The Broken Jug: The Audience

The audience, while not as directly a part of the play as some of our previous works, is still an important thing to consider. Unlike The Venetian Twins, there are no asides nor does it end with a character directly speaking to the audience. The closest we get to audience interaction is the pseudo-bow all the actors take at the end on the clock. Although the methods are not as direct as The Venetian Twins, the audience will always be an element.

In my Venetian Twins post I discussed that audience inclusion is very important. The Broken Jug accomplishes this by giving the audience a sense of superior knowledge. While the people in the court room are very slow to come to the realization, it's evident to the audience pretty quickly that Adam is the culprit. Similarly to the jug situation, we also know more than Walter regarding Adam's court records.

Many of these things we, as the audience, knew from Adam himself; for instance, that the wig had to be his. As a result of this, the audience has superior knowledge over everyone – except, that is, Adam. Adam is the audience's peer, but only in knowledge. Adam's character is what allows the audience to feel dissociated from him, and puts us on the side of the court. Given the knowledge we are afforded and the (often ignorant) people of the court, we watch as these people draw nearer to a solution known to us, and in addition watch as Adam realizes they grow nearer. Ultimately the audience inclusion stems from being on the side of the people while having knowledge of the villain.

(For a more historical approach on intended audience, see Christian's post.)