Theater
Final Essay Exam Instructions
Medea, Fires in the Mirror
Answer the following questions in complete sentences and paragraphs. You may certainly refer to any course materials you want to as you write. Make certain that if you use material from the course, you put ideas into your own words or use quotations. You should also cite (state) which resource your information came from. I am interested in you sharing as much information as you can, so the more details included, the better. Your responses do not need a formal introduction and conclusion or a thesis statement, unless you feel it helps you to present your response.
List and explain the six elements of theatre according to Aristotle. How is each utilized in the version of Medea that we viewed? According to Aristotle, plot is the most important element of tragedy, because it has the most impact on the audience’s experience of catharsis (the feeling of both PITY and FEAR). Do you agree? Why? Why not?
Explain how realism and non-realism are used in three of the “portraits” in Anna Deavere Smith’s Fires in the Mirror. In your opinion, how does her method of play writing and acting impact your experience of the play and its subject matter? In other words, would you have preferred a more traditional play with multiple actors and a beginning-middle-end story line? Why?
