THE SWAN SONG
The Swan Song is a
drama which written by Anton Checklov .He was born on January 1860 –
15 July 1904) was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is
considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history. His
career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are
held in high esteem by writers and critics. Chekhov
practiced as a doctor throughout most of his literary career: "Medicine is
my lawful wife", he once said, "and literature is my mistress."[1]
“The Swan Song” is a kind of melodrama. It means a drama which is like as a play, film, or television program, characterized by
exaggerated emotions, stereotypical characters, and interpersonal conflicts .[2]In
the Swan song drama First character is Vasili Svietlovidov, he is a comedian, and
sixty eight years old. Second, Nikita Ivanitchi, he is a prompter and old man
too. The second characters in this drama are Nikustha that became a prompter. Scvietlovidov
often feel frightened. He more feel lonely when he aware there is no one who
cares with him, especially in that time when the play was over. He feels asleep
in the dressing-room and he was calmly snoring after all of the audience had
left the theatre. He do not have family. To express his sadness because his aloneness,
Scvietlovidov has a bad behave, he likes drunk. He searched Petruska and
Yegorka, his partner in the theatre but there was not them in that place. Being
alone made him very frustrated, there is no one who cares with him. Nikustha
want to entertain Scvietlovidov with convinced him, there is audience who loves
him. In contrast, he thought that his audience just considered him same as
clown.
As a result he remembered his past
experiences, everything that have been he reached with beautifully ways. It is
adorn his heart and his thought. Now, he is thinking about him self looks like
a swan song which have been living by his friends in his group because he feel
like a decrepit and can not give another one everything except burdened them. While Nikita Ivanitch, the prompter
feel as same as Scvietlovidov . The lonely of Scvietlovidov a little bit
comforted after told about his past experience to Nikita Ivanitch, this story especially retell
about his perkiness and how energetic him, handsome when he was still young. He
remembered his first experience went on the stage; there was a girl who loved
him very much. Unfortunately, she can not being his wife because the girl just love an actor but she could not accept
their job. His sadness reaches a crest when the prompter also remembered his
past experience when their age became obstacle to maintain their career.
After this event, Scvietlovidov
don’t belief audience anymore. Although, they gave applause to him but they
really understand that their audience saw him as the dirt beneath of their
feet. He also preferred to take parts of buffoons and low comedian whereas he
has power to expressing himself on the stage. In addition, because that girl
too ,he began to wander aimlessly about like living in this world without
certain purposes. Although, he was great artist once, but till little by little
he threw away his talent in theatre. He has ever been a main character in some
title such as a King Lear, Hamlet, and Othello. Moreover, because his
stupidity, he feel just like a Merry
Andrew instead of a man. To entertain himself Scvietlovidov role play Hamlet
drama with Nikustha.
In dramas produced to a great extent
through the use of symbols –or representations-standing in for real things.
Many of the following can be understood as a symbol; such as props, gestures,
expression, costumes, lighting, and setting.[3] In
this drama there are several props from the beginning until the end of the
performance for instance first in the beginning the background of the stage is
encumbered with all sorts of rubbish. In this occasion, it describes the
feeling of the main character Scvietlovidov who was very frustrated with his
condition, do not have a family furthermore no one cares with him. Second, In
the middle of the stage is an overturned stool, it was showing that Scvietlovidov’s
condition now is the opposite one of his past condition. In the past time, he
was a great artist but now he is just a proper artist who lost his good talent
in theatre.
There are some gestures that represented
in this drama such as when Nikustha comes out, the Scvietlovidov’s gestures was shrieks with terror and steps
back. It means that he was very afraid because Nikusthta comes out suddenly and
he thought that no one in that place. Moreover when Nikustha comes slowly
toward to him his gesture changed to be so sinks helplessly onto the stool,
breathes heavily and trembles violence. Relating to the Costumes, Nikustha used
a long white coat costumes it represented character’s innocence/purity.
Lighting in this drama was so dark until Scvietlovidov could not see anything.
It represented his feeling too that was very dark and always getting sadness.
In contrast, after that he found footlight and it represented he would found
the best way to solve his aloneness and it’s true suddenly Nikustha comes out from
the dressing room at the farthest end of the stage and listen all of his problems
in his live for along time. Another aspect of symbols besides props, gestures,
expression, costumes, lighting, the last one is about setting. The setting is
on the stage of a country theatre, it represented that the actor has job in
this place.
To describing his condition
Scvietlovidov always use a simile such as;
I am like the wind blowing across
the lonely fields.
I am as the dirt beneath their feet
Not
only using simile but he used too poem and the words of those poem if we can
analyze has correlation too with his feeling at that time for instance;
"The moon had set. There was
not any light,
Save of the lonely legion'd
watch-stars pale
This
poem illustrated his life, he considered the moon is the girl who he loved in
the past and star is him. He always feel alone in this life like these star in
this poem.
In conclusion this drama consists of
two characters. They are Vasili Svietllovidoff (Svietllovidoff) and Nikita
Ivanitchi (Nikustha/ Ivanitchi ). The characteristic of Svietllovidoff are
drunkard, workaholic, impatience, pessimistic, has a high talent in drama,
loyal and sentimental. These characters can we find out from the Svietllovidoff’s
behaviour. A different view from Nikustha he is patient, fainthearted and
charitable. This drama is good enough and interesting if just look from the
script because we did not know the responds of the audience .A good drama must
have an appeal to the audience. In the opposite one, not all of the people can
get best understanding from this drama because the word too difficult, as a
result to catch the meaning directly without deep interpretation first is
difficult too.
[1] http://www.theatrehistory.com/russian/chekhov001.html
on Sunday at 0814 AM
[2] http://quizlet.com/1941290/kinds-of-drama-flash-cards/
on Sunday at 09.30 AM
[3]
http://www.heanorgate.org.uk/performarts.asp?pageID=DramaElements
retrieved on Friday at 22.14 am.
