Mrs. Cage--a play
Women today tend to speak assertively for their rights. However, the social structures in which we live sometimes still make it difficult for us to actualize the full range of our creative abilities. In literature as dated as fairy tales and Greek mythology, writers have used characters who exemplified the caged woman. In the fairy tales, Sleeping Beauty is "caged" behind a wall of briars and Snow White is trapped inside a glass coffin. Ironically, both princesses were caged by a madwoman who was once a caged bird herself. The Greek story of Medea's Revenge, tells of Medea, a woman who feels so rejected by her husband that she kills their children because their features and mannerisms are like those of their father. The forgotten godmother, the jealous stepmother, and Medea all represent caged birds gone mad. In Nancy Barr's play, Mrs. Cage, Lillian Cage is a perfect example of a woman whose mobility has been reduced by mainly her marriage, her social standing and upbringing.Mrs. Cage was trapped in a stifling marriage where she was simply a status symbol to her husband. She helped him project the type of image he needed as an attorney. Mr. Cage paid her little attention after Eliza
At work we put on our "game faces". We wear different clothes for different occasions. Our speech and tone change depending on the audience. If we reduced ourselves to one role or identity rather than trying to be an entire, whole, healthy life we could become our own jailers. Lillian is also bound by the conventions of her social standing. One of Mrs. Cage's main concerns is a good appearance. She judges people by their cleanliness and manners for she feels this is what she's judged by. In the screenplay, all of the appliances and walls in the house are white or light pastel colors. These colors tend to be hard to keep clean, however Mrs. Cage not only manages to keep them clean, but gleaming. When she cooks dinner, she prepares a full course meal. When she leaves the house, simply to go to the grocery store, she puts on make-up, pantyhose, and even a slip. This proves that she is not only concerned with what people think about her inside of her home, but she is also concerned with how she presents herself outside of her home. Unfortunately, she does not have much else to be concerned with. Thus, her obsession. Mrs. Cage's upbringing was the beginning of her road towards madness. In past generations, the caged bird was the prevailing pattern of feminine existence. The good woman was a submissive wife who stayed at home, cleaned the house, and took care of her husband
Some common words found in the essay are:
Lillian Cage, Phyllis Dean, Elizabeth Lillian, Mad Women, Medea's Revenge, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, social standing, Nancy Barr's, birds gone mad, caged birds gone, fairy tales, accept role, brief moment, phyllis dean, grocery store, marriage social standing, marriage social, elizabeth lillian, caged birds, caged bird,
Approximate Word count = 938
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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