The underlying symbolism of The Concert

The Concert by Johannes Vermeer c. 1663-1666

Two women and a man are seated at a piano. The woman on the left is playing the piano while the woman on the right sings from the sheet music she is holding in her left hand. The gentleman is seated because of his ailments which are relevant from the cane on his left side. The women are there to entertain him. Both women are wearing pearl earrings and necklaces along with yellow ribbons in their hair. There are two paintings on the wall behind the piano. The painting on the right depicts two women and a man. The pattern on the floor displays black crosses. You could assume that one or both of the women also play string instruments because there are two in the painting, one placed on top of the table and one on the floor.

Seduction is a recurring theme in this painting. The red panel on the back of the chair catches the viewer’s eye to show that the man is the most important person in the painting but also the color red is a sign of danger. The man is the most important but his back is facing the audience and no one knows his true identity. This would be because he was an important figure and did not want to be painted where someone could view his face in the presence of two young ladies. The photograph on the wall on the right is also a representation of the painting itself. It shows two women and a man in what seems to be a compromising position. This is a way of showing the true meaning of this painting without the suggestive positions. The crosses on the floor are representative of Christianity or the cross. It would appear that the instruments are laid on the floor and the table because they are of little relevance for a woman to play. This would be because the piano is a more seductive instrument and the man can watch the woman’s hands move seductively. Singing is also considered sensual because she is using her voice to entertain the gentleman. Saussure would say that the man’s cane is a signifier. The cane is a signifier and the signified is that he has an ailment because when we view the cane we automatically think of someone who is old or handicapped. The youth of the women is also present in this picture by the yellow ribbons in their hair. Married women did not wear ribbons such as these in their hair and therefore both of these women are unmarried. They are unmarried but they are both wearing pearl necklaces and earrings. This could mean two different things. They could come from wealth and be given these as gifts from their father or they could be given them by a lover.

Saussure, Ferdinand de. "Course in General Linguistics." Literary Theory: An Anthology. Ed. Julie Rivkin and Michael Ryan. Malden, MA, Blackwell Publishing, 2004. 59-71.

Aristotle’s Tragedy in On the Waterfront and Raging Bull

In Classical Literary Criticism Aristotle’s Poetics gives a literary breakdown of the types of poetry that exist. Tragedy, as explained by Aristotle, is comprised of six parts: plot, character, thought, diction, spectacle, and song. Clips from On the Waterfront and Raging Bull both posses the qualities needed to be declared as tragedies.

Aristotle describes tragedy as “a representation of an action that is serious, complete, and of some magnitude; in language that is pleasurably embellished, the different forms of embellishment occurring in separate parts; presented in the form of action, not narration; by means of pity and fear bringing about the catharsis of such emotions.” Aristotle found fear and pity an essential element in tragedy and to show pity, the main character must be betrayed by someone close to them. In On the Waterfront, Marlon Brando’s character, Terry, is betrayed by his brother and this allows the audience to feel and hear his betrayal. In Raging Bull, Robert De Niro’s character, Jake, quotes On the Waterfront and explains that “some people aren’t that lucky” but from the text you would assume that he is using the reference to give an example of someone else who like himself was unlucky. Jake uses Terry as an example helps the audience relate Terry’s experiences to Jake’s. This helps the audience realize the tragedy that has happened to Terry is similar to what has happened to Jake.

Aristotle thought that the plot was the most important part of a tragedy. In a tragedy, the plot must show a change in fortune for someone of prosperity due “to some great error either in such a man as I have described or in one better than this, but not worse.” In On the Waterfront, Terry had everything and it was all taken away by his brother who made bad decisions for him. At the conclusion of the scene from Raging Bull, Jake is telling himself, “You’re the boss.” This could be seen as a way of trying to convince himself of his own words. This could lead the viewer to assume that Jake is no longer who he used to be. He also said that he had his shot at the title and no one can take that away from him. This could lead the audience to assume that although he had his shot, he lost.

Another important element of tragedy in both films is diction. Aristotle said that the audience must be able to recognize the plot and actions by the specific words being used. In On the Waterfront, Terry uses the sentence “It was you,” multiple times in the clip. This is emphasized to show the audience how hurt Terry is by Charlie’s actions and his shock is heard without the words being spoken. He tells his brother, “I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody.” These sentences are meant to make the audience feel the characters pain and betrayal. In Raging Bull, he uses the same words as a way of relating his situation to someone who was less fortunate. This is done as an illusion to convince the audience that “some people aren’t that lucky.” Jake is very unlucky but he refers to the fact that he had his title shot and Terry did not as a way of convincing himself that his life could have been worse. Aristotle would have said that both of these films are portrayed as tragedy because they possess all of the necessary elements.

Works Cited

Aristotle. "Poetics." Classical Literary Criticism. Trans. Penelope Murray and T.S. Dorsch. New York: Penguin Books, 2000. 57-97.

You Tube. 28 March 2008. 14 July 2009 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0waNRaz6wU>.

You Tube. 19 January 2009. 14 July 2009 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESGdDEZGfdA>.