By TYAS PURBASARI Student Number: 034214026 ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS

  

EDWARD ALBEE’S THE SANDBOX:

A REFLECTION OF REALISM AND SURREALISM

AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS

  Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters

  By

TYAS PURBASARI

  Student Number: 034214026

  

ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS

FACULTY OF LETTERS

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY

YOGYAKARTA

2007

  

EDWARD ALBEE’S THE SANDBOX:

A REFLECTION OF REALISM AND SURREALISM

AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS

  Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters

  By

TYAS PURBASARI

  Student Number: 034214026

  

ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS

FACULTY OF LETTERS

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY

YOGYAKARTA

2007

  Taruhlah keinginanmu 5 cm, menggantung di depan keningmu

  and all you have to do are:

  #1 Kaki yang melangkah lebih jauh dari biasanya #2 Tangan yang berbuat lebih banyak dari biasanya #3 Mata yang menatap lebih lama dari biasanya #4 Lapisan tekad yang 1000 kali lebih keras dari baja

  #5 Hati yang bekerja lebih keras dari biasanya Dan #6 Mulut yang selalu berdoa (Dirgantara Doni, ‘5 cm’)

  

For my beloved Father Jesus Christ

For Maria Sri Sulastri

For the Strict Rules that keep me walking in the line

  

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  Thanks to God, finally I could finish this thesis. First of all, I would like to give my deepest gratitude to my beloved Father, Jesus Christ who has enriched me in every second of life. He has been there to give me His best smile when I am lost.

  Second, I would like to thank my advisor, Drs. Hirmawan Wijanarka,

  

M. Hum. who has guided and helped me during this thesis writing process. I

  would like you to know that you always enlighten me every time I meet you in the common room and also thank you very much, Sir, for the book you lent me, it really helps me. I would like also to thank my co-advisor, Modesta Luluk Artika Windrasti, S.S. for checking this thesis and giving me her suggestion.

  My deepest gratitude also goes to my beloved parents, ‘Babe’ Bondan

  

Nusantara and ‘Ibu Suri’ Maria Sri Sulastri. Thank you for believing and

  supporting me during my study at Sanata Dharma University. Thank you for your love, prayer, strict rules, and patience that have been given to me mom. I’m sorry for letting you down sometimes.

  Thanks to my big brother Arcaya Manikotama for his future chit-chat, it really persuades me. My special thanks are for Supri for her grammar lessons,

  

Widhy for the support, Cindy for the sharing time, and J.K Rowling for the

  amazing and stunning books you wrote, it encourages me to finish my thesis earlier. Thanks also go to all my friends Vallone, Ronald, Yayak, Ella, Renzie for the fun time at GembiroLoka Zoo. Thanks to Frida, Ajeng, Mami Hana and all English Letters students of 2003. Thanks also to Citra, for his support.

  I also give my profound thanks to Dwi, Tatho, Karla, and Tetez for the strong ties of friendship that never ends. My appreciation also goes to all the staff in English Letters Department and staff in the library, especially to Mas Drajat for not fining me whenever I am late to return the books.

  Finally, I would like to give my heartfelt thanks to Yabes Elia Suryanto for his the four-clock room, magnificent compy, and especially for the sundae- strawberry time. Thank you for laughing, crying, singing, debating, and, processing with me. Thanks for always being by my side, though you stink

  ☺ sometimes .

  

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE............................................................................................ i

APPROVAL PAGE .................................................................................. ii

ACCEPTANCE PAGE ............................................................................ iii

MOTTO PAGE......................................................................................... iv

DEDICATION PAGE .............................................................................. v

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................... vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ......................................................................... viii ABSTRACT .............................................................................................. x ABSTRAK ................................................................................................. xi

  

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ............................................................ 1

A.

  1 Background of the Study .............................................................

  B.

  3 Problem Formulation ...................................................................

  C.

  3 Objectives of the Study ................................................................

  D.

  3 Definition of Terms ......................................................................

  

CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL REVIEW ........................................... 5

A.

  5 Review of Related Studies...........................................................

  B.

