Society: The Contrast: This is America II

Given its point in time, The Contrast serves as both a window into the society of the time and an example of something attempting to change that society. As I said in my original post about The Contrast, America was developing its own culture at the time, and the most important part of that to them was to be distinctly not-European. This idea is maintained in the portrayal of Dimple, who shows us American culture at the time. At the same time there is Manly, who exists as the attempt to change society.

Dimple is clearly an analogue for European society. He sings the praises of Europe, such as the superior theater and mannerisms, while going out of his way to point out the inferiority of America's. He is also the villain of the play, a manipulative and moralless man. Dimple is easy for the people to hate, as he indulges in everything the American people have come to associate with oppression.

Manly, on the other hand, is a staunch patriot. In addition to being a veteran, he launches into a defensive speech of America at Dimple's provocation. The quality of his character is solidified in scenes such as his interactions with Maria. With these things he earns the trust of the audience, and that makes him a suitable vessel to deliver the primary idea of the play. Through Manly, Tyler expresses his belief that while Europe is no role model, America should define itself by what it is rather than what it isn't. Essentially, America can't expect to be its own by simply saying that it isn't European.

Comedy: It's not necessarily funny

When my friends tell me about a new comedy show that they want me to watch, I always ask, "Is it really that funny?" For me before this class, the purpose of comedy was to amuse me and make me laugh. Comedy plays were plays that made me laugh, like A Very Potter Musical. In my mind, comedy was something that made me laugh. If not funny, it was not comedy.
However, this is not the actual definition of comedy (even though it might be the popular one.) To be comedic, a play must have a relatively resolved happy ending aka not be a tragedy. Perhaps it has jokes, and perhaps it is funny, but it doesn't have to be.
The play that cemented this new definition of comedy for me was The Contrast. The plot is not even in the least bit amusing. There is some irony in the play, the 'use of theater against it' or making fun of plays in a play, but it just evoked a 'heh' from me rather than any sort of actual amusement. The point of the play is to show the characteristics of a 'true' American. This I am able to see easily from reading the play. It was difficult for me to grasp at first that something that did not make me laugh or even make me feel happy or amused could be a comedy. And while The Contrast was certainly not funny, it was a comedy.
The progress I made in refining my definition of comedy was significant after reading this play. The final events of the play, finding out Dimple was a player and the union of Maria and Manly were instrumental for this progress. Dimple, the bad character, did not receive a happy ending and the two chaste characters did. Everything was tied up in an appropriate manner given the behaviour of their respective characters. This ending is an example of comedy for me now. Good is rewarded and bad is not, humour is optional.
While this new perspective is far from finished (I'm still trying to comprehend the finale of The Beaver Coat), it is deeper than my previous understanding.

Polite Society: The Contrast vs The Misanthrope

The Contrast and The Misanthrope are two plays deeply entrenched in social policy. The characters of both live in a world where politeness, cordiality, and flattery stretch thinly over deeper feelings of deceit, self-advancement, and mockery. So what are some of the differences between The Misanthrope and The Contrast's social politics? That question can be explored further by comparing and contrasting some of the characters in both plays.

There is no circle of Hell deep enough for my kind.

(img: source)

Eliante vs Maria
or The Deserving Woman

Here's a basic question: Which girl got the guy in the end? Simple enough to answer; Eliante in The Misanthrope, and Maria in The Contrast. So here's another question: Why? Why did those particular women get their "happiness" (or at least their pairing). I like to think it's because Eliante and Maria were both two women who played by the rules of society, without manipulating, bending, or even really deviating from those rules.

Eliante and Maria represent The Deserving Woman -- a woman who accepts her place, no matter how difficult it may be (re: Maria's situation with her duty to marry a man she doesn't love), and is not deceitful or harmful to the other characters around her. To the eyes of the audience, this woman deserves her happiness.

Celimene vs Dimple
or The Deceiver Straight-Up Playin'

On the other spectrum of things sit Celimene and Dimple. Both characters are very aware of the social game. They know the rules inside and out, and play to their advantage. But here, subtle differences shine through. Celimene uses her popularity to wind suitors around her little finger, but is also used by her suitors as a source of entertainment. As Alceste put it,

"You lead her on with laughter and applause,

And make her think that she's the more delightful

The more her talk is scandalous and spiteful."

In The Misanthrope, Celimene can be seen as a victim of the attention given to her. But in The Contrast, Dimple is the definitive "bad guy." Even when Charlotte and Letitia deceive, it is Dimple who has moved them to their deception.

Alceste vs Manly
or The Weird Kid Who Doesn't Play By The Rules

In The Misanthrope, Alceste is the outsider. He doesn't want anything to do with polite customs. He considers disproportionate civility a vile thing worth derision. Colonel Manly affects much the same attitude, but his stays firmly rooted in reality. Where Alceste is spiteful of the customs, enough to be labeled a misanthrope, Manly adopts his own sense of propriety. Where one throws out social politics altogether, the other embraces a better social policy -- one of honesty without crassness.

This difference is most importantly seen at the end of both plays. Where Alceste offers to take Celimene despite her flaws (so long as she ultimately chooses him), Manly, despite his love for Maria, can't bring himself to commit the faux pas of offering courtship to an engaged woman. Manly still has some propriety about him, enough to influence Charlotte and Letitia to achieve their own redemption (asking forgiveness for their wily ways), enough to gain the approval of a staunch father (Van Rough), and enough to achieve his own happiness with Maria.

The Contrast: This is America

 America, in it's infancy (and I suppose today as well) was obsessed with total freedom. Anything British or otherwise highly European was representative of life before the United States and therefore bad. Ultimately this ideology is why today the US is always that one county that uses a different standard than the world, but I digress.

The Contrast seems to be more or less between America and Europe. On a micro level we see this with the pairings of Jonathan & Jessamy and Manly & Dimple. Jonathan and Jessamy both hold the same relative position, however Jessamy is much more intelligent and refined. Jonathan, on the other hand, is quite simple and often downright stupid. In an inverse of that, Manly's character far surpasses that of Dimple's.

So a balance is struck, right? Well, not exactly. The core of this argument is America's drive, at the time, to be different and their own. Jonathan is simple, but he is not manipulative and ill-willed like Jessamy. In addition, Jonathan is undoubtedly American. It's obvious in things such as the way he talks and his dislike of theater, said in the introduction to be common at the time. Jonathan may be an idiot, but he's our idiot. Much like Jessamy, Dimple is intelligent but manipulative. Unlike Jonathan, Manly doesn't have many ill qualities. Instead he serves almost as a device to speak directly to the American people; more than once he departs on a tangent that feels more like a lecture than a response in a conversation.

In Manly's rants he mentions several things relevant to America at the time, such as the Grecian City-States, however the particular piece I want to focus on is when Dimple confronts him on the quality of American entertainment. To Manly, the quality is not quite as important as the origin and intent – maybe your entertainment is better, but ours is important because it's ours. Ultimately Tyler conveys a very strong sense that, while America may not be the best, it's also not the worst; in addition, it's OURS, and we should embrace that.

(I wrote this in the final hours of Monday with my internet down. I apologize if it's similar to what someone else already posted.)

The Contrast: Tragedy or Comedy?

Charlotte:  Pray, Mr. Dimple, was it a tragedy or a comedy?

Dimple:  Faith, Madam, I cannot tell….I suppose it was a comedy.  Yet, on second thoughts, it might be some hero in tragedy, dying so comically as to set the whole house in an uproar.

p. 45

            What differentiates a tragedy from a comedy?  Sometimes it may be hard to find the difference.  In The Contrast, Dimple, although I do not think he is the brightest bulb in the pack, could not tell a tragedy from a comedy. 

            Referencing back to Frye’s The Argument of Comedy, he says that “tragedy is really implicit or uncompleted comedy” and “comedy contains a potential tragedy within itself.”  Tragedy and comedy are intertwined.  Since this class focuses on comedy, I think it’s safe to categorize The Contrast as a comedy.  Let’s see if we can find the potential tragedy within this play.

            Suppose this play ended after Act IV.  We would not have the happy resolution of Act V, and we would end up with discontented characters.  Maria probably would have gone through with her marriage to Dimple, Letitia and Charlotte would be longing for a married man, and Van Rough would be paying off Dimple’s extravagant purchases.  This sounds a lot like a tragedy to me.  Therefore we can affirm Frye’s claim that tragedy is simply an unfinished comedy.

            Fortunately, Tyler included Act V in The Contrast, and we get to see how things unfold.  Dimple’s deceitful ways are exposed, Maria winds up with a man she considers worthy of both her hand and her heart, and Letitia and Charlotte remain in Maria’s good graces and are quickly forgiven for secretly planning to marry Dimple.  This may not seem funny, but it’s certainly not tragic.  This play has the potential to be tragic, but instead takes a turn for the better with the revealing of Dimple’s schemes.  

The Contrast- Marriage

            In The Contrast by Royall Tyler, there are numerous differing, or even contradicting, thoughts and ideas that are presented through the characters. I will be talking about the different views on marriage as seen throughout the play by Maria and Maria’s father.

As the play begins, we clearly see the differences in the definition of marriage as believed by the two characters. Maria is about to take part in an arranged marriage set up by her father. However, she does not want to get married to whom her father arranges her to marry. Her father wants her to marry Mr. Dimple. But her father insists on the marriage despite of his daughter’s feelings. Mr. Dimple is quite different from Maria and she wants out of the relationship as he becomes quite snobbish.     

In the beginning, we hear Letitia and Charlotte talking about the marriage. Letitia says that if Maria gets married to Mr. Dimple, it will be without her heart. Maria insists that she should marry someone who she believes she can cherish for her lifetime. On the other hand, Maria’s father says the marriage is more than a commitment to finding someone of mere profit. His daughter’s feelings are boloney to him and think money is the most important thing she should look out for.

Throughout the play, we read on as Maria falls in love with another man, Charlotte’s brother named Manly. He is supposed to be a contrasting character to Mr. Dimple. Surprisingly at the same time, Mr. Dimple is courting two other women, both Letitia and Charlotte. But in the end, after finding out more about Mr. Dimple, Maria’s father allows the wedding to be canceled and agrees to let his daughter marry the man she truly loves, Manly.

The Contrast: The Clothing

The Contrast by Royall Tyler demonstrates the differences between the elite, luxurious European etiquette and behavior from the more rugged and industrial American manners. He shows the foolishness of the European manners while glorifying the American. Dimple, Charlotte and Letitia are symbolic of the former and Maria and Manly the latter. While the differences between these two sets of characters are numerous, the most interesting and relatable for me are the differences in clothing.

"Well, but, brother, positively I can't introduce you in these clothes; why, your coat looks as if it were calculated for the vulgar purpose of keeping yourself comfortable."

Let me repeat that for you: "The vulgar purpose of keeping yourself comfortable." This is what Charlotte tells her brother upon seeing his 'un-stylish' outfit.

This is America, the land of blue jeans. Comfort and utility are a very important aspect in our choice of clothing. This is the land of casual Fridays and this woman is telling me I can't wear my jacket because it's not fashionable which according to Charlotte is synonymous with respectable. 

Manly defends his coat saying it was from his time in the war, but Charlotte and Letitia are not satisfied. They, Charlotte especially, have a specific dress code and wear whatever is in fashion simply because it is in fashion. The pocket-hoop is not good enough for flirting, they must have the bell-hoop. Similarly, Dimple will not downsize his wardrobe even though he is in debt. These characters are very vain and shallow; they do not exemplify the qualities that Taylor hopes to persuade are those of a good American. They are not desirable and therefore the characters that practice them do not end the play happily. Rather it is Maria and Manly who are wed and in love. 

By giving a happy ending the Maria and Manly, Taylor is saying that to dress for comfort or for yourself and not solely for style is acceptable behaviour. I have to say as an American I agree wholeheartedly. Long live blue jeans.