Criticism on the play Proof by David Auburn - Essay Example

? Proof Summary “Proof” is a play by David Auburn, which was acknowledged with the Pulitzer Prize in the year 2001, along with various other awards for drama. Play initiates with a character called Robert, a mathematical genius died due to the cause of mental illness. “The play shows Catherine, the daughter of Robert in a midnight conversation, either dreams or delusion, with her father who died a week earlier at fifty-three of an aneurysm” (Bayer, 1082-84). Robert is shown to converse in the play with his daughter Catherine who nursed him through his times of illness. As Robert’s funeral preparations get ready, his other daughter Claire returns from New York. Meanwhile, Catherine gets connected with one of her Father’s former student called Hal. Catherine is a college drop out and is depressed and seemingly also susceptible to mental illness. Catherine is shown to be in dilemma as towards her future after the death of her beloved father. The plot of the movie takes an interesting dimension when Hal discovers in Robert’s notebook a proof of a mathematical theory which was thought to be an unsolvable mystery. It is a captivating discovery. But Hal get astonished when he understands that Catherine is the person who wrote the proof. But did really Catherine write it? However the hand writing of the proof matches with Robert and the story continues to untangle the mysterious nature of connection between genius and madness and it’s inheritance. The story reveals how the appearance of the Mathematical proof creates havoc in the life of the three characters living. Review Proof is a wonderful drama, which explicitly describes the mathematical world and the mystery attached to it. It is a family drama which is mathematical and human relationship centered and the three characters Catherine, Claire and Hal revolve around it. The Brain power and the insanity is the core attraction of this play and focus how the daughter of a Genius inherits his excellence and capability with ease. The primary fact that is noticeable about the play is the similarity which its hold against some other plays like “Arcadia”. Nevertheless, it is not a thing to be valued in this play as it has many interesting factors to be thrown light upon. The Play has Catherine as the center character and her role is very challenging and attention demanding. The character of Catherine also brings about lots of questions and arguments towards her capability of formulate brilliant mathematical formulas and theories. Because, in the play, Catherine demands that the mysterious mathematical theorem is written by her and not by her father .Here the focus is on the fact whether women have this potential element to bring about mathematical works and achievement like man. “Catherine in the play has been trained (up to a certain point) as a mathematician, so a question is raised and tackled in the play — can a woman really do highly original work?”(Weber).The movie displays Catherine to be suffering manic depression and shown to be susceptible to her father’s disease. However the mental illness of her father, Robert is not clearly mentioned in the play. The question as to the relevance of Robert’s illness to his mathematical geniuses is also left in dark by Auburn. Catherine here is depicted to be uncertain with regard to her chances of succumbing to the mental illness as her father. The central focus of the play is whether Catherine has inherited the illness of Robert and the heightened tension surrounding a home with recent death. Catherine’s mood swings and sarcastic nature and exclusive intelligence are the possible warning that she could be a victim to her father’s illness. Catherine shared an intricate relationship with her father, and withdrew from outside world just to take care of him. They grow closer despite the illness, and the love that the father and daughter have for each other comes through, even beyond his death (Auburn, 25). There is no question about the great amount of love and compassion between the father and daughter as both shared many traits in common. The play concentrates on the resentment and despair Catherine suffers due to the death of her father along with her uncertainty for the future. Another matter of conflict is the characteristical contrast of Catherine with her sister Claire. Claire plans to take her sister to New York as she doubts Catherine need treatment for a budding mental illness. Despite Catherine took care of her Father, Claire tries to take over the position of car e taker by doubting mental health of Catherine? Here the sisters share a vulnerable relationship balance and the interaction is occurring in a highly volatile situation. Both the sisters are alike in one way as they are in an attempt to face feelings for each in otherwise long ago neglected relationship. Catherine life is not only surrounded around her father but she practiced mathematics in her spare and this drew her more close to her father. Her high intelligence is also is the reason why she is believed to be more susceptible to Robert’s illness. However, Catherine is not portrayed as an unlikable character but a humorous and extremely endearing personality. Her emotional connection with Hal also leaves her more vulnerable to him. On the other hand, Claire who has returned from New York is a business minded women and also had been helping her father with medical bill payment .The main reason for friction between Catherine and Claire was the idea of latter putting their father in an institution, which Catherine objected. The Play “proof” is an extraordinarily dramatical story which works around the matters of heart and scholarship and the true authorship of a brilliant mathematical proof and the passions fuming around it. “Playwright David Auburn tells us an engrossing mystery that holds our attention and, when it's solved, joins the pieces together cleanly without any need to glaze over gaps or holes”(Albert). The play sometimes makes people believe that Claire is envious of Catherine high intelligence but the truth is that she is afraid of it. Claire is here scared of the instability of her sister’s mental health and truly care for her well being.But the relationship of Hal with Catherine is some what questionable as a clear picture of it is not displayed in the whole drama. Hal have a personality lacking in social grace and this is what attracts Catherine to him. Both Hal and Catherine are admirers of Robert’s brilliance in mathematical field and considered him to be a hero. In a way Robert got close to Catherine to get access to the notes of mathematical proof and in this process they experienced a one night stand relationship. Hal is a nerdy person and is not working in a preplanned manner but has a sole motivation to discover the proof in the note book of Robert. The actions of Hal seems to be very insensitive and he appears in Catherine’s life at a vulnerable moment.Nonetheless, he is assisting Catherine in unlocking her life pattern and brain to come out of the way in which she lived for past nine years . The set of this play is the back porch of Robert’s and Catherine’s house in Chicago. The porch is in a deteriorating shape and has a dim lighting in it. The play had been beautifully and closely depicted with the charisma of mathematical science and network of human relationship in it. Every scene of the play is supported by information’s which has cunningly hidden secrets to unravel in the future. Auburn’s every character toys with themselves and with the audience and is essentially is in total playful mood. The Play wrighting ability of Auburn reflects a scientist’s sharp intelligence and poet’s creative skill. All characters of the play deliver an incredible talent and spontaneous dialogues to match with it. “ This contemporary drama concerns the daughter of a famous dead mathematician struggling to come to terms with both her father's legacy and her own troubled mind”(Dargis). Bibliography Albert, Carolyn. "Theatre Reviews Limited." Website for movie reviews. Theatre Reviews Limited, n.d. Web. 6 Jun 2011. Auburn, David. Proof : A Play. 1st ed.,. New York: Giroux Publishers, 2001. Print. Bayer, Dave. "Theatre Review." AMS organization . 47.9 (2000): 1082-84. Print. Dargis, Manohla. "Solving for X: Is She Crazy or a Math Mastermind?." Website for movie reviews. New York Times, 16 September 2005. Web. 6 Jun 2011.http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/2 99131/Proof/ overview>. Weber, Bruce. "Proof a play by David Auburn." Website for Study. Western Michigan University, 2000. Web. 2 Jun 2011. . . Read More