A Christmas Carol

Materie:	Riassunto
Categoria:	Inglese
Voto:	1.5 (2)
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Data:	19.04.2006
Numero di pagine:	2
Formato di file:	.doc (Microsoft Word)

This theatrical representation in five staves is a stage adaptation from a novel by Charles Dickens. It’s essentially the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge, an old miser who, after receiving the visit of his dead business partner and of three spirits, changes completely his behaviour; progressively he understands the importance of altruism, and he begins to spend his money in useful ways, to help needy people. Consequently he begins to have social relationships, like those he lost because of his greed. Dickens wanted to focus especially on the man’s inability to consider in the right way moral values. Even the landscape, the cold and foggy English climate, is a metaphor of human condition.
Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens
Stave I
Scene I is the funeral of Scrooge’s associate, Jacob Marley, while the Scene II essentially explains us the main characteristics of Ebenezer’s Scrooge character, narrating a scene happened in his warehouse on Christmas Eve, when he refuses to give some coals to one of his employees (Cratchit) to give some money to Charity (using a very famous Dickensian image) and even to have dinner with his nephew’s family (because of his marriage). Later, in Scene III, the damned spirit of Marley informs Scrooge about his condition of old miser, willed to a life of agony in Hell because of his greed and let him know that three ghosts will come to make him come to his senses.
Stave II
The first ghost is that of Christmas past, which shows him scenes from his past, opposing the happiness of Scene I (his return home with his sister Fanny) and II (a party organised by his old master, Mr. Fezziwig), to the sadness of his last meeting with his old girlfriend, Belle, who gave him up because of his stinginess.
Stave III
The second ghost is that of Christmas Present, who shows him in scene I and II Cratchit and his nephew’s families having dinner, focussing on the doom of Cratchit’s little, ill son and on the fact that, even if he doesn’t deserve it, somebody loves him.
Stave IV
The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, instead, shows him what will happen if he doesn’t change his behaviour. In scene I there’s the description of the cheapest and poorest funeral ever seen, Scrooge’s one, with anybody gone to it. In scene II the ghost shows Scrooge that when he is dead, nobody will have respect for him, selling also the clothes his corpse “should” have wore during his eternal rest. Scene III takes place in Bob Cratchit’s house, after Tiny Tim’s death, inside an atmosphere of intense sadness. In Scene IV, after Scrooge’s question, it’s showed his gravestone, before the silent Ghost’s disappearing, while Scrooge asks him if these future shadows can change.
Stave V
In scene I Scrooge awakens from his dreams, gets dressed shouting about his happiness. He asks a boy to buy the enormous turkey hanged up at the poulterer’s. After, in scene II, he goes in the street, noticing his front door knocker’s beauty, he meets the Philanthropic gentleman who went to his counting house a few hours earlier, and gives him a big amount of money for Charity. Then, meeting up with his nephew Fred with his wife, he excuses himself, asking them a second possibility and accepting their dining invitation. In scene III the turkey is brought by Scrooge to Bob Cratchit’s house, and with the surprise of Scrooge’s employee he gives them many present and offers him a raising in the salary. In the end they sing a Christmas Carol.