school assignment help!

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 6/4/04 at 6:51pm

for school, ive been told to read over the summer the plays "Tartuffe" and "Ghosts". I've heard of Tartuffe, but never of Ghosts. Any of you heard of it? can you post a summary of each? Thanks!

[Unknown User]

Posted: 6/4/04 at 6:54pm

why dont you just actually read them?

[Wicked_Elphie]

Posted: 6/4/04 at 6:55pm

Nah that'd be too easy...

[iflitifloat]

Posted: 6/4/04 at 7:00pm

Oh, honey, you post on a theater message board and are trying to get out of reading plays? What's wrong with this picture?

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 6/4/04 at 7:01pm

not to be rude, but when you DON'T KNOW WHO THE AUTHORS ARE, it's pretty hard to find them in Barnes and Nobles.

[bobbysworld]

Posted: 6/4/04 at 7:18pm

Moliere wrote Tartuffe...thats easy...and Henrik Ibsen wrote Ghosts...now go to barnes and noble and stop being lazy.

[iflitifloat]

Posted: 6/4/04 at 7:28pm

And not to be unsympathetic, but you asked for a synopsis of each, not help in finding the books. Not to mention, it strikes me as odd that anyone computer-savvy enough to tool around on message boards, wouldn't also possess the minimal computer skills necessary to do a basic search. Heck, you might even unearth that synopsis you were hoping for...

[Broadway Matt]

Posted: 6/4/04 at 8:28pm

damn kids with your internet and your sideburns...

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 6/4/04 at 8:41pm

And also, it's not as if you were assigned to read the complete works of Shakespeare -- which incidentally is certainly possible to do over the course of an entire summer. "Ghosts" particularly is a rather short play (less than a 100 pages in most translations). You should be able to read both (plus critical essays explaining each) over the course of a weekend. And really, don't just read the synopses (which should be easy enough to locate). These are two of the greatest plays by two of the greatest and most important dramatists in the history of world theatre and the language they use (which you can't get from a synopsis) is much more important to read than just the plot (and any decent teacher will be testing you more on dialogue and wordplay the characters use than just the plot twists you'd get from Cliffs Notes). Get the Richard Wilbur translation of "Tartuffe" and you'll see what I mean -- it's actually still very funny to this day.

[Musetta1957]

Posted: 6/4/04 at 8:45pm

"not to be rude, but when you DON'T KNOW WHO THE AUTHORS ARE, it's pretty hard to find them in Barnes and Nobles."

Google.

Barnes & Noble is singular.

[tappedout]

Posted: 6/4/04 at 9:14pm

UMM sparknotes.com, pinkmonkey.com, bookrags.com.... and you call yourself a student!!!
I think these are all great sites to help you understand the play if you don't pick up on all the intricacies at first. Classical text can be challenging, especially if you are going to be dissecting it and discussing or writing. My advice: read the book and then check out the sites for study guide help, insights on the characters etc.

Updated On: 6/4/04 at 09:14 PM

[MusicPos2]

Posted: 6/5/04 at 12:40am

It's called a title based search! Plus, I found out that someone else on this site is a parent of one of my students. You never know who you are talking to, maybe your teacher is reading your post...

[Dollypop]

Posted: 6/5/04 at 2:11pm

Plus, you have invoked the ire of one of this site's most notorious English teachers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Plot summaries indeed...why don't you order a sundae without the toppings?

[Sumofallthings]

Posted: 6/5/04 at 2:19pm

You have brought shame to the theatrical world! BOW YOUR HEAD AND DRINK FROM THE OVERFLOWING CUP OF INGRATITUDE WHICH YOU HAVE FILLED!

Updated On: 6/5/04 at 02:19 PM

[JakeB]

Posted: 6/5/04 at 2:24pm

OMG! I actually clasped my hand over my mouth. Broadway musicals are about 1% of the theatre industry, you seriously need to read up on theatre history if you're passionate about it.. you didn't know the author of Ghosts??!

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 6/5/04 at 2:49pm

I find it hard to believe that your teacher assingned these plays to you without telling you who the playwight is. By the way, if you are going to read GHOSTS you should also read A DOLL'S HOUSE (also, Ibsen) as the two are linked, but I won't tell you how. You'll have to figure that out on your own.