Hornby

I noticed a motif in Conduct of Life that I actually already mentioned in one of my previous posts.  However, I will elaborate on it a little more right here.  I noticed in many scenes either a physical or verbal conflict or argument.  There are the obvious scenes with Nena and Orlando down in the basement that are a larger struggle between two people.  But there are also scenes that take place upstairs that may seem strange or out of place since Fornes chooses to make the scenes so short and scattered.  However, they are very tied into the scenes happening downstairs.  There are little arguments between Olimpia and Leticia.  There are also some quarrels that happen with Leticia and Orlando almost constantly.  Then there are many emotional or unspoken conflicts or tension between two people.  Sometimes it is even just one person.  Orlando has a struggle just with himself.  However, it’s clear that all of these little conflicts tie the entire show together to focus in on the biggest struggle of all.

Another show that I chose to look at is Proof.  Maybe it is too obvious because it’s in the title, but the word or idea of proof is constant throughout the entire play.  Catherine, the protagonist of this play, must try to prove many things.  She must prove her own sanity.  She must find proof that her father is the author of the mathematical proof.  All of that centering on the actual proof itself.  I think that Claire also tries to prove her happiness in New York City, though she does not seem quite sure of that herself. 

While I think that the idea of a motif may be a bit more apparent when one reads the script and pays attention to detail, I do believe that it is noticed in the actual production.  But perhaps it isn’t quite as obvious because when you read a script, I think that the wording may be more clear than when you watch it with the distractions of characters, costumes, lights, etc.  While all of those things help to tell the story in a full production, it may be easier to spot a motif when you only see the script.