Tristan Burke

Professor Bill Cunningham

Script Analysis

21 March 2019

I. Biographical analysis

A. Yasmina Reza is a parent and had encountered a similar altercation

second-handedly. Her son’s friend got into a fight with another boy and

they had had to operate to fix something with the tooth. In this real life

influence, the parent of the child whose tooth was busted, commented on

never having recieved a call from the inflictor’s parents.

1. Parent Vs. Parent

a) From the very start of the play, Michael and Veronica are

attempting to get Alan and Annette to accept responsibility

for their son’s actions, which they do not.

b) Both sets of parents are judgemental of the other couple’s

chosen professions.

2. Mother Vs. Father

 a) At times veronica will make statements or take jabs at the

other couple and Michael will step in to dial her back, or

somewhat contradict her.

b) At other times Veronica will challenge what michael says

about the other couple (I.e. when michael states that it is

their prerogative what to do with their son and Veronica

denies that)

B. Yasmina Reza is artistic as a playwright

1. Savagery Vs. Civility

a) The two sets of parents embody very different sets of ideals

and life styles. The Railles are in Law and Wealth

management. And the Novaks are more interested in the

finer things like culture and art and peaceful resolution.

Veronica is a writer and Michael is sells household goods

wholesale. The Railles are more blunt and aggressive, while

the Novaks believe that they must find a common ground

and resolve conflict. As the two couples push forward their

firmly held ideals begin to quake.

II. Yasmina Reza is fascinated by decorum

A. Inner life Vs. Outer life

1. Both sets of parents seem to wear masks of their respective

publicly held beliefs, as individuals in the community but moreover,

 as parents. They wear the masks of people they believe their

children should become. While the Novaks are “civil” and

“domestic” their masks sometimes drop to show a more aggressive

attitude when all else fails.

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2012/jan/22/yasmina-reza-interview-carnage-

polanski

I. Structural analysis

A. Isolate the units in the play:

1. Unit 1 Pg 2-5

Trigger: Michael and Veronica are guilting Alan and Annette into

accepting a statement describing their son’s attack on the Novak’s

son.

Heap: Alan and Annette do not accept responsibility for their son

being the “aggressor” and do not accept the statement.

2. Unit 2: pg 5-6

Trigger: Alan intimidates Michael and Veronica with his aggressive

nature.
 Heap: Michael and Veronica combat Alan’s aggressiveness with

their civility and domestic nature.

3. Unit 3: pg 6-14

Trigger: The Novaks urge Alan and Annette to have their son

apologize

Heap: Alan rejects the idea of his son “apologizing” feeling as

though his parenting is being brought into question.

4. Unit 4: pg 14- 18

Trigger: Annette appeals to Veronica in an effort to appear more

civilized and cultured

Heap: Alan begins to assert the nature of violence amongst

mens/boy.

5. Unit 5: pg 18-26

Trigger: Annette is defending herself as a mother by asserting that

she is doing the best she can in spite of Alan.

Heap: The Novaks reject the notion that Annette is a good mother

and Annette vomits.

6. Unit 6: pg 26-28

Trigger: The Novaks are mocking the Railles and laughing them.
 Heap: Alan confronts the Novaks for mocking them.

7. Unit 7: pg 28-31

Trigger: Annette returns and tries to convince the Novaks that an

insult can be an assault implying that that Benjamin is the real

victim.

Heap: Veronica blatantly rejects the notion that their son verbally

attacked Benjamin thus prompting him to get hit by a stick- she has

given up on ‘civility’ in defense of her son, while michael is still

holding on.

8. Unit 8: pg 32-34

Trigger: Michael threatens Alan upon learning that his own mother

is taking Antril, and blames the Raleighs’ parenting for their son’s

actions

Heap: The Raleighs and quickly Veronica, attack Michael for his

‘murderous’ actions with the hamster.

9. Unit 9: pg 34-40

Trigger: Michael denies that he should be guilty for his actions with

the hamster, proclaiming that he is in fact a savage. (here the men

start to bond over the idea of being neanderthals)

 Heap: The women counter the idea that ‘everyone’ is a

neanderthal, Veronica in particular argues that they should focus on

progress and advancement. (Women start bonding over brutish

negative husbands)

10. Unit 10: pg 37-43

Trigger: Veronica and Annette argue on behalf of the need for

moral family life.