  7 Review of Related Theories.........................................................

  1.

  7 Realism in Literature ……………………….........................

  2. Surrealism in Literature……………………………………. 9 3.

  11 Elements of Drama …............................................................

  a.

  11 Theory on Character..........................................................

  b.

  13 Theory on Setting ……………………………………….

  c.

  Theory on Stage Direction ……………………………… 14 d.

  14 Theory on Plot …………………………………………..

  e.

  Theory on Theme ………………………………………... 17 C. Theoretical Framework ………………………………………… 17

  

CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ……………………………………. 20

A.

  20 Object of the Study.......................................................................

  B.

  23 Approach of the Study.................................................................

  C.

  24 Method of the Study .....................................................................

  

CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS ……………………………………………. 27

A.

  27 Intrinsic Elements of The Sandbox ..............................................

  1.

  27 Character …………………………………………………… a.

  28 MOMMY ……………………………………………….

  b.

  31 DADDY ……………..………………………………….

  c.

  32 GRANDMA …………………………………………….

  d.

  35 The YOUNGMAN ……………………………………...

  e.

  37 The MUSICIAN ………………………………………...

  2.

  37 Setting ………………………………………………….……

  39 4. Plot………………………………………………………. 41 a.

3. Stage Direction …………………………………………..

  41 b. Exposition…………………………………………… 42 c.

  51 C. Surrealism in The Sandbox…………………………………..... 51 a.

  BIBLIOGRAPHY ….................................................................................. 62 APPENDIX ………………………………………………………………. 65

  55 CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION …........................................................... 58

  55 d. Theme ……………………………………………….

  54 c. Stage Direction……………………………………….

  52 b. Setting ……………………………………………….

  Character …………………………………………….

  50 d. Theme ……………………………………………….

  Rising Action………………………………………..

  Point of Attack.……………………………………….

  47 b. Setting ………………………………………………..

  Character ……………………………………….…….

  45 B. Realism in The Sandbox ….………………………………… 46 a.

  Resolution…………………………………………… 44 5. Theme ……………………………………………………

  43 d. Climax………………………………………………. 44 e.

  50 c. Stage Direction ………………………………………

  

ABSTRACT

TYAS PURBASARI. Edward Albee’s The Sandbox: A Reflection of Realism

and Surrealism. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters,

Sanata Dharma University, 2007.

  Drama, as an art expression and communication, gives moral enrichment such as self-consciousness, satisfaction, deeper and broader understanding of life. As time goes by, drama develops its form and tries to expose new ideas of life in experimental way. Among some great numbers of American dramas, the writer chooses Edward Albee’s The Sandbox. Through this play the writer wants to analyze characteristics of the realism and surrealism reflected in the intrinsic elements of the play. Even though realism and surrealism oppose each other in the concept of presentation, it is not impossible to be found in one-act play. Realist tries to present life as it really is while surrealist presents life in irrational and incongruous way.

  The problems to be answered in this thesis are: (1) what are the intrinsic elements found in The Sandbox?, (2) how do the intrinsic elements reflect the characteristic of realism?, and (3) how do the intrinsic elements reflect the characteristic of surrealism?

  This thesis is a library research. It takes most of the information and references from books. The study applies the philosophical approach since the aim is to find the essence characteristics of realism and surrealism. In finding the characteristics of the play, the writer has to analyze the intrinsic elements such as characters, setting, stage direction, plot, and theme.

  Through this study, the writer discovers that the intrinsic elements found in The Sandbox are character, setting, stage direction, plot, and theme. The first intrinsic element is character. The characters in this play besides reflect a picture of American people in twentieth century; they also have a double casting, as a character and a back stage crew. There is a dislocation of the setting since the property and the setting are altered by the character. The ‘bare stage’ stage direction reflects an open invitation to the audience to explore their mind in imagining the stage. The theme of this play is the gap between two generations creates misunderstanding idea about death. Death in this play is not presented in dark, sad, and frightening way but it is presented in incongruous way by using object like sandbox, beach, musician, and handsome Angel of Death.

