A bit on the short side, soz Mr.Reeves, i'll add to it.

How are strong emotions presented in Wuthering Heights and Phaedra’s love?

Using extracts:  WH - PG 104-106 & PL - PG 7-11

Strong emotions are presented as a cause of conflict and suffering in both texts. Both Kane and Bronte use emotive language to portray the character’s thoughts and feelings. For example, Bronte uses the phrase ‘I broke my heart with weeping’ to demonstrate the inner pain which Cathy is experiencing, although what she is describing is merely a dream, Bronte may be using her dreams to represent Cathy’s dreams represent her subconscious desires and conflicts. The use of the word ‘broke’ is very effective in delivering a conventional, yet powerful perspective of the effects of love. It is symbolic of the physical pain that one can experience as well as the metaphorical and spiritual breaking of one’s happiness and wellbeing. The hyperbolic use of the word ‘weeping’ shows the reader that the strong emotions felt through love does not have the power to just upset you, but to cause immense suffering. This type of strong language is also used in Phaedra’s Love. Phaedra asks her Daughter, Strophe, if she has ever wished ‘ you could cut open your chest tear it out to stop the pain?’, using violent and dramatic language, Kane presents strong emotions as destructive and domineering. These texts were written over 100 years apart, yet the feelings expressed and the way that strong emotions are presented are very similar, suggesting that the effects of love is timeless.

In Phaedra’s love, there is a repetitive metaphorical use of the word ‘burning’ to present Phaedra’s emotions and desires. Using fire to present strong emotions, Kane suggest that it  is something which is uncontrollable and raging. ‘Burns’ leave behind scars therefore the effects of love never really leave us. It becomes part of us. However in Wuthering Heights, Bronte presents Cathy’s love to be so strong that her and Heathcliff unite spiritually ‘I am Heathcliff’ shows us that emotion can over take us and we no longer are ourselves. Strong emotions in both texts are portrayed as something which has supreme power over us and humans.

However, the power of social status appears to be more important. For example, in Wuthering Heights, Cathy is torn between her strong emotions and her social desirability’s as although she claims to love Heathcliff, she knows that she would be ‘degraded’ to marry him. Thus pushes her strong emotions to the side and decides to marry Edgar Linton.  ‘degraded’ is a harsh and insensitive word to describe a commitment to the person you love. The reader may now question how true or rational Cathy’s strong emotions are as somebody who is truly in love with somebody would be proud to marry them. Opposing this, besides a potentially incestual relationship, Phaedra experiences no shame or concern for society. When Strophe warns her mother that if anybody where to find out about her sexual and emotional desires for her step son, she replies ‘I know, I know’ which is a cliché teenager response suggesting she does not really care. The role reversal here of a daughter being the voice of reason is also evident in Wuthering Heights, as Nelly dean, a woman who is merely a made is acting as a voice of reason for Cathy. She questions her decision making ‘Have you considered how you’ll bare the separation?’. This shows that she is thinking carefully about the consequences, however Cathy is so blinded and conflicted by her strong emotions that she can only think and act irrationally.

Comparison of the way that the writers present strong emotions in "Phaedra's Love" and "Wuthering Heights"

Compare the way that strong emotions are presented in the two extracts of Sarah Kane’s “Phaedra’s Love” (1996) and Emily Bronte’s “Wuthering Heights” (1847).

Although these texts were written almost 150 years apart, they are both successful in portraying the way in which people of all periods have expressed their ideas and feelings through use of strong emotions and language. The extract that I have chosen to support this in Kane’s play “Phaedra’s Love” is scene 3 where Phaedra is expressing her love for her step-son Hippolytus to her daughter Strophe. In this scene there are convincing examples of the way that one portrays strong emotions of love and despair through speech. The extract that I believe likewise presents strong emotions in Bronte’s novel “Wuthering Heights” is from page 104-105. Here, Catherine is troubling over who she should marry- Heathcliff or Edgar, showing her emotion through strong language. 

From the very beginning of scene 3 in “Phaedra’s Love”, the audience is highly aware of the level of strong emotion Phaedra has been supressing up to this point. The introduction of the scene provides clear evidence of this through the sentence “Go away fuck off don’t touch me don’t talk to me stay with me”. Through use of swearwords, Kane is breaking the expectations linked with “feminine” characteristics, and encouraging Phaedra to breach the social norms. The idea of Phaedra possessing extreme emotions is supported by the way in which she changes her mind halfway through the sentence and has decided that she after all needs Strophe to listen to her. This inconsistency of thought is a common characteristic of one who is distressed and worried about a problem, as it shows they are not thinking rationally. Similarly in Bronte’s “Wuthering Heights”, Catherine portrays her strong emotions through use of romantic and dramatised language, which is characteristic of the Romantic period in which it is set. “Mine […] and Linton’s (soul) is as different as a moonbeam from lightening, or frost from fire”. Unlike Kane, Bronte makes use of more poetic and subtle language to express the character’s strong emotions, where Kane focuses on the depiction of blunt and straight feelings through rude and shocking language.

