Why The Play Cosi Challenges The Audience's Sense Of Normality
Topic: Cosi challenges the audience’s sense of normality
Set in a burnt out theatre in the 1970s, Louis Nowra’s play ‘Cosi’ depicts the transformation of the protagonist, Lewis Riley. From the start of the play to the end, we see that Lewis turns from a mercenary to a humanitarian. Other than the changes of Lewis, Nowra doesn’t fail to introduce other key themes like love and fidelity, as well as, normality and madness. The word ‘normal’ is similar as to ‘regular’ or ‘usual’. But it also gives the impression of what the society is doing that is considered normal. Louis Nowra challenges the word ‘normal’ through the play and through the audiences. Audiences are asked to question themselves who are the ‘normal’ ones and who are the mental patients. As the play progresses, Lewis learns that love is in fact, the ‘normal’ thing. While having a cynical best friend and girlfriend, they think that love is not a big deal and shows the inability to understand love and fidelity that shows their belief in free love.
Nowra keeps the question open when he introduces the play. We see this when Roy, Lewis and Justin have their first …show more content…
Lewis learns more about love as he starts to bond with the patients more. After having countless conversation about love, Roy questions him, “Have you been living under a rock?” after Lewis tells him “love is not so important nowadays”. Nowra uses Mozart’s opera ‘Cosi Fan Tutte’ to show some parallel evident in the play. In the opera, we are told that woman should not be trusted and hence, the title ‘Women are not like that’ after translating. During directing the mental patients with the opera, and after more conversations about love and fidelity with the mental patients, Lewis says to Lucy, “It’s about important things – like love and fidelity”. This comes to show that Lewis has finally realized love is indeed important and that it is ‘normal’ to
Set in a burnt out theatre in the 1970s, Louis Nowra’s play ‘Cosi’ depicts the transformation of the protagonist, Lewis Riley. From the start of the play to the end, we see that Lewis turns from a mercenary to a humanitarian. Other than the changes of Lewis, Nowra doesn’t fail to introduce other key themes like love and fidelity, as well as, normality and madness. The word ‘normal’ is similar as to ‘regular’ or ‘usual’. But it also gives the impression of what the society is doing that is considered normal. Louis Nowra challenges the word ‘normal’ through the play and through the audiences. Audiences are asked to question themselves who are the ‘normal’ ones and who are the mental patients. As the play progresses, Lewis learns that love is in fact, the ‘normal’ thing. While having a cynical best friend and girlfriend, they think that love is not a big deal and shows the inability to understand love and fidelity that shows their belief in free love.
Nowra keeps the question open when he introduces the play. We see this when Roy, Lewis and Justin have their first …show more content…
Lewis learns more about love as he starts to bond with the patients more. After having countless conversation about love, Roy questions him, “Have you been living under a rock?” after Lewis tells him “love is not so important nowadays”. Nowra uses Mozart’s opera ‘Cosi Fan Tutte’ to show some parallel evident in the play. In the opera, we are told that woman should not be trusted and hence, the title ‘Women are not like that’ after translating. During directing the mental patients with the opera, and after more conversations about love and fidelity with the mental patients, Lewis says to Lucy, “It’s about important things – like love and fidelity”. This comes to show that Lewis has finally realized love is indeed important and that it is ‘normal’ to