the same of their lives. I almost read this as a commentary on our lives and how boring our lives our from a third person perspective, and even more so when applied to a third person narrative. Even changing the medium and writing this thing from a first person perspective would not have enhanced the play nor would it have made it anymore exciting. Like I said though that is the point. One of the hardest things about reading a play like this is that I expect to be surprised in some way, I expect to learn something, to feel some enjoyment. In this play I felt none, all I felt was a lethargic boredom that already exists in my own life. So why would I want to see more of my own life. Half of the time I get sick of it anyways, hence the need to sleep.

I can’t blame them for wanting to escape their life, but I don’t think that will be any kind of a solution. None the less I know that I carve travel, I too have the need to escape my home. I feel that way when ever I stay in one place too long, so in some way I may be a hyped up version of the three sisters. This kind of reminds of some lyrics to an Irish drinking song, that is almost unrelated, but I can’t help but to add it here:

The Moonshiner

I’m a rambler, I’m a gambler, I’m a long way from home
And if you don’t like me, well, leave me alone
I’ll eat when I’m hungry, I’ll drink when I’m dry
And the moonshine don’t kill me, I’ll live til I die

A Dream Play

This is the best work that I have read in this class all term. I seriously love how Agnes gets to sample life. It is as though we get to explore and see from a different perspective that very lives that we live. To me our lives seem pretty much an ordinary thing, even when there is some level of excitement it is not as though the world has never seen these actions before. Yet it all gets repeated. None the less Agnes and he innocent child like look at our lives is pleasurable watch. Though I took this story as not of the God Agnes coming to the real world, but rather of an aspect of the consciousness exploring ideas in the safety of the dream state, or the world. I viewed Agnes coming down from the tower as descending from being awake to being fully asleep.  I especially loved that chrysanthemum , and the meaning that could be implied by it.

This burning rendition so beautiful.

Dreaming of chrysanthemums indicates an unfolding of the inner self, during a tumultuous time of life.  More specifically, it may represent a time of deep personal growth forged by hardship or conflict.  The result leading to a stronger, more realized self.(Written by avenefica on April 28th, 2009)

The flower says so much about the play, almost like a commentary on what is to come. This unfolding of an inner-self is what Anges is embarking on for both herself and for the consciousness that she serves. Then she was trying to understand the hows and the whys behind human nature and our suffering as this flower stand for growth; a growth that occurs in her. Then this result leading to a better more realized self supports my claim that this play is about an aspect of the unconscious exploring new ideas. For Agnes to explore ideas in these random and unconnected  way, the way that dreams naturally are. This mirrors my dreams, and what my imagination naturally does, even without my knowledge. Agnes also represents for me what I wish my unconsciousness would do for me more often, as it gets old when I learn the hard way in life.

Seriously though, what’s up with the boobs? Who is that supposed to be?

What power there is in dreams, to explore the world or ones self, absolutely incredible and beautiful and most of all:safe. To write a play like this was just amazing. yes it was confusing, yes it was odd and uncanny, but that is the dream world.

Sarah Kane-Yeah She Went There…

I have to level here, I really like her adaptation of Phaedra-Phaedra’s Love. It is crass and crazy and full of sex! It seems like the complete opposite of Seneca’s version, which had absolutely no sex. In Kane’s, everyone is screwing everyone, and Hippolytus is still a lofty asshole. There is a scene where Hippolytus is playing video games and Phaedra walks in and goes down on him. Does he respond, not really, he just says that she had better have herself checked for a STD. Absolutely nuts!

“Hate me now?”

My favorite part is not the story, but the way that Sarah Kane shocks us. I enjoy this shock. In a way I think it is more real, more life like. There are no rhymes, just brutal life filled with all the assholes that we find in our lives. Of course we don’t have some one’s penis getting cut off, or a father having sex with his daughter in front of a crowd. Or even a priest going down on him. But over all it is not only modern, but has the back and forth feel of actual dialogue among real people.

I also just love his (or Kane’s) commentary on life, what is life? Just filling up time? God, I feel like I do this sometime, it’s scary honestly. Her character has no fear and can say with no fear that our lives may have no meaning what so ever. Go him and go her, of course with thoughts like that one may be lead to kill themselves.

Phaedra

I am not really a fan of Seneca’s Phaedra, it pretty annoying. Here is this chick who is married, but she wants to have sex with his son. First off that is just nasty, seriously nasty.

What she wished would happen…

The son is like: I don’t life vagina.

