The plot of the opera itself is progressive and agreed with modernist aesthetics, including a “replacement of traditional metaphysical, moral, and cultural belief systems with literary and artistic discourses that develop utopian erotic and aesthetic visions of individual transgression and agency” (Dierkes-Thrun 2). Salome’s modernity can be proven through an analysis of its musical and dramatic features. Similar to Wagner, Strauss did not include traditional numbers in Salome. It was an endless melody with a continuous texture. It is impossible for the listener to find a distinctive recitative, aria, chorus,
Once upon a time stirs memories…… Angela carter’s second novel “The Magic ToyShop” is a large spread of mythology, fairy tales, feminity, sexuality and reality. The protagonist of the novel Melanie, like every little girl dreams and fantasizes about herself. Her dreams twined with her fate, walks her through her destiny. The novel commences with Melanie’s desire to wear her mother’s wedding dress. Her desire and curiosity to feel like a woman, to feel like a naughty little princess, this episode ends up with her mistakenly destroying her mother precious wedding dress.
In traditional musical theatre, characters usually portray only a few distinguishable characteristics, for clarity’s sake. However, Sondheim’s characters mix contradictory qualities to add a layer of complexity. In addition, Sondheim writes multiple reactions to the characters’ actions in his
In Shaw’s drama, Eliza’s life is an epitome of many women’s life experience and women continue to chase their dreams at that time, especially for working-class women. Women want to obtain formal education to change their life. Adapted production makes Eliza lose her value and become a false Cinderella. It is an unrealistic fairy tale. Mark Bostridge argues that “Hepburn’s transformation, swathed in Cecil Beaton’s lace and ribbons, seems to leave her uncomfortably restricted like some mechanical doll”
(380) Music and love are thus two major themes in the novel, which is appropriate, considering that both love and music, play on emotions. It is interesting how Seth weaves the two together to create a canvas on which the passions are so consummately depicted. Intricately joined with the love for music is the mutual love of Michael and Julia making it a classic of love and music. Shakespeare’s memorable words in Twelfth Night, If music be the food of love play on; (1.i.1), is reflected in the discovery of Michael and Julia, Making music and making love- it’s a bit too easy an equation (136). It is pretty difficult and very frustrating to convey intangible yet visceral feelings of music, through music.
Music plays a huge role in the plot and character developments throughout A Streetcar Named Desire by revealing hidden truths about the characters. The inclusion of the musical composition “It’s Only A Paper Moon” leads to deeper discoveries: the exposures of Blanche and Stanley’s true identities. By contrasting It’s Only A Paper Moon with Stanley’s aggressive dialogue during scene seven, Tennessee Williams forces viewers to side with Blanche and her internal belief that in order to live a life where you are truly happy, it is necessary to forsake some truths and start anew. Williams ' choice of having Stanley brutally unveil Blanche’s secrets “contrapuntally” with Blanche singing a sweet tune in the tub serves to expose Blanche and Stanley’s
Moreover, how two different paths in entirely different contexts may, upon closer reading, seem as one path treated differently, becoming what it is because of the actions someone took. This essay brings forward the idea that Marvell’s path or lines as they are described in The Definition of Love “… so truly parallel, / Though infinite, can never meet.” and Spenser’s “… paths and alleies wide, / With footing worne, and leading inward farre:” in Faerie Queen, are two paths one can choose at a crossroads, depending on factors of Love and Fate - one leading to the absolute truth and the other to captivating crudeness. In The Definition of Love, Marvell presents two sides of this discourse in four short verses “As lines, so loves oblique may well / Themselves in every angle greet; / But ours so truly parallel, / Though infinite, can never meet.” The path of Marvell’s literary character, straight and infinite, as read in the quote, is parallel to
Counterpoint can be defined as the combination of different melodic lines in a composition. Good counterpoint requires both a logical harmonic relationship between the lines as well as a degree of individuality and independences within the lines. Theorists have emphasized the vertical aspects of species counterpoint by defining the certain note combinations that are dissonances and consonances and prescribing where both should occur in both strong and weak beats. To contrast this, many great composers have shown more interest in and usage of the horizontal aspects such as the specific movement of the individual melodic lines and relationships of design and texture, as well as the balance between the horizontal and vertical forces that exist
The short story, “Desiree’s Baby”, by Kate Chopin addresses several issues that played a major role in the Antebellum South. Desiree, abandoned as a child, receives new hope when she is found and raised by Madame Valmonde. At a young age, Desiree quickly falls in love with Armand, who would later cause destruction and misery in their marriage. With the birth of their child, Armand and Desiree face racial tensions and conflicts within themselves. Throughout the story, Chopin shows the prominent role reputation plays in shaping the characters, setting, and conflicts.
Each of these stylistic devices works with other devices, of language and structure, in provoking the spectators to view the action as a whole in a certain perspective. This lack of autonomy is especially true of the sound pattern into which the dramatist shapes his words, that is, the pattern produced by variations in stress and pitch, differences in the placement and duration of pauses, the relationships between individual words or lines, the presence or absence of rhyme, and the contrast of one speaking voice with another. While it is possible to isolate and describe this pattern, the resulting description can embody no specific meaning. The sound pattern may have only appropriateness, meaning that the emotion articulated by the content of expressive words determines their arrangement. Nevertheless, in many instances sound devices lead the spectator toward a clearer understanding of the situation presented.