I will begin my discussion on my own characters by first introducing the original characters that are in this scene. The first sets of characters that we come across are the three Woodcutters, these characters are supposed to signify the Greek chorus. The number three is very significant in Greek tragic drama, the chorus in Greek plays always appear in threes and in this scene the three Woodcutters are meant to be normal people doing their normal work, however, they are aware of the hunt of the two lovers. I believe they act as a narrator in this scene they appear to be telling the audience what has happened so far through their own conversation as they do not talk directly to the audience.
Lorca has used the idea that there are three stages in life e.g. Beginning, middle and end (death) through his use of the number three in his play and in this scene through these three characters. This is why I have chosen to also use the number three in this way as it gives the scene the meaning Lorca intended, however, I have replaced the Woodcutters with Hunters to fit into my setting of the Jungle.
In my vision these characters appear to be short stumpy men that are standing with their guns held tightly to their chest, with a slight hint of fear in their eyes. They are dressed in white to show that they are neutral characters in my scene. Their main objectives in my scene are to update and inform the audience of what has and what maybe about to happen. They reveal that Leonardo and the Bride are still being hunted, however, are still hopeful that they may escape.
The Moon’s character I have replaced with the Sun, that is instead of using Lorca’s imaginary of the personified moon as a man frozen with cold I have interpreted it as the personified sun as a man burnt with heat, still evoking the audience to feel sympathy of it. The objective of the Sun in my scene is to help death reach Leonardo and the Bride. It is used as an agent to help shine light and reveal the two lovers that are in hiding. I have decided that this character will not be physically seen on the set but just heard to enhance the dramatically effect of it’s character. The voice of the Sun will be heard from the top of the stage and will be a very deep sounding voice.
The Beggar Woman is death in Lorca’s scene; I have chosen to represent her character in the form of a Gypsy fortune-teller. She appears to be a very old and frail woman but has very striking evil features and is dressed in black to represent death. Her main objective is to lead the Bridegroom to follow her and then make Leonardo and the Bridegroom kill each other. She seeks help from the Sun to also aid her, ‘what do you need?’ She is a very evil woman and nothing appears to stop her.
The Bridegroom has been changed to The Bandit, his objective is to seek revenge on the man who killed his family and took away his wife to be. He appears to be a man in rage, ‘rage star’, nothing will stop him from finding Leonardo and The Bride so when the Gypsy fortune-teller tells him to join forces with in the hunt he follows without hesitation.
Leonardo and The Bride I have decided to keep the same, however, there are implications that suggest that Leonardo maybe representing the writer’s character this is why I have chosen to call my character of Leonardo, Lorca. I have notice that all the other characters have not been given proper names apart from this one and feel it maybe significant that Leonardo and Lorca both start with the letter ‘L’. Lorca is quite a determined person and always wants to get what he wants. In this case, the Bride and Quotes like’ they are close behind us and I’m taking you with me’, back up sentiment. Lorca is also a very masculine man, he has become insane through the love he has for The Bride and has in away become evil and does not think or feel for anyone else but The Bride. This is illustrated in his actions when he killed The Bandit’s family. His main objective is to be with The Bride at all costs.
The Bride in my scene I have chosen to change into being The Princess she does not want Lorca to be killed because of her and suggests that he kills her or she will kill herself. She also tells Lorca to leave her and go but then later discovers that he will not part from her and that she can also not part from him. Her objective is the same as Lorca’s she wants to be with him at all costs.
In summary I have changed some aspects of Lorca’s original characters, for example, the Bridegroom has been changed to The Bandit because a bandit is exists as a person who will do anything to anyone at any cost to please himself, in my chosen culture setting. Also, the changes of The Beggar Woman to the Gypsy fortune-teller as fortune-tellers are very common on the city streets of India. They can be evil beings that will try to harm people, whether they deserve it or not. These characters have been chosen because they fit in better with my choice of setting and the culture I have chosen to represent.
I chose to have the setting of my stage in a jungle in Central India. I chose to have a jungle setting as it has a similarity to the original setting of a forest, which is a forest in the Andalucia, in southern Spain. Both of the countries have a similar way of life, for example there is in concept of richness and poorness, and how they are divided in the country, the rich in a certain part and the poor live in a certain part. This is very common in India, as the rich people treat poor people with very little respect. In India, most marriages are arranged and they have to be virgins before they marry or they would be taunted by society. This is similar to the situation of the bride “People can see me with my wedding sheets displayed on the breeze like banners”.
As my choice of setting is The Jungle, my set will consist of heavily leafed trees that drape across the top of the stage, and along the sides, to provide the feeling of darkness to emphasise the ‘jungle’ atmosphere.
The ‘Sun’ will be painted on a piece of large canvas that will be used as the background for the set. The ‘Sun’ will be painted so it is hidden behind the trees of the jungle and you can only see glimpses of it. This is to show that the sun’s light is blocked out and only a certain amount of light enters the ‘Jungle’, to emphasise the setting.
The Three Hunters will be dressed in white clothes because in my chosen culture setting, India, white is associated with death and is worn at funerals as respect, as it is a neutral colour. I have chosen to dress The Hunters in white as they are associated with death and also they play a neutral role in the play. They will also be holding a rifle-gun in their hands.
As I have already mentioned the Gypsy fortune-teller will be dressed in black, as black also represents death but in an evil way. This is a contrast to The Hunters. The Gypsy fortune-teller will be carrying a black wooden stick and a large black bag made out of cloth on her back.
The Bandit will be dressed in a brown army-like outfit, with a large belt around his waist and he is also going to be wearing a black turban because this is the way bandits are portrayed in the Indian culture. This shows that he is a man who is quite authoritive, and likes to be in charge.
Lorca and The Princess will both be well dressed in the play, smart and presentable. Lorca will be dressed in a traditional Indian suit and The Princess will be dressed in a traditional princess outfit, as their characters are of good nature and all they want is to be together and happy.
The lighting takes a very important part in the scene, as it helps to show the mood and feelings of the individual characters. My scene will consist of different types of lighting, such as, spotlights, floodlights and frenell lights. Spotlights create a solid circle of light around something/somebody. Frenell light create a hazy/blurred circle of light and a floodlight floods the stage, lighting up most areas. The scene will be moderately lit sometimes and also shadowy at times.
The stage will be very dark before the Three Bandits appear so that this gives tension to the audience before they come on. As the Three Woodcutters appear onto the stage, a frenell light will be shone on them so that it shows they are quite important characters, but the remaining part of the stage will be kept in darkness, as in the scene the Three Bandits cannot see anything jus hear things, they try to listen for the sound of the jeep. The jeep has been used instead of a horse, as jeeps’ are a common form of transport in India used by bandits.
Third Hunter: “I can hear the crickets, the frogs, the night lying in wait”
First Hunter: “But no sound of the jeep”
The Sun is the source of light in the play. Its purpose is to guide the Gypsy Fortune-teller get to Lorca and The Princess, through its rays of light. “I don’t want shadows. My rays must enter everywhere”. To emphasise the Sun’s entrance on to the stage, a floodlight will be used, which will light up the whole stage area. During the scene when the Sun guides the Gypsy Fortune-teller so that she can find Lorca and The Princess, the floodlight will be replaced with a frenell light. This is to show that the Suns rays of light are used as a form of guidance for the Gypsy Fortune-teller. During the Suns guidance, the light upon the Gypsy Fortune-teller will gradually become a red form of light, as red is a colour which is usually associated with violence and danger. As the light gradually changes it will show that the Gypsy Fortune-teller is getting closer to Lorca and The Princess.