Waiting for Godot

1) "Beckett rejects the received logic of form and conventional

structure." Critically comment.

2) Beckett’s omission of women characters in Waiting for Godot has

been a topic of considerable discussion and the play has occasionally
been performed by women actors. How do you assess this omission
and in your view would the play improve if some or all of the
characters were played by women ?

3) Beckett’s Waiting for Godot presents before us the existential crisis of

modern man. Comment.

4) What is so unique about the structure of waiting for Godot? Illustrate

from the text.

5) Lucky’s speech is an explosive illustration of the desire of an

underdog in any oppressive system. Do you agree? Base your
answer on a close analysis of the speech.

6) Critically analyse the relationship of Vladamir and Estragon. Are they

depiction of a stationary order or agents of change?

Doll’s house
1) Describe the relationship/interactions between Nora and Helmer as a
married couple. What is NOT as it appears?

2) Consider Torvald's pet names for Nora. What do they suggest about his
perception of his wife? Having read the entire play, what is the ultimate
irony behind those references?

3) Would you describe Torvald as the antagonist of the play? Is he a

misogynist? Or is he a victim of his society's mores?
4) Once he reads the letter, Torvald insists that "happiness doesn't matter;
all that matters is...the appearance." What does that suggest about
Torvald...about societal values?

5) Nora tells Torvald that she could stay in the marriage only if "the
greatest miracle of all" could happen—the ability to live together in a
"true marriage." What is her idea of a true marriage? Is that "miracle"
possible for the couple after what has happened?

6) Is Nora's departure—and final door slam—the only option open to her,

the only path by which she can achieve full humanity? Where will Nora
go? What do you predict will happen to her?

7) Consider that Ibsen, under pressure (and to his later dismay), rewrote
the ending. What do you think that ending entailed? How would you
rewrite the ending?

8) Compare the relationship between Mrs. Linde and Krogstad with that of
Nora and Torvald.

9) How does Ibsen provide suspense in the play?

10) Is A Doll's House a feminist play?

Mother Courage
1) Compare and contrast ‘Epic theatre vs dramatic theatre / how does
Brecht’s ideas of theatre differ from the conventional idea of theatre.

2) “What do you understand by alienation effect or defamiliarisation ?

Give two examples of alienation from Brecht’s mother courage and
analyse how this alienation takes place.
 3) Brecht wrote, "I am curious to know how many of those who
see Mother Courage and Her Children today understand its
warning" (Brecht "Theaterarbeit," 1952). What do you understand to
be the play's warning?

4) Using your knowledge of Brecht's "epic theater," comment on the

songs and their role within the play.

5) Do you agree with critics who argue that Brecht's scene headings and
placards give too much away, making each scene predictable or
boring?

Brecht wrote, "Yvette Pottier is the only character in the play who
strikes it rich; she has sold herself for a good price." Examine Yvette's
character in light of this assertion.

6) Relate Brecht's play to the "dark times" in which it was written. How
far do you find Brecht's setting of the Thirty Years' War relevant to the
times in which he lived?

Discuss the dramatic techniques used in mother courage/ waiting for Godot
and Six characters in search of an author.

Luigi Pirandello Six characters

1. Compare the plot structure of Six Characters to lloyzeck, Ubu Roi and
Sizwe Bansi.

2. What is this play's overall theme?

3. How does Pirandello depict "Reality?" Does his attitude seem bitter,
pessimistic, depressing?
4. Describe and identify two characters in this play. How does the
playwright reveal and develop them? What is their function and
relationship?

5. How has the playwright emphasized entrances?

6. What is the relationship of the Actors to each other, to the Characters?

What is the relationship of the Characters to each other?

7. Do the Characters express a philosophy? How does each Character's

behavior compare with the character, philosophy, and actions of the other
Characters? Which of the Characters has the playwright made
sympathetic?

8. Is this a play of language and thought? Does the language convey the
psychological attitude of the playwright? What does the language
(dialogue) reveal about the theatre condition?

Questions related to stage devices.

1) What conventions do you need to know or accept before you can

enter into the spirit of this production? Pirandello is considered a
creator of conventions; in what way did he alter established
conventions?
2) 2. What significance do you see in Pirandello's having placed the
action of this play on a theatre stage? How is Six Characters a play-
within-a-play?
3) 3. Did the director effectively, or ineffectively, adapt this play which
was written for a theatre setting to a television studio setting? What or
how would you have directed differently?
4) 4. Do you agree, or disagree, with the actor’s interpretations and
characterizations? Explain.
5) 5. Did the lighting, costumes, and make-up clarify and support the
production? Explain.
6) 6. Is there one moment or scene which stands out in your memory?
More than one? Which ones, and why?