15. Monologue Assessment

 15. Monologue Assessment

1. Give a synopsis of the play... What is the play? Who is the playwright and when was it written?

The play in which my monologue is taken is taken from is called "Antigone". The character in which I play is called "Creon". Antigone is written by Jean Anouilh (1910-1987). Jean Anouilh started writing plays at age 12. Jean Anouilh was born in Bordeaux, his father was a tailor and his mother a violinist. Jean Anouilh died at the age of 77. Antigone was premiered in Paris in 1944. That is 69 years ago (2013). Antigone is a tragedy; a "tragedy" is "  A drama or literary work in which the main character is brought to ruin or suffers extreme sorrow, especially as a consequence of a tragic flaw, moral weakness, or inability to cope with unfavourable circumstances." This definition is taken from "The Free Dictionary". Antigone is part of trilogy.

The play is set in ancient Greek times. Antigone is a tale love, death and passion. Antigone is the name of a girl who has the heart of man. In the time time when the play was set females where seen less than men; but we all women where seen as inferior to men but we all  know that is not true. The play is based around death, the death of 2 brothers Polynices and Eteocles. The brothers fight is over the throne. In every fight there is a victor; even though in this fight both opponents are dead, the victor is Eteocles. Eteocles is the winner because he gained a proper burial. A proper burial is very important. People at the time believed in three states in the afterlife:

1. Heaven

2. Hell

3. Purgatory

Purgatory is the state between heaven and hell. In purgatory your soul is not at rest. Polynices is in this state because he he did not gain a proper burial.This is because Creon has destined that no one in the kingdom should bury him or surely they will face death. All that Antigone has is her brothers and sisters since her parents are dead, so she decides to be defiant and bury her brother. King Creon is Antigone's uncle. Creon being a man of his word has to act on his word or the people of the kingdom will lose all respect him. Creon sentences Antigone to death but not by his hands. Antigone's prison will be a cave. To make it look like Creon did not kill Antigone he placed food and drink in the cave. This is because the god,s would be angered if he did kill someone.

Creon loves Antigone very much and it pains him that she disobeyed the law but he rejoices on what a stronger mind she has. In this play there is a lot of insect. Haemon, Creon's son is in love with Antigone. He pleads with his father let Antigone free. Creon agrees but is too late, Antigone has hung herself; she rather die by her own hands than at the hands of someone else. This is too much for Haemon and he pulls out his sword and hangs himself.

Creon was warned that his actions will have great consequences. Creon has now learnt his lessons.   

2. What do you know about your character?

- Insight into their childhood (Happy? Sad? WHY)

- How they feel about the characters around them.

- How do other characters view them?

- What do they want to achieve in life?

- What is their dream?

The character that I played was King Creon. He is the father of Haemon, uncle o Antigone, Ismene Polynices and Eteocles, the brother of Oedipus, the son of Jocaster. Creon wants everyone one to be happy. He believes what he says is the truth and he must have the last word. He is scared that he will get things wrong but he does not want to show others around him his human emotions but they tend to have abrupt outbursts. 

He is aware of everything that is, has and will happen in his family. He knows he is one of them and he cares for them deeply. Creon values power more than he values love and the ones around him.

This is shown when he sentences Antigone to go and stay in the cave forever, even though it scares, upsets him and frightens him that he has to do this, but he still does he does not want to loses the respect of the people.

 Creon’s childhood was dysfunctional to say the least, but you should not feel sorry for him as it made him the person he is today.

Here is a poem I wrote about the Afghan girl, I feel it in captures Creon

Her eyes are iconic, they show so many stories; stories which are not supposed to be hers.

They are mystic yet show refrain. She has a story to tell one which some try to hide. She radiates confidence but is so reluctant.

Pain, sorrow, heartbreak but theres still hope. In her eyes I see fear, loneliness. She has seen things done things, that she have never been aware of. Well in the perfect world; but what is perfect.

She's in a great deal of pain but she's silent. Silence is not the best policy. Sleepless nights. What is on her mind? Thats for her to know and no-one to find out!

The type of pain she's in, is the worst. Watching things crumble, fade disappear right in front of your eyes and not being able to do anything about it....

She has cried till she can't cry any more. Her eyes don't even go red any more. The Afghan girl screams and shouts and lets it all out. Everyone sees her yet they do noting. Attempting to doing something but still nothing. You see the truth is the worst poison and thats what she's full of. TRUTH.

It's a scary world, especially when you're on your own. She's not, thats the problem!

There's help out there. No-one seems to understand that .

She's been picked up and put straight down. She's old before her time and her face is about to catch up.

Muted emotion. Thats how they like it. All glitz and glamour, fake but its seems to hurt now.

She wants to be real. Be noticed.

The tears in her give her eyes a glaze of longing lust. A fire which cannot be put out; no matter how hard they try.

Daddy's little girl. Her mind is on a different level. She's always been a rebel; but is she now a rebel of a lost cause. The opinions of the world do not matter, they only leave  a superficial wound.

We all have piece of her in us. The fight we will always have, The dream we think of every time we close our eyes. That determination. That beauty; but is hidden scared to show just a glimpse.

No pain no gain, that’s all she breaths. This is our Afghan girl. This is my Afghan girl.

This is the Afghan girl...

Creon wants to be known throughout the land to every man every woman. He wants his power to be on show to be admired by all. He will take down anyone that is in his way no matter the cause.

3. What directorial decisions have you made about your monologue?

- Voice

- Movement and Staging

- Characterisations

I found it difficult learning my lines so I asked my drama teacher of different ways of how I can learn my lines. Ms Jackson, my drama teacher discussed with ways like writing my lines out on sticky notes and sticking them around my house, contently  reading them, recording myself repeating  the lines, and simply just writing them out agin and again. The way I chose to learn my lines was by recoding me saying them and repeating them a lot and also writing them out. What came to me as I was doing this was that he was on an emotional journey. At the start he started very confident and powerful a true king, all eyes on him he in control. The audience is hooked they feed on every word. He can say and do what every he likes and no one can do anything about it. “ Tis the stiffest iron baked in the fire that’s oftenest seen snapped and shivered” He likes to play about with his words it shows he is educated and is thinking on a different level from everyone else, unique.

As I said before he is on an emotional journey. All that glitters is not gold. It hits him that this is he niece the one who he loves and he’s going to have to kill her it is very hard to get to grips with. This is why he repeats certain words such as “I am no man, she is the man” by reaping the words it sinks in. This just makes him angry, very angry he feels and thinks he is being mocked by her; it’s a plan everyone is in on. No one is one his side.

In the last part of the monologue he is trying to pick himself up. “And summon her, and summon her and summon her” repeating this phrase is his way of collecting his thoughts. He finnaly just brakes down holding in all your emotions are not a good thing. When he stared to let them out he couldn’t stop himself and he finally erupted like a volcano, you never know when they will stop.

There were 3 actors including myself which played King Creon, we all had different monologues and different perceptions of Creon. Junior played Creon as a rapper, words just flooded out of his mouth like a river. Then there was Brandon who played Creon like an army commander very dismissive, powerful and scary.

The way that I perceived Creon was as bipolar, schizophrenic with just a hint of nuttiness.

The definition of schizophrenia is “a long-term mental disorder of a type involving a breakdown in the relation between thought, emotion, and behaviour, leading to faulty perception, inappropriate actions and feelings, withdrawal from reality and personal relationships into fantasy and delusion, and a sense of mental fragmentation.”  This is shown throughout in many ways. At times it seems like Creon is talking to himself but is just that he has reverted to his own world a place where he feels safe. No can hurt him or mock him, he is loved.

Bipolar disorder “(of psychiatric illness) characterized by both manic and depressive episodes, or manic ones only.”  I play Creon as frantic, I use the pitch, tone, pace  and volume. To increase and decease how frantic he is I played around with pace and tone. When I increased the paced it made Creon seem more nervous, he wants it to end, soon.

By nutty I mean crazy! At times I would smile straight after I had finished shouting to make the audiences feel unease, they do not know what will happen. I found that enjoyable because   you could see the shock in everyone of their faces.

As for spatial proximity I have to maintain a very power status through. I try to limit my moving because Creon is a king. All eyes should always be on him. He only comes down to others levels to give them a confidence boost but he is always in charge, like it or lump it. Spatial proximity is “The state, quality, sense, or fact of being near or next; closeness” I imagined that Creon is talking to council that is why at the end I focus on certain points in the room because that is where I imagined they would be.

I wanted my hand movement to be limited only to emphasis key important words. This is the same for my stance I wanted it to be fixed to show Creons power.

To improved I think I should practise more on when I use loud volumes. It should only be used for key points which are what give it its shocking effect. Over use of it makes it to lose its impact on the audience and myself. When it is not the right time to shout I found myself forgetting my next line. This is why it should be saved and only used with purpose.   

 As I played Creon I grew found of him, he has this innocent side but he feels he has to put on a show for all to see.