So there is no chance of anything at all happening here, the son doesn’t even like ladies, and Phaedra is too horny for her own good. But she still tries to get with him. When he shuts her down she kills herself,(I would too if I were that fucked up in the head) and leaves a note that says her son, Hippolytus tried to rape her. Like that would even happen, I am sure that he thinks that vagina have teeth that would not only eat his penis, but also his soul. Of course the dad comes home and flips out when he finds his dead wife, and then goes bat shit when he reads the note. He sends Hippolutus into banishment, praying for Poseidon to kill his son. The gods is like I have the perfect plan, he sends a giant bull to kill Hippolytus. This bull hits this dude so hard he explodes, I mean for real, body part everywhere, arms in a tree, guts on some grass, he is even impaled in his junk….ya Seneca went there…messed up.

Still needs more body parts-needs to to look more like he ingested semtex.

Then the his father learns that he screwed up, and he tries to reassemble his not blown apart son. Of course he can not do this, he is not Frankenstien. Now he wrought with distress for he no longer has his wife or his son. So sad really. While I don’t mind a bit of gore, I can’t help but to feel that pain of loosing it all. In this case I just can’t see Pheadrea as the tragic person, it is the father, he was lied to by his wife, and as a result he murdered his son. Of course he was not without sin, his mom is Medea, and he did have sex with an amazonian, so I suppose there is no tragic person. It just depends on wheather you take side with someone. At this point I think they are all crazy. I also think that is a messed up way to go. At what point could this whole thing have changed pace? A level head? Of course what would be the fun in that? We need a larger than life person to meet some end to have a tragic ending. What better an ending then a father seeing his dead wife and accidentally killing his son, then a curtain close with him and his lonely grief.

Medea is Pretty Awesome

I really like this character Medea. She puts up with no ones shit, she loves deeply, and she hates just as deep. Imagine if Jason would have just stuck by her side and found a new place away from the world as they knew it, what if he threw off his ideals of being royalty, he might have found happiness. Instead, he cheats on her and incurs not only  woman’s wrath but also the wrath of a witch. Regardless of what version you read Medea is a powerful woman, with a passionate heart. I know she killed her children, but I don’t fault her for it, I am not saying it was wrong, i am just saying it is hard to be rational when some one has shit on all that you are and all that you have created, especially if you gave up a good royal life, killed some people and essentially stood by your loved one-only to have them cheat on you. To revenge makes sense to me, there is a saying that I like that I believe applies to the reason why she killed her sons instead of Jason himself: “Death is a release, not a punishment” (Anon). If she would have killed him, she would not have had her revenge in the same powerful and satisfying sense that she actually find when she ends his bloodline and kills his new wife. I really do think she is a badass. Would I have the courage or imagination to think of that, nope, I sure wouldn’t. I would just leave or kill the bitch. So my life would be boring in a play. It’s sensational to kill a few kids, it really makes a statement that I am sure few others things could. I prefer Seneca’s method of showing us the deaths of these kids, rubbing our faces in it, making us feel all the more. I would rather feel a full effect then a half-assed or fearful measure of it.

SHOW ME THE WOUNDS, THE BLOOD.

Don’t be lazy or fearful of the sight of blood, it’s all natural really, so why hide it. Medea did not hide her actions, she would not have even tried, she believed strongly in her methods, and more so the results. The crumpled man who Jason became was perfect for Medea to see, it gave her some measure of closure. I am not saying that I condone killing kids, but in this fiction, its great, sensational even, it leaves me proud of Medea, and glad that she got what she needed.

Letters to Medea

Dear Medea,

It could be said that you went a little overboard, killing your husband’s new wife, her father, and then your two children! Are you mad! I feel as though I can understand why you would kill Jason’s new bride, I mean come on he is still married to you and he lets that cankerous whore in your bed! I even get the whole killing her father deal as well. To end the lives of your children; isn’t that taking the whole revenge things to far? No offense or anything.

Sincerely,

A semi-fearful fan, that has no children for you to kill.

Coward,

You dare say I, as you put it “went over board.” Half-measures are not for the likes of me. You examine my life as you would a shark, from the safety of your decrepit ship. Does a lion have need to explain herself to her prey? No! I do as I so chose because I am Medea; I am that I am. I will not allow one who was once so close to my heart run free with his trespasses, no crime against me will go unpunished. I do not partially commit to my actions, only a coward such as you would commit to half-measures. I killed those children, but they were no longer MY children. Those sacks of flesh were merely an extension of my foolish husband, and as I would a rotted limb, I cut them free. I would do so again if need be, I suffered his choices, choices in which he thought it well to not include my heart in. So I did more than he, I included his heart in my decisions, I carved it out entirely and thereby decimating any roots that threaten to take hold and regrow anew for all time. So I ask you, coward, am I not merciful in my finality?

Medea

P.S. Don’t ever have children, for you know not their worth.