I agree with Chandler D when he said, "my favorite part was when Tutor told the story of Orestes' 'death'. The drum set, his humor, and the way he told the stories with gesture and a building voice all worked to create a rousing change of pace." It was the narrative that stole the show. The tutor specifically had a very well rounded story. The actor used his hands to cue the drummer when he wanted a specific sound to help him engage the audience. His words were very specific and painted a very vivid picture (even without us knowing the culture that well). As he told the story he waved his arms, twirled his body, widened his eyes, and raised his voice. All of this, brought the heroic death of Orestes into a vivid reality. Although, the tutor and the drummer were not the only ones helping him shape the narrative: Electra and the chorus' reactions to the story made it even that more real.
It seems pretty obvious that this narrative was meant to be one of the most entertaining parts of the play. My question is, why? Because the story was meant to deceive, at least that is my opinion. The most elaborate story of the entire play is also the most deceiving. What does this tell us about Greek culture and in turn our own culture?
Dylan, I love your analysis of the rhetoric applied during the narration. I wanted to discuss this further in my post, but the 300 word limit kept me from going past the delivery. What I think is most interesting is that you imply that the increased style used in the narrative has something to do with the persuasion. Because this was a bold-faced fib, much more style was used to achieve the goal. I wonder if this is why I make up elaborate stories about why I'm late to work...
ReplyDeleteI think for the most part it is engaging the audience, and receiving a good reaction. I think if the actor was animated in telling the narrative, adding music and movement, it would have been very boring. I think that the Greeks, and our culture, and other cultures as well want to grab their audience's attention.
ReplyDeleteI had forgotten about that scene. Now that I think about it, it may have been my favorite performance. I do believe that his choice in delivery was very engaging, which was a relief compared to some of the other parts.
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