This week's lecture regarding Oedipus Rex is a good start. Selected students were asked to walk the way Oedipus would walk when he enters the stage.
When i first read the play, i did not pay much attention to the stage direction. All i wanted to know was the contnent of the story. I knew that Oedipus had clubfoot, but never would I imagine the way he ways and that he needs a staff to help him walk. I imagined him to be walking arrogantly, with head held high.
Only when Dr Edwin mentioned that only one friend walked the right way which is with a little limp, I realised how ignorant I have been.
Maybe in the future, I should also ask my students to act out the stage directions for the prologue/ Act one so that they have a clearer picture of how the setting of the stage would be like.
Of course, Dr Edwin's lecture has always been informative as he introduced new ideas in each lessons.
New things learnt this week:
Wisdom/ Wise
Fool/Foolish
Significance of hands and eyes
How ironic Oedipus' speech could be
How the dialogue can portray the characters
Have you ever wondered that one person may think that he is wise but he is actually foolish? Oedipus tries to help Thebes, his people to overcome the plague that they are facing by finding the murderer of King Laius. He thinks that he is being wise but the truth destroys him. He is the murderer that he is looking for. His good intentions end up hurting him and he had to live in exile. So, be wise :)
-EYes-
One can have eyes to see, but does not see the truth. One can be blind but see more than a sighted person can see. Why do I say so? Teiresias, a blind prophet knows the truth but not Oedipus. Oedipus has eyes to see, but he does not see the truth. He does not know that he is the pollution of the country.
:)
Firstly, it was indeed hilarious when Dr Edwin asked us to walk the way Oedipus would walk when he enters the stage. Remember i was also 'selected' to perform it. It was totally embarassing.Hahaha.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, it was a good lesson for all of us. Obviously, play is more than just its story alone. It is more than just characteristics found in the dialogue. Stage direction is one thing that most people take lightly for granted. Ironically, stage direction does tell us a lot of information about the progress of the play. I learned that it is vital to give attention to every part of the play. Not a tiny part of it should be left out because the part where we miss may be the important point of the play. You never know, do we? So, next time,we have got to be focused on what is written in every play. Don't you think so?