Overall i believe that with comparison to Greek tragedies it can be regarded as a tragic play since many of the included elements are quite similar. All my sons contains many tragic elements throughout the play.... starting with the death of Larry and ending with the death of Joe. Most tragedies include at least one death as death is a universal tragic element, which anyone can relate to making it a world wide interpretation of tragedy. This is proven in Homer's Odyssey as throughout the play Odysseus's crew are killed by the many beasts that they come across in their journey home.
Tragedy can be interpreted by many different factors as long as there is a sad element whether its the loss of a loved one or the break up between a couple. All My Sons includes deaths, conflicts, the forbidding of a marriage, betrayal etc which are all key factors of tragedy, and although it includes many incidents like this there are still moments of happiness that are incorporated into the play. This is also again the The Odyssey as the main story is about a man ; Odysseus who has been kept away from home for 10 years and eventually returning after experiencing many hardships..... although the basis of these plays are tragic they both have elements of some moment of joy.
Although All My Sons isn't a traditional tragic play it incorporates all of the key factors needed so is therefore a tragedy in its own right. It also includes a tragic hero (Joe? in All My Sons and Odyseus in The |Odyssey)and many characters that are effected by the main characters behaviour i.e Chris, Ann, Kate..... which can lead to more tragedy.
Monday 14 February 2011
Tuesday 8 February 2011
All My Sons Acts 1, 2 & 3
Act 1
Just like most tragedies All My Sons starts with a pre-story tragedy.... a background and a moulding for the rest of the plays events. This plays first tragedy is that Larryy went missing a few years previous in WW2 roughly the same time 21 pilots were killed when plane engines that were sent from Joe's business blew up.
This is a tragedy that many feel.... the 21 pilots dying are a major tragedy for their families and for both the Kellers and the Deevers as it was the Keller's family business that supplied it and the Deevers that suffered since George and Ann's dad went to jail for it.Because of this both Ann and George lost their father and not only that since Larry was missing, presumed dead George had lost a friends, Ann a partner and the Keller's a son/brother.This incident effected Larry's mother Kate especially as she has never fully faced up to the fact that Larry is most likely dead.... instead she lives in a facade that he will return ( pretty much driving her made and making her ill in the process).
The play is established with tragedy from the very beginning.... It starts on a sunny Sunday morning with Larry's memorial tree having been blown over and destroyed in the night. Frank says that every Sunday should be like this but the tree dying is a very painful moment for Kate as it represents her son and the symbolism of his life, although he is missing it makes her feel as if he is still there; at home with the family. This is not just a tragic moment it it is also quite ironic.
First appearances of characters:
Joe- Appears to have a fun loving nature, take things lightly, conceals his true nature of guilt and sadness over previous tragedy.
Jim & Sue- minor characters with marital tension bring a slight uplift to the story as no tragedy has hit them.
Frank- Feeds Kate's need for hope ( blinds her pain) and lets her believe Larry is alive through horoscopes.
Ann- Larry's sweetheart, she lost her partner so major loss for her but a few years have past so she is learning to cope and move on.
Kate- Found out the tree broke at 4 in the morning, she was outside when it cracked so why was she outside in the middle of the night? . When it cracked she cried alone, sorrow that she has to deal with on her own, she is deeply hurting and carries the burden silently. Is it all Joe's fault?
Chris- Optimistic.... he tries to see the best in the world and plans to Marry Ann as he has fallen in love with her although she originally was his brothers woman. Seems to have good morals.
Apart from at the beginning of Act 1 there isn't really any tragic elements that build as this Act is mainly there to establish the relationships between characters and introduce the relationships between them. However you can feel a building of tragedy as the play develops.
One last tragic element for this Act is with Ann because she has told herself not to pity her father and has disowned him because he may have killed Larry among other pilots. she has lost her father because of this and we know this since she says "It's wrong to pity a man like that. Father or no father, there's only one way to look at him. He knowingly shipped out parts that would crash an airplane. And how do you know Larry wasn't one of them?".
