The Glass MenagerieWord文件下载.docx

The Glass MenagerieWord文件下载.docx

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TennesseeWilliams’searlylifewasassociatedwiththeSouth（andsoaremanyofhisplaysandstories）.HewasborninColumbus,MississippiandhisfamilymovedtoSt.Louissomeyearslater.Hisfatherwasaviolent,aggressivetravelingsalesman,hismother,thehigh-minded,puritanicaldaughterofaclergyman;

hiseldersister,ashyandhypersensitivegirlwithmentalaswellasphysicalproblemswhicheventuallynecessitatedthatshebeinstitutionalized.Hisfamilythusprovidedhimwiththeseedsforcharacterswhoweretopeoplemanyofhisplays.HeenteredcollegeduringtheDepressionandleftafteracoupleofyearstotakeupaclericaljobinashoefactory,beforeresuminghisacademicstudiesatWashingtonUniversity,inSt.Louis,andthenattheUniversityofIowa.

Williamswasconstantlystrivingtobecomeawriter,turningoutasteadystreamofpoetry,storiesandplays.HewandersaboutthecountryworkingatavarietyofjobsinNewOrleans,Mexico,Chicago,Florida,LosAngeles.Hewaitedtable,usheredinmovietheaters,andranelevators,etc.untilhereachedNewYork,determinedtomakeacareerofthetheater.

Aseriesofone-actplaysattractedattentiontoWilliams,andin1940theTheaterGuildsponsoredhisfirstprofessionalfull-lengthproductionofBattleofAngelsinBoston.TheplayfailedtoreachNewYorkbuthisnexteffort,TheGlassMenagerie,afteralongtryoutinChicago,cametoNewYorkin1945andwasapopularandcriticalsuccess,whichloftedhimintothecelebrity.TwoyearslaterhetriumphedagainwithAStreetcarNamedDesireandbecameoneofAmerica’smostapplaudedplaywrights.OtherplaysofWilliams’includeSummerandSmoke,SweetBirdofYouth,CatonaHotTinRoof,TheRoseTattooandTheNightoftheIguana.Manyoftheplayshavebeentranslatedforproductionsthroughouttheworld,and,withfewexceptions,hisworks（includingsomeofhisnovels）havebeeneffectivelytransferredtofilm.

Inanearlyshortstory,TennesseeWilliamsdescribedacharacter’s“senseoftheenormousgrotesquerieoftheworld,”aphrasewhichcanstandastheparadigmofhisownworldview.Outofthecompassionbornofhisownpainfuldiscoveryoftheultimatelonelinessandisolatednessofindividualhumanexperienceintheworldwherehelived,Wil1iamshasfashionedatheaterinwhichimagesofincrediblebrutalitycollidewiththoseoffragilebeauty.Manyofhisplaysembodythepointofviewheonceannounced:

“ItisnottheessentialdignitybuttheessentialambiguityofmanthatIthinkneedstobestated.”

CHARACTERS

AMANDAWINGFIELD[themother]:

Alittlewomanofgreatbutconfusedvitalityclingingfranticallytoanothertimeandplace.Hercharacterizationmustbecarefullycreated,notcopiedfromtype.Sheisnotparanoiac,butherlifeisparanoia.ThereismuchtoadmireinAmanda,andasmuchtoloveandpityasthereistolaughat.Certainlyshehasenduranceandakindofheroism,andthoughherfoolishnessmakesherunwittinglycruelattimes,thereistendernessinherslightperson.

LAURAWINGFIELD[herdaughter]:

Amanda,havingfailedtoestablishcontactwithreality,continuestolivevitallyinherillusions,butLaura’ssituationisevengraver.Achildhoodillnesshas1efthercrippled,onelegslightlyshorterthantheother,andheldinabrace.Thisdefectneednotbemorethansuggestedonthestage.Stemmingfromthis,Laura’sseparationincreasestillsheislikeapieceofherownglasscollection,tooexquisitelyfragiletomovefromtheshelf.

TOMWINGFIELD[herson,andthenarratoroftheplay]:

Apoetwithajobinawarehouse.Hisnatureisnotremorseless,buttoescapefromatraphehastoactwithoutpity.

JIMO’CONNOR[thegentlemancaller]:

Anice,ordinary,youngman.

PRODUCTIONNOTES

Beinga‘memoryplay’,TheGlassMenageriecanbepresentedwithunusualfreedomfromconvention.Becauseofitsconsiderablydelicateortenuousmaterial,atmospherictouchesandsubtletiesofdirectionplayaparticularlyimportantpart.Expressionismandallotherunconventionaltechniquesindramahaveonlyonevalidaim,andthatisacloserapproachtotruth.Whenaplayemploysunconventionaltechniques,itisnot,orcertainlyshouldn’tbe,tryingtoescapeitsresponsibilityofdealingwithreality,orinterpretingexperience,butisactuallyorshouldbeattemptingtofindacloserapproach,amorepenetratingandvividexpressionofthingsastheyare.Thestraightrealisticplaywithitsgenuinefrigidaireandauthenticicecubes,itscharactersthatspeakexactlyasitsaudiencespeaks,correspondstotheacademiclandscapeandhasthesamevirtueofaphotographiclikeness.Everyoneshouldknownowadaystheunimportanceofthephotographicinart:

thattruth,life,orrealityisanorganicthingwhichthepoeticimaginationcanrepresentorsuggest,inessence,onlythroughtransformation,throughchangingintootherformsthanthosewhichweremerelypresentinappearance.