  The general conclusion drawn from this study is that though The Sandbox reveals most of the surrealism’s characteristic but there still realism characteristic reflected by intrinsic elements of in this play. The play is no longer a depiction of life presented on stage but rather a rehearsal of play presented on stage where a stage manager, director, and music arranger perform on stage rather than on back stage. The function of using realism and surrealism characteristic is to give audience a better understanding in viewing life, deeper than their senses.

  

ABSTRAK

TYAS PURBASARI. Edward Albee’s The Sandbox: A Reflection of Realism

and Surrealism. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters,

Sanata Dharma University, 2007.

  Drama sebagai ungkapan seni and komunikasi dapat memberikan pesan moral. Misalnya, mengungkapkan kesadaran diri, kepuasan, dan pemahaman yang mendalam mengenai nilai-nilai kehidupan. Drama kemudian mengembangkan format dan berusaha mengemukakan ide-ide baru dengan cara yang eksperimental. Dari sekian banyak drama Amerika, penulis memilih drama karya Edward Albee yang berjudul The Sandbox. Melalui karya ini, penulis ingin menganalisa karakteristik realisme dan surrealisme berdasarkan unsur-unsur intrinsic yang terdapat di drama ini. sekalipun realisme dan surrealisme saling bertolak belakang tetapi bukanlah tidak mungkin untuk menemukannya dalam drama satu babak. Realis berusaha memaparkan gambaran senyata-nyatanya tentang kehidupan sedangkan surrealis berusaha memaparkan kehidupan secara tidak logis dan tidak lazim.

  Permasalahan-permasalahan yang harus dijawab di studi ini adalah: (1) apa saja kah unsur-unsur intrinsik yang ditemukan di The Sandbox?, (2) bagaimana cara unsur-unsur intrinsik tersebut mengungkapkan karakteristik realisme?, dan (3) bagaimana cara unsur-unsur intrinsik tersebut mengungkapkan karakteristik surrealisme?

  Studi ini merupakan studi pustaka, artinya mayoritas informasi dan referensi bersumber pada buku. Studi ini menggunakan pendekatan filsafat karena tujuan utama dari studi ini adalah menemukan intisari karakteristik-karakteristik realisme dan surrealisme. Dalam mencari karakteristik- karakteristiknya, penulis harus menganalisa unsur-unsur intrinsik seperti tokoh, setting, petunjuk laku, alur, dan temanya.

  Melalui studi ini, penulis menemukan bahwa unsur-unsur intrinsic elemen yang ditemukan di The Sandbox adalah karakter, setting, petunjuk laku, plot, dan tema. Ternyata hampir semua unsur-unsur intrinsik dalam The Sandbox ini menggambarkan karakteristik realisme dan surrealisme. Unsur intrinsik yang pertama adalah tokoh. Tokoh-tokoh di drama ini selain merupakan gambaran masyarakat Amerika abad dua puluh, mereka juga mempunyai peran ganda, yaitu sebagai seorang tokoh dan juga sebagai orang di belakang layar. Terdapat juga ketidaksinambungan setting karena property dan setting yang ada di panggung dapat di putar-balikkan oleh tokoh. ‘Panggung kosong’ di penunjuk laku mengundang penonton untuk membayangkan gambaran panggung tersebut. Tema dari drama ini adalah kesenjangan antara dua generasi yang akhirnya menimbulkan kesalahpahaman penafsiran akan kematian. Kematian di drama ini tidak digambarkan dengan berbagai hal yang tidak sinergi dengan menggunakan obyek-obyek seperti kotak pasir, pantai, pemain musik, dan malaikat kematian yang tampan.

  Kesimpulan dari analisa ini adalah meskipun The Sandbox lebih merefleksikan karakteristik drama surrealisme tetapi masih terdapat jejak-jejak realisme di drama ini. Sebuah drama tidak lagi merupakan sebuah kehidupan yang dipentaskan di atas panggung tapi lebih kepada sebuah latihan yang dipentaskan di atas panggung karena sutradara, penata panggung, dan penata musik ikut bermain di atas panggung. Fungsi dari penggunaan unsur realisme dan surrealisme adalah memberikan penonton pemahaman yang lebih baik dalam memandang kehidupan, lebih dalam dari apa yang ditangkap oleh indera mereka.

