The 1970s was a time of great turmoil and change in Australia’s history, a politically agitated society that after 27 years of Liberal rule demanded for the radicalization of the nation. Produced in the 1980s, Louis Nowra’s tragic comedy “Cosi” attempts to capture the essence of the fragmented society’s morals and ideology, reflecting the popular activism opposing the Vietnamese War. The introduction of the contraception pill, the feminist movement and the concept of “free Love” ultimately contributed to the misconception of “true love”. Although set near Melbourne’s Northcote abattoirs, the play itself does not actually leave the “security” and confines of the mental institution, or rather more specifically the burnt out “grungy” theatre, a motif, symbolic of the wider society, thus subjecting the audience to this sense of isolation, alienating the residents of the institution. The semi-autobiographical play reflects the perception of the mentally ill at the time and illuminates this conflict between sanity and insanity, suggesting that there is no real or clear distinction between the two.
Society in the 1970’s had a seemingly clear distinction of the sane and the insane, a subjective division that alienated those who did not conform or where different, not necessarily just mentally ill. Julie exemplifies this vision, her family, representational of society’s morals, send her to a Mental Asylum for her drug addiction rather then a drug rehabilitation centre, as they are unaware of the difference. An arbitrary line is drawn between sanity and insanity by the stigmatising society. This revelation becomes apparent in the beginning of the play with Lewis’ first encounter with Justin where Jutsin, who is a professional social worker, was unable to distinguish between Lewis and the mentally ill asking, “which ward…” Lewis was from, demonstrating this lack of a clear deviation of sanity and insanity. Not just pointing out the ineffectiveness of asylums in the seventies, but the naivety of the society at the time, a subtle representation of society’s ethics. This is further underscored by Justin’s explanation to Lewis on the definition of the mentally ill and the contrasting character personas that occasionally those deemed mentally ill are portrayed as being saner then those who aren’t mentally ill.
The notion of love may not be conceptualised by either man or woman as is expressed throughout “Cosi”. Mozart’s ironically humorous play “Cosi Fan Tutte” expresses the complex perception of love where a woman’s fidelity may be tested and likened to the Arabian Phoenix, a mythological creature which “Everyone swears exists but no one has ever seen it.” Nowra’s utilises the theatrical technique of a play within a play to stress that the comedy of the play is merely a guise, that despites its comedic nature Mozart’s ‘Cosi Fan Tutte’ underpins societies’ ideology of a woman’s faithfulness. To Julie this interpretation of love seems an unjust perception, rather then arguing for woman’s “constancy”, Julie debates that “women are flesh and blood too” suggesting that woman not unlike men have needs and desires. “It’s just as easy for a woman to fall in love as it for a man”. Her addictive nature and personality emphasises and highlights to the audience how strongly her claims and principles of love are, that “love is hallucinating without drugs.” For her she feels a sense of euphoria, likening the feeling of being on an ecstasy of drugs to love. In stark contrast Lucy revels in the ideal that “love is emotional indulgence for the privileged few”, a radical idealist and a figure for the younger society, Lucy is accepting of the notion of “free love”. Nowra’s representation of Lucy’s ideal of love is influenced by the popular social norms, as is evident with her liaison with Nick and blunt admission to Lewis. Revealing her true values of love, confessing to Lewis that he often mistaken’s “lust for love.” These are but two differing views of the many interpretations that Nowra articulates. Through the characters of “Cosi”, Nowra is able to express the various ideologies of love, ultimately suggesting that love is not an ideal but a concept open for interpretation.
I'll post the rest later
I dont know how to incorporate Comedy into my intro, i need help with that.
My teacher also wanted me to write about the context in my intro.
and do i need to include the third topic im talking about in my intro? or can i just write about it..
like as in im talking about illusion and reality as a message and the burnt out theater (which i have mentioned) but i havent mentioned anything about illusion and reality in my intro
Also do i need to state my stance in my intro?
sorry for all the questions. i just really need help
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