Today's play is The Ghost Sonata by August Strindberg, This a dense, surreal and amazing play. It is hard to describe the plot as it veers around quite a bit. It is comprised of three short scenes each having their own development and somewhat independent arc, but they are interrelated by characters and events, The first scene is mostly expositional but this partly undone when a character in the second act informs that most of that exposition was a series of lies. Reading this play made me think of Ingmar Bergman's films.
This play made me think a lot about translations. The play was translated by Elizabeth Sprigge in 1951 or thereabouts. I wondered about reading a more recent translation to see how different a modern sensibility. This translation feels a little academic. I think it would be hard to act. That could be that play too. I'm not sure if this is a Swedish thing or something but the text is often direct in highly theatrical way. The characters about their experiences as though talking about someone else. It's something I noticed about Bergman as well.
Can I describe the plot? It might be hard. There are a lot of characters, some of whom are dead. All are interconnected in strangely improbable ways but the two main characters are an old man, Hummel, and a young student. The play opens on a street where the old man and the student meet. There is a house on this street that is almost like a character in it's own right. In it are two households, one in mourning, one that of an aristocratic Colonel and his family. The student has often idealized a life for him in the house with its highbrow comforts. The old man has secret designs on the inhabitants of the house and plans to use the old man to achieve them. It is also revealed that, as a Sunday child the student can see apparitions. He sees one of a milkmaid. These apparitions are also visible to the audience. I like this device. It makes the ghosts somehow more believable.
The first scene lays this groundwork. The second scene completely upends it. The student does make an entrance into the house to court the Colonel's daughter. The old man arrives to reap strange vengeance of the house. The Colonel's wife a near invalid somehow magically reveals Hummel to be a hypocrite and villain. He dies, The scene ends with the student singing a song of redemption to the Daughter's accompaniment.
The third scene is strange in that it is hard to tell how soon after the second scene it takes place. It seems liek later that same day but is revealed to be some weeks later. The student and the daughter are together talking. He again reveals his idealization of the house, but the daughter corrects him. She lists the innumerable ways the house is evil and damaging to her and her parents who sit mutely in the next room. She reveals the presence of a new character, the cook, who, mirroring the revealed behavior of dead old man, saps the live and energy from the house. The family is unable to rid themselves of her. The student rebels against the daughter's fatalism but is rebuffed. The daughter then dies and the student to comfort her sings his song again.
There is a tremendous amount of symbolism here. A lot to chew on. I liked the play. I have another translation and I'll read that soon and compare impressions. The play speaks of the futility of life and it's pretenses and false victories. It is dark in general and seems pick up certain themes half treat them and then move to others.
This play made me think a lot about translations. The play was translated by Elizabeth Sprigge in 1951 or thereabouts. I wondered about reading a more recent translation to see how different a modern sensibility. This translation feels a little academic. I think it would be hard to act. That could be that play too. I'm not sure if this is a Swedish thing or something but the text is often direct in highly theatrical way. The characters about their experiences as though talking about someone else. It's something I noticed about Bergman as well.
Can I describe the plot? It might be hard. There are a lot of characters, some of whom are dead. All are interconnected in strangely improbable ways but the two main characters are an old man, Hummel, and a young student. The play opens on a street where the old man and the student meet. There is a house on this street that is almost like a character in it's own right. In it are two households, one in mourning, one that of an aristocratic Colonel and his family. The student has often idealized a life for him in the house with its highbrow comforts. The old man has secret designs on the inhabitants of the house and plans to use the old man to achieve them. It is also revealed that, as a Sunday child the student can see apparitions. He sees one of a milkmaid. These apparitions are also visible to the audience. I like this device. It makes the ghosts somehow more believable.
The first scene lays this groundwork. The second scene completely upends it. The student does make an entrance into the house to court the Colonel's daughter. The old man arrives to reap strange vengeance of the house. The Colonel's wife a near invalid somehow magically reveals Hummel to be a hypocrite and villain. He dies, The scene ends with the student singing a song of redemption to the Daughter's accompaniment.
The third scene is strange in that it is hard to tell how soon after the second scene it takes place. It seems liek later that same day but is revealed to be some weeks later. The student and the daughter are together talking. He again reveals his idealization of the house, but the daughter corrects him. She lists the innumerable ways the house is evil and damaging to her and her parents who sit mutely in the next room. She reveals the presence of a new character, the cook, who, mirroring the revealed behavior of dead old man, saps the live and energy from the house. The family is unable to rid themselves of her. The student rebels against the daughter's fatalism but is rebuffed. The daughter then dies and the student to comfort her sings his song again.
There is a tremendous amount of symbolism here. A lot to chew on. I liked the play. I have another translation and I'll read that soon and compare impressions. The play speaks of the futility of life and it's pretenses and false victories. It is dark in general and seems pick up certain themes half treat them and then move to others.