In terms of subject matter, the strong emotions expressed in Bronte’s novel can be closely compared with that of Kane’s play. In this extract, Nelly Dean, though encouraging Catherine to decide for herself whether or not she should marry Edgar, is hinting that Heathcliff would be a better choice. “Have you considered  how you’ll bear the separation (from Heathcliff), and how he’ll bear to be quite deserted in the world?”. Here, Nelly Dean is presented as the voice of reason in order to control the strong and drastic emotions that Catherine holds.  Similarly in scene 3 of Kane’s play, Strophe is likewise presented as the voice of reason to control Phaedra from doing anything that she may regret.  When Phaedra says “There’s a thing between us, an awesome fucking thing, can you feel it?” Strophe replies with “No”.  She also advises Phaedra “Why don’t you have an affair, get your mind off him”. Both these two extracts suggest the idea that strong emotions are counter-productive and need to be controlled.

In comparison, Kane’s “Phaedra’s Love” could be compared to Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” in the way that it presents the idea of strong emotions through language. When Tom Buchanan is faced with the possibility of losing his wife Daisy, to Gatsby, he has difficulty compressing these strong emotions. This is shown by the way that he outrageously says “next thing they’ll go overboard and have intermarriage between black and white” after the thought of Gatsby being able to take Daisy away from him without any moral dilemma. This links to Phaedra’s use of shocking phrases such as “I think I’ll crack open I want him so much” about her own step son.

Bronte’s use of language to express strong emotion is similar to that of the poet John Donne. In his poem “The Anniversary” he describes “a love increased there above, when bodies to their graves, souls from their graves remove” to show how love can contain such strong emotions in itself that not even death can break it. This poetic language is likewise used in Bronte’s novel to depict her strong feelings of love for Heathcliff: “Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same”.

Isabella Fleming

Ok so your all animals righty fair enough, but im not gonna throw away an ivory piano, like its ivory.

Write a comparison of the way strong emotions are presented in Phaedra's Love page 7-8 and wider reading.

At the start of page 7 it instantly shows how Phaedra has these strong feelings and because of them is frustrated. At the start in the stage directions we see that Strophe is working and that it is Phaedra comes in, Strophe simply says “Mother” in which Phaedra reply’s “Go away fuck off don’t touch me don’t talk to me stay with me.” Sarah Kane plays with role reversal in which it is like the mother being a stroppy teenager, and who is telling Strophe to leave her alone.  Also it creates irony, as it was originally Phaedra who ‘enters’. As she says “stay with me” she is clearly in distress and is vulnerable. This anger from being vulnerable is similar to King Lear, in which when his own daughters deny him he is furious and wants nature to take him and to attack him. He wants destruction of the whole world because of the anger that wells up inside. This frustration is shown in The Great Gatsby, when Daisy doesn’t say that she wants to be with him and is confused and hurt at this.

Hen Strophe tries’s to comfort “What’s wrong?” Phaedra reply’s with “Nothing. Nothing at all.” It is very childish and very attention seeking as she comes in and just looks for sympathy and woes in her own self pity. After not too long of Strophe asking what’s wrong therefore evident that Phaedra really does want to say she reply’s in an overly dramatic emotive lines such as “Have you ever thought, thought your heart would break?”  and “Wished you could cut open your chest tear it out to stop the pain?” In which Strophe reply’s with “No.” simple blunt and shows that she knows what her mother is like and this could be just another phase. When Strophe guesses who it is Phaedra ‘Screams’ in which Strophe replies “Your in love with him.” With no excitement more a sense of patheticness in which Phaedra replies, “(laughs hysterically) What are you talking about”. It’s very stereotypically girly like they are at a sleep over, talking about boys they like.  This exaggeration of love is similar to Romeo, and that he’s only just met Juliet and now wants to be with her forever and would fie for her. This dull reaction from Strophe is like Beatrice from Much Ado About Nothing, and her attitudes towards Love. And how ridiculous and time wasting it is.

Strong emotions are often evident into rushing into things. Strophe sees this through Phaedra and doesn't see it so much as love but more as a phase in which her attitude shows this.
This lack of interest continues throughout in which when Phaedra talks of how great he is Strophe just reply’s with witty and disrespectful comments. In which finally Strophe just says “Why don’t you have an affair, get your mind off him.”  She shows her lack of faith in that it is love and that it is more just sexual tension. In which too could be seen in Romeo and Juliet as they have only just met, Juliet promised vows and in the time set would be a disgrace towards her family to have sex before marriage. Yet they only just meet and have sexual relations. In Wuthering heights, Heathcliff has relations with Cathy's and because of Cathy's betrayal she goes with another. Heathcliff is hurt by this so decides to have relations with Cathy's sister in law in which she thinks is true love but is really just revenge. She jumps into this opportunity and learns that she was wrong.

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