Act 2
In this Act we're introduced to George ( Ann's brother), who is a rather interesting character. From first look you can see he really resents the Keller's for what has happened and believes with every ounce of his body that it was Joe that was responsible for the death of the pilots and not his dad.Throughout this act you can see the growing tension between George and every character that meets him including Kate who George who he is very fond of.
George appears with the intention to take Ann home as he thinks that her being with the Keller's is a betrayal to her family. he believes that her being in the presence of them will cloud her judgement and taint her. However he then finds out that Chris and Ann plan to marry each other which George is completely against.... this moment is an emphasis on the tragedy that has unfolded on George as he is torn between the loyalty to his dad and the loyalty to his sister.... if he forbids the marriage he may lose her but if he doesn't he feels that it would be a betrayal not just to his dad but also to his mother. this moment though isn't just a tragedy for George but also for Ann as her brother wont allow or consent the marriage. Ann deeply loves Chris and the closest family she has disagrees with her choice in a husband. It's as if she has tried to move on but it doesn't work .... she cant get out of the tragic spiral.
The matter doesn't resolve there though as not just George forbids this joining but also Kate. When Kate finds out that Chris and Ann plan to tie the knot it effectively brings back previous pain. She cant face that Larry is dead so she feels like Ann and Chris have betrayed Larry . It also makes her realise that they have given up hoping that Larry is alive since they are both happy to move on which gives her a sense of desperation. She has been stripped of her former self since she can't move on and this is reinforcing the suffering that has been inflicted upon her. This is also a tragedy especially to Chris as he really wants his mother to accept this joining and give consent towards them being together but when she forbids them from getting married it upsets Chris since he doesn't want to hurt Kate anymore than she is already hurting.... he wants his mum to be okay again like she way before.
Just after this Kate then states that if she admits that she has lost Larry then she must face that she has lost her husband (saying that Joe is the reason that Larry is dead).... what does she know??
Once it is just Chris, Kate and Joe in the story the full events unravel and we finally find out the truth about who is responsible for the death of the pilots and possibly Larry... Joe was the one in charge of the planes crashing not Steve. Joe was the real criminal and when Chris hears this he feels so betrayed and hurt this may be one of the biggest tragedies that Chris will deal with ( apart from the death of Larry) as he always looked up to his father and saw him as an honest man with morals. Now this tragedy has brang a sense of realisation to Chris that in fact the world isn't ally joyous occasions, its corrupt and unjust. It's also tragedy for Kate as she has carried the burden of this secret for many years and we can now see why she is in such denial of admitting that Larry is dead. She doesn't know what to do because she loves both her son and husband but because her husband is guilty it has in a way driven her slightly mad. The dilemma was unbearable.
Act 3
Now Act 3 has two main tragic occurances.... the letter and the death of Joe Keller.We start off very early the next morning as Kate is waiting for Chris to return home, after speaking to Jim and then joe ( where they start to argue) Ann walks outside where Kate and her both start to share conflicting views. Eventually the main problems arrives... the letter. Ann tells Joe to go inside upon which Ann shows Kate the letter to clear everything in an attampt to persuade Kate to allow her and Chris to get married however Ann doesnt anticipate Kates reaction properly as she begins to crack. Although this would have been a targic moment for Ann when recieving the letter the main tragic moment in the part of the play is all on Kate. She stornlg yhoped that her son Larry would eventually return home however this is the certification of his death and not just that; it explains the reason to which he commited suicide ( Joe causing the death of the pilots). Not only has she found out that Larry is officially dead but it's because of his father Joe.... This would be such an awful moment for a mother and now she is left with the altermation of whether to tell Joe or not, she either destroys her husband or lies point blank to him.
However as the play develops Chris and Joe also find out and this is the icing on the cake for chris as he already resents his fathers behaviours and feels betrayed. To now find that his brother killed himself because of this reason destroys not only Chris but all of them.... especially Joe. Although before now Joe has never shown any remorse for his actions this could be seen as a turning point and his moment of realisation on what he has done and what his actions have caused.