Theseremarksarenotmeantasaprefaceonlytothisparticularplay.Theyhavetodowithaconceptionofanew,plastictheatrewhichmusttaketheplaceoftheexhaustedtheatreofrealisticconventionsifthetheatreistoresumevitalityasapartofourculture.

THESCREENDEVICE

ThereisonlyoneimportantdifferencebetweentheoriginalandactingversionoftheplayandthatistheomissioninthelatterofthedevicewhichItentativelyincludedinmyoriginalscript.Thisdevicewastheuseofascreenonwhichwereprojectedmagic-lanternslidesbearingimagesortitles.IdonotregrettheomissionofthisdevicefromthepresentBroadwayproduction.TheextraordinarypowerofMissTaylor’sperformancemadeitsuitabletohavetheutmostsimplicityinthephysicalproduction.But1thinkitmaybeinterestingtosomereaderstoseehowthisdevicewasconceived.SoIamputtingitintothepublishedmanuscript.Theseimagesandlegends,projectedfrombehind,werecastonasectionofwallbetweenthefrontroomandthedining-roomareas,whichshouldbeindistinguishablefromtherestwhennotinuse.

Thepurposeofthiswillprobablybeapparent.Itistogiveaccenttocertainvaluesineachscene.Eachscenecontainsaparticularpoint（orseveral）whichisstructurallythemostimportant.Inanepisodicplay,suchasthis,thebasicstructureornarrativelinemaybeobscuredfromtheaudience;

theeffectmayseemfragmentaryratherthanarchitectural.Thismaynotbethefaultoftheplaysomuchasalackofattentionintheaudience.Thelegendorimageuponthescreenwillstrengthentheeffectofwhatismerelyillusioninthewritingandallowtheprimarypointtobemademoresimplyandlightlythaniftheentireresponsibilitywereonthespokenlines.Asidefromthisstructuralvalue,Ithinkthescreenwillhaveadefiniteemotionalappeal,lessdefinablebutjustasimportant.Animaginativeproducerordirectormayinventmanyotherusesforthisdevicethanthoseindicatedinthepresentscript.Infactthepossibilitiesofthedeviceseemmuchlargertomethantheinstanceofthisplaycanpossiblyutilize.

THEMUSIC

Anotherextra-literaryaccentinthisplayisprovidedbytheuseofmusic.Asinglerecurringtune,‘TheGlassMenagerie,’isusedtogiveemotionalemphasistosuitablepassages.Thistuneislikecircusmusic,notwhenyouareonthegroundsorintheimmediatevicinityoftheparade,butwhenyouareatsomedistanceandverylikelythinkingofsomethingelse.Itseemsunderthosecircumstancestocontinuealmostinterminablyanditweavesinandoutofyourpreoccupiedconsciousness;

thenitisthelightest,mostdelicatemusicintheworldandperhapsthesaddest.Itexpressesthesurfacevivacityoflifewiththeunderlyingstrainofimmutableandinexpressiblesorrow.Whenyoulookatapieceofdelicatelyspunglassyouthinkoftwothings:

howbeautifulitisandhoweasilyitcanbebroken.Bothofthoseideasshouldbewovenintotherecurringtune,whichdipsinandoutoftheplayasifitwerecarriedonawindthatchanges.Itservesasathreadofconnexionandallusionbetweenthenarratorwithhisseparatepointintimeandspaceandthesubjectofhisstory.Betweeneachepisodeitreturnsasreferencetotheemotion,nostalgia,whichisthefirstconditionoftheplay.ItisprimarilyLAURA’smusicandthereforecomesoutmostclearlywhentheplayfocusesuponherandthelovelyfragilityofglasswhichisherimage.

THELIGHTING

Thelightingintheplayisnotrealistic.Inkeepingwiththeatmosphereofmemory,thestageisdim.Shaftsoflightarefocusedonselectedareasoractors,sometimesincontradistinctiontowhatistheapparentcentre.Forinstance,inthequarrelscenebetweenTOMandAMANDA,inwhichLAURAhasnoactivepart,theclearestpooloflightisonherfigure.Thisisalsotrueofthesupperscene,whenhersilentfigureonthesofashouldremainthevisualcentre.ThelightuponLAURAshouldbedistinctfromtheothers,havingapeculiarpristineclaritysuchaslightusedinearlyreligiousportraitsoffemalesaintsormadonnas.Acertaincorrespondencetolightinreligiouspaintings,suchasElGreco’s,wherethefiguresareradiantinatmospherethatisrelativelydusky,couldbeeffectivelyusedthroughouttheplay.[Itwillalsopermitamoreeffectiveuseofthescreen.]Afree,imaginativeuseoflightcanbeofenormousvalueingivingamobile,plasticqualitytoplaysofamoreorlessstaticnature.

T.W.

Scene:

AnalleyinStLouis

PART1:

PreparationforaGentlemanCaller（scenes1-5）

PART2:

TheGentlemanCalls（scenes6-7）

Time:

NowandthePast

SceneI

TheWingfieldapartmentisintherearofthebuilding,o