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A. Background of the Study As one of the products of literature, drama reveals many aspects of human

  life, since drama communicates the experience that people have in the course of daily life. Drama, as an art expression and communication, gives moral enrichment such as self-consciousness, satisfaction, deeper and broader understanding of life.

  As time goes by, drama develops its form and tries to expose new ideas. David Thompson’s in Theatre Today (1969: vii) says, “Drama has its experimental or avant-garde side, and all experiment in the arts, precisely because it tries to express something new.” It means that drama can reflects human life in experimental way. Playwrights may give their judgment or opinion to the object of their observation as their contribution in showing the fact and revealing human problems.

  Among the great number of American dramas, the writer has chosen to discuss Edward Albee’s play The Sandbox. The reason why the writer chooses this play is because the writer feels curious about this play because it carries unstated points to convey. Points here mean characteristics of realistic and surrealistic play. The characters in this play are unique especially because of the double casting and also the setting, which can be altered by the character. Ronald Hayman (1971: 20) states in his book Contemporary Playwrights Edward Albee

  2 that The sandbox represents Albee’s most extreme departure from realism. Starting from this point, the writer wants to analyze The Sandbox.

  Edward Albee is an American dramatist, born in March 12, 1928, in Washington. He has published more than twenty five plays including The Zoo

  

Story , The Sandbox, The American Dream, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

  His works are considered crafty and often unsympathetic examinations of the modern condition. His early works reflect a mastery and American absurdist that found its peak in works by European playwrights such as Jean Genet, Samuel Beckett, and Eugene Ionesco (Wager, 1967: 23).

  When first reading the play, the writer was already excited since this is a very short play that reveals new ideas in performing the play. Reading Albee’s work makes the writer wonders about the meaning of his writing and what may be revealed from his writing.

  The topic that the writer selects is Edward Albee’s The Sandbox: A

  

Reflection of Realism and Surrealism. Though realism and surrealism are two

things that oppose each other, these two opposing things are found in one-act play.

  It is a very interesting phenomenon since realism and surrealism are two things that contradict each other. They bring their distinctive idealism. Realism refers to reality or condition as it really is while surrealism refers on the representation of unconscious processes, the irrational, and combination of absurd following logic of free association. The stage direction, setting, theme, and what the characters do in this play are unique. In the writer’s opinion, Albee is trying to tell something to the audience as we know that his works usually reveal many noteworthy symbols.

  3 Hence, this fact challenged the writer to study and skim out the intrinsic elements of the play that reveals the characteristic of realism and surrealism. In this thesis, the writer wants to find out the answer of the formulated problems. The purpose is to point out the significance of a literary work, in this case is a play, so that it could enrich our knowledge and be beneficial to the writer’s life in finding the meaning of life itself.

  B. Problem Formulation 1.

  What are the intrinsic elements found in The Sandbox? 2. How do the intrinsic elements reflect the characteristics of realism? 3. How do the intrinsic elements reflect the characteristic of surrealism? C.

   Objectives of the Study

  The objective of the study is to find out the answer of the formulated problems. Considering those three problems, firstly, the writer wants to reveal the intrinsic elements of character, setting, stage direction, plot, and theme found in

  

The Sandbox. Secondly, the writer wants to convey in what way the intrinsic

  elements reflect the characteristic of realism. The last, the writer wants to convey in what way the intrinsic elements reflect the characteristic surrealism.

  D. Definition of Terms There are two terms to be defined in this part to avoid misunderstanding. th

  The first is Realism. It is the movement occurred in 19 C to oppose idealism and

  4 romanticism. According to Abrams, realism is a way of thought, and the main idea is to represent life as it really is (1971: 174). The main concept of realism itself is to “give a comprehensive picture of modern life” by presenting many aspects of life (Elliot, 1988: 502). If it is applied in drama it means that all the elements of drama such as setting, characters, stage directions, decorations, lighting, etc must be presented as real as it should be. In short, realism drama tries to capture every single movement, phenomenon and picture of real life as it really is.

