The Love of the Nightingale: theatrical conventions of the period

The Love of the Nightingale: Theatrical Conventions of the Period

General Overview

• “The Love of the Nightingale” is heavily inspired by the conventions of both ancient Greek Tragedy and 20th-century theatrical practices.
• The play utilises modernist styles of drama including feminism, post-colonialism and poststructuralism.
• It also adopts aspects of Brechtian Theatre and Greek Tragedy reminiscent of the period it is set in.

Greek Tragedy Influence

• The play uses a Chorus, a feature commonly found in Greek Tragedy, which delivers narration and commentary on the action.
• Gods and heroes, such as Pandion, take centre stage in the plot, again nodding to Greek Tragedy’s focus on mythology and high-stakes narratives.
• The tragic ending where the main characters transform into birds, reminiscent of Greek myths, adds to the tragic intensity in the climax.

Brechtian Theatre

• Breaking the fourth wall is another convention seen in the play, which is reminiscent of Brechtian Theatre.
• The characters often address the audience directly, provoking their critical thinking and discouraging emotional involvement.

Music and Song

• Like many Greek Tragedies, music forms a central part of the narrative with characters frequently breaking into singing or having musical accompaniments.
• The use of music is not just to entertain but to establish mood, signal changes in time and place, and deepen the audience’s understanding of the characters’ emotional states.

Staging and Scenery

• The staging often relies on symbolic representations rather than realistic depictions of locations, consistent with both Greek and Brechtian conventions.
• Minimalist stage design is utilised, allowing the focus to remain on the story and the characters.

Use of Language

• The language blend is of modern English with short passages written in the style of ancient Greek verse.
• Wertenbaker makes use of meta-language - language about language, which allows a critical examination of the process of storytelling itself.

Feminist and Postcolonial Themes

• Wertenbaker’s play incorporates the themes of feminism and postcolonialism; these are key elements of 20th-century theatre, challenging established power structures and questioning the nature of identity and liberation.
• The female characters in the play are substantial; through their stories, the play provides a critique of patriarchal societies and explores the implications of colonial power dynamics.