Heap: The men counter with sentiments of anti-marriage and anti-

children.

11. Unit 11: pg 43-49

Trigger: Alan promotes the idea of the God of Carnage.

Heaps: Veronica and Annette violently defend western ideals and

civilization.

12. Unit 12: pg 49-56

Trigger: Annette shifts alliances, joining the men trying to convince

Veronica that they’re all wrong.

Heap: Veronica rejects being a ‘phony’ like the others present.

13. Unit 13: pg 57-end

 Trigger: Veronica picks up the phone and lies to her daughter about

the hamster again putting the mask on of a “good parent”.

Heap:

e. Technical requirements of the play:

● Living room furniture (couch/ chairs, coffee table)

● Art books

● Vomit effect

III. Environmental analysis

Geographical

● Cobble Hill Park

○ Suburban park in Brooklyn

● Brooklyn, NY

○ Setting of play

● Darfur/ Africa

○ The “Darfur Genocide” refers to the current mass slaughter and rape of

Darfuri men, women, and children in Western Sudan. The killings began in

2003, as the first genocide in the 21st century.[1] Unrest and violence

persist today.

http://worldwithoutgenocide.org/genocides-and-conflicts/darfur-genocide

● The Hague- Where the National court of justice resides

 ● The Hague

○ “The foundation of The Hague as an "international city of peace and

justice" started at the end of the 19th century, when the first global

Conference of peace took place in The Hague on Tobias Asser's initiative,

with then a second one a few years later. A direct result of these meetings

was the establishment of the world's first organisation for the settlement of

international disputes”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hague#Municipal_government

Time/ Season/ Date

● Western Civilization Vs. God of Carnage/ Savagery/ Neanderthals

● Past Vs. Present

● The whole play takes place over the course of one evening

3. Economic environment

● Rich vs. Poor

● Wholesale domestic Home-goods (michael)

● Writer, art historian, bookstore (veronica)

● Lawyer (alan)

● Wealth Management (annette)

● Lancet financial times

○ Financial magazine
 ● 40 dollar roses

○ Symbol Novaks presented of their wealth to the Raleighs

● Insurance

○ Term used by Alan on phone

● Share holders

○ Term used by Alan on phone

● Litigation

○ Term used by Alan on phone

● Art history

○ Symbol of Veronica’s culture

● Bookshops

○ Symbol of Veronica’s culture

b) Identify the polar attitudes (points of view towards their given circumstances held by

principle characters)

c) Evidence from the play

4. Political environment

● Liberal vs. Conservative

● Parenting skills (research liberal vs. conservative approaches)

 ○ In a study that examined what values should be instilled in children,

“Among liberals, 82 percent rank curiosity as especially important to teach

children and 85 percent give high marks to creativity. Among

conservatives, 57 percent call curiosity especially important and 63

percent say the same about creativity. Eighty-six percent of liberals say

empathy is important to teach children, while just 55 percent of

conservatives agree.”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/ct-prioritize-religion-vs--tolerance-

balancing-20140925-column.html

● Armed violence vs. co-existence

● Victim, snitch

● Stroller dad

● Neanderthal vs. Civilized

 ● Ethiopian and Euresian War

○ Despite claims to the contrary, Ethiopia and Eritrea have been fighting not

over a border but over rival hegemonic claims in the Horn of Africa and

over “national pride” and “territorial integrity.”

○ Its neighbors see Eritrea as having deliberately chosen an aggressive

foreign policy as a central element in its nation building strategy; Eritrea

fears the threat of Ethiopian regional dominance.

(https://ips-dc.org/the_war_between_ethiopia_and_eritrea/)

● Hamster murder

● The Hague

○ “The foundation of The Hague as an "international city of peace and

justice" started at the end of the 19th century, when the first global

Conference of peace took place in The Hague on Tobias Asser's initiative,

with then a second one a few years later. A direct result of these meetings

was the establishment of the world's first organisation for the settlement of

international disputes”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hague#Municipal_government

Identify the polar attitudes.

