Monday, April 2, 2012
A Darker Third Act
While reading the third act of The Skin of Our Teeth, I noticed the play had taken a much darker tone. The first two acts were riddled with hilarity and chaos. The third act, however, has a clear sense of foreboding throughout the whole scene. I believe this twist in the atmosphere of the play only highlights the ludicrousness of the story's plot. The first two acts both deal with an 'end of the world' crisis and yet they are filled with comedy and zeal. Although facing an approaching Ice Age in the first act, a combination of the dinosaurs, Mr. Antrobus's 'new' ideas and Sabina's constant defiance allows the audience to laugh at the situation of the world's impending doom. The same occurs in the second act; as a flood is threatening to destroy the human race, the audience still feels cheerful and jovial. However, the third act centers around the end of a war, where good triumphed over evil. Normally in a play this scene would be a joyous scene, full of glee and laughs; but this is not the case. There is a definite sense of gloom throughout the whole scene. Both the play and the 'off-script' portions of the scene are melancholic and emotional. The playwright's decision to write this play in this manner suggests a moral of humanity thriving in chaos. The characters in act three repeatedly claim they wish they were still at war, because they are all anxious about the peace-time. This reflects the author's feelings that the human race flourishes under pressure or in times of trouble. But, when a common enemy, such as a wall of ice or a giant flood, is removed, and humans are forced to cooperate with each other, the laughter fades away, and the violence and panic begins to rear.
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I feel it is ironic that the lighter and comical tone of the play occurs during times of turmoil, and once the war is over in Act 3, the play shifts to a much more melancholic and real tone. Sabina and Antrobus do state that they were happier in war time and will miss the war. They all strive to achieve is a tranquil and prosperous time of peace; ultimately, they felt that once the war is over that they will finally be happy. Will they really be fully satisfied? Is that what is needed to be content and happy?
ReplyDeleteI feel these questions are what Wilder brings up. This time of tranquility seems to never occur, we may never realize it or experience it; therefore, how do we know that happiness and bliss will be what it is presumed to be like. According to this play, the human race is used to being in times of trouble, so when they are brought out of that turmoil, they are left with nothing to complain about, nothing to worry about, and nothing to thrive upon. They mention starting over. Occurrences will repeat themselves just as history repeats itself. I assume they will live through difficult times again and again because they can never live happily ever after.
I understand where you are coming from Conor, but I have a different feeling toward the meaning of the much more melancholic feeling of Act III. I think that while the first two acts are filled with comedy during major "end of the world" crises, the third also calls upon an end of the world crisis as well. It could be interpreted that while the first two acts speak of events that are in fact documented in history to be what is thought of the be the "end of the world" the third act can be almost the same. I have a feeling that Wilde is suggesting in his play that while the ice age and the great flood in history were seen as world ending events, people are the new reason of the world ending. War is a major reason for this. I think that Wilde is subtly hinting at a fear of people because wars are capable to destroy the human race and wipe out a great mass of people. It seems as if this would actually be the "end of the world" forcing Wilde to take a more depressing approach to this topic, seeing as the events in the past were not in fact the true "end of the world" this fear of what could be is more serious because the fate is unknown.
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