The Importance Of Being Earnest By Anton Chekhov

Despite the similarities that the play had with Phaedra and The Importance of Being Earnest, it addressed the issue of class rank differently than how Anton Chekhov presented the issue in The Cherry Orchard. In Chekhov’s play, Lopakhin came from a low class family and worked his way up in the ranks of society. His original low class standing is very similar to how Lucy was once a lower class intern. However, when Lopakhin worked hard to move up in the world, he never once forgot where he came from; with everything he did he remembered who his family was. Lucy, on the other hand, married Octavius to gain an upper class standing. Once she moved up, she very quickly forgot where she came from, and she lets her newfound power go to her head. When …show more content…
The costumes ranged from “traditional” Roman garb to modern suits and ties. Having these very different looks, both modern and traditional, make the parallel between our current government and the Roman government a visually obvious point. Caesar and Purny embodied the traditional Roman mentality of power, and they both wore pieces that emulated the traditional Roman attire. Caesar wore a cape and a chest plate while Purny wore a flowing toga top. Brutus, Cassius, and the other senators all wore suits and ties. They brought forth the image of present day uniform of political people. These starkly different costumes assisted the message presented by the Q Brothers that says that our government, being represented by the suits and ties, is directly parallel to Roman government, represented by the toga and chest plate. The different musical numbers presented in the show were also very helpful to the production. The rap music made the story seem younger and more modern, thus amplifying the parallel to our world today and the old Roman world. The songs also delivered a straightforward message about how things were in the time of Julius Caesar. In one of the opening numbers, the strong feelings held by the characters were delivered directly. The pride that the people had in their leader and their country was very apparent in the song. This is similar to the sense of pride that many people have in being an …show more content…
I watched the show and absorbed as much information as possible, while still enjoying the performance. However, my experience in this class led me to observe the show in a slightly different way. Having picked apart many plays in the last few months, I was a much more analytical audience member. Knowing to look for things like references to social and political issues gave me a completely different perspective of the show. I watched each scene with scrutiny, and I tried to find the meaning in every action. My new analytical perspective helped me to understand just how powerful the theatre is when it comes to addressing important issues. Rome Sweet Rome addressed numerous prominent issues in today’s society by paralleling them to the classic tale of Julius Caesar. The play successfully presented the parallels between today’s government and the Roman government. Many aspects of this play were also very relatable to other plays that we have read and analyzed in this class. By using classic techniques like set design, acting styles, lighting, costuming, and music, the Q Brothers successfully delivered their message. A fresh take on a classic, Rome Sweet Rome used new and old methods to provoke thoughts from the