A PLAY REVIEW OF DR. ANGEL O. PESIRLA’ S
“AMONTILLADO: A FABULATION”
Presented to
MISS LEAH G. LOPEZ
English Studies and Other Languages Department
College of Arts and Sciences
Cebu Normal University
Cebu City, Philippines
In Partial Fulfillment
Of the Requirements of the Course
Literature 2
(World Literature)
By
John Symon D. Bailon.,
BSEd- TLE IV
I. INTRODUCTION
The play ''Amontillado'' by Dr. Angel O. Pesirla is a fabulation and a deconstruction of the short story “Cask of Amontillado” written by Edgar Allan Poe. A fabulation is a term used by some modern critics for a mode of modern fiction that openly delights in its self conscious verbal artifice, thus departing from the conventions of realism. The play also uses multi lingual consisting of Spanish, Cebuano-Visayan, English and Filipino language.
Edgar Allan Poe's early life was as strange and unhappy as some of his most famous fiction. When he was born in Boston in 1809, his parents were actors in traveling companies; his father died in 1810 and his mother in 1811. In 1836, he married his cousin Virginia Clemm, who was thirteen years old. He published several short horror stories and narrative poems, including "The Murders in the Rue Morgue'' (1841), one of the earliest detective stories ever written, the psychological horror story "The Tell-Tale Heart'' (1843), and the melancholy poem ‘‘The Raven’’ (1845), which brought him national fame. His brilliance as a writer was now firmly established. Still, he could not escape his addiction to alcohol. He died in Baltimore on October 7, 1849, at the age of forty, after an alcoholic episode.
Chamber Theater is a method of adapting literary works to the stage using a maximal amount of the work's original text and often minimal and suggestive settings. In Chamber Theater, narration is included in the performed text and the narrator might be played by multiple actors.
II. CRITIQUE
The Framework of the Play
The play “Amontillado” is a story within a story. It begins when Edgar Allan Poe and accompany which is Lady Gregory, Mnemosyne (goddess of memory), Melpomene (muse of tragedy) talked about Fortunato and Montressor. They are all drunk when they are narrating the story. The story is narrated by Montresor, who carries a grudge against Fortunato for an offense that is never explained. Montresor leads a drunken Fortunato through a series of chambers beneath his palazzo with the promise of a taste of Amontillado, a wine that Montresor has just purchased. When the two men reach the last underground chamber, Montresor chains Fortunato to the wall, builds a new wall to seal him in, and leaves him to die.
The Characters and Actors
Montresor is a deranged man who seeks revenge, easily gets angry and is very sensitive upon other's people opinion about him. He is vain and proud, because of which unable to stand an insult, which, to his mind, damages his reputation. Because of his vanity and pride, he treats it as a serious hurt. He also takes pleasure in others suffering and is vengeful. Fortunato is a haughty wine connoisseur against whom Montresor seeks revenge.
He is insensitive and is tackless. He's both too proud and greedy. He is addicted to wine. When it comes to the performance of the actor's, I can say that they give justice to their characters. They act as if they are the one who is in the place of the characters. They are very effective in bringing the audience to the setting and the mood of the story.
The Dialogue/Diction
Even though I don't understand well the words used by the actors in the play I can say that the actors/actresses are very effective in throwing their dialogues/lines. It seems that what they speak is somewhat what they feel inside. They speak well on the four languages but still the audience can't understand well because of the environment and the modulation of their voices.
The Staging
Dr. Pesirla’s play makes use of the “theater in the round”- there is no elevated platform that serves as stage. The center of the theater serves as the stage. It is a minimalist play in terms of staging.
The Theme
The themes of the play are Revenge, Deception and Pride. Revenge - Fortunato had committed many offenses against Montresor, the last one an insult, according to Montresor. Deception - to lure Fortunato into the catacombs, Montresor deceives Fortunato, telling him he wants to taste some wine to determine whether it is genuine Amontillado. Pride - Fortunato readily accepts Montresor's invitation to taste wine and determine whether it is genuine Amontillado, for Fortunato believes himself to be a great wine connoisseur. So proud is he of his ability that he takes on the challenge even though he has a cough and is already somewhat drunk.
III. CONCLUSION
The play was entertaining and I somehow like it. It challenges the minds of the audience when it comes to the setting and in terms of vocabulary. The audience were the one who created the setting using their imagination which for me is very creative though its abstract. Overall, I feel that the play is well deconstructed from "The Cask of Amontillado" and well thought out. From the costumes to the setting I feel that every aspect of the story contributed greatly with explaining the theme. Not only did it show us the theme of revenge but it showed us we will never know what even the friendliest of people are thinking until ones pushes them to a breaking point. I feel that the author intended on providing the reader with a sense of insanity using a first person unreliable point of view. By allowing the audience to see what the narrator sees and thinks, the audience gathers a bond with the character. The audience then has the capability of tapping into the insane characters mind.
