WJEC/Eduqas GCSE Drama: Revision Guide

And it went on, not whining, but saying quite sensibly: ‘Know woman, he who hears not a cry for help But passes by with troubled ears will never hear The gentle call of a lover nor the blackbird at dawn Nor the happy sigh of the tired grape-picker as the Angelus rings.’ She walks a few steps toward the CHILD and bends over it. Hearing this she went back for one more look at the child: Only to sit with him for a moment or two, Only till someone should come, His mother, or anyone. Leaning on a trunk, she sits facing the CHILD. Only till she would have to leave, for the danger was too great. The city was full of ame and crying. The light grows dimmer, as though evening and night were coming on. Fearful is the seductive power of goodness! GRUSHA now settles down to watch over the CHILD through the night. Once, she lights a small lamp to look at it. Once, she tucks it in with a coat. From time to time she listens and looks to see whether someone is coming. And she sat with the child a long time, Till evening came, till night came, till dawn came. She sat too long, too long she saw The soft breathing, the small clenched sts, Till toward morning the seduction was complete And she rose, and bent down and, sighing, took the child And carried it away. She does what the SINGER says as he describes it. As if it was stolen goods she picked it up. As if she was a thief she crept away. Brecht, The Caucasian Chalk Circle , pages 28–29 Read the extract and think about narration and Brechtian performance conventions – the extract shares the private thoughts of the character, but also reminds the audience that they are watching a performance. TIP Try writing your own speech (soliloquy) of a character’s unspoken thoughts. See what happens if you ask a narrator to speak it, with the character silent, as they think it should be read. Now try the same scene, but with the character speaking those same thoughts. How does the audience see the character differently? What does this teach me about Brecht? Replacing dialogue with reported speech will make a scene less naturalistic but can be used to convey a lot of information to the audience. Remember, the narrator not only represents the main character’s thoughts, but can also share the actions, thoughts and memories of all the characters. You can use narration to show the memories and private thoughts that every character on the stage keeps to themselves. ACTIVITY 3.3 AO 2 AO 1 53 CHAPTER 3 chapter 3 THEATRE PRA TITIONERS