 ● Veronica believes that the right thing and the thing that most people should do is

be civil and non-violent, yet violence and aggression is ever-present in cultures

throughout the world.

● Alan believe that it is human nature to be aggressive and violent, though,

western ideologies combat this stance (despite everyone subscribing to violence

and aggression anyway).

5. Social environment

Social

● Man vs. Woman

● Bacon

○ “Francis Bacon was an Irish-born British figurative painter known for his

emotionally charged raw imagery, fixation on personal motifs, and heavy

experimentation. Bacon is best known for his depictions of popes,

crucifixions, and portraits of close friends”

https://www.google.com/search?q=bacon+artist&rlz=1CAPPDO_enUS824&oq=bacon+

artist+&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l5.18151j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

● Kokoschka

○ “Oskar Kokoschka (1 March 1886 – 22 February 1980) was an Austrian

artist, poet and playwright best known for his intense expressionistic

portraits and landscapes.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oskar_Kokoschka

● Spartacus
 ○ “Spartacus is a 1960 American epic historical drama film directed by

Stanley Kubrick,[3] written by Dalton Trumbo, and based on the novel of

the same title by Howard Fast. It is inspired by the life story of Spartacus,

the leader of a slave revolt in antiquity, and the events of the Third Servile

War”

○ Spartacus is depicted as a gladiator type character.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spartacus_(film)

● Spiderman

○ “Spider-Man is the quintessential Marvel character. Although a super hero,

he is spared none of the slings and arrows of ordinary life; he experiences

difficulties with friends, family, sweethearts and employers. His powers

enable him to do good, but not to improve his own lot in life, and it is his

simple humanity, rather than his exotic talent, that has won him millions of

enthusiastic fans. He is one super-hero who has not lost the common

touch, and in fact he is frequently described as "your friendly

neighborhood Spider-Man."

` https://www.superherostuff.com/biographies/spideybio.html

● John Wayne

○ “John Wayne was born May 26, 1907, in Winterset, Iowa. He received his

first leading film role in The Big Trail (1930). Working with John Ford, he

got his next big break in in Stagecoach (1939). His career as an actor took

another leap forward when he worked with director Howard Hawks in Red
 River (1948). Wayne won his first Academy Award in 1969. He died of

cancer in 1979.”

https://www.biography.com/people/john-wayne-9525664

● Jane Fonda

○ “Jane Seymour Fonda[1] (born December 21, 1937)[2] is an American

actress, writer, producer, political activist, fitness guru, and former fashion

model. She is the recipient of various accolades including two Academy

Awards, two BAFTA Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime

Emmy Award, the AFI Life Achievement Award, and the Honorary Golden

Lion”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Fonda

● Hooligans

● Domesticated vs. Wild

○ Unlike their wild ancestors, house pets and other domesticated animals

share the trait of tameness, meaning they tolerate or even seek out

human presence.

● Snitches

○ Someone who “rats” someone else out for doing something

● Victims

● Parenting

● Civilization

○ Peace and civility

● Neanderthal

○ Neanderthals (the ‘th’ pronounced as ‘t’) are our closest extinct human

relative. Some defining features of their skulls include the large middle

part of the face, angled cheek bones, and a huge nose for humidifying and

warming cold, dry air. Their bodies were shorter and stockier than ours,

another adaptation to living in cold environments. But their brains were

just as large as ours and often larger - proportional to their brawnier

bodies.

http://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/human-fossils/species/homo-

neanderthalensis

● Nihilism

○ “extreme skepticism maintaining that nothing in the world has a real

existence.”

Dictionary.com
6. Religious or moral environment

● Good vs. Evil

● Right vs. Wrong
● Savage
● Victim
● Violence
● Assault
● Armed
● Nihlism

There is a constant conversation about what is right and wrong and whether savagery or civility
should prevail in this play.

III. Character analysis

ALAN-

Start of play:

Objective:

He wants to defer responsibility for the incident with his son.

Obstacle:

Veronica is pressuring the Raleighs to sign a document accepting responsibility for the

incident with their son.

