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.Even though the momentis evanescent, the critic can keep faith with Mamet by freezing that momentin time through memory, which is one way of demonstrating how we leavethe theatre reflecting upon our world.So, to take the simple Shakespearean example above, my wish to seeAngelo dead tells me nothing about the character; rather, it tells me a greatdeal about myself when faced with the possibility of the implementation offorgiveness or even grace in the face of what I find most appalling.When mychoice is wrong when the logic of the play dictates that Angelo must live,rather than die as I wish the experience of the moment forces me into arecognition or a remembrance of my morality in my world, which is exactlythe opposite of wish fulfilment.In Mamet s terms, drama fulfils its properfunction: The theatre is not a place where one should go to forget, butrather a place where one should go to remember. 11 The participant whoreflects is then led on to questions of further exploration.Who am I to decideissues of life and death, particularly when the victim herself disagrees withme, or on what basis do I make my choices at the moment I make them?Every participating member of the audience undergoes a similar experience.In short, we leave the theatre talking about ourselves and our relation to themoral world in which we live.The point is that the play is not posing anabstract question about mercy or justice; it is putting us in the position wherewe must make choices in a particular moment, if, that is, we are activeparticipants in the drama.The moment is open for us in the sense that more 85David Mametthan one option exists at the time of compulsory choice, but the moment isso constructed that only one alternative carries the logical weight of the play.A write who has confidence in an audience pays us all a compliment byhaving faith in us, faith that we will have enough intelligence to try tounderstand our participation, particularly when it is wrong, and to reflectupon it.Shakespeare is such a writer, and so is David Mamet.I did not choose Measure for Measure gratuitously: it employs exactlythe same techniques of audience participation that Mamet uses in AmericanBuffalo and Reunion.In other words, David Mamet is working in a form thatcould be described as the contemporary problem play along Shakespeareanlines: a problem play focuses on a concern with a central moral problem,which will inevitably take the form of an act of choice confronting theprotagonist, and in relation to which we are in doubt of our moralbearings.12 I would like to isolate two moments of participatory choice inMamet s plays, similar to the one described above in Measure for Measure,which force us into positions where we may be unsure of our moral bearings,but which also force us to reflect upon truths about ourselves and our world.IIThe first moment that I would like to examine is one in the climax of the playAmerican Buffalo where Teach and Don believe that Bobby has treacherouslybetrayed them, so they turn on him and Teach beats him.The process ofactive audience participation in this moment is almost exactly the same as inShakespeare s Measure for Measure: we are led in one direction only and toone choice, but with, I think, much more chilling results.The script is asfollows:Teach: I want for you to tell us here and now (and for your ownprotection) what is going on, what is set up.whereFletcher is.and everything you know.Don [sotto voce]: (I can t believe this.)Bob: I don t know anything.Teach: You don t, huh?Bob No.Don: Tell him what you know, Bob.Bob: I don t know it, Donny.Grace and Ruthie.[TEACH grabs a nearby object and hits BOB viciously on theside of the head] 86Edward J.EscheTeach: Grace and Ruthie up your ass, you shithead; you don tfuck with us, I ll kick your fucking head in.(I don t givea shit.)[Pause]13We are near the end of the play, and the scene has been contrived to take usinto a moment of choice concerning Bob [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.Even though the momentis evanescent, the critic can keep faith with Mamet by freezing that momentin time through memory, which is one way of demonstrating how we leavethe theatre reflecting upon our world.So, to take the simple Shakespearean example above, my wish to seeAngelo dead tells me nothing about the character; rather, it tells me a greatdeal about myself when faced with the possibility of the implementation offorgiveness or even grace in the face of what I find most appalling.When mychoice is wrong when the logic of the play dictates that Angelo must live,rather than die as I wish the experience of the moment forces me into arecognition or a remembrance of my morality in my world, which is exactlythe opposite of wish fulfilment.In Mamet s terms, drama fulfils its properfunction: The theatre is not a place where one should go to forget, butrather a place where one should go to remember. 11 The participant whoreflects is then led on to questions of further exploration.Who am I to decideissues of life and death, particularly when the victim herself disagrees withme, or on what basis do I make my choices at the moment I make them?Every participating member of the audience undergoes a similar experience.In short, we leave the theatre talking about ourselves and our relation to themoral world in which we live.The point is that the play is not posing anabstract question about mercy or justice; it is putting us in the position wherewe must make choices in a particular moment, if, that is, we are activeparticipants in the drama.The moment is open for us in the sense that more 85David Mametthan one option exists at the time of compulsory choice, but the moment isso constructed that only one alternative carries the logical weight of the play.A write who has confidence in an audience pays us all a compliment byhaving faith in us, faith that we will have enough intelligence to try tounderstand our participation, particularly when it is wrong, and to reflectupon it.Shakespeare is such a writer, and so is David Mamet.I did not choose Measure for Measure gratuitously: it employs exactlythe same techniques of audience participation that Mamet uses in AmericanBuffalo and Reunion.In other words, David Mamet is working in a form thatcould be described as the contemporary problem play along Shakespeareanlines: a problem play focuses on a concern with a central moral problem,which will inevitably take the form of an act of choice confronting theprotagonist, and in relation to which we are in doubt of our moralbearings.12 I would like to isolate two moments of participatory choice inMamet s plays, similar to the one described above in Measure for Measure,which force us into positions where we may be unsure of our moral bearings,but which also force us to reflect upon truths about ourselves and our world.IIThe first moment that I would like to examine is one in the climax of the playAmerican Buffalo where Teach and Don believe that Bobby has treacherouslybetrayed them, so they turn on him and Teach beats him.The process ofactive audience participation in this moment is almost exactly the same as inShakespeare s Measure for Measure: we are led in one direction only and toone choice, but with, I think, much more chilling results.The script is asfollows:Teach: I want for you to tell us here and now (and for your ownprotection) what is going on, what is set up.whereFletcher is.and everything you know.Don [sotto voce]: (I can t believe this.)Bob: I don t know anything.Teach: You don t, huh?Bob No.Don: Tell him what you know, Bob.Bob: I don t know it, Donny.Grace and Ruthie.[TEACH grabs a nearby object and hits BOB viciously on theside of the head] 86Edward J.EscheTeach: Grace and Ruthie up your ass, you shithead; you don tfuck with us, I ll kick your fucking head in.(I don t givea shit.)[Pause]13We are near the end of the play, and the scene has been contrived to take usinto a moment of choice concerning Bob [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]