  The second term is Surrealism. If realism focused on conscious imagery, surrealism focuses on the representation of unconscious processes, the irrational, and bizarre juxtaposition of seemingly incongruous following logic of free association (Robert Harris, A Glossary of Literary

  Terms, ). According to Styan in Modern Drama Theory and Practice vol.2 (1992: 52), surrealist tries to bring some order and reason into

  their idiom performance which means to perform what is considered as the reality and what is important about it. Surrealism uses elements of surprise, the involuntary, and the unconscious. It wants to arrange the derangement of the senses. The key word to sum up surrealism, according to Andre Breton, is

  freedom (2001: 488-490). Surrealist precisely emphasizes the freedom of mind.

  Mind is free to explore and invent something new.

CHAPTER II THEORETICAL REVIEW A. Review of Related Studies The writer puts the review because she wants to give a clear picture if the

  play is performed. A review by Justin Olynyk on www.newwinnipeg.com Monday, January 26, 2004 said that The Sandbox, Edward Albee's short 12- minute play, is about misguided values and how our society treats the elderly.

  According to Olynyk, The Sandbox is one of Albee's earliest plays and it is awkward in a couple of spots, especially where the cast unnecessarily asks for lights. The characters should have been contained in their own world and breaking the illusion of theatre didn't add anything to the play.

  It is said that the characters in this play are very unique: Mommy and Daddy are middle-aged couples who bring Mommy's eighty six year old Grandma to the beach to die. In fact, they dump her in the sandbox while they suntan and drink martinis. Grandma is naturally angry at this treatment, plus the way Mommy and Daddy have treated her for years while they pursue their riches. Mommy harshly tells Grandma to "stop it" and tells Daddy "don't look at her." In fact, Mommy and Daddy smile when Grandma dies.

  Olynyk states that the interesting thing about this production is that Grandma does not look - or act - like an eighty six year old; she looks like she's half her stated age, and she shovels sand with the strength of a young child.

  6 Obviously, the implied message is that Grandma still has a lot of life in her, but the young people want her to die so they can move on with their lives.

  A lot of critics consider Albee as a leading dramatist and successor to American playwrights, such as Tennessee Williams and Eugene O’Neil. Albee is also considered having influenced by European playwrights like Samuel Beckett and Harold Pinter. It is demonstrated in his ability to make a direct connection with the disaffected and deprived, as what has been stated by Joshua Jacobson in Julliard online Journal. ( AM).

  Albee has said that The Sandbox is his favorite play. is a perfect play. Fortunately it’s short enough so that I can’t

  Sandbox

  make any mistakes in it. It’s…a very good play…a damn good play. It’s a good fourteen minutes (Walter Wager, The Playwrights Speak. 1967: 160). In this research, the writer agrees with the opinion of Justin Olynyk that

  

The Sandbox is about misguided values and how nowadays society especially

  treats elder people. It is true that this play is very unique in its packaging. For example are the characters, Mommy, Daddy, Grandma, the Youngman, and the Musician who are very varying in the qualities of personality and roles. However, the setting and the stage direction imply an unusual vision than the other plays do since the setting and the stage directions, which was seen by audience as a backyard of someone’s house, are being opposed by MOMMY’s dialogue “here we are in the beach.” What the writer can figure out after read it several times is that the play is, indeed, criticizing American life especially how American people treats elderly. However, as a student of English Letters Department, the writer

  7 should find something mentioned on the text itself without precisely being out from the text. Starting from this point, then the writer exposes the topic on reflection of realism and surrealism found in The Sandbox.

B. Review on Related Theories

  To support this research, the writer uses some theories. Those theories are: realism in literature, surrealism in literature, and theory of elements of drama such as characters, setting, stage directions, plot, and theme.

