Six Characters in The Search of an Author - Essay Example

This is because the director who had come up with their characters did not finish the play that he had developed them for. The producer therefore agrees to make a play about them and have their characters played by the professional actors that he was working with. The play’s main theme is that of reality versus illusion as is seen in the characters. There are different instances in which the reality of the characters and the actors appears blurred. It is important to consider that Luigi Pirandello was part of the literary movement that was usually referred to as anti illusionism.

The movement consisted of writers who rejected the kind of realist drama that was prevalent at that time and instead used symbolic and expressive forms of drama. In the play therefore, the audience is forced to consider and explore the different levels of reality that can exist in a play. They also have to consider the reality as it is as compared to the reality as it is presented by the actors in the play. In considering this, they have to consider the separation that exists between the actors that are presenting the story and the characters whose stories they are expected to be telling.

The distinction is important in determining the reality versus the illusion in the play. The characters in the play are all seen to misunderstand each other. They lack an in depth perception of the facts and of reality which leads to the misunderstandings. The stepdaughter for example holds her father for all the bad things that have befallen her. The father on the other hand blames the mother for leaving him, which according to him is the source of the problems. The mother on the other hand blames her behaviour on being kicked out of the house.

The son remains aloof and unattached to anyone. He is also seen to have some suicidal tendencies. The characters are also seen to be different in their perception of what is real and what the illusion are in their lives. The father for example claims that the stepdaughter has managed to get him caught up in a reality that he should not have been involved in. In n attempt to understand reality versus illusion in the play, it is important for one to fully differentiate between the actors and the characters.

This is because both the actors and the characters have been used by the author to show reality and illusion. The characters in the play represent the reality that has been created and are therefore more consistent than the actors are. The reality that has been created for the characters is further developed by the wearing of masks for the characters such that each character represents the motivation behind the characters. The reality of the characters is in contrast with the day to day events of the lives of the actors.

In the course of the play, father is seen to insist on the character’s reality. This reality is to be seen in the expressions and in the forms of the characters. In act 2, father is opposed to the use of the word illusion as he feels that it is an insult to the reality of the characters. He is ready to take on the stage manager when he feels his identity has been negated. In one instance, the father wonders whether the actors are more real than the characters they seek to portray. This is after the producer asks the characters to explain their situation and life stories to the actors so that the actors