The Dramatist Louis Nowra cleverly combines structural and language features with an array of characters and personalities in order to convey themes of love versus infidelity and reality versus fantasy. It is this combination which allows Louis Nowra to convey meaning within his play “Cosi”
Louis Nowra addresses the themes of fantasy versus reality as the opera of “Cosi Fan Tutte” and the play “Cosi” are in entwined as love and infidelity is explored through the implementation of the structural feature a play within a play which works to challenge the audiences understanding of what is real and what is seen as a fairy tale story. Therefore the idea of the fantasy within the play “Cosi fan Tutte” is a part of a realistic context of Lewis’s life.
This is seen through the parallels between Lewis’s love life in reality and his love life “on stage” or in the fantasy world created by the institution which exists through the presence of comedy. For example on stage infidelity is treated humorously “in character “it is a trick and emotional turmoil portrayed as comedy. Louis Nowra uses lighting to help enhance the fact that in the fantasy world infidelity is a humorous matter – where all the actors are on stage and suddenly the lights go out, in the commotion and under the cover of darkness we are shown how cherry develops the courage to kiss Lewis, even tho he is in a committed relationship. This technique re-enforces the idea that the institute has a sense of fantasy about it in which acts of infidelity are less impacting and seen as a humorous gesture rather than an act of betrayal. However “Off Stage” in reality Lewis is devastated by Lucy’s acts of infidelity and betrayal, it is evident that they do not share the same views on the concept of “free love”….(Should there be a full stop after betrayal and just leave it at that? Or should I include this