O... What a Tragedy!

I've never imagined that "tragedy" could happen in my life!!
The story is like this...
Yesterday, Amelia, Elizabeth and I have decided to watch a play in KLPAC named "The System Of Cikgu Tuko". After booking the ticket, we were so excited to watch the drama. Although we did not know the directions to the theater, but we were so excited to go to the place. We downloaded map from the internet, asked friends about the directions to the theater and we even departed 2 hours earlier before the drama starts. However, our "fate" of being lost in the KL town was "irremediable". Since the first time we missed one entrance, this had "foreshadowed" what was going to happen next. We were totally lost and drove rounds and rounds in the KL area for 2 hours!!
Finally, we reached KLPAC at 9pm. We were so happy and we thought that we were just late about half an hour and we would just miss the beginning of the drama. However, the "tragedy" did not end here. As we reached, we quickly looked for the person in charge of selling the tickets. Then he told us that the drama is going to end in 15 minutes!! From the highest and happiest mood, we fell into the deepest hell of disappointment. What a "reversal of fortune" we had experienced!

The movie of Pymalion

After viewing the movie of Pygmalion, I have a clearer idea about the play written by Bernard Shaw. Both watching the movie and reading the play have given me different experiences of understanding the story. From the first time I read the play, I have fallen in love with it. The language used, the plot of the story, the description of the characters and the sense of humour hidden in the conversation between the characters...All these have given me insight into human behaviour. I feel so glad to have been given an opportunity to watch the movie of this comedy. This time, I not only perceive it as a comedy that implies human behaviour, but it is also a romance that portrays the love that surpasses social status. When I read the play, I did not have much impression on this matter and I could not feel the love between Higgins and Eliza. The movie has done a good job in portraying the theme of love because it shows us the scenes that we cannot read from the play like the process of Higgins training Eliza on the language and manners. From the play, all these are just "told" but in the movie, all these details are "shown". This actually gives the audience a clearer idea of how their relationship developed and progressed.
The movie has actually followed almost hundred percent of the play but just a slight change in the ending. However I believe that this changing of ending has indeed given a great impact to most of the audience who also have read through the whole play. In the play, Bernard Shaw did not actually end the story but left it to the reader's imagination. The director of the movie has actually made a brave decision on changing the ending of the play to a happy one in which Eliza eventually goes back to Higgins. And I believe that this give an effect of surprise to most of the audience. But I think most of the audience would prefer this ending rather than the ending of Eliza being married to Freddy.

Pygmalion

This week, we have started reading on another play "Pygmalion".
"Pygmalion". What is "Pygmalion"? When I search this word on-line, I found out that "Pygmalion" is a legendary figure found in a Roman narrative poem, Ovid's Metamorphoses. Pygmalion is the name of a sculptor. He has carved a woman out of ivory and this statue is so realistic that he falls in love with it. So he prays to Venus and offers presents to the statue. Eventually, he is shown mercy by Venus and the statue is brought to life.
Thus, from the title of the play "Pygmalion" itself, it foreshadows the story of the play. It must be a story based on Ovid's tale of "Pygmalion". Indeed, it is!
The play "Pygmalion" by George Bernard Shaw is a story about Henry Higgins, a professor of phonetics, makes a bet with his friend, Colonel Pickering, that he can successfully pass off an ordinary flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, as a lady by teaching her how to speak upper class accent and training her behaviour. This is exactly like how Pygmalion is carving a woman, Higgins is also "carving" Eliza. Undoubtedly, as the story develops, Higgins gradually falls in love with Eliza, just like how Pygmalion falls in love with the statue he carved.
However, Higgins' story is not a myth like Pygmalion. He is not as lucky as Pygmalion because he has no "Venus" to realize his desire. At the end of the story, Eliza rejects Higgins' propose and declares that she will marry Freddy, a young and poor gentleman.

Human's pride VS God's wisdom. Who wins???

Finally, we have come to the end of the play Antigone by Sophocles. After reading and discussing this play with Dr. Edwin in in the class, I have a better understanding on this play. What I have learned from this play is: Pride is the source of foolishness which leads to the defeat in life.
The character that impressed me the most in this drama is Creon. Being an antagonist in this drama, who also fits all the criteria of a tragic hero, he has experienced a very great downfall from a high status of a glorious king at the beginning of the play to a man which is in despair and has lost everything at the end.
What leads to this downfall? It's his pride. He is too proud and self-righteous to an extent he challenges God! He has done wrong in the very beginning of the drama of being proclaim the new edict of not burying the dead Polyneices. As a king, he should know that this is something against God's law. But being a king, make him feels the supremacy of the highest status among the Thebes, perhaps he has forgotten that he is just a human being that lives under the government of the universal law governed by the Almighty.
Antigone's action and her defense for herself should be a kind of reminder for him to abandon the edict. But he sentenced her to death and had never changed. His beloved son, Haemon, came to beseech him. But he disqualified his son's judgment because he despised his son's youth so he had never changed. He was told that all the citizens was disapproving his action. But he thought that being the superior ruler of the kingdom will never be governed by another's judgment so he had never change. Tiresias, the seer, came to advise him. But he disrespected him as an old man so he had never changed.
What make him so stubborn, never listen to other's advice and never want to give up the edict? PRIDE! See how pride has leaded him to all these foolish acts! See how pride has destroyed Creon!
At last, although he has realized his fault, but it's too late. Since he had never listened to any other mankind's advice, God shows him the fate of being disobedient and challenging God's law. With the great strike from his losing of his beloved son and wife, he is now realizing that he is just a human being which will never win God.
Creon's story has given me a great insight about life. No matter how intelligent or how "wise" one may think he or she is, no matter how one struggling to go against God, eventually,
God shall win and He is the only winner.

Wisdom VS Foolishness

In Wednesday's lesson, I was very impressed by Dr. Edwin's discussion on the differences between the words wisdom, foolishness, shrewd and intelligent. "Foolishness" which means the act that is not sensible and will get oneself into trouble is definitely different from the other three words. But what's the difference between "wisdom", "intelligent" and "shrewd"? All these three words also have the similar meaning, that is, able to make sensible decision and judgement but the difference is the motive behind the action. "Intelligence" is the bridge between "wisdom" and "shrewd". A shrewd person is able to make good decisions because he understands a situation well. He knows when to do the right thing so that he himself would not get into trouble but the motive maybe a selfish one. A shrewd person might be intelligent but he might not be wise. A wise person is not only able to make good decisions but also sensible judgements based on his knowledge and experience for the advantage of others.
In the drama Antigone, her action in burying her brother is seemed as a foolish one from Ismene's perspective. Yes. Indeed it is a foolish action because she had got herself into great trouble and even has to sacrifice her own life. But it is a noble deed that pleases the gods. Antigone is definitely not a shrewd person according to this context, but she is wise in making such a decision.