  The theory of realism and surrealism in literature help the writer to understand the typical realistic and surrealistic writing. Realistic and surrealistic fiction has its own characteristic and style. The writer needs to know them in order to analyze the play. Moreover, the writer would like to find out the theory of character, setting, stage directions, plot, and the theme of the play.

1. Realism in Literature

  The term realism comes out particularly in medieval thought. The term was used to oppose idealism and romanticism. In modern philosophy it is primarily an attitude toward knowledge. Realism is used to view that material objects exist eternally to us and independently for our sense experience. Realism believes the ideas in the mind represent real objects. (Edward, 1967: 77)

  Realism defends the independence of knowing things. The content of knowledge that lies in or before the mind where knowledge takes place is numerically identical with the things known (Daume & Watson, 1977: 535).

  8 According to the realist, something cannot be beautified or pictured worse than the reality. The realist has to see it objectively and report it accurately.

  nd

  Based on McGraw Hill Encyclopedia of World Drama 5, 2 Edition (1972: 249-250), realism is the mode in drama that attempts to place on the stage a convincing replica of real-life situations and engage its audience by creating an allusion of reality. The Playwright’s aim is to replace the superhuman heroes of the romantic melodrama with ordinary, recognizable characters.

  Realists attempt to “give a comprehensive picture of modern life” (Elliott, 1988: 502) by presenting many aspects of life. They do not try to give one view of life but instead attempt to show the different classes, manners, and stratification of life in America. Realists create this picture of America by combining a wide variety of “details derived from observation and documentation” to “approach the norm of experience” (Elliot, 1988: 503). Along with this technique, realists compared the “objective or absolute existence” in America to that of the “universal truths, or observed facts of life” (Hart: 1995). In other words, realists objectively look at American society and point out the aspects that have in common with the general truths of existence. According to Abrams (1994: 174), realist is a way of thought and the main idea is to represent life as it really is.

  The characteristic of realist drama according to Hendrik Ibsen (1979: 541) deals with it tenets of new writing of a stage. First: the new subject deals with corrupt business, social repression, exploitation, conditioned mores, neurotic behaviors, and outdated beliefs. Second, the new subject spawns a new kind of tragedy and tragic hero. Modern tragedy engages heredity, i.e. the past in the

  9 present while the environment, i.e. the present as shapers of conflict, choice, and destiny. In realist drama, the text or dialogue expresses everyday conversation.

  And the text’s signs and symbols are taken directly from the play environment. In short, realism drama tries to capture every single movement, phenomenon and picture of real life as it really is.

2. Surrealism in Literature

  According to Merriam-Webster’s Encyclopedia of Literature page 1080, the word sur- above + realism- realism, it means the principles, ideas, or practice of producing fantastic/incongruous imagery in art or literature by means of unnatural juxtapositions and combination. It is a reaction against rationalism that had guided European culture and politics in the past and that had culminated in the horrors of World War I. It was flourished in the 1920s and 1930s; principally in Europe is surrealist drama.

  nd

  In McGraw Hill Encyclopedia of World Drama 5, 2 Edition (1972: 257) it is mentioned that surrealist drama defines the form as “pure physic automatism”, by which is intended to express, verbally, in writing, or by other means, the real process of thought. Surrealism draws upon the subconscious mind and dreamlike physic states so that the viewer could look upon some inner site of the mind.

  J.L. Styan in Modern Drama Theory and Practice vol.2 (1992: 52) defines the connection between surrealism and the stages are uncertain, illogic, static, and can play no final part. The surrealist plays are made up many quick scenes and

  10 they try to bring some order and reason into their idiom performance which means to perform what is considered as the reality and what is important about it.

  The surrealist movement was short-lived, although it did contribute toward the general trend away from realism. In Glossary of Literary Terms (1971: 205- 206) Abram defines the influence of surrealism innovations can be found in many modern writers of prose and verse who have broken the conventional modes of artistic organization to experiment with free association, a broken syntax, non- logical and non-chronological order, dreamlike and nightmarish sequences, and juxtaposition of bizarre, shocking, or seemingly unrelated images. In drama, familiar characters are placed in unusual surrounding or in unrelated scenes which are juxtaposed.

