Fighting It Out

"People pay good money to see people fight."

Whoa, hold on a minute....Did I just hear what I thought I heard Ms. Ryane say?

"It's true. When you turn on your TV or walk into a movie or go see a play, you don't want to spend your allowance to watch people sitting around eating breakfast or having a dull conversation, right?"

Yeah, that'd be boring.

"Okay, so every comedy and every tragedy has something in common. What is that?"

People.

"Okay, what else?"

Costumes.

"Maybe, but what am I really getting at?"

They argue?

"Right. Conflict. Everything has conflict, characters fighting to get what they want. Let's take a look at our first scene. I need a Hermia, a Duke, a Lysander, a Demetrius, and an Egeus, Hermia's dad. Up you go, center stage."

The actors hop up and get themselves into place.


"Right off the bat we have trouble, correct? Egeus wants one boy to marry his daughter but she wants someone else. What does the Hermia ask the Duke? Go ahead, Bailey."

Bailey drops into a small curtsey before Mark, playing Duke Theseus.

HERMIABut I beseech your Grace that I may know
The worst that may befall me in this case,
If I refuse to wed Demetrius.

Mark holds his arm out in an authoritative gesture.

THESEUSEither to die the death, or to abjure
Forever the society of men.

"All right, everyone, what is Hermia's decision?"

Death!

"Hermia, you got some issues!" Mark offered.

"Yup, Mark, everyone's got some issues and that's exactly what makes good theatre. Who else fights in this play?

Titania and Oberon!

Peter Quince and Nick Bottom!

Lysander and Demetrius!

Hermia and Helena!

"The list is long, isn't it? Fighting is tragic and fighting is funny. Journals, please. Let's write about some conflicts we've had."

CHILDREN'S WRITES: Journal Entries

Once in my life when I wanted revenge is when my sister made fun of me so I pulled a prank. I sprad foam on the toled seat so when she sat on it her hiness would get foamed, but my mom sat on the toilet and got fomed so I got in trouble.

—Bailey, 4th grade

Today I was wanting revenge was because Sabrina was trying to make me, Sandra, Bailey, and Trina jealous. The Page and her are having a sleepover on Friday (which isn't working). So I asked Sandra if she wanted a sleepover at my house on Friday, then we also asked Bailey and Trina to and we were trying to show off and make Sabrina and Page jealous, so were laughing about what fun things we were going to do and how much fun it's going to be (all the stuff probally aren't going to happen).

—Mariah, 4th grade