When we read a play, we focus mostly on the text. When we see a play inthe theater, however, we experience it visually as well as verbally. What nonverbal elements play important roles in Hwang’s play?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The Sound of a Voice illustrates the importance of nonverbal elements in achieving theatrical effects. Two complete scenes (4 and 6), as well as the conclusion, are played without words. Another episode (scene 8) depends on a visual trick (the man balancing his chin on the point of a sword) to create dramatic tension. Likewise, one of the central contests between the two characters is a physical fight with wooden sticks. The play’s finale is a visual tableau. Music also plays an important role in establishing and maintaining the mood of the play. Students will be able to find other nonverbal elements of the play. Hwang reminds us of the importance of spectacle, even in a modest, two-character play. A play works by total representation of a drama, not by the words alone.

There are a great many possible topics for papers based on Hwang’s play. Students could trace a single image from the play (flowers would be an obvious candidate) and discuss its significance. Another interesting notion would be to discuss the use of music in the play: what does it contribute to the atmosphere and tone that words could not? Another good subject would be to examine the two scenes in the play (4 and 6) that are played without words: what effect do they have on the structure and feeling of the drama? Students could also discuss the end of The Sound of a Voice: is the woman’s death tragic? The theme of suicide would be an illuminating topic because both characters contemplate the idea, and the woman hangs herself at the end of the play. Finally, students could compare and contrast The Sound of a Voice with one of its models—either a No^– drama or one of Yeats’s short plays. No^– plays are generally very brief (around ten pages). Arthur Waley’s classic The No^– Plays of Japan (New York: Grove, 1957) provides an excellent starting point. Any play by the most celebrated master of the form, Seami, such as Tsunemasa or Kumasaka (both in the Waley book), would work well. Several of Yeats’s short plays provide excellent contrasts to Hwang’s piece, most notably Deidre, The Only Jealousy of Emer, and Purgatory.