  According to A Glossary of Literary Terms, surrealism is a movement in art that emphasizes imaginative expression as realization in dreams and is presented without conscious control. Its focus is on the representation of unconscious processes, the irrational, and bizarre juxtaposition of seemingly incongruous images following logic of free association. <

  Andre Breton in Surrealist Manifesto (2001: 488-490) states that surrealism is a combination of romanticism and Freudian theory about dreams.

  According to Freud theory, fantasy that is out of control and association represent the realist side from everyday life. That is why the characters in surrealist drama always try to give a picture of a dream but the interpretation is left open toward

  11 the audience and the reader. The key word to sum up surrealism according to Breton is freedom.

  In short surrealist was a means of reuniting conscious and unconscious realm of experience so completely that the world of dreams and fantasy would be joined to the everyday rational world in an ‘absolute reality, a surrealist.’ Surrealism uses elements of surprise, the involuntary, and the unconscious. It is more purposeful and it wants to arrange the derangement of the senses.

3. Elements of Drama

  Drama is an old-age form of shared experience. Through centuries audiences have watched live actors act out events on a stage. Talking about drama means talking about intrinsic elements of drama such as character, setting, stage direction, plot , and theme.

a. Character

  Character is one of the most important elements of a play. Usually the strength of a play depends on how the characters are presented. Characters has two meanings: (1) a figure of literary work, and (2) personality, that is the mental and the moral qualities of the figure, as when we may say that X’s character is strong, or weak, or immoral, or whatever. (Barnet, Berman, and Burto, 1988: 71).

  In Glossary of Literary Terms (1971: 20-21), Abram defines character as the person presented by the author as being endowed with moral and disposition qualities that can be evaluated from the dialogue and the action.

  12 In the book entitled Approach to Literature, Little gives explanation of how to study a character. According to him, a character can be studied from: first, his or her basic characteristics. This can be seen from: i.

  The physical condition of the characters, including his or her age. ii.

  The social relationship, which mean the personal relationship with other characters or wider social relationship, such as social class and occupation. iii.

  The mental qualities, this is typical ways of thinking, feeling, and acting. Second, from his or her appearance from various points of view. This includes: i.

  How the character sees himself or herself ii.

  How other characters see him or her iii.

  How he or she develops or fails to develop during the course of the story Third, is from his or her place in the work. It means: i.

  The treatment of the author (sketched of fully rounded portrayed descriptively or dramatically treatment sympatically or unsympathetically) ii.

  His or her place in the story (leading character or a minor one) iii.

  His or her relation to the theme. For example; whether the character embodies something important that the author has to say.

  Holman and Harman define characters as the creation of imaginary person. Although they are only imaginative characters, the characters must be real. Real here means that the reader must accept them as believable person who have the same characteristic as people in real life. The characters in a story should be created and attributed by the feature of lifelikeness in order to be accepted as an ‘imitation’ of human being.

  13 In order to be believable or convincing, the characterization must observe at least 3 principles. (Perrine, 1969: 69). Firstly, the character must be consistent in their behavior. They must have strong and appropriate reason if they are change. In other words, a character may remain stable or unchanged or she/he may undergo a radical change in her/his outlook and deposition from the beginning to the end of the story, but she/he must be consistent with her/his behavior traits.

b. Theory on Setting

  Setting is an important intrinsic element. It is always to the way a piece of literature work affects the readers and, thus, it is important element to be consider in reading. Based on The Literary Heritage by Hans P Guth, setting is the time and the place of the events of the play. (1981:729). Setting sometimes helps shape the characters and the event. Setting is also used to enrich the meaning of the story. In a limited sense, setting refers to “the general locale and historical time” (Abrams 1971:175). In a large sense, setting refers to “the social circumstances in which the action occurs” (Abrams 1971:175). It takes the social or environment in which the characters live.

