hdfantasticks

A major character is a character that the story line is actually about and focused on. It is the character who faces challenges and obstacles and over comes them throughout the plot line. It is a central character who shows up often and is well developed. Minor characters are not as developed within the story but do play an important role in advancing the plot. They often don’t face as many obstacles as the major characters and are not who the story is actually about.
 * What is the difference between a major and minor character? Who are the major characters and minor characters in Fantasticks? **

In the “Fantasticks,” the major characters are Louisa, Matt, and El Gallo. Luisa and Matt are the children whom fall in love but believe that they must keep it a secret. They are dynamic characters as the plot progresses and they face many issues. El Gallo is also a major character as without him, there is no plot. He tells the story and creates the the conflict. In a way, he plays the puppeteer to the other characters. The minor characters are Henry, Mortimer, the Wall and the fathers. The fathers are minor characters as the help to develop the plot but are not crucial to the other characters nor do they undergo many dynamic changes. All five of these characters are central to the story line as they play important roles in the story in advancing the plot and helping to develop the other characters but they do not undergo any serious changes or obstacles. They are less significant to the story line and are not the focus. Henry and Mortimer provide comedic relief and farce while the wall plays a role in scenery development.

My favorite character was Henry because he was very comical and animated. He was exciting and grabbed the attention of the crowd very easily. Humor, to me, is always a very important attribute in a play and he delivered his part very well. Although he was not crucial to the storyline, the comical role he played helped to advance the plot with additional drama and excitement. In my opinion, the wall played his part the best. While he was a minor character, I believe that his character would have been a very difficult one to act out. It takes talent to play a character without being able to express yourself through speaking. However, with facial expressions and other gestures, he portrayed a unique and comical personality. I often was watching him instead of the other characters to see his reaction to the events.
 * Who is your favorite character? Why? Who played their part the best? Why? **

I sympathized most with Matt. It seems that the whole play he was having serious internal conflict. In the beginning of the play, he was trying to figure out his love for Luisa while trying to hide it from his father. Then, after they were finally able to be together, he was confused and no longer felt the same feelings. When he left to explore the real world, he had additional conflicts and physical pain then only to return to the initial conditions in which he left with a new mindset. I sympathize with him most because he went through the most change and overcame the most obstacles.
 * With which character did you sympathize the most? Why? **

I related most with Luisa. Luisa was a young girl both in love and heavily focused with her appearance. While my situation is far less dramatic than hers, I know what it is like to feel like you are in love at a young age and the confusion that comes along with it. I also understand the initial reaction of going through puberty from a young girl to a woman and the internal shock that may cause. While she is significantly more reactive to these events, I can relate with her most as she is the only female character.
 * Did you recognize anything that reminded you of yourself in the characters? Explain. **

Both Matt and Luisa are dynamic characters within the play. Matt undergoes many changes. First, he is a boy much in love with a girl who can only focus on his thoughts about her and speaks poetically. However, when they get married, he no longer has these feelings and seems quite frustrated. He realizes that love is not what he thought it was and she may not be what he thought she was. He deals with his confusion by entering out into the real world to see what is beyond the road. He comes back after facing physical and emotional trauma and difficulty. He returns to his initial conditions having been changed to realize that while marriage and Luisa are not perfect, it is worth the fight and nothing is perfect. Luisa also undergoes changes throughout the play. In the beginning, she is a young girl who is very self absorbed and focused on how beautiful she is. It seems as though she isn’t really in love with Matt but is instead in love with the idea that he loves her. She also seems very frustrated in the marriage when he is no longer madly in love with her. However, when he leaves, she is depressed and statue like. She has been deeply wounded and feels worthless and unwanted. Therefore, the appeal of El Gallo is very strong for her. He is bad and something different from Matt. She is very vulnerable and goes with him. When Matt returns, she readily takes him back and they reignite their love for one another.
 * How do the boy (Matt) and the girl (Luisa) change by the time the play ends? Identify specific moments of change. **

When El Gallo claims that he will remember the girl’s kiss, he is implying that they will no longer be together. While she felt as though they would spend the rest of their lives together, he only intended to spend a short period of time with her. He was a bandit and was simply a thief. While he stole the necklace from Luisa, he also stole her heart and her trust. The act of “remembering” in this case is symbolic of keeping this and stealing it from her. Following the kiss, he leaves her with no intent to return. His character is very selfish and controls others actions and emotions for his own personal gain.
 * <span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;">What does El Gallo mean when he says he will remember the girl’s kiss? Use an analytical approach. **

<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;">The fathers are very much alike in the fact that they want to control their childrens’ choices; however, they are very different as well. First off, Matt’s father is a typical father of a son as he only wants to give to Matt exactly what he needs, which he believes he knows. He doesn’t want to give him too much as it may spoil him. This is symbolically represented in how he believes that it is very easy to over water his plants. Within the play, plants show a distinct parallel to children and being raised, although plants are more predictable. Luisa’s father is the opposite. He wants to give her everything he can and as a result has raised a very prideful, spoiled daughter. This is also portrayed in how much he over-waters his plants. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;">The fathers resemble a specific scene in the show “Friends.” In one episode, there is a wedding between Ross and Emily. Ross’s father was quite stingy and did not want to give any money to pay for the wedding because he felt it unnecessary and too elaborate. However, Emily’s father kept adding additional things and wanted all he could get out of the wedding. There was a conflict between the two just as in the play.
 * <span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;">How are the fathers different from one another? What other characters in film or TV do they resemble? Comment on how effective the actors were when you discuss the characters. **

<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;">Both Henry and Mortimer were very effective characters in their role as comic relief. Henry was obviously the dominant one in the relationship while Mortimer was the submissive. Henry was very outgoing <span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;">and self-centered while Mortimer was quiet yet still humorous. Both characters have a theatrical history together. They probably ended up as a pair because they went through a rough time together in the industry. As the dominant one, Henry probably took care of Mortimer but also has a sense of dependency on him due to his need for control. This dynamic is still clear as it seems that Mortimer’s theatrical history consisted of savage characters with simple instinctive behaviors and actions while Henry has had intensive roles with depth and more developed characters.
 * <span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;">Discuss Henry and Mortimer as characters and how effective the actors were in their role. What is their function beyond comedic relief? Compare theatrical histories and comment on the fact that they ended up as a pair. **