Thea 104 Response Paper

Brielle Close

THEA104-010

Question #2

Bcclose@udel.edu

The Power of Words

Section 1: I went to see God of Carnage on one of the last nights that it was being shown and the show did start late due to technical difficulties but once it did start, I absolutely loved it.  There were definitely many parts I could relate to when it came to the emotions certain characters were feeling due to actions of others.  One example is just like Annette and Veronica, I too get frustrated when people answer their phone without excusing themselves or when people do not have manners in another person’s home.  The actors did a great job performing because they really made me feel like I was apart of the action and commotion going on in the living room.

Section 2: In God of Carnage, all of Aristotle’s six elements were exemplified for in some way but the one element that really worked and stood out the most was diction.  Yes, in the play there was a plot/story and characters and the play certainly could not have happened without either but diction is what hit home. The word choice used was one that made the audience either laugh and made the audience understand how angry whichever spouse truly was at the moment.  A general example would be the F-word being used multiple times towards the end of the play.  It is such a harsh word that audience knew how angry the actors were feeling because typically, it is used when someone really gets set over the edge.  A more specific example is when Michael referred to himself as a Neanderthal.  It showed how his proper behavior in the beginning was not who he actually was and that the reckless behavior and vulgar language exhibited near the end was who he actually was. Words have such an impact on people and this play proves that in so many ways because the diction really is what made it so entertaining.  If there were no curse words used, the emotions displayed would have not seemed as real or genuine.  The word choice made it seem like the audience was sitting inside a real living room watching two non-scripted families go at it with each other.  It was written so well that it seemed so realistic, which is probably why the element of diction worked best.