Is Cosi more about love than madness?
Is Cosi more about love than madness?
Louis Nowra’s comedy Cosi covers the main themes of love and infidelity.
The characters within the mental asylum are shown to grasp what truly matters, whereas society seems to focus on the Vietnam War. Even though they are mental patients and an asylum is a ‘mad house’ the inmates are ‘normal people who have done extraordinary things’.
For instance, Lewis’ and Lucy’s relationship is an open relationship. Lucy isn't into fidelity as reflected by her sexual affair with Nick. She’s very skeptical about the whole idea of Lewis directing a play in a mental institution however he is only doing it for the money and he supports the views of Lucy and Nick that ‘love is not so important now days’ and that Cosi Fan Tutte is inappropriate for the times that they currently live in.
Lewis’ transition from an ignorant to a sensitive character who empathized with the patients drew him closer to understanding the world of people in asylums, however drew him further away from Lucy and Nick who perceive the patients as ‘loonies’ and ‘mad’. Lewis overcame his fear of the ‘abnormal’ patients that the society feared and knew very little about (‘ just leave. They are mad. Its madness’.) Lewis believed in what really is important and what people need nowadays : ‘ without love the world wouldn’t mean much’.
On the contrary Julie’s views are completely opposite to Lucy’s views on love. According to her love’s ‘always been foolish and stupid. Its about being on the edge’ whereas for Lucy after bread, a shelter, equality health, procreation, money comes maybe love’. Even though her and Lewis have a thing, she reveals to him that she’s lesbian and she wants to stay faitful to her girlfriend because she ‘needs something stable in her life’.
Cheery has also developed certain feelings for Lewis. She is an abusive and aggressive patient that caries a flick knife with her, and she is over protective of Lewis, however she doesn’t know how to
Louis Nowra’s comedy Cosi covers the main themes of love and infidelity.
The characters within the mental asylum are shown to grasp what truly matters, whereas society seems to focus on the Vietnam War. Even though they are mental patients and an asylum is a ‘mad house’ the inmates are ‘normal people who have done extraordinary things’.
For instance, Lewis’ and Lucy’s relationship is an open relationship. Lucy isn't into fidelity as reflected by her sexual affair with Nick. She’s very skeptical about the whole idea of Lewis directing a play in a mental institution however he is only doing it for the money and he supports the views of Lucy and Nick that ‘love is not so important now days’ and that Cosi Fan Tutte is inappropriate for the times that they currently live in.
Lewis’ transition from an ignorant to a sensitive character who empathized with the patients drew him closer to understanding the world of people in asylums, however drew him further away from Lucy and Nick who perceive the patients as ‘loonies’ and ‘mad’. Lewis overcame his fear of the ‘abnormal’ patients that the society feared and knew very little about (‘ just leave. They are mad. Its madness’.) Lewis believed in what really is important and what people need nowadays : ‘ without love the world wouldn’t mean much’.
On the contrary Julie’s views are completely opposite to Lucy’s views on love. According to her love’s ‘always been foolish and stupid. Its about being on the edge’ whereas for Lucy after bread, a shelter, equality health, procreation, money comes maybe love’. Even though her and Lewis have a thing, she reveals to him that she’s lesbian and she wants to stay faitful to her girlfriend because she ‘needs something stable in her life’.
Cheery has also developed certain feelings for Lewis. She is an abusive and aggressive patient that caries a flick knife with her, and she is over protective of Lewis, however she doesn’t know how to