ABSTRACT
He goes on to describe the unfolding drama of human existence in the different stages of the lifecycle-from the baby ‘mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms’ to the last scene ‘which ends this strange eventful history, in second childishness, sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything’. In Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, the power of drama is used to reveal the dark inner secrets of the regent king and his consort. Hamlet suspects his uncle of murdering his father and usurping his position as king. Unable to find proof, he persuades a band of travelling players to put on a play which re-enacts the way his father has been killed. He plans to confirm his suspicions by watching his uncle during the play:
I’ll observe his looks: I’ll tent him to the quick: if he but blench, I know my course…. The play’s the thing wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king. (Act II, Scene 2)
Since earliest times, people have enacted the drama of their existence in art and story-telling. Stories expressing the common truths, beliefs and hopes of life are universal. The oral tradition of primitive tribes was a means of preserving and transmitting images and meanings. Key events in their history were recorded and heroes and heroines honoured. Children were taught the distinction between good and evil and were inducted into the tradition of the community or tribe through stories. Although the modern world has a much greater reliance on the written word, children still love stories at bedtime, and their stories are often designed to give a sense of confidence that the world is good and that ‘all live happily ever after’. Adults, too, love stories and these are often repeated at family gatherings, meetings of friends and school reunions. The phrase ‘Do you remember the time…’ is the occasion to introduce the well-rehearsed story of the fish that got away; Grandpa’s reminiscences of the good old days and family memories of the eccentricities of Aunt Jemima-the stories which make up a personal and a family tradition. The story implies a relationship between the story-teller and the audience, as well as between the audience and the story itself. The telling of the story unites the audience. Everyone enters into the same story, visualizes the same thing and focuses on the same emotions. Images and meanings are shared together and the audience is caught up in the flow of the story.