Tactics:

Alan intimidates the Novaks by showing them that he is a high powered attorney.
Moral Justification

Alan has always been able to bully and intimidate his way into and out of situations his

whole life.

Decorum:

Cold and composed, well dressed, deliberate, concise, confident.

Inner Life:

Impatient, irritated, bored, preoccupied, reluctant.

End of play:

Objective:

He wants to convince Veronica that violence is natural.

Obstacle:

Veronica’s belief that they must be more civilized

Tactics:

He pulls from his experience in the Congo, to exemplify the nature of violence.

Moral Justification
Aggression has yielded Alan success in his life.

Decorum: disheveled, unclean, blunt, violent

Inner Life: Angry, Impatient, confident, stubborn

Alan starts the play out cool calm and collected, confident that he will be able to brush

off the accusations of his son, or at least lighten the stakes of such actions for the other

parents. He is very particular with his words and makes sure to prevent the Novaks,

namely Veronica right off the bat from using incriminating terminology like, “armed”.

Alan initially seems to place very little value or concern on the conversations with the

Novaks, as he is very preoccupied with some things that are going wrong at work. His

appearance at the Novaks’ home is one more of formality than function. As the play

progresses he becomes more and more vocal about his feelings regarding his son’s

actions and aggression and violence as a whole. He goes as far as to compare their

suburban children the children with thump guns in africa to exemplify the naturality of

violence and the low stakes of the two boys’ altercation. He becomes more enraged and

allows his filter to drop, at times in direct opposition to his wife and surely, Veronica.

VERONICA

Start of play:

Objective:
To pressure the Raleighs into accepting responsibility for their son’s alleged attack on

the Novaks’ son.

Obstacle:

Alan refuses to accept that there was anything wrong with what his son did, thus

rejecting responsibility for his actions.

Tactics:

She guilts the Raleighs by beholding her son’s horrific tooth injury inflicted by their son.

Moral Justification

Veronica is a mother and must do everything in her power to advocate for and defend

her son.

Decorum: Prim and proper, fairly well dressed, liberal, intelligent, cultured.

Inner Life: Annoyed, appalled, judgemental, confident.

End of play:

Objective:

She wants to convince Alan that they should be civilized.

Obstacle:
Alan’s belief in the God of Carnage

Tactics:

Resorts to violence to defend her position against Michael.

Moral Justification

She is defending the principles of justice.

Decorum:

Liberal, Intelligent, Dishevelled

Inner Life:

Angry, Frustrated, Accelerated Heart beat

Veronica starts out in the play with a very collected and bright attitude about how the

two sets of parents will resolve the conflict started by their children. As she continues to

advocate for civility throughout the play and the need for the Raleighs to take

responsibility for their son’s actions, she attempts to maintain her mask of being a

perfect and peaceful parent. Eventually, she becomes so incited by Alan and quickly her

own husband, Michael, as he begins to adopt Alan’s perspective on their sons’ violence.

She ends up resorting to a violent outburst which she morally justifies for herself

because she is the advocate of peace and civility, and must uphold the integrity of those

ideals at all costs. Her mask, at this point falls away, but she quickly replaces it when
her daughter calls and lies to her daughter to protect her from the cruel hard truth of

Michael’s actions with her hamster.

VI. Arrive at thematic idea of the play

1. The most profound conflict to me, is civility vs. savagery, because it is the most well

reflected by the two characters that really drive the plot. Veronica is the protagonist as

she defends what is “right” and advocates for her son, While Alan is the antagonist with

his unwillingness to accept responsibility for his actions. As Veronica fights harder and

more agressively for peace and civility, Alan fights harder and more aggressively on

behalf of the nature of his son and the nature of violence.

2. What dramatic questions arise from this central conflict?

● What is the right way to carry yourself?

● Are we as humans, more innately savage or civil?

● Is there a RIGHT way and a WRONG way to parent your child?

3. If I were acting in this play, I would definitely want to go to the furthest extremes

possible in each emotional zone for my character. There is such a specifically applied

mask for each character and it must be clear to the audience when the masks are on

and when they come up! I think use of antithesis would be most effective in achieving

this as an actor!