Interpreting the play
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Other private themes
Elements of autobiography
Historical background
Interpretation as audience conception
Other private themes
• It is not only in family relationships that we find
unusual, private themes demonstrated in
particular ways. For example John Gay’s
comedy The Beggar’s Opera that talks about
marriage. While the play is comedy, and
therefore not seriously criticizing marriage as an
institution, it is , nevertheless built upon the
foundation of an unusual them, that marriage is
bad
Elements of Autobiography
• Some plays are to be interpreted to a
certain extent as autobiographical
statements. The play will have a plot which
may be independent of the autobiography
but nevertheless the playwright’s personal
involvement in one or more of the
characters will force us to interpret the
play in relationship to that playwright’s
involvement.
Elements of Autobiography
• More often than not a play of this kind may
be interpreted both independently of an
autobiographical elements and in light of
them. The important aspect of our task,
nevertheless, is to suggest that two such
interpretations are possible.
Historical background
• Just as when we have elements of
autobiography to consider, sometimes we have
historical facts and events upon which we must
focus. If we were inclined toward making a
political interpretation of Milton’s play, for
example, we would have to read into it the entire
set of political facts of the time, explaining
Milton’s party affiliations and the chronology.
Historical background
• An essential aspect of our interpretation is
the development of the history which the
play has been written.
• All and all, then, we should always
suggest the historical implications of the
theme, even if we do not want to make the
historical background our major
consideration
Interpretation as audience
conception
• Our interpretation of a play is basically our
own conception of the play. That is
although we can discuss the playwright’s
intentions can establish the theme as one
dealing, say, with the relationship between
man and his society, finally we must
explain our own conception of the play
Interpretation as audience
conception
• First we must consider the ways in which
we feel affected by the play ,
• And then we try to explain why we are
affected in this particular way.
• Sometimes we have undeniable personal
association with the action or characters of
a play; we are reminded of events or
attitudes in our own lives.