Characterisation (Week seven)

In this session, we look at characterisation.

"Characterisation is the concept of creating characters for a narrative. It is a literary element and may be employed in dramatic works of actor everyday conversation. Characters may be presented by means of description, through their actions, speech, thoughts and interactions with other characters."

Niobe

Niobe is a middle aged woman who has a lot of emotional baggage and a tragic past where she was abused and violated by soldiers during the war. This would clearly be shown through her characterisation. Throughout the play, Niobe is always mentioning how she knows all about being abused and hurt which is why some people in the audience see her to be a mean character towards Philomele when really she is trying to protect her as she knows what fighting back will do to her.

One way i would show this character would be through my physicality. To show her emotional baggage through her body language, I would stand very closed as she has been broken by men in the war. I would also walk slowly and calmly as if she has given up on life and she has no purpose or aim in her walk.To show this character through my facial expressions, I would not show much emotion as the past has been a lot worse for her so she is used to it. Also, I would show her concern for Philomele as she is now the person how takes care of her after Procne left.

Another way i would portray this character to the audience would be through my voice. To show it in my voice, I would speak slowly, calmly and with a lot of pauses and sighs in between to show that I am remembering the pain of the past and how it has affected me. 

Helen (Female chorus)

Helen is a member of the female chorus from Thrace. Thracian women are considered to be not as well educated as the women from Athens; therefore this would show in my characterisation for Helen. Thracian women also only seem to care about 'barbarian practices/rituals' and drinking wine. Throughout the play the female chorus have seen what is coming and tried to warn Procne. They know what Tereus is like and how he behaves.

One way i would show this character would be through my physicality. Her body language would be very boisterous to show my lack of intelligence. For example, slouching, abbreviating words to make the dialogue sound more 'common' and having a staggered walk. To show this character through my facial expressions, i would have my eyes wonder to show lack of interest in what Procne was saying. I would also show very little emotion in my face as they do not care for what Procne is saying to them.