3.3 The obligatory scene
In an obligatory scene the audience foresees and desires a certain outcome, and if it does not happen, the audience may resent the omission.
There are five ways in which a scene may become obligatory:
· by the inherent logic of the theme - only in plays to which a
definite theme can be assigned, like those of Hervieu and Brieux, and Bernard Shaw in “Candida”
· to achieve specific dramatic effect – this may be instinctively expected by the author charging the scene with emotion, and working up the tension to a very high pitch. It may lead to frustration or disappointment if the author chooses a less dramatic way and “fail” to fulfill the obligation, like in “Agatha” by Ward and Parker.
· by the author having structurally created a lead up to it – scenes seeming to be indicated by deliberately-planted directional finger-posts, with the effect that the audience may feel mislead, like in Jules Lemaître’s play, “Révoltée”
· to justify some psychological change (or startling transformation) of character or will, too important to be taken for granted, like in the third act of “Othello” or Lord Tennyson’s “Becket”
· to be imposed by history or legend - when the dramatist uses a strongly-marked historical character, he should give him a good opportunity of acting up to the character which legend assigns to him. When such a personage is presented to us, it ought to be at his highest strength. Where legend (historic or otherwise) associates a particular character with a particular scene that is presentable on the stage, that scene becomes obligatory in a drama of which he is the leading figure. Most well known historical figures are best presente briefly, so that the danger of
anti-climax is diminished, like Napoleon in “L’Aiglon”, by M.
Rostand.
The obligatory scene is necessary because of the strict concentration and economy required from the dramatist, and the high mental tension that is intrinsic to the theatrical audience and the effect which the stage alone can provide.