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Arsenic And Old Lace Essay

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The mood created by the mise en scene in Arsenic and Old Lace is haunting. The mood of this is created through the graveyard scene in the window and the low, shady lighting of the candles and lamp. This mood is made in contrast to the comedic aspects of the play, emphasizing the play being a dark comedy. The major themes throughout this play are right vs. wrong, death, and family relations. The theme of right vs. wrong is made through Abby and Martha in their belief that they are “saving” the men through putting them out of their miseries as lonely old men. They believe that they are in the right versus Mortimer who believes that they are in the wrong. Abby, Martha, and Jonathan’s willingness to kill creates the theme of death, and with Abby …show more content…

These elements were enhanced by the connections and interactions that the characters had with them and their positions within the setting. They were emphasized because of the importance that they had throughout the play. The cellar door is accentuated because it is where the audience later finds out, where the bodies are buried. The window seat is a significant element as not only do Jonathan and Einstein enter from the window above it, the seat ends up becoming the temporary hiding place for a body when a visitor comes. Lastly, the wine is dramatized because it is the weapon of choice for the two women, as glasses of wine are moved about, the women talk of how good it is, and Mortimer tries to distract the men from drinking it. As death is one of the major themes of this play, the playwright has written it so that the focal points are upon objects that are used to commit and/or hide the character’s acts of murder, therefore associating these objects with the idea of death. To show these elements, the designers can make the door be in contrast to the rest of the set, the window to be large in proportions and the wine bottle and glasses to be embellished. For lighting, the lights from the window can fall well upon the seat, showing it to be brighter than the rest of the room, and casting the door into even more shadow for emphasis. Lastly, for costumes, gloves can be

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