Journal #7

Visual action can be as important on the stage as speech.” How far do you agree with this claim? In you answer you should refer to two or three plays you have studied.


           I completely agree with the claim of visual action being just as important on stage as speech is. I would love to back this up between the books of "Blood Wedding" and "The Wild Duck". I think they both show that stage directions give out a huge part of their plays and at times, when reading the stage directions, the reader will feel more into the story picturing what is actually happening. Also, the audience watching probably sees the intensity of what is going on rising through certain scenes with visual action.
         "The Wild Duck" uses stage directions very detailed. On page 181 in "The Wild Duck", the stage directions say he is walking around without looking up. They say him just walking around and pacing himself. These visual actions help the audience depict how Hjalamar is feeling instead of through just his words. His words are misleading and without seeing Hjalamar's action, it would be difficult to see how he is truly feeling. These stage directions help show that Hjalamar is very uneasy and that he has something on his mind that he does not like. These visual actions of Hjalamar show his emotions instead of his speech.
       In "Blood Wedding", you can see the emotions and feel the intensity rising when the Bride is about to be married through her visual action. Without words, you can tell she feels uncertain and does not like the situation she is in through her action in the stage direction of, "Restless, in a great inner struggle" (Lorca 68). Her voice and her visual actions feed off of each other to make the audience feel the restlessness, and the nervousness the Bride is feeling. The visual action here creates a stronger image than just her talking because you can picture her feeling the way she is feeling. It is easier to relate to images than to words. 
       Overall, I feel that visual action is just as important, if not more important than the speech in these plays. I think, for an example, silent movies. Watching movies with no sound are easier to follow and feel closer to than just the sound. Well, I think so at least. Also, visual action and the speech feed off of each other. With both together, the playwrights create a wonderful image and feeling to their plays.