Isagani Cruz’s Halimaw tells the story of Alberto, a janitor of the king who

self-volunteered to find his 3 missing daughters. With his attempt to play the part
of a hero while also having a confused, yet determined resolve, Alberto journeys
into a unique adventure, meeting the most peculiar individuals whether ally or foe,
and going through moments of learning and realization including the harsh reality
of those living outside the king’s palace. In succeeding the mission, Alberto is
praised for his heroic actions, so much so that his allies nominated him to be the
next king. Overwhelmed by this power, he unfortunately suffers the tragic of the
hero, becoming no different than what the previous king was: arrogant and
gluttonous of power. Halimaw aims to exaggerate and criticize: one, ruthless
authoritarianism, and two, the many sides of 20th century Filipino society and its
many sides. According to Benett and Royle (57), this is what we fundamentally
call the narrative power in literature, wherein compelling readers or audiences to
the point of distraction, a means of highlighting social and political importances
throughout the narrative.
Our Philippine mythological creatures could be commonly associated with
horror and the like: A fear and dread of the mysterious. They, in synonymity, can
also be considered as the “least, lost, and the last” or the “outcasts” of society, the
lowest of the low. For the Hari, even if these “creatures” are part of the Philippine
culture, is willing to execute any of that oppose him. A dramatization of a Hari so
merciless that he doesn’t care how many Filipinos die or who does. These
characters are means to feel pity for those who have fallen victim to the
unrighteousness of the system; astonishing acts of selfishness may that we
represent contemporary leaders such as Rodrigo Duterte, or in the play’s timely
context, Ferdinand Marcos. One may say that the Kapre and Duwendes would be
unique cases due to Alberto having to bully these characters for comedic intent,
and that it might not be a “hero” thing to do at all. Such thing, however, creates a
forefront from that comedy as a lighthearted situation rather than dwelling on the
underlying intent of an oppressed character. As readers or audiences, especially for
drama being an ancient formula of storytelling, having to identify both the
protagonist and antagonist paves the way to differentiating and identifying
character. This is to keep in mind that being lead characters, they not only give life
to the side characters, but also to the entire drama, manifesting their relevance to
the plot.
We shall now go to our secondary antagonists Sirena, Purista, and the
Dragon as they are the distinguished sides of society. However, the reason we’ve
established the previous premises earlier are due to Alberto manifesting his
character throughout these encounters and battles, and in the accumulation of this
knowledge, gaining enlightenment (Cruz, 56-57). This moment can also be
associated with the idea of narrative power mentioned by Benett and Royle (57),
for another element of this idea is the “narratee,” which we can assume is Alberto,
the one who convinces from achievement through authority. It is through here, that
the words of our hero echo of concurrence to the audience after all the things he
has faced: Sirena’s captivating “cult” like group that reflects the youth’s mindless
agenda in blindly subscribing to ideologies and “worshipping” pleasure pivoted
through the symbol of the marijuana (Cruz, 31). Purista, a side of romantization
regarding society’s status quo and the censorship of academics through her
clairvoyance (37). Lastly the Dragon, the face of imperialism, depicted with three
heads of the most powerful world leaders (55) in addition to their hideous design in
the stage play, that desire to take away the sovereignty and sole identity of a
country. What is notable, was the fact that the Hari was even fears the Dragon
during the revelation of her heads. We may all have felt the fear of Alberto being
consumed by the role of king through Anagnorisis (Benett & Royle, 104), yet the
point of this tragic centralizes on avoiding the same temptation to power and
selfishness. This is what we call hamartia (105), the particular flaws a tragic
character possesses that is the reason for his downfall. This sort of tragedy desires
to make the unconscious public (106) – the dormant thoughts of charity and
political participation for the people. In Filipino, this is what we call
pagkakikipagkapwa. If then, we are to be appointed as a leader in any shape of
form, serving the people or our members is a must. An obligation for the welfare of
all, for the Filipinos and by the Filipinos.
Works Cited:

Bennett, Andrew & Royle, Nicholas. An Introduction to Literature, Criticism and

Theory, London and NY: Routledge, 2009
Cruz, Izagani. Josephine at Iba Pang Dula: De La Salle University Press, 1988