A Relevant Factor in Drama and Poetry - Essay Example

Performance: A Relevant Factor in Drama and Poetry All forms of literature convey messages to an audience. Such messages are the products of the author’s imaginations and the perspectives of the objective conditions that he or she may have experienced or perceived. These are then articulated in a written manner and expressed towards an audience. Written works, such as essays and short stories, whether these are fiction or fact, are understood through reading. Poetry and drama, on the other hand, are delivered through performance.

What makes poetry and drama different to other literary works is that these are delivered through performance. For these to be appreciated by the audience, people who recite the poems or who act in the drama must deliver the words according to the essential points raised by the author. It must be noted, however, that while other literary works read are subject to the interpretation of the reader, drama and poetry tend to be performed according to the elucidation of the actors and directors. As pointed out by Clugston, “drama is mimetic art” (2010, 13.1). This means that that the performers or actors make it a point to imitate life.

Because of this, there is always the tendency to deliver the lines in a realistic or natural conversational manner. However, this may not always be the case as in the versions of Macbeth by William Shakespeare. Definitely, in the first production in which Shakespeare himself oversaw, the actors stuck to the lines just as the playwright created it. Roman Polanski’s 1971 film, particularly in the first part, Witches’ Opening, remained loyal to the original script. The lines “when shall we meet again, in thunder, lightning, or in rain” were delivered in the same manner that actual Shakespearean actors do (Shakespeare, Act I, Scene I).

Although its setting is exactly the same as described by the playwright, it does seem unnatural for the film audience, people who have become accustomed to the listening to script being delivered in normal conversational manner. The TV adaptation produced by the BBC did not use the original script in verbatim. Instead, they developed a script that is more attuned to the tastes of the modern audience. Both Polanski’s film version and the BBC TV adaptation may be using the same Macbeth story written by Shakespeare.

However, the performances vary according to the styles of the actors and directors in relaying the message to the audience. Obviously, this only proves again that performance is a major factor in the delivery of the message being passed to the audience by the playwright. It is apparent though, as in the case of BBC’s version, the performance aspect can become a reason why the directors and actors may tend to deviate from what the playwright may originally want to imply. This is the same conditions that surround the delivery of poems through the performance of a reader.

However, there is obviously a lesser possibility of deviation because the reader or performer is only obligated to stick to the words written, the tone, the voice, and stresses employed. Oftentimes, it is also the poet himself or herself that delivers the poem by reading it aloud. The problem here though is that there is the tendency to hold on to the notion that only the poets themselves can best read their works because they, after all, are the ones who know the poems by heart. This is because some people have the idea that when a writer reads his or her own work, the audience is closer to an authentic understanding of what the he or she means (Mills, 6 July 2007).

There may be some validity in this point but this does not mean that other readers could not deliver poems as effectively as the poets do. This is precisely the challenge that poetry readers must face. They could not just read the poems as if these are words without any life, history, or deeper meaning. Same as the actors and directors in drama, the readers of poems should also internalize the pieces to be delivered by learning about the historical and social conditions that surround it, the author’s intentions and inspirations, and even the symbolisms that these possess.

List of References Clugston, R.W. (2010). Journey Into Literature. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education. Mills, B. (2007). “Poems Should Speak to You, but Not Aloud.” Book Blogs, The Guardian. Retrieved from < http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2007/jul/06/poemsshouldspeaktoyoubutnotaloud>. Shakespeare, W. (n.d). “Macbeth.” Retrieved from < http://www.william-shakespeare.info/script-text-macbeth.htm>.