Staging a scene
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| Academic Level | Undergraduate |
| Citation Style | MLA |
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| Word Count | 720 |
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STAGING A SCENE: BEN JONSON'S "EPICOENE" -- SCENE 2.3:
This particular play, written in 1609 as "The Silent Woman," is a comedic farce and is filled with characters that act as dupes or playthings for other characters that go out of their way to deceive them through trickery and deception. In the introduction for a 1947 edition of Jonson's "Epicoene," the play is described as a "gigantic farce of the most ingenious construction" that "hinges on a huge joke, played by a heartless nephew on his misanthropic uncle" who marries a young woman that does not speak, but in the end, "turns out neither silent nor a woman at all" (Project Gutenberg). Basically, the importance of this scene which includes Morose, "a Gentleman that loves no noise," Mute, "one of Morose's servants," Cutbeard, a barber, and Epicoene, the supposedly "silent woman" (Dramatis Personae list), is that it brings four major characters together on the stage as a way of expressing to the audience their various personalities and how they interact with one another via speech and action.
The action in this scene, composed of speaking in verse and movement and the position of the characters relevant to each other, all set within an enclosed performing space with few scenic displays and props and with the audience watching from the front and the sides, occurs in a large room in Morose's house with Morose, Mute, Cutbeard, and Epicoene entering from the right and the left to meet in the center of the room.
Upon meeting, Epicoene removes her mask and Mute "makes a leg," a sort of parodied reply to Morose's question "Is the door shut?" meaning that Mute gesticulates with a leg instead of a hand. Cutbeard then does the same thing twice as Morose moves closer to Epicoene to "view her." As Morose speaks to her, she curtsies several times and replies to Morose's questions with a few soft words. Finally, after listening to the conversation, Cutbeard shakes his head and exits the scene, followed by Mute and Epicoene, leaving Morose to deliver a long soliloquy. Overall, this scene contributes to the relationship between the characters and shows through speech and action how they feel about one another. Probably the most essential part of this scene is Morose's soliloquy that would be conveyed to the audience by approaching the front of the stage and positioning himself dead center. In this way, Morose captures the attention of the audience by placing them directly within the soliloquy itself.
As to the characters, Epicoene's mask symbolizes her anonymity and her silence; her curtsies also symbolize her respect toward Morose, although in jest; the gesticulation of the legs on the part of Mute and Cutbeard provides a visual cue for their silliness and lack of seriousness, and when Cutbeard shakes his head, the audience clearly understands that he is completely bewildered by what is occurring in the room. It might be advantageous for the director to highlight these actions with lighting, perhaps spotlights, and to insist that the characters "ham it up" or exaggerate.
For the viewing audience, this scene should convey feelings of hilarity through the silly actions and reactions of the various characters, especially Mute and Cutbeard. It should also make the audience feel as if they are part of the action and perhaps remind them of the complex nature of human emotions. For example, when Morose says to Epicoene after her second curtsy, "I must have mine ears banqueted with pleasant and witty conferences, pretty girls, scoffs, and dalliance in her that I mean to choose for my bed-phere," this shows that Morose is just as silly and parodic as the other characters and that his desire to be "banqueted" is a reflection of his need to be bombarded with attention outside of society, a sort of pun on the name of Morose. Also, Morose's tendency to exaggerate is shown by "Let me now be bold to print on those divine lips the seal of being mine," meaning that he wishes to kiss Epicoene and sort of seal their relationship. Overall, this scene demonstrates the light-heartedness that Jonson intended but mixed with parody and pure nonsense so that the audience will leave the theater with a night to remember.
WORKS CITED
"Epicoene, or The Silent Woman, by Ben Jonson." Project Gutenberg. Web. 31 October,
2011.
This particular play, written in 1609 as "The Silent Woman," is a comedic farce and is filled with characters that act as dupes or playthings for other characters that go out of their way to deceive them through trickery and deception. In the introduction for a 1947 edition of Jonson's "Epicoene," the play is described as a "gigantic farce of the most ingenious construction" that "hinges on a huge joke, played by a heartless nephew on his misanthropic uncle" who marries a young woman that does not speak, but in the end, "turns out neither silent nor a woman at all" (Project Gutenberg). Basically, the importance of this scene which includes Morose, "a Gentleman that loves no noise," Mute, "one of Morose's servants," Cutbeard, a barber, and Epicoene, the supposedly "silent woman" (Dramatis Personae list), is that it brings four major characters together on the stage as a way of expressing to the audience their various personalities and how they interact with one another via speech and action.
The action in this scene, composed of speaking in verse and movement and the position of the characters relevant to each other, all set within an enclosed performing space with few scenic displays and props and with the audience watching from the front and the sides, occurs in a large room in Morose's house with Morose, Mute, Cutbeard, and Epicoene entering from the right and the left to meet in the center of the room.
Upon meeting, Epicoene removes her mask and Mute "makes a leg," a sort of parodied reply to Morose's question "Is the door shut?" meaning that Mute gesticulates with a leg instead of a hand. Cutbeard then does the same thing twice as Morose moves closer to Epicoene to "view her." As Morose speaks to her, she curtsies several times and replies to Morose's questions with a few soft words. Finally, after listening to the conversation, Cutbeard shakes his head and exits the scene, followed by Mute and Epicoene, leaving Morose to deliver a long soliloquy. Overall, this scene contributes to the relationship between the characters and shows through speech and action how they feel about one another. Probably the most essential part of this scene is Morose's soliloquy that would be conveyed to the audience by approaching the front of the stage and positioning himself dead center. In this way, Morose captures the attention of the audience by placing them directly within the soliloquy itself.
As to the characters, Epicoene's mask symbolizes her anonymity and her silence; her curtsies also symbolize her respect toward Morose, although in jest; the gesticulation of the legs on the part of Mute and Cutbeard provides a visual cue for their silliness and lack of seriousness, and when Cutbeard shakes his head, the audience clearly understands that he is completely bewildered by what is occurring in the room. It might be advantageous for the director to highlight these actions with lighting, perhaps spotlights, and to insist that the characters "ham it up" or exaggerate.
For the viewing audience, this scene should convey feelings of hilarity through the silly actions and reactions of the various characters, especially Mute and Cutbeard. It should also make the audience feel as if they are part of the action and perhaps remind them of the complex nature of human emotions. For example, when Morose says to Epicoene after her second curtsy, "I must have mine ears banqueted with pleasant and witty conferences, pretty girls, scoffs, and dalliance in her that I mean to choose for my bed-phere," this shows that Morose is just as silly and parodic as the other characters and that his desire to be "banqueted" is a reflection of his need to be bombarded with attention outside of society, a sort of pun on the name of Morose. Also, Morose's tendency to exaggerate is shown by "Let me now be bold to print on those divine lips the seal of being mine," meaning that he wishes to kiss Epicoene and sort of seal their relationship. Overall, this scene demonstrates the light-heartedness that Jonson intended but mixed with parody and pure nonsense so that the audience will leave the theater with a night to remember.
WORKS CITED
"Epicoene, or The Silent Woman, by Ben Jonson." Project Gutenberg. Web. 31 October,
2011.