Soap Opera by David Ives Soap Operas

¶ … Soap Opera" by David Ives

Soap operas on television are melodramatic and stereotypically over-the-top storyline.

Soap operas got their name because in the days of radio, the dramas were predominantly sponsored by soap companies and the story itself deals with soap and washing.

Ives uses the multiple meanings of "soap opera" to put the audience into a frame of mind when watching. There are many stereotypes of the daytime drama which the audience would come in with and Ives uses these preconceptions as a base for knowledge

Spoofed Features: In soap opera, one of the basic plot points is the seemingly endless line-up of revolving romantic pairings. Female characters on soaps often marry more than five times. Instead of the complex reality of male-female interactions, soaps tend to make these pairing completely random and the end of these relationships is usually equally random. There is little truth or even a semblance of reality on these programs. So what Ives is doing is spoofing something that already makes a mockery of human interaction.

The Point: Ives "Soap Opera" is a spoof of television, but that does not mean it solely exists to amuse the audience. However, each time there is a danger of a relationship failing, the writers treat it as a horrible dilemma. In Ives' version of a soap, a washing-machine repairman is in love with his girlfriend Mabel. That is until he encounters the perfect washing machine. All the while, the washer may be cheating on him with a dryer. This ridiculousness makes fun of soap opera treatment of human relationships. Many women and even men watch these programs and try to emulate the behavior. Ives's play shows exactly how ridiculous such emulation is. Real life is so much more complex than anything you see on television.

"The Sound of a Voice" by David Henry Hwang

Flowers: Flowers in the play symbolize love and life and how each is fragile. This sentiment is echoed in other parts of the play, like the man's meditation upon the sword. One of the first things that attract the man is the flowers she tends. She cares for them. Flowers are her only companions, even though cut flowers die so quickly. He comes to understand her fondness for the flowers by keeping one under his bed. This culminates in the end of the story when the woman hangs herself and all her flowers have lost their petals. As fragile as love is, so too is life and neither is any stronger than a cut flower.

Voice: Neither the man nor the woman is able to communicate very well through words. Far more of their growing love is shown through her music and his swordplay. What is said is then given even more importance because the pertinent dialogue is so rare.

Destruction: The man has come to kill the forest witch but has found himself unable to do so because of his love for her. Instead he destroys her by loving her. Men have come before and were unable to destroy her, but she did not allow herself to fall in love with them. Thus she was able to save herself. By falling for a man who will not trust her, she has given up her power. When he leaves, even though it is only for a moment, the potential for a return to loneliness is more than she can handle.