  Based on A Glossary of Literary Terms by Robert Harris, the setting includes time period, the place, the historical milieu, as well as the social, political, and perhaps even spiritual realities. The setting is usually established primarily through description, though na

  There is also a close relationship between the setting and the central idea of the story. Setting might influence the action and the characters as Murphy

  14 wrote “setting of the novel has a great effect upon the personalities, actions, and the way of thinking of the characters” (1972:41).

  c. Theory of Stage Direction

  In The Literary Heritage (1981: 738) Hans identifies that stage direction is used to give detail instructions about scenery. The scenery sometimes re-creates a place with realistic details to make it look likes an actual room, street or everything that pictures where the action takes place. Sometimes the stage is almost bare, with many details of setting left vague. The stage direction is used to describe the appearance and the use of important objects, or called prop (read: property). Properties play an important role in the events: a painting, a vase, a pistol, a bunch of flower, etc. often, the stage directions give many details instruction for the entrance and exit of the actors. There may be much guidance as to the actors’ use of gestures, which are an important part of the language of the theatre.

  d. Plot

  A plot is another intrinsic element which directly influences the character in the play. According to Abrams (1971: 159), plot is constituted by events and actions which directly order the achieving of particular emotional and artistic effects. He also suggests that plot is a bare synopsis of the temporal order of what happens in a literary work.

  The plot must have some sort of unity and clarity by setting up a pattern by which each action initiates the next rather than stands alone without connection to what came before it or what follows. In the plot of a play, characters are

  15 involved in conflict that has a pattern of movement. The action and movement in the play begin from the initial entanglement, through rising action, climax, and falling action to resolution.

  In other word plot means an arrangement of events. According to ents of plot. The first is point

  

of attack , this is the moment of the play at which the main action of the plot

  begins. This may occur in the first scene, or it may occur after several scenes of exposition. The point of attack is the main action by which all others will arise. It is the point at which the main complication is introduced. Point of attack can sometimes work hand in hand with a play’s inciting incident, which is the first incident leads to the rising action of the play. Sometimes the inciting incident is an event that occurs somewhere in the character’s past and is revealed to the audience through exposition.

  The second is exposition. Exposition is at which important information is needed in order to follow the main story line of the play. It is the aspects of the story that the audience may hear what he or she is not witnessed in actual scenes. It covers the past actions of the characters before the play’s opening scenes progress.

  The third element is rising action. Rising action is the section of the plot begins with the point of attack and/or inciting incident and proceeds forward to the crisis onto the climax. The action of the play will rise as it sets up a situation of increasing intensity and anticipation. This scene creates the body of the play and usually creates a sense of continuous mounting suspense in the audience.

  16 The next element is climax/crisis. All of the earlier scenes and actions in a play will build technically to the highest level of dramatic intensity. This section generally refers to the climax. This is the moment where the major dramatic questions rise to the highest level, the mystery hits the unraveling point, and the culprits are revealed. This should be the highest level of dramatic intensity in the action of the play. In this level, the whole actions of the play generally lead up to this moment.

  

Resolution/Obligatory scene is the last element of the plot. Resolution is

  the moment in which the conflicts are resolved. It is the solution to the conflict in the play, the answer of the mystery, and the clearing up of the final details. This is the scene that answers the questions raised earlier in the play. In this scene the methods and motives are revealed to the audience.

  According to www.cocc.edu/lisal/literaryterms/elementsofliterature.htm plot is divided in two categories. The first is climatic structure. The plot begins late in story, closer to the very end or climax. It covers a short space of time, perhaps a few hours, or at most a few days. This plot contains a few solid, extended scenes, such as three acts with each act comprising one long scene. It only occurs in a restricted locale, one room or one house. And also the number of characters is severely limited, usually not more than six or eight. The plot is linear and moves in a single line with few subplots or counter plots only. In this plot, the line of action proceeds in a cause and effect chain. The characters and events are closely linked in a sequence of logical, almost inevitable development.

  17 The second plot structure is episodic structure. Here the plot begins relatively early in the story and moves through a series of episodes. It covers a longer period of time: weeks, months, and sometimes years. There are many short, fragmented scenes; sometimes an alternation of short and long scenes.