for the past few days, i’ve been hearing and seeing people writing, talking, praising, and criticizing the now famous campus’ talk, Antigong Agong.
who has not saw it? anyone? can you please get me out of here? i’m getting fed up with the same topics every now and then..heheh!joke!
if you haven’t saw it, i tell you, you already missed one half of your life!swear!c:
going further, to what we saw; what we knew, is what we judge. taking for example, for the very next time, (i don’t think this would be the very last time this play would be put in the limelight), Antigong Agong. frankly speaking, i entered the newly set atrium on the production day without having any idea on what the show is all about, however, i was immediately impressed when it started, because of their lively welcome song and colorful costumes as they coordinately sang and danced.
i instantly established a first impression towards the said performance because of my little knowledge, or perhaps, as a comparison to those plays i’ve seen before. in which, indeed, i can say, a totally subjective or biased critic.
how about gauging the “awesomeness” of the said show taking in accordance the definition of the known philosopher, Aristotle, particularly his equally known creation, the Poetics. (hmm…lagot! high standard ang criterion..heheh!c:)
(before i forget to mention, this entry is influenced by both the “great mind” and our class discussion.)
first, we should classify whether the Antigong Agong, a tragedy or comedy. a tragedy is defined wherein the main character dies at the end, associated with serious actions and scenes, while comedy, is a serious play, as well, but is delivered with a laugh. precisely and obviously, the said play belongs to the comedy type.
like what i’ve stated above, i was instantly impressed right the time the production started, because of the combination of very few modern “breakdance”, Tausog dances, martial arts, lively rhythmed song in Malay music, which are accompanied with both native and improvised musical instruments. it was because all elements were beautifully fabricated (said to be called the “organic community”).
for Aristotle, an act should consider the following six elements, chronologiacally arranged according to its significance; namely the plot, character, diction, thought, spectacle, and melody.
the plot, either simple or complex, is referred as the selected excerpts from a certain story, woven together to convey meaning.Freytag’s triangle illustrating the parts of an act, from the conflict, climax, and the resolution. back to the Antigong Agong, the conflict, involving Sam and his desire to marry Amrayda, but he could not afford the big amount of money set by the latter’s family as a form of dowry. furthermore, he and his friends’ quest, gradually depicted the complication of the plot. the war and the massacre itself became the climax, while the confession of the shameful truth about their ignorance about their past was the resolution.
the second element should possess the following qualities: good, appropraite, like the reality, and consistent throughout the entire play.
the grandmother, played by Ms. Maree Cantaoi, was also used as an example during our class discussion. justified that she possessed the said attributes, and portrayed all the roles given to her very well.
the term “ensemble” was also introduced, which means, none of the character holds the major role, which happened in the “Antigong Agong” play. if examined carefully, the story evolves at the Tausog culture, and the characters are just instruments to represent the tribe. since, the prime requirement for a characte to be considered as a protagonist, is when you see him at the beginning of the play with a particular character, then eventually, transformed at the end of the story, into a character with new attributes form the first one at the beginning, which neither happened to Sam and Amrayda, nor to any other character.
- to be continued -
