Encounter One -
The first encounter introduces us to the character known only as the Maniac, who looks like the clichéd idea of a disciple of Freud: wild hair, thin spectacles, goatee beard, shabby suit or mac. He is introduced to us as quite a flamboyant character which very much contrasts with the characteristics of Bertozzo, who seems quite plain and straight forward. The Maniac seems to stir things up as soon as he enters the play. He manages to confuse the police which, I felt, was used to make the audience aware of the Maniac’s intelligence compared to the policemen’s lack of knowledge. Fo portrayed the policemen like this because he didn’t agree with how much power some people had due to who they were and what they did.
Conflict and Complictaions -
The structure is quite a conventional one, as it contains plenty of complications, mostly created by the Maniac. Throughout the play there are numerous occasions where there are conflicts and complications, which I feel adds to the comical facture of the play. An example of this is when police think they have created a fool proof second version of the “accident”, which the Maniac then “shreds” to pieces.
Encounter Two –
The second encounter also shows how the play is quite conventional. We meet the Maniac three times as various characters. He poses as a High Court Judge (Professor Marco Malipiero) and then Captain Marcantonio Banzi Piccini, a friend, from the forensics department in Rome, of the Super. But I feel that the key encounter is when the audience is introduced to Miss Feletti, a journalist, who is a very formal and sophisticated character, which vastly contrasts with the other characters. Her characteristics are very direct. This is shown as soon as she enters to conduct the interview saying ‘I shan’t beat around the bush’, showing how she wants to get straight to the point, which is quite a strong quality to have as she is the only female character within the whole play.
Climax –
The climax of the play, for me, is when the Maniac allows them all to listen to the confession of the police officers pushing the anarchist out the window, which he recorded earlier in the play when he was helping them to create the third version. Apart from the tape recorder the room is silent, causing an incredibly tense silence.
Resolution –
The resolution of this play is very different from almost any other play. The double ending serves the purpose of letting the audience choose their own resolution of the play. They either choose for Feletti to release the officers or to let the bomb explode, causing them to die. This illustrates Fo’s cynical feelings and how he uses the Maniac as his mouthpiece to get across his passionately held beliefs about society and its injustice. An example is after the ending in which the police are killed, when the Maniac justifies the double ending “the drama critics won’t go along with that”. This demonstrates the annoyance Fo felt towards a right-wing, repressive society.
FORM
Song and Dance –
The prominent song in this play is that of the ‘Anarchists’ Anthem’. It is likely that the director choreographs the sequence showing the group marching around the stage stepping forwards holding hands “so forward brothers, hand in hand”, this has a huge impact of irony as it shows how the Maniac diminishes three normally respected authority figures getting them to sing the anthem of the group of people who they greatly want to condemn. This shows the Maniac’s hold over the police.
Slapstick –
Slapstick has a very visual comic impact upon the play. For me, an example of this is when the Constable puts his hand into the filing cabinet, and then encounters a mouse trap. This is very humorous to watch and pokes fun at the authority figures, showing them as dim-witted.
Farce –
This is very similar to slapstick but is a bit faster paced. A classic example of this is when the Superintendent and Pissani run in and out of the scene pursing Bertozzo whilst the Maniac happily fuels their chase by pointing them in various directions. This reduces the police officers authority to a level which is not normally expected of them. In contrast, during all this we see the Maniac and Feletti having a relatively sensible conversation, which is a comically visual contrast.
Mime –
Mime is a silent action which speaks a message; it can often be harder hitting then the dialogue itself. An example of mime in the play is when the Maniac mimes being beaten up by police. In one hand this seems very comical but on the other hand it immediately has a strong impact. Fo uses something seemingly funny to illustrate corruption and the brutality of the police force.
Commedia dell’ Arte –
Commedia dell’ Arte is not an obvious ingredient within the play, but it has clearly influenced Fo’s style. He exaggerates and stereo-types the Constable to be stupid and slow-thinking. He also portrays the Superintendent as brutal and sadistic. Rather than creating believable characters, he uses instantly recognisable ‘stock’ characters.
Satire –
Satire is used frequently throughout the whole play, mostly by the Maniac who uses very obvious sarcastic comments. An example of this is when screams are heard from the police station. This is quite hard hitting and corrupt.
Theatre of fact –
The play is based on a real life situation in which a falsely accused anarchist “commits suicide”. Fo makes this evident by using the Maniac to quote lines from the real investigation ‘seized by a “raptus” threw himself out of the window, thus ending his life upon the pavement below’.
The V-effect –
At the very beginning of the play, the ordinary set and entrance of Bertozzo suggests it will be like any other conventional play. The invisible fourth wall, however, is immediately broken when Bertozzo addresses the audience directly. Also Fo liked to make it obvious to his audiences that it was in fact, just, a play. An example of this is when Bertozzo says ‘the author of this sick little play’ which really makes it clear to the audience that this play isn’t like an ordinary play. You are absorbed into the emotional aspects of the play itself and Fo also liked to send out moral messages to his audiences, making them see the real truth.