Now events unfold ina rather quick pace unlike in the rest of the play. As the play draws to an end the last tragedy takes place.... the death of Joe. He pretends that he is going inside to fetch his jacket so that he can turn himself in to the police however he instead shoots himself to avoid this outcome of shame to the family. This final act of Joes is the tip of everything not only have the family lost Larry but now Joe and after finding out all this dreadful news. I consider this action of Joes to be very cowardly as he commits suicide as not to go to jail and also because he doesnt consider how his death will affect everyone. Now Kate only has her son who was set to leave home just before and Chris has lost every male role model he ever had.
Although the war ended a few years ago you could consider that this family never left the war until the closing of the play.... throughout the years there has been unresolved issues and problems eventually all unfolding with many secrets and hardships returning, this all being concluded with the death of Joe.... this wasnt just the ending to the play but the ending of the family's own war and problems.... its a turning point in all their lives.
Just like most tragedies All My Sons starts with a pre-story tragedy.... a background and a moulding for the rest of the plays events. This plays first tragedy is that Larryy went missing a few years previous in WW2 roughly the same time 21 pilots were killed when plane engines that were sent from Joe's business blew up.
This is a tragedy that many feel.... the 21 pilots dying are a major tragedy for their families and for both the Kellers and the Deevers as it was the Keller's family business that supplied it and the Deevers that suffered since George and Ann's dad went to jail for it.Because of this both Ann and George lost their father and not only that since Larry was missing, presumed dead George had lost a friends, Ann a partner and the Keller's a son/brother.This incident effected Larry's mother Kate especially as she has never fully faced up to the fact that Larry is most likely dead.... instead she lives in a facade that he will return ( pretty much driving her made and making her ill in the process).
The play is established with tragedy from the very beginning.... It starts on a sunny Sunday morning with Larry's memorial tree having been blown over and destroyed in the night. Frank says that every Sunday should be like this but the tree dying is a very painful moment for Kate as it represents her son and the symbolism of his life, although he is missing it makes her feel as if he is still there; at home with the family. This is not just a tragic moment it it is also quite ironic.
First appearances of characters:
Joe- Appears to have a fun loving nature, take things lightly, conceals his true nature of guilt and sadness over previous tragedy.
Jim & Sue- minor characters with marital tension bring a slight uplift to the story as no tragedy has hit them.
Frank- Feeds Kate's need for hope ( blinds her pain) and lets her believe Larry is alive through horoscopes.
Ann- Larry's sweetheart, she lost her partner so major loss for her but a few years have past so she is learning to cope and move on.
Kate- Found out the tree broke at 4 in the morning, she was outside when it cracked so why was she outside in the middle of the night? . When it cracked she cried alone, sorrow that she has to deal with on her own, she is deeply hurting and carries the burden silently. Is it all Joe's fault?
Chris- Optimistic.... he tries to see the best in the world and plans to Marry Ann as he has fallen in love with her although she originally was his brothers woman. Seems to have good morals.
Apart from at the beginning of Act 1 there isn't really any tragic elements that build as this Act is mainly there to establish the relationships between characters and introduce the relationships between them. However you can feel a building of tragedy as the play develops.
One last tragic element for this Act is with Ann because she has told herself not to pity her father and has disowned him because he may have killed Larry among other pilots. she has lost her father because of this and we know this since she says "It's wrong to pity a man like that. Father or no father, there's only one way to look at him. He knowingly shipped out parts that would crash an airplane. And how do you know Larry wasn't one of them?".
Act 2
In this Act we're introduced to George ( Ann's brother), who is a rather interesting character. From first look you can see he really resents the Keller's for what has happened and believes with every ounce of his body that it was Joe that was responsible for the death of the pilots and not his dad.Throughout this act you can see the growing tension between George and every character that meets him including Kate who George who he is very fond of.
George appears with the intention to take Ann home as he thinks that her being with the Keller's is a betrayal to her family. he believes that her being in the presence of them will cloud her judgement and taint her. However he then finds out that Chris and Ann plan to marry each other which George is completely against.... this moment is an emphasis on the tragedy that has unfolded on George as he is torn between the loyalty to his dad and the loyalty to his sister.... if he forbids the marriage he may lose her but if he doesn't he feels that it would be a betrayal not just to his dad but also to his mother. this moment though isn't just a tragedy for George but also for Ann as her brother wont allow or consent the marriage. Ann deeply loves Chris and the closest family she has disagrees with her choice in a husband. It's as if she has tried to move on but it doesn't work .... she cant get out of the tragic spiral.
The matter doesn't resolve there though as not just George forbids this joining but also Kate. When Kate finds out that Chris and Ann plan to tie the knot it effectively brings back previous pain. She cant face that Larry is dead so she feels like Ann and Chris have betrayed Larry . It also makes her realise that they have given up hoping that Larry is alive since they are both happy to move on which gives her a sense of desperation. She has been stripped of her former self since she can't move on and this is reinforcing the suffering that has been inflicted upon her. This is also a tragedy especially to Chris as he really wants his mother to accept this joining and give consent towards them being together but when she forbids them from getting married it upsets Chris since he doesn't want to hurt Kate anymore than she is already hurting.... he wants his mum to be okay again like she way before.
Just after this Kate then states that if she admits that she has lost Larry then she must face that she has lost her husband (saying that Joe is the reason that Larry is dead).... what does she know??
Once it is just Chris, Kate and Joe in the story the full events unravel and we finally find out the truth about who is responsible for the death of the pilots and possibly Larry... Joe was the one in charge of the planes crashing not Steve. Joe was the real criminal and when Chris hears this he feels so betrayed and hurt this may be one of the biggest tragedies that Chris will deal with ( apart from the death of Larry) as he always looked up to his father and saw him as an honest man with morals. Now this tragedy has brang a sense of realisation to Chris that in fact the world isn't ally joyous occasions, its corrupt and unjust. It's also tragedy for Kate as she has carried the burden of this secret for many years and we can now see why she is in such denial of admitting that Larry is dead. She doesn't know what to do because she loves both her son and husband but because her husband is guilty it has in a way driven her slightly mad. The dilemma was unbearable.
Act 3
Now Act 3 has two main tragic occurances.... the letter and the death of Joe Keller.We start off very early the next morning as Kate is waiting for Chris to return home, after speaking to Jim and then joe ( where they start to argue) Ann walks outside where Kate and her both start to share conflicting views. Eventually the main problems arrives... the letter. Ann tells Joe to go inside upon which Ann shows Kate the letter to clear everything in an attampt to persuade Kate to allow her and Chris to get married however Ann doesnt anticipate Kates reaction properly as she begins to crack. Although this would have been a targic moment for Ann when recieving the letter the main tragic moment in the part of the play is all on Kate. She stornlg yhoped that her son Larry would eventually return home however this is the certification of his death and not just that; it explains the reason to which he commited suicide ( Joe causing the death of the pilots). Not only has she found out that Larry is officially dead but it's because of his father Joe.... This would be such an awful moment for a mother and now she is left with the altermation of whether to tell Joe or not, she either destroys her husband or lies point blank to him.
However as the play develops Chris and Joe also find out and this is the icing on the cake for chris as he already resents his fathers behaviours and feels betrayed. To now find that his brother killed himself because of this reason destroys not only Chris but all of them.... especially Joe. Although before now Joe has never shown any remorse for his actions this could be seen as a turning point and his moment of realisation on what he has done and what his actions have caused.
Now events unfold ina rather quick pace unlike in the rest of the play. As the play draws to an end the last tragedy takes place.... the death of Joe. He pretends that he is going inside to fetch his jacket so that he can turn himself in to the police however he instead shoots himself to avoid this outcome of shame to the family. This final act of Joes is the tip of everything not only have the family lost Larry but now Joe and after finding out all this dreadful news. I consider this action of Joes to be very cowardly as he commits suicide as not to go to jail and also because he doesnt consider how his death will affect everyone. Now Kate only has her son who was set to leave home just before and Chris has lost every male role model he ever had.
Although the war ended a few years ago you could consider that this family never left the war until the closing of the play.... throughout the years there has been unresolved issues and problems eventually all unfolding with many secrets and hardships returning, this all being concluded with the death of Joe.... this wasnt just the ending to the play but the ending of the family's own war and problems.... its a turning point in all their lives.
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