Last night I attended Southeastern's production of The Imaginery Invalid and watched the entire play. The play told the story of Argan, a hypocondriac, who is convinced he is ill and basically on his deathbed. Argan selfishly attempts to force his daughter Angelique to marry a doctor so he can receive free healthcare. Angelique refuses because she is in love with another man. Her father gives her an ultimatum: if she does not consent to marry the doctor within four days, Argan will send her a convent. Now, it's up to the family maid Toinette and Beralde, Argan's brother, to change the man's mind and allow Angelique to marry the man she chose. Even though this production was a comedy and made use of a number of crazy antics, I noticed some very serious plot themes: greed, manipulation, and deception. Angelique's stepmother, Beline, pretended to be a compassionate wife
who cared for Argan, but near the end she revealed herself to be a shallow individual who only married Argan to get her hands on his money after he died. Argan isn't much better. He heartlessly tries to take advantage of his daughter in order to have his own way. Even though he eventually relents and allows Angelique to marry the man she loves, I doubt he would have done so if the uncle of her would-be fiancee
hadn't withdrawn his blessing of the marriage. Even the "good guys" of the story, Toinette and Beralde,
use trickery to save Angelique from the undesired marriage. However, I believe all these things, as wrong as
they are, made the play entertaining and engaging. When we read, watch tv programs, movies, and plays
and see one or more of the characters engage in some type of sin we shake our heads because we know that these things are not acceptable in stories anymore than they would be in real life. But if deception,
manipulation, and the like were completely removed from all stories, where would the plot be? The excitement? The suspense? How would the characters learn and grow without these unpleasant things?
That is a really good point! I didn't even realize how the people who were suppose to save the day used immoral measures to pursue good. I really cannot think of how stories would be without all of the problems that are used to tell stories. Maybe our stories all need help and so we write about our problems to share our pain with others and then show the solution that it may give light to someone else.
ReplyDeleteI can see that you kept a good eye on the main characters. I kept an eye on the background imaginary people most. Just the way that you told the story is just the way that it was, I am impressed. I had a bit of a hard time understanding this story. I liked it, but it was a bit busy! Characterization is very important, I will keep a watchful eye for the main characters from now own. Thanks!
ReplyDelete