Offending the Audience: Analysis of Major Characters
"Offending the Audience" presents a unique theatrical experience through its four speakers, who are characterized by their lack of traditional roles and individual identity. These anonymous figures, composed of both men and women, engage directly with the audience while maintaining a bland and emotionless delivery. Their attire is intentionally casual and uniform, emphasizing their indistinguishability from one another and the audience. The speakers share a disjointed narrative, often contradicting each other without providing personal feelings or clear opinions, which creates a sense of ambiguity and invites varied interpretations. This unconventional approach challenges audience expectations by removing typical dramatic elements like character development and emotional engagement. Instead, the focus is on the discourse itself, leading to a complex interplay between the speakers and the audience's responses. Ultimately, the performance concludes without acknowledging the audience's reactions, leaving viewers to reflect on their experience independently. This thought-provoking structure invites diverse perspectives and interpretations, making it a compelling subject for analysis.
Offending the Audience: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Peter Handke
First published: Publikumsbeschimpfung, 1966 (English translation, 1969, in Kaspar and Other Plays)
Genre: Play
Locale: The theater where the play is presented
Plot: Protest
Time: The 1960's
Four Speakers, a mixed group of men and women. None of the four characters in this play assumes a “role” in any traditional sense. The speakers remain merely anonymous actors who address the audience in the author's words. They are also largely indistinguishable from one another and even from the members of the audience. Their clothing is ordinary casual dress. It is expected that the men, in both the audience and on stage, will be wearing dark jackets and white shirts with plain ties. Women are expected to be dressed in subdued colors. During their time onstage, the four speakers address the audience directly without singling out any specific individuals. They speak in a bland litany, free of emotion, vocal inflection, or any significant gestures. Nor are any specific lines assigned to the individual speakers. The characters merely pick up and leave off the discourse in a random order, speaking for varying lengths of time. Frequently, and without explanation, they contradict themselves and one another. In doing so, however, they give no indication of their own feelings about what they are saying beyond a general statement to the audience that their opinions may (or may not) be the same as those of the author. At the end of the performance, the four speakers react to the audience in exactly the same manner regardless of whether the audience's response to their work has